by Thomas Caldwell Saving the environment? Ecology is in these days. And about time, too, given the many decades the human race has been trashing its home world. In keeping with this age of enlightenment, recycling is also in. Nothing new in this to those of us who live in Japan. For those of us with computers, recycling toner cartridges is nothing new either. Recently, however, I have heard several reports of laser printers being killed by poorly refilled cartridges. Printer toner is pretty nasty stuff; if it gets into the wrong place, or comes into contact with the wrong material, something tends to get r uined. The problem has gotten so bad at some offices in Japan that several corporations now have regulations in place forbidding the use of re-filled toner cartridges. This may be throwing the baby out with the bath water, but be warned that the friendly "English teacher turned printer cartridge vendor" who works out of a hole-in-the-wall apartment could cause you a lot of heartache with his "fantasti c deal." There are many reliable people in the business, but there are also a lot of bad boys out there (you may have seen some of them lurking around industry trade shows) who have less credibility than an easy-money business letter from Nige ria. For laser printer cartridges, it is "buyer beware!" Don't save the environment at the cost of destroying your expensive printing gear. Sealing wax, and other fancy stuff Speaking of printers, are you looking for a way to add a bit of fancy, high-class flash to your otherwise boring laser-printed correspondence? Check out a stationery chain called Mr. Postman. (The main branch is near Omotesando subway station; phone 03 -3409-2721, no English spoken.) What they are is basically an old-fashioned letter writing shop, one that carries all sorts of paper, envelopes, inks, pens, and cards. They even have French sealing wax and English-made inks. Printing services for cards and customized stationery are also available. According to the staff at the Shibuya store, most of their colored paper and stationery is laser printer safe, but it is best to double check before making your purchase. Those of you who have been collecting fancy fonts over the years may finally have some place better than plain white bond to use them. Commies under the bed? Oh, no! Just when you thought it was safe to travel, Dr. Strangelove and his relatives in the Washington bureaucracy are at it again! In a column some months ago, I wrote about a great software product called Quicken Extensible (made by Intuit; customer support +1-520-295-2100). It's a Windows-based business expense tracking system, made by the same people who make the Quicken sprea dsheet. This is a great product that anyone who travels and has been frustrated at the lack of serious international software will fall in love with. At the time, I said that version 1.0 was terrific, and I couldn't wait to see the next release. Well, version 2.0 is out -- but, because of Uncle Sam, it can't be exported out of the US. What? A program designed for a traveling businessperson that isn't allowed to travel? Upon learning of this crime against logic, I contacted Intuit and was informed that there is some sort of encryption incorporated into the product. Thus, according t o the current US regulations, its export "could pose a national security threat to the United States." Gasp! Given that the Soviet Union is now on the ash heap of history, and the Communist Chinese have successfully pirated all US software anyway, who are these bureaucrats afraid of? Are the enemies of the United States seeking to find some way to brea k the secret of how Americans manage their expense accounts? (Considering how much debt Americans have, why would anyone waste time on such project?) If I made a software product that was designed to be used by international business travelers, and was then told by some bone-headed bureaucrat that I couldn't sell it overseas, I'd show up at their office with a couple of barrels of tar and a generou s supply of feathers. Think about it for a moment: if you travel overseas with a laptop that contains this software, you are breaking US federal law and could wind up in Michael Milken's old jail cell. Bill Clinton and the rest of his merry men had better get with it while the US still has a competitive software industry. The only thing such silly laws do is protect non-US companies in countries that don't believe a product anybody can buy in a depa rtment store can affect national security. Considering that Clinton was hip enough to be the first US President to use e-mail, and this being an election year, he may be more open to your opinions. Drop him a note at president@whitehouse.gov and (in language more polite than mine) outline why these regulations are not such a bright idea. Put the phrase "Stop Software Export Control" in the subject line so his aides can easily sort the notes for him. Thomas Caldwell is a radio correspondent and Japan marketing manager for the United Press International Tokyo Bureau. E-mail: caldwell@gol.com; http://www2.gol.com/users/caldwell. Got a computer-related question, or a better answer to a previous query? Send it to The Query Column by mail, e-mail (editors@cjmag.co.jp), or fax (03-3447-4925).
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