http://www.metafilter.com/tags/sorny Posts tagged with 'sorny' at MetaFilter. Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:03:48 -0800 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:03:48 -0800 en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 http://www.metafilter.com/78844/Shanzhai%2DI%2Dknow%2Da%2Dgenuine%2DPanaphonics%2Dwhen%2DI%2Dsee%2Done In Chinese, <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123257138952903561.html" title="WSJ blog entry on Shanzhai">Shanzhai</a> (山寨) literally means "<a href="http://soso.nipic.com/search.asp?kid=0&kw=%C9%BD%D5%AF" title="From Chinese site nipic.com, some images of remote shanzhai -- in the term's original sense">mountain stronghold</a>" and connotes a place with limited accessibility -- i.e. beyond the reach of authorities. In the past couple of years, it has come to refer to the manufacture of <a href="http://chinayouthology.com/blog/?p=369" title="Blog entry about shanzhaiji -- knockoff mobile devices">illicit tech gadgets</a> by unauthorized factories: show us your <a href="http://cache.tianya.cn/publicforum/content/funinfo/1/1084336.shtml" title="Rather heavy Chinese page full of images of creative mobile knockoffs"><em>shan zhai</em></a> <a href="http://act3.tech.qq.com/tech/108/list.php" title="A 'show us your shanzhaiji' collection on wildly popular Chinese site qq.com"><em>ji</em></a>! But <em>shanzhai</em> can be used more broadly to describe <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/30/content_10582935.htm" title="Mainstream Chinese media article on shanzhai culture">knockoff culture</a>, <a href="http://www.chinasmack.com/pictures/funny-and-clever-chinese-shanzhai-brands/" title="Blog entry with images of clever shanzai brands">cheeky brand subversion</a>, <a href="http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/11/24/chinas-super-shocking-shanzhai-trains/" title="Blog entry featuring images of a shanzhai train that has been circulating the Chinese web">grassroots industrial creativity</a>, and a certain DIY ethos. The latter may be best exemplified in <a href="http://www.ifgogo.com/91/video-of-shanzhai-glider-in-china/" title="Blog entry framing three pretty amazing videos of a DIY autogyro">these videos of a "Shanzhai Glider"</a> in action. <small>Apologies if the Chinese sites are slow-loading or unreachable for Western audiences. Mouse over links for descriptions, if so inclined.</small> tag:metafilter.com,2009:site.78844 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:03:48 -0800 adbusting cellular china chinese counterculture diy knockoff mobile pirate shanzhai sorny tech milquetoast