[Technology, Life, Ann Arbor Marathon 2016] 技術、生活、アナーバーマラソン2016

I like hearing this type of news that the latest technology or tools can change some minority people's lives in a significant way.  - Apple has released a video to introduce an example of how ResearchKit has helped this autistic young man change his life style.

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I am not a big Apple fan or anything but the news made me think quite positively about the society. This autistic man has made a new step forward to start communicating with people by using his own "words" through this application. There are, of course, different types of autistic patients in the society, each one of whom has different levels or severity in that spectrum. This also reminds me of someone I know who had been through sore experiences from people of churches, schools, or workplaces due to his autistic attribute. It's not unusual to hear about such people or things. Regardless of whether it is a profit-seeking group of community or not, we are living in a world where people judge others, more or less, from an efficiency or productivity point of view. Reflecting what I have observed in the last decade, during this ever globalizing trend, there are people who had long been placed in higher position was made lower, and started to behave lowly to someone whom he had treated unfairly.

The sense of efficiency or productivity can be altered along with the changes made to the environment, and this one society is pretty much linked with other multiple societies, which creates the view or perspective of the world. Common sense also changes in the course of the evolvement. Take an example of the high school (tech high school) my father attended in Kesennuma, Japan. People had thought this school to be a good school back in the 1950s, however when I became a teenager in the 1980s, such tech schools were thought much less than other "normal course" high schools that were more focused on college or university entrance exams. Tech schools were filled with delinquent kids. It was quite ordinary that local people looked down on them and their schools, as if they had gone out of the right track. Now, my kid and nephew have become teenagers in 2016. Tech schools are now thought more and the locals think they are better schools than the normal schools. When people hear "tech" in front of the school names, they think it's cool. It's quite opposite of how people had thought 30 years ago. The same might be true in work environments or other social activities. Those who stick to old ideas and force such "traditions"or "common sense" might be treated unfairly one day.

The 3/11 Tsunami in 2011 made me more convinced. Someone from one of the devastated areas in Kesen of northern part of Japan held a speech at Sofia University (上智大学) in Tokyo. He said this huge disaster should be one of the work of God. By nature people want to keep the same attribute as their parents, however we sometimes get to have persons born on this planet, who might be thought "less suitable" or "not suitable". In the video, Mr. Yamaura states that when a disaster hit, those who were thought "not suitable" might become so much suitable to such exceptional situations. According to what he says out there in the YouTube video, that is how creatures have evolved in the long history of the earth. Amoeba will be still amoeba if there are no drastic outer changes to the current circumstance. Humans have evolved, or technology has advanced because

YouTube Video (Below): Mr. Yamaura from Iwate Prefecture Making his Speech for the 100th Anniversary of the Sofia University (Japan) Foundation

This YouTube video, by the way, makes me want to think that the utility of tools or application may even bring good news to engineers or developers, so they will be more motivated about what they do. This is another aspect of seeking profitability and productivity. Which I think is good. Advancement of technology can decrease the chance of miscommunication or misunderstanding. I thought that this is what makes our life become more meaningful and enjoyable. I also want to think that this autistic young man will start creating something that may make changes to or have great influence on other people. Efficiency, profitability, or productivity should not mean to reject or keep distance from the minorities.

On Sunday April 3, I participated in the 10K run in Ann Arbor. It was a cold morning. The temperatures were in around lower 20s. I woke up at 5:20 am, and started to prepare myself.

I ended up finishing my 10K with my best record of 53 minutes, which was more than 10 minutes shorter than the last time I ran in Plymouth five months ago, in November 2015. I am amazed by the fact that I enjoy running these days. I had never liked running a long distance at all times until a few years ago.