Last Sunday night I settled down to watch one of my favorite TV shows, "Tokumei Research 200X" (NTV, 7:58 p.m.), quite unprepared for what I was about to learn. If you've never seen this particular information program, it is built around the fictional Far East Research Center, a shiny mission control for designer-suited computer nerds who conduct in-depth research into any subject the TV audience requests through a special Web site set up by the producer.

The presentation of the research results is almost comically even-handed, utilizing rapid-fire, deadpan narration and a slick Internet-style graphic mode that jumps from one idea to the next through a linklike process. If the topic is about airline crashes, you eventually learn not only about some famous crashes, but also all theories behind the causes of the crashes and their scientific basis. Along the way, you'll learn about aerodynamics and weather patterns.

The program on June 17 was mostly about water shortages, starting with the various climate-related reasons for droughts and how Japan, with its mountainous terrain, is particularly susceptible since runoff from mountain to river is extremely fast owing to the steep grade. Most rainfall goes straight into the sea.