• Exciting times in the Van Dyne household! The potty has suddenly clicked for Leo. We haven't been nearly as strict with Leo as some of our friends have been when it comes to potty training. We've taken the approach that "everybody eventually doesn't like wet diapers and grows out of it". Instead we've just been trying to make it a routine before the bath to give it a try. If he does, great and if he doesn't that's fine, we'll try again tomorrow.
• I had Leo by myself all day Saturday and I didn't change a diaper – at all. Not because he didn't pee, but because I asked him every 3 hours if he had to go, we'd try and he'd sit and do his thing. On Sunday we thought he was just doing his thing on the loo and he did his first #2 by himself. The end of diapers is quickly approaching!
• Part of having Leo all day Saturday meant we go out and ride the train. Leo wanted to ride the monorail. The monorail ends at Enoshima, so we can ride a bunch of trains and loop back to our house. Usually we walk down to the beach, maybe get a burger atKua`Aina then loop back.
  
  However, a couple of weeks ago Leo went to the aquarium in Enoshima and it was likely going to be packed being it's a weekend and spring break. Even without the pandemic I'd avoid it. So we took the Enoden to Kamakura. I figured it was also going to be packed, but it was early enough we could avoid the crowds. We walked towards Tsurugaoka-hachimangu as there's a Tully's and I needed a break. But to my surprise it had disappeared!
  
  

  

  
  We looked at the Sakura and koi for a couple of minutes and headed home. On the way back we saw the Narita Express, one of Leo's favorite trains. He also melted down as he wanted to ride it, but it wasn't at a platform for us to ride. If it was I would have paid the extra fare so we could take it a couple of stations home.
• I linked to What is the Small Web on the Tanzawa blog, but felt it's worth calling it out on The Week, too. It's made by Small Tech (also worth a click).

•  Small Technology are everyday tools for everyday people designed to increase human welfare, not corporate profits.

The magic of web 2.0 were the open apis. Developers could use these apis to mashup services how they wanted. Sometimes these developer's tools and mashups became so popular that they would come to define the entire service of which they were building atop. Both hashtags and the term "tweet" originated outside of Twitter, Inc.

But when these services grew they morphed into platforms. Their apis were closed off and the developers that helped these companies find their success either kicked off or severely limited in what they could do. This became a pattern, not just with Twitter, but many services that found success in thanks part to their open api followed the same playbook.

Existing players making unpopular changes to their policies is usually a boon for the upstart. Each time this happens a vocal group of users becomes dissatisfied with the platform who then attempt to migrate to an alternative. However each migration causes some kind of loss. Data doesn't transfer or communities fracture because not everybody moves. Not to mention the energy that could have been spent doing something else.

Contrast this with something like email. You can email anyone you'd like, even if they don't use the same provider as you. If your mail provider changes a policy you don't like, you're free to change providers without losing your identity on the internet. People can still contact you the way they always had and you can still contact them. Your data can move from platform-to-platform seamlessly. There's nothing re-organizing or hiding emails from your inbox unless you setup the rules (or use gmail).

The difference in experience between twitter and email is night and day. One keeps you locked in and subject to their whims, while the other gives you the choice to use it however you see fit. The difference is that twitter is a platform and email is a protocol. Pick protocols.

The Small Web is for people (not startups, enterprises, or governments). It is also made by people and small, independent organisations (not startups, enterprises, or governments).

On the Small Web, you (and only you) own and control your own home (or homes).

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• Technically this was last week, but my term as head of the neighborhood has come to an end. Although I was part of the physical education group (the most event heavy group), we didn't have a single event due to covid. Being new to the neighborhood and not renting, I was hoping to use this year to get more involved in my community and to get to know my neighbors / let my neighbors get to know me. Next year I'm the backup head of the block, so maybe that's still possible, once the vaccine rolls out.


• Speaking of vaccines, my friends in the US and UK are starting to get their covid vaccinations. While we've had a fraction of the case load as them, I can't help but feel a bit jealous. We're still inoculating at a slower pace than I'd like to see, but in a month it's increased a hundred to topping topped 70k per day. It's at least going in the right direction.


• I've decided to get a bicycle and went to a couple of shops to check out used ones. One was a one of Japan's great second hand stores, where they have a bunch of "used" products that are like new. And the other was a shop that specializes in used bikes. The staff was friendly and answered my stupid questions. I'd wouldn't mind buying my bike from them, but they didn't have the one I want.

I don't know what it is - maybe just a lack of knowledge of bicycles in general, but I always hate going into bike shops. It's not a Japan thing, as I've noticed in US as well. I always feel some serious in-group/out-group energy. Just me?