I just returned from a trip to Japan - I always find trips there to be worthwhile, and this one was no exception. The tech econcmy seems strong - software development playing an increasing role. Not surprisingly, open source plays a big role, and the awareness of IP rights and responsibilities is higher than on prior visits. In fact, a number of the firms I visited already have internal tools in place. The size of some of the software projects I saw were pretty amazing. I guess this should be no surprise with the obvious capabilities of the consumer devices we see today.