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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Mercen_505 on Fri, 06 February 2009, 07:49:37

Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: Mercen_505 on Fri, 06 February 2009, 07:49:37
A look inside the Meitai factory where keyboards are being produced. (http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=613)

I don't really know what to say. There's a lot of bogus numbers flying around the article, and it reeks of sensationalism more than anything else. Still, it's an interesting peek into the lives of people working to produce cheap keyboards for the masses.
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: Mercen_505 on Fri, 06 February 2009, 12:13:05
If nothing else, you now have an ethical excuse for not using a crappy keyboard.
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: bhtooefr on Fri, 06 February 2009, 12:27:27
Yeah, really... And, I wonder if Unicomp could try to use this in their marketing - they provide American jobs, not Chinese sweatshop labor.
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: CX23882 on Fri, 06 February 2009, 13:56:50
It's interesting how certain countries build ties with China but then cut off countries such as Cuba for reasons such as Human Rights (along with all other reasons which apply equally as much to China or even those countries themselves!).  The Cubans complain about their working conditions (I'm speaking as somebody who has lived in Cuba for 3 months), and to be fair the level of control over them is pretty bad particularly in the tourism industry, but it's nothing compared to this.  Some of the Cubans I know are put up in an air conditioned double-glazed apartment complex whilst they work in the hotel for 4 weeks, and are then allowed home for 1 weeks vacation, and in the mean-time are allowed to roam the hotel, go to the local discos and help themselves to non-alcohol drinks.  On the other hand, they only take home $70 a month, which is pathetic and they do have to check in and out at security everyday.  But ignoring the salary and security, it's nothing like how the humanitarian do-gooder groups report it, and having had first-hand experience of how things are in Cuba compared to how they're reported (admittedly, their hospitals are genuinely the unhygeinic pits reported in the media) I'm always skeptical of reports like this.

On face value, this is certainly as good as reason as any to buy a Unicomp board (or a German- or Czech-produced Cherry), but unfortunately, most of our products these days are produced by Chinese slave labour.
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: wellington1869 on Fri, 06 February 2009, 14:45:19
we americans dont know how good we have it.
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: alpslover on Fri, 06 February 2009, 15:00:34
poor working conditions in a communist developing nation?  surely the article must be some sort of hoax.
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: wellington1869 on Fri, 06 February 2009, 15:10:33
Quote from: alpslover;20962
poor working conditions in a communist developing nation?  surely the article must be some sort of hoax.


lol
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: cchan on Sat, 07 February 2009, 10:37:24
Quote from: Mercen_505;20932
A look inside the Meitai factory where keyboards are being produced. (http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=613)

I don't really know what to say. There's a lot of bogus numbers flying around the article, and it reeks of sensationalism more than anything else. Still, it's an interesting peek into the lives of people working to produce cheap keyboards for the masses.


What are some of the bogus numbers? Sorry, I don't have a very statistical brain.
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: Haruko on Mon, 09 February 2009, 05:41:28
I just finished reading that, that's pretty much like being in prison :/ except you work harder. Literally the only difference is you can go out for a while and don't have problems in the shower :|
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: PRISONER 24601 on Thu, 26 November 2009, 02:36:12
I don't get it why don't those chinese women just go on strike and form a union or something

it worked for the banana pickers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_massacre)
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: chimera15 on Thu, 26 November 2009, 03:02:34
Quote from: PRISONER 24601;136408
I don't get it why don't those chinese women just go on strike and form a union or something

it worked for the banana pickers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_massacre)

I don't think the communist government would take them forming a union too lightly. lol.  They'd probably all get massacred or something.

Here's an article about unions in China and walmart:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23725-2004Nov30.html (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23725-2004Nov30.html)

Anyway, thanks for bumping this thread.  Really interesting.  Wouldn't it suck for us keyboard enthusiasts to have to sit and assemble crappy keyboards all day? It'd be like hell. lol
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: spremino on Thu, 26 November 2009, 03:21:52
Quote from: CX23882;77656
It's interesting how certain countries build ties with China but then cut off countries such as Cuba for reasons such as Human Rights (along with all other reasons which apply equally as much to China or even those countries themselves!).


You can easily cut off Cuba: it's a small country, your economy won't be affected.
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: chimera15 on Thu, 26 November 2009, 03:43:22
Quote from: spremino;136425
You can easily cut off Cuba: it's a small country, your economy won't be affected.


Nixon stupidly thought we could change China by having trade with them.  What an idiot.
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: imsto on Thu, 26 November 2009, 06:03:38
I want to say:  you should feel so happy to be in US, EU or Aus。。。。。。  
So many people in China.    
Quote
I don't get it why don't those chinese women just go on strike and form a union or something

people should live on, man. if you do not want the job, there are more people trying to get it.
Title: Let's make a keyboard! Or three. Or a thousand.
Post by: PRISONER 24601 on Thu, 26 November 2009, 12:10:51
Quote from: chimera15;136414

Anyway, thanks for bumping this thread.  Really interesting.  Wouldn't it suck for us keyboard enthusiasts to have to sit and assemble crappy keyboards all day? It'd be like hell. lol


stupid greek gods

WHY MUST YOU PUNISH ME WITH IRONY???