In this blog post, we’ll examine the core features of smartphones, the role of applications, and how application programmers make smartphones “smart.” Led by the introduction of the iPhone, smartphones have become the centerpiece of social innovation in just a few years. Once considered the exclusive domain of a small group of early adopters, smartphones are now a common sight on the...
In this blog post, we’ll explore the problem of constant noise in our surroundings, the acoustic materials used to reduce it, and transmission loss (TL), which indicates the performance of these materials. There are young children living upstairs from my apartment. Their parents must both work, because these little ones are always home alone. The problem is that these energetic little ones...
In this blog post, I’d like to examine the relationship between the soul and the body through ‘Ghost in the Shell’ and consider the definition of a living being and how far those criteria can be expanded. The English title of ‘Ghost in the Shell’ is ‘Ghost in the Shell’. It implies that the “ghost”—meaning the soul—resides within a shell, or the...
In this blog post, we’ll examine how Richard Dawkins’ ‘The Selfish Gene’ explains the origin and evolution of life as well as human behavior, and consider the implications and limitations of the selfish gene theory for human society and culture. The Origin of Life and the Selfish Gene What is the ultimate reason for the existence of living organisms on Earth—or even in the...
In this blog post, we’ll explore the role and future potential of mechanical engineering, which is utilized in a wide range of fields—from everyday life to automobiles, nuclear power plants, product design, and future convergence industries. We use cars in many aspects of our daily lives—whether meeting friends, visiting relatives during holidays, or going on family trips. Because cars are...
In this blog post, I will compare the survival of genes with the operating principles of the capitalist market economy from the perspectives of Richard Dawkins and Matt Ridley, and examine how selfishness and reciprocal altruism function as the driving forces behind these two systems. What is the relationship between the survival of genes and the capitalist market economy? Aristotle...
In this blog post, let’s take a step-by-step look at what nuclear power is, how it uses nuclear fission reactions to generate heat, and how that heat is used to produce steam and generate electricity. On March 11, 2011, a massive tsunami struck the northeastern region of Japan following an earthquake. When this tsunami engulfed the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, it caused serious...
In this blog post, we’ll examine the process by which crude oil extracted from the ground is separated into various components in a distillation tower based on differences in boiling points, thereby creating the raw materials for the diverse products we use in our daily lives. How does crude oil become the raw material for various products? Plastics, synthetic fibers, and gasoline—these...
In this blog post, I’ll compare the wine craze that swept South Korea in the 2000s with the subsequent popular surge in interest in the humanities. I’ll examine the commonalities that emerge when knowledge and culture are consumed as commodities, as well as the mindset needed to truly appreciate the humanities. Talk of the “humanities” is everywhere. Department store cultural centers are...
In this blog post, we’ll examine from various perspectives whether a society where eternal life has become possible through scientific and technological advancements could be happier than our current one. What conditions are necessary for a society of eternal life to be happy? The film ‘In Time’, written and directed by Andrew Niccol, is set in a society where time serves as...