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Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

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Re: Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

#181

Post by seanmcdirmid »

the_af wrote: post #169
saltwatercowboy wrote: post #159

Something about this feels off. Anyone else?

It feels off to me as well. It's the kind of unverifiable story that we would like to believe, but there's almost zero way of having independent confirmation. The photos could be from anywhere. The author seems likeable and writes an interesting story, but who knows how much of it is true. The story seems almost tailored to cater to HN, with secret projects, nuclear power, China, and secrecy.

It is completely plausible, and no details in the story are outlandish for China. Heck, it feels tamer than I would imagine, even.

Re: Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

#182

Post by zerofor_conduct »

Vincent_Yan404 wrote: post #2

Hi HN, OP here. I grew up in "Factory 404," a secret nuclear industrial city in the Gobi Desert that officially didn't exist on public maps. This is a memoir about my childhood there. It was a surreal place: we had elite scientists living next to laborers, a zoo in the middle of the desert, and distinct "communist" welfare, all hidden behind a classified code. This is Part 1 of the story. I'm happy to answer any ques…

Fascinating and well told - many thanks!

Re: Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

#184

Post by the_af »

o10449366 wrote: post #174
the_af wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An incorrect but more authentic translation would seem more real, like an human earnestly trying to tell a story. We would accept the imperfections and have a subjective feeling of more authenticity. Of course, even this can be faked, sadly.

When the translation differs so much from what the author is trying to say in their native language, it loses its earnestness. That's why translation is a job in the first place and you don't see publishers running whole books through Google translate. No one, least the authors, would accept that.

We don't know how much the imperfect translation would differ from the author’s intent, but we would sure try to meet him halfway. Nobody would criticize his broken English.

Contrast this with the faux polite, irritating tone of the AI, complete with fabrications and phrases the author didn't even intend to write.

Authenticity has value. AI speech is anything but authentic.

Re: Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

#185

Post by [deleted] »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #181
the_af wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It feels off to me as well. It's the kind of unverifiable story that we would like to believe, but there's almost zero way of having independent confirmation. The photos could be from anywhere. The author seems likeable and writes an interesting story, but who knows how much of it is true. The story seems almost tailored to cater to HN, with secret projects, nuclear power, China, and secrecy.

It is completely plausible, and no details in the story are outlandish for China. Heck, it feels tamer than I would imagine, even.

[deleted]

Re: Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

#186

Post by Obscurity4340 »

> Witnessing such scorched-earth containment (ending with someones couch being neutralized) makes the modern definition of nuclear power as the ‘cleanest energy’ completely incomprehensible to me.

Thats a bit much, isnt it? This was in the early days of their nuclear progress, of course at the time it wasnt going to be a linear, completely efficient and sanitized. Kind of a weird comment, nothing develops perfectly while its development chugs along

Re: Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

#187

Post by throw10920 »

idiotsecant wrote: post #112
thomassmith65 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As often as not, these days, when someone online criticizes the West, it's for something absurd (eg: Churchill interfering with Hitler's continental invasions, or America using the word 'regime' when discussing Iran). Obviously, other times the criticism is wholly justified. What "dominant Western narratives" apply here? I'm not going to bicker. I'm just curious.

There's no need to be defensive. We are largely westerners on a western website studying history from a western perspective. There's nothing wrong with that, it's natural. It just means we lose some understanding of events if that's the only side we know. OP is performing a service by documenting first-person history, and doesn't need to justify why it's important. It's important.

> There's no need to be defensive.

This is extremely manipulative. The only reasons to say something like this are to shame the person you're respond to and/or attack and discredit them and force them to respond defensively. Don't do this.

(it also immediately outs you as not having any valid points to make, because someone with a reasonable response doesn't need to stoop to emotional attacks)

Re: Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

#188

Post by jama211 »

Obscurity4340 wrote: post #186

> Witnessing such scorched-earth containment (ending with someones couch being neutralized) makes the modern definition of nuclear power as the ‘cleanest energy’ completely incomprehensible to me. Thats a bit much, isnt it? This was in the early days of their nuclear progress, of course at the time it wasnt going to be a linear, completely efficient and sanitized. Kind of a weird comment, nothing develops perfectly w…

It’s a personal emotional experience, nothing weird about it at all. Only weird thing is how you singled it out.

Re: Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

#189

Post by jama211 »

Vincent_Yan404 wrote: post #2

Hi HN, OP here. I grew up in "Factory 404," a secret nuclear industrial city in the Gobi Desert that officially didn't exist on public maps. This is a memoir about my childhood there. It was a surreal place: we had elite scientists living next to laborers, a zoo in the middle of the desert, and distinct "communist" welfare, all hidden behind a classified code. This is Part 1 of the story. I'm happy to answer any ques…

Amazing story, thank you for sharing it

Re: Growing up in “404 Not Found”: China's nuclear city in the Gobi Desert

#190

Post by nephihaha »

Obscurity4340 wrote: post #186

> Witnessing such scorched-earth containment (ending with someones couch being neutralized) makes the modern definition of nuclear power as the ‘cleanest energy’ completely incomprehensible to me. Thats a bit much, isnt it? This was in the early days of their nuclear progress, of course at the time it wasnt going to be a linear, completely efficient and sanitized. Kind of a weird comment, nothing develops perfectly w…

The development programme was haphazard. They got bits and pieces off the Soviets and had to figure the rest out.
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