[Leo M]

You bring up an interesting question. I think the root of the problem lies in the human's intrinsic tendency to fear what they do not understand and cannot control. Faced with a mysterious event - "What is that? I don't know, so it must be BAD" - the first reaction is to revert to the caveman mentality. And, that tendency springs, I believe, from ignorance and error, but not entirely. People like to think that generally in life, things are about eight to five against you. If something is unknown, chances are it's going to hurt. The problem with that blanket attitude is that you miss out on a lot of things that really are good.

The level of ignorance concerning technology among the American population is appalling. Large numbers of people believe things that "would make a horse laugh" - NASA has anti-gravity machines; my Uncle Louies cousin's friend's boss invented a carburetor that will let you run your car on water, but the big oil companies shut him down; the Roswell UFO; ghosts; Bigfoot - the list is endless. And the entertainment industry, ever ready to profit from people's worst impulses, takes that fear and uses it's magic to craft a product that is enticing, delicious, and utterly wrong.

And that is why First is so important. It uses the sports and entertainment industries' own weapons to treat the root cause, ignorance. It engages people while they are still young and receptive, makes them interested in science and technology, and shows them how brains are meant to be used.

More understanding > fewer errors > greater ability to control the environment > less fear.

Maybe the Japanese are better at integrating technology into their lives than Americans - I don't know. Maybe they just think machines are cute. It's hard to tell, but that is my ignorance. I can't understand the language, so I certainly cannot understand the people.

A very interesting question, my friend.