If you assumed that Asian languages were the hardest to learn then you’d be right. Based on research done by the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State, Voxy has compiled a nice infographic breaking down different languages by the amount of time it takes a native English speaker to achieve speaking and reading proficiency. Read more
One of the interesting things you’ll notice when feeling hungry in Japan is that many restaurants display plastic samples of their dishes in their windows in order to lure you in – especially helpful if you don’t speak Japanese. The fake food is incredibly realistic and has become an art form as well as a massive industry in Japan. Read more
I’ve always known that the air quality in Hong Kong was poor at best but it only struck me fully on my second day in Tokyo when I woke up to the bluest skies I had seen in years. It not only looked cleaner but felt way fresher also, which despite the cool temperatures was a very welcome change. Read more
Last week I visited the offices of Makible – an interesting hardware startup based in Hong Kong developing affordable 3D printers for people to design and build their own products or prototypes. 3D printing works by laying down successive layers of extruded plastic in a series of cross sections generated by a CAD model until the final shape is created.
The technology has been around in manufacturing since the late 1980’s but it’s only been in recent years that it has become accessible to individuals through projects like the OpenSource RepRap which formed the basis of the original MakerBot and Makible’s upcoming MakiBox A6 (they really need to differentiate the names better!).
The MakiBox A6’s biggest selling point seems to be its price, which at around $300 is considerably cheaper than its competitors.
At the end of last month I spent a week in Tokyo (including day trips to Yokohama and Kamakura) which was part-holiday, part-investigation for things I hope to talk about soon, but for now I thought I’d start a new series to share some of my stories and photos which I’ve spent the last week editing… Read more