Todai and Tokyo are the same University so I think you're a little confused, Todai is just short for TOkyo DAIgaku (university). I'm assuming the third Japanese university you're talking about is Waseda. I studied my undergrad degree there and I can tell you the Japanese (or most East Asian) school systems are not as great as you're making them out to be. Japanese students have a real problem with critical thinking, something that American K-12 does quite well. In Japan students, from a very young age, are mostly taught how to memorize and take tests. That's what mostly gets you in to universities.
Once in University (even Todai and Waseda) students don't really need to attend classes and I found that in general the standard of critical assessment was well below American, Australian and New Zealand University standards (I've studied a little at each also).
But those kids today! And the schools! So much worse than when I was a kid! Get off my lawn! Wargle gargle!
I think I have a complicated view of the entire copyright idea (shorter time frames with stronger enforcement is my preference I think) but here in New Zealand we have a very difficult time maintaining our local film and television industry and piracy can have a much stronger impact than in the states. Recently the film "Boy" (which is fantastic and very very local in style) has had some trouble because it's already being pirated before it has even had a chance to be released internationally. It's not like the producers wouldn't like it to have a large international release on the same day or something like that but it's just not an option with our small industry. Here's some more info on it:
Okay, how about this. In 2003 I moved to New Zealand. I had the same weight lift off my shoulders as I realized that I was no longer trapped in my job because of health insurance, and I no longer feared illnesses ruining my life or the lives of those I loved.
Although I'm sure Douglas Adams would be a somewhat happy with this development as it moves us in the right direction I think the thing that pissed him off the most was all the different electrical socket plugs the world has. There should be a standard 110-120v plug (probably go with North American) and a standard 220-240v plug (one that can fold in easily), and then a symbol that can be etched in to either plug to signal that the device supports being plugged in to either voltage. This would go a long ways for manufacturing costs and simplifying things for world travelers. Plus it would make Douglas Adams very very happy, whichever planet he's on.
Same in New Zealand. There was a time when the NZ$ was at 80 cents to the American dollar. CDs, software and books never went down, consumer goods stayed mostly the same. You think with a stronger dollar we'd have more buying power but it was less. The down side is that when us small countries have our currency value get raised it becomes a negative because our exports become more expensive in other countries. It's kind of a double whammy, nothing's cheaper but it's harder to sell our own stuff.
Don't feed the troll. By American Republicans' definitions New Zealand would be a communist state. We have 12% GST on everything, we have a forced accident insurance that removes many rights to sue, we have universal health care, we have strong regulations of everything from finance to farming, we have no GE, the current "conservative" party is in power by the slimmest of majorities and only won by running on nearly all of the same policies that their "communist" predecessors enacted. They've also done some incredibly unpopular things with the current Auckland election reforms, betraying their base, and will likely be voted out in two years time. New Zealand is on the left by American and UK standards and this guy comes in screeching about Obama worshippers and communism so you know to dismiss his opinions, the facts don't support him.
New Zealand, the last Western bastion without a socialist government. (Well... in name anyway) We just had elections and kicked out the socialists while even the USA has embraced socialism/communism/totalitarianism under Obama. Damn, even the Aussies got damn socialist government.
Unfortunately we do have a democracy (Force by numbers) which unfortunately doesn't equate to freedom which is what you desire. The best country for you currently would be New Zealand but if the USA once day remembers what it's true foundations are and starts adhering to her constitution then the USA has got to be the best place for any freedom loving person.
You throw around socialism rather quickly. Labour, the party that has been in power over the past 9 years until the recent election could only barely be considered socialist. National party managed to win mostly from a "it's now our turn" campaign and if they try to undo many of Labour's policies they'll be out next election.
I've never heard anyone refer to democracy as an unfortunate circumstance and I doubt the original poster has any desire to live in a non-Democratic nation as those have a tendency to have the least amount of privacy or freedoms.
Most New Zealanders value their current "socialist" health care system, zero fault insurance, and employee protections. Most New Zealanders are incredibly supportive of Obama's election and hated Bush. The way you throw around "socialism/communism/totalitarianism" I'm surprised you didn't equate us to Stalinist Russia.
One of the down sides of New Zealand's current parliament structure is that whatever party collation manages to gain power they can essentially pass every single piece of legislation they want as parliament members are selected by party leaders based on loyalty rather than individual states based on local representation.
Yeah, it's not New York or Sydney or San Francisco but it's more diverse than most US cities and, as it's the center city for an entire nation it's much more than what it's size would suggest. It's frequently rated within the top 5 cities in the world to live in. That says something.
NZ is ok if you don't mind a nation which is basically a gigantic rural small town...
