It appears that a group of atheists in San Antonio, Texas, have launched a program in which college students can swap Bibles and other religious texts for high-class pornography. The idea is for people to equate the two rather than to actually promote porn. Clever? No doubt. Effective? I’d say no.
As an atheist, I’m well [...]
So a week into the Google Buzz era and…I like it! Seems to be a nice recovery from the Google Wave debacle, which went over like a lead balloon. I think Buzz has the potential to be a nice addition to the social networking sphere- sort of a Facebook without all the extra crap and [...]
Like Chris I’ve hesitated to weigh in on the latest Google news, though needless to say I consider the company’s brinkmanship with the Chinese government troubling news indeed. James Fallows of the Atlantic and Sky Canaves of the Wall Street Journal have provided a useful summary of what is and isn’t happening with the search [...]
The traffic system in most Chinese cities are frighteningly chaotic, and Kunming is no exception. Several major intersections have no control whatsoever. Red-light running is endemic. Drivers will do anything- anything- to avert gridlock, including driving on the sidewalk or down the wrong way of one-way roads. When you add in silent electrical bikes, motorcycles, [...]
While I organize my photos of Banna, allow me a quick whine about MySpace. Over a year ago, I deleted my account because I was hardly using it anymore and besides, everyone I needed to interact with online was already connected to me through Facebook.
Yesterday, I received an e-mail from MySpace notifying me what my [...]
I recently (due to a tip from James Fallows) downloaded HotSpot Shield, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that is free with advertisements. Unlike other proxies I’ve tried in the past (FoxyProxy, Gladder, Tor, etc.) HotSpot Shield is completely reliable and fairly fast. For a person who spends a lot of time doing research online, I [...]
Direct your browsers to Ryan’s interview with NeoCha CEO Sean Leow over at Lost Laowai. NeoCha is a site that serves as a platform for independent musicians in China, ones who slip under the radar screen of the country’s radio stations. For those who scoff that nobody produces good original music in the Middle Kingdom, [...]
Jeremiah writes:
Ah the vicissitudes of a government petrified of information…after a brief revival this past week, blogspot is YET AGAIN blocked in Beijing. This time joined by the popular workaround site anonymouse which has, until now it would seem, been a decent way to access blocked sites. Hopefully this is all temporary and somebody will [...]
The March issue of The Atlantic, America’s best magazine, is now online (available with free registration). Included within is a fascinating piece by the magazine’s man in China, James Fallows, that unravels some of the mysteries behind what expats have dubbed “The Great Firewall of China”: China’s sophisticated method of censoring the internet.
What’s notable is [...]
Recently I wrote a comparison of the Chinese learning software Wenlin with the online dictionary Nciku, concluding that each compensated for the other’s weaknesses, making both useful. Today my aim is more ambitious: what is the essential combination of web/software/electronic devices for the English speaking Chinese student?
1. Wenlin
As I wrote, Wenlin is best suited for [...]