Category Archives: Technology

501 Counters, Teacher resources Level 5, Technology, Transport

Transportation of the past and the near future

01/11/2012 lamihome Leave a comment

Let’s count cars in Japanese!

バス

のバス

one bus

のバス

two buses

のバス

three buses

With gratitude to Merrilynn

02 ED 094 In the kitchen, 501 Counters, Housing, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, KD 3-072 Counters, Mirai 2-054, Obentō 02-022, Obentō 02-023, Obentō 02-029, Obentō 02-031, Technology, Western-style food

Japanese household appliances

18/05/2012 lamihome Leave a comment

May I have one … , please?

06 TT 038 Departure Arrival, 06 TT 057 Train Travel, Chiba 千葉, Fukui 福井, KD 2-018 Means of Transport, KD 3-100 Lunch, Nagano 長野, Technology, Transport, Ueno 上野, Yamanashi 山梨

Narita Airport Line 成田空港線　なりたくうこうせん

24/06/2011 lamihome Leave a comment

The whole line is operated by Keisei Electric Railway, while some parts of the line are operated by other companies as well, such as Hokuso Railway. The new line is used by Skyliner services operating at up to 160 km/h using new Keisei AE series EMUs.

The project involved the refurbishment of 32.3 km of existing track on the Hokusō Line, as well as the construction of 19.1 km of new track to Narita Airport, partly using disused rights-of-way originally planned for the cancelled Narita Shinkansen project. The total cost, according to the Narita Rapid Rail Access website, was estimated to be ¥126 billion, or about US$1.3 billion.

Trains also utilize the Keisei Electric Railway‘s Main Line between Keisei Ueno and Keisei-Takasago. Trains run at a maximum speed of 160 km/h, thus completing the run from Nippori to Airport Terminal 2 in 36 minutes, 15 minutes faster than the previous Skyliner route, which took 51 minutes. Trains also run towards Haneda Airport from Narita Airport via Keisei-Takasago using Toei Asakusa Line, the Keikyu Main Line and the Keikyu Airport Line.This makes it possible to connect the two airports around 65 minutes, as opposed to the previous minimum of 106 minutes. Fare for the route is ¥2,400 from either Nippori or Ueno stations.

Service on this line commenced on July 17, 2010.

There are also plans to build a track from the Toei Asakusa Line to Tōkyō Station, opening a (potentially) faster route to the airport via the Keisei Oshiage Line.

(from Keisei Information Site)

http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/

Useful travel information:

http://www.japan-guide.com/ad/skyliner.html

Mirai 2-111, Technology

21/06/2011 lamihome Leave a comment

The unfinished K Computer is already the world's fastest with its 68,500 processors. Photo / Supplied

Meet the world’s fastest computer: 8 petaflops

8:46 AM Tuesday Jun 21, 2011

The unfinished K Computer is already the world’s fastest with its 68,500 processors.

A Japanese supercomputer has become the fastest in the world, making calculations more than three times faster than a Chinese rival, its developers said.

The K Computer has achieved 8.162 quadrillion calculations per second, or 8.162 petaflops in computer jargon, according to developers Fujitsu and the state-funded Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, known as RIKEN.

In doing so K Computer overtook China’s Tianhe-1A of the National Supercomputing Centre in Tianjin, which became the world number-one in November and is capable of operating at 2.566 petaflops.

The K Computer’s performance was recognised by the Top500 List of Supercomputers released at the 2011 International Supercomputing Conference in Hamburg, Germany, Fujitsu and RIKEN said in a statement.

It is the first Japanese supercomputer since 2004 to become the world’s fastest, a symbolic moment for a nation proud of its cutting edge technology.

NEC’s Earth Simulator was the world’s fastest machine between June 2002 and November 2004.

K Computer’s developers say the machine will be powerful enough to tackle complex calculations relating to climate research and disaster prevention.

“Use of the K computer is expected to have a ground-breaking impact in fields ranging from global climate research, meteorology, disaster prevention, and medicine, thereby contributing to the creation of a prosperous and secure society,” the statement added.

K Computer is still being configured and has been assembled since October 2010 at a RIKEN’s facility in Kobe, western Japan, where it should be completed by June 2012, the statement said.

It is made up of 672 computer cabinets currently equipped with of 68,544 computer processing units (CPUs), Fujitsu and RIKEN said in a press release.

When finished, the machine will have more than 80,000 CPUs and be able to operate at 10 peta-flops.

Fujitsu and RIKEN chiefs said in statements that the project, launched in 2006 with a total budget of about 112 billion yen (NZ$1.7 billion), had overcome supply chain difficulties caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country’s northeast Tohoku region.

Fujitsu chairman Michiyoshi Mazuka said he was grateful to “our partners in the Tohoku region for their commitment to delivering a steady supply of components, even though they themselves were affected by the disaster.”

RIKEN president Ryoji Noyori said: “I very much believe that the strength and perseverance that was demonstrated during this project will also make possible the recovery of the devastated Tohoku region.”

Noyori, the 2001 Nobel laureate in chemistry, told a news conference later: “I am glad because the world number-one spot, by such an overwhelming margin, has proven that our country’s industrial technology remains sound.”

“After all, we must aim for the top in research.”

The project’s budget was slashed by 11 billion yen in late 2009 under a belt-tightening drive by the centre-left government.

A minister in charge of administrative reform asked at that time: “What is the reason for seeking to be the world number one? Can’t you make do with second place?”

But the K Computer may find it hard to survive intensifying competition as a 1,000-petaflops supercomputer is under consideration in the United States while China continues to invest heavily in supercomputer development, the Yomiuri newspaper said.

– AFP

Presents, Shopping, Sport Hobby Pastime, Technology

USB Storage devices – Made in Japan

05/06/2011 lamihome Leave a comment