William Gibson famously said that the future has already arrived, but it is not evenly distributed. This line is often thought to have been inspired by Japan, which by the time of his debut was already projecting a thoroughly futuristic image, at least in popular culture. neuromancer But as anyone who has spent enough time in this country can attest, even 21st century Japan remains in many ways a pre-digital society, albeit not without its frustrations. Many businesses only accept cash, many services require communication by fax, and there is no substitute for physical email. Stamp Stamp important documents. Still, you may be surprised to learn that the abacus is still used in Japan.
In fact, the abacus is still used as an educational tool in Japan. You don’t often see shopkeepers ringing the shopping bell and pulling out their abacuses, but look into the windows of the right private school and you might see young students diligently doing calculations the old-fashioned way.
If you are far enough along, as described in BBC video aboveyou probably don’t even have an actual abacus. They simply move around the beads drawn in their heads. (Reminds me of Dustin Hoffman’s Savant. rain man Describes his performance in seemingly impossible mental arithmetic. (“Okay.”) Such intensive abacus education was common throughout Northeast Asia in the mid-20th century, when the arithmetic skills cultivated on the abacus were important for both individual survival and national development.
It was precisely this development that tended to make the abacus obsolete. When Korea, where I live, made it possible to purchase electronic calculators, the prestige associated with learning the abacus disappeared virtually overnight. Determined Korean parents can still register their children Jupin Just like Chinese parents encourage admission, Suanpan They start competing out of pride in their civilization, but they have no advantage over status. Abacus I’m having fun in Japan. It may be proved by the following neuroscience research It points out the benefits that learning the abacus brings to the development of the brain’s cognitive functions. As the BBC video explains, abacus training strengthens cognitive function by increasing concentration, speeding up information processing, and strengthening visual memory, leading to improved memory and sustained concentration. But as any lover of Japanese craft culture knows, no matter how difficult it is to do things with analog tools, sometimes it can be more satisfying.
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Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages and cultures. he is the author of the newsletter books about cities books as well Home page (I won’t summarize Korea) and korean newtro. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
