A good day in Japan
Well, we had a good day today, doing huge number of demos, finding opportunities to transfer technology, and generally working hard and well.
One very interesting comment from a Japanese colleague: He notes that in Japan direct human interaction seems to be on the wane, with everyone absorbed in their cell phone and talking to people not in the room.
I was very intrigued, and we spent a while talking about how indirect communication like LJ is displacing many forms of direct communication. I know that a lot of my email with friends is much more about making plans than just exchanging gossip, thanks to LJ. No one is telling me much directly, and yet I feel much more in tune with the zeitgeist of my circle of friends and loved ones.
Is this good or bad, Gentle Reader? I for one cannot say at this point. I quite like the feeling of connectedness. But are my direct interactions suffering? Hmmm.
One very interesting comment from a Japanese colleague: He notes that in Japan direct human interaction seems to be on the wane, with everyone absorbed in their cell phone and talking to people not in the room.
I was very intrigued, and we spent a while talking about how indirect communication like LJ is displacing many forms of direct communication. I know that a lot of my email with friends is much more about making plans than just exchanging gossip, thanks to LJ. No one is telling me much directly, and yet I feel much more in tune with the zeitgeist of my circle of friends and loved ones.
Is this good or bad, Gentle Reader? I for one cannot say at this point. I quite like the feeling of connectedness. But are my direct interactions suffering? Hmmm.