Cellphone Menagerie

Combating cheating.
Cellphone Menagerie grows.
New vectors appear.

Kim Jong-il

Some choice quotations from the article:

"Pyongyang observers said that Kim Jong-il's death will not result in turbulence in the DPRK and they discounted the possibility of any conflict or escalating tension between the DPRK and the Republic of Korea (ROK)...Kim died of a heart ailment on a train at 8:30 am on Saturday due to 'great mental and physical strain' during a ' high intensity field inspection'..."

"Members of  staff at Hae Dang Hwa, a famous Korean restaurant in Beijing, were unaware of the news when a China Daily reporter sought their reaction. Upon being told the news [sic] waitresses broke down in tears and the restaurant closed."

"As for the missile launch, Jin said the move aimed to send a clear sign of deterence, telling the ROK and the US not to take any risky moves that might trigger conflict."

SOPA

In case you haven't heard, a particularly  insidious piece of legislation is working its way through the house. SOPA is a piece of legislation with the stated purpose of reducing online piracy. Don't be fooled though, this piece of legislation is a rusted scythe, not a shiny scalpel.

The RIAA and MPAA are collective organizations that include the most powerful companies of the music and movie industry. These two groups have lobbied congress for years for stricter intellectual property laws and harsher penalties for infringers. While congress seems to have bought their schlock, the public has learned a heartbreaking alternative lesson: representatives and senators are most attentive to money rather than facts and evidence.

Today's hearing only drove home this point. The Washington Post has a great summary of the hearing. Needless to say, the reps didn't understand and didn't care to understand. If you plan to pass legislation, you should at least seek to learn about the ramifications. The EFF has been following the issue extensively and has a wonderful overview of the impact of the bill.

Of course, you don't have to take the EFF's word for it. There is also an open letter from a host of prominent internet engineers. Still not convinced? How about Google co-founder Sergey Brin?

Frankly, anything that resemble the level of censorship employed in a number of countries throughout the world has no justification. The internet is a new beast. It brings with it both costs and advantageous. However, there is no justification for us to push back the future so a a few companies of the past can take one last gasp of life.

P.S. If you don't think this bill will be abused, consider the fact that my video of the Hyatt Tree Lighting was flagged for copyright violation...

How to choose a gift.

While completing some errands today, I found my mind drifting to the imminent holiday season. In case you are oblivious (and likely not in a western country), Christmas is fewer than two weeks away. That means for those of you who procrastinate, the time to finish preparations is now (as an aside, Friday will likely be a thorough post all about procrastination). If you continue to dawdle, you may find your gifting season extending into January or even March!

The difficulty of properly preparing for Christmas often stems from an inability to choose the perfect gift for someone you know. First, let go of the expectation of choosing something that will be a cornerstone in their life and except a less ambitious criteria for success. For example, choose something that acknowledges one of their interests or hobbies.

Second, consider Hacking Asia's trademarked gift-o-meter. Extensive review and research has led this blog to conclude that age is directly correlated with the optimal type of gift. Observe.

When people are young, they typically have an excess of time that they must fill. This is coupled with minimal resources. So, for children, the best gifts are those that are able to take advantage of and consume that time. Play guns that make noises and allow children to fantasize about killing aliens, 60hr+ video games (a la Skyrim or Final Fantasy), and book series are all great examples of gifts that devour time.

As children grow older, they gradually have less and less free time. Studying, boyfriends/girlfriends, jobs, other pursuits, and eventually families consume greater and greater amounts of their free time. During this transition, gifts that require large time investments increasingly lose their value. Instead, a shift is made toward gifts that augment their current reality. That is to say, gifts that improve their usual routine hold greater value. For example, a doctor who frequently hand-writes prescriptions may appreciate a quality fountain pen to replace her disposable BIC.  Likewise, buying a new pair of shoes for gym teacher could be a pleasant indulgence that they normally would pass-up but greatly enjoy when it is given as a gift.  Thus, Hacking Asia heavily advocates approaching gifts as augmentations rather than additions.

