Ryan Kopf's Blog

For those who don't know, we love to support geeks and Otaku of all kinds. Helping out disadvantaged Otaku has been a large priority of what we have tried to do for the past several years, with various programs and policies designed to try to make our events as inclusive as possible.

While I've been called a "Princess" by my friends (I sure hope they were teasing), I'm just not as into pretty Japanese fashion as you might think. But wait. I'm uploading a video of dresses and shoes.

Continuing my rampant adventures in the bustling metropolis of the world's second largest economy, I spend quite a bit more time in Tokyo after the first two days. Day Three - March 11, 2013 Day Three included my first truly uniquely-Japanese experience, at Kabuki Theater in Tokyo.

Less than twelve hours after my flight lands in Tokyo, and I found myself with enough to write an entire novel of my adventures... if only my memory would serve me so faithfully. However my first time out of the country, and for my very first day, it has been quite an adventure.

I've finally created my ideal Japan itinerary, covering major points along Tokyo, Kyoto, and all the way across to Kagoshima and Hiroshima. To prepare for Project Anime Japan at the Tokyo Anime Fair, I've even updated a few of my business cards with a tiny bit of Japanese (Email me please: ryanATryankopf.

Learning Japanese is going to be tough if you attempt to learn an entire dictionary's worth of vocabulary through memorization and repetition. Learning by rote is slow. However, learning with fun methods, like games, can be a much better way to keep new vocabulary in your memory.

Often, to memorize something people will try to simple repeat it over and over until they've got it, only to notice that by the next day they've forgotten it entirely. The best way to remember something is to create a story around it, something that will add additional connections in your brain to help you remember.

I hope to visit Japan in the next month to get an opportunity to really experience the culture and language, and hopefully use some of it to apply towards making the conventions even better. Places I definitely plan to visit are: Harujuku - For all the crazy fashions Kyoto - For all the temples and heritage A Maid Cafe Maybe I'd get the courage to go to a host club, lol, probably not.

If you're a regular user of the internet like I am, you just might care about what the future of your internet looks like. If you want to guarantee a free and open internet, then you need to support a few fundamental ideas.

One of the best parts about being a computer scientist (can I just say scientist.) is getting to use my computer skills to make awesome things that make the conventions better. One of the biggest is the convention registration system cons.