Think so? Why don't you try living in Japan, you might be surprised.
but unless you're living here which your knowledge shows you clearly aren't, you wouldn't know anything about it.
but I guess that's another thing you wouldn't know. You should try not being so high and mighty.
Thanks for ruining the thread. Get over yourself.
I have removed some things and only left the relevant ones. After reading those, who needs to get over themselves?
To respond to your other points:
1. How does a store, whether large or not, selling an old iPod suggest that Japan is "behind?" To be frank, it doesn't. There are many places here in the States that attempt to sell items that are outdated, and for sickeningly high prices. Does that mean the US is behind as well?
No, such an argument is invalid.
2. Having lived in Japan, I am full aware of how most people live. Space heaters are common, but this is mainly because the houses are incredibly old. And now it is simply how things are. When I was at Nanzan University, it was cold and even colder in the buildings. Did I at any point come to the conclusion that Japan is far behind? No. It is simply a different culture and that is how they roll. Once you get used to it, I quite like that I don't have a dependance on energy to stay warm. Double up your socks and bring some extra blankets and hot tea.
Now, in buildings on Campus that were built more recently, quite a few of them had installed heating units. Not quite central heating, but it gets the job done.
It gets better, our email system, was floppy based. To check your mail you pop your floppy in and run the program to download new messages. To be fair, you could put it on a pen drive as well. This wasn't no Exchange/Outlook setup. Did I think it was quirky? Yeah. But did I think this somehow changed Japan's status in technology? No. Because such an argument is invalid.
3. Many of the ideas that Japan is ahead comes from the information out there about their cellphones. I admit, the keitais are pretty awesome, but this alone are not indicative of their technological status.
Another factor is their advancements in robotics as well as the technologies they have developed to minimize the damage and casualties during natural disasters.
Many technological advancements happen in Japan. We aren't talking iPods and consumer electronics. I am talking breakthroughs that shape the technology of the future, the stuff that will end up in our iPods, etc.
I think this has caused people to posit that their technology in general is far more advanced. While this may not always be the case, I don't think an old iPod is the best argument that can be made against their technological status. Nor the use of kerosene space heaters.
Do I think Japan is far head technologically? It depends on which sense you are talking about. In a consumer sense, it is probably on par and maybe more advanced in some areas, like cellphones. If in a scientific sense, yes, I think they push the envelope and drive the industry forward. This doesn't mean no other country is or that other countries are behind. Japan is simply good at creating new technologies.
