Keeping abreast with general knowledge

This is an extract of my "Advanced Japanese Language Learning for General Learners and Interpreters" Google site located here.

The overall strategy is to keep afloat and constantly work to try and have wide views on contemporary subjects. The mega-subject here is Japan, and the strategies are different whether you are in Japan or not. The strategies within Japan can be applied outside Japan too but at a greater monetary cost. A daily portion of the Nikkei podcast for instance is helpful to keep abreast of current news subjects but my opinion is that it doesn't help when trying and build a larger view, the big picture of contemporary Japan. Keeping at bay Information overflow is a major task, even more for interpreters I believe. At the time of this writing, a week before the end of year 2008, magazine stands in Tokyo are a reminder that paper still matters. I would certainly not buy a monthly economy magazine that would be left unopen in no time, but at this very time of the year, there are end of year issues with the standard 予測 for 2009 that are much more valuable than a annual stack of magazines, because they sweep through wide arrays of subjects in condensed form. That the magazines will probably miss the forecast they deliver is not an issue. What matter is the broad view they provide on Japan and how Japan think about these issues. A book like 日本の論点 is a thick addition that is probably worth reading over time in tiny chunks. The standard 現代用語の基礎知識 as a hefty reference book might be good to have but you won't read it like a book. They provide this year a paper thin magnifier for the tiny fonts. For industrial subject specific references, there are specialized magazines for mostly anything, but books that summarize a specific domain are also aplenty. They are smarter than the Internet and Wikipedia in the sense that they bring cohesion and systematic structure within a closed environment, the book. From this point of view, reference books on industries within Japan are an incredible segmet of resources that is worth investing in when you are especially involved with that industry.