Tag: Japan
The best VPN for streaming Netflix
For years, getting access to Netflix overseas was easy. You signed up for pretty much any VPN you wanted, connected to an American server, and that was it. Then 2016 happened. That was the year Netflix expanded into 130 new territories. In a move to calm Hollywood during its global takeover, Netflix promised to get tough and stop people from streaming Netflix content over a VPN.
Since then it's been a cat-and-mouse game between Netflix and all the world's VPN providers that want to provide U.S. Netflix access to their customers. That's why choosing the right VPN is essential if you want to stream U.S. Netflix when outside the country.
Regardless of what your home billing address is, you always get access to the Netflix catalog of the country you're currently in. If you live in Idaho, but you and your laptop are in Japan, you get the catalog available in Japan. Sometimes that can be great and you get to see a movie or TV show that isn't available at home. Often, however, you just want to keep watching your stuff that's only available in the U.S., or the UK, or Canada, or Germany, or wherever.
Given Netflix's watchdog attitude towards VPNs, you need to choose a service that actively promotes compatibility with Netflix. The reason being that these services are willing to adapt their strategies to continue making Netflix available over their network. Some VPNs may accidentally work with Netflix, but if they aren't maintaining that compatibility it's not likely to last long. (For even more VPN options, check out our comprehensive roundup of the best VPNs in all categories.)
1. NordVPN – Best for Netflix
For our money, the best option for streaming Netflix is NordVPN. This company has been challenging the Netflix VPN ban from the start. It's also had a goal of making all of its servers work with the streaming service. As of this writing, this is the case. No matter which Netflix catalog you want, NordVPN promises to deliver it.
NordVPN has more than 5,000 servers and offers locations in 60 countries around the world. It also allows you to choose your specific server so that you can switch around if you need to when Netflix's ban hammer comes down.
In addition to top-notch speeds, and Netflix compatibility, NordVPN offers double-hop connections, and VPN over TOR. NordVPN also uses the WireGuard protocol by default, though it has made some modifications to make WireGuard friendlier and more private for commercial VPN services and thus calls its protocol NordLynx.
NordVPN is inside our top 10 for best speeds overall, and it should have no trouble streaming Netflix anywhere in the world.
2. ExpressVPN
If NordVPN isn't your style, our top VPN overall, ExpressVPN, is also an excellent choice. ExpressVPN offers more than 3,000 servers in 95 countries. It also promises that Netflix will work with every server it has, and ExpressVPN offers good speeds. Express is on the pricier side at nearly $10 0 per year, compared to $60 for Nord. But the app is easy to use, the speeds are excellent, and it offers some nice extras such as a private DNS service that lets you set up an Apple TV or console for watching U.S. streaming services overseas.
3. ProtonVPN
Another good recommendation is ProtonVPN, which is available at a similar price to ExpressVPN. Unlike NordVPN, however, Netflix doesn't work on every single Netflix server. It works on a lot of the more than 1,500 servers, but not every single one. The one issue with Proton is that it can have trouble from time to time, where a stream will suddenly stop, especially if you're watching while you work on the same PC.
4. Surfshark
Surfshark is another VPN that hits our top 10 for speeds, and while the speeds aren't outstanding—just 35 percent of the base speed in our last tests—Surfshark is plenty fast enough for Netflix streaming. This service is compatible with Netflix, it has ad- and malware-blocking features, double-hop connections, and, surprisingly, it offers unlimited simultaneous device connections as opposed to the usual five-device limit with most VPNs. The Surfshark app for Windows is also pretty easy to use.
Why does Netflix block VPNs?
As we mentioned earlier, Netflix's big expansion into pretty much every country on earth back in 2016 meant it had to get tough on VPNs. While Netflix produces a lot of its own content that it can make available worldwide, the company also licenses a ton of content from traditional entertainment studios.
These third parties are still working on a system of global territory licensing. Under this system, Netflix gets a package of movies and TV shows from these companies that it can show in the U.S., but that aren't licensed to be shown by Netflix in, say, Europe. To keep those companies and their other international licensees happy, Netflix must enforce a block on VPNs to prevent people from getting content made available to Netflix subscribers in the UK, but not the U.S.
