In almost all cases where you have a prediction, you can put your money where your mouth is. If you find a flaw in the original program, you can make better predictions than it. Then you can invest in things that correlate with the correctness of your prediction (or you could just use Intrade).
If you can regularly find such errors and build a reputation, you could certainly sell access to your work output, since spotting errors and misstatements will have a direct effect on the value of the securities in question.
Ouch, I'm about to pop back to the US from Saitama... why the hell are you staying in Akiba? There are plenty of nicer places to wait out volcanic doom...
We're in Akihabara because: (1) Good public transport access (JR commuter rail to Tokyo station or a 20 minute walk), (2) convenient walking distance of lots of downtown stuff (for values of "think nothing of walking a couple of miles"), (3) a really cheap hotel deal, and (4) Nerd Paradise.
It is, but, well, I guess I'm just a weird nerd... you can buy the same (new) electronics at pretty much any Yodobashi Camera store, and if you're not heavily into action figures, anime, or porn, than there isn't much else in Akihabara, in terms of food or nightlife.
It's a fun shopping day, but if I was going to spend a week or two in Tokyo... well, I'd go to Osaka. But failing that, Shinagawa and Ikebukuro have better dining, Shinjuku has everything, and there's a ton of restaurants near the Tokyo station.
Although, if you want good food, and you don't feel like paying for the 'atmosphere' of a high-class restaurant, stay somewhere near a major university (Waseda, Tokyo, or Chuo). The restaurants all cater to students, which means they're cheap-ish, but not so cheap, that the quality suffers.
