[bane]

Studying the history of Japan's consumer electronics industry is absolutely fascinating. It's an equivalent, but absolutely evolutionary different path.

The different approaches to similar problems, how different factors have put different evolutionary pressures on the industry (e.g. language) is endlessly interesting.

Better yet, now with South Korea a major electronics player, and India and China up and coming very quickly....I have a feeling it'll be possible for a serious study of the history of consumer electronics to be a valid academic area of study.