ncoca

ncoca, 1 month ago to microsoft

Does #Microsoft #Word no longer allows people to open .ODT files? Have, a few times, had to safe .ODT files as .DOCX via LibreOffice so that Word users could open it.

.ODT is an open source file format, so its a deliberate choice for Word to not be compatible.

Why do people pay for a shitty product that lacks such basic functionality?

ncoca, 6 months ago to linux

Using #Linux #LinuxMint on my laptop, and so far, can run every single program I had on windows, either directly or via browser, except for one. #Line, the superapp you can't really escape if you live in #Japan (or #Taiwan, or #Thailand).

#opensource

ncoca, 11 months ago to climate

Genuine question - why do the fantasies about "authoritarian efficiency" & "science-driven" #climate policies that I see so often about #China not apply to similarly authoritarian #Vietnam? I rarely seen praise for their #solar installations, despite being on par with their neighbor.

Instead, Vietnam is heavily criticized for silencing #environmentalists, while China, somehow, get a pass for doing the same.

ncoca, 10 months ago to indonesia

I initially went to #Indonesia, back in 2011, because of the country’s troubling history with deforestation, driven primarily, historically, by demand for tropical commodities including #palmoil #paperpulp & #rubber.

In the past decade, as I’ve covered these issues for numerous outlet, much has changed. In some ways there has been real progress in increasing traceability and stemming deforestation, but at the same time, much of the supply chain remains opaque.

ncoca, 6 months ago to Japan

Which country in Asia has the highest per-capita solar & wind generation?

The answer? Not China. It's actually #Japan. Good luck finding any articles that mention that online.

AND did you know the US has more than 2X the per-capita wind/solar production of #China. You'd never guess this from the incessant China-praise on social media & from environmentalists alongside the (often deserved) criticism of the US & Japan's #Energy & #Climate policies (including from me).

ncoca, 1 month ago to TeslaMotors

Too much criticism of #Biden's #EV #tariffs ignoring basic facts about #China & #BYD

A reminder about why #Chinese #electric vehicles are so cheap - more than mere "innovation"

• non-existent labor protections, & no real labor unions in Chinese factories = cheap workforce (unlike unionized Detroit)

• minimal lacking sourcing standards for raw materials = widespread supply chain #humanrights & #environmental abuses

• massive subsidies & domestic market protectionism

https://leadthecharge.org/scorecards-summary/

ncoca, 4 months ago to Taiwan

Every article I've seen on the #Taiwan #election results has been framed as "China xx" or "Results will anger #China", the exact same framing.

Another example of western, English-language #media failing #Asia.

ncoca, 1 month ago to TikTok

I've dipped into the #TikTok debate, with a unique proposal. No ban, instead, mandate reciprocity.

Liberal democracies should restrict TikTok and other Chinese apps like #WeChat and #Weibo from accessing their digital markets until #China allows foreign platforms like #LINE, #Spotify, #Signal, and #Facebook equal and fair access to the Chinese #digital market.

Read my entire piece in The Diplomat 👇

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/reciprocal-access-how-to-deal-with-tiktok-and-other-chinese-apps-fairly-and-democratically/

#tech #censorship #Japan #privacy

ncoca, 7 months ago to microsoft

My god, #Microsoft #Teams is a terrible, terrible platform. Using it for one client's project.

How does anyone actually get work done using this???

ncoca, 7 months ago to China

Hearing #China call out #Israel for going too far in collectively punishing Palestinians for the crimes of #Hamas is very hypocritical.

They've done the exact same in #Xinjiang & #Tibet, punishing the entire population for the crimes of a few, or, increasingly, the crime of existing.

ncoca, 11 months ago to indonesia

In #Indonesia it was always interesting to ask western expats why they came there. Would get a diverse range of interesting answers.

In #Japan, in contrast, when I ask that question, there are basically just 2 answers.

ncoca, 10 months ago to random

Why are some people so resistant to even trying non-#bigtech alternatives?