“We are making progress in licensing content across the world,” Netflix said in a 2016 blog post. “But we have a ways to go before we can offer people the same films and TV series everywhere.”
Netflix isn't the only company that has to enforce these restrictions. Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and others do it too. However, Netflix along with Hulu are easily the most active and effective at it.
Buying VPN access for Netflix streaming
We've already covered this in brief, but let's quickly deal with what you should be looking for in a Netflix VPN. First, most people should not make speed the top consideration. The minimum recommended bandwidth for a 1080p Netflix stream is 5 megabits per second (Mbps). If you're streaming in 4K it's 15Mbps. That's nothing, and nearly all the top VPNs hit those speeds quite easily in most places.
Instead, the first consideration should be the basic promise of Netflix compatibility from a reputable company. That's the rub. Any old VPN can promise Netflix compatibility, but if there aren't a lot of reviews about the service it may not be the real deal. Stick to well-known VPN services if you can.
Next, you need to consider how many servers are available for the service–especially the number in your target country. If you want Netflix Australia and the VPN only has two Australian servers, that could be a problem. Most of the popular VPN se rvices list their server networks online that show you how many servers are in each country.
Finally, make sure the VPN's desktop app (and don't forget about mobile) allows you to choose specific servers. Since this is a cat-and-mouse game you need a service with a number of servers in your desired Netflix country. That way if one server has been discovered by Netflix, it's possible the others are still working. Often, just switching servers is enough to keep watching, and sometimes even simply reconnecting to the same server is enough to fix streaming issues. That's the one word of warning we'd offer to anyone looking to play the international Netflix game. You will have to get used to occasional interruptions. Sometimes this can mean access to U.S. Netflix from overseas is blocked on a particular VPN entirely, though this often only lasts a day or two. Slightly more frequent interruptions may happen, where the stream will just stop. The fix for this is often just switching servers.
Finally, after all of that, consider speeds. Speeds for countries in North America and Europe are usually solid in the major VPN services. Australia and Asia can vary wildly, however. Any of our recommendations in this article will give you the speeds you need in those areas of the world.
How we tested
We only test on days that the wired internet connection hits 80Mbps or more. During the daily test we measure the speeds of five different locations around the world, running the test three times in each location and taking the average speed of each country for the day, and then we average those speeds again to get an overall daily average. Our countries are typically, but not always, the U.S., UK, Germany, Australia, and Japan.
The daily test is run on three different days at three different times of the day. We then take each daily average, and then average them again to get an overall average. We then determine that overall average as a percentage of the original daily speed.
The reason we don't bother with printing hard numbers as a rule is that experiences in hard numbers can vary wildly. It all depends on the speed of your internet connection, the time of day, and even device types can have an impact. For that reason we feel that percentages, which can show how much speed you can expect to lose on a given service, is a more useful indicator.
Netflix is an excellent service, and while the company doesn't like you to use VPNs, we've never heard of anyone being penalized because of it. Just choose your preferred VPN service wisely and you'll be good to go.
Honda to Install Stationary Fuel Cell Power Station on California Campus as First Step Toward Commercialization of Zero-Emission Backup Power Generation
Honda's proof of concept fuel cell power station will utilize fuel cell components from Honda Clarity Fuel Cell vehicles in a flexible, four-quad parallel stationary fuel cell power generation system capable of generating up to 1152kW-DC/1MW-AC from an inverter. A unique advantage of the four-quad design is the flexibility to change the layout of the four individual fuel cell units to suit the installation environment, accommodating a cuboid, L-shape, Z shape or other packaging requirements.
The station will be connected to the data center on the American Honda campus in early 2023, providing a real-world power generation application to verify performance. This will enable Honda to advance its know-how in the power supply area, as well as supply chain development, grid connection access, construction specifications, AC/DC connection requirements and other critical areas.
"We will leverage the expertise Honda has established in creating multiple generations of fuel cell systems for the development of a fuel cell power generation station," said Mitsuru Kariya, senior vice president in charge of the R&D Business Unit of American Honda. "This project is an opportunity to further utilize our strengths in fuel cell technology to more quickly create, assess and advance a clean power generation system for potential commercial customers."
