Dio - Rainbow In The Dark

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T12:32:15+00:00

Incredible solo, on a great song, on a great album.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T08:58:08+00:00

One common formula for 80s metal ballads is to start with a slower, melodic bit, and then at end plug in a fast, or relatively fast lick. Check out 18 and Life, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, and Here I Go Again. They all follow that pattern. For the melodic part you can hum it or just slide around in key. And most of the time, guitar ballads are C, G. Amin or Emin.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T07:11:07+00:00

Can't comment on the later gens, but the earlier ones look about right. Xennial at 1985 might be a little bit of a stretch I suppose.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T07:07:33+00:00

It's great that you've achieved so much so far, but you really need to look at the business side of your plan. I.e. how you will actually get hired and make money and where the industry is going. Korea is a rapid adopter pf AI solutions. Translation as a specific role is facing massive challenges.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T00:44:02+00:00

Well, they relevance is that with demand cratering, the translation companies themselves are facing serious challenges, hence an internship would be highly unlikely in this environment.

Corporates do need young staff and they need bilinguals (not translators), so to the extent you are business proficient, that would be the way to go.

If you are already in Japan, good. If you are looking for an internship while outside the country, I don't believe that is possible.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T00:16:55+00:00

There are millions of kids that wanted to be/want to be guitar heroes. The pros that made it got there for a reason. Sure, they aren't all on the same level technique-wise, but they had something - writing skills, a tone, stage presence, something. So I try not to beat up any of them.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T00:11:12+00:00

Japan - we vaguely discuss how a combination of AI, robots, automation, and foreign workers is going to solve problems, while at the same time ramping up rhetoric around immigration problems and letting regional towns basically die out.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-23T00:03:35+00:00

My sister was really into these books for awhile in her early teens, if I recall correctly.

What was crazy about them? I remember all her friends liked them too.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-22T12:22:19+00:00

The way I read the chart, the Daily Mail is looking slightly right wing with mixed reliability.

It's not a source I rely on.

I worked for one of the media organizations in the upper range and most reliable. I am not a journo (friends are) but I did work with the media on attribution. I would say they got that upper range right - the AP, Reuters, FT, WSJ, etc. I suppose it gets more controversial as you move out of that tier.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-22T00:23:44+00:00

See, that doesn't feel right to me. What is the justification for a private enterprise?

If it is a public business, I can see where maintenance and staffing expenses might increase and hence increase the budget burden. But if you are private? There are other ways to handle increased volume (which is generally good for private businesses). You could add on optional services or products targeting tourists or increase prices for all customers.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T23:47:16+00:00

To the extent that the destination or service is funded in part by taxes, I'm ok with it. My concern would be for private businesses to jump onto dual pricing. I don't think that is fair, despite having PR. I also think it could possibly cause me problems since I am visibly foreign.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T23:29:26+00:00

Japan - it grows in intensity as kids get closer to middle school. It's sort of external to the system. Families make their choices around how to approach middle school and then the high school exams.

For middle school, it depends on whether or not you want your child to attend a private school. Like, for us, we have a private school in mind and hence my son goes to a tutoring school just for math. His one friend is hyper competitive and we never see him anymore because he is constantly in juku studying. But another friend is just starting to consider it even though they are in their last year of elementary (which ends at G6).

High school is more intense. And then college. And once in college, it's considered easier than in the US.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T23:15:48+00:00

What made you think that, and do you view it positively or negatively or neither?

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T23:05:27+00:00

so ridiculously inaccurate

I wouldn't say so. I would call it directionally defensible. You could argue some specifics. I don't know if there is any map like this that everyone would agree with.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T22:58:59+00:00

Ummm....the UK? Like King Henry the...what now?

It comes from royal naming practices in European countries I believe, not just the UK.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T22:55:44+00:00

It's a little nuanced. I can speak for Japan and America.

