Global Domination

I don't know what other markets Starbucks has moved into, but I have read that they are on a worldwide expansion mission of McDonald's proportions. There are currently somewhere between 13,000 and 15,000 Starbucks shops around the world, but last year they publicized the fact that they are aiming for 40,000 locations. To put that number in perspective, the golden arches of MickeyD's can be found in front of around 30,000 storefronts globally.

While looking for a bottle of my favorite Scotch, The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old, I happened upon the two bottles of liqueur pictured here. The asking price, if I remember correctly, is in the 3,000 yen range (US$30-ish), so you can bet that I'll be saving my cash for future bottles of The Balvenie, but I have to say that the pair of Starbucks liqueurs only just barely surprised me.

Coffee and spirits have long been mixed (although I rarely, if ever, dump my gin into my after-dinner coffee), and pricey bottles of coffee-flavored liqueur are a logical extension of the Starbucks branding of low-key sophistication.

Shinanoya's Shinjuku branch carries the Starbucks offerings, if you are so inclined, as well as a whole lot more.

Global Domination

This Caught my Attention

This Caught my Attention

Big Bucks for Freelance Audio Transcription

I occasionally peruse the job ads. Just to see what kind of opportunities money is out there. I don't know about you, but I often find myself wondering about any differences that may exist between the published hours, responsibilities, wage, benefits, etc. and reality.

While cruising through Gaijinpot.com this morning, looking for interesting tidbits on nothing in particular, I noticed a job ad for audio transcription. After clicking the link, I found that the company in question, Urban Connections, a "language solutions" firm in Tokyo, was hoping to add more freelancers to its network of audio transcribers.

An audio transcriber, just to be clear, is anyone who puts what is being said on paper. What is being said can involve everything from the minutes of a meeting to an interview to governmental press conferences, and the typing might be done live (on site) or while listening to a recording of the proceedings.

Anyway, Urban Connections is looking for freelance transcribers who would have the option of working at home, and the published wage is 8,000 - 10,000 yen per hour (US$70+/hr) of audio transcription. They ask that applicants have some free transcription software, an internet connection, Skype (which is also free), and a transcriber's foot pedal (which can be purchased for between fifty one hundred dollars).

Wow! That's a lot of cash for typing. So I dug a little deeper.

I googled "Urban Connections, transcription" and was led directly to the company website. Sure enough, they do a lot of conference organization, translation, interpretation, and transcription. And they're looking for interns, by the way.

The first two sites returned in the Google search were part of the company's site. Number three, however, linked to a Metropolis interview with Urban Connections founder Larry Greenberg.

Summary of the interview:

"We rarely outsource transcription work for people to do at home."

"We pay by the hour, which starts at JY2500 for a qualified person."

And what about a highly-skilled transcriber who brings
more value to the job?

"A 70-word-per-minute typist who is very knowledgeable about current
events, for example, could expect JY3000 per hour."

Oops.

It looks like this is one of those rare cases where both the job ad (ie. false advertising) and the reality (ie. about one third the published wage for experienced transcribers) have been made public at the same time.

Either someone at Urban Connections is trying to bait a bunch of people into applying so that they can search for the proverbial diamond in the rough, or some staffer really goofed on the wage over at Gaijinpot.com when they posted the ad.

Big Bucks for Freelance Audio Transcription

Craziest Last-Second-Play Ever

I think I counted 15 laterals in there.

Craziest Last-Second-Play Ever

Giving to Education

You probably already noticed, but there is a big thermometer planted in the upper-righthand corner of this site. It's a link to the Donors Choose site where people can donate to a wide array of teacher-initiated projects.

The concept is simple and brilliant. Teachers write up proposals for projects that they would like to do in their classrooms and then post them on Donors Choose. Some teachers want to buy projectors to help make their classes more interactive, while other teachers are just looking for better calculators for their math classes. There are also plenty of schools looking for outside funding for their libraries. Then people like you can peruse the proposals and donate specifically to the project(s) that you think deserve support.

It is possible to search for projects that come from schools in very high poverty areas; one could also elect to send their money to hurricane battered school districts. The choice is yours.

I have assembled a short list (also known as a challenge on Donors Choose) of some of the projects that I think are worth supporting, and the list can be accessed by clicking on the thermometer at the top of the page or by clicking here.

Many school districts are woefully underfunded, and this is one way to reach the teachers who are truly trying to do more for their students.

Giving to Education

NOVA Closes Shop

NOVA appears to have gone belly up. The company has filed for government protection under Japan's Corporate Rehabilitation Law.

The official line is that NOVA is in the red to the tune of about 44 billion yen, but Japan Economy News' Ken Worsley estimates that the company's debt is even more astronomical (perhaps as high as 55 billion yen).

This picture was taken at the Takadanobaba branch at about 5 p.m. today. The customers in the picture were somewhat taken aback that the end had finally come. I heard several comments about how many "points" and how much money (thousands of dollars) had been lost.

"So is the money gone?" they asked somewhat rhetorically. At least the questions seemed rhetorical.

I wish that I had had information about a class action lawsuit that was underway to give them.

Is there one?

NOVA Closes Shop

Shigeru Takada to Manage Swallows

Former Nippon Ham Fighters general manager, Shigeru Takada (62), appears set to accept the head coach position in Tokyo.

He replaces outgoing player-manager, Atsuya Furuta.

Shigeru Takada to Manage Swallows

Tipness Oddballs: Part 2

The last time I wrote about exercising at Tipness, I concluded the post with a story about a man who was treating the locker room like it was his private bathroom.

Here's another one.

Maybe people are just tired after their workout, and their brains sort of shut off once they reach the locker room. That's where I most often witness extreme cluelessness when I'm at Tipness.

Today was no exception.

Between the lockers and the showers are the sinks. Six of them. Some guys like to plop down on a stool in front of the the mirrors and start their regimen of grooming after getting out of the showers. Q-tips, tissues, hairdryers and soap are provided, so it's not uncommon for four of the sinks to have a half-naked guy perched in front of the them at any one time.

The hairdryers get a pretty good workout themselves. Some guys like to use the hairdryers to dry off more than just their hair. Chest, back, and pits are all fair game. This was happening so often, apparently, that Tipness felt it necessary to post a sign saying that hairdryers are not supposed to be used to dry one's chest, back, or underarms no matter how hairy said body parts might be.

The gentleman at the sink closest to me when I was getting ready to take a shower was technically following the rules. He didn't have much hair up on top, so I was a bit puzzled to see him pick up the hairdryer. But he didn't use it to dry his wet torso. No, he went a bit further south and stuck the dryer directly between his legs.

The sign on the wall doesn't say anything about that body part.

For the first Tipness Oddballs story, click here.

Tipness Oddballs: Part 2