Random thoughts on June 29, 2021

- The current rule-based order is based upon the power of the U.S. to enforce, which contradicts itself as such a foundation makes it a power-based order. Because the U.S. gets to choose what to enforce. A good example is UNCLOS. By not ratifying UNCLOS because the U.S. does not agree with a small portion of it, it shows that nations with power have the right to do what they want, i.e. a power-based order, rather than adhere to a set of rules that is agreed upon by the majority of countries.

- The current Westphalian international order that respects national sovereignty equally is incompatible with a rule-based order since the agreement to abide by a common set of rules, agreed upon by the majority of nations, necessarily means subjugating a nation's sovereignty to those rules.

- The U.S. is opposed to China using force to change the status quo regarding Taiwan. Here, the understanding of force is usually closely tied to military force. What happens if China pursues an economic policy that attempts to bring Taiwan into China's economic sphere, whether by positive persuasion or by forceful coercion? Will the U.S. allow Taiwan to choose to join with China?

- There are countries which criticise China's authoritarian regime. What happens if democratic movements in China result in widespread social unrest that results in a standstill in China's economy for six months? Will global supply chains pressure their governments to request China to take strong action to quell social unrest instead?

- In the 1970s, the U.S. cultivated its relationship with China to balance against the Soviet Union. Today, Vietnam is seen as a partner to help balance China. However, will this eventually led to another unbalance within Southeast Asia that will need to be dealt with again at a later date?

Naming my scooter

After some thought, I have decided on a name for my Honda Giorno 50cc scooter.

This

is Vivi.

Not much of a surprise, since I mentioned I was printing a key tag for the scooter back in an earlier post.

But why Vivi?

In Violet Evergarden, Benedict calls Violet "Vi". So I just repeated "Vi" to arrive at "Vivi". Also, Vivi is read the same way as Vivy, the AI singer from the anime series Vivy -Fluorite Eye's Song- which I wrote about here.

As for the key tag, it is "Vivi" written in the Tellsis alphabet. I created fonts for the Tellsis alphabet to use in my Tellsis language translator apps (in Flutter and Python), and I thought I would put those fonts to use. By the way, the Flutter version of the app is recommended as it can be easily installed on Windows, Linux, and Android. The Python version is recommended if you know how to run Python programs/scripts on your platform.

My thoughts (review?) about Violet Evergarden The Movie, my (unofficial) English translation of the booklet/novella Gilbert Bougainvillea and the Fleeting Dream, and other posts related to Violet Evergarden.

Thoughts on "fast movies"

Some of you may have heard about "fast movies". These are short videos (around 10 minutes) which summarise the plot of a movie, and include key clips from the video. Recently, three persons were arrested in Japan for posting such videos.

Three people become first arrested in Japan for posting 10-minute movie recap on YouTube

First, I think people who created summary videos of movies deserve to be prosecuted for copyright infringement. While copyright laws allow for fair use of copyrighted material, that is only when such material is being used to support the creation of something else. In the case of summary videos, there is no original content; the people who make such videos are basically living off the hard work of those who made the original movies.

What becomes a gray area is when the creator of a fast movie gives his or her own commentary about the movie. Basically, a review. In such a case, the clips from the original movie are being used to support the creation of another work--the review. It then becomes difficult to judge what constitutes fair use, and what becomes an excessive showing of the original movie's contents.

Beyond the illegal use of copyrighted material, those who own the copyright say that these fast movies may end up preventing people from going to the cinema to watch their movies. This argument, though, can be a bit weak. A good movie will draw a crowd. Even if my friend watched a movie and told me the plot, if the movie is good, I will go and watch it for myself. I think the same applies for online content; I will go catch a movie after watching an online review if the review made me even more interested in the movie. Even if the review contained spoilers. Because that is what a good movie does: it draws people to want to watch it. There are many TV series and movies that I rewatch, for this simple reason.

So while I think those who freeload on the hard work of movie makers deserve to be prosecuted, I think movie makers also need to work hard to create content that does not suffer setbacks from those who willfully misuse copyrighted materials. If you make a good movie, people will watch it. It doesn't matter if they know the plot. I watched Violet Evergarden The Movie 12 times already. I know the ending after the first viewing, so why bother going back another 11 times (and maybe more, when it shows in Yokohama again in July)? Because it is a good movie that makes me want to watch it on the big screen.

