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A Japanese factory that designs clothes on a 40-year-old computer [video]
- nelox 3y agoI use pen and paper
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- system2 3y agoRealistically how long would it take to modernize the software while keeping the old hardware?
- Dalewyn 3y agoFar more than anyone is willing to pay.
- rightbyte 3y agoWhy would they? The TUI seems to be fine. An modernization would probably be way worse given today's "UX" trends. Maybe they should replace the computer and cassettes before they run of out them.
- Adamantcheese 3y agoAssuming the computer talks over a standard protocol like serial or parallel, I don't see how it wouldn't be fairly straightforward to move it to a newer machine. Might even be able to run it on a virtual machine for better compatibility.
- tivert 3y ago> Realistically how long would it take to modernize the software while keeping the old hardware? What value would that provide (than make-work for a couple of software engineers)? Probably the most bang-for-the-buck effort would be get their existing software running on an emulator, and get that integrated with the hole-punch machine. An even then, I think the main value there would be to have a backup in hand if they have trouble maintaining that old computer hardware.
- Freedom2 3y agoThis sounds like indoctrination to me. I generally have a different worldview that it would provide a lot of value.
- rightbyte 3y agoMaybe you would. But nowadays, it would probably be an agile disaster with two or three layers of managers and sales people, maybe even on different firms, if done by best practice, between you and the customer. Forget talking to the operators. KISS is a beauty of the past. There is no way the simple and straightforward text based solution would be made. It is more likely it would be a bloated mess with clouds or what not.
- tivert 3y ago> This sounds like indoctrination to me. I generally have a different worldview that it would provide a lot of value. That's a weird way of putting it, but I honestly think the "modernize" all the things crowd are probably the ones that "sound indoctrinated." So, if your "different worldview" says reflexively redeveloping the software would provide "a lot of value," then name the value it would provide. They've got a process that's worked for them for 40+ years, what exactly is the value in re-doing software that's only a minor part of that process? Does that "value" justify the cost? Honestly, what they've got can probably be understood more as an appliance than as an IT system, and anything developed today would almost certainly take the form of an IT system, with all the recurring cost and complexity that entails.
- WJW 3y ago
- amiga-workbench 3y agoCan you think of any modern platform that would have the longevity, stability and lack of maintenance burden of that Sharp computer over another 40 years? The only thing I can think of that would make their current setup more robust would be having the program burned into ROM and not on tape.
- jrockway 3y ago> Can you think of any modern platform that would have the longevity, stability and lack of maintenance burden of that Sharp computer over another 40 years? I mean, probably any UNIX program written in C? Bill Joy vi can run on modern computers. What makes this software substantially different than a text editor?
- hulitu 3y agoJust try to compile a vi from 20 years ago on a modern computer.
- jrockway 3y agoAccording to Wikipedia that was a problem ... 20 years ago. That version compiles today. It's called "Traditional vi" and the Sourceforge site where it's hosted doesn't have a valid certificate so I didn't visit it.
- zokier 3y ago20 years ago was 2003, four years after C99. First x86-64 CPUs were released 20 years ago. Compiling 20 year old C codebase should not be an issue at all if it was half-decent to begin with. Compiling pre-ANSI-C and pre-POSIX codebases might have challenges, but standardization has really gotten us lot of stability here. I'd expect conservatively written C99/POSIX code to be usable certainly for another 20 years, there is just so much inertia there https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect
- poplet 3y agoI wonder how old these tapes are
- ohuf 3y ago...that would void the warranty! ;)
- hulitu 3y agoAn eternity. They wouldn't have finished the first version when they start working on the second.
- lost_tourist 3y agoYou could probably find an old timer who could bridge the gap fairly easily and lead a team of a couple of engineers to do it in a reasonable amount of time. I'm guessing that program is written in basic or assembly which wasn't too hard to learn on those old machines.
- nuc1e0n 3y agoThe z88dk toolchain supports the MZ-80K as a target. So you could write new software in C or any other language that can output C code.
- nixass 3y agoThen you see that rotating machine that is made by Suzuki (machine that rotates threads, I'm no expert so no idea). And then you realize that every Japanese major industrial company produces literally everything
- rudasn 3y agoI think it's more like every japanese motor company produces everything that has a motor in it. Except Yamaha. Yamaha is just weird.
