TokyoCalling

My father was once driving with a friend when his friend, Dave, said, "Hey, look at that black Datsun."

My father immediately - and for no particular reason - lied, "All Datsuns are black. That's how they save money."

Years later, Dave wrote him a postcard with one sentence: I saw a red Datsun!

(yes, I'm aware of the Ford quote)

Not OP, but I think I could answer.

Traditionally, mail is uncountable. One can count letters and packages, but not mail. Thus "I received three mails" is currently grammatically incorrect, while "I received three pieces of mail" or "I received three letters" or "I received three packages" would all currently be grammatically correct.

It seems logical that email should follow the same rules of grammar. Thus "I received three emails" should be incorrect, while "I received three pieces of email" or "I received three messages" would all be grammatically correct.

But English grammar is not consistent. Email is a new word and the folks that use it have decided that it is countable.

I don't mind this, but it seems OP does.

I walk a lot. Head down to the river and whistle for the crows that know me to come down so I can give them some peanuts. Talk with friends and family.

To be fair, though, I do pretty much the same thing when I don't need to cope.

I'll cheat the question a bit.

I'd like all critics to have standards and to hew to them. I don't mind if each critic operates by different standards, so long as all critics can articulate their standards and are consistent in their application.

Most movie critics, for example, are offering their reactions to movies. They may review a movie. But nearly all of them are utterly inconsistent (hypocritical?) in their work. They explain their bad review of a film because of X and then praise another film despite it being just as much X as the film they loathed. If they address this conflict at all, it is with a great deal of handwavium - "This film makes it work."

If critics had standards, it would be possible to really compare the things they critique. Without those standards, each thing gets its own bespoke write up. Very entertaining, but useless when we want to know which is better or worse.

You conceive of time in an interesting way. Certainly not the way I do.

Self service shopping has been around in the US since 1916, so I imagine you must be pretty old. Glad to know I've got you on my side!

I'd really prefer the taxation method, but I don't think that's likely in most countries at the moment. Perhaps at a city level..?

While it certainly is possible that prices are lower than they would have been, I am skeptical. I know some business owners and have not heard this from them. I'd love some solid evidence to point to.

Just so.

I do live in Tokyo and you do make good points.

I do not have any problem with automation and see it as absolutely essential (along with more open immigration) to Japan's future. I do not have any problem bussing my table in an establishment where that is the norm and has been for decades.

I do feel, however, that it is important for business owners to continue pay something for automation that replaces workers. This is hardly a new idea. Or a popular one. But it is what I believe is right.

I don't mind if they want to pay me for doing the job of a cashier (this would probably just be a small reduction to price similar to the reduction in price for transportation if you use an IC card or app and in contrast to how asking for a plastic bag results in a small addition to price) though I think the best way to handle this is for owners to pay fees to the government just as they would have if humans were doing the jobs. Just as I think those who own robotic assembly lines should.

No tipping where I live so I don't benefit from that. Happy to accept a lower charge for my groceries in lieu of pay, though.

I do not experience bullshit small talk or judgement of my purchases. Since I'm not getting that benefit, I'm happy to be paid. Thanks!

Now that you mention it, yes. But that ship sailed a long time ago.

The self-service registers are new and we should consider how they are used now. I do go to the regular cashier lane. I'd be happy to ring myself out for the cost of doing so.