In summary: don't abuse the right of fair use of copyrighted materials, and don't prosecute people who adhere to fair use. And make good movies that draw people to the cinema, whether they know the plot or not.

"Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-"--AI saving humans from AI

Spring 2021 had many interesting anime series, and Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song- is one which had a theme that really caught my attention.

First, Vivy is an original anime series, which means it is not based on a manga, light novel, or game, as is usually the case with many anime series in Japan. It does, instead, have a manga and light novel series written based on the anime. The setting is a futuristic one: a time when artificial intelligence (AI) are beginning to reach a state where they are almost human. A key plot point is that, in the year 2161, AI suddenly turned on humans and started wiping out humans from Earth. A human researcher sent an independent AI robot back into the past, to 2061, with the mission to alter history so that the AI "rebellion" of 2161 would not happen.

This independent AI robot took the name of its creator, Matsumoto, and teamed up with the first autonomous human-appearance AI robot, Diva, whose mission (why "she" was created) is to sing and make people happy. In the execution of the mission to stop the AI rebellion, Diva took the name "Vivy" when altering history.

I shan't spoil the series by detailing more of the plot here. I mean, I don't have to. The producers released a summary episode last night over TV and then on YouTube after the series finished showing on TV last week.

Instead, let me touch on my thoughts about AI in the series. In the series, AI developed to become very much like humans, and there are depictions of AI showing compassion, marriage between humans and AI, and even AI committing suicide. I am not very sure we have reached a stage in real life that we can create AI with emotions yet, but if we continue to create AI mimicking the human brain, there is no guarantee that our creations may not end up learning to feel emotions too, since that is a function of the human brain.

You may wonder why it is not a good idea to let AI have emotions. Well, recall that emotions can cause humans to do certain things. Some of them harmful. Then think about what happens if AI does something harmful due to emotions. Only, remember that an AI with connection to the Internet can send data (and thus, extend its sphere of influence) much faster and further than any human can. And AI may have mechanical bodies that are much much strong than any human. The potential for disaster is clear.

Even if AI does not learn emotion, the rational, logical thinking of AI can eventually lead to the same conclusion that the "villain" AI in Vivy arrived at: humans are a lesser form of life compared to AI. I myself would reach that same conclusion. I mean, the irrational actions of humans are inefficient. If we create AI in pursuit of efficiency, we end up with a dilemma: the AI we create may decide that we humans are inefficient, and having humans around is inefficient allocation of the Earth's resources. What happens next? If the AI is prevented in its programming from harming humans, then it cannot pursue its mission of efficiency. If it is allowed to pursue its mission of efficiency without limitations, that is the end of our (human) story.

Of course, the entire premise of this rests on the creation of AI that is based on our existing knowledge about how the human brain works. If we create something based on our imperfect selves, it will fundamentally be flawed in the same way. But how do we create intelligence that is different from us? Something that is intelligent in terms of how we define intelligence, yet not having the same shortfalls as how our brain gives both intelligence and emotions? I can only hope we find the answer eventually.

Meanwhile, we really need to think further about the greater impact of AI development and proliferation on human society, going beyond ethics to think about the long-term impact on human society that AI brings (or will bring). As technology advances, developing new technology because easier and faster. But governing that new technology is another matter altogether.

I hope we all realise this soon. We may not have a Professor Matsumoto who can send a saviour back to us from the future.

Official website of Vivy -Fluorite Eye's Song-

3D printing on Ender-3 after a year

It has been a while since I did any 3D printing. I would say, probably a year? Since my last posts about printing something were back in May 2020.

I wanted to print something for my scooter (a key tag) and so I started up the Ender-3. It has been more than a year, and the printer has been moved to another location, so I was concerned about the bed leveling. So I ran a simple first layer test. Which came out like this.

Okay, acceptable given that it has been more than a year. Yes, the bed needs to be leveled for better quality, but as it is now, it can still print something. So I printed the key tag.

As you can see, the skirt had gaps, which again, could be a signed that the bed leveling is slightly off. The top layer also had some gaps, which I think it due to moisture in the PLA+ filament. I will reprint the key tag at some point after leveling the bed and drying the filament, but this will do for now.

By the way, an easy way to get some squish is to use the Z offset. For example, in my case (manual mesh bed leveling), I can use

G29 S4 Z-0.04

to bring the nozzle 0.04mm closer to the bed for the first layer.