Impatient readers may already be asking the question: "What about those who are retired and once again find themselves with extensive leisure time?". For them, we suggest deferring to their years of acquired habits and tastes. That is to say, don't try and introduce a new love for wine in a whiskey drinker or a love of impressionist paintings in a person that would rather go camping. Instead, take a more conservative route and stick to focusing on ways to improve their routine. However, because they do have more time available, this group may enjoy the addition of new hobbies closely related to their activities. For example, tying flies for fly fishing or a home brewing kit for beer lovers. A non-fiction tome about their interests can also be a great gift to consider.

Scarcity is one of the other key factors in considering gifts. When money is limited or the receiver seems to have everything, consider what item you could contribute that would be difficult to obtain without your assistance. Perhaps you have access to some awesome local alcohol, logo-ed apparel, hand crafted chess pieces, or old photographs. Scarcity does not necessarily mean expensive, it just means it is something they would be unlikely to come across and it is a wonderful approach for gift giving. For example, instead of trying to buy the scotch lover in your family a "good" bottle of scotch; instead, buy them a brand that is unique to your region.

Of course,  a favorite standby on Hacking Asia is a book gifted with a personal note written inside the cover (this is a wonderful example of a small addition greatly adding to scarcity). Further, as the world increasingly converts to digital, an enduring hard copy gains more appeal each year.

Best of luck with your last minute gifting. Stop procrastinating and finish it up!

Fashion Brands in China

Shopping is always enjoyable in China. Whether it is seeing girls push guys out of the way to serve the foreigner or finding strange names/products.

I'll leave the possible commentary of this sunglasses brand to you.

 

The Farmer and the Snake

一个寒冷的冬天，北风呼呼的刮着，冻得人直打哆嗦。一个农夫在回家的路上，发现了一条冻僵的蛇。农夫很可怜它，便把它拾了起来，放进自己怀里。

蛇得到温暖后，慢慢地苏醒过来。它马上恢复了恶毒的本性，对着农夫的胸口狠狠地咬了一口。农夫中了蛇毒，很快就奄奄一息了，临死前，他后悔地说：“唉，我真该死，我不应该去怜悯一条毒蛇的。”

A liberal translation:

One cold day, when the northern winds were blowing particularly hard, a farmer was walking home along a road. Off to the side, he noticed a poor little snake shivering and nearly frozen solid. The farmer, taking pity on the snake, decided to rescue it and take it home where it would be warm and comfortable. So, the farmer bent over, picked up the snake and continued walking home.

Once he arrived, the farmer set the snake near the fireplace. As the snake began to warm, it became more and more awake and its natural venomous instincts also began to return.

When the farmer returned to check on the snake, the snake sprung at him and bit his arm. The man let out a yell and as he slumped against the wall dying he mumbled to himself, "I should have never taken pity on a venomous snake!"

The End

This was a story in a children's book I am currently reading. The lesson? Clearly, no matter how cute, innocent, or harmless something appears...never take pity. I was foolish enough to think the snake and farmer would become close friends and share many adventures together. Sadly, this was their first and last.

I imagine the snake went on to feign helplessness on other roads slowly killing entire villages. He is truly a devious creature talented in his craft.

Timeout from Productivity

Ready to lose a few minutes of your life to mindless entertainment? It is Friday in America; so, yes.

LMFAO's "Shuffling" mashed-up with SpongeBob Squarepants' "Steppin' on the Beach"

Warning: this may haunt you for hours in your head while driving, walking, or shuffling around town.

Quick Observation

A foggy day or ten years off my lifespan?

向晚意不适

驱车登古原

夕阳无限好

只是近黄昏 

Tree Lighting at the Hyatt

Yesterday was sort of weird....

Recycling Part 1

China simultaneously baffles and astounds in the realm of recycling. The ability of Chinese to reclaim and reuse resources routinely colors day to day life. It is this culture of recycling that is at the root much of the culture shock for westerners. Recycling quietly flows as an undercurrent in china and expands beyond the classic use referring to glass, plastic, and paper to include food, materials, and even ideas.



