One of the stereotypes of the Japanese has been that they don’t so much as ‘create’ things as take an original idea from somewhere else and then continuously improve on it until it is perfected. Exhibits A, B & C: the car industry (American and German), consumer electronics (American) and ramen noodles (originally Chinese). Perhaps… Continue reading Treasures from the Tokyo National Museum
Category: History
Great Meals and Path Dependence
Wen and I are fortunate to have great friends. A few of them (randomly) ended up giving us gift certificates to Gramercy Tavern when we got married and we finally made it the other night. As we were basking in the glow of a ridiculously good meal, Wendy mentioned “how did we get here?” I… Continue reading Great Meals and Path Dependence
Samurai is Japanese for Psychopathic Village People
Today I went to an exhibition at the Met called Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868. It has given me a new appreciation for how absolutely insane Japanese culture is. First, let’s take a look at some of the different helmets that Samurai might wear into battle: If you were to ask… Continue reading Samurai is Japanese for Psychopathic Village People
Sorted
I recently finished reading Bill Bishop’s The Big Sort. It’s a “big ideas” book and something of a road map to help you understand why the world (or at least America) is what it is today. The book begins with an insight: the 1976 Presidential election was highly competitive and only 26.8% of Americans lived… Continue reading Sorted
New York Tour
People always visit New York and ask me what they should see. I can usually come up with some ideas for everyone, but I’m not really able to provide a comprehensive set of suggestions. However, this weekend at Brooklyn Flea I bought a tour pamphlet, so now people can refer to this blog post. You… Continue reading New York Tour