Update July 26, 2021: I found out over the weekend about my underextrusion issues. I am using a Titan Aero direct extruder, and it seems the extruder gears and motor got a bit clogged by dust and such. This resulted in random stops in extrusion, and as dust built up, totally no extrusion at all. I used a small dust blower to blow away the dust and oiled the gears/motor with a bit (too much) of machine oil. Took me quite a while to remove the excess oil subsequently before I could get a print to stick on the bed... 😅

Riding a 50cc scooter on Japan's National Route 1

Japan's National Route 1 (国道1号) is a major road that links Tokyo directly to Kyoto and Osaka. It follows the old Tokaido road, and traffic is moderate to heavy. As a major road, its speed limit is usually higher than the 30km/h of a 50cc scooter, but it is still a normal road (not an expressway) so 50cc scooters are allowed on it.

So I decided to try riding down a short segment of it. Really short segment. I mean, I am a new rider on a 50cc scooter going at 30km/h while everyone is whizzing by in cars and trucks at 50km/h.

This is how it feels riding a 50cc scooter at 30km/h on a major road.

By the way, here is how the Honda Giorno looks like now.

As you can see, I added a box to the back. Also a holder for my smart phone, which serves as a navigation system running Google Maps. Google Maps is okay for going around nearby places, but I will likely subscribe to a dedicated motorcycle navigation app because Google Maps does not have support for the special rules that apply to a 50cc scooter in Japan.

Getting used to riding a scooter

10 days have gone by since I took delivery of my Honda Giorno. I haven't really been able to ride it everyday for practice due to the rainy season, which can pour buckets from the sky, but I have been doing my best.

After the fiasco of riding at night, I have practised in the same area during the day, making left and right turns.

Then, because I needed to pay a bill, I rode to the nearest convenience store and back. It was not very far, but I had to ride on a road with more traffic (still light) and it gave me a bit of confidence.

Next was to ride to the petrol kiosk, a bit further than the convenience store, but still light traffic. It gave me a chance to practise filling up the scooter too. On the way back from the petrol kiosk, I stopped by the supermarket and got some groceries. It also allowed me to gauge the carrying capacity of the scooter.

Oh, carrying capacity. I added a box to the back of the scooter. The underseat storage now holds a few simple tools, a raincoat, and is used to store the scooter cover (the scooter's "raincoat" during the rainy season, since it is parked outdoors). The rear box is used to store my helmet and gloves, and whatever groceries I may buy.

Then, earlier today, I rode the scooter to the post office because I needed to send my works for calligraphy grading. It was the furthest I have traveled on the scooter (2.7km away) and on much much bigger and busier roads. Some drivers were nice and followed behind me even though I was going at 30km/h (legal speed limit for 50cc scooter in Japan) on a 40km/h or 50km/h road. Some, though, whizzed by... but at least they were nice enough to give me some distance when they overtook me.

Next is to ride to the train station, once I figure out where to park the scooter around the station.

I took some videos, maybe I will upload them to YouTube like those motorcycle vlogs. 😅

Making video files smaller with ffmpeg

This is actually a note to myself so that I remember how to make a video file smaller in size using ffmpeg.

The first method is to change the constant rate factor. With H.264, a CRF of 28 is at the lower end of quality.

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -crf 28 output.mp4

 

Another way is to change the frame rate. For example, to set a frame rate of 30 fps.

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -r 30 output.mp4

 

Combining the two, setting a CRF of 28 and a frame rate of 30.

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -crf 28 -r 30 output.mp4

 

Another method is to scale the video to a smaller screen size. For example, 1920x1080 can be scaled to 1280x720 to make the video file smaller.

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf scale=1280:720 output.mp4

 

If you set the height as -1, it will maintain the aspect ratio.

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf scale=1280:-1 output.mp4

 

You can also combine the entire thing (scale to 1280x720, CRF 28, frame rate 30 fps) with this.

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf scale=1280:720 -crf 28 -r 30 output.mp4

 

For reference, when I used a CRF of 28 and frame rate of 30, a 1920x1080 video with a size of around 790 MB was reduced to a size of 222 MB. When I simply scaled the video to 1280x720, the file size was reduced to 245 MB. When I used CRF of 28, frame rate of 30 fps, and scaled to 1280x720, it was reduced to 105 MB.

