Posted in: Robots: The future of Japan? Maybe not See in context
Always interesting to hear more about robots, wherever they may be. But here's my objection to the article: It mentions "Japan’s love affair with robots" without demonstrating that there is such a thing – or, more to the point, that such a "love affair" is any less real elsewhere in the industrialized world.
Sure, I'm familiar with the frequent claim of such a special relationship, as well as related topics such as a Shinto connection. The problem is that these claims never seem to get backed up by actual evidence. If you've got an interest, I tear the claims apart at homejapan dot com slash japan-and-robots . (Seems I can't insert a URL here. The two-cent summary: Yes, there's plenty of interest and great developments coming out of Japan in robotics – but that's every bit as true for the rest of the developed world, with lots of evidence to back up the claim. Any special Japan-only relationship is pure modern mythology.)
Here's what I'd like to see more writers do: When hearing claims such as "special love affair with robots" or "special contribution from Shinto", ask whether there's really evidence for such claims, whether there's evidence against such claims, and, if the claims don't seem warranted, ask who's making them and why. That's where some real, untapped journalistic goodness is to be found!
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Posted in: 3-year-old girl falls to her death from balcony of high-rise apartment in Hiroshima
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