- lb1lf 3y agoI seem to recall reading in The Economist years and years ago that this was largely a result of countless mergers and acquisitions and a strong cultural distaste for whittling away units not part of what was defined as the business' core du jour. (Good on them, I say) Anyway, the result was that Japan's biggest supplier of tomato soup was... Sony.
- Dalewyn 3y agoMitsubishi produces everything from pencils to space rockets and everything in-between and not in-between.
- freetime2 3y agoAccording to Wikipedia [1], the Mitsubishi Pencil Company is not related to the Mitsubishi rocket company (aka Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) and Mitsubishi Group. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uni-ball https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uni-ball
- lb1lf 3y agoWow, I've been using Mitsubishi Hi-Unis as my go-to pencils for decades now, and always assumed they were part of The(tm) Mitsubishi group. IMHO they outrank anything as all-round pencils - I mostly use mine in H grade for writing, occasionally bringing out a set of various grades for some drawing, but still - Hi-Unis are unbreakable, consistent, takes kindly to erasing mistakes and... Wow, beating Tombows, Blackwings, Lumographs, the works. IMHO, at least. YMMV. Terms&Conditions apply.
- _Qeomash_ 3y agoBe sure to turn on closed captions!
- vincnetas 3y agoJust to paraphrase a meme "Not a Cell Phone in Sight, Just people living in the moment" : "Not a single SaaS in sight, Just people producing value" I was quick to pick SaaS as a target, please suggest any better alternatives. I'm trying to convey the idea that technology is not the objective, it's a tool to achieve the goal. So if cassette tapes are getting you there you don't need a fancy software and newest hardware.
- justrealist 3y ago> Just people producing value You aren't very familiar with Japanese corporate culture.
- masklinn 3y agoThis seems like a middle-size manufacturing company, not office jobs where the issue you’re referring to is most salient.
- bmitc 3y agoTheir comment is reflecting upon the posted video and nothing else. Yes, Japan seems to have a rather vapid corporate culture in some areas (so do most countries), but Japan is also famous for manufacturing very high-quality goods using old and repurposed machines and passed down techniques, as seen in this video.
- rob74 3y agoYou'd be surprised to see how much old industrial machinery is still being used around the world, even in other developed countries. Machines like these are a huge investment, so as long as they are still working flawlessly (and I imagine that the Japanese take maintenance seriously, so the machines will be working flawlessly), it's hard to justify replacing them. So they use punch cards for the patterns, what's the problem? And I imagine the computer system is only needed when new punch cards have to be produced, which won't happen that often - for existing patterns, they can use the existing punch cards.
- fgededigo 3y agoThe patterns are read using a Z80 Sharp MZ computer (MZ-80K?) from 1979. Nice This channel (Byte Attic) have a restoration video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiAL5LCQ7Ds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiAL5LCQ7Ds
- masswerk 3y agoIt's definitely a Sharp MZ-80K. https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=174 https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=174 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_MZ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_MZ Edit, regarding the video: It should be mentioned that the parts found in late 1970s and early 1980s computers were usually of quite good quality (things like capacitors were also more expensive then) and modern parts are not necessarily better or more reliable. "Shotgunning" all capacitors doesn't necessarily improve things. E.g., mine works perfectly fine without changing a single part. This particular machine, shown in the video, was in a bit of a rough state, though.