With that said, this week, we kick off what will be a recurring segment on Hacking Asia -> Recycling!

The best way to begin consumption of the subject is by addressing classic use of the term. Recycling arguably represents all three of the classic R's (reduction, reuse, and recycling). For some resources (plastic and paper) this process is relatively efficient. Observant visitors will notice the proliferation of recycling bins around major cities in China. Theoretically, people would discard their empty plastic bottles in these receptacles. However, this rarely happens, more often the bottles are thrown into the nearest trash bin (or gutter).

While this may sound problematic, there is actually an interesting existing solution in China. Due to payments for returning bottles (much like in the U.S.), you will often see people that need money collecting the bottles; not only those littered about but also the ones placed in the recycling receptacles. If anyone is actually paid to empty recycling containers, I would be greatly surprised if they did anything more than dumping the  contents of the recycling container into the trash. I have wandered out of my building many times in the morning to the site of an old man digging through the trash for discarded bottles.

Students also  retain and save bottles for extra money. Once every two weeks, there will be opportunities to sell their bottles to workers with small trucks who act as middle men. Students will be paid several kuai for their efforts. The process is quite a site. One element this photo fails to capture is the group effort by the roommates to carry the large bag of bottles as well as the bargaining with the truck man. I have heard this sort of opportunity is also available for glass bottles but I have never seen it.

One reason I typically ask for cups with my bottles of beer is the known reuse of the bottles. Reuse extends beyond the real companies to fake off-brands as well. For example, a popular beer in China is Laoshan. This beer has a blue label. However, as you will note in the picture, there are also bottles of "Laoshan" with pink labels. The pink labeled beer is cheaper but also a fake. Further, even though most Chinese beer tends to be rather similar, I can assure you that the pennies you are saving also come with a great reduction in flavor quality.

The bottles are reused so many times, it is not entirely uncommon to see some rust or corrosion along the lip of the bottle. This is the reason I tend to ask for cups along with my beer.  Regarding pricing, I have heard that you get more money for returning glass bottles than plastic bottles which is consistent with their increased production cost.

Next week-> Recycling Part 2: Oil, Paper, and Ideas

A Few Outfits

The fashion of China is a peculiar mixture of trends. I suppose this mirrors America's duality of fashion and the popularity of sweatpants.

Certainly the oddest catch of the day were the pants on this first fellow. I'm not sure about the "V" pants. Maybe I will find a pair and demo them for the blog :) Apparently they are in style but I honestly have never seen a pair in stores. I suppose now I have something to look forward to the next time I am out and about shopping.

The jacket worn by the other male may looks like it has potential, but I can assure you that the material used is quite "sticky". Thus, every time you move it makes a ridiculous amount of noise. I considered buying one of these jackets until I found that any movement could be heard a mile away.

As a bonus, check out the shirt I found advertising Google's translation service. It definitely is my favorite shirt I have seen here so far. It reminds me of some stories I have heard about Chinese student presentations.

Speaking of copying, I went to "shoe city" this last weekend and had a blast. I took some video and will share the materials along with a write-up within the next week or two. I am also working on a hefty essay about recycling in China. It will probably be broken into at least two parts. But, I am working to get a lot of pictures to accompany a thorough account of recycling practices in China. So look forward to these posts and more in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, here are a smattering of additional pictures from today's singing contest.

Singing Competition

Stopped by a student singing competition. It was pretty ridiculous in several ways. Good singing but the fashion trends here continue to confuse the hell out of me.

Pictures coming in a few hours. But as a preview: we are talking Jetsons meet the 80's.

Lol, pretty fun time, and hiding in the balcony meant most of the eyes were on the stage instead of the foreigner.

