< Vol. 10 >
In the living room
Electric housewife's gossip
A housewife, Mrs.Mieko Nagano looks full of life now.
After her children stood alone, she got much more free time. So she
began to develop various activities with the COARA. She holds a
housewife's gossip room — I'm sorry — called "Fresh Bazaar" in the
personal computer communication electric meeting with other housewives.
At this meeting room, they lively talk about the problem of garbage,
the care of child, and an arrangements for going out.
The same Mrs.Nagano learned how to design a Web page two years ago.
At first she made the best use of special character as a multimedia of the
personal computer, and made a sketch of own home's yard in Oita city
by the drawing software and a mouse on her Web page. This way set
off her hand made Web page, and was well received by everyone.
Bilingual
So she designed new Web page to show the Yufuin Music Festival
with her sketch last summer. This festival held every year, and she was
a volunteer managing staff of it.
Other managing staffs and the person concerned in Yufuin were surprised
at her Web page, and were glad at that. It was the first time for them to
use the Internet.
And Kenichi, her husband, who is older member of the COARA than her,
cooperated with her. He translated her Web page from Japanese into
English. In other word, this couple designed a bilingual Web page together.
After that there were many reaction from foreign country, her Web page
expanded into various exchange.
One day, an American student called on and surprised her. He said
"As I came to Japan on my trip, I would like to see you.". Mieko enjoys
these exchanges with the men who are as young as her son very much.
Yufuin Music Festival
By the way, now the Internet EXPO is being held in the world at the
same time. It is an virtual international exposition, and Oita is one of the
regular virtual site of this fair. At the beginning of this year, the COARA
specially borrowed ten exclusive high speed line for the Internet from the
secretariat of the exposition, and invited public applications for user of
these lines to the member of the COARA.
Mrs.Nagano was selected out of many applicants as a result of an
examination. Her action caught our eyes. It seemed that her house would
be one of the most suitable for the future life in which each of the house
would have the exclusive line for the Internet as an information outlet.
So the COARA asked her to use it.
After that, the Web page of the Yufuin Music Festival in this summer
became a substantial one still more. Then one American came to Yufuin
only to enjoy this festival from New York.
An E-mail of guidance.
She got E-mails from Australia or Italy, and began to E-mail exchange
about baking a cake and cooking
She tries to cook according to the recipe they sent, and shows the
pictures of them in her Web page. Then she sometimes gets an E-mail
of guidance which says " There is a little difference.", and she tries to do,
again.
She, with laugh, said "The multimedia is very nice to understand
each other, but it is hard for me to try to cook again and again according
to the E-mail of correction and guidance.". As we will take her cooking,
off course give them a warm welcome.
It seems that she has many friends like these in the world. The
same American from New York, who couldn't forget Yufuin, called on
Mr. and Mrs.Nagano last week in this Autumn, again.
Mr. Nagano, with laugh, commented on his wife that she liked
the COARA better than the husband . Though the couple is in local, Oita,
they talk about various topics of all the world in their living room. They
look smart, aren't they.
written by Tooru Ono, the chief of the NEW COARA secretariat
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