lingqi's Journal: July 02, 2003

July 2nd, 2003 (8:30pm)

I saw a DEMAG HC 810 on the roads yesterday. I could not believe my eyes.

Why? because a DEMAG is HUGE. some ideas:
7 axels; 6-wheel (3 axel) drive; 10-wheel (5 axel) steering; 52meter telescoping crane (option to extend to 88 meters); max lifting capacity 300 tons (not sure if it's metric, but probably is).

The crane, everything said and done, is (packed for transportation) 18 meters long, three meters wide (5.3m if you are carrying (up to 70ton of) counterweights), and nearly four meters tall. Turning radius is 9 meters for inner and 16.5 for outer. Actually, now that I really think about it, the thing is probably about the same size as a russian land-based ICBM launcher.

As we all are aware of, japanese roads are not the widest in the world. As the lanes are usually only two meters wide. This makes a DEMAG especially out-of-place. Hillarious, in fact, when seen side-by-side with some k-car (compact, 660cc, yellow tagged) besides it. The driver, with fear in his/her eyes, looks as if the massive machine may at any minute transform into a gundam and annihilate half of Japan.

Then again, being Japan and all, I suppose there is high probability that a massive machine will transform suddenly into a gundam.

I need to get out more.

Though, I have to say, I went out a LOT yesterday. Well - first thing first, yesterday was my company's founding day - 49th anniversary. If I stick around for one more year, maybe I might bum a free lunch...

So, Being the founding day, we get a day off, but in return have to work this coming saturday. To be honest, actually, I don't mind this setup as much as I might want to complain about it. While getting a saturday is nice and fun and all, getting off on a tuesday (while it's workday for everybody else) means wonderful, wonderful things. A list of things one may consider doing includes:

*) Any official business, including visits to the
  - DMV (get a license - or, well, not)
  - Police headquarters (renew license, etc)
  - City hall (various stuff)
*) Other hard-to-reach places, like a freaking bank.

Yesterday was full of such accomplishments. Well, considering the record, maybe non-accomplishments:

*) DMV and failed my driver's license one more time (did a california roll at a stop sign. really really stupid thing to do!)
*) city hall and got a trash-calendar
*) bank to change internet banking password
*) car dealer, got some insignificant parts for the car
*) cellphone shop, got a clip to replace the one that broke
*) a little shopping for some gifts
*) various others (mainly eating)

But, more on those later.

During the weekend it occured to me that I have been in Japan for exactly eight and half monthes now. For human pregenancy cycle, This is about the time* when the water breaks and a new baby comes out wailing. "What is my metaphorical baby" has been my idle brain cycle consuming deep-useless-thought for the past few days. Can't figure it out, though. Yes I do realize it's an extremely silly (and possibly perverse) analogy. I guess something I can read this one day and have "where the heck did THAT come from" be the deep-useless-thought for that time.

*note: as much as they say "nine monthes," you actually start the 9-month count from the last menstration, so usually about eight monthes and half (maybe "and 20 days" for the pedantic) for a baby to be born. Any women / gynaecologist feel free to correct me here.

One more thing. I think (personal observations here) towels - face / sports towels - is very much a commonly distributed item here in Japan. I mean, people either collects it, or it is a very popular "business gift" item. I think it's a bit like china where people'd get towels for attending a conference, and similar things like that. Anyway - while utility-wise it certainly beats the "useless gadgets" or "useless T-shirt" that you recieve from events in the US by huge margins, I have say that after a while, you begin to accumulate more such towels than you know what to do with.

Recently I guess the construction company that built my apartment buliding has had an company founding anniversary of 30 years. Every resident recieved two 30th-anniversary towels. Adding this to the towel I got for converting money at Tokyo-Mitsubishi bank last time, and three others I collected from onsens of various places, I am dedicating some significant shelf-space for towels that I know I will seldomly, if ever, use. And they are too nice to use as rags, too. sigh.

Now that I think about it, actually - I would bet good money that we will all get towels at the 50th anniversaly of my company next year. The excitement can be barely contained.

yellow plates

[molo]

k-car (compact, 660cc, yellow tagged)

I noticed some cars with yellow plates. Most were black on white though. I never asked what the deal was though.

-molo

Re:yellow plates

[lingqi]

k-car is a design-spec for "low-tax." the entire car has to fit into a l2.4m; w1.4m; h2.0m box. to make the most out of this volume, k-cars are usually very boxy.

note, though, that the demag is over twice as wide, twice as tall, and seven and half times as long as a k-car that you see zipping around.

david and goliath, almost - except that k-cars don't come with slingshots... heck, if you drove a k-car next to a demag, your eyelevel is about where the hub meets the tire. =)

Stopping properly

[Caoch93]

As far as nipping the tendency for being loose on your stopping, might I suggest what cured me- do a British stop. I thought this was a joke, until my girlfriend, who lived in Britain for six years, corrected me. On a British driving test, your stop is not "correct" until you pull up the handbrake. No lie. Get in the habit of pulling the handbrake after coming to a stop...kiss those rolling stops goodbye. It straightened me right out when I took my first driving test.

Re:Stopping properly

[lingqi]

haha. I guess it's either "kiss the rolling stops goodbye" or "kiss your handbrakes goodbye"...

I will try it next time, though!