3 Pitfalls of Self-Study

3 Productivity Destroyers

One significant benefit of living in a foreign country where everyone assumes you are unable to speak the language is a drastic reduction in social responsibility. Over my last three months I have committed a significant chunk of this reclaimed time to my studies (putonghua, programming, and a dash of market analysis).

Self-study can be extremely productive since you are free to move at your own pace and focus on material that is appropriately challenging. It also allows you to venture off on short tangents that spice up the curriculum ( like learning how to say 'nuclear missile' and spending an extra day on cryptography).

However, self-study is a double edged blade. The powerful flexibility it provides can also be dangerous if students lack diligence and focus.

To maximize self study benefits, it is critical you avoid these three common pitfalls.

1. Lack of Endgame

People commonly talk about wanting to learn a new skill or trade. Whether becoming a sommelier ( serving red wine at 50 degrees Fahrenheit is not okay), a respectable chef (put down that bag of ramen noodles), or a master furniture craftsmen (sorry IKEA), it is critical that you possess and visualize an attainable endgame.

Without visualizing the the potential of your future skill set, you will meet great resistance in maintaining motivation to continue diligent studies. This is why many bachelors claim they want to learn to cook but often fail to do so. After a short lived effort, studying cooking will seem like a waste of time when all you do is eat out or order take-away.

Visualizing the endgame will fuel your motivation.

2. No Sense of Velocity

Another common pitfall stems from the lack of testing and comparison. Without other students and feedback devices (i.e. tests) it is difficult to recognize and acknowledge improvement.

Building a skill set mimics the construction of a building. Great architectural feats take time to construct. Once they are finished, it is easy to look upon their glory and forget the years put into their design and construction.

Use small waypoints and challenges to help motivate yourself. Also, review your past challenges. You will quickly notice how "easy" your old challenges seem with the skills you develop in the intervening time.

3. Rationalizing Distractions

By and away the most fiendish pitfall to self-study is the ability to rationalize distractions. Justifying a break is much easier when you won't miss a class or have to do additional study the following day.

It is far too easy to justify procrastination and delaying study due to hunger, tiredness, or other seeming worthwhile reasons.

Clearly setting and maintaining a schedule can significantly mitigate this threat. 

Conclusion

Overall, you can't beat the price or potential of self-study programs. However, unlike colleges and paid programs, you won't end up with a piece of paper regardless of your effort. This means you must trade on your actual merits, not just your ability to scrape by.

The Menu of My Favorite Restaurant

Translated  for your pleasure. The menu of my favorite food shack. I am cooking dumplings currently, but seeing the menu makes me regret that decision. All of these plates are between $0.75 and $1.50.


盖饭  Rice Plates
西红柿鸡蛋盖饭- Scrambled Eggs and Tomatoes on rice
黄瓜鸡蛋盖饭- Cucumbers and Eggs on rice
土豆丝盖饭- Shredded Potatoes on rice
尖椒鸡蛋盖饭- Sliced Peppers on rice
洋葱鸡蛋盖饭- Green Onions and Scrambled Eggs on rice
青椒鸡蛋盖饭- Green Peppers and Scrambled Eggs on rice
香菇油菜盖饭-Rapeseed and Mushrooms on rice
尖椒烤肠盖饭-Sliced Peppers and Sausage on rice
鱼香肉丝盖饭-Shredded Pork on rice
木须肉盖饭- Moo shu Pork (Black Tree Fungus and Sliced pork on rice)
宫保鸡丁盖饭-Kung Pao Chicken on rice (Chicken with vegetables and peanuts on rice)
麻婆豆腐盖饭-Ma Po Tofu on rice (Tofu in Spicy Sauce on rice)
鱼香茄子盖饭-Eggplant on Rice
土豆丁炒肉盖饭-Diced Potatoes and Fried Pork on Rice
豆角肉丁盖饭-Bean Sprouts and Diced Pork on Rice
青椒肉丁盖饭-Green Peppers and Diced Pork on Rice
红烧茄子肉丁盖饭-Braised Eggplant and Diced Pork on Rice
咖喱鸡盖饭-Curry Chicken on Rice
鱿鱼盖饭-Sliced Squid on Rice
蒜薹鸡盖饭-Garlic Tops and Chicken on Rice-
卷心菜盖饭- Sliced Cabbage on Rice


