Unintended Results From U.S. Hardware Dumps In Asia

Izeickl writes: "The BBC has a thought provoking story about old hardware being dumped in parts of Asia. The report 'details a group of villages in south-eastern China where computers from America are picked apart and strewn along rivers and fields.' the article also states 'The report suggested that as much as 80% of the America's electronic waste collected to be recycled is shipped out of the country.'"

Comments

Farming?

[DiveX]

"picked apart and strewn along rivers and fields."

What are they trying to do....grow more computers?

If they want...

[psxndc]

They can just bring them to my house. Seriously, I'll take 'em.

psxndc

Re:That sucks

[Eagle7]

Actually, I used to work at (one of) the IBM sites where the recycling takes place (Endicott, NY). At least IBM's program is legit - there was just too much space and too many people there for it to be a "front" to an overseas shipping operation.

Based on that headline.....

[cswiii]

...before I read anything else, I expected to read about some mechowarrior / android / wireless WAN/ d.net cruncher / cybernetic exoskeleton, being created out of unused computer materials. That would've been the ultimate hack.

Message from China

[ecc0]

Hello! This is Junis from South-Eastern China! I am writing this on a rusted PDP-11/34 with 8" disk drives and Linux I found in the river, which I hooked up to the Internet using barbed wire and a 300 bps modem I found under a chicken coop. I write to thank you, USA, for all the computers! It is really helping my country to progress in IT! I also love American culture like martial arts movies, anything to do with Star Wars, and rap! I believe "Temptation Island" and "Baywatch" will be number one shows in China soon!

Yours,
Junis

Re:Archeology

[surfimp]

Perhaps the archeologists will come to the conclusion that south eastern China was one of the most technologically advanced parts of the early 21st century world? After all, the article notes that as much as 80% of the U.S.'s electronic waste gets shipped out of country. Pottery shards today, hard drive fragments tomorrow...

Translations

[Decimal]

I keep having this picture of archeologists in thousands of years in the future going through all of this stuff, and trying to piece together an old PC. no tech manuals, etc.

(A.P. News 25,237 CE)

Archeologists have made a great advance towards understanding the contents of fossilised "hard disks" with the discovery of what they are calling the "Pornsetta Stone"...