Even in 2005, the Toto toilet had amenities — including heated seats — no American manufacturer had ever considered before. (REUTERS/Issei Kato)
April 9, 2014
"I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your country's manufactures."
— Qianlong Emperor, 1793, in a letter to King George III of England
I remember about 10 years ago, I was watching a National Geographic show about a hunter-gatherer tribe in Papua New Guinea. The men were running around in loincloths with spears, hunting animals, making offerings to the gods — you know, typical primitive-tribe stuff. But okay, I don't judge... we're all descended from people like that. But just one thing bothered me. The head of the tribe is being interviewed by the documentary filmmakers.
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