- alexchevsky 3y agoAFAIK, punch cards were used in the textile industry long before computers came to town. It’s just very convenient to map patterns. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it:)
- Legogris 3y ago> [deleted]: If anyone (white hat) can hack this place - upload some really beautiful patterns that certain [cosplay/furry/pokemon/whatever] types would love then have those communities purchase these patterns and keep this going. I live by a different Japanese small town famous for its textile industry and there's at least one place still similarly using punch cards and tape. They exhibited some of it and a contemporary art piece made using it during the annual Fuji Textile Week last year. Separately I also met an artist who's doing binary-hacked glitch embroidery and knitting with older machines in the area. I think they have stuff for sale from time to time and would be open for commissions. There's some pokemon/otaku/tech-related stuff if you dig through their insta. https://nukeme.nu/tagged/Glitch%20Embroidery https://nukeme.nu/tagged/Glitch%20Embroidery https://glitchknit.jp/ https://glitchknit.jp/
- piyushpr134 3y agoJapan has one of the most legacy tech as they probably automated them first and an ageing population probably is resistant to change. They still use fax and telegrams quite a lot
- midoridensha 3y ago>They still use fax and telegrams quite a lot Telegrams? Is this some kind of joke? I've never seen anything resembling a telegram here. Faxes are still used between businesses, which is much the same as the US where they're ubiquitous in the real estate and legal industries.
- brigandish 3y ago> Telegrams? Is this some kind of joke? I've never seen anything resembling a telegram here. They're used for special occasions, you can even get them printed on pretty paper and put in pretty envelopes.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- tkgally 3y agoTelegrams are still commonly used in Japan to send messages of congratulations and condolence. https://www.denpoppo.com/ https://www.denpoppo.com/ https://www.ntt-east.co.jp/dmail/ https://www.ntt-east.co.jp/dmail/ Wedding and funeral ceremonies often include a segment where someone reads aloud messages that have been delivered by telegram.
- midoridensha 3y agoThis doesn't seem like a technological issue at all, unlike Fax machines. Unless I'm missing something, this is basically like the old-fashioned "singing telegrams" in the US, except without the singing part: you're just hiring a person to deliver a message in-person and read it aloud. The message isn't being transmitted over actual telegraph wires.
- bmitc 3y agoBeautiful video, in more ways than one. This is how machines are meant to be used: augmenting humans rather than enslaving them. Also, I have always felt that people who design industrial automation machines are mad geniuses. They just seem so complex but work!
- Tor3 3y agoImagine how much manual work this used to be, back in the Edo period where the garment was invented. I wouldn't change a thing, except the stuffing - it's a winter garment, so I would stuff it with wool instead of cotton, though that was of course not an option in the Edo period and still hardly is, in Japan.
- JohnFen 3y ago> I would stuff it with wool instead of cotton It also depends on the price point you want to hit. Cotton is much less expensive than wool.
- Tor3 3y agoYes, though the high quality cotton used in Japan can be quite expensive (we had a lot of cotton from old futons at our home, we had to throw a lot away to make room. That stuff was very expensive when those futons were (hand-)made). The thing about wool is that it insulates even when it's damp, while cotton simply collapses as far as insulation is concerned unless it's completely dry.
- JohnFen 3y agoAbsolutely. I'm a huge fan of wool (mostly because no other material will do when I'm camping in middle of the wilderness). But the cost of it makes it difficult for a lot of people to afford. In any case, my point really is that the right material to use in production depends on what your target market is. If you're aiming to sell at a more affluent crowd, then wool all the way! But you might also be aiming to sell at a larger, less affluent group that makes wool the wrong material due to its cost. There's no absolute right or wrong here, only what's right or wrong for the market you're trying to address.
- nyoomboom 3y agoSurprised they don't use Jaccard looms
- gyulai 3y agoTape cassettes, as it happens, are actually hip again. They make cassette players now for a modern tech stack, with bluetooth etc. Bandcamp is full of artists selling tape, and sales of audio cassette tapes have been up year-on-year every year lately. More and more manufacturers are starting to spin up production again [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassette_tape#21st_century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassette_tape#21st_century
- xyst 3y ago[flagged]
- SoKamil 3y agoPlease do not tell him what CDs are made of
- callalex 3y agoCDs use a fraction of the material and have much, much, much greater durability.
- AA-BA-94-2A-56 3y agoIs he implying a comparison to CDs or to codecs over internet? Hint: It’s the latter.
- mopenstein 3y agoHow would one be listening to digital music? On their plastic phones they replace every 2 years? I have cassettes that are 40 years old.
- AA-BA-94-2A-56 3y agoIs this a trick question? I would listen to digital audio on a computer, which I’ve had access to for my entire life. I’m 30 years old, and I’ve never not had a computer in the house. Also, most people purchasing cassettes nowadays most likely also own and use a smartphone. I am trying to understand your perspective, but I just don’t, I’m sorry.