I disagree with that. Auckland is incredibly metropolitan and diverse. No rural town I've ever lived in had the diversity of Auckland, nor were they on some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world.
That said if you're going to be living anywhere but Auckland or Wellington you'll be in a rural setting with maybe even limited internet access and a lot less diversity.
I'm an American that emigrated to New Zealand about 4 years ago and I might be able to share some insight from my experience. When you're choosing a country to emigrate to there are a lot of different aspects to take in to consideration and if you get hung up on just one, like privacy, civil liberties, language, environment or standard of living you're unlikely to be happy after the mood.
When I meet new immigrants that don't take in to consideration a wide variety of factors in deciding whether or not a country is right for them they inevitably end up disappointed. Emigrating is huge emotional and financial commitment so I'd recommend spending an extended period of time in the country, either on a work visa or studying. On top of that the amount of paperwork to immigrate to any country is crazy unless, even for just a work visa. If you do settle for a long term work visa there's always the unsettling feeling that you can't truly lay down roots in a country which can be stressful.
If you're considering particularly New Zealand (I don't know if you are but we get a large number of poms coming over here) there are some specifics to think of:
-We're small so if you like big cities our biggest is pretty small by most country's standards.
-Internet and technology is expensive here. Our iPhone plans (just as for comparison) on Vodafone are the most expensive in the world
-We are a multicultural society, Maoris, Europeans, Asians and many others call this country home, if you're intolerant you'll have a hard time here
-Wages are lower here and taxes are higher, you get a lot for it, including a good health care system and a no-fault society accident coverage, but you're disposable income will probably be less then what you make for the same work in other countries
-New Zealand is a long ways away from other countries, it's expensive to get anywhere from her
Things are nice here and I love it. I don't regret it at all. If you're interested in learning more about New Zealand immigration check out http://www.emigratenz.org/ and http://www.immigration.govt.nz/
It'd probably also be advisable to speak to an immigration lawyer, but unless you've got the extra cash, you can definitely do all the paperwork on your own.
I'm an American who has been living in New Zealand nearly 4 years now. I watch a fair bit of television here and I can say have lived in both the states and here that New Zealand television news is many times better than American TV. There's a bit of fluff and the a few annoying personality driven pieces but compared to American local and national news it's amazingly well done. Both TVNZ and TV3 compete to have news that's informative and entertaining and generally they do well. Stories aren't limited to national concerns and international news is featured prominently, something that never happens in the states.
Things aren't as bad as they could be, trust me, we've got it good here compared to the states.
Similarly, when I was in college there was a Scientology office just down the road from the dorms. One day as I was walking by I saw a sign that said 'Free Personality Test' and I thought to myself, "That it is!" and stole the sign. Undoubtedly that says a lot about my personality.
At the end of the semester I was approached by my RA who told me that the Church of Scientology had contacted him, they had seen the sign hanging up in my room through the window and they wanted it back. He seemed a little shaken and told me to get it back to them right away. When I took it back the office was empty so I left it on the desk with a note that said "Thetans made me do it."
I'm honestly curious though with a $10,000 deductible (and max annual out-of-pocket payout) what happens when your sick for more than one year in a row? Assuming you can't work during that time and save up another $10,000. Doesn't that present a real problem for people who unexpectedly get a disease that takes years to cure? Not to mention families when something may go wrong with two different members.
I grew up, lived and worked in America for several years before emigrating to New Zealand so I've seen both sides of health care, state and private. From that experience I can tell you that the US health system is seriously fucked up. Oh, there are definite problems with the way things are in other countries; wait times for non-essential procedures can be frustrating. But you know what's the longest wait time of all? Never getting the procedure because you can't afford it. So for a large number of Americans (the millions without health insurance) they experience much a longer wait time than those in countries with socialized health care. Those Americans usually wait longer to have something checked out too so that preventable conditions get worse.
I've been away from America for a long time so maybe things have changed but why aren't there Health Care Unions in the model of Credit Unions? If there's one thing that should be non-profit it would seem to me to be health care. My credit union in the states was the best bank I ever had, the customer service was a thousand times better and they passed savings downward to customers and the community. If the US government won't provide health care to it's citizens why don't citizens do it for themselves? Chances are they could do it better.
The price is now too high is what everyone on Slashdot is saying but it's actually not as high as it seems to many Americans. The US dollar is in practical free fall right now. Hell, I get a near.75 of a dollar for 1 of my New Zealand dollars, nearly an all time high. There's no way the project price couldn't have gone up if it's measured in US dollars because the US dollar is worth so much less now. Maybe it should be the 100 Euro laptop project or something like that.