While Honda remains committed to developing fuel cell systems for passenger vehicles, the market for fuel cell systems to power larger trucks and transport ships, as well as stationary generation, is expanding rapidly in the U.S. and is expected to grow to over $86.7 billion annually by 2030. Data centers in particular require high-quality and reliable power, where any disruption in power supply can lead to downtime or problems such as data corruption and damage to servers.
Typical stationary backup generators rely on diesel fuel, which result in higher carbon emissions and local air pollutants. Backup power systems utilizing hydrogen fuel cells offer a promising future for clean, yet reliable and high-quality power generation, especially when operating on so-called "green" hydrogen made from renewable sources, with water vapor as the only emission.
Honda Fuel Cell Technology Leadership
Honda has led the industry over the past quarter-century in the development and deployment of fuel cell technology, including extensive real-world testing and customer deployments.
- In July 2002, the Honda FCX became the first fuel-cell vehicle certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB).
- In December 2002, Honda introduced the world's first production fuel-cell vehicle, to both the U.S. and Japan markets.
- In 2003, Honda became the first automaker with a fuel-cell vehicle to start and operate in sub-freezing temperatures.
- In 2005, Honda became the first automaker to lease fuel cell vehicles to individual retail customers.
- In 2008, Honda became the first manufacturer to build and produce a dedicated fuel-cell vehicle (FCX Clarity) on a production line specifically made for fuel-cell vehicles.
- In 2013, Honda and GM began working together on the co-development of a next-generation fuel cell system and hydrogen storage technologies.
- In 2017, Honda introduced the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell vehicle.
- In 2020, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and Isuzu Motors Ltd. signed an agreement for joint research of the use of hydrogen fuel cells to power heavy-duty trucks, looking to expand fuel cell use by applying the zero-emission technology to larger vehicles.
In 2021, Honda announced its collaboration with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to develop a fuel cell system combined with a high differential pressure water electrolysis system that will help support a "circulative renewable energy system" to supply space and lunar stations with electricity, oxygen and water.
At FC Expo held in Japan during March 16 and 18, 2022, Honda will display a prototype of FC Power Unit co-developped with General Motors, a portable FC generator concept model.
Honda Commitment to the Environment
Honda is committed to addressing global environmental and energy issues by striving to realize carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities by 2050. Honda proudly has the highest fleet average fuel economy and lowest CO2 emissions of any full-line automaker in America, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) latest data. To reduce CO2 emissions even further, Honda will strive to make battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles represent 100% of auto sales in the U.S. and globally by 2040.
Honda also is working to reduce the environmental impact of its business operations. To slash CO2 emissions from its North American manufacturing operations, Honda has entered into long-term virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) for renewable wind and solar power seeking to cover more than 60% of the electricity that Honda uses in North America. This enables the company to fully offset the remaining carbon intensive grid-supplied electricity used in its Ohio, Indiana, and Alabama automobile manufacturing operations. Honda also promotes environmentally responsible business practices with its suppliers and retail dealer partners across North America.
Learn more at https://csr.honda.com/environment/na-environmental-report/
Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.comHonda today announced plans to install a stationary fuel cell power station on its corporate campus in Torrance, Calif. by early 2023.
Toyota Develops Storage Module Utilizing Resin High-Pressure Hydrogen Tanks
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In connection to this module development, Toyota will also continue with verification of transport safety and hydrogen storage quantity utilizing the agile development site of a race, etc. in the same way as last year. This year as well, verification will start with the Super Taikyu Race in Suzuka, to be held from March 19 to 20.
Background of module development
Toyota has been working on initiatives toward realizing a hydrogen-based society, such as the sale of FCEVs and FC systems. As part of this, the 70 MPa resin high-pressure hydrogen tank developed for automobiles is now the subject of numerous requests from those who would like to use it in railways, shipping, and port cargo handling, as well as FC generators. However, using the same tanks in various fields requires meeting different safety standards and adjusting to each environment. For this reason, they are not currently used for a wide range of purposes. The government is working on a range of studies to promote the early adoption of hydrogen while ensuring safety, and Toyota and its business partners are ready to offer cooperation and support. Toyota developed this hydrogen storage module as a way to answer these demands and expand the use of hydrogen.
