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Oct 2005 -INDEX- Reports -Yumi, Chief Executive Director's monthly note -Toshi, Chief Technical Director's monthly note -What's up in Pangaea's Playground? (Activity report) Information -Picton questionnaire -The Pangaea Office has moved floor. ----------------------------------- Yumi's monthly note ----------------------------------- After finishing the August activity connecting Japan and Korea, Pangaea staffs are now moving towards November's events, the crucial one is a press conference on 15th November. For example we named a pictogram Picton and are developing a Pangaea net at a high pace. In October, I gave an anecdotal report on cross-cultural communication in elementary and middle schools at an academic conference called FIT (Forum on Information Technology) which was held by Information Processing Society of Japan. Then I've got many feedbacks from many researchers and meaningful information for the Pangaea activity. For example, if one has touched different cultures or been to abroad in childhood, he/she gains a schema towards foreigners. It will help him/her to understand what different cultures are when becoming an adult. Also, I could have a chance to talk with a professor who was doing a research on remote lecture within Japan-US University and he showed an interest in Pangaea efforts. In these days, many researchers or experts visit the Pangaea office and give us invaluable advice on Picton development, usability and real-time chatting with Asian countries. The other day, one development member suddenly dropped a word to me, "there is no other wonderful working place like Pangaea that provides such experience." Work at Pangaea is worth while but arduous and meager wages for their work, so I, as a chief executive director, was very happy to know that the staff felt that way. I also like a development stage because it gives a chance to see how children use the product we created and their joyful faces firsthand. Also, by seeing such a look, I get motivated to move towards a next step. Such a wonderful spiral is born at every activity. Drawn to Pangaea, the number of fellows is gradually increasing. From this year, Pangaea has started to get on the move by the work of paid core staffs. Going through a hoop, every member is following to reckless type chief executive director and chief technical director. As we spend lots of time doing discussion, work and activity together, we came to share a same thick backbone. I felt at this very moment, Pangaea, started from just me and Mr. Takasaki finally has become everyone's Pangaea. Illuminating and sharing the backbone to more and more people and Pangaeans around the world who are waiting, I would like to move forward with them. Pangaea is now making an activity package that includes 3 elements, play and how to play; playground and how to operate; PangaeaNet. I would like to introduce you its precise information at the press conference on 15th November. So, please look forward to it. ----------------------------------- Toshi's monthly note ----------------------------------- In the lingering heat of summer, Pangaea core staffs have been working very hard for the coming "Pangaea Press Conference" on 15th November and contents packing. In this newsletter, I'd like to talk about "Picton," which is an official name for a pictogram invented and used in Pangaea. It was made as a catalyst that offers us a smooth communication to feel "bond" each other despite differences in language and culture. This is because Pangaea regards children to convey their sensitivity and feeling as an essential element of communication. To achieve this point, Pangaea has been trying to create a computer system that provides a communicating place using Pictons. Now we have completed 2 prototypes: "PictNet," which is to construct a Picton dictionary for different languages, and "Communicator," which is to exchange messages in Pictons. In addition to software system development, research topics are also indispensable for Picton, such as its cultural dependency, a categorization of Pictons' definition meanings and language dependency when constructing a message or sentence in Picton. These things are essential for improvements towards easy-to-use system for children. Not only Pangaea core staffs' work but also with cooperation of universities and students at elementary/middle schools, Pangaea is carrying on researches on these topics. To get those people's support, I have started writing academic papers and making presentation at academic conferences. For example, in the beginning of September, I made a presentation focusing on Picton at an academic conference called "Social Informatics Fair 2005" at Kyoto University. I'm going to make a presentation at KIISS, Korea Intelligent Information Systems Society, in November in Seoul, and also by giving a presentation at an international academic meeting called a Global Wordnet Conference. Also in March, my paper will be one of the feature articles of IEICE, the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, which is one of the biggest academic institutes in Japan. ----------------------------------- What's up in Pangaea's Playground? (Activity report by Seiji) ----------------------------------- Starting a Pangaea house development with middle school researchers, Pangaea activities in September were a development type work shop. Thanks for ingenuity exercised by core members, Mr. Ito and Mr. Takamizawa, we could see a progress every week. Everyone, researchers and facilitators, was hooked on drawing a house that represents individuality. Even elementary school researchers approached to a new activity, making of Pangaea house, interpreting it as an element of a network system that Pangaea was trying to create. This attitude was more than I expected. Wondering a person far off…this is nothing but imagination. A hidden feeling behind a simple act of "drawing" may change or be different according to a context. September was a month that gave us an opportunity to feel the importance of unobservable thing behind an observable thing. Seem to be same but different. The essence is hidden there. *Information* ----------------------------------- The Renewal of the Picton questionnaire ----------------------------------- 2200 people from 10 countries have answered the Picton questionnaire started from last year which was invented to see Picton design's availability and cultural dependency. Using the knowledge gained from these answers, we renewed a questionnaire form to make it easier to interpret. Also, in addition to Japanese and English versions, we've started to provide the questionnaire in Korea and German too. So please answer the new Picton questionnaire with your family or friends! ----------------------------------- The Pangaea office has moved! ----------------------------------- The Pangaea office in Uchikanda has moved to a fourth floor from a third floor. Special thanks to Mr. Kazuo Nishi, a Pangaea fellow advisor for lending us a big room for us. An important thing that we would like you to be aware of is that an entrance has changed too. So please ask staffs about it before you visit. ****************************************************** Please check for details at Pangaea homepage. Non Profit Organization PANGAEA: http://www.pangaean.org/ For inquiries, e-mail: info*pangaean.org (Please change "*" to "@".) [Registration/Termination of Subscription] This e-newsletter is delivered to *Registered Pangaea activity supporting members *Pangaea advisors *Pangaea fellows *Registered Pangaea volunteer staff *Anyone who supports Pangaea activity and has contacted to Pangaea President Ms. Mori/Vice-President Mr. Takasaki If you wish to change your e-mail address or to terminate, please contact us from the following site: http://www.pangaean.org/common/english/newsletter/change.html ****************************************************** Non Profit Organization PANGAEA TS building 4F, 2-14-3 Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0047, Japan TEL: +81-3-5298-1551 / FAX: +81-3-5298-1552 E-mail:info*pangaean.org (Please change "*" to "@".) Copyright (c) 2003-2004 NPO PANGAEA. All Rights Reserved. ****************************************************** |