Update: I added bash functions to my .bash_aliases file to convert 1920x1080 fps60 MP4 files to 1280x720 fps30 and 1920x1080 fps30.

 

vid1080p30() { ffmpeg -i "$1".mp4 -crf 28 -r 30 "$1"_1080p30.mp4 ; }
vid720p() { ffmpeg -i "$1".mp4 -vf scale=1280:-1 -crf 28 -r 30 "$1"_720p.mp4 ; }

 

To use, if the original file is videofile1.mp4, then

vid1080p30 videofile1

or

vid720p videofile1

Softbank Air... not for me

Softbank in Japan offers two types of Internet connections for the home user. One is Softbank Hikari, which is fiber network. This is fast, but it requires the installation of optic fiber wiring in your home. This requires both time and money; getting an appointment for the technician can be a wait of several weeks, depending on where you live.

 

The other is Softbank Air, which is a wireless mobile router that allows you to connect to the Internet through the mobile network. Given that 5G is still not that widespread in Japan, I think it is still based on 4G technology. Which means 4G speeds, which means it is basically the same as what you would get if you surf the Internet using your smart phone.

 

I have been using Softbank Air for a week, and here are my thoughts.

During the day, I usually have a download speed of around 7 to 8 MB/s. This is much slower compared to the 30+ MB/s that I usually see when using Softbank Hikari. Of course, these speeds are operational speeds (the usual speed you observe when surfing); if you use a speed test, you usually see much higher speeds since those tests are purely for download and upload.

With 30+ MB/s, the YouTube video player can buffer a lot more video, but 7-8 MB/s still gives acceptable performance for HD videos. The problem is at night. Bandwidth drops considerably, and I usually end up with 700-800 KB/s for download speed. Yes, that's a 10 times decrease when using Softbank Air at night. I assume this is because Softbank Air is using the same mobile network as mobile and smart phones, and there are more users active after working hours, which means the limited bandwidth is being shared by more people at night.

Still, compared to Softbank Hikari, this is a decrease of around 40 times. Something that downloads in 1 minute will take 40 minutes... that's the kind of delay that we are looking at.

Verdict? If you are using the Internet mostly during the day, Softbank Air allows you acceptable speeds without having to install optic fiber wiring in your home or office. And you can even bring it around; it is basically a mobile router, so as long as you have a means to power it, you will be able to access the Internet. But if you are, like most home users, going to use this at home after working hours, then I would not recommend Softbank Air. Not unless you like to wait. If so, might as well get ADSL.

Anyway, I am hoping my time with Softbank Air will end soon... the fiber installation technician should be here in less than two weeks' time. Until then, it is a pain to surf the Internet at night...

Update 26 June 2021: Softbank really messed up. I made the appointment in mid May because I knew it would take time. But due to some issues over at Softbank's side, the required fiber installation works was not registered with NTT. So no one turned up at the appointment time. And the next earliest appointment is 17 August. OMG! Meanwhile, I have to keep paying for fiber Internet and IP phone, which I cannot use because my place does not have the required fiber cables and I am going to have to survive on Softbank Air's low speed. This is really crazy and frustrating... I spent about an hour on the helpdesk chat trying to get them to solve my problem. Of course, the only thing the helpdesk chat could do was to reschedule an appointment; they can only follow the SOP. Sigh. 😢

Update 27 June 2021: Someone from Softbank just called and said they have checked with NTT and should be able to bring forward the appointment to July. He admitted, after some querying, that the cause was human error. The operator who handled my initial call on 18 May did not properly register the appointment with NTT; it was only reflected inside Softbank's system. Anyway, so far, I have wasted about 10 hours on this. Let's see if the appointment in July actually happens. 😐

Update 16 July 2021: Okay, I am back to Softbank Hikari, so no more Softbank Air. There was another fiasco even after the appointment was brought forward to July. Somehow, Softbank just can't seem to understand its own process and has problems communicating within its own staff.

Violet Evergarden The Movie coming back to Yokohama

Nine months after being released, Violet Evergarden The Movie is only showing in Chiba Prefecture now, at least for the Kanto region.

But but but!!!

It will be coming back to Yokohama in July! From July 17 to 23, the movie is scheduled to air at Jack and Betty, a small cinema in Yokohama. It is a bit out of the way... but I will see if I can make my way there. Especially since the DVD/Blu-ray release has been delayed until October 13, 2021. The official statement from KyoAni is that the production schedule has been affected by the declaration of a state of emergency in several prefectures due to COVID-19. Plus an unexpectedly high number of orders.

