The China i18n Challenge: Western #Fails in Type, Typewriters, & Computers

Networking 6:30-7:00 PM, and after the talk as time allows.
Webcast: RSVP, then contact us (https://www.meetup.com/IMUG-Silicon-Valley/message/?recipientId=11534644) to register for access.

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Special prizes! Several lucky attendees will receive metal type sets with Chinese characters. Details below.

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Ever since the mass manufacture of keyboard typewriters began in the United States, companies like Remington and Underwood imagined a day when this new device would conquer the Chinese language in the same way it had practically every living script across the world. It never did.

Ever since the invention and popularization of hot metal printing in the United States and Europe, companies like Linotype and Monotype dreamt of a day when their technologies would conquer the Chinese language, just as they had Arabic, Armenian, Burmese, Devanagari, Hebrew, Korean, and over one hundred other scripts. They never did.

Ever since the advent of personal computing, companies like IBM and others imagined a day when Chinese keyboards would behave "just like ours," even including the familiar QWERTY keyboard. They never did (even though QWERTY is now ubiquitous).

Drawing upon over a decade of research on modern Chinese information technology, Tom Mullaney of Stanford University (https://history.stanford.edu/people/tom-mullaney) will reflect upon the vital importance of history and culture in the process of technological internationalization, particularly in China.

Dr. Mullaney is the author of two forthcoming books from MIT Press, The Chinese Typewriter: A Global History of the Information Age, Part I, to be published next year, followed by The Chinese Computer: A Global History of the Information Age, Part II.

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Special prizes! Our host, Dr. Ken Lunde, will hold a drawing to give away several sets of hot metal type with the Chinese characters for "Adobe". Click here for a photo! (https://www.instagram.com/p/BEMhdrlkovM/)

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Admission is free for IMUG members and Adobe employees, and $5 for non-members. IMUG membership is only $20 for the first year, $15 for annual renewal, or $100 for lifetime membership. (At this time we are not charging for remote webcast attendance, but please support IMUG if you find these events useful.) Click here to join, renew or pay a single non-member event fee via PayPal. Cash and checks also accepted at our events. http://www.imug.org/imug-membership-and-event-fees.htm

Please RSVP via Meetup by 4:30 PM two days before the event to help IMUG and our hosts prepare badges for you in advance. After that time it's still OK to RSVP right up to the last minute, as that will help us ensure enough seats for everyone! http://events.imug.org/

Adobe® Connect™ webcast: If you can't make it to downtown San Jose for this event, please join us via your browser. The url is different every time. RSVP and then contact us (https://www.meetup.com/IMUG-Silicon-Valley/message/?recipientId=11534644) to register. We are not charging for webcast access at this time. (Recording is subject to speaker approval, and will be announced after the event if available.)

Many thanks to Dr. Ken Lunde, Janice Campbell, and Adobe Globalization for hosting IMUG! For maps, detailed directions, restaurants and more, see http://www.imug.org/adobe/

The hashtag for IMUG events is #IMUG408 (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23IMUG408&src=tyah), honoring Silicon Valley's main area code. Follow @i18n_mug: http://twitter.com/i18n_mug