Category: Digital Technology
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Better Alternatives to Sending Large Files by Email
Compared to the early days, it’s now much easier to send large files as email attachments. There was a time when attaching a 5MB file could cause an error, but these days, it’s not uncommon to attach files as large as 20MB, or even 100MB. However, just because you can send large files by email…
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Understanding Hallucination in Generative AI
This is a term that has come into wider use over the past year or so. In English, “hallucination” usually refers to seeing or sensing things that aren’t real. In the context of generative AI, a hallucination refers to the phenomenon where the AI produces false information that sounds believable, as if it were true,…
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This Year Will Be The First Year of AI as Well as DX in Japan
Fortunately, at our company, being an IT company, everyone actively uses multiple AI tools, including ChatGPT, and nearly all documents (except for government-related ones) are paperless. On top of that, most of our work is completed on the cloud or through online platforms. But Japan as a whole… it’s a different story, and frankly, it’s…
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The Security vs. Ease of Use Dilemma
This is always a challenging issue to navigate. The more you strengthen security, the less convenient the experience becomes. Of course, the specifics depend on individual account settings, as well as computer and app configurations. Take online banking, for example—most of the time, you’re required to log in every time you access your account, and…
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Phishing Hit New All-Time High
According to a report by the Anti-Phishing Working Group, 2024 saw phishing incidents surpass the annual record set in 2023, making 2024 the highest number ever recorded. One reason for this increase is the growing recognition of the working group, leading to more people reporting incidents. Another factor is the continued expansion of Internet use…
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Be Careful About Reusing Passwords
A lot of people find passwords annoying. Honestly, most people probably feel that way. One of our friends once set the admin password for a blog site she created to “000000,” and three months after launch, the site was hacked, completely destroying her important work. When I heard her story it turned out that, as…
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Forcing Password Changes is Counterproductive
We came across an interesting, somewhat paradoxical story about this a while ago (unfortunately, we can’t find the original article anymore…). The idea is that when users are forced to change their passwords frequently, it becomes a hassle, and they start rotating and reusing the same few passwords. Eventually, as security requirements tighten and previously…
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The Mystery of Downtime Due to Heavy Access
Recently, I tried to access a popular ticket reservation site right when bookings opened, only to encounter a screen stating, “We are currently experiencing high traffic and have difficulty connecting. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please wait a while and try again.” Despite repeatedly refreshing the page, clearing the cache, trying different browsers, and waiting…
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The Key to an App is its Ease of Use
It’s the same deal with apps and websites. How easy they are to understand and use really impacts their quality. Lately, a lot of people have mentioned being pretty disappointed with the memo app on their phone that they’ve used for years. It used to be a simple way to jot down notes. One would…
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WordPress Takes a Long Time to Load
This is a pretty common experience with WordPress. WordPress is a free tool for building websites, and it’s great for keeping corporate pages or personal blogs up to date. However, one downside is that it can be slow. The quickest fix is to use a paid plugin. There are tons of options out there, so…
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For Some Reason The Number of Input Fields on Forms Keep Increasing
It’s widely acknowledged in web development that the fewer input fields a contact form has, the more inquiries it tends to receive. We learned this early on and always emphasize it to my clients. We know people often give up on forms with an excessive number of input fields the moment they encounter them. Sometimes…
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An Era in Which AI Will Read Explanations Written by AI
Recently, major online auction sites have implemented systems where sellers can upload product photos, enter the product name, choose a category, and AI automatically generates a suitable product description. Some platforms even employ AI to craft attention-grabbing product names. Even in our operations, though not fully automated, we utilize AI to draft advertising copy, create…
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A Surge in Digital Fraud
When a friend was locked out of his Facebook account and forced to start anew, he was immediately bombarded with fraudulent messages. This scenario is not uncommon; often, right after we update our information or make changes online, we become targets for scam emails. These scammers employ a myriad of tactics. One common ruse involves…
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The Enduring Charm of Print in Travel
With smartphones nearing ubiquitous adoption in Japan, virtually all travel-related needs—from vehicle schedules and hotel reservations to maps, sightseeing guides, restaurant and shopping details, and even translations—can be conveniently managed on these devices. In many instances, both ticketing and payments can be seamlessly executed on a smartphone. The notable exception in the realm of travel…
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DX-Navigating the Gap Between Ideal and Reality
At a recent event, we had the opportunity to listen to a compelling lecture by a famous Japanese entrepreneur Mr. Horie, often referred to as “Horiemon,” which I’m eager to share insights from. The focal point of his talk was the digital transformation (DX) journey, and he immediately set the tone with a provocative statement:…
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AI Revolutionizes Maintenance: From Data Centers to Air Conditioners
The announcement that Sakura Internet, a prominent Japanese webserver hosting firm, will employ artificial intelligence (AI) for data center inspections has captured widespread attention, significantly boosting its stock price in the process. In a related development, an AI specialist we spoke with recently shared insights into a similar application of AI within his organization. They…
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Negative Comments Come First. Ignore.
Yesterday, we came across a story where a famous critic slammed ChatGPT. ” Sentences generated with ChatGPT not only have many errors, but may also have statements that are false or even untrue.” This is probably true. We’ve seen it a few times too. And the critic’s final remark was, “That’s why it’s useless.” It’s…
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Japan’s Slide in Global Digital Rankings
According to the 2023 edition of the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, which was evaluated based on “knowledge,” “technology,” and “preparation for the future,” announced by IMD (a famous business school in Switzerland), Japan fell in the ranking for the second consecutive year, ranked at 32nd. There are more than 200 countries in the world, and…