Slashdot Mirror
Replacing a Thinkpad?
An anonymous reader writes "As a very happy Thinkpad T20 user (still working after 7 years), I always planned on replacing it with another Thinkpad T-series. However, Thinkpads are now produced by Lenovo, a Chinese company, and I can't quite bear to buy Chinese while the Burmese military are shooting at monks with the Chinese Government as their biggest backer. Maybe this is silly, as whatever I buy is likely to be made (at least in part) in China... but still, what are my options for something as well built as the Thinkpad T-series?"
The gradual advancement of economic freedom in China has dramatically weakened its rulers, who now must justify their policies to a ever-growing urban middle class while simultaneously creating tens of millions of factory jobs every year for a rural population that now hopes one day to join the civilized world. A surfeit of export trade is the present catalyst for this process, so you should be thankful that you have the privilege of buying goods from emerging markets like China and Vietnam.
Apparently so. I just noticed (after one posting) that the 'slashdot thought police' have branded me with a karma of "bad". I guess being politically incorrect, bringing truth to a discussion, and causing some people to uncomfortably squirm is a hallmark of being Politically Incorrect (i.e., someone who should be censored).
I have my own take on this problem of chineeze goods - if you care to listen to someone with "bad" karma...
First, I'm suprised Lenovo didn't just "copy" the computer and sell it as their own. These days, that's a huge problem that affects us all (just ask the president of Calloway Golf Club company who loses millions because of these low quality chin-eeze knock-offs, the Video and Music industries, and pretty much any industry you can think of.).
And it's going to get worse when all the auto manufacturers, who are breaking a leg trying to "do business" with these bastards, find out that once these agents of evil reverse-engineer everything, they'll kick out ford, christ-ler, gm, etc. and 'nationalize' all the resources these companies paid to get up and running. What was their thinking anyway - - that they could sell oodles of $50,000 cars to people who the bulk of make about $4,000 a year?? Idiots, they are.
And to have a totalitarian regime (i.e., chin-a) cop a whine "we can't eliminate all the copying" just doesn't fly. This is the same government that suppresses freedom of speech, freedom of the press, internet freedom and freedom of religion - but can't supress counterfeiting? Ha-roo?
If I were the President of Callaway, here's what I would do: I'd hire the absolute best counterfeit plate maker to make several common denominations of current chin-eeze currency. Then I'd print about 20 TRILLION DOLLARS worth and hire people to scatter it across their totalitarian-infested country.
It would be interesting to see how the chin-eeze government likes being on the receiving end of counterfeiting - especially if it has the potential to topple their government financially. Interestingly, there appears to be no law that specifically bans producing counterfeit currency of totalitarian regimes. Of course our government would probably issue a canned response that would "sternly object to this type of behavior from its citizens."
Gee, for about twenty thousand dollars, someone could financially topple an evil empire (greenpeace, are you listening??)
Perhaps the chin-eeze government should consider making knock-off condums. Come to think of it, they may already have done so - that's why they're so overpopulated.
Yes it's in dispute because IBM doesn't like their history. Here's a photo of your "disputed text" in the holocaust museum:
http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/9048-1.htm
You're a cocksucker, but there's a cure. Handguns are cheap and plentiful. Buy one and drill a hole in your head asshole puppyfucker.