Chile has become the first nation to officially put net neutrality principles into law. In a vote by the Chilean legislature, the new law won a near unanimous vote, according to local media.

The new law forces ISPs to “ensure access to all types of content, services or applications available on the network and offer a service that does not distinguish content, applications or services, based on the source of it or their property”.

.:elpais.com->

It is routine to hear tutors and studio heads bemoaning the amount of time students and designers spend gorging on the numberless websites and blogs devoted to the visual archaeology of graphic design. If you dig deep enough online, you can pretty much guarantee you’ll find every significant piece of graphic design ever made. If it’s not onFlickr, ffffound, Grain Edit, or one of a thousand other sites, it will be soon.

This super-abundance of visual material floating untethered in the frictionless wastes of the internet has had two profound side effects. The first is on the sales of graphic design books. I recently interviewed Marc Valli, the astute co-founder of Magma Books, the mini-chain of UK bookstores known intimately to all British designers. He told me that there is a sardonic mantra regularly exchanged by book buyers: “5 is the new 50.” Where once a buyer would take fifty copies of a title, they now take a paltry five. “Do not believe anyone who tells you that people are buying the same amount of books,” says Valli. “They’re kidding themselves — or they’re lying.”

.:observatory.designobserver.com->

Writers, Kosuke and Hiroki have teamed up to talk about their study abroad experience in the United States and some of the differences between Japan and the US on a new MNP blog, NINJAPAN BLOG.

Below you will find their first post in Japanese, look out for their blog posts every week on myninjaplease.com!

世界にとって今の日本とは

アメリカで生活していて人々に度々言われること。それは、日本は文化的に豊かで歴史があり、さらには技術が発展している素晴らしい国だということ。 Made In Japanは製品、技術においてとても信頼がおけると。私の友人の言葉で私が驚いたのは、日本人は新しいもの作り上げるのに実に長けている、それはきっと 日本に住み、技術や環境に幼少から触れていることで脳みその作りが違うからだと。

このように世界で、少なくとも私が生活していたアメリカで、日本人の評価は非常に高い。驚くほど高い。日本から来たというだけで、相手から食いついて来るような国なのだ。果たして他の国でそのようなことが起こるだろうか。

例えば韓国人が自己紹介したとして、

“I’m from South Korea”

“OH seriously, you know what, I love Kimuchi”

こうなったらいいほうだと思う。

正直いって日本はとってもお得な国なわけだ。しかし私がそんな環境にいて気づいたことは、日本人は自分の国の事についてとても疎いのではないかとい うこと。歴史や文化、他国の人々が興味を持っていることに対して、正確に答えることのできるだけの知識を持ちあわせていないんじゃないか。様々な国からの 人々と話をしていて、彼らの自分の国に対する知識の豊かさに驚くことがよくあった。

そういう環境で思ったこと。果たして今の日本は本当に世界の人々が考えるような国なのかどうか。文化が豊かなのはうなずけるが果たして技術は？今の 時代、アメリカが技術を開発し、中国が制作をする。日本はその技術を借り入れているだけだ。このまま何もしないで、何も発信していかないでいたら、日本と いう国の評価は確実に世界の中で減退していく。

なにかしよう日本人。

もう少し世界をみよう。もう少し日本を知ろう。そしてもう少し、日本を好きになろう。J*MPを立ち読みしてる場合じゃない。スポ*チ読んでる場合じゃない。

So you want to start a cafe, eh?

Michael Idov reflects on how it took all of 6 months for his cafe to close- Anthony Bourdain sums up the psychological gap that becomes between most aspiring cafe owners, “The most dangerous species of owner … is the one who gets into the business for love.”

We here at MNP, are looking to change this, by helping you get your cafe up and running and swing a profit.

Italy, the land of coffee, has over 200,000 coffee establishments- the U.S. has approximately 15,000, so there is plenty of room for new businesses.

If food security is an issue, then consider what Nomad Cafe in Oakland has achieved with their “green cafe” format. Worldchanging recently interviewed Chris Waters, the guy who started Nomad Cafe and he offered these pieces of advice- secure financing, establish relationships, get green certified, find a location, interview your staff well, make your business inviting to everyone, work long hours and don’t do it for the money!

Eugene Cho, founder of a non-profit community cafe called Q Cafe located in Seattle- after responding to inquiring parties with “Haiku emails,” he eventually buckeled down and made this informative video:

If after watching the video, you still have more questions, email Eugene and he’ll send you a manual and even do so some consulting for the cost of a donation to the cafe.

Green and community oriented? Check. In an effort to take away the intimidation factor that law offices bring, a brand new place called Chicago’s Legal Cafe just oppened last month where they basically have speciality lawyers on staff from a pool 20 professionals. Interesting right?

Still not impressed? The UK has developed an idea called Cafe Scientifique, where their mission is to promote discussion about exciting scientific ideas between experts and non-experts in an informal environment. Ahhh, the cafe.

If you want to set something up abroad, check here at the International Hotel and Restaurant Association.

Sydney Community College has an interesting agenda that could be a good checklist for the aspring entrepreneur.

Lastly, the innovative Cannabis Culture Magazine has an informative piece on starting a green friendly operation (where laws permit).

Need more motiviation? Here are 37 reasons to start your own business! Good luck!

: Originally posted on myninjaplease.com :