archiebald said...

archiebald at 12:07 PM JST - 2nd April

I hate it when western people comment on Japanese suicide rates and try to point the finger at a failing Japanese society.

Suicide in Japan does not carry the stigma that it does in the west - its as simple as that. It always has and is still seen as…

Posted in Suicides in Japan inch down in 2008 but remain above 30,000 at 12:07 PM JST - 2nd April
archiebald at 12:02 PM JST - 2nd April

I will let a a huge sigh of relief when Japan catches up with UK / Europe in the use of roundabouts instead of red lights.

Or at least please make them intelligent so I don't have to wait 2 minutes for nothing coming the other way. (I firmly believe…

Posted in Speed limits on roads to be revised for 1st time in 20 years at 12:02 PM JST - 2nd April
archiebald at 11:57 AM JST - 2nd April

I've been using ASUS motherboards and graphic cards bought from Yamada Denki, Laox and Akihabara in home built computers for over 10 years, but it is true that ASUS notebooks have not been imported (under their own name at least) until recently.

Posted in Japan warming to cheap foreign gadgets amid slump at 11:57 AM JST - 2nd April
archiebald at 03:06 PM JST - 30th March

SuperLib,

And so it should be. If the continuing massacres haven't yet convinced people that there is something wrong with the US gun culture yet, then it NEEDS to be continually debated until something changes.

Sympathy is not going to bring those people back or save the next random victims.…

Posted in 7 residents, 1 nurse die in N Carolina nursing home shooting at 03:06 PM JST - 30th March
archiebald at 03:01 PM JST - 30th March

seggahme,

You need to read the article again. She is suffering from leukemia and it is therefore easy for her to contract an infectious disease from someone else so she is requesting partial isolation.

Depends on her treatment regime but typically leukemia patients have a highly weakened immune system. Even…

Posted in Private school in Nagasaki rejects leukemia patient's application at 03:01 PM JST - 30th March
archiebald at 12:20 PM JST - 30th March

Nurse 13,

I will add some personal experience about your comments on diabetes, it can be very insidious. My father in law was suffering from low level diabetes without even knowing it. He developed a pain in his toe with no external signs or infection. By the time he eventually…

Posted in Prince Katsura discharged from hospital after 6 months at 12:20 PM JST - 30th March
archiebald at 05:26 PM JST - 27th March

A step in the right direction.

Posted in Iran, NATO hold first talks in 30 years at 05:26 PM JST - 27th March
archiebald at 05:26 PM JST - 27th March

This is great. I remember when the Wii was announced and was going up against the Xbox360 and PS2, everyone said it would fail due to the specs.

But what it has proved is that game playability and content is far more important than pixels.

A nice case of substance…

Posted in Global sales of Nintendo's Wii top 50 million at 05:26 PM JST - 27th March
archiebald at 05:22 PM JST - 27th March

European1,

and in this democratic country you cannot even send SMS overseas, all under control. At least I can receive from overseas but only on 3G mobile. Being in Europe last year I realized that Japan is years back with their mobile industry with their "stone" phones which used to…

Posted in Why I’m bullish on Japan at 05:22 PM JST - 27th March
archiebald at 10:14 AM JST - 27th March

JeffLee,

And if you are correct then what is wrong with that? The real strength of Japanese industry is that they take on board new technology, wherever it may have been originally invented, and they tweak it and develop it over the long term.

As an example, cameras were not…

Posted in Why I’m bullish on Japan at 10:14 AM JST - 27th March