Andrew Shuttleworth Web HQ

New Home Fibre Connection Even Faster

Andrew Shuttleworth — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:36:48 +0900

Following up on a post from April 2007, yesterday we switched over to NTT Flets Hikari. Once again the temptation of a $300 discount on our shopping at the local electronics store just for signing up was too much to resist. At around $70/month (including phone services) NTT is a little bit more expensive than KDDI but we'll still be better off overall until we switch to the next latest and greatest in another couple of years or so.

Interestingly they seem to have almost completely avoided mentioning connection speeds on the Flets Hikari site (here for Japanese) but I believe we got on the new 200 Mbps service. I tried a speedtest at various times and below is the best result I got - 86.50 Mb/s download, 102.64 Mb/s upload. (That was after midnight Friday night - times were much slower on a Saturday morning).

The Start of a New Chapter

Andrew Shuttleworth — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:40:44 +0900

As many of my friends know I've been looking for my my "next big thing" as far back as December 2007.

In March this year, I decided to crowdsource the effort. I'm happy to say that it worked. Little over 1 week after that post I was introduced to a person at a fantastic company by my good friend Danny Choo with whom I have been organized Tokyo CGM Night since the beginning of this year.

Just over 3 months later I'm please to say I'm be joining this company starting today. Until I adjust to the complexities of being back in a corporate environment, I'm not going to mention the company name as part of this blog post, but will just direct you to my LinkedIn profile for details. Needless to say I'm very excited about this new role.

I am in many ways very sad to leave the world of being an independent entrepreneur, but there will be more than enough scope for entrepreneurialism and innovation in this role, and I'll have an amazing team to work with. It's also very much a people facing role, so I expect to continue meeting new and fascinating people every day, helping them solve their business problems, and connecting people and businesses with each other.

Over the last two years, in addition to my work, I helped Tokyo 2.0 grow into a 800+ person community, with a monthly event that on average welcomes 150-200 web professionals and has 8 or so presentations every month. Without doubt the community has played a great role in connecting and inspiring people in the industry in Japan and beyond. We also have a large steering committee and are just about getting enough people to help to take ownership of and drive forward each event. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has helped but we do need more proactive helpers. I will not be able to devote the same amount of time I have done to date running things, but having said that the community has reached a level of maturity and has the potential to move to the next level and achieve so much more catalyzing the international web industry in Japan. I'm hopeful the community can move in that direction over the next year.

Beyond that, there are so many people I have to sincerely thank from the bottom of my heart for so much support, guidance and friendship over the years. It's at times like these that you really get chance to reflect and be grateful. I won't list everyone here, but you know who you are.

For budding entrepreneurs, in fact actually everyone out there, I encourage you to commit to and work towards your dreams. For sure you are not going to get there tomorrow, but you will get there, one ... step .... at a time.

Finally, if you are reading this before Saturday 11th July, drop by www.nettokyo.jp so we can catch up there. Don't forget your Poken (or get one there).

Google Latitude Location Badge

Andrew Shuttleworth — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:56:56 +0900

Google Latitude now lets you publish your location using a badge (aka widget). You can choose choose to show city level location (which I'm doing for now) or best location possible.

Coming Out: Who is Andrew Shuttleworth and What Does He Do?

Andrew Shuttleworth — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:53:55 +0900

OK. The question has been asked too many times. It's time to come out in public ...

I know many people wonder how I do what I do and what exactly what I do for a living ... but only a few people ask. So here's the spiel.

Who is Andrew Shuttleworth?

I'm just a regular guy who decided to live a life experiment and build a career from the things I love doing. I'm passionate about helping people connect as every good connection leads to a better world.

What do you do?

3 years ago I started working independently to helping great vendors in Tokyo to find customers, and customers find great vendors - business matching. When I make a good match I get paid by the vendor. That's how I pay my bills, in addition to spot consulting projects. (Some people, have assumed I'm independently wealthy, but unfortunately that's not the case - I do work for a living).

In 2008, I followed my passion for the internet and started helping cool web startups (such as smart.fm) to connect with the community and strategic partners in Tokyo. I spent a LOT of time nurturing the Tokyo 2.0 community that I co-founded in 2007 as well as a lot of time building my personal brand and network. This year I started co-organizing CGM Night with Danny Choo which quickly became one of the top blogger/vlogger events in Japan.

I have a bazillion different side projects and people I'm helping, but it's time to focus, grow and bring all I'm doing under one umbrella.

So what now?

I'm a fanatic networker obsessed with the web and other technologies that help people communicate and connect. I also speak fluent Japanese and have 10 years business experience and a large network in Japan.

I want to work with a cool overseas web brand and help them to succeed in Japan. I'd love to work with a company like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Google. Or with a VC company deal sourcing and supporting their existing ventures.

I'm crowdsourcing my next life move. What should I do? Who should I work for? Post your comments and suggestions here, tweet me, refer me. I'm ready and listening.

