Think about it

We returned to Hong Kong and spent our final night wining and dining on The Peak. To get to the peak, you take a tram up about a sixty degree slope, all while trying to capture some of the greatest views of the city you can imagine. I didn't get any really good pictures from the top since it was night, and I'm still kind of a novice, but I threw up what I got. Now for some of the things that made me think:

Hong Kong:
1. Above is a picture of the aforementioned Aberdeen Fishing Village. This is the place where local fisherman continue to live the traditional Chinese fishing lifestyle. They capture fish with nets in their hands. They leave all of the fish out on deck to dry. This is not a place that westerners would refer to as sophisticated, or even civilized. However, their cell phone adoption rate is still probably higher than the mass-affluent town of New Canaan, Ct. When our tour guide on our Saipan whipped out her cell phone, I was shocked.

Bangkok:
1. Bangkok is a city that has grown beyond it's infrastructure. There is a huge problem with not having sufficient roadways. For that reason, there is constant traffic, and people often build their schedules according to the traffic patterns. Even still, amongst the chaos in this third world country, the government has created what is called the Sky Train. This robust mass-transit system puts anything that I have seen in America to shame. It is clean, fast, and efficient. What is stopping the USA from implementing something (anything) that can even compare with something like this.

Singapore:
1. Singapore was full of surprises. I mentioned that this place was a Utopia of sorts. Here are a couple of examples that will clue you in on the kind of lifestyle that these people lead. Every citizen is forced to devote about a third of their paycheck into a forced savings account. This contribution is matched by the government, in full. This account is comprised of three parts. One portion is a personal account. Money can be withdrawn from this account for things of importance, such as funding one's childs education. A second account is a retirement account, that cannot be accessed until age fifty five (I believe). The third account is a healthcare account. This account cannot be touched before death, and is used in case a citizen requires medical assistance as they move into old age. All of this seems similar to a government enforced insurance plan- forcing people to save for what they should be saving for.
Additionally, the government provides first-time mothers with a $3000 (US) skim to assist them with the costs of raising a child. Also, if a parent sets up a bank account for their child, the government matches all contributions to that account, in full. This is to begin preparing for the investment in education.

2. Speaking of education, children often begin their education as early as three years old. At the age of seven, children are entered into a 12 year compulsory education system that brings them through high school. As you can tell, they take education very seriously.

3. I mentioned that there was very little traffic and all of the vehicles are very nice. This is because citizens must purchase the right to buy a car. This right often costs citizens the equivalent of $10,000 (US). Once this is purchased, then the citizen is only allowed to use that car for ten years. This enables the state to regulate traffic and, by keeping new cars on the road, pollution. All of the tolls are autodeducted from a "cash box" that works like a debit card on the dashboard. They don't have to stop to wait in lines to pay tolls.

4. Sim Lim Square was another place in Hong Kong that threw me for a loop. This eight story complex houses all of the latest technologies, along with all of the local people that care. It is a must-see place for anyone that is interested. The Chinese have always had a reputation for their utter disregard for proprietary technology. Of late, this has become a particular issue for clothing designers and tech companies. In Sim Lim, I saw thousands of Ipod alternatives, that have me convinced that Apple's dominance in the MP3 player market will be short lived. There are simply too many options, and too little switching costs for consumers. ITunes was a great thing for Apple, but the rivals are coming- watch out. Also in Sim Lim, I was looking at some laptops. For kicks, I checked the available wireless networks from one of the workstations. There were 38 unsecured systems that I could have connected to. 38. That's a lot. I have no idea how many there were if I were to look at the secure networks as well. All I know is that in America, I don't get cell phone service at my house, nor do I get wireless in my room.