Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun... Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans," Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

This Apple-vs-Samsung lawsuit is getting serious

A court in Germany has agreed with Apple and has granted a preliminary injunction that would stop the sales and marketing of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer across most of Europe. The Netherlands is an exception, since Koreans are the Dutch of Asia.

Samsung is planning to appeal, even though earlier this month it already voluntarily agreed to halt sales and marketing in Australia.

2 comments:

AnonymousTuesday, August 23, 2011 5:46:00 AM
As both an Apple fan and a Korea booster, where are you finding your emotional loyalties lying?
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kushiboTuesday, August 23, 2011 5:54:00 AM
Hmm... good question.

I think Korea, even Korea Inc, is stronger than Samsung alone, so I don't worry this is too much of a blow to anyone hoping for Korea to continue to do well economically.

I want Apple to be in a position to be highly innovative and creative for as long as possible, so if this is really what they need to do in order to maintain that, then I guess I'd side with Apple.

However, what I really want is for the two sides to talk it out and come to a friendly resolution. I don't think either has much to gain this way as competitors, but since they are actually business partners in many ways, there's even more potential fallout.

Anyway, the way you put it — Apple fan and Korea booster — is sort of similar to how I feel about Hyundai and Kia, where I'm a Hyundai/Kia fan but also a Big Three booster. I find myself happy about Hyundai and Kia's collective success and looking at their cars first, but I also want GM, Chrysler, and Ford to do well and produce loads more jobs. I guess I might find myself buying a Hyundai Santa Fe in the US and a Chevrolet Cruze in South Korea.
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Ask Kushibo.

My Google/Blogspot data shows that a lot of the 2 million people who have landed on my site (yes, that's the real number) are looking for cultural information on Korea (e.g., “When did Syngman Rhee die?” “What did the Indians bring to the first Chusŏk?’ etc., etc.), as well as practical or historical stuff.

That got me thinking that, hey, I have a master’s degree in Korean studies and a minor in Japanese studies, I’ve lived in Seoul far longer than most foreans my age (whether they're kyopo or non-kyopo), I teach introductory courses on Korea and its cultural trappings and history, so why not offer a free service where I attempt to answer people’s questions, point them in the direction of where they can get them answered, and/or offer my regulars (that’s you!) a chance to take a stab at some of this stuff, too.

So if there’s something you’d like to know from a “contrarian scourge,” click on ASK KUSHIBO and just ask a succinct question in the comments section below.

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九十五大怪獣란? 쿠시보의 몬스터 아일랜드란?

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun...
Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans" ("foreigners" in Korea be they kyopo or non-kyopo), Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County, and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

* Monster Island (actually a peninsula)

The name of this blog comes from a line in "Lisa on Ice," a beloved episode of The Simpsons, perhaps my all-time favorite television show (even though for several seasons there, it really did suck). Lisa is imagining being sworn in as president, but at the last minute, it is discovered that she failed P.E. (physical education) and she is thus "sentenced to a lifetime of horror" on Monster Island. "Don't worry," the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court confides in her, "It's just a name."

Fast forward to Lisa and other prisoners running in panic through a tropical jungle, chased by Godzilla-like creatures, including a monster turtle and a monster firefly.

"He said it was just a name!" Lisa screams to the man next to her. While he, too, runs for his life, the unidentified man calmly says, "What he meant is that Monster Island is actually a peninsula."

Anyway, I thought in some ways that punchline summed up modern-day Korea in a nutshell. For many people—foreigners and Koreans—the ups and downs and everyday travails of the Republic of Korea make it as precarious as a Monster Island would be (and with the DMZ being the only land border, it really is like an island). But it actually is a peninsula. Okay, it made sense in my head.

So as you can see, despite the hits I get from people looking for Japanese tentacle porn, it has nothing to do with anything salacious as that.