Initiatives to promote the use of high-pressure hydrogen tanks
Starting last year, Toyota has been carrying out repeated verification testing with its business partners throughout the whole phases of producing, transporting, and using at the Super Taikyu Series venue, a place for agile development that embodies the idea of "making ever-better motorsports-bred cars." This is also connected to the development of this conceptual model. This year too, starting with the Super Taikyu Race in Suzuka (March 19 to 20), Toyota will be working on connecting with new business partners and carrying out verification testing with the idea of expanding hydrogen use even further.
This race will be used to verify the transport of large amounts of hydrogen by an FC truck that will carry resin high-pressure hydrogen tanks for automobiles with large volumes (2 sets of 16-tank packages) filled at 45 MPa.
This verification will be implemented upon the certification of the vessels by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, and is an initiative that will also contribute to the studies being carried out by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism for encouraging the use of hydrogen. In keeping pace with studies by the government, Toyota will continue to use opportunities such as the Super Taikyu races to verify its capabilities in utilizing the 70 MPa which is certified only for use in automobiles.
Features of the hydrogen storage module conceptual model
In addition to the three variations of hydrogen capacity based on the resin high-pressure hydrogen tank used in the Mirai, large modules that use tanks with enlarged capacities are also included in the lineup.
Feature 1Storing and transporting hydrogen
The module unit, which packages safety-assured resin hydrogen tanks for use in automobiles, is integrated with various safety devices that automatically monitor operation status to ensure the module is extremely safe. As storing and transporting hydrogen more safely and efficiently can be done through high-capacity hydrogen loads, it is possible to use hydrogen-based energy in a range of locations where hydrogen filling is difficult, such as ports or mountain areas.
Feature 2Using hydrogen
When using hydrogen as a fuel for FC products, in combination with the FC system module released by Toyota in March 2021, allows safe and easy use in a range of fields, including mobility such as trains and ships in addition to trucks and buses, port cargo handling, and FC generators.
For further details, refer to the link. https://www.toyota.co.jp/fuelcells/en/index.html
Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.comToyota Motor Corporation announced today that it has developed a hydrogen storage module that integrates multiple resin high-pressure hydrogen tanks at 70 MPa for automobiles--already proven in the "Mirai" fuel cell vehicle (FCEV)--and safety devices such as a hydrogen detector and an automatic shut-off switch.
Mitsubishi Corporation, Kaluza, and Miraiz to Launch Initiative for Decarbonising Mobility in Japan
Kaluza's platform is being deployed to optimise when EVs charge at users' homes so they store cheap and green energy, helping to reduce energy costs for society as a whole while providing a rewarding charging experience for customers. Through the deployment, Kaluza will demonstrate the effectiveness of its technology and benefits of this type of service in the Japanese market.
Based on the results obtained from this trial, the three companies will continue to develop smart services for electric vehicles, helping increase adoption and powering progress towards a decarbonised society.
Kaluza works with a number of leading automotive and energy companies in the UK including OVO Energy, the country's third largest energy supplier. Kaluza's platform uses AI to optimise the charging of a variety of distributed energy resources, including electric vehicles, to help customers reduce their energy costs, expand the use of renewable energy, and reduce congestion on power transmission and distribution networks, thereby contributing to the creation of a decarbonised society. Kaluza is also partnering with Mitsubishi Corporation to develop new services for electric vehicle drivers in Japan.
Yasuhiko Okabe, COO of Mitsubishi Corporation's Utility Retail division, commented:
"In line with our greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and energy transformation investment guidelines set out in October 2021, and as a business involved a diverse array of business including resources and energy, we are committed to fulfilling our responsibility to ensure a stable supply of energy while balancing the common global challenge of achieving a carbon-neutral society. We look forward to expanding our collaboration with Miraiz and other electric retailers and automakers who support our alliance with Kaluza to provide solutions for the electric vehicles of the future."
Scott Neuman, CEO of Kaluza commented:
"This new initiative enables energy, transport and advanced software to come together and deliver low-carbon solutions centred around the customer. We are delighted to deploy our smart charging technology in Japan with Mitsubishi Corporation and Mir aiz, and look forward to pioneering new propositions together with a range of auto manufacturers."
