Why People Who Make Things Should Learn Chinese

ptorrone writes "MAKE Magazine is making that case that any 'maker' who builds, buys or creates electronics should learn (Mandarin) Chinese. MAKE outlines the resources for anyone wishing to learn the language of the soon-to-be largest economy and source of just about everything we buy in the USA."

And I'm learning Chinese, said Werner Von Braun

[Anonymous Coward]

That Was The Week That Was

Re:Joss Whedon (Firefly) disagrees with you

[gstoltz]

Dreams are synthesis, synthesis is reality, reality is a continual experience of misapprehention on the part of the human species. Outright lies are despicable when propagated against better knowledge. Unfortunately the necessity of belonging usually trumps the quest for truth. And whilst closer approximations to descriptive truth might win in the long term (wishful thinking) knowledge and expression will remain sorely incomplete. Therefore i`ll take my dish of dreams, fantasies and delusions. Whilst sprinkling them with as much consentual truth about the universe as our current expressions are capable of embodying.

Charles V

[puppyfox]

I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, German to my horse, and Mandarin to my electronics.

Re:Or Not

[Swampash]

They are learning English at a much faster rate than any Americans can learn Chinese.

Hell, they're learning English faster than any American can learn English.

Re:Learn Mandarin and buy Bitcoins

[PopeRatzo]

Yea, I remember this kind talk about the Japanese back in the 1980s

There really isn't a substitute for having lived through something to provide some perspective.

There are a lot of ways the Chinese Miracle could go bad. I'm old enough to remember when Russia was the main competitor and how they were going to take over the world with their superior genetics and technological blah blah. Hell, there was even a Rocky movie about it. But then Rocky went to Moscow to fight the genetically superior Dolf Lundgren and told the Muscovites, "If I can change, then you can change and we can all change and make some change and hope and change and then we could all walk hand in hand into the bright future on the Moon" (I'm paraphrasing).

I'm sure there was a time not long ago when the people of England and France were saying "Those Americans...we've got to keep an eye on them or they'll end up being almost as powerful as our Roman Legion and Spanish Armada and then we'll have to deal with them". But of course, the British and French had gay sex and created Canada, and that did something, I'm not sure what, but they sure like their hockey up there. Hell, they fucking riot when they're behind in the second period".

Anyway, my point is, um, that learning Mandarin because you think it's going to give you some deep advantage in the coming epoch is as dumb as calling yourself a "maker" because your hobby is building steampunk costumes for your chihuahua. If you have to make up a gay name like "maker" then you should visit a tool and die shop in Berwyn, Illinois and talk to someone who actually knows how to make something without giving himself some fruity name just because Cory Doctorow says so. Please. Don't get me started on Cory Doctorow....

Now please excuse me, I have to go freshen up this drink. Did you know vodka/pineapple is a nice summer pick-me-up? You put in a shot of grenadine and slice of mango. Get a party hat. Hell, two of these and you'll feel like you're wearing a party hat even without the party hat. See? I'm a maker too!

Re:How much do you EAT?

[c6gunner]

Why would you need an electric can opener?

To open electric cans. Duh.