The Congo Tantalum Rush

Logic Bomb writes: "The New York Times Magazine takes a look at the mining of a muddy substance called coltan. Once refined, it becomes tantalum, the crucial ingredient in capacitors. To put it simply, the modern high-tech world depends on this stuff. And while most of us have images of squeaky-clean chip factories and such -- in marked contrast to sleazy textile sweatshops -- it turns out that this industry has a dark side that takes a major toll on human lives. Definitely worth a read."

We have two options!

[Anonymous Coward]

We could let this continue to occur. This is most likely to happen. Or we could form a private army, funded and outfitted by all the major corporations that require chip tech including Lockheed Martin, Intel, Microsoft, et cetera, and march against the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. We would seize it in an amazing tour de force and control the stream of Tantalum. We would be fair and benevolent leaders and our people would admire us. We would give them shiny baubles and bags of rice and they would treat us like gods.

Re:Not just hi-tech

[KupekKupoppo]

...most of us are wearing at least one piece of clothing produced under less than ideal conditions.

I'm naked, but I guess you still might be right right. I was probably produced under less than ideal conditions.

[sigh]

The tantalum must flow!

[Giant Hairy Spider]

Now you know that would just cause the bushmen you believe to be sparse and to have long since integrated into society to adopt the son of one of the current industry representatives as their messiah, resulting in them taking over the world riding elephants, letting hurricanes into mid-west USA and central Asia with nuclear weapons, and shouting loud enough to crack stone floors.

You wouldn't happen to be a grossly obese man who floats around on suspensors, would you?

That's just unnecessary.

[Giant Hairy Spider]

One thing puzzles me: why do the cafeterias for the coltan mines always have a drink machine that doesn't work and a counter staff that takes off lunch at the same time as the rest of the workers?

This is news?

[Giant Hairy Spider]

A rare and expensive commodity is mined from central Africa and there are unsafe working conditions in the mines and violence over access to the deposits?

Gee, I'm surprised.