- arthur_sav 3y agoIf it ain't broken...
- cyclotron3k 3y ago...rewrite it in rust
- xyst 3y agoyou mean go, right?
- papertokyo 3y agoRewriting in Go was cool in 2016. It must be Rust now.
- jgrahamc 3y agoOoh. That looks like a Sharp MZ-80K. I spent a ton of time programming one of those and own a still working one. Lovely to see them in action.
- kazinator 3y agoPeople still use textile? It's so much easier to just texture map your avatar. Oh, but wait, don't tell me; they actually go outside. LOL!
- mattlondon 3y agoI wonder if at the time this was a bleeding-edge factory that was adopting these state-of-the-art practices and it has stayed that way since? Or did it only just get the tape cassette in 2003? :) Interesting. I wonder if non-tape- based things are any more efficient, or is the z80 based system peak-tech for weaving.
- HeyLaughingBoy 3y agoProbably what you said in your first sentence. At the time of manufacture, Z-80 CPU was the standard for controllers like that. In 2023, your first design pass would probably be an STM32 for real time control and possibly a PC as a UI, or a tablet if the UI needed to be portable. STM32 for real time control and a Linux SoM for GUI/database is a pretty common pattern used for industrial control these days.
- syslog 3y agoSimilar vibe: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35040547 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35040547
- cfcfcf 3y agoIf you enjoy this type of slow film making, this genre of “a day in the life” of Japanese kitchens I find quite meditative and inspiring. https://youtu.be/PC2rAUdpGXM https://youtu.be/PC2rAUdpGXM
- oska 3y agoI had a browse of the videos on that channel and was disappointed to find that there was a strong emphasis on unhealthy street/fast food. Ramen and fried rice and hot dogs and artificially coloured candy and such. Disappointing when Japan has so much healthy food and yet I couldn't see a single video showing a kitchen that produces that higher quality food (which I would certainly like to view).
- guluarte 3y agoFF 2090: Japanese textile factory still uses js and react [hologram]
- tibbydudeza 3y agoReminds me of the Linotype - mechanical perfection for a single task.
- ronakjain90 3y agoKeep it simple and stupid
- perihelions 3y agoIn case anyone was unaware, textiles were the original domain of punch cards [0]. (And the mechanical loom was an antecedent of and inspiration for the first general-purpose computer; and not coincidentally Babbage's concept, in the 1830's (!!), was to input machine code via punch card [1]. "We may say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves" –Ada Lovelace (What a lovely metaphor!)) [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punched_card#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punched_card#History [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_engine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_engine
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- greggsy 3y agoI’ve only just noticed the coincidental connection between Ada’s surname and the lacemaking machinery that was the target of many Luddites.
- tough 3y agoYou noticing made me research a bit more and found this article in case you or anyone else might be interested too https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/doing-good-science/ada-lovelace-and-the-luddites/ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/doing-good-science/ada-...
- 93po 3y agolearned new word today, thanks! (antecedent). > The Oxford English dictionary defines the word antecedent as a thing that existed before or precedes another. Precedent, on the other hand, is defined as an earlier event or action which serves as an example or guide.
- perihelions 3y ago
- girishso 3y agoPretty sure similar punched cards are used in Indian textile companies even today.
- masswerk 3y agoIt's never wrong to use a Sharp MZ-80K – what a beautiful machine! (BTW, there had been an actual 80-column punched card reader available for this.) It may be worth mentioning that the tape storage of the Sharp MZ family of computers is exceptionally fast. E.g., transferring MP3 encoded media files won't do. This is also, why floppy disks were never a big thing on that platform, as tape was deemed good enough. The Sharp MZ-80K (as indicated by its name powered by a Z80 microprocessor) was originally sold as a kit computer, but, unlike the more common variety, it came in larger pre-assemblies, like the entire monitor assembly, etc. (No soldering required.) Outside of Japan, it was usually sold fully assembled, often with RAM already populated to the full complement of 48KB.