Roppongi Drink Spiking Warning from US Embassy in Tokyo

Andrew Shuttleworth — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:02:44 +0900

Japan is generally a very safe place, but beware if you are planning to go drinking in Roppongi. Maybe a knock-on affect from the downturn in business the bars must be facing following the exodus of expats from Tokyo as a result of the economic climate?

Quoted from a Warden's message from the US Embassy in Tokyo ...

Date: March 17, 2009

This is to inform the American community that the U.S. Embassy has recommended that the embassy community avoid frequenting Roppongi bars and clubs in Tokyo due to a significant increase in reported drink-spiking incidents. American citizens may choose to avoid frequenting drinking establishments in this area as well.

The number of reports of U.S. citizens being drugged in bars has increased significantly in recent weeks. Typically, the victim unknowingly drinks a beverage that has been secretly mixed with a drug that renders the victim unconscious for several hours, during which time large sums of money are charged to the victim’s credit card or the card is stolen outright. Victims sometimes regain consciousness in the bar or club, while at other times the victim awakens on the street.

Because this type of crime is already widespread in Roppongi bars and is on the rise, the U.S. Embassy has recommended that members of the embassy community avoid frequenting drinking establishments in this area. American citizens may consider this recommendation as it applies to their own behavior. If you, nevertheless, choose to participate in Roppongi night life, we urge you to remain extra vigilant of your surroundings and maintain a high level of situational awareness. Establishments in the area of Roppongi Intersection (Roppongi Dori and Gaienhigashi-dori) have had the highest level of reported incidents.

For further information please consult the Country Specific Information Sheet for Japan, available via the Internet at http://travel.state.gov.
U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate through the State Department's travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security. Americans without Internet access may register in person with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the embassy or consulate to contact them in case of emergency.

U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. For additional information, please refer to "A Safe Trip Abroad" found at http://travel.state.gov.

For further information or any emergencies involving American citizens, please contact the American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit of either the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo or one of the U.S. Consulates in Japan listed below:

U.S. Embassy in Tokyo
American Citizen Services
1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
Tel: 03-3224-5174
Fax: 03-3224-5856
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/tacs-main.html

The U.S. Embassy serves Americans in Tokyo, Chiba, Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Nagano, Niigata, Saitama, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Yamagata and Yamanashi.

==============================
U.S. Consulate General Sapporo
American Citizen Services
Kita 1-jo, Nishi 28-chome
Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0821
Tel: 011-641-1115
Fax: 011-643-1283

The U.S. Consulate General in Sapporo serves Americans in Akita, Aomori, Hokkaido, Iwate and Miyagi. As there are times when both officers are away from the office, we ask that you make an appointment before coming to the Consulate General.

=====================
U.S. Consulate Nagoya
Nagoya International Center Bldg. 6th floor
1-47-1 Nagono, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya 450-0001 TEL (052) 581-4501 FAX (052) 581-3190

The U.S. Consulate Nagoya provides emergency consular services including death and arrest cases for Americans living in Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures. Please call Nagoya or Osaka for confirmation before traveling to Nagoya if you believe you have an emergency situation. Routine American Citizen Services are provided by appointment only. If an appointment is not available, American residents may also receive service at the Consulate in Osaka.

==============================

===
U.S. Consulate General Osaka-Kobe
American Citizen Services
11-5, Nishitenma 2-chome
Kita-ku, Osaka 530-8543
Tel: 06-6315-5912
Fax: 06-6315-5914

The U.S. Consulate General in Osaka helps Americans in Osaka, Aichi, Ehime, Fukui, Gifu, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Ishikawa, Kagawa, Kochi, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Okayama, Shimane, Shiga, Tokushima, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama.

======================
U.S. Consulate Fukuoka
American Citizen Services
5-26, Ohori 2-chome
Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0052
Tel: 092-751-9331
Fax: 092-713-9222

The U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka helps Americans in Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, Saga and Yamaguchi.

===========================
U.S. Consulate General Naha
2-1-1 Toyama,
Urasoe City
Okinawa 901-2104
Phone: 098.876.4211
Fax: 098.876.4243
DSN: 645-7323

The U.S. Consulate General in Naha helps Americans in Okinawa and the Amami Oshima Island group (which is the southern island group of Kagoshima Prefecture).

Travel, safety and security information is also available directly from the U.S. Department of State at http://travel.state.gov/

GPS Tracking as it Should Be Done with Everytrail

Andrew Shuttleworth — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:26:21 +0900

For years I've been dreaming a phone app that would let me easily and quickly track and publish my trips with the trail on a map with the photo's I took along the way. ('Easily and quickly' are the key words there). Finally Everytrail in combination with my iPhone lets me do that. Enjoy one of my favorite weekend walks from Yokohama Chinatown to Minato Mirai. (Click through on the title for a richer full screen view).