Taro Usui, Manager of Service Platform Development Dept. of Miraiz commented: "In line with the 'Zero Emissions Challenge 2050' announced by the Chubu Electric Power Group on March 23, 2021, we will continue to develop energy management services and other services to support electrification and reduce CO2 emissions.
Inquiry Recipient:
Mitsubishi Corporation
Telephone:+81-3-3210-2171
Facsimile:+81-3-5252-7705
Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.comMitsubishi Corporation, Kaluza Ltd. and Chubu Electric Power Miraiz Co. has started a smart charging trial for electric vehicles (EVs) in order to accelerate the development of decarbonisation-focused services for the mobility sector.
ATAC and Toyota Establish New Initiative to Support the Social Implementation of Innovative Technologies Begin Collaborations with Universities
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For these reasons, there is a growing need to create vast, virtuous cycles by nurturing the seeds of outstanding technologies in society, linking them to economic value, and recycling them into new technologies that will inspire further innovations.
Aware of such a need, Advanced Technology Acceleration Corporation (ATAC) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) launched a new joint initiative in May 2021, entitled Innovative Technology Acceleration Platform (ITAP), with the goal of contributing to the research, development, and social implementation of outstanding technologies in Japan.
ATAC is a company that takes a hands-on approach in supporting the commercialization of advanced technologies, such as incubating startups and engaging in industry-academia collaborations through its extensive networks with universities and research organizations and knowledge of technology incubation. Toyota is engaged in cutting-edge technological research in the field of mobility and beyond, and boasts expertise and networks cultivated through TPS and other manufacturing processes.
ITAP fuses the knowledge and networks of the two companies with the goal of providing extraordinarily dynamic and agile support for the exploration, social implementation, and commercialization of innovative technologies. The Platform will provide support to universities, research organizations, and tech startups in wide-ranging fields, including carbon neutrality, materials, robots, human augmentation(1), energy, semiconductors, AI, and digital.
ATAC and Toyota have signed a basic agreement to collaborate in technology incubation with the University of Tokyo's School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Nagoya University. Comments from the signatories of the three universities are given below:
Takao Someya, Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo
The Faculty of Engineering and the Graduate School of Engineering are actively collaborating with various industries to contribute both to the resolution of social issues and the development of highly skilled engineers capable of resolving them. I have great expectations for ITAP, a joint initiative of ATAC and Toyota; by working together with ITAP, I hope to further accelerate the use of engineering knowledge in creating value.
Kazuya Masu, President of Tokyo Institute of Technology
For industry and academia to conduct incubation activities that leverage their respective knowledge and expertise, it is important that both sides amass experience working together across a number of actual cases. ATAC has the know-how for commercializing advanced technologies, while Toyota is a driving force for commercialization in wide-ranging fields; I have great hopes that, through ITAP, they will actively promote these incubation activities.
Akihiro Sasoh, Director of Academic Research & Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration, Nagoya University
It is my understanding that the role of academia in supporting startups is to nurture ventures leveraging entrepreneurship education and research seeds. ITAP provides various supports for advanced technological research and social implementation from seed stage. I have very high expectations of ITAP's activities as a new form of collaboration between industry and academia.
ATAC is a hands-on incubation company for advanced technologies. Going forward, it intends to identify the potential of various technologies, fully utilize the industry networks of the IGPI Group, and carry out the research & development, social implementation, and commercialization of such technologies.
Toyota's Mission is "Producing Happiness for All." It seeks to achieve its mission by promoting research into advanced technologies with an increasingly diverse range of partners, including universities and research organizations, in the field of mobility and beyond.
(1) Human augmentation refers to the technological alteration of the human body to enhance physical or mental capabilities.
(2) One of the investors that can consider participation in fundraising of startups under ITAP activities.
Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.comSociety is changing at unprecedented speeds, as exemplified by carbon neutrality initiatives and the advance of digital transformation, and there are similarly unprecedented expectations for innovative technologies.
Atom by atom: building precise smaller nanoparticles with templates
Nanoparticles (which have sizes ranging between 3-500 nm), and sub-nanoclusters (which are around 1 nm in diameter) are utilized in many fields, including medicine, robotics, materials science, and engineering. Their small size and large surface-area-to-volume ratios give them unique properties, rendering them valuable in a variety of applications, ranging from pollution control to chemical synt Latest Intelligence
