Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Korean companies Samsung and LG took the market away by making TVs cheaper and just as good. TVs went from being huge boxes of tubes to being flat and nearly disposable. They technology changes every other year and buying something that’s not a decade of commitment is the new way to go. Like Nintendo, Sony and Panasonic, two big TV makers had shares fall from quarterly losses. They’re now going to output half of their projected amounts of TVs. (ft – Japan Waves White Flag)
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That’s Eichi Sato who’s real leg doesn’t work. He demonstrates the robotic leg as he walks across a stage. His knee can bend and he can walk at a decent rate. It can only get better. Also shown are robots who help the elderly walk and get out of bed for therapy. It’s slated for 2013 and hopefully will come at a lower price than all of this looks. (ABC – Toyota) [youtube]4Nl8Wf2GbcI[/youtube]
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The Hazara people have been in Afghanistan a long time, and are there now, living through yet another war. Their troubles aren’t important to the media, but they’re real. The average American knows so little about Afghanistan even though we pump billions of dollars into war efforts there. Tons of different ethnic groups like there, or try to, and face unimaginable challenges to preserve their cultural heritage. Buddhism had a long history there until Islam shoved it aside and destroyed much evidence of its influence on the land and culture. Eurasianet.org did a cool piece on some young Hazara who have been given the chance to study in Mongolia. Their faces are amazing! They look like their Mongolian classmates. They are considered by the Mongols as ethnic Mongolians, even if they’re having a hard time adjusting to Mongolian winters! There’s a really well done video interview with several of the Hazara students now studying in Ulaanbaatar. http://www.eurasianet.org/node/64351
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Why? To prove that the water is ok to drink. The irony is that the water was never intended for human consumption and it was gathered from pools inside the Fukushima Plant. It’s a publicity stunt to help the public insure that the water is clean and safe, but would a politician do this to “save face”? In Japan, yes. (Telegraph UK – Yasuhiro Sonoda)
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Tourism. Bring it. From a small business perspective, it’s important. It does make a difference. Open some flood gates. Yes, it’s a problem with emigration and safety but it’s fine for other countries like Japan, etc. In China, there are only 5 places for the entire population to get a visa and the wait time is a 120 days! According to ABC news, “In the last decade, the U.S. lost out on 78 million overseas visitors — that’s $606 billion in spending — in stores, malls, tourist destinations right here in America. Enough to add nearly half a million jobs every year.” (ABC – Tourism) There’s a lot of ramifications with opening some flood gates, but the short term could use it. The long term can be problematic.
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