2. Lack of public awareness, I'm one of those people that always says "Give me a chance to buy 1 for the price of 3" but I didn't even here about this pledge drive. I can't pledge if I don't even know about it!
You've misinterpreted the headline. I realize that humour that needs to be explained isn't really funny anymore but I'll go ahead and take the lead on this episode of Clown Autopsy.
AOL was saying that 950 layoffs weren't enough to be deemed "massive" which boggles the mind when you think of nearly a thousand individuals being out of work, seems massive to me.
Now there are rumors are that there's nearly 5,000 layoffs in the works. So in the mind of the summary writer it seemed like AOL might be saying "950 layoffs isn't massive! We'll show you massive." And the summary writer responded, sarcastically, "Now that's more like it."
Still, think about it. How long was the PS2 around for? It's hung around for a while. I'm definitely not a Sony defender but why would I have any interest in an XBox360 when Microsoft decided to move on from the original XBox after only a couple of years of support. I personally prefer to have a console that I can keep around for a long long time and continue buying new games that push the system further. I'm not saying the the PS3 is necessarily that console. Nevertheless, compared to Microsoft's willingness to make a new console so quickly after the release of the XBox (especially one that didn't have complete backwards compatibility) I'm extremely hesitant.
I'm definitely in wait and see mode right now. We'll see very soon how good the Wii is and if it's innovation is truly as intuitive as it seems. We'll see how good the Sony Live-like service will operate. If it's good and it's free then that right there would be a savings of $50 a year of Live-tax and more than enough to make up for the price difference if you ask me.
Also, one last thing, I was hanging around the mall the other day waiting for a movie, and I started to play DOA on the 360. Man, that's a disappointing game. Am I the only one who felt like the hair movement in it is completely distracting? I thought that things would be a little further along than that in the next generation. That's my note to developers, hair movement is going to be the biggest thing that will contribute to an uncanny valley like sense in me.
Slashdot Mirror
You do realise that Google has been using its Motorola patent portfolio to sue the exact same companies that are suing it, right?
http://www.fosspatents.com/2013/08/googles-motorola-files-new-german.html?m=1
Google can't claim to be the good guys here.
Todai and Tokyo are the same University so I think you're a little confused, Todai is just short for TOkyo DAIgaku (university). I'm assuming the third Japanese university you're talking about is Waseda. I studied my undergrad degree there and I can tell you the Japanese (or most East Asian) school systems are not as great as you're making them out to be. Japanese students have a real problem with critical thinking, something that American K-12 does quite well. In Japan students, from a very young age, are mostly taught how to memorize and take tests. That's what mostly gets you in to universities.
Once in University (even Todai and Waseda) students don't really need to attend classes and I found that in general the standard of critical assessment was well below American, Australian and New Zealand University standards (I've studied a little at each also).
But those kids today! And the schools! So much worse than when I was a kid! Get off my lawn! Wargle gargle!
I think I have a complicated view of the entire copyright idea (shorter time frames with stronger enforcement is my preference I think) but here in New Zealand we have a very difficult time maintaining our local film and television industry and piracy can have a much stronger impact than in the states. Recently the film "Boy" (which is fantastic and very very local in style) has had some trouble because it's already being pirated before it has even had a chance to be released internationally. It's not like the producers wouldn't like it to have a large international release on the same day or something like that but it's just not an option with our small industry. Here's some more info on it:
http://tvnz.co.nz/entertainment-news/boy-illegally-uploaded-internet-3606531
Okay, how about this. In 2003 I moved to New Zealand. I had the same weight lift off my shoulders as I realized that I was no longer trapped in my job because of health insurance, and I no longer feared illnesses ruining my life or the lives of those I loved.
Plus, I get to live in New Zealand now.
Although I'm sure Douglas Adams would be a somewhat happy with this development as it moves us in the right direction I think the thing that pissed him off the most was all the different electrical socket plugs the world has. There should be a standard 110-120v plug (probably go with North American) and a standard 220-240v plug (one that can fold in easily), and then a symbol that can be etched in to either plug to signal that the device supports being plugged in to either voltage. This would go a long ways for manufacturing costs and simplifying things for world travelers. Plus it would make Douglas Adams very very happy, whichever planet he's on.
Same in New Zealand. There was a time when the NZ$ was at 80 cents to the American dollar. CDs, software and books never went down, consumer goods stayed mostly the same. You think with a stronger dollar we'd have more buying power but it was less. The down side is that when us small countries have our currency value get raised it becomes a negative because our exports become more expensive in other countries. It's kind of a double whammy, nothing's cheaper but it's harder to sell our own stuff.