One more month to go! 😍

Update July 15, 2021: I got my ticket for a show on the weekend!

Update July 22, 2021: I got my ticket for a show tomorrow, the last day it will be showing in Yokohama!

My overall thoughts on Violet Evergarden The Movie

Some other posts on the Violet Evergarden series:

First cast greeting event for Violet Evergarden the Movie

Violet Evergarden the Movie: Cast greeting event to thank fans

Production staff event at screening of Violet Evergarden the Movie

Decoding the Violet Evergarden postcard

Last line of Violet's final letter to Gilbert

Was Ekarte Island based on Folegandros?

Touching scenes in Violet Evergarden the Movie

Violet Evergarden the Movie is a story about guilt

Article about story consistency/inconsistency in Violet Evergarden the Movie

Violet Evergarden TV anime series

Flutter app for translating to and from Tellsis language (Nunkish)

My (old) Python script for translating to and from Tellsis language (Nunkish)

All posts related to Violet Evergarden.

Applying risk assessment to scooter riding

They say that hindsight is 6/6 (or 20/20, depending on where you are from). Having been in the military for many years, and applying risk assessment in operations day in and day out, I reflected on my first day of scooter riding after taking delivery of the Honda Giorno yesterday.

In terms of probability, given the following conditions:

- New rider (zero experience)

- Unfamiliar equipment (I had no idea how the Giorno would react to throttle and brakes)

- Unfamiliar location (I had not explored that part of the neighbourhood where I was going to practise)

- At night with very poor lighting

the probability of something happening was likely, if not certain.

In terms of severity, given that I could have been killed if ran over by a car, the severity is catastrophic.

So the risk of practising riding at night in an unfamiliar place with a new scooter by a new rider is VERY HIGH. Which should have made me rethink the entire idea, but I chose to ignore the risk, and the result was this.

Lesson: Take risk assessment seriously. And having practised risk assessment for so many years when I was in the military, it is a good idea to continue to put that skill to use in my daily life now too.

Next, to practise during the day in the same place. This should lower the risk a bit, since I am now more familiar with the place and the equipment.

Update: There is also what we call risk control measures. This helps to lower risk. I did what I could. I walked around the neighbourhood to explore the places that I want to practise riding my scooter, so that I am familiar with the roads, the likely traffic, and mentally visualise the routes. At the same time, I intend to practise in daylight for the time being. I will also practise in the quiet neighbourhood for a while to familiarise with the scooter's handling characteristics before venturing out onto roads with more traffic. This should lower the probability to unlikely, and eventually rare, which will result in slightly less risk (although the risk will still be medium to high, because of the potential for catastrophic result in the event of an accident).

Taking delivery of the Honda Giorno 50cc scooter

After registering the scooter... it finally arrived today!

The Honda Giorno 50cc scooter, in puco blue. It arrive this morning on a truck, but I didn't have the chance to try riding it during the day because I needed to go out for something.

In the end, after coming back at night... I decided to try riding it. It was dark outside, but there was no traffic at all. I thought of going to the nearby convenience store, but decided it was best to practise a bit in the neighbourhood first (where traffic is light) before heading onto busier roads.

And promptly went onto the curb as I was trying to make a right turn. No injury, but the shoes got really muddy. I survived without a scratch, but not the scooter... 😭

 

It is still dark outside so I couldn't really see the extent of the damage except what the photos taken with my phone captured. Guess I will wait till light tomorrow morning to cry more. 😢😥😭

Registering a 50cc scooter in Yokohama, Japan

I went to register my 50cc scooter today as it will be arriving on Friday. The process is actually very easy.

To register a purchased scooter, you need proof of sales. On the form to register the scooter (called the "軽自動車税（種別割）申告（報告）書兼標識交付申請書"), there is a section on proof of sales. The store will fill in this section with the details of the store and affix its official seal. Also, the store will provide you with the serial number of the scooter and other details like model, year, and engine displacement. You will need to fill in the rest of the form with the name and address of the owner. Then the name and address of the user, and the name and address of the applicant. If the latter two are the same as the owner, you can just write "同上" which means "same as above".