汤饺 Won Tons

酸辣口味-Hot and Spicy Dumplings
麻辣口味-Spicy Pepper Dumplings

汤面 Noodle Bowls

西红柿鸡蛋面-Tomatoes and Scrambled eggs
肉丝香菇面-Sliced Pork and Mushrooms
炸酱面- Pan Fried Noodles
麻辣鸡丝面- Spicy Pepper Chicken
简单炒菜- Fried Dishes
土豆丝- Fried Shredded Potatoes
清炒卷心菜-Fried Cabbage
西红柿炒鸡蛋-Scrambled Eggs and tomatoes
黄瓜炒鸡蛋-Fried Cucumbers and Scrambled Eggs
洋葱炒鸡蛋-Fried Onions and Scrambled Eggs
葱花鸡蛋饼-Diced Green Onions in Scrambled Eggs with Fried Bread
西红柿鸡蛋汤-Egg Drop Soup With Tomatoes
紫菜蛋花汤-Kelp and Egg Soup
木须肉-Moo Shu Pork (Black Tree Fungus and Pork)
鱼香肉丝-Shredded Pork
蛋花玉米羹-Egg and Corn Soup


水饺 Dumplings
韭菜肉-Chive and Pork Dumplings
白菜肉-Cabbage and Pork Dumplings
芹菜肉-Celery and Pork Dumplings
大葱肉丸-Green Onion and Pork Dumplings
香菇肉-Mushroom and Pork Dumplings
素三鲜-Vegetable Dumplings
茴香肉- Fennel and Pork Dumplings
肉三鲜- Pork with Vegetables
牛肉-Beef Dumplings
韭菜鸡蛋-Chive and Egg Dumplings

炒饭 Fried Rice
西红柿炒饭-Scrambled Eggs and Tomato Fried Rice
扬州蛋炒饭-Yang Zhou Fried Rice
老干妈蛋炒饭-Hot and Spicy Fried Rice
番茄沙司蛋炒饭-Tomato Sauce and Fried Rice
鱼香单超饭-Shredded Pork Fried Rice
雪菜蛋炒饭-Pickled Cabbage Fried Rice
咖喱蛋炒饭-Curry Fried Rice
风味豆豉炒饭-Fermented Soy Bean Fried Rice
青椒蛋炒饭-Bell Peppers and Fried Rice
尖椒蛋炒饭-Sliced Peppers and Fried Rice
蒜薹单炒饭- Fried Rice and Garlic Tops
洋葱蛋炒饭- Fried Rice and Onions
黄瓜蛋炒饭- Fried Rice and Cucumbers
土豆丝蛋炒饭-Shredded Potatoes and Fried Rice
胡萝卜蛋炒饭-Fried Rice and Carrots
香菇油菜蛋炒饭-Mushroom and Rapeseed Fried Rice
肉丝香菇蛋炒饭-Pork and Mushroom Fried Rice
肉丝雪菜蛋炒饭-Pork and Pickled Cabbage Fried Rice
鱼香肉丝蛋炒饭-Shredded Pork Fried Rice
风味烤肠蛋炒饭-THE BEST RICE DISH YOU WILL EVER EAT (Special Flavor Ham, Pepper, and fried rice)
特色蛋炒饭-Egg Fried Rice
老干妈鸡肉炒饭-Hot and Spicy Chicken Fried Rice

炒饼 Fried Bread

炒饼-Fried Bread
蛋炒饼-Fried Bread and Eggs
孜然蛋炒饼- Cumin and Egg Fired Bread
番茄沙司蛋炒饼-Tomato Sauce and Egg Fried Bread
鱼香蛋炒饼- Egg Fried Bread
肉丝香菇蛋炒饼-Shredded Pork and Mushroom Fried Bread
鱼香肉丝蛋炒饼-Shredded Pork and Egg Fried Bread