Yokohama Chinatown & Minato Mirai

Widget powered by EveryTrail: GPS Geotagging

Japan Blogs

Andrew Shuttleworth — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:39:30 +0900

I actually originally intended to post this as a page, rather than a blog post, but now it's here I'll leave it here. It's my growing blogroll of sites I've tagged 'Japan' in Google Reader. Let me know if there's any missing.

Facebook Connect

Andrew Shuttleworth — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:36:53 +0900

It wasn't quite as simple as Google Connect, and I know basically zero about programming, but thanks to this nice step-by-step video I managed my first experiment with Facebook Connect. There's not much functionality to the button to the right (at my HQ if you are not reading this there), but it's a first step and I hope to work on adding more to allow a community of visitors to this site build a mini community soon. (Update: For some reason the button is not displaying in IE. Any ideas why?)

Google Connect

Andrew Shuttleworth — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:50:17 +0900

Finally got around to trying out Google Connect. Play away...

10 Tips for Migrating to Gmail

Andrew Shuttleworth — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:00:39 +0900

Gmail is a very well designed email tool, but many people find it frustrating at first. Why? I think the main problem is that most people are only using Gmail some of the time. This means that when they look at email threads, mails they have read in other applications are not collapsed and they have to scroll a long way to find the newest message.

I experienced this and noticed the problem with a few of my friends who have not yet fully migrated. Try moving to Gmail full time and this problem will go away automatically.

Moving to Gmail has been one of the best move's I've made. Here are a few tips on how to make good use of email and how to ease the transition.

1) Search

Using the search operators like to: , from: , label: etc can really make it easy to find the email you are looking for. Use a + or - to combine or exclude. One thing I particularly like is that, for example, searching for 'John' will search the name field and email address field, so even if John has an email address like alien@planetmars.cc, or even if he has multiple email addresses. You'll still find all the email address from him as long as the address book entry is properly completed with his name, which is usually done automatically if his name is included on the emails he has sent you.

Update: I forgot one very important thing in my original post. When you click on the threads in the search results, only the mails that match your search query will be expanded. All the others will be collapsed. This is a very useful and well designed feature, but I guess that many users don't know that this is a feature and wonder why many of the messages are collapsed.

2) Viewing past emails from one person

Most people are used to seeing a chronological list of emails on a given topic or from a certain person. This can be useful. For example, if you have an approximate idea when the email was received but can't remember the thread it was in or think of any appropriate search terms to help narrow down the results. Google's threaded view does not enable to viewing mails purely chronologically.

3) Viewing Unread Mails in Inbox

A simple demand, but something not part of the GMail feature set. There's a solution here.

4) Folders vs. Labels

I think this is a relative easy habit to break. Many people are used to filing mails in folders. This is a result of the historic lack of good search tools in other email applications. In reality, filing mails in folders is an unproductive waste of time. Once you get used to search you'll find it easy to find the mails you want and will be able to eliminate email filing and spend more time on productive things.

5) Shortcuts

GMail has a bunch of shortcuts listed here. By far my favorite short cut is [ . This moves the mail you are reading into the archives an displays the next email.

6) No deleting

With GMail's huge storage allowance and more available for purchase at super low prices you simply don't need to delete. Just archive and know that the email is only a search away. If anything, you can import all you past email archives into GMail so you have everything in one place.

7) Mobile and Offline Access

Google has good support for mobile access. You can get your email on almost any device in a format designed for the small screen. The iPhone interface is nice too, although having the search only at the bottom of the Inbox screen is annoying. If you ever do want to get your Gmail offline you can use IMAP to synchronize email with your normal email software. This is a good backup when you first move to Gmail, just in case you can't cope with a sudden switch.

8) Good Help system

It always surprises me that people fail to make good use of the Help files. The answer to the problem that's been niggling you is most probably just a quick click and search away. I haven't linked to many of the pages that provide more info on the features mentioned above, but you can be sure to find more good step-by-step info in the Help files.

9) Hardware Independent

If you are already using another webmail system this is not important, but if you are using desktop software you'll find this a huge benefit. No more worrying about PC failures, migrating mail to another machine, backing up huge archives. I've known people who've lost weeks of productivity because their one of only machine was out of action. (You know who you are :-) For Outlook users - as much as I liked the tool, it's slow and a memory hog, even on powerful machines. The power features and options are difficult to find and use. Moving into the streamlined email in a browser will be a revelation!

10) I'm not sure this justifies an extra point, but note that if you don't like the News section that appears above your email, it just takes seconds to turn this off in the settings. Would be nice if Google provided a one click option to minimize or remove this.

GMail is not perfect, but I think it's close. There are tons of other useful features you'll find if you take a little time to explore. If you turn on the Labs feature you'll get notified of any new experimental features. Since migrating full time to Gmail my email life has been far more productive and I can live with or find workarounds for the downsides. I encourage you to to make the jump.