Михаилу Калашникову 90

автомат Калашникова образца 1949 года

Михаил Тимофеевич вчера отпраздновал свой юбилей! Один из уважаемых мною дизайнерских ресурсов опубликовал статью о прославленном конструкторе и его главном детище АК-47. Молодцы,  краткая такая статья по делу, без эмоций позитивно-конструктивная. Я удовлетворённо пролистал её до конца, но тут напоролся на комментарии :) А там прям  страсти кипят: «Позор вам за такие публикации»,  «что это за дизайн который людей убивает»….В общем тема как говорится задела за живое, хотя и здравые мысли тоже прозвучали. Я сначала обиделся: «славу русского оружия» попирают, а потом задумался. Оружие и впрямь красиво по форме, но страшно по функции, вот ведь штука какая.  Тем не менее я считаю, что создатель не должен нести ответственность за то как воспользовались его детищем. Калашников гениальный конструктор (и дизайнер)  и заслуживает и внимания и почестей.

Ниже статья и комментарии…

AK-47’s designer mikhail kalashnikov celebrates his 90th birthday

first model, disassembled
renowned small arms designer mikhail kalashnikov marks his 90th jubilee in izhevsk, russia,
where he has been living and working for more than half a century. an all- russian fair opens
tommorow on this occasion. demonstration firing from kalashnikov-developed weapon systems
will be held within the framework of the fair.

a ceremonial meeting and a gala concert are to be held on wednesday, november 11.

the kalashnikov assault rifle, also known to the west as the AK-47 (avtomat kalashnikova
— 47, kalashnikov automatic rifle, model of 1947), and its derivatives, also known under
the common name of AK, is the most prolific small arm of the 2nd half of the XX century.
it had been and still is (in more or less modified form) manufactured in dozens of countries,
and used in hundreds of countries and conflicts since its introduction. the total number of
the AK-type rifles made worldwide during the last 60 years is estimated at 90+ millions.
this is a true legendary weapon, known for its extreme ruggedness, simplicity of operation
and maintenance, and unsurpassed reliability even in worst conditions possible. it is used not
only as a military weapon, but also as a platform for numerous sporting civilian rifles and shotguns
(see saiga semiautomatic shotguns, for example). the AK is an amalgam of previously known
features and solutions, combined in the most effective way. the effectiveness, however, depends
on the criteria used to measure it, and the key criteria for any and every soviet and russian military
arm are: reliability, simplicity of operation and maintenance, suitability for mass production.
there never was any significant demand for good ergonomics or superb accuracy, though.

kalashnikov has the military rank of lieutenant-general. he went through a way from a self-taught-inventor and while in hospital,
mikhail timofeevitch concieved the idea of a submachine gun. he became the general designer of small arms in the soviet army.

mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov was born in the village of kurya, altai guberniya (region),
on november 10, 1919.

during the great patriotic war of 1941-1945, he fought at the bryansk front.
it was precisely there that he conceived the idea of developing small arms that would be in
no way inferior to the german ones. however, his famous AK-47 submachine-gun was launched
into production in izhevsk only in 1949. subsequently, a whole family of automatic small arms
has been developed here. the characteristics of many of them still remain unsurpassed up to now.

over 60 years of work, kalashnikov advanced in his career up to the position of chief designer
of small arms at the izhmach company.

more than 100 million kalashnikov rifles have now been sold worldwide, unfortunately for him,
mr kalashnikov won no royalties in the communist system, while licensing agreements between
the soviet union and its allies across the globe mean that almost 90 per cent of his rifles are now
not produced in russia.

comments:

HOW MANY PEOPLE HAS THIS «DESIGNER» KILLED WITH THIS?? SHAME SHAME SHAME

	BUHO 11.10.09

it’s not the object that kills. it’s the person that used it to kill. many objects we created can be a weapon. even your kitchen knives.

	H&M 11.10.09

why the hell do you post this???

	zivi 11.10.09

This is the weapon of choice of Mexico’s Drug Cartels… Everyday around 20 people die with this piece of design.
I agree with H&M that the gun doesn’t kill by itself, but I also think that there’s no reason to celebrate this kind of inventions.

	nolo 11.10.09

While I have a bit of admiration for the design of the AK, making it ultra-reliable, cheap to produce, and amenable to use by ignorant conscripts worldwide, the designer’s outstanding service in creating it for his communist totalitarian state is more regrettable, and reprehensible, than anything done since then with weapons of his design.

	Mike 11.10.09

Kalashnikov can feel good that his gun has helped provide “affordable” weapons for the American militia to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

	Ron 11.10.09

The Kalashnikov is a masterful design. It is simple, easy and cheap to manufacture by any of a number of processes (stamping, milling, forging), and literally can be buried in mud for days and remain operational.

	what is good design? 11.10.09

The AK-47 has done for killing what the VW Beetle did for motoring.

	Helene 11.10.09

Design classic or not, like the hammer, the sickle, the star, the eagle and the cross, or the distinctive shapes of other products that define our time, the AK-47 has become a part of our semiotic vocabulary; a part of our visual language.

	birgit/designboom 11.10.09

BUHO- A Kitchen knife has the primary use of food preparation, eventhough it can be used as a weapon.

An AK47s primary use is…
Secondary use is…
um!!!

	nalle_pu 11.10.09

it simply says that the ak47 has a original design and that it’s his anniversary…

YOU ARE HYPOCRITES

	Alfred_b 11.10.09

Nalle_pu = +1

	mikou 11.11.09

oups I ment Alfred_b :) !!!
Alfred_b = +1

	mikou 11.11.09

this gun use to kill my family

	takka 11.11.09

THIS TOTALLY KILLING ME OF READING THIS!!!! SHAME ON YOU AND I DONT KNOW WHY THIS SHOULD BE CELEBRATE!!!!!

	peace 11.11.09

Thanks for the nice post!
uggs outlet

	ugg 11.11.09

It’s not a celebration of the piece it self, but the achievement of man designing such things, may it be for the good and the bad, and how can we know something good if we don’t know the bad.

	raisen 11.11.09

About Андрей Волков

Архитектор-дизайнер, художник.

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