炒面 Chow Mein

炒面-Chow Mein
蛋炒面-Egg Chow Mein
孜然蛋炒面-Cumin and Egg Chow Mein
番茄沙司蛋炒面- Chow Mein with Tomato Sauce
鱼香蛋炒面-Special Egg Chow Mein
番茄蛋炒面-Tomato and Scrambled Egg Chow Mein
青椒肉丝炒面-Bell Pepper and Sliced Pork Chow Mein
尖椒肉丝炒面-Sliced Peppers and Pork Chow Mein
肉丝香菇蛋炒面-Sliced Pork and Mushroom Egg Chow Mein

炒粉 Rice Noodles

蛋炒米粉- Egg Fried Rice Noodles
蛋炒河饭- Sautéed Rice Noodles
肉丝香菇蛋炒米粉-Sliced Pork and Mushroom Rice Noodles
肉丝香菇蛋炒河粉- Sautéed Sliced Pork and Mushroom Rice Noodles

Magical Singles Day

With Thanksgiving approaching, I am saddened by the impending turkey, stuffing, and mashed potato shortage here in China. I am equally saddened that I will have to take a reprieve from my now standard Black Friday tradition of watching movies and shopping online in my pajamas.

Luckily, China had a holiday to help ease my mind. Single's Day is an annual holiday on November 11th in China. The date when written out appears to be four 1's standing alone. It is a day of solidarity for the solitary. Single folks go out with their single friends and watch movies, go shopping, and generally have a good time. Some enterprising young people also take advantage of the holiday to throw blind date or speed dating parties. Meanwhile, couples are cast out to suffer the drudgery of dating in private.

Legend has it that the day originated from a group of Chinese men that did nothing each day but play Mahjong. They had no wives, no children, jobs, (or lives) outside the game. One day they played from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at night and each game was completed with four sticks tile. Whether you believe this legend or simply think some clever marketer wanted an excuse to sell a few extra trinkets is up to you.

This year Single's Day was extra special. The date yesterday was 2011年11月11日。That is six 1's instead of the regular four! Netizens have dubbed this day Magical Single's Day or Giant Single's Day. According to the blog on FluentFlix this only happens once a century. Fluentflix also had some great suggestion for slang to learn for the day including 明明 for single girls and 光光 for single guys.

How does this assuage my Black Friday and Thanksgiving cravings? Well, shopkeepers responded to the special day by providing significant discounts and sales. Normally, I only get to enjoy being ahead of my State-side friends by one day. But, yesterday I had the privilege of jumping forward two weeks straight to Black Friday!

I resisted the temptation to buy a rug for my apartment and instead chose to focus on my studies; however, I am entertained by the concept. Grade School is filled with fun holidays that spice up an otherwise monotonous routine. I think day to day living would greatly benefit from more days like singles day to allow variation in standard stimuli. Granted, some marketers may try and diminish the fun by capitalizing on the public focus. However, seeing as November and December are entirely devoured by Christmas... I think Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving can share the space with one or two more holidays.

Lenovo Tech Support...guh.

The keyboard on my laptop no longer functions adequately. That means that when I type a "e" the computer instead types a "p". A "d" tends to paste the current date. "C" and "3" are similarly disobedient but I have yet to decipher their affect other than making me scream, pull out my hair, and frantically hit ctrl+z.

What brought about this curse? I do not know. However, other Lenovo owners report the exact same problem lending me to question if perhaps the Gods prefer ASUS or Macs and are punishing the infidels who ventured away from the pack. I think this must certainly be the case and I have begun to feel true regret and suffering. My suffering is solely the result of my own arrogance that a powerful laptop with a solid build quality could be acquired for less than $500. I recognize now the error of my ways.