Yep, there are a few people like this everywhere in the world. But in New Zealand this guy is in a very small minority.
Does he think that he wins over anyone with the rhetoric he uses? He's so vehement I had to wipe his spittle off the back side of my monitor.
Don't feed the troll. By American Republicans' definitions New Zealand would be a communist state. We have 12% GST on everything, we have a forced accident insurance that removes many rights to sue, we have universal health care, we have strong regulations of everything from finance to farming, we have no GE, the current "conservative" party is in power by the slimmest of majorities and only won by running on nearly all of the same policies that their "communist" predecessors enacted. They've also done some incredibly unpopular things with the current Auckland election reforms, betraying their base, and will likely be voted out in two years time. New Zealand is on the left by American and UK standards and this guy comes in screeching about Obama worshippers and communism so you know to dismiss his opinions, the facts don't support him.
New Zealand, the last Western bastion without a socialist government. (Well... in name anyway) We just had elections and kicked out the socialists while even the USA has embraced socialism/communism/totalitarianism under Obama. Damn, even the Aussies got damn socialist government.
Unfortunately we do have a democracy (Force by numbers) which unfortunately doesn't equate to freedom which is what you desire. The best country for you currently would be New Zealand but if the USA once day remembers what it's true foundations are and starts adhering to her constitution then the USA has got to be the best place for any freedom loving person.
You throw around socialism rather quickly. Labour, the party that has been in power over the past 9 years until the recent election could only barely be considered socialist. National party managed to win mostly from a "it's now our turn" campaign and if they try to undo many of Labour's policies they'll be out next election.
I've never heard anyone refer to democracy as an unfortunate circumstance and I doubt the original poster has any desire to live in a non-Democratic nation as those have a tendency to have the least amount of privacy or freedoms.
Most New Zealanders value their current "socialist" health care system, zero fault insurance, and employee protections. Most New Zealanders are incredibly supportive of Obama's election and hated Bush. The way you throw around "socialism/communism/totalitarianism" I'm surprised you didn't equate us to Stalinist Russia.
One of the down sides of New Zealand's current parliament structure is that whatever party collation manages to gain power they can essentially pass every single piece of legislation they want as parliament members are selected by party leaders based on loyalty rather than individual states based on local representation.
Yeah, it's not New York or Sydney or San Francisco but it's more diverse than most US cities and, as it's the center city for an entire nation it's much more than what it's size would suggest. It's frequently rated within the top 5 cities in the world to live in. That says something.
NZ is ok if you don't mind a nation which is basically a gigantic rural small town...
I disagree with that. Auckland is incredibly metropolitan and diverse. No rural town I've ever lived in had the diversity of Auckland, nor were they on some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. That said if you're going to be living anywhere but Auckland or Wellington you'll be in a rural setting with maybe even limited internet access and a lot less diversity.
When I meet new immigrants that don't take in to consideration a wide variety of factors in deciding whether or not a country is right for them they inevitably end up disappointed. Emigrating is huge emotional and financial commitment so I'd recommend spending an extended period of time in the country, either on a work visa or studying. On top of that the amount of paperwork to immigrate to any country is crazy unless, even for just a work visa. If you do settle for a long term work visa there's always the unsettling feeling that you can't truly lay down roots in a country which can be stressful.
If you're considering particularly New Zealand (I don't know if you are but we get a large number of poms coming over here) there are some specifics to think of:
-We're small so if you like big cities our biggest is pretty small by most country's standards.
-Internet and technology is expensive here. Our iPhone plans (just as for comparison) on Vodafone are the most expensive in the world
-We are a multicultural society, Maoris, Europeans, Asians and many others call this country home, if you're intolerant you'll have a hard time here
-Wages are lower here and taxes are higher, you get a lot for it, including a good health care system and a no-fault society accident coverage, but you're disposable income will probably be less then what you make for the same work in other countries
-New Zealand is a long ways away from other countries, it's expensive to get anywhere from her
Things are nice here and I love it. I don't regret it at all. If you're interested in learning more about New Zealand immigration check out http://www.emigratenz.org/ and http://www.immigration.govt.nz/ It'd probably also be advisable to speak to an immigration lawyer, but unless you've got the extra cash, you can definitely do all the paperwork on your own.
I'm an American who has been living in New Zealand nearly 4 years now. I watch a fair bit of television here and I can say have lived in both the states and here that New Zealand television news is many times better than American TV. There's a bit of fluff and the a few annoying personality driven pieces but compared to American local and national news it's amazingly well done. Both TVNZ and TV3 compete to have news that's informative and entertaining and generally they do well. Stories aren't limited to national concerns and international news is featured prominently, something that never happens in the states.
