Technology and culture

I have many examples of the way technology is shaped by culture but one stands out because it will surprise most people.

In nearly every case you flick the dimmer for your car headlights with your left hand on the turn signal. In many cars you can turn the headlights on with the same switch.  This technology came from Japanese culture. 

Before Japanese cars started making a dent in the U.S. auto market, the dimmer was a switch on the floor, activated by stepping on it with your left foot.

In Japan, this hand activated technology was required because of cultural tradition.  For a millennium, the top class of people traveled on palanquins carried by men.  At night the palanquin had a lamp.  Whenever the moving palanquin encountered people, the lamp was covered with a flap to protect the eyes of the people in front. The courtesy was essential for social stability.  The elite had to show respect for the common people on foot.

This courtesy was transferred to automobiles. Dimming headlights was frequent and had to be easy.  Today, even in large cities, drivers go so far as to turn off their headlights when they stop at a pedestrian intersection. It is always done in small towns and villages.

Thus, a Japanese cultural tradition, came to America and the rest of the world with the rise of the Japanese auto industry and the export of Japanese cars to the world, post WWII.