Great response, Mike! I remember living in the UK and wanting a satellite dish installed. The person who was going to do the installation charged a ridiculous price for it — something like $1,000 — pointing out that the roof was too inclined for him to do a “normal” installation, and he’d have to get scaffolding installed. However, the house I was renting was set just a short distance from the road, so he’d have to apply to the council to get permission to erect scaffolding, due to the potential impact on foot and vehicular traffic. In the end, I didn’t bother.

In a developing country like where I’m from (Malaysia) or where I’m living now (Thailand), someone would have just gone up and done it with little fuss.

I find it tends to be easier to get something off the ground in the developing world than in the developed countries. If I wanted to start a small-scale food business in Malaysia, I’d just set up a stall outside my place and I’d be good as long as my business didn’t annoy the neighbours. In a developed country, I’d probably have to go for a food handling course, apply for health permits, buy new equipment that meets energy consumption standards, meet zoning regulations, register for taxes, and so on. In the end, I’d probably not bother and content myself with a 9–5…