Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/03/19

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Subject: [Leica] Olympus DSLR
From: mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)
Date: Sun Mar 19 01:10:33 2006

On 3/18/06 4:19 PM, "Jeffery Smith" <jsmith342@cox.net> typed:

> China is making electric guitars better than they were made 40 years ago 
> and
> for about the same price as electric guitars 30 years ago. Computer
> automated machine tool technology is a great equalizer these days. For us,
> it means quality stuff at rock bottom prices. Unfortunately, it also means
> that products made in the USA are just too expensive to buy for their
> mediocre quality.
> 
> You're right. The western world comes up with innovative products and 
> ideas,
> and the eastern world makes them better for the price than we do.
> 
> Jeffery Smith
> New Orleans, LA
> http://www.400tx.com
> 
> 
To me "MADE IN USA" doesn't have a mediocre ring to it at all and I've
rarely heard that opinion but have have once or twice. Maybe its true I
don't know they don't make anything that has to do with photography except
Kodak film. I've got a lot of kitchenware in the past years and one out of
300 items I see at William Sonoma or any kitchen place is MADE IN USA.
They have become real curiosities.
They have a rarefied ring. Like
Wow! "They made these shoes in Wisconsin!
How could they afford to pay them!?!? X beer makers and cow milkers!
What guts to wrangle with Jimmy Hoffa!"

Or Wow! A collapsible Elmar with an offprint on the three 0's before the
rest of the numbers! Must have been made for Youth Luftwaffe Jets!
There's kind of a reassuring clunky reassuring solidness to MADE IN USA
clunky stuff. 
And I think its (we are) in the above average department in quality and
design. I feel safer with our stuff. I think "we're still making something
other than pixels!"
I LIKE made in USA stuff and will snap it up in a flash and spend my hard
inherited money on it.
I'm thinking of a MADE IN USA thing which is not so good. I guess Jeffery
has something he's run into but I haven't yet that I can recall. I think
some white diffuser thing for a flash maybe. And it was pretty good. And I
thought "that probably won't break soon". A wish or a prejudice or a
summation of experience?

Apple Mac's had a MADE IN USA feel to them but they were MADE IN IRELAND of
all places. Where they still make flashbulbs. They went from Pixies to
Pixels. And have I think lots of sheep because I think SWEATERS. Of which
one of I wore yesterday although it was made in my own house by my mother
who was half Irish with I think Irish wool. Another almost matching one was
made with acrylic which could have easily been made here. Those white
sweaters with the braiding on the front and back.

"Want to see my computer? IT'S IRISH!"

I think Chinese stuff in seven years will have the clout the Japanese stuff
has now. 
Chairman Mao will MAKE SURE OF IT!

As reassuring as Mom's apple pie!



Mork from New York


Mark Rabiner
Photography
Portland, OR
Leaving OR May-Day for the NY, CT, RI, MA area.
Brooklyn



In reply to: Message from jsmith342 at cox.net (Jeffery Smith) ([Leica] Olympus DSLR)