Giant keyboard art in Shenzhen metro station offers tech-friendly seating

If you're at the Shenzhen Metro station any time soon, you'll unlikely happen across the beautiful, beautiful sight above. The station -- which is in Shenzhen just north of Hong Kong -- has installed some keyboard art that really speaks to the typist in our souls -- we even type in our dreams occasionally. The keys function as seats to relax in while you wait for your train, though why they chose the keys they chose (Enter, M, <, L, P and ;) is anybody's guess.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

[Michgar @ Apr 23rd 2009 4:56PM]

Enter key on the left? N00bs.

[Drew -- PS360: uphillbothways @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:49PM]

I wonder if it points to the entrance. :)

[The Walrus @ Apr 23rd 2009 4:56PM]

I want one of those under me. Right now.

[phling @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:05PM]

hats off this is great.

has to be commercially available somewhere though? hard to believe this is the first time someone came up with the idea...

[Kiwi616 @ Apr 23rd 2009 4:56PM]

It would be funnier if they had CTRL ATL DEL instead.

[DirtyVegas @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:02PM]

Yeah, and if 3 people sat on them at the same time all the computers in the station would reset. Mayhem!

[Blackstar @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:07PM]

Where's the "Any" key?

[konshuss @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:18PM]

Too bad you can't use them to go to youtube

[Agent .25i @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:19PM]

So long as they don't expect anyone to sit on the "Insert" key.

[OneLove @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:28PM]

yeah, reboot Shenzhen!

[Magallanes @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:34PM]

@Blackstar
Where's the "Any" key?

uuu TAB BEER.

[Blackstar @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:43PM]

@ Magallanes

There no TIME FOR BEER!

[Ellianth @ Apr 23rd 2009 6:41PM]

Now some homeless guy is gonna cum on the enter key...

[Agent .25i @ Apr 23rd 2009 7:16PM]

@Magallanes

If you are reffering to the Simpsons line from Homer - "All this computer hacking is making me thirsty. I think I'll order a Tab. (pushes Tab key) Oop! No time for that now, the computer's starting.". He is talking about a soda that was sorta popular in the 80's... introduced by Coca Cola in the 60's. Apparently, this stuff is still being made.

[jbloch @ Apr 23rd 2009 10:40PM]

The CTRL+ALT+DEL benches can be seen near the Redmond Bus Station.

[Shinigami @ Apr 24th 2009 12:59AM]

"Sit on any key to continue"

[Valicore @ Apr 24th 2009 1:16AM]

@OneLove:

I'm with you, reboot that city!

[Wwhat @ Apr 24th 2009 2:57PM]

In front of the metro, saying 'enter m', yeah I wonder too.

[evplasmaman @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:00PM]

Thats where those keys went!

[IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (BarCODE) @ Apr 24th 2009 1:23AM]

They are identical to the keys missing from my vintage IBM Clicky this message is being typed on.

[Mark @ Apr 23rd 2009 4:58PM]

I'll unlikely run across it? Is it using an infinite improbability drive?

[crazypenguin @ Apr 23rd 2009 6:26PM]

i'd have no idea what your saying had i not seen that a month ago.

[ben @ Apr 23rd 2009 7:13PM]

@crazypenguin your first mistake was "seen" and missing out on reading one of the best scifi books of our time before seeing an only somewhat decent adaptation.

[Drew -- PS360: uphillbothways @ Apr 24th 2009 11:20AM]

I know this thread is kinda old, but...

Are there any other good authors in the style of Douglas Adams? I don't mean simply awesome scifi like Phillip K Dick and Brin or simply humorous like Pratchett. I mean something as witty, intelligent, geeky, and uproarious as H2G2.

Anyone?

[mgsrocks1 @ Apr 24th 2009 4:52PM]

I'm not sure what you're talking about. Is it The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy? I'd appreciate an answer.

[Drew -- PS360: uphillbothways @ Apr 28th 2009 3:00PM]

Yes. Hitchhiker's Guide. I figured that anyone who'd have an answer for me would already know that because of the reference to the Infinite Improbability Drive.

[BradStar @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:04PM]

They need W A S and D... probably the first keys to go out on my computer...

[derekpong @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:15PM]

I walked pass those seats thousand times and didn't know it was picture worthy...
Engadget, start digging in the east...

[Darwin @ Apr 23rd 2009 8:36PM]

What's more, one would have thought that engadget news scourers would have picked this up way earlier, seeing as how so much KIRF-worthy crap comes out of Shenzhen.

[yearyearlee @ Apr 23rd 2009 11:06PM]

@derekpong
yeh, because everyone too busy looking out for pick pockets and protecting their belongings...no time to think about some oversized keys..:)

[mithinco @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:07PM]

Where's the 'any' key?

[Munford @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:13PM]

SHENZHEN is a city with probably 8 million people where lots of laptops or ipods are made. It's in Guangdong Province, not Shenzhen province

[GingerFox @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:11PM]

awesome, i want some:)

[Charles @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:13PM]

Those keys may mean something in chinese pinyin?

[joe23521 @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:14PM]

Very cool, indeed. Also, I believe Shenzhen is a city, not a province...

[jevjnd2000 @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:17PM]

Sorry dear sirs. That's Shenzhen city in Guangdong province.

[Brad Mecoli @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:20PM]

The Enter key was placed there to accommodate Chinese of slightly larger proportions.

[jonshipman @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:24PM]

The American version of the seating would require a space bar.

[joe23521 @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:30PM]

@jonshipman:

I literally typed the exact same thing a few minutes ago, but restrained myself from hitting submit.

[Dylan @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:41PM]

It would kinda of lose it's effect, it'd just be like a white block; might as well just be a bench.

[ash @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:21PM]

I bet anyone $5 this makes it into one of the next two iterations of Tony Hawk.

[Josh Ladella @ Apr 23rd 2009 9:43PM]

You're on.

[zim2411 @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:23PM]

optimus maximus in this size plz.

[Magallanes @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:38PM]

I understand that it is art but... those keys are too dirty. :-P

[Drew -- PS360: uphillbothways @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:58PM]

You should see my keyboard. The old mac keyboards with the clear base look cool new, but after 5 years of hard use they start to look like those benches.

Actually, what's cool is the left side of my space bar has been polished clean, while the right side is dirty from disuse. :)

[Yii @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:43PM]

Hey those are all right hand keys -- (Enter, M,

[edzy @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:43PM]

watch out for that wet paint on that "enter" key

[TareX @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:47PM]

Beautiful art, but quite uncomfortable...

[g00fba11 @ Apr 23rd 2009 8:24PM]

I'm wondering how's the tactile feedback...

[prabhatb @ Apr 23rd 2009 5:49PM]

I wonder if any one could be offended to sit on 'Up Arrow' key !!