Everyone once in a while I come across someone who refuses to even consider using Meet.Coop (which doesn't require a download or an account) insisting that we use #Zoom , #GoogleMeet or #WhatsApp.

ncoca, 1 year ago (edited 11 months ago) to humanrights

This was probably the most difficult article I've ever done - supported by a #PulitzerCenter grant, and took 5-6 months and a lot of data research and fact-checking. Collaborated with a local journalist, Tonggo Simangunsong, from Medan.

It links #humanrights abuses in both #Indonesia and #China, including #Uyghur #ForcedLabor to Sumatran deforestation, and global garment supply chains.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230414003530/https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/4/14/how-chinas-xinjiang-fuels-indonesias-deforestation-scourge

ncoca, 6 months ago to tech

The #tech community in Japan is quite disappointing.

Completely western-oriented. Nearly no one doing #opensource, #privacy #digitalrights or interested in issues like #disinformation or #surveillance It's all start-up and developers.

As bad as it was in the #BayArea at times, at least there was a thriving OS/digital rights/privacy community there. Here, it's like only the worst of the Bay Area exists, in a tiny Euro-American centric bubble.

ncoca, 21 days ago to linux

Glad I switched, fully, to #Linux a few months ago. I'm not a programmer or techie, and struggled with Linux in the past, but compared to a decade ago, the installation was really easy & it the user interface has improved dramatically.

For reference, using #LinuxMint

#microsoft #recall #spyware #privacy #AI

ncoca, 8 months ago to bluesky

Seeing an email chain of journalists sharing #bluesky invites & profiles, and wondering what is exactly the reason so many are deciding that's the platform to switch too?

Sadly, mot many mentions of Mastodon anymore...

ncoca, 3 months ago to Smoking

This chart explains, quite clearly, why I have so few #Indonesian male friends.

#smoking #Indonesia #gender #health

ncoca, 10 months ago to mastodon

When I mention that I regularly get more engagement here at #mastodon than I ever did over at the former #birdsite #twitter, to progressives still over there, the reaction is often negative or dismissive.

Why are so many on the so-called "left" still so invested in a dying platform run by a neo-fascist?

ncoca, 1 year ago to random

Ordered Kashmiri naan at a #Pakistani place in #Japan (very local spot!) and surprised to get naan with stuffed coconut. But...there aren't coconuts in #Kashmir, no? Is this something just named after Kashmir but not Kashmiri?

btw Food was great - best Biryani I've found in Japan

ncoca, 9 months ago to climate

Just saw a cross-border #climate investigation tout that it included "reporters on almost every continent."

The missing continent? Amazingly, it was #Asia.

Only home to a majority of the world's population and >50% of #GHG #emissions.

ncoca, 6 months ago to languagelearning

Digital pet-peeve - using flags to represent languages. Besides maybe a small island nation, no country in the world has just one #language. The #flag likely represents only the majoritarian or capital's language, often imposed, meaning you're erasing minority languages.

ncoca, 5 months ago to indonesia

What a depressing headline. Of all the things to protest about...really sad.

https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2023/12/27/indonesian-students-demand-deportation-of-rohingya-refugees

#Indonesia #Rohingya

ncoca, 9 months ago to random

Of course, most #Tibetans & #Uyghurs have been blocked from emigrating, or even traveling abroad from China for more than 10+ years. It shouldn't be any surprise that emigrations restrictions may impact Han Chinese too.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/immigration-arrest-08112023103845.html

ncoca, 6 months ago to China

Got a press release that expresses "surprise" that #China has joined a group formed by #Russia #Iran & #SaudiArabia and is opposing action on #plastics

What is there to be surprised about when it comes to authoritarian governments standing together? These are China's allies - why expect them to take a different stance just cause its a #environmental issue?

This is what's wrong with the #climate movement.

ncoca, 15 days ago to twitter

#AmericanAirlines #twitter support (which is fantastic) is literally the only reason I am still on the #birdsite. I haven't posted in over a year, never check it, but have DMed AA regularly.

Their app, chat, phone, website, all shit. Couldn't even order a veg meal, but Twitter support fixed it in minutes.