- cesaref 3y agoI rather liked the MZ-80K, having spent a bit of time with it as a kid in the early 80s. I was attending a prep boarding school, for kids from 8 through 13 (can't imagine anyone sending their kids to boarding school aged 8 any more! How times have changed) and one of the pupils had this machine. We spent quite some time playing Towering Inferno on it... I seem to remember the MZ-80A having a better keyboard. I don't know if I ever used one, or just saw pictures in computer magazines of the time.
- masswerk 3y agoYes, there was also a later version of the MZ-80, the MZ-80C, which featured a more conventional keyboard. But, I think, the original one is quite beautiful (while, admittedly, not that usable) and it reminds of a time, when it wasn't all that clear that consumer computers should have typing keyboards. (Mind that not everybody was trained in touch typing, and this was pretty much a new beginning.) BTW, I see that the machine in the video has kanji legends on the keyboard, which isn't found on the models that were sold in Europe. The latter feature upper and lower-case characters, which is switched by a special "SML/CAP" key (not the SHIFT key, which is for graphics characters!), a key that shows kanji markings on the domestic model. (So, I guess, the original, domestic model was Latin upper-case/kanji without lower-case?) Does anyone know more about this?
- supernova87a 3y agoInteresting that it's just this one step that they stick to the old 80s technology. The rest of the design, inspection, weaving, cutting, etc. seems to have moved on, understandably. By the way, did you know that (some) modern looms use jets of air/water to send the weft thread across the loom? No more shuttles or mechanical passing of the thread. Amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVWkZiHjreI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVWkZiHjreI
- sirmarksalot 3y agoI saw that demonstrated at the Toyota Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya. One of the tradeoffs with that is that you can't use cotton because it won't interact cleanly with the water, so it only works for synthetic fibers. If you ever find yourself in that part of the world, I highly recommend visiting the textile pavilion there. They basically show you 1000x throughput improvement developed over the course of a century, demonstrated in about an hour.
- masswerk 3y agoI guess, it may be difficult to find a suitable machine targeting mid-sized manufacturers with small production runs, nowadays. A replacement and retraining everybody involved and re-editing the data may just no be worth the investment, as long as the existing technology keeps up.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- azubinski 3y agoThey make kimonos. I don't know the specific requirements for kimono fabrics, but I suspect there are. Accordingly, they use special weaving machines. These machines are clearly made to order in extremely limited quantities. Tape cassettes and punched tapes are attributes of the control subsystem of these machines. For fabric design, they use Photoshop (is it like Photoshop?) and a completely modern PC. That is, they do everything right and in the right way. There is no point in changing machines if the machines are doing their job, especially if they are doing their job according to unique requirements. Upgrading this system just for the sake of upgrading will either bankrupt the company or lead to the creation of something completely different that is clearly not wanted by consumers. But here's what's really interesting - what heads are in their tape recorders and what kind of tape do they use in cassettes, that all this can withstand the production cycle? This is really impressive.
- helsinkiandrew 3y agoAlso Polish auto repair shop using Commodore 64: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12604414 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12604414 I also remember a discussion here about a camp site that was still using a booking system on an eighties computer, but couldn't find it.
- kansai 3y agoIt was an Atari ST: https://youtu.be/6LxPEz9x2fs https://youtu.be/6LxPEz9x2fs
- flippinburgers 3y agoThis is really beautiful.
- crazytony 3y agoIf you are in Japan, I would highly suggest you visit the Toyota museum in Nagoya. Toyota started as a loom manufacturer and the museum has a ton of working artifacts (I recall one is from the 1600s). They have a tour that shows you the full evolution of the loom technology including one operating by punch cards. I had no idea until I visited the museum shortly before COVID
- bell-cot 3y agoFirst Reaction: "Secure by default, and zero remote holes since..."
- wslh 3y agoAlso, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Or "If it works, don't touch it."
- LoveMortuus 3y agoIf it ain't broken, don't fix it.
- markus_zhang 3y agoI heard from some friends that some Chinese factories are still using machineries brought by the Japanese (when they invaded China) and even Imperial Germany (some 190x machines).
- uraura 3y agoThe punch card is the "design". From the video, it isn't user friendly to edit on terminal. (btw, it is rare to see full English UI in Japan) They can just replace the part to create the punch card. But the textile machine is totally fine to keep consuming punch card. Tape is fine too but it is risky because factory may stop creating tape.