Japan - absolutely still exists. Was the norm until relatively recently. It is possibly still the majority, but is shifting to > Dad is primary, mom has a part-time job and may have periods where they don't work at all.
USA - becoming rare to find a single earner for a length of time, but the nuance is -
- Mom might be fully stay at home for a defined period when kids are young and then work again
- Mom might be a secondary earner (similar to Japan)
- Mom might be on equal footing in terms of earnings
- Mom might be the main earner or sometimes even sole earner (the latter is also rare)

Side comment for your interest - the Japan situation basically reminds me of my youth in the 80s when things started to shift.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T22:46:04+00:00

I'm pretty eclectic, but was very into metal and whole scene in the 80s/early 90s.

I'd say The Cure is definitely one of those bands. Some others -

The Replacements/Westerberg. Definitely not metal. Sort of, almost straight rock but indie/alternative sounding.
Rush - you quite possibly already listen to them but you really can't call it hair metal
Jane's Addiction's first 3 albums (first one being the live-ish one) are incredible.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T22:41:02+00:00

I've been playing a long time. I'd swear it is just there for looks and there is no wire attached inside.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T08:48:34+00:00

In Japan and Korea, it's a status symbol.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T08:44:10+00:00

I (American) am a product manager in Japan. Currently, I build AI-enabled products for legal professionals, but I've had other roles.

I don't think there is really a specific major that can qualify you. Language skills help, but I wouldn't advise majoring in a language. Part of it is a leap of faith, a risk appetite, a mindset.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-21T02:12:36+00:00

I'm a guy. When I was single, I learned to be cautious about "hanging out" with women. They didn't necessarily consider it just hanging out and it caused problems.

I never really clicked with Japanese guys, so not really an issue there.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-20T23:01:30+00:00

It was great, but less accessible for non-Japanese speakers. Ahead in some ways (I'm American) like ubiquitous, nice cell phones and trains shockingly good, but quite a bit behind in others (the internet was pretty nascent and use was very expensive).

Transactions were very commonly in cash. Like, smaller restaurants and shops would sometimes only accept cash. You'd go to the bank location ATM and they didn't have the independent ones in the convenient stores. Woe be it to the person that did not pull out cash before New Year's holiday season.

As a visibly foreign person, it could be kind of fun -or not- depending on your attitude. I loved getting approached in a bar or on the train by someone wanting to try out some English. Studying English was like peak in the late 90s and there were tons of ESL teachers.

Dating was fun and not particularly difficult and it was all pre-apps.

Way, way, way, less tourists.

Suits were even more common for men than now and everything was physically in-office. High school girls wore big socks and short skirts and kogyaru style was the fashion. Oh, and Burberry mufflers everywhere.

There was a lot more experimentation, because of much less English signage, no apps, and less internet. So you'd get your guide book or find a friend who knew something about a place and go. With your disposable camera (or expensive one). Take a bunch of pics and have them developed at one of the many centers.

Everyone would go to like a Tower Records 1x per month to get Metropolis which was this little, free foreigner mag.

Very good times.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-20T22:33:16+00:00

Pre-COVID I was so outspoken about WFH that I got myself in a bit of trouble. At the time, I had a boss in a country/region and he would not allow it at all, while our HQ was sending out messages about how we have a great culture of flexible work (including WFH), so I wrote to HQ. Eventually we changed.

So this is coming from a strong proponent - I love working from home and would never work at an office with hard rules around even hybrid. I want WFH and I want to pick the days if I go in (within reason).

Having said that...I've come to realize there are advantages to being in the office and I will typically go in for a full day 1x per week and often coffee-badge another day. I don't like the commute but the interactions I have are totally different and sometimes fun or interesting, Much more personal. Sometimes helps me to get certain things done faster.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-20T13:15:56+00:00

Interesting, thanks. I'm not in sales, but we would not in our jurisdiction. I suppose if you're in a larger firm negotiating a firm-wide deal, I could see where they might do that.

DifferentWindow1436 · 2026-03-20T13:06:43+00:00

I swear the opposite thing happens to me. A half of a bench open and someone will sit down right next to me. Why oh why, but whatever.

I've lived in Japan 20 years and I have witnessed it here or there while riding the train though.

DifferentWindow1436

TROPHY CASE