4 ms·

Japan's big problem here is that they don't see a need for a car when a horse works just fine. And if that's the world they want to live in, that's fine - no j

Japan's big problem here is that they don't see a need for a car when a horse works just fine. And if that's the world they want to live in, that's fine - no judgment here. I, however, choose to live with and embrace a culture of advancement and change. That requires living in the USA. Maybe in Europe.

purpled_haze 11y ago
Cars are much safer than horses: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990DE0DC1E39E633A25752C0A9659C946596D6CF http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990DE0DC1E... And they produce more jobs, from all of the people needed to create the plastics, glass, metal, to the engines, etc. and the oil companies, quicky-marts, etc. However, horses are more environmentally friendly, as long as you don't mind their feces, urine, and gas.
- HeyLaughingBoy 11y ago
  Horses will get you home automatically if you're drunk, sick or injured.
clock_tower 11y ago
And I, for one, prefer a culture of doing what works properly, instead of a culture of chasing shiny new things (which quite frequently turn out to be worthless, or harmful in unexpected ways). I'm currently in the US; maybe I should move to Europe or Japan.
Veratyr 11y ago
> That requires living in the USA. Maybe in Europe. That's a very narrow minded view of the world. Yes there are progressive aspects of US culture but there are also deeply ingrained backwards aspects. Take banking for example. To pay bond for rent many landlords won't accept anything but checks or money orders. People still "authenticate" their credit card purchases with an easily copied scrawl that is literally on the card. If this somehow doesn't work out, the merchant is responsible. Meanwhile companies like Google and Apple attempt to introduce contactless payments which aren't accepted by merchants due to politics and aversion to change. Meanwhile in Australia, banks are cooperating with Visa and Mastercard, resulting in nearly every credit card having built in contactless payments of some kind and the majority of retailers (most major supermarkets, petrol stations, cinemas, restaurants) accepting them. For another take transit. It can take over 2 hours to move a paltry 20 miles in the bay area, where a car/bus is the main way to move. Meanwhile you can get from rural Victoria, Australia to the capital city (Melbourne) - a 50 mile journey - in a little over an hour and a half for ~$10 while sitting in comfort on a train. In China you can get from Shanghai to Nanjing (163 miles) in 2 hours, again on a train. In Malaysia you can take a train from the airport to the city by simply touching a modern Visa card to the gate. Yes the US is a world leader when it comes to developing software and much consumer technology but it's behind in many other areas and it's certainly not unique when it comes to advancement and change.

purpled_haze 11y ago

Cars are much safer than horses: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990DE0DC1E39E633A25752C0A9659C946596D6CF http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=990DE0DC1E... And they produce more jobs, from all of the people needed to create the plastics, glass, metal, to the engines, etc. and the oil companies, quicky-marts, etc. However, horses are more environmentally friendly, as long as you don't mind their feces, urine, and gas.

HeyLaughingBoy 11y ago
Horses will get you home automatically if you're drunk, sick or injured.

clock_tower 11y ago

And I, for one, prefer a culture of doing what works properly, instead of a culture of chasing shiny new things (which quite frequently turn out to be worthless, or harmful in unexpected ways). I'm currently in the US; maybe I should move to Europe or Japan.

Veratyr 11y ago

> That requires living in the USA. Maybe in Europe. That's a very narrow minded view of the world. Yes there are progressive aspects of US culture but there are also deeply ingrained backwards aspects. Take banking for example. To pay bond for rent many landlords won't accept anything but checks or money orders. People still "authenticate" their credit card purchases with an easily copied scrawl that is literally on the card. If this somehow doesn't work out, the merchant is responsible. Meanwhile companies like Google and Apple attempt to introduce contactless payments which aren't accepted by merchants due to politics and aversion to change. Meanwhile in Australia, banks are cooperating with Visa and Mastercard, resulting in nearly every credit card having built in contactless payments of some kind and the majority of retailers (most major supermarkets, petrol stations, cinemas, restaurants) accepting them. For another take transit. It can take over 2 hours to move a paltry 20 miles in the bay area, where a car/bus is the main way to move. Meanwhile you can get from rural Victoria, Australia to the capital city (Melbourne) - a 50 mile journey - in a little over an hour and a half for ~$10 while sitting in comfort on a train. In China you can get from Shanghai to Nanjing (163 miles) in 2 hours, again on a train. In Malaysia you can take a train from the airport to the city by simply touching a modern Visa card to the gate. Yes the US is a world leader when it comes to developing software and much consumer technology but it's behind in many other areas and it's certainly not unique when it comes to advancement and change.