- gregjw 3y agoRobust enough to keep working, so why replace it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
- taoufix 3y agoI didn't know Brother made sweing machine, I though they only make printers.
- HeyLaughingBoy 3y agoThey also make CNC milling machines and drill presses.
- class3shock 3y agoJust to clarify, they are using the cassettes and old computers to create punch cards required to run older machines they are using. They are also using modern equipment and computers. This is fairly common in industrial manufacturing because the cost of replacing or retrofitting expensive equipment is high not because older = better (although I'm sure sometimes that is the case).
- renegade-otter 3y agoJapan is fascinating to me because obviously the culture puts a huge emphasis on traditions. And that is fine. It also seems to me that at some point the fear of not "refreshing" the old ways leads to anachronisms like these. This is not just a one off, as we know - Japan is still a heavy (the only?) user of floppy disks and fax machines. Sometimes traditions need to be revisited - and then retired.
- Aeolun 3y agoFax machines have been dying pretty hard over the past 10 years though.
- FrustratedMonky 3y agoThe Old School is the Best School. Some problems don't need to be refactored, re-implemented, upgraded, and put in the cloud with a handy mobile app for your convenience.
- jassyr 3y agoThere is something comforting about machines whirring, knocking, click clacking. The physical card printed, cut, and handled by hands. There should be a name for that feeling, like being in an old book store, being able to touch everything, read the books, flip them back and forth.
- userbinator 3y agoThere's a significant amount of heavy machinery made in the late 19th/early 20th century still in use in the US too, although I suspect they're more like the Ship of Theseus now. The cost of replacement (especially for highly specialised machines), and the cost of downtime (lost production), strongly biases the decision towards maintenance rather than replacement.
- marstall 3y agocool, what are some of them?
- Loughla 3y agoI can speak to one machine - my father has been a machinist for 30+ years. In his custom shop they have a vertical metal lathe that was built in something like 1870 (and is big enough to park a car on the table, by the way). It has been retrofitted with new jaws, a new table, motor instead of belt power, and electronic controls. But the core machine is still very much from the 1870's. If you strip the electronics off, you can still hand control it like they would've then. I would imagine this kind of thing is tucked away in small shops all across the country.
- ChatGTP 3y agoThey're clearly missing out because they've not incorporating Scrum,AI (specifically LLMs), Tesla bots, self-driving cars, cloud and a hot new JS library.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- SeasonalEnnui 3y agoIn the scene after the punch card workflow is shown, we see a modern PC with recent software & bespoke input devices. It seems like this factory is pragmatic in their choices which is certainly something to be celebrated.
- tdyfhfhf 3y agoReally bad/misleading/factually-incorrect headline. They use a 40yo computer to control an industrial machine for making cloth, not to design clothing. Which is pretty common.
- rib3ye 3y agoAgree. The original title was “Japanese textile factory still uses tape cassettes and punch cards”. When I woke up in the morning it was changed (by a mod?).
- tagawa 3y agoThe title change confused me too, and seems to be happening more often. Feels like a net-negative to me.
- somedude895 3y agoThe YT channel seems to be run by a Japanese, so it's probably not malicious.
- yakubin 3y agoThe title on YT it autotranslated by YT. If you change UI language in your account settings on Google/YT, the title of the video will change as well. Truly horrible, but in-character for Google when it comes to localisation.
- rib3ye 3y agoOP here. How/why was the post title changed?
- kernal 3y agoThe 40 year old computer is the irrelevant part. The craftsmanship and attention to detail, by these women, is the real story.
- forinti 3y agoNot that surprising when you consider that some Japanese companies still weave jeans by hand. Japan is an interesting mix of old and new.
- mjhay 3y agoVintage Americana is big in Japan. I understand that has created a market for very high-quality jeans as vintage American jeans are harder to find and modern American jeans are of far lower quality.
