trivia :: mechanical pencils

[moyashi]

Trivia Time::

Mechcanical pencils are known as [shapu] ... sharp pens in Japan.

Now, why would that be?

[nebosuke]

They always remain sharp, no matter how much you use them.

[samuraitora]

I agree with nebosukesan.
They never need sharpening

[Scott]

As do I, sounds like a legi answer to me.

[moyashi]

nope, nothing to do with the functionality.

I gave the answer above ;)

[samuraitora]

you have me stumped...sometimes that is very easy...lol

[moyashi]

lolo ... gonna drag this out a bit more.

the answer is in the first post It's like counting the number of "f"s in an email I got. I bet half the world too. The answer is there.

zen ... buddhism ... saturi (enlightenment) is here and now

[deborah gormley]

WHAT!!!!!!

LOLOL now I'm totally lost!
Moyashi you are doing it again,, criptic clues,lolol we have no chance!!

[moyashi]

- my first message has less than 20 words in it.
- The answer is in the first message.
- I'm not being cryptic

[Scott]

I don't get it...

[samuraitora]

I am still lost too.

[moyashi]

the answer is a few words before Japan.

ughhh ... I wonder if the company is not that famous in the states?

[Twisted]

Ah, if you had used capitals, it would have been clearer that it was a brandname.
But i know Sharp only as an electronics manufacturer. I didn't know they also made pencils.

[thomas]

It's like referring to vacuum cleaners as "hoovers".
;)

[nebosuke]

Same problem as Tweisted here, would have never thought of Sharp for anything besides electronics, and they aren't even well known for that here. I think the only group of people that preferred Sharp products were MD enthusiasts over here, they were divided between Sharp and Sony. Sharp really doesn't have good mindshare in teh US, I don't know if more PR would help much at this point.

Where are people from who call vacuum cleaners hoovers? I've never heard that before. Calling flying discs "frisbees" and calling small bandage strips "band-aids" are the most common eponyms I can think of here.

[thomas]

Originally posted by nebosuke
Where are people from who call vacuum cleaners hoovers? I've never heard that before.

I really can't tell. Perhaps it's a question of age, not of location.

[moyashi]

BINGO!

Sharp started off like Sony totaly different companies from what they are doing today. Sharp copyrighted their mechcanical pencils way back in 1925 or was it 1890 something. Anyway, much earlier than I had even imagined.

Sharp sold their rights and used that money to invest in the electronics sector.

True Sharp isn't really known like Sony but their products are pretty normally better than Sony. Sony no longer really produces anything in Japan anymore thereby dropping in quality. My Sharp video deck is still kicking after close to 9 years.

[samuraitora]

I agree with moyashi...kinda.
The old Sharp things here in the states are great...I still have a Sharp TV that is almost 10 years old...still great, but Sony is producing great products over here.

Sony and RCA are the 2 top producers with Pioneer, Sharp, Fujitsu, and others pulling up the rear.

Pioneer, and Bose are gaining a lot of ground in home sterios.
Fujitsu is pushing up in the way of small electronics like cameras and things like that.
RCA is a staple of the US...they have been around for a very long time producing great things.

[moyashi]

RCA/Victor as it's known over here.

Pioneer has always been a good car stereo company.
Well, Bose are just plainly great speakers.

Interesting enough is that Panasonic/National is coming hard on to Sony.

Great video cameras and other electronics.

[samuraitora]

for some reason, over here people look at Japanese products as great electronics. They just don't like to buy them because they are not supporting the US.

[moyashi]

But what's a US electronic company?

RCA is Japanese isn't it?

[samuraitora]

I don't know, is RCA Japanese???
That would explain the quality..

[nebosuke]

RCA stands for Radio Corporation of America which was born out of GE in 1919. RCA went on to buy Victor Talking Machine Company (established in the US in 1901) over 70 years ago. I think we can rest assured that they are an American compnay.

It's all here!

What isn't clear is if/how Victor Company of Japan (JVC), which wasn't established until 1927, fits into all of this. Is the Victor part just a coincidence? I can't find mention of any relation.

[moyashi]

The company buildings I see in town have on the wall ( RCA/JVC with Nipper listening to the Megaphone ) That dog is definitely the RCA mutt no doubts about that.

???? hmmm, maybe I should drop by one of those companies one day

[samuraitora]

I have a few JVC Products...There nice...on the cheaper side though. I do like their recording products though...video tapes and things like that.