Slashdot Mirror
The Gadgets Of Tomorrow
Val writes: "I attended the
Business Show 2001 in Tokyo to see the new devices. But before I even could report home, I found the Visual Showcase of Japanese Keitai Culture just updated with all the new
3G phones, prototypes and other gadgets I just saw at the exhibition. And the best, they even show
the typical usage of i-mode and other phones on the street. " Check out this page and start speculating: oddball handhelds, phones with real screens ... crazy. (Last reminder, I'm in Tokyo all next week for LinuxWorld, so if you're in Tokyo, maybe I'll see ya there.)
We should force japan to adopt the same values as civilised countries like the USA - we do not desire to spread our values everywhere and forge an Empire, so why should they be allowed to?
Oh REALLY. Ever asked anyone outside the US? I think you'll find a lot of people who think the US does indeed desire to spread their values everywhere (Capitalism) and forge an "Intellectual Property" Empire!
And why are moderators wasting moderation points marking replies complaining about this post as "Offtopic" without moderating the parent post down first?
http://www.glasswings.com/
- Small island + tons of antennas = great coverage, lower-output phones, smaller phones, insanely longer battery life (1+ months), etc... which all lead to: more usage.
- Smarter setup of plans - billed by 10-second increments, very low monthly fees ($10-$15), caller pays the toll charge (not the phone holder), and phones sold in insane volume... which all lead to: more usage.
- Equipment purchasing trends - unlike here in the States, where very few people rush out and buy the latest and greatest phones, a ton of folks in Japan rush to get the latest and greatest phone. What ends up happening is that the "latest and greatest" phones don't have to be marked up to $500-$600 for fear of selling in low volume -- for they sell in high volume anyway -- so the price is a far more reasonable $300.
- Because of that, while 'brand' loyalty is high, 'model' loyalty is relatively low. You will not see someone hanging onto their Nokia 8200 series in adoration after 6-12 months of usage, whereas I can think of a handfull of friends who hang onto their Nokia 2100 series...
So.. with a lower cost of ownership, encouraged usage, sheer volume of phones sold, and all phones being affordable due to the volume, it makes sense that they keep on pumping out tons of 'cool gadgets' -- people are always buying them, and buying them in hordes...You can say, think, and believe all that, and not have problems living with yourself?
What, should we nuke them again, put them in their place, and indoctrinate them again?
You speak as if the US has the moral or ethical superiority in which to even judge the Japanese.
You speak as if the viewpoint of a single individual, you, can decide and analyze the culture and behavior of an entire nation, the Japanese.
Here, let me rephrase:
"Geeks, a mysterious race."
I went on holiday to Silicon Valley a couple of years ago, and stayed for 6 months or so. At first it seemed quite similar to the east, the same skyscrapers, billboards, TV, films, cars, etc. The mark of mass consumerism was all around.
But the difference with the geeks is not external, it's internal. Looking at the geeks, talking to them and trying to penetrate the alien geeky mind is very difficult indeed. What are their motivations? What do they want?
Unfortunately the geeks have not changed since the dawn of time. The americans tried after Columbine, but that was set back against Pinkerton's vision by the need to get geeks into industry against the Indian threat.
The result is that the geeks now hae the same abitions as they did since the dawn of time - the same ambitions that spawned the nuclear fucking bomb. The difference now is that those ambitions are exercised through the internet, the dot coms, rather than through the scientific field as it was last time.
I think we should be wary of the geeks, and institute sanctions. We already know they are an insensitive and inscrutible race, from the way they treat girls, Christians and the establishment - with astonishing rebellion and wholescale anti-orthodoxy.
We should force geeks to adopt the same values as civilised citizens in the USA - we do not desire to spread our values everywhere and forge uniformity, so why should they be allowed to?
Buying their products (which are produced by uncreative minds, good at technical things but not at language and art as we are) is weakening the USA and the commity of civilised peoples.
Lets put an end to it.
Aren't you at all bothered by the trash you write? Gah. And you got modded up for it, even!
Geek dating!
GPL Deconstructed
I swear, every time I see something really really cool from Japan, Inc., it's only available in Japan. Ever get the feeling that the rest of the world is actually buying the vanilla stuff to subsidize the cool choices they get?
Ha! Stoopid american gaijin buys ugly, plain cell phone. We keep special model with wasabi dispenser. Ha! Ha!
-- .sig are belong to us!
All your
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
"Unfortunately the japanese have not really changed since the Meiji period."
If we are to believe the Conservative view of what America should be, then it should not have changed since the 1950s, when the nuclear family ruled, Daddy worked, Mommy kept the house in order, "everyone" had a house and two cars with some money in the bank, "nobody" was gay (or at least nobody talked about it), minorities "knew their place," and keeping up with the Jones' was the national pasttime.
"We should force japan to adopt the same values as civilised countries like the USA"
Sorry to burst your bubble again, but America is hardly civilized. In a country with the greatest degree of wealth, it's got an astonishing number of people dying of starvation and malnutrition (no, it's not just the anorexic supermodels). Many people can barely afford to feed and clothe their children (why do they continue to have children? Because the conservative movement doesn't like anyone to educate kids about sex, make birth control readily available or allow easy access to safe abortions.). Combine this institutionalized maltreatment of the poor with the institutionalized abuses of minorities, women and homosexuals, and you've got a country that is "uncaring and selfish .. with astonishing racism."
Finally, take a look at the way America treats the environment. Fuel costs are at an all-time high, but fuel economies are at the lowest level in 20 years. The solution -- let's destroy the environment for more fuel. Nobody's willing to stop driving their SUV to even do a little bit for the world. In rejecting the Kyoto protocol, the US negotiator said, "The American way of life is non-negotiable."
Your description of Japan sounds an awful lot like America to me.
I do not claim to know anything substantial about Japan or it's political and social problems, but your post smacks of a crack addict trying to lead an AA meeting. Before America tries to fix the rest of the world, maybe it should concentrate on itself.