PointCast:
Back in Business

by Thomas Caldwell

Things have changed, however, and you may want to check out PointCast again. The company has reinvented itself, and currently has versions aimed at the US, Canadian, Japanese (Japanese-language), and Asian (English-language) markets. The Japanese-language version is well put together, and it has been well received by many Japanese business people I have talked with. The English-language Asian version was still in beta as of this writing and, I'm sorry to say, has a few problems. Timeliness of stories is one, but mostly I was disappointed in its lack of English-language information on Japanese stock markets. (Given its focus, the "Asian" version should more properly be renamed the "Hong Kong/Chinese" version.)

Unfortunately, according to Wendy McCarthy, PointCast's designated international PR contact, the company has no plans to include Japanese market information. "Japanese sources are typically not offered on the Asian edition," says McCarthy, "in line with the fact that Japan does not consider itself as part of Asia proper." (Talk about racist remarks!) However, she continues, "We will evaluate [offering Japanese information on the Asian edition] based on feedback from viewers." There you have it! If you'd like to see information about Japan in PointCast's English-language Asian edition, speak up (you can e-mail mccarthy@pointcast.com).

In spite of my nit-picking, Pointcast has come a long way. I urge you to check out the latest version (especially the Japanese one) at http://www.pointcast.com.

Where to get computer books

No matter how wired we get, there is still a need for paper documentation. Information age or no, we live in an era in which printed instruction manuals and books are as necessary as ever.

Finding a good place to buy imported books in Japan has always been a challenge. Occasionally, readers ask me where they can buy English-language computer-related books and magazines. My usual recommendation for people living in the Tokyo area is the foreign book section of Laox, The Computer Kan, in Akihabara. It still has the best selection in Tokyo, if not Japan.

However, there is another English-language bookstore in town that may prove an inexpensive alternative. Good Day Books, located around the corner from the East Exit of JR Ebisu station (phone 03-5421-0957, fax 03-5421-0958; e-mail goodday@ japan.co.jp, has a pretty good selection of new and used English-language books covering a wide range of subjects. Good Day has a growing computer section that may serve the needs of many readers.

You can order books from them that usually arrive more quickly, and more cheaply, than anything from the massive bookstores foreigners usually frequent (especially in the computer science category). Good Day Books is the type of small, quaint, and quiet book shop that is such a pleasure to browse through -- and increasingly harder to find.

Internet airline tickets

With Golden Week coming up soon, I've been asked about the best place to buy airline tickets on the Internet. Can one find cheaper airfares in cyberspace than at a local discount ticket shop?

The answer is a definite "maybe," but buyer beware. While looking into the subject, I found several rather fancy websites offering cheap tickets delivered "worldwide" -- only to discover some of those same URLs no longer valid just a couple of weeks later. I checked out a few sites recommended to me that seemed OK, but since I haven't used them myself, I don't feel comfortable recommending them here.

People in the know living in Japan have been ordering airline tickets from reliable companies in Hong Kong and Bangkok for years. In any event, though, the airlines will probably end up taking over the discount ticket business before long. When the economy begins to slow down, the first people to get wiped out are the middlemen. And since the Web allows companies to be directly connected to customers like never before, why the need for brokers? (After all, most of us now purchase our computers directly from the manufacturer.) It is already very easy buy most things, including full-fare plane tickets, over the Web; purchasing discount tickets directly from the airline is only a matter of time.

Just do a Web search with the words "air," "fare," and "discount." And check out sites with "co.jp" for Japan-based travel and ticket agents (some have English-language sites).

Electromagnetic fashion

If you are really concerned about all the electromagnetic pollution in the air, access http://www.shieldworks.com. The folks there offer several items of electromagnetic-resistant clothing and accessories for sale, including something called the Cybercap (becoming a rather chic item in some circles). It's basically a baseball-style hat made of a copper-based RF-reflecting fabric (reportedly similar to anti-bugging material used by the military) designed to protect your brain from all sorts of nasty background stuff. The company regularly sells its wares to Japan, and some stores here also sell them (check their website for details).

As I said in a previous column, there is no solid proof that background electromagnetic waves are dangerous. After all, they have been around since the turn of the century, and we're now living longer and better than we did 100 years ago. Aren't we?

Got a question? An alternative answer? Or just a pithy comment? You can contact our Query Columnist Thomas Caldwell at caldwell@gol.com.

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