- sheepscreek 3y agoBefore anyone dismisses the Japanese for using old tech - whether it’s fax machines or funny looking flip phones, I’ll say that it’s truly admirable of them to always focus on the problem than getting excited over new tech. Has that prevented them from advancing as a society? No. Has that prevented new innovations? Certainly not. This has likely prevented a lot of devices from being decommissioned and adding to our recycling woes and landfill. For contrast, a typical North American company refreshes all computers every 3 years. Imagine that. I am sure that where it matters, companies are using newer tooling, but where the benefits are minuscule - there’s no pressure to change. Japanese people can take comfort in knowing their favourite hardware will be supported for a very long time.
- sheepscreek 3y agoI think there’s a fundamental difference in how the two societies work which is at play here. In North America, we are largely driven by monetary benefits. Everything is done to optimize profits, that eventually translates to a fatter paycheque for the CEO. That thinking trickles down. There’s only one hard rule, don’t break any laws. Everything else is game. At the very bottom, you generally have people that have been marginalized. The society has written them off. They work many jobs to merely survive. I’ll save more on that for another day. In comparison, Japanese society is driven by honour. Executives are less likely to take decisions solely for generating demand, through innovative marketing or trickery. People work their entire lives for the same company - that looks after them. The proverbial “salaryman”. This kind of motivation creates more clarity on the end goal/purpose, which leads to more innovation. When you’re not chasing the golden goose and are driven by honour/respect, you’re more likely to be focused on the customer and what’s truly in their best interest. Some NA companies do this too - but it’s not a trait we particularly value above all else and is far far from being the norm. The genuine concern for another being, even in business, is embedded in Japanese culture. Whether it’s being on time, or masking when you’re sick to protect others around you. Truly fascinating and admirable (though not without trad-offs).
- vjust 3y agoWell put.
- JohnFen 3y agoMakes perfect sense to me! If your current solution continues to work well, you shouldn't take on the costs and risks of switching to a different solution. I have a server that's even older than that in my home network. Why? Because it continues to do its job well. The cost (in time) and risk of of swapping it out for newer hardware makes doing so the less appealing choice.
- dazhbog 3y agoI recently bought some 25+ year old DOS PCB pick and place machines[1]. These machines are basically considered scrap (by some) but they allow me to assemble a ton of boards automatically. Its incredible how these machines achieve so much with <64MHz CPUs [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27JxtoDPnTI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27JxtoDPnTI
- ChrisArchitect 3y agoWhat is the original title of this video? It's weird that YouTube changes it from Japanese. Like, let me decide if I want it translated or indicate it has been translated?? And was this editorialized from the original?
- ChrisArchitect 3y ago40年前のパソコンが現役！機械と手仕事で伝統を守りながらはんてんを作る日本の工場 ... A computer from 40 years ago is still in use! A Japanese factory that makes hanten while preserving tradition with machines and handwork
- dangerboysteve 3y agoVery clickbait heading. The 40 your old computer is used for the loom pattern. The cloths are designed and patterns cut from modern computers and software.
- jedc 3y agoYears ago I got to know a startup that effectively reverse-engineered the punchcard-like code necessary to run about half of the massive textile looms used in factories all over the world. Instead of needing to use the ancient systems / software that the loom ran, they built software that could effectively treat the loom as a printer. It took them a while to find the right business model, but now they partner with huge brands to offer them textile customization AT SCALE, which previously was pretty much unheard of. - https://www.unmade.com/ https://www.unmade.com/
- pvillano 3y agoI remember there was a writeup here of a bottled water brand that created N algorithmically generated unique designs. If you're doing something that scales linearly - inkjet/laser printing, textile manufacturing, 3d printing, etc., why not make each item unique?
- hbarka 3y agoOh come on. In other news, Bank Of America is still using IBM OS/390.
- helij 3y agoThis reminded me of another Japanese company called Takahashi and their video[0] on making telescopes. [0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC0dBh53dyI&t=9s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC0dBh53dyI&t=9s
- sakesun 3y agoThat Youtube channel has 448K subscribers with 177,105,580 views for just 148 videos. Impressive !
- stuaxo 3y agoAm I the only person that on being presented by a YouTube and immediately on a link like this, just hits back and closes the tab?
- bob_theslob646 3y agoDoes anyone know how they design clothes now? What are the modern processes?