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I think possibly this is Israel sticking a dagger in Chinese manufacturing. We sort of knew all along something like this could happen, hence why Huawei got ki

I think possibly this is Israel sticking a dagger in Chinese manufacturing. We sort of knew all along something like this could happen, hence why Huawei got kicked out from the West. But this makes you realize that anything made in mainland China with a Lithium battery is a potential incendiary device, worse still, usually connected to the Internet. Not that I necessarily think China would want to do that, but basically the genie is out of the bottle, and you can't put it back in. The theoretical threat has just literally exploded in people's faces. (I know this was actual explosives not batteries but you could do a lot of damage with batteries)

nemomarx 2y ago
could you do as much damage with batteries though? it seems like they would start fires instead of exploding
- rich_sasha 2y ago
  Set 10% of all electric car batteries on fire at the same time and we're in trouble. Or half of mobile phones.
diggan 2y ago
> I think possibly this is Israel sticking a dagger in Chinese manufacturing. Based on the small amount of information available, hard to say. Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-planted-explosives-hezbollahs-taiwan-made-pagers-say-sources-2024-09-18/ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-planted-exp...) quotes one device as made in Japan, so seemingly goes beyond Chinese manufacturing. Probably some point along the import/export that got hit instead? > Images of the exploded walkie-talkies examined by Reuters showed an inside panel labeled "ICOM" and "made in Japan." > According to its website, ICOM is a Japan-based radio communications and telephone company. > The company has said that production of several models of the ICOM hand-held radio have been discontinued, including the IC-V82, which appeared to closely match those in images from Lebanon on Wednesday and which was phased out in 2014. > The hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time that the pagers were bought, said a security source.
- rich_sasha 2y ago
  Oh yes, I'm not blaming this on China in any way. Rather, this has crystallized the risk of having all manufacturing outsourced, one way or the other - out of control of "trusted allies", whatever that means. Somehow, things we 100% know can happen are much scarier once they actually happen.

nemomarx 2y ago

could you do as much damage with batteries though? it seems like they would start fires instead of exploding

rich_sasha 2y ago
Set 10% of all electric car batteries on fire at the same time and we're in trouble. Or half of mobile phones.

diggan 2y ago

> I think possibly this is Israel sticking a dagger in Chinese manufacturing. Based on the small amount of information available, hard to say. Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-planted-explosives-hezbollahs-taiwan-made-pagers-say-sources-2024-09-18/ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-planted-exp...) quotes one device as made in Japan, so seemingly goes beyond Chinese manufacturing. Probably some point along the import/export that got hit instead? > Images of the exploded walkie-talkies examined by Reuters showed an inside panel labeled "ICOM" and "made in Japan." > According to its website, ICOM is a Japan-based radio communications and telephone company. > The company has said that production of several models of the ICOM hand-held radio have been discontinued, including the IC-V82, which appeared to closely match those in images from Lebanon on Wednesday and which was phased out in 2014. > The hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time that the pagers were bought, said a security source.

rich_sasha 2y ago
Oh yes, I'm not blaming this on China in any way. Rather, this has crystallized the risk of having all manufacturing outsourced, one way or the other - out of control of "trusted allies", whatever that means. Somehow, things we 100% know can happen are much scarier once they actually happen.