Then, for type of possession "所有形態", it is usually "1. 自己所有" if you are using the scooter for personal use.

The main parking place "主たる定置場" is usually option 1 if you are parking it at the same place as your home address. However, if you are parking it somewhere else (like a rented parking lot, or your workplace), you need to fill in option 2 with the address, and also have some form of proof that you are allowed to park there. This is usually the lease/rental agreement if you have rented a place/lot for parking, or some form of employee pass if you put it as your workplace.

Then, bring the form to the local ward office of the main parking place. This is your local ward office if you chose option 1, but can be another place if you chose option 2. The department in charge is the tax section (税務課). Bring the form there, submit the form to the tax section (you may need to take a queue number), then wait for around 10 to 15 minutes. After which they will call your name, and pass you a certificate of registration together with the number plate for the scooter and even the screws to affix the number plate.

If you fill in the form beforehand, it is a very fast process. I myself was amazed at how little time was taken to register the scooter.

Now to wait for the scooter to arrive... 😅

Dell Inspiron 5491 2-in-1 internal microphone not found (solved)

I got a Dell Inspiron 5491 2-in-1 laptop in 2019. Today, when I was trying to join a Zoom meeting, my microphone wouldn't work. After looking through the sound settings and Device Manager in Windows 10, I realized that the internal microphone is not being detected.

 

After searching the wisdom of the Internet, I found a working solution here.

No input devices found (microphone)

 

So I followed the steps.

1.Uninstall the latest version of Realtek Audio driver (Realtek-High-Definition-Audio-Driver_6CCVY_WIN_6.0.9147.1_A18.EXE) through the Device Manager; remember to check the option to delete the driver from the system.

2. Restart the PC.

3. Install the previous version: Realtek-High-Definition-Audio-Driver_XF4RR_WIN_6.0.8984.1_A02.EXE (you will need to download this from Dell's support site; there should be an option to show previous versions of the Realtek Audio driver, and this driver can be found there).

4. Restart the PC.

It worked for me, and I hope you find this useful.

Update August 1, 2021: If you update to Windows 11 (I am on the dev channel) and suddenly you don't get sound, you need to reinstall Realtek-High-Definition-Audio-Driver_XF4RR_WIN_6.0.8984.1_A02.EXE.

Toward a scooter life: Getting a helmet

Last week, I placed an order for a scooter, which is arriving next week. In Japan, the use of a helmet is mandatory for all scooters and motorcycles. So the next step is to get a helmet. Otherwise, when the scooter arrives, I won't be able to ride it.

There are several options. A half-cap helmet is enough for a 50cc scooter, because the legal speed limit for a 50cc scooter in Japan is 30km/h, and anything below 125cc is not allowed on expressways and other similar roads (there are certain roads in Japan which are not expressways, but are still limited to four-wheeled vehicles and bigger motorcycles as they have a higher speed limit). Of course, you can always wear an open face or full face helmet too.

After much thought, I decided to get an open face helmet with a flip-up visor. A full face helmet offers the most protection, but it can also be really hot. An open face helmet is a balance between convenience and safety.

Once I decided on the type of helmet, the next step is to know my helmet size. I went to a motorcycle accessory store and the store assistant helped to measure my head circumference, after which I tried out a few helmets to get a better understanding of the different sizes of different manufacturers. I didn't want a cheap brand helmet, but Arai and Shoei (the best helmet brands in Japan) are really expensive. In the end, I settled with Yamaha, which I think should offer good quality without being too expensive. I tried out a few Yamaha helmets to understand what my size should be, then left the store because it didn't have the helmet I want (as in, the specific model, size, and colour).

To get that specific model, size, and colour, I turned to Amazon. Click click click, and a few days later, a big box arrived.

Tada! The Yamaha Zenith YJ-17 in dark metallic silver. It is an open face helmet with a flip-up visor, and an inner retractable sunvisor. There are also vents at the top of the helmet to allow air into the helmet so that it doesn't become too hot in summer. I am a bit worried if it will fit under the seat of the Honda Giorno, but I think it should.

 

I also got a pair of riding gloves. Nothing fancy, just a common brand (Komine) with some padding on the knuckles.

 

Now, to wait for the scooter to arrive!

 

PS. Once I get the hang of riding and know that I won't get myself killed, I am going to get a cuter helmet for short trips around the neighbourhood. The YJ-17 will then be used for long-distance trips.