2009-10-01, 14:24 | Link #4162 |
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Imperial Manila, Philippines
|
Last time I checked, techonological development cannot outpace the rapid catching-up phase of other nations terms of economic competitiveness. Japan can have a robotic future, but it must say goodbye to its days as the 2nd largest economy and just seal itself off Vexille style.
|
2009-10-01, 16:48 | Link #4165 | |
Rawrrr!
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: CH aka Chocaholic Heaven
Age: 40
|
Quote:
The major problem is that they will have to deal with some severe reworking of their society during all the next 40 years (until the last babyboomer dies). Now they are facing the aging of their population in a context where: 1-there are few youngsters. 2-aforementioned youngsters face dire prospects due to the current economy. 3-there are even fewer childrens. 4-and if nothing is done the situation will only get worse. Note that several countries face the same problem (a few european countries would have their populations shrinking if it weren't for the immigration). Unlike us the japaneses are not too eager to resort on immigration to solve point 1, due to point 2 as well as the economic and societal costs it incurs. So they are most likely going to cope, relying on automatization, until their population stabilizes (in 40 at least). To stabilize a population in a foreseeable future, they need to get at least enough children for a columnar age pyramid, or they will get a forever reverted shrinking pyramid. Given that it takes 20 years in a modern society for a demographic policy to reflect on the working population, it's no wonder they are concerned about each generation being smaller than the previous. Coincidently a generation (of women) is only fertile for about 20 years, hence the hurry to do something. So if they want for things to get better in 20 years at least, they have to do something now. Or things will get worse and worse for a whole century.
__________________
|
|
2009-10-01, 20:14 | Link #4166 | |||||
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: PMB Headquarters
|
A few days ago.. I had posted in the A Laugh A Day thread regarding the Sony Playstation 3 ad which I thought was funny but it actually turned out that I was right about something. Sony does not find it to be a laughing matter of any type:
Offending PlayStation 3 Ads Aren't PlayStation 3 Ads Quote:
Cabinet ministers reveal rift over prospects for refueling mission Quote:
Turkey: student protester hurls shoe at IMF chief Quote:
---- Quote:
Japanese Internet Reacts To BBC's Dying Nation Claims Quote:
|
|||||
2009-10-01, 21:00 | Link #4168 |
It's the year 3030...
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Spaceport Colony Sicilia
Age: 39
|
Fossil Skeleton from Africa Predates Lucy
Some pretty interesting comments on this one, courtesy of Slashdot. Apparently this is big news again, despite the fact that the skeleton was discovered in the 90's, because scientists are finally trying to make some assertions about evolution based on this skeleton. Only time will tell where that leads...
__________________
|
2009-10-02, 05:20 | Link #4170 | |
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Imperial Manila, Philippines
|
Quote:
|
|
2009-10-02, 10:11 | Link #4171 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
|
Quote:
Also, often solutions to enigmas are found in data we've long had in our hands but that no one had money or time to look at. Sometimes it takes the right person to look at it (like when we finally started getting sophisticated cross-discipline research in dinosaurs that blew up the amateurish conceptions of early paleontologists).
__________________
|
|
2009-10-02, 13:11 | Link #4172 | |
Asuki-tan Kairin ↓
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fürth (GER)
Age: 43
|
Quote:
Statistically nations have baby booms when there is a bad economic situation (or power outage). With bad economic situation I mean really bad. Japan today is just whining from within the comfort of their ivory towers. But the worse the situation gets and the more desperate people become, the nation will turn to other values. This is because commercial values are out of reach and generally less important. Another factor is automation. Automation will eliminate all hard labour jobs and assembly line jobs in the long run. But the social sector cannot be that easily automated (I know lots of people think that japans robot industry can even master this industry... I say not with comparable efficiency for at least the next 60 years). That shift in the work force may actually contribute to more socializing... a more children accepting atmosphere. But I also want to talk about things that could worsen your current scenario. Japan relies heavily on export and import. That is natural given the limited natural resources. This however condems them to be ever innovative to survive in a world where emerging powers like China (well in the case of China "emerging" is a little misleading...) compete for global export quota. Of'course this could be a worsening factor in the development of japan's economy and thus japan.
__________________
|
|
2009-10-02, 14:08 | Link #4173 |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
|
I'm not sure how far automation can go. Robots are expensive. You have to maintain them, which means you have to train the technicians for it. The materials to build them aren't cheap.
People, on the other hand, are plentiful, and can more or less take care of themselves. They're highly adaptable for a variety of things. And of course, at least in some countries, firing them is less troublesome than disposing of bulky machinery. |
2009-10-02, 16:02 | Link #4174 | |
It's the year 3030...
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Spaceport Colony Sicilia
Age: 39
|
Quote:
As to the second point, I find it slightly upsetting that we occasionally don't have the money or time to look more deeply into things like this, from a personal point of view. Evolution seems to be one of those subject so many people clamor about, yet a discovery of this magnitude is left to sit on the shelf to cursory analysis for ~17 years. Perhaps I'm reading far too much into the time between when it was discovered and now, and the article did mention that they had spent a good period of time looking for similar remains, but I would have thought there would have been some immediate testing and analysis to produce results, even if later testing proved those results to be false.
__________________
|
|
2009-10-02, 16:14 | Link #4175 |
カカシ
|
Letterman admits to having sex with his staff, smoothly done mind.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8286258.stm |
2009-10-02, 16:26 | Link #4177 | |
It's the year 3030...
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Spaceport Colony Sicilia
Age: 39
|
Diabetes Medication May Get New Life as Cancer Treatment
Another interesting story out of the world of science. Metformin, a diabetes medication, is showing signs that it can help treat cancer, and reduce tumor recurrence following chemotherapy. An exerpt from the article: Quote:
__________________
|
|
2009-10-02, 16:27 | Link #4178 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: East Cupcake
|
Quote:
|
|
2009-10-02, 19:06 | Link #4179 | ||||||||
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: PMB Headquarters
|
Mexico makes record drugs seizure
Quote:
Pair jailed over car cocaine deal Quote:
Mafia bribed Montreal airport customs agent Quote:
Raid targets Puerto Rico drug gang Quote:
Italy Tax Amnesty Poised to Pass; Opposition Says It Aids Mafia Quote:
Quote:
The Italian prime minister sure knows how to sustain economic growth.. Int'l school principal, husband nabbed on marijuana smuggling Quote:
This is obviously not drug smuggling but personal use. Its tough being a school principal nowadays, especially a kindergarten. Nonetheless, some people just take cannabis a little too seriously, even though it doesn't have any negative health effects. However, I wouldn't call it a natural health product either, even though this is the impression I am getting from all the pro-marijuana supporters. My former sociology professor used to lecture that people in Netherlands always smoke cannabis on family gatherings at least once a week as that the people there consider the grass to be somewhat of a natural health product. It is also known that some European countries encourage the use of marijuana and proves that it is perfectly safe to do so. Speaking of which, somewhere in Amtersdam.. A huge street allows the legal sales of heroin, cocaine, and other chemical substances. The places that sell them are government-operated. However, if you take any of the products sold there outside of the street, it is considered as illegal. Otherwise, it is perfectly okay. I guess this is one of the reasons why the Netherlands are not suffering from a faltering economy, they have extra income... Man jailed for car theft on date Quote:
People work hard to win a date with a girl but this guy works hard to perform grand theft auto.. |
||||||||
2009-10-03, 06:18 | Link #4180 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: PMB Headquarters
|
Okada vows Japan's support for Mekong, calls for democracy in Myanmar
Quote:
Quote:
|
||
Tags |
current affairs, discussion, international |
Thread Tools | |
|
|