Why is the US behind Europe and Asia when it comes to new technologies.
 

The US is lagging in mobile and many other technologies, while Europe, China, and Japan are moving at lightning speed. Why the hell is that? What is it about our system/mindset that slows down our introduction and/or acceptance of new technology?

Seems we have no trouble coming out with the latest weapons technology...

There was a time, when we were world leaders of new invention. Are we losing our touch? Are we just too caught up in reality TV? In making war?What's the deal?

And for Christ sakes it's 2006, where's my fucking flying car?

Dunno about the rest of the technologies, but I'm feeling like you're on like mobile phone mindset we had in 1998..
It's sad really, for us.. kids get their own phones at the age of 5 or so.. I can't even imagine the bills the parents of teenage girls have. Luckily there's some limits you can put on phones :)

Funny you say that, my daughter is 8 and she has one...unbelievable.

I think the problem is the general American think to much of them self and their own nations know-how. We are talking Cars, Communication technology, Energy even agriculture. Europe and Asia are years ahead right now.

In 7-10 years I think Asia will be a strong #1 with USA and Europe fighting for second place

Yes they exist:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...aSeatle035.jpg


http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...Cars/ring2.jpg

The Skycar:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ar_i-1_B_L.jpg


And the original flying car:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...GeneralLee.jpg

I think one major factor is that the US for the past decade or so has outsourced much of it's technology; on the research, developmental and support ends.

Another thing; in Asia they put out products solely for the love of technology, in the US the "bottom line" keeps many products from ever getting to the production stage.

maybe people look to much porn ???

Here we go!!!

1. US education is too expensive
2. Start up cost of anything(except websites) is sky high
3. Private enterprise contols the "productive" science knowledge and hoards it in a vault so new brains have no access.
4. Leveraged mass marketing: example: we spent a decade bitching about Windows crashing because better software was blocked from the market.
5. Slave mentality: "Go to school; get a job!" What about "Go to school and create jobs".
6. Last, but actually the biggest problem: Americans have been so fucking arrogant about being smarter than everyone else that we believed noone coud ever compete and therefore most of us have done nothing while thinking that glory will simply fall into our lazy fucking laps. The number of people in America who brag about what we can do while they themselves have done absolutley fucking nothing is nuts! "Our army will destroy you!"...but they never served a single fucking day.

As someone who lives part of the year in Beijing I can tell you this is a myth...Cutting edge consumer technology is much more available in the USA..

Japan however is a different matter...But mostly due to the fact that a lot of new products are tested there.

Yeeeeeehaaaaw

Research and development costs for new technologies eat up a large part of a companies capital and profits. it's better to make other countries develop and improve on the technologies first and then follow behind them...

we are number one in technologies where it counts though and can't sacrifice not being number one in...like internet technologies, military technologies, space technologies, etc....:2 cents:

Who produces the cutting edge consumer technology to deliver to consumers?? Asian/Chinese manufacting ability. They have a positive balance of trade in this field and where the US operating a trade deficit.

Don't doubt Asia/China are heading towards being the largest economy the world has ever seen - it's already happening.

- Japanese, even in middle age, they are still children a little bit... so they like play the games like noone others

- Economy of China is a big nightmare ... dependent on extra long shift, on work of kids. Communists control it all, not the market itself --- it's not economy to respect it...

- And Europe? It's not so conservative anymore...

North America and parts of Europe already had it's infastructure built so it takes time to phase in the new technology. In Asia and parts of Europe they were starting from scratch therefore it's much easier for them to install the lastest technology.

Came out with one of those in about 1959..

cause the usa don't care about technology. we make money and save. other nations make little cash and spend it on shitty/stupid tech gadgets.

europe maybe going forward, but not england or germany

the work ethic of asians and asian family values toward education are changing the world economic dynamic. (i refer to temperate climate asian countries like china, japan, korea, etc; tropical asian countries will always lag ---i.e. philippines, where 24/7 heat causes laziness and food grows all year round contribute to non-productivity.)

only the political structure holds china back at this time, and that political structure is slowly eroding allowing more capitalism.

hong kong is a model of what i'm talking about. (it is the chinese work ethic in a mostly capitalistic framework---if you go to hong kong you cannot believe how advanced it is compared to usa.)

china and japan are not so diverse societies as the USA.

the influx of some immigrant cultures into the USA (mostly illegal) within the last 50 years has weakened the USA with re: to economic power. lots of economic resources are diverted to take care of dull normal wetbacks.

we now have a scientific "brain drain" with some of our best people that were educated in the USA now going back home (many chinese) and creating wealth outside the USA.

some of the best and most innovative technologies in the world (automotive, electronic, photographic, motorcycles, etc etc) are japanese---a country about the size of california that the USA disemboweled 70 years ago.

family values, work ethic in a nutshelf. riffraff do not build skyscrapers, and in some parts of the USA the populations are mostly riffraff.

I can't say US is really behind. Technology has a very wide scope and that maybe US is simply focusing on other areas. :)

All US bothers about in the last time is terrorism and deffence. That is why all the money is spend on weapon.
And forget about the flying cars!

How about the possibility of keeping some of today's inventions(great inventions) classified due to some reasons--are you guys open to this as well?

Innovation comes from individuals.. Big business corporate America has sucked the life out of the little guys with the good ideas. It all started going downhill in the 50's.

It's a bit hard to say the US does not care about tech :winkwink:

Also to claim making and saving money is sure not accurate - no nation spends more on gadgets than the US.

The savings level is far less in the US than other industrialized countries - in fact, the spending rate is now about 160% of US wages and unsustainable.

Sure the US as a country cares about technology - it was a leader in this area for a number of years.

most of america is busy eating cheeseburgers :2 cents:

Fuck that shit, I just want a toilet that cleans my ass for me. Japanese have it made.