"China can make ballpoint pens!" Topic

Seems it couldn't before…

link

Reminds of a (probably not true) story of the Space Race. Sometime post-1990 American and Russian space scientists were at a meeting. The American said 'Something I've always wanted to know. One of our problems was making pens that would work in zero gravity. We spent years and millions of dollars solving the problem. So I was just wondering – how did you solve the problem?' The Russian scientist just shrugged and said 'We used pencils.'

Well done China !

Knew you could do it!

There are, however, a couple of serious points:

'Firstly, it did not have machines with the precision needed to cut a tiny ball-bearing accurately, meaning the balls had to be imported from Switzerland.

And despite being the world's largest steel producer, China was unable to produce the high quality steel to case the ink-dispensing ball, resulting in the steel being imported from Germany or Japan'

Now, they have and they can. It's demonstrating increasing capability, and that is something that we should probably be worried about militarily.

If they're like most other Chinese products I'm familiar with, they'll be too small or too short, not work very well, and fall apart in a tenth of the time.

That's what we used to say about Japanese products, remember?

Keep underestimating your foes… they don't mind.

Same thing with Soviet jet engines being c*ap but their solution was logical,plenty more easy to replace engines. China making pens is one thing, to synch up with the 'western' (which is a question in its self) norm of what society is or needs to be, just another reason to as my Grandad used to say "Beware of the yellow peril" jingoistic to be sure but a caution none the less. As an aside they have finally decided to stop working ivory this year, purest reasons? Perhaps but still hopefully a respite to part of a very dear and rare part of our humanity.

That's what we used to say about Japanese products, remember?

At one time, they were carp. Then they weren't. In that case, it took a lot shorter time for the country to upgrade their industrial and production base than it did for the rest of the economic world to realize what was happening, let alone react.

GarrisonMiniatures has a good point. It is not so much the technology, but rather how the technology allows China to be independent of the rest of the world in a way they weren't before.

Ever tell someone upon whom you were dependent for a ride to work that they needed a shower? What about someone who needed a ride from you? It's all about who's driving the car.

Now, they have and they can. It's demonstrating increasing capability, and that is something that we should probably be worried about militarily.

Not sure why people think we should worry about China Militarily. If they wanted to overrun the east for instance, they would have done it by now. They make too much money off the rest of the world to go ruining it with a world war.

Tell me that again when they shut the US Navy out of the South China Sea.

" If they wanted to overrun the east for instance, they would have done it by now."

Well, MAYBE. Remember the Chinese invasion of Vietnam? They got what, 25 miles into the country?

Chinese strategy is much different then the West. There is no need to "overrun" any country as that adds the requirements to run and control that country. Tribute State status is much more preferable where the state maintains its own identity but acknowledges China's dominance . China's actual name is " Zhōngguó" translating as Central Kingdom.

China is also very good at reverse engineering so once they have something they will devote all their energies into coming up with a working duplicate Once that is accomplished then the process of improving simplifying and cost cutting takes over.

Awe, you guys made me ink:

YouTube link

I read it on the internet so it must be true!!