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Tokyo's subway system has begun experimenting with playing classical background music on its trains to provide a more comfortable travel experience.

Tokyo Metro Company began the trial on January 29, 2018, in selected trains between Naka-meguro and Kita-senju stations on the Hibiya Line. Music pieces such as Debussy's ‘Clair de Lune’ and Chopin's nocturnes are being heard between 10 AM and around 2 PM. The volume is set lower than train announcements.

The idea emerged after the company mistakenly played classical music used for pre-operation checks on a regular train last July. Word spread on social media, and passengers responded online saying they enjoyed the unexpected music.

A 23-year-old passenger said he noticed the music sometime after he got on the train, and that it was soothing. The company plans to examine whether it will formally introduce the music service, and how to determine the time slot, volume, and types of music.

Taobao, China's biggest online retailer, is hiring two people who must be aged 60 years or older to assess new products aimed at middle-aged and senior consumers.

Applicants are expected to have a harmonious relationship with their children, be an influencer in society such as in square dance groups, enjoy reading about psychology and sociology, and have at least one year of online shopping experience.

Taobao currently has more than 30 million users aged over 50. By 2020, it's expected that China will have 255 million people over the age of 60 — a huge opportunity if Taobao can figure out what these shoppers want online.

According to Alibaba's spokesperson, its two new hires will be working on an "exciting new version of Taobao" and adapting the app to suit this demographic.

A "rant" is passionate, typically angry, speech or writing about a particular topic.

The topic of this rant from 2013 is the failure of marketing schools to prepare students for the new internet-based marketing industry. 

Take a deep breath and try to read as emphatically as you can.
—
"Unfortunately, the curriculum taught in today’s universities does not reflect the social media reality. Not one résumé from a 2013 marketing graduate on my desk contains a single social media account, blog or website URL. These are bare-minimum requirements to work as a marketer today. When asked, every candidate has openly admitted that they don’t read any blogs.

"The interview process proved what the résumés hinted at—that today’s marketing graduates have virtually zero Internet marketing training or knowledge. 

"Universities should start scouring the country for true Internet marketing thought leaders and hire them. It’s critical that these professors keep one foot in the industry and one in academia because of the fluid nature of the Internet and technology. 

"As long as education remains steeped in 1960's-style marketing, I'll avoid hiring marketing graduates. I’ll be looking to hire journalists."

While hard work is certainly the key to success, billionaire Richard Branson maintains that there is value in taking time away from the office to unplug and decompress. In a recent blog post, the entrepreneur explains why a three or four day work week can actually be beneficial to the future workforce.

"The idea of working five days a week with two-day weekends and a few weeks of annual holiday is just something people accept," he writes. "For some reason, it is considered set in stone by most companies. There is no reason this can't change. In fact, it would benefit everyone if it did."

At his own company, Virgin Management, Branson explains how they've embraced a flexible work schedule where people have options on how, when and where they work. He says with the progression of technology, he believes this flexibility will also become more of a common practice in the future.

"Many people out there would love three-day or even four-day weekends," he writes. "Everyone would welcome more time to spend with their loved ones, more time to get fit and healthy, more time to explore the world."

Honda Motor Co. said Tuesday it will develop “connected cars” jointly with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to offer online services to drivers.

Together with the Chinese e-commerce giant, Japan’s third-largest automaker by volume will aim to launch online payments for fuel, parking and other services in China through the jointly developed vehicles.

Global automakers are focusing on connected cars with internet access to provide drivers with online payments, shared traffic information and other advanced services.

Honda is hoping to attract more customers in China, the world’s biggest auto market, through the tie-up.

​It seems like everyone is getting into blockchain these days. After all, companies claim to like "transparency", "security", and anything to do with the roller coaster ride that is Bitcoin. But consider this: Tuna.

There are now several blockchain-based projects that aim to stop illegal tuna fishing. The idea is that blockchain-verification would assure consumers and others that the fish were ethically sourced. Or maybe it's just PR, who knows.

Blockchain is essentially a shared digital database that can be updated, but stored entries can't be changed or deleted. It's prohibitively hard to fake information that's tracked using blockchain. In this case, it can certify that something is legit and ethically sourced, such as tuna. Visser and Hanich continue:

Tracking will start as soon as the tuna is caught. Once a fish is landed, it will be attached with a reusable RFID tag on the vessel. Devices fitted on the vessel, at the dock and in the processing factory will then detect the tags and automatically upload information to the blockchain.

ZOZOTOWN, Japan’s largest fashion e-commerce company, has announced the launch of the ZOZOSUIT, a revolutionary body measurement device. The suit’s technology will allow the company to create clothes that are guaranteed to fit, every time.

The ZOZOSUIT features patented sensor technology that is capable of capturing 15,000 precise measurements unique to each customer. Enabled with Bluetooth, the ZOZOSUIT seamlessly syncs with the ZOZO app and allows customers to upload their measurements from the comfort of their own home. Once their measurements have been captured, customers can shop the ZOZO collection, men’s and women’s high-quality basics including denim, t-shirts and coats, in the world’s first size-free e-commerce experience.

With the ZOZOSUIT and ZOZO collection, shoppers will never again have to debate which size to select or struggle with common fit issues.

GMO Internet, which operates a range of web-related businesses including finance, online advertising and internet infrastructure, will start paying up to 100,000 yen (£660/$890) monthly by Bitcoin to its employees in Japan from February this year.

“Employees can receive salaries by Bitcoin if they want to,” company spokeswoman Harumi Ishii said. “We hope to improve our own literacy of virtual currency by actually using it.”

The offer will be open to around 4,000 employees of the GMO group in Japan, she said.

A Russian politician proposed labeling American fast food chains like McDonald's and KFC as foreign agents, following recently passed legislation which provides the same classification for international news outlets.

Boris Chernyshov, a 26-year-old Moscow lawmaker in the federal Russian Assembly, described advertisements made by American restaurants for Russian consumers as manipulative and nontransparent about their longterm health effects. The State Duma deputy added that chains like McDonald’s, available across Russia, were contributing to the decline of the nation's cuisine, according to local reports.

The latest measure to classify news outlets like CNN and Washington Post as foreign agents followed the U.S. requiring Russian outlets like RT and Sputnik to register under the same label. Not even three days later, the Russian lawmaker took the tit-for-tat a step further by once again pulling food chains into the feud.