However, true atonement and redemption do not come easily. Thus, I currently slog through the purgatory of Lenovo support lines assisted only by a Skype subscription and supply of instant coffee. First I am transferred to a dial tone by a supportive operator. Next I woefully admit I lack a U.S. number and currently live in mainland China, again, a friendly operator turns me away to ask for support in the "correct region". Unfortunately, time zones mean that what is the correct time in the U.S. is the completely wrong time in China for customer support. I must establish camp and resume again tomorrow.

I already expect the response I dread most. As I try and sleep, ghostly premonitions whisper in my ear. "Send your laptop in for servicing. Perhaps two or three weeks and we will have it back to you." The freezing wind does not chase away these thoughts. Instead the pain of lacking a computer for weeks or maybe months dominates my mind. No Skype, no blogging, no communication. Only silence.

In the morning I will face the continued drudgery of support lines. Will there be English speakers for my "region". I have doubts. The best I can do is sleep and continue to pray for forgiveness from the mighty computer gods.

My external keyboard offers me no peace.

My hardware sin defines me.

Chinese Fluency

I learned yesterday that John Huntsman (previous ambassador to China) was on the Colbert Report and gave a quick sentence in 普通话(Putonghua).

The blogosphere and mainstream media followed-up the next day with superfluous stories questioning Huntsman's Mandarin fluency. Though this was a topic for a lengthy discussion last night, the consensus was if he is understood by Chinese statesmen and able to communicate effectively with them- Who is to say he isn't fluent?

In China, there is a unique dialect every 50 miles. Often times, these differences even prevent native speakers from easily understanding each other. How big of a problem is this? Well, at my school today, students had to take speaking tests that award scores for their proficiency in Mandarin. That is right, they had to practice pronunciation and take a government issued test to ensure they adequately spoke their mother tongue. The multitude of dialects are just one more reason why learning Chinese is so awesome.

By the way, the native speaker in our group affirmed our consensus that the only significant mistake Mr. Huntsman made was transposing America (meiguo- 美国) to an incorrect position in the sentence but the message was still understandable. I wonder how many of the critics posses any familiarity with Mandarin. Further, I wonder if they even possess the ability to speak a second language. The beauty of being a pundit is the ability to criticize everyone and best no one.

Additional Fun Fact of the Day: Chinese newspapers use a unique vocabulary almost never utilized in speech so that they truncate stories as much as possible. Thus, newsspeak is literally employed :)

NSFW: The Great Firewall of China - 草泥马

Facebook, Twitter, Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Huffington Post, Youtube, Google+, Google Documents, and Wikileaks are a handful of the countless websites blocked within China. The Middle Kingdom is home to one of the most sophisticated and largest attempts to control the flow of information over the internet.

The Golden Shield Project (The Great Firewall) is estimated to directly employ 50,000 Chinese. In addition to government employees, individual internet service providers (ISPs) are also responsible for content they deliver; so, they hire staff to screen content as well. The screening utilizes a host of methods but the important fact is there are both IP blacklists as well live/active content filtering. Unsuprisingly, content that contradicts the encouraged world view ends up disappearing or more accurately, never appearing.

When a user triggers the system by attempting to access restricted content or searching for offensive terms (subversive, pornographic, political), internet access is temporarily rescinded for a random unspecified interval. Meaning, you not only are prevented from accessing the censored content but you are fully cut-off from even state run websites and completely approved publications. For report preparation, this can be extremely frustrating when seemingly innocuous terms result in temporary outages.

Technologies used in Golden Shield are routinely sold and exported to other governments (Zimbabwe and Cuba being two likely recipients) making the Great Firewall profitable both monetarily and socially (for those in power).

In response, crafty Chinese netizens have protested through several different channels, but the mascot for their cause is a fictional animal named the Grass Mud Horse. Spoken Chinese contains an absurd number of homynims. This is due to Chinese being a tonal language. Unlike English, which uses tone to express the flavor or emotion of the sentence, Chinese uses tones for the denotation of individual words. Thus saying a word one way may mean 'parcel' while another way means 'embrace' (this is an actual example of the chinese word 'bao'). Of course, