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China's Superior Technologies
paRcat writes "Still think China is a land too far away from everything? This article compares some of China's common uses of technology to what we're accustomed to in the West. With the genius traffic lights and the cell phone coverage... I'm kinda jealous."
If you consider the growth of infrastructure in China to the rate of upgrading in the west is it any wonder they are ahead?
They are clearly putting in far more effort than any western government to modernize their country.
A government for the people, what a novel thought.
A lot of these items were not technology related. Slipcovers for coats and purses @ resturants? Nice, but I'm not counting that as points to superior technology. Gotta admit that stoplight timer technology sounds good.
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
In the Twin Cities.....
We have parking status as you enter downtown, accessible also via a web page. Traffic cameras blanket the freeway system, also via web page.
In St. Paul a lot of the traffic lights have countdown timers.
They are also close to have the debit cars for our new light rail line.
Just watch.
The USA refuses to adopt alternative fuels and prices are rising as fuel needs go up. Watch for china to lead the way in alternative fuel development and be the sole leader in the world. They need a cheap fuel soure to reach their goals of being a (or the) superpower.
Our dependency because we are lapdogs of Saudi Arabia is going to bite us in the ass. We will be the ones buying the technology from the Chinese.
I must say they have adopted better uses for the technology. Technology is supposed to make your life easier and that is somethign they are doing that western culture isn't.
China has something western society should model after. It kills me how often I hear, "We have always done it that way, why change"
Evolution or ID?
We're installing breakfast nooks and berber carpeting all on credit at 28% interest compounded daily! We have Disney trademark paint color choices at Home Repo! We're modern too!
Business isn't willing to pay for products, innovation and careers, so we get brands, mortgage commercials and layoffs.
I've known of one traffic death from a yellow before green in Europe way back. Giving someone a accurate way of determining when they can be moving the microsecond the light turns green is bad given that people have incoporated not just the delayed green but the delayed start after green in their calculations of how late they can run a red light.
Almost every developing nation has a higher rate of cell-phone coverage than the US (and many other "western" nations.)
The Bell System and the various state-owned monopolies built reliable, universal landline networks across these countries almost a century ago. Since the majority of the infrastructure has already been made and paid off decades ago, use of these networks today is commonplace (and very affordable.) The technology is often proven, well tested, and reliable (often regulated.) Cell phones, on the other hand, are more expensive and less reliable.
In developing nations, the landline systems are often unreliable and not much cheaper (if at all) than mobile systems. Users in these countries have every reason to invest in mobile phones. I wonder if this will continue to be the case with the deployment of VoIP systems.
You know, this is really what we should be trying to do. Better living through technology. If the Chinese can do it, there's no reason why we can't too.
Although not a technilogical breakthrough, I am super jealous that you can get pants hemmed in-store, in minutes. I am 5' 3" and I have to have all of my pants hemmed. I have a sewing machine, and can do this myslef, but I hate doing it. Either start doing this or I'm moving to China, Dammit!
...of the Yellow Dragon when it awakens" -Napoleon
:-)
I'd think it's time to say: "Good Morning, Yellow Dragon"
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Are they seeing the same ones that I saw when I was there? ;).
I was a bit disappointed with these ten points. I live in Sweden and compared to our standards this list isn't that impressive. Our mobilephones work everywhere and they cost you 10 cents to buy (honestly!). We have computer seating maps in the theaters and movie theaters. And parking signs contain the number of free spaces.
Sure, we don't have everything on the list though. I'd love to have those intelligent stop lights for instance.
I guess the bottom line is that Canada is pretty far behind.
There are a lot of things that foster innovation. One of them is culture and China may have a problem here. Confucian ideals do not foster innovation and those ideals are quite common in China. It takes a long time for people to get that kind of thing out of their bones.
Right now, the US of A is the best environment in which to innovate. In fact it is our only advantage. If we manage to kill innovation, we are toast. DMCA, Patriot Act and software patents come to mind in this regard.
About Jan Wong: She used to write a column called 'Lunch With Jan'. She would interview people and then trash them in print. She could pick up on the slightest thing; anything the victim said or did could be twisted and used to mock them. Naturally, she ran out of people stupid or desperate enough to have lunch with her. She even trashed her own family; grandmother, aunts etc.
What about Western Europe? There is much more existing infrastructure in the Western European countries than in the U.S. However, they also seem to embrace technology faster than the U.S. I feel it is due to population density. The U.S. has a low population density. The denser the population the greater your market in a particular area. No surprise that technology hits those types of markets sooner than later.
They have some cool ideas in China. The Styrofoam in the super markets might not work in the US because people might find it unsanitary. I like the traffic light idea and I've always thought about the system of identifying free parking spots every time I'm hunting for one in a large, crowded lot.
However, some of these seem great because they didn't have to replace old technology. They mentioned how landlines were never popular, so they went from no phones straight to cell phones. The US had to piggy back the new system on the old system.
So in 20 years, will they still be cutting edge, or will they be surpassed by other countries that either are just technologically developing or have been developed for a while and are "upgrading".
... you'll still be hungry again in half an hour! (Trolling off-topic, I know -- but it was worth it.)
Hey, isn't the whole US economic-religion based on competition above all else?
No. In each industry there are only a few companies. The economy is based on 40000% markups, a regular campaign of vigorous layoffs, and constant blatantly manipulative advertising.
Business isn't willing to pay for products, innovation and careers, so we get brands, mortgage commercials and layoffs.
Another topic where half the posts will be comments that contain nothing but jingoism and nationalist comments rather than examine China's genuine potential for growth.
Remember people, this is the world's biggest nation (by population), with the real potential to be the world's biggest manufacturer and the world's biggest marketplace. And, remember, that that potential is starting to be realised: China already has a import surplus of billions with most Western countries, including the US, and China is now starting to become a real consumer culture in its own right.
They may have given everyone else a head-start but then so did Japan and Germany post-WWII, and look at how powerful their economies have become.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
it is superior use of existing technology and better organization. Sadly we're far behind in many aspects. Hopefully we can catch up.
For instance, the traffic light is new. However, there version could be viewed as an improvement. BUT, they had something to build on. I'm sure that in other countries, different and better (than what those countries currently use) traffic lights have been invented. But, there is a standard already in place - one that must be changed slowly due to it's nature.
This is not to say China does not have better tech, just wondering what the impact is of having a different starting point, etc.
You can't drink the water from the tap
Hocking loogies in public seems to be a national pastime
Air pollution so bad that on some days it looks foggy
Diseases like malaria and dengue fever (more a 3rd world than 1st world problem)
China may have cool tech, but the basic infrastructure sucks.
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
Everyone commenting seems to be all hyped up at the technology. Remember, China's one of the poorest, most overpopulated countries on this Earth in per capita terms. The elite, Party members, and other favored citizens may have access to all this wonderful stuff, but with an average GDP per capita below 5000 USD (as compared to about 38000 USD in the US) the vast majority -- if not most -- of the country has no access to any of the "technology" mentioned.
ACs are modded -6. I don't read you, I don't mod you, I don't see you. Don't like it? Don't be a coward.
Large portions of Western Europe were bombed to the stone age during WWII and have been able to build more modern cities from scratch. Look at the urban sprawl and some suburban communities around the US and you'll find the same phenomenon. The US has cities that date back to the original colonies and their infrastructure is just about as old. Add that to the fact that we have laws which protect history to the detriment of progress in some cases. Mix in the problem that we are, as should have been quite evident in this last election, a Federal Republic (basically we're a loosely knit group of 50 countries known as states) and Federal laws are limited due to State's Rights which data back as old as the infrastructure and cities that can't be updated due to historical relevance and you have one big catch-22 that makes progress difficult.
We have most of that, with the exception of the stoplights with countdowns.
Most large theatres today, whether live or movie, offer online and in person sales with displays of seat availability.
Most traffic lights in the "almost large" cities that are below the fold of Chicago, LA, and NY, have timers on the crosswalks that effectivily give you the countdowns to a red or green light.
Tailors (which doesn't exactly count as tech, unless it's 1750) are available at just about every large, expensive retailer at your local mall.
All the examples he sites seem to be more a criticism of Canada than a boost to China. Then again, I live in the US, i can't speak for Canada.
The only ubiquitous use of tech that China has that is effectivly used (and not for show like the flat screens throughout Shanghai and the tech areas of Beijing) is cell usage. This was out of necessity, and I wish we had the same coverage and plans. However, I can get a land line with no problems, just about anywhere in the US. Slightly more troublesome in most of China outside the large pop centers.
(not a slam against China, just don't like seeing the status quo bumped up to hero status just because there's a flat screen involved)
I'll take my basic freedoms and liberty any day over technology.
Seriously. Don't you think there's a cost to all this? Do you really think a republic like the US could do something like this?
The fact is -- it would be easier for us to modernize Iraq than it would be to modernize the US. Authoritarian control makes everything a ton easier for the government at the expense of the people.
Pick your poison.
-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
I was in China earlier this summer and despite their "genius traffic lights" and cellphone coverage, you can still walk behind the internet bars and savvy shopping marts and find dirt roads, people living on other's garbage and sewage in the streets.
The modernization of Chinese technology is less important than the quality of life of its people. In my opinion, they need to focus less on getting every single person in their country internet and more on getting every single person in their country fed and clean.
10. Free hemming This doesn't count as cheap labour because only three people service an entire department store. Hm. So all a US Department store would need to do is hire 3 people (US$32,760 salary, plus FICA, etc) per location from the profit on pants....
Lamers.
The important part is that China has cellphones with out 2 year plans, credit hassles, or idiot vendors.
The man got 2 pairs of pants, measured, trimmed, hemmed and pressed in under 3 minutes.
Signs tell drivers which lots HAVE open spaces and how many are left.
Its not technology, its SERVICE.
How hard is it to put a call button on a restuarant table?
They Live, We Sleep
Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
Yeah, but it's not as easy to get Chinese food...
Who moderates this stuff? China and Europe have personal residences and restaraunts older than your counry. Boston's a swaddling baby compared to them.
we are free to make mistakes and that is more important that having all the technology in the world. I would rather have Freedom of speech than a fancy parking monitor.
-
China is a huge threat in the region. China is best understood as a society with deadly, ultra-modern weapons coupled with a barbaric, medieval mindset. It is an ogre in the 21st century.
Actually the same could be said of the US, a lot of our foriegn policies of late have been decidely midieval, notably the "you're with us or you're against us" black and white take on things. Not to say China's not a potential problem, but this is not sound reasoning as to why it's a problem.-
The Chinese routinely rape and kill Tibetan nuns and children. The Chinese routinely abort female fetuses, producing a skewed ratio of male babies to female babies. There is currently a deficit of about 15% (!) in the female baby population.
I'll decline to comment on the Tibetian bit except to point out the link you provide is decidely not an impartial one. They may be 100% accurate, but they have a vested interest in taking the Tibetian's side so it's hard to tell.As far as the female babies being aborted, yes it happens, but it's not a government policy. It's a side-effect of the one child, one family policy and traditions. Many Chinese feel they must have a male child to support them when they're elderly so they will have female babies aborted. Actually I'm not entirely sure the process is legal. Given the government's nationalistic leanings, I suspect that something will be done about this, they won't want to rely on Chinese marrying women of other ancestries in order to reproduce.
Thanks for the false dilemma. Either we accept corporate hegemony and end-times theocracy or we accept godless Communism? How about freedom, which resembles neither?
If you protest the government, they imprison you, or just gun you down on the spot, free! No more paying for Dr. Kevorkian's euthanasia services. Yeah!
A modern day witchhunt.
...if they have reservation touch screens for their Falon Gong Reeducation Centers? Can I denounce someone to the secret police by reporting their reactionary bourgeois activities with a camera cell phone?
What about coffins and death beds? If I want to die in China of some easily preventable disease, black lung, or speaking my mind, can I reserve my place a head of time with a cell phone?
The People's Republic of China is run by one of the most corrupt regimes on the planet.
They use torture, rape, and intimidation on a massive, systemic scale.
They are introducing capitalism, but not human rights. The economy is still largely managed top-down.
Saying they are upgrading faster than Western countries is like saying you want to go to Antarctica because it's springtime there, and you like warm weather.
sigs, as if you care.
Is that different enough for you?
To be exact, he said : "Quand la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera", which translates into : "when Chine will awake, the world will tremble".
And yet, somehow, life in the old USA goes on.
--- Ban humanity.
Ahem. United states has almost six times the proportion of people in prison as China. Now, it is possible that China is simply not reporting many of the imprisoned people, or that the simply use alternative methods which we may find less savory than imprisonment, but...
I'll never make that mistake again, reading the experts' opinions. - Feynman
I have been to Chain. Shanghai to be specific. What awe inspiring technology I saw. A sewage system that was obviously not functioning great. Water that you could not drink. Traffic which was...unbeleivably bad. People living on sidewalks. Oh yeah. nice technology. I've seen far superior technology in both Canada and the US. Its easy to find 10 things better - but honestly this guy had to reach.
Large Portions of the U.S were not even developed until after the 1950's. Very few U.S cities date back 300 years. Europe is full of old cities. Europe also has laws which protect their history. In America we have "Historic" buildings that were built 50 years ago. Europe goes through the same struggles as the US when it comes to historic buildings. Even more so since their structures have more history and in some cases could have been owned by a family for several generations. Yes the U.S has reminence of a Republic. 100 years ago the U.S. was refered to as a Republic not a Democracy. However, our Republic is much more tightly knit than the EU. Try living outside of the U.S with non Americans and you will see that every Country has similar problems and struggles.
i'm kinda jealous
Reminds me of people who say they would have liked to live in the dark ages with the famous artists and musicians, great castles and famous writers.
My response was always that you'd most likely be a peasant or slave considering there wasn't much, if any middle class.
Shit better not happen!
Hmm.... you musn't live in New York then or a living in an ideal city because:
1- Cell phone coverage sucks... no matter who you are using noone has coverage in the subway, nor in the elevator of my buildings, or even very bad coverage where some friends live.
2- yea, warning, that is different from a countdown. Do you know exactly how many seconds are left between red and green? Nope? Well in china you do...
3- Again, I live in NY and although taxis should have that (I do take taxis at least 3 or 4 times/week), I almost never take any that do accept. What they are talking about in China is the same card used for everything.
4- Park!=different from exercise machine. They have parks in China, AND exercise machines. You just don't do the same thing on those 2 things.
5- Do you live in the city with no thiefs? Lucky you... I have yet to see restaurants with hooks under the table, maybe the 2 or 3 times a week I go out to different places are not sufficient. Oh and by the way,all the places tell you that they are not responsible in case of lost item left to them.
6- They didn't say they don't have internet/phone access, I am sure they do as well... But it is in addition, because sometime it is just nice to be able to go to a Branch and have a live person.
7- Again, refer to 5, I have never seen that in NY.
8- yes, but they refer to in advance of going to the parkings. They have signs that tell you which parkings are full, how many spots left, BEFORE you even go near. How neat!
9- seating maps, I would agreed can be found at _some_ places, but can you reserve your seat in the movie theater? Haven't seen that...
10- hemming... What a pain in the neck... Buying something at Bloomingdale. "How's wednesday next week would be for you?" and that is on a Thursday... I would gladly wait 10mn to have it same day.
Poor you...
I seriously thought that China's well developed firewall technology would have made top ten easily.
First, please note the author is Chinese. Jan, I guess is Janet, a female, very concerned with purses. I agree, China treats its visitors well. Funny, though, they asked me why I was leaving. Fortunately "work ended" is a valid reason.
Agreed, GSM cellular is far, FAR cheaper call for call than landline. It __WONT__ give you 10Mbit/s Internet though, something to think about. GSM service in Canada is quite impressive, possibly rivaling Europe. I had continueous service between Toronto and Montreal last summer.
Germany is quite ahead on the informative stoplights. They don't do it here (in Holland) because of the fear of drag racing.
Transit debit cards -- YES. Even got Europe on that one! I loved the Hong Kong system with the contactloos card system. You could brush against the sensor and not even take out your wallet. We better get that in Europe soon! Canada should consider also.
We have plenty adult playgrounds in Europe. Everybody in Europe is jealous of Canada for its great outdoors. Who needs 'adult playgrounds' when most of your country is one?
Anti-theft devices? Europe is quite good with public safety as well as Canada. Every place has another method. I'd suggest Jan (and anybody) to stay out of the USA however.
Wireless gizmos? Well anything you want! That's my claim to fame.
Parking data. Universal in Europe. Also I noticed it was all over Toronto. Janet, where are you from?
Computer seating? Even lame Windows can do that. Get real!
Oops. "Free" hemming. Jan, didn't you say at the start that you weren't going to mention the things cheap labour brings?
I am very happy I'm free to live in either Europe or Canada! The news is absolute DIRT in China. It is obviously not a free place. These are little things that mean alot to Europeans and Canadians!
Why am I wasting my time with this?
My wife and I were in China last month to adopt our daughter. We were in Beijing for three days and Guangzhou (the fifth largest city in China) for seven - so both are big cities. I was amazed at two aspects of technology in each place: * Cell phone coverage is AMAZING. We had a cell phone and no matter where we went, even if it was the bowels of the hotel we were in, we never had less than full tower coverage. There was a telecom engineer traveling with us and he commented on the sheer number of cell phone transmitters, seemingly everywhere in Guangzhou, even the desperately poverty-stricken areas. * Computer access in general, and internet connections in particular, were at best average and were usually terrible. We hunted all over Guangzhou for a decently-fast broadband connection for sending digital photos back home and the fastest we found (at Blenz Coffeehouse on Shamian Island) was about the speed of the old Earthlink dialup we had 3 years ago. And despite the number of westerners in Guangzhou who are there to process their adoption of Chinese children, internet connections are few and far between - most are in the back rooms of shady-looking tourist shops and consist of circa-1995 pentiums with lots of duct tape. Our theory was that the cell phone was the only way that the Chinese could acquire personal space; which would explain why the cell phone is really a way of life in China from what we could tell.
"Let a thousand flowers bloom," is an interesting quote. This comment was made by Chairman Mao in the 1970's to see who really opposed his policies by letting everyine express themselves. There was a period of free speech and outpourings of democratic writings, especially on college Campuses, that was followed by brutal repression and jailings of many university students and professors when Mao felt like it had run it's course.
"Let a thousand flowers bloom," was more or less a political tactic by Mao to exterminate his enemies in the Communist Party. Not sure what this has to do with economic policy and such.
They can just take ours, we're not using it anymore...
Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
I don't give a warning, because I find that no matter what I say and how far in advance I say it (or ring my bell) there is a 50% chance that the pedestrian will react at the last minute by jumping into my path, thereby dramatically increasing the chance of an accident.
I have commuted by bicycle in large and small cities in north America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, pretty much daily for the past 30 years, and I've never hit a pedestrian yet. But I have a whole lot fewer close calls when I sneak up on them. So I'm going to keep doing it, for their own safety. Better surprised than smacked into the pavement.
Yes, but the signs in Europe and Asia tell you, before you enter a neighborhood, which lots are full and how many spots are left in the others. This saves driving around looking at all those "lot full" signs.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
In the 1960s and 1970s Japan was growing leaps and bounds from a completely destroyed country at the end of the world war to nearly the level of US economy. The label "Made in Japan" changed from a denigration to a status symbol. But Japan was unable to go past the US economy. Perhaps capitalism can only so far at a given time. Or else Japan's local characteristics of capitalism- more cronyism, more conglomeration, face-saving hiding of problems, etc.- keeps it at its level.
It will be interesting to see if China also stagnates when it approaches the US per-capita level, or can exceed the US. China may have its own intrinsic issues. But China will rapidly close gap. And will be an interesting sight to watch.
I think a major issue that arises in Capitalist countries is that profit is the main (only?) motivator for most technologies. In other words, if it isn't going to sell more copies, or reap more profit it's not worth doing. Many of the items mentioned in the article would have existed long ago in other countries had it been profitable to do so. Unfortunately, modern capitalism seems to trend towards maximizes proft, and minimizing cost (for both the businesses and consumers). This means that most people will suffer incoveniences to benefit from lower prices.
Supermarkets and other retail outlets are perfect examples of this. It's the classic service vs. price.
Even the stop lights in the article are an example of this. Most citizens would rather have dumb traffic lights and lower taxes than smart ones and higher taxes. Unfortunately this leads to a lifestyle that is filled with minor incoveniences.
A sad indicator of this is how surprised we are when someone gives us good service without charging us an extra fee.
Forget that.
To end the Cold War, the US didn't duke it out with the USSR using weapons - we spent them into the ground. Even at that, with the deficits involved, we darned near spent ourselves into the ground, at the same time.
Right now China is heavily dependent on exporting the US, and it's helping to fuel their growth. I would expect that within 10-20 years their own economy and consumer base will be sufficiently developed that they won't need us, any more. I've already heard (unsubstantiated) that China could absorb *every* job in the US, and still have unemployment.
IMHO, by the year 2050, China will be able to spend the US into the ground, just like we did in the 1980's with the USSR.
The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
abu-gharaib.
We even export our human rights violations.
Miss Wong is clearly comparing China to Canada. Her article failed to impress me with China, just made me glad I'm in Silicon Valley, not in Canada. Let's take a look at her list :
1. Cellphones
My cellphone works in elevators, subways, and parking garages too. The no cell phones in hospitals is a safety issue, not an issue of technology. And doctors here break the rule all the time, too. The docotor who delivered my son got a call from his wife (she was going to Taco Bell and wanted to know if he wanted anything) right in the middle of delivery.
2. Informative stop lights
As others have alrady pointed out, this is not the safest thing to do for cars. Most crosswalks where I live do the same thing, except they actually count down the number of seconds (how novel.)
3. Transit debit cards
This is a trivial (though very convenient) "innovation." It's really a product of government. When you have a centralized government that controls everything, you can standardize everything. When you have more freedoms, then different municipalities will do things differently.
4. Adult playgrounds
This is just another product of socialization, and has nothing to do with technologies.
5. Anti-theft slipcovers
A useful innovation when you have problems with crime.
6. Daily banking
My bank is open six days a week. If people demanded it be open seven, it would be open seven so that it could do more business and make more money. This has nothing to do with technology, and is simply an example of free people choosing how businesses operate via a free market vs. a government mandating how businesses operate.
7. Wireless service bells
This has little to do with technology and is much more a cultural issues. This would NOT be desirable at most upscale resteraunts in the west, where good service is expected and rewarded. Now it might be desireable at low-end resteraunts, but in the west, you get what you pay for.
8. Parking data
This is interesting. Do you really need to know how many empty spots there are? Isn't it really just a boolean, i.e. there is at least one empty spot or there are no empty spots? Any paid parking lot is going to keep track of this, and is also going to advertise so that you can find it. So I guess this is talking about free lots. Again it's a function of a free market vs. socialism.
9. Computer seating maps
When I buy tickets to a SF Giants game, I have this exact kind of technology. I don't have this for movies, but movie theaters here are not assigned seating.
10. Free hemming
Again, not technology, but cultural.
An alien reading TFA would probably find this quote amusing and/or pathetic: (emphasis mine)
To list the things that you find in the U.S. v. China, or in Europe v. China, that I find superior in U.S., or Europe, or Japan, or wherever?
But those are First World countries! They should be superior in EVERY WAY!
Nonsense. This First World/Third World delineation is extremely rough, at best.
China is a rapidly developing country. While there are factors which still relegate it status to 'third' world, they have come a long way, and will make it to first world soon.
The thing is, you don't always get optimum deployment of technology in a wealthier society, and this has little to do with the economic system (Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, Anythingism).
In a nutshell: The economic system determines who has the power to allocate wealth/resources.
Then, this decision maker decides how much of societies resources should be spent on what developments.
If 'smart' stoplights are not a high priority, even if 'dumb' ones are an annoyance, you won't get them, period. Even in Utopia.
In China, government decision makers simply implemenent whatever policy they feel is appropriate.
In the U.S., popular demand determines the allocation of wealth and resources. Don't think that I am naive enough to not realize that large companies&governments are capable of influencing this demand. Still, by deciding how much you are willing to pay for a certain service, or expressing your political preference by voting, you contribute to averaged indicators that establish this allocation.
In the U.S., people are willing to spend less of the adjusted per capita wealth on cell phones than are people living in Europe, or Japan.
As such, our cell service is crappier. Sure, there are geeks like you (slashdot reader) & me who want better service. But the Jane Doe's of the U.S. bring the average down.
The same thing probably happens with regards to Jane Doe's preferences. I might not be interested in what she wants, and as such, I bring the average allocation down with regards to her preferences.
You see clear, similar trends with regards to broadband service. Price is simply more important that quality of service/performance, and as such, as a society we allocate less towards our Broadband, and we have crappier service.
Now that you are conceptualizing resource allocation as I have described, the effects of government become clearer.
In much of the rest of the world, governments have 'kickstarted' demand by providing for an initial investments in broadband, cell service, and other 'public' goods.
You get better service, but the costs involved in the government 'kickstarting' necessairly come from somewhere else.
This government influence necessairly introduces economic inefficeny.
Not that that is always bad, mind you. I certainly accept that economic inefficency is necessary such that our resource allocation is not totally mindless/mob oriented.
But we need to consider that it is a spectrum. Somewhere between total government control of everything economic allocation, and total free market laissez faire absurditiy, is the world where I want to live.
Wow. This has been rather long winded. In sum, and in short, all I'm really trying to say is that a certain country not having, or having, various technology improvements does not mean that country is doing worse, or better, than other nations. Specific aspects of resource allocation are not a good way to summarize notions of wealth.
They are more important indicators. Not that the U.S. is doing particularly well in these other indicators. But we aren't doing so badly, and I feel that discussions of these indicators are far more important that discussions of anti-theft slip covers, or smart traffic lights.
Just my 20000000 cents.
WhiteWolf666 an exBush supporter. All you new-school,compassionate,save the children Republicans can rot in hell
This is entirely your own fault. USA have screwed over a lot of nations and making life har in others. One year you help and arm the muslims, the other one you withdraw your support and watch them die. Just look at the whichunt for communism. You can do whatever you want in your country, but that wasn't enough. You simply felt the urge to stop the spread of an ideology that didn't suit you, and did this by killing countless people around the world. This also happened in countries where the ideologies worked and people actually had chosen them. You supported the murderous contras, red khemers and other death squads around the world. When you inflict so much suffering, is it so strange that people strike back? Currently USA tries to enforce the acceptance of genetically manipulated food in the EU. The majority don't want your gm crops, but you simply cannot accept that, so you force the issue. And no, we cannot make the consumer choise of not bying it, because one of the things the US trade oppose is the special labeling of gm foodstuff. To top this of you go and kill a couple of hundred thousand innocent civilians in Irak and support the state-terrorism currently occuring in Israel. Get a fucking clue: what goes around comes around. I as everybody else am apalled by what the terrorist do, but i am also apalled of the actions the US takes and has taken historically. You need to se the coneqences of your own actions. By electing Bush and continuing with the current policies you only make matters worse. This is not something you can solve with brute force, you need some brains.
When in doubt, act determined. Business 101
Well, I'm sure the reason for this is they have a more advanced system that ourselves - currently lots of people run red lights in the US. But, when is it safe to do so?
Enter the Red-Red/Red-Green light. Now the light just stays red all the time, since you're going to run it anyway - but the green light tells you when it's safe to run, and the second red tells you when it's safe to stop!
Taking away the yellow makes it a simple state transition that reduces incidences of people speeding up for a light. And both directions change instantly, making it far more efficient as you never have an awkward moment when cars are not going through an intersection.
Yes sir, that is is traffic light of the future.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
How good is cell phone reception inside a political prison?
if(!toilet_paper) roll.replace(new roll);
I am an American student, fluent enough in Swedish, working on a degree in Sweden. I can tell you as an insider that they are neither hot nor blonde--anymore. Those women went extinct in the Eighties. Right now, they are my professors and bosses--not my peers. A list of grievences:
100% dead-serious: At our student union building, we have an annual Bad Taste Party, where one dresses in bad taste, naturally. I could not tell--I honesty sat through a half-hour of our pre-party without noticing that was the theme.
In conclusion, if you are coming to Sweden to have good-looking lovers, only do so if you are a gay man--you'll save yourself a lot of disappointment.
No, it's a republic and republics arn't all they're cracked up to be. Just look at the US, for example. Bush should have been booted but the fact that American politcs has been turned into a sporting event means that the electorate collective IQ has dropped exponentially. People forget that human lives are at stake when they elect somebody who cannot own up to the fact they have really screwed up. Americans seem to have decided that the truth doesn't matter either with respect to Iraq.
As an American I see in this society a low level hatred of Muslims and general xenophobia. I see a significant group of people who believe that what makes a great civilization is people screaming "God Bless America" and running around with a flag. When the citizens of a country take their government seriously, hold it accountable, and refuse to allow themselves to be herded in to two rival camps then a Republic is a good idea. When people treat it like a game of baseball, these people no longer have any business voting. That is the point at which their government should be taken away from them.
In many ways I think China is better of then the so called "free world". The Chinese civil service, a large part of the government, is very efficient and relatively impartial. For example, I know people who have adopted children from China. In that case the trouble wasn't getting the children out of China, it was getting the children into the US. The Chinese agency handling adoption was very efficient and the path to adoption and removing the children from the country clearly laid out. The US INS does not have a clear cut set of rules on how to get an adopted child into the country. The job of aproving the children is left up to the assigned case worker and that person is under no obligation to follow any seblence of a proceedure in a given period of time. Put simply they were at the mercy of the whims of the INS, not an established legal proceeding. They are not alone in that regard as many other couples attempting the same thing have run afoul of the US INS, an institution of a so called "democracy".
Another good example comes from my own experiances in China. Visas are very easy to get and aproval can be obtained for a nominal fee in 24hrs. The reverse for Chinese can take months because of the ineptitude of the US government.
China may not have a so called "democracy" politically, but I believe this is an advantage. By not holding popular elections, nut cases like Bush are not elected. Instead stable and moderate people are put into power. Change is controlled and radical political factions are subdued. I also recognize China has had its share of nut case leaders, however these were largely reactionary due to western interference (and yes the US is partly to blame for this).
The Chinese may not have a TV in every room or a three car garage, but they are more focused than the US and have a much larger and more diverse intelligencia. You should not be so quick to treat world governments like a sporting event.
Very few Americans know much at all about China.
People THINK they do but to someone like me (i.e. a white guy who spends months at a time each year in China, is married to a Chinese woman, is well versed in China's history both recent and ancient and speaks Mandarin), listening to American folks discuss China is almost always very frustrating.
The country is not nearly as oppressive as some of you seem to think. Communism is really just a WORD over there... not an ideology... not anymore. Yes the government has it's problems and for the most part are not too well liked but daily life in China (well, for city dwelling, college educated people anyway) is little different from life here. People own pets, they don't eat them, they have cars, cell phones, high speed internet, live (and thus, not so controlled by the government) news on TV, they go shopping, walk in the park, meet friends for coffee, hit the clubs on Friday and Saturday night or go see a soccer match, whatever.
Many places in China would strike the most ardent neo-conservative as the very height of capitalism. Contrary to what one person posted you CAN talk about/criticise/make fun of the government. I have talked with so very many Chinese about their government and they are usually quite frank. No one is hiding behind their hand whispering, no one is "disappeared". Last time I was there (May-August 2004) there were even some fairly large labor protests in a nortern city. Protests that were not crushed, put down, blocked. We just don't hear about this sort of stuff in the states. Viewed objectively (my wife, a professor of communications, has done much research in the area of media coverage between China and the USA), our government's opinions regarding China, the average citizens beliefs on China and the stories we get about China from our media leave us with a general impression that is, quite simply, wrong and negatively biased.Statistically about equal to the bias you would find in the Chinese press about the USA.
Technologically, China IS rapidly pulling ahead of the U.S.A. in many areas (cell phone technology and IT in particular) and China has it's "Microsofts" waiting in the wings eyeing the world market (the Lenovo Group (formerly known as Legend Group) in particular). Bottom line is, most Americans don't know enough about China to make any sort of accurate commentary regarding it. Yes there are many problems in China and with it's government but it is much closer to life here (once again, in the cities, not the countryside) than you probably think.
I've been living in China for over 2 years, and have travelled extensively there. I hate crap articles that for the most part aren't true. I'll take this one step by step:
intro:
supermarket spills - alas, they don't bother to disenfect anything at the average supermarket. Some recent imports, Carefour etc., might do better, but simply moving the spill around with water and then drying it might not seem hygenic to some.
free head-and-shoulder massages w/ haircut: this is true. And it's an excellent service. But I usually cut my own hair cause I don't want it to look jacked. You can also get handjobs and blowjobs for 30-100 yuan more. Great services. The Chinese are way ahead of us here.
free movie ticket couriers: true. All couriers for services are free in my experience. Currently their online stores also use these couriers. You order online and a guy comes on a bike with your books and you pay him. quite nice.
duvet covers (even in rural china): yes. it's true. but, if they are freshly laundered, why do they smell so bad? Most of the time you feel like the blankets have been sitting in a smelly closet for weeks, not like they just came in off the line.
automated lockers: they're starting to use them in some stores. Most have places where you check your bag with a person.
taxis, subways, etc with panels and tv: true for about 1% of all taxis (if that much) the buses with tv are pretty annoying but they are thankfully few and far between (there are many more buses with wooden floors with holes where you can see the road)
electronic fly swatter: this is so cool! some are shaped like a small tennis racket. you push a little button and electricity runs through the wire strings. great fun killing bugs and for using on friends when they're drunk.
magnetic-levitation train: it's amazing. so is there space program. So is the realization that they are doing this despite the fact that so many of their people live in complete poverty and would love to have a better life.
1) Cellphones: coverage is extensive. prices aren't that cheap, but it is pay as you go. You pay for incoming and outgoing calls (the same for each)/ SMS messages (cheaper for incoming). on an average month I'll spend about 150-200RMB which works out to 20-25USD.(I like to SMS a lot and don't like using talking on the phone much--most of the time other people call me) It doesn't seem that much cheaper to me. Might have something to do with the Monopoly that is China Mobile.
2)Traffic Lights: this is true, and they are using them more and more. Beijing's use of them is pretty light (no more than 5% of all ligths-a VERY generous estimate as I've only seen 2 or 3), but in Southern cities like Guangzhou or Guilin, most traffic lights are of this type. Unfortunately in China red light means, "I can still go through the extension for the next five seconds."
3)transit debit cards: I haven't been to shanghai in a while, so I'll assume this is true. They do give a lot of nice things to Shanghai (they being the communist party). Taxi receipts are printed. One of the main reason is so that you can report a taxi driver who took you for a ride.
4)Adult playgrounds: true (at least for Beijing--I haven't seen them in small cities; a small city in china is still over 1million people). They also have an occasional program on TV on how to use these machinese. They range from things where you swing your legs and arms like a floating cross trainer, to weight lifting contraptions, to pull up bars, to ping pong tables in some places. And Chinese old people are more active than their western counterparts. But I'd hardly call the air fresh.
5)anti-theft slipcovers: ?????? this is to prevent theft? I never knew it was such a problem. I thought it was so that your clothes don't smell like smoke or get food on them. It's a nice touch. I like them. not in the average rundown restaurant. please note: this doesn't keep wait staff from stealing your cellphones off the table when you
Sorry. With paragraphing:
I love how someone can write an article like this, and everyone in the States who's never been to China takes it all as gospel. I'm not really criticizing it, since the article is mostly accurate in my experience, but there're some things that have to be seen in context. (Once again, let me preface by saying I'm an American living in Shanghai, and have been living in China for over 3 years now.)
1. Cellphones - No annoying contracts, that's true. But cell phones are EXPENSIVE. In America, we're used to paying between $0 and $150 for a cell phone. The cheapest, oldest, black-and-white cell phone here is $100 because of that freedom from contracts. I've always been amazed that the Chinese, despite their much lower income, probably outspend Americans on cell phones by 3:1.
3. Transit debit cards - I love these things, and I don't understand why it hasn't rated an article in itself on slashdot. Here's an example of one city that is slowly moving away from cash, and no one even notices. The transportation cards are incredibly convenient, work on almost all public transportation, all taxis, and even quite a lot of convenience stores and McDonalds. I wish they had a set monthly 'unlimited' transit option, but... They are quite cool.
5. Anti-theft slipcovers - Only in nice restaurants, where you're probably not that worried about thieves, anyway. Also points to how much petty theft there is in this country. My girlfriend's purse was stolen from the chair next to her last week.
6. Daily Banking - Yeah. I love being able to visit the bank and post offices on any day of the week. You don't appreciate it until you have it.
7. Wireless service bells - I've never seen these before in my life. Maybe only in Beijing? Service in restaurants here is far worse than in America. The waitresses all use a patented method of surveying a room while carefully ignoring anyone who wants their attention. It takes forever to get something you need, and no waitress EVER asks you if you're okay, or if you need anything.
The writer mentioned flat-screen video on buses. This is slowly killing me, I swear. Every time you take a bus, it's a constant barrage of advertising from the moment you step on to the moment you step off. Forget about listening to your own music - whatever comes through your headphones is drowned out by the bus's speaker. Forget about reading a book - it's pretty tough to concentrate while someone's shouting at you to buy beef jerky. This would, I hope, be considered unacceptable in America, and I wish it were the same here.
One last thing, that the article didn't mention - I don't understand why the air conditioner technology here in China is so much better than in America. While Americans still fill one window with an air conditioner, they mount the machine on the wall outside, with a tube that comes in, leading to an electronically-controlled vent mounted near the ceiling. Everyone's air conditioner has a remote control, and it leaves the window open.
The article also didn't mention the complete lack of indoor central heating in most of China. They've got it in the north, where it snows every year, but not here in Shanghai, even though it's frequently below 0C in the winter. I'd give up expensive cell phones, daily banking, chair slipcovers, parking guides, traffic lights with timers, and everything else mentioned here for WARM HOMES in the winter.
tek.