Japanese Archetype of Sleep; l'Archétype japonais du Sommeil

I explored Sleep in Japan in the late eighties:  is there a frame common to all Japanese?  Is it deeply rooted?  How specific might it be to the Japanese Culture?…

When I proceeded to ethnological observations, I noticed so many people sleeping among others, in connecting trains, in office conferences, etc.
When I considered facts, I found that Japanese tended to avoid prescribing / taking sleeping drugs.  I found that minor tranquilizers were often used for protecting others from the disturbing pattern of an individual, rather than for benefiting an individual per se.

When I collected Japanese people responses to "Sleep", I found that many negative connotations were associated to Sleep in Japan, a feeling of being isolated, separated from the community, a relation to depression and death.  This, in opposition to anxiety, considered to be somewhat positive and a common state of life.

I had Japanese people writing up their earliest memories on "Sleep".  One of the common features was a feeling of discomfort and isolation.  Many early memories relate sleeping in an unusual environment, , of being separated from the safe haven of the kin.

When I collected Japanese people responses to "Awakening", most reactions and memories were utterly positive.  Opening the ears (newspaper delivery, song of a bird, etc.) was often prevalent as compared to opening the eyes, comfortably warming up was also a feature.

When the laboratory Upjohn (now part of Pfizer) launched its sleeping drug ®Halcion (triazolam) in Japan, it chooses to promote the drug as an awakener rather than as a sleep inducer.  Its slogan was "Halcion no Asa" ("the morning of Halcion").  The success was tremendous:  with a relatively tiny salesforce, Upjohn doubled the sleep inducers stagnant market, relevantly achieving - and maintaining for many years - a 50% market-share.

Gulliver and Lilliput Universes?

I have no qualification to comment on the Universe evolution, but I want to share an idea which crossed my mind many years ago:  could not our universe be the result of an atomic explosion of a micro-particule occurring in another, Gulliver-like, world?  In other words, is there not one (or several) macro-universe of which our universe is only a very very tiny part?
What would "life" be like in this macro-universe?
In the same manner, when we observe atomic explosions in our universe, are we not watching a micro-universe as diversified as our own universe, even we can only observe a few very very big events occurring in this micro-universe?
What would "life" be in this micro-universe?
And is there not be an other micro in this micro-universe?  Another macro of this macro-universe?

Archetypes: labeling (of a table, etc.)

When a baby experiences a table, he will grasp the table feet, may eventually try to lick them (eatable?  taste and smell? etc.), he will observe what adults, especially his closest relatives, practically DO with that object, etc..

If his experience is with a Western-type table, he may eventually bump his head why trying to stand up with the help of the table foot;  he may wonder what mysterious tasks adults perform on this still unlabeled object (of which he cannot contemplate the top, at least not without help);  etc..  In a way, this kind of table may be perceived as a limiting, somewhat dangerous, object.
If his experience is with a low-type table as those common in the Far East, he can use the table foot and top to help standing up and getting a new insight of his surroundings, including of his relatives;  he may be able to climb and crawl on its top, etc..  This kind of table may be perceived as a powerful helper.

In short the baby experience will be very different.  At a time the object will be labeled to become a part of his vocabulary.  This label may be carried on for the whole of his life as The Table, and any follow-up experiences with similar or different tables may be performed by reference to the original definition of what is The Table, what The Table can be used for, be careful about, etc.

A baby growing in an environment without any table, will not acquire an early definition of what a table is.  His later relations with tables might then be rooted on the Archetype(s) of very different object(s).
This applies to an experience with snow:  a child growing at a low altitude in a warm country may not experience with snow at an early age, while, in some human populations leaving near the poles, it is common for the mother to put the just deliver baby in immediate contact to snow.  The baby therefore has a very early experience of this crucial element of his environment.

Early labeling are an important part of our future relations with our environment and may affect our behavioral patterns.

As it is framed by the physical and cultural environment in which the baby evolutes, early labeling varies from one individual to another.  However, individuals growing up in well-established cultural environments, may share some common aspects in their early experience and labeling.  These common aspects, if found in all individuals grown up in the same culture, may lead to a Cultural Archetype.

I started researching Cultural Archetypes in several cultures back to the late seventies;  I shall report my findings in follow-up Posts.

Value Analysis: Construction Cost (of a car, etc.)

A car Primary Function is to carry passengers and load from one point to another;  it has however many Secondary demanded Functions, such as its comfort, safety, etc.  The combination of all functions (weighted according to their relative importance for its user) expresses its "Quality" (on its user point of view).
A car Cost encompasses its manufacturing cost, its running cost, etc.
 To adress the user's Quality demand at the lowest possible Cost, the designer combines a number of elements, such as engine(s), seats, wheels, etc.  Assembling and properly linking these elements bear a cost, labelled the Construction Cost.
The same Construction Cost occurs when the employees of a service company spend time and expenses to internally communicate:  there is a Construction Cost to fulfilling the Functions demanded by a user of the service company.
 Although such construction costs can hardly be avoided, by themselves they do not serve the demanded Functions. a fact the product or service designer should remain aware of!

Design to Cost: bottles and other containers

For a given volume, if the design of a container tends to shape it flat, the container section size (diameter if round, etc.) has to be immense, hence requesting much material for its manufacturing.
If the container section is very small, the container has to be very high to accommodate the volume,  hence requesting much material for its manufacturing.
The quantity of material necessary for manufacturing a container of a given volume and shape, versus its height (or versus its section), follows an "U" type curve, with an optimal point at the base of the U.
Other considerations put aside, there is for each material, shape, and volume to encompass, an optimal height versus section to target in Designing to Cost.
But I found that almost no industry (water packaging, etc.) has considered this point when designing new containers!