去年 Larry Kahaner 写了本书，叫做 AK-47: The Weapon that Changed the Face of War。AK-47 是世界上流传最广的步枪，书中甚至将世界秩序混乱的原因归结于这杆枪。我们这里就不管这种观点的正确与否了，所谓“枪不杀人，人杀人”。

看过尼古拉斯·凯奇的《战争之王》的话，应该对片中介绍 AK-47 并不陌生：

在苏联制造的所有兵器中，没有什么会比 AK-47 更成功，这是一种全世界最普及的突击步枪，深受喜爱。外形简单优雅，只有9磅。它不会散架、卡壳或者过热，泥浆和沙砾都无法阻碍它的正常工作。操作简单，甚至儿童都会使用。苏联将它印到硬币上，莫桑比克则将它印到国旗上。自从冷战结束以来，AK-47已经继伏特加、鱼子酱和小说家之后，成为俄罗斯最伟大的出口商品。

美军在越战的时候用过 M-14 和 M-16，最后全面转至更轻便的 M-16。但是，M-16 居然在战场上卡壳了！被发现的美军尸体很多都是握着卡壳的 M-16，然后就闹了笑话：后来很多美军士兵干脆从打死的越共那里抢 AK 用…

我们今天不讨论这个…这边有一份幻灯：Architectures for Conversation可以看一下。转贴关于这两杆枪的部分：

Both of these designed objects look very similar in all the ways that seem to matter. They both look like assault rifles, and they both work basically the same way. So how could they be much different?

The M-16 is designed with a particular philosophy in mind.

• There will always be a proprietary infrastructure capable of manufacturing them and delivering parts;
• There will always be money to pay for them;
• Exactly the right ammunition will be available for it;
• Soldiers will have and take the time to meticulously clean and maintain the weapon. (otherwise it is notorious for jamming)
• Soldiers using them will be professional marksmen.

The design of the device comes with certain implications that it cannot escape --

you could say that these qualities are in its DNA.

The AK47, although appearances is the same thing (an assault rifle), is almost completely different in most of the ways that count.

• It was designed for easy mass production,
• parts that could more easily be repaired and remanufactured, and retrofitted,
• it’s not fussy about ammunition, meaning it’s easier to get hold of bullets it can fire.
• and while it’s not a marksman’s weapon, it’s close enough.

That means its DNA is different enough that it lends itself to latent emergence -- only in this case, unfortunately, that means political strife, insurgencies, and 3rd world armies. According to the UN the AK-47 kills more than a Quarter Million people every year.

But the main lesson here is that a few design decisions can make a huge difference in the impact a designed thing can have on the world. It’s not terribly hard to draw a parallel with something less lethal, but still powerful.

想起早期乔治·伊斯曼还是非常准确的抓住了大众摄影的需求，才发明了胶卷以及柯达相机，创立了柯达这个品牌。