Things aren't as bad as they could be, trust me, we've got it good here compared to the states.
Ha! It's like advice for Americans traveling abroad in slightly hostile environments: tell people you're Canadian.
Similarly, when I was in college there was a Scientology office just down the road from the dorms. One day as I was walking by I saw a sign that said 'Free Personality Test' and I thought to myself, "That it is!" and stole the sign. Undoubtedly that says a lot about my personality.
At the end of the semester I was approached by my RA who told me that the Church of Scientology had contacted him, they had seen the sign hanging up in my room through the window and they wanted it back. He seemed a little shaken and told me to get it back to them right away. When I took it back the office was empty so I left it on the desk with a note that said "Thetans made me do it."
I'm honestly curious though with a $10,000 deductible (and max annual out-of-pocket payout) what happens when your sick for more than one year in a row? Assuming you can't work during that time and save up another $10,000. Doesn't that present a real problem for people who unexpectedly get a disease that takes years to cure? Not to mention families when something may go wrong with two different members.
I grew up, lived and worked in America for several years before emigrating to New Zealand so I've seen both sides of health care, state and private. From that experience I can tell you that the US health system is seriously fucked up. Oh, there are definite problems with the way things are in other countries; wait times for non-essential procedures can be frustrating. But you know what's the longest wait time of all? Never getting the procedure because you can't afford it. So for a large number of Americans (the millions without health insurance) they experience much a longer wait time than those in countries with socialized health care. Those Americans usually wait longer to have something checked out too so that preventable conditions get worse.
I've been away from America for a long time so maybe things have changed but why aren't there Health Care Unions in the model of Credit Unions? If there's one thing that should be non-profit it would seem to me to be health care. My credit union in the states was the best bank I ever had, the customer service was a thousand times better and they passed savings downward to customers and the community. If the US government won't provide health care to it's citizens why don't citizens do it for themselves? Chances are they could do it better.
The price is now too high is what everyone on Slashdot is saying but it's actually not as high as it seems to many Americans. The US dollar is in practical free fall right now. Hell, I get a near .75 of a dollar for 1 of my New Zealand dollars, nearly an all time high. There's no way the project price couldn't have gone up if it's measured in US dollars because the US dollar is worth so much less now. Maybe it should be the 100 Euro laptop project or something like that.
The real reasons this failed:
1. Not officially sponsored by the OLPC project.
2. Lack of public awareness, I'm one of those people that always says "Give me a chance to buy 1 for the price of 3" but I didn't even here about this pledge drive. I can't pledge if I don't even know about it!
You've misinterpreted the headline. I realize that humour that needs to be explained isn't really funny anymore but I'll go ahead and take the lead on this episode of Clown Autopsy.
AOL was saying that 950 layoffs weren't enough to be deemed "massive" which boggles the mind when you think of nearly a thousand individuals being out of work, seems massive to me.
Now there are rumors are that there's nearly 5,000 layoffs in the works. So in the mind of the summary writer it seemed like AOL might be saying "950 layoffs isn't massive! We'll show you massive." And the summary writer responded, sarcastically, "Now that's more like it."
Ah, sweet sweet reading comprehension.
Yes, having children should be just another luxury only afforded to the rich.
It's pretty much my favorite OS. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic.
Hehe... It's true, but also contributes to the point. It's a one trick pony and I'm surprised people have fallen for it. "OMGJIGGLIES!!"
Still, think about it. How long was the PS2 around for? It's hung around for a while. I'm definitely not a Sony defender but why would I have any interest in an XBox360 when Microsoft decided to move on from the original XBox after only a couple of years of support. I personally prefer to have a console that I can keep around for a long long time and continue buying new games that push the system further. I'm not saying the the PS3 is necessarily that console. Nevertheless, compared to Microsoft's willingness to make a new console so quickly after the release of the XBox (especially one that didn't have complete backwards compatibility) I'm extremely hesitant.
I'm definitely in wait and see mode right now. We'll see very soon how good the Wii is and if it's innovation is truly as intuitive as it seems. We'll see how good the Sony Live-like service will operate. If it's good and it's free then that right there would be a savings of $50 a year of Live-tax and more than enough to make up for the price difference if you ask me.
Also, one last thing, I was hanging around the mall the other day waiting for a movie, and I started to play DOA on the 360. Man, that's a disappointing game. Am I the only one who felt like the hair movement in it is completely distracting? I thought that things would be a little further along than that in the next generation. That's my note to developers, hair movement is going to be the biggest thing that will contribute to an uncanny valley like sense in me.
And how long will the battery last playing that?