Date:         Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:12:01 -0700
Reply-To:     Jack Cook <john.cook58@VERIZON.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jack Cook <john.cook58@VERIZON.NET>
Subject:      Re: Confused owner?
In-Reply-To:  <a06002001bf7b42816c03@[203.167.171.142]>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

On 19 Oct 2005 at 13:44, Andrew Grebneff wrote:

> >I think you'll find that the Japanese aren't famous for inventing anything
> >new.
>
> That's because of public ignorance, which is fortunately dying out
> with the older generations. I doubt Fuji Heavy Engineering had ever

<clipped>

No need to get defensive.  I don't think the intent was to bash the
Japanese as a people.  It is important to establish a time period for the
discussion.  It's NOT "public ignorance" that the Japanese were
copying things like crazy during the years following WWII.  It's a fact.
They had to.  They didn't have Bell Labs or anything close.  The
tendency to take other's ideas and further develop them has continued
from those days.  Why not?   It works.

But today I believe they also have labs doing original research and
product innovation, just as we do/did.  They also directly fund a lot of
research in American Universities (as of a few years ago).  But
unfortunately, most of the products you cited are really developments
and improvements, not original innovations.

Example: The LCD, which you seem to want to believe the Japanese
invented was apparently invented by someone named James Fergason.
A wild guess, but I doubt he's of Japanese origin.  No question though -
the Japanese took the new technology and ran with it.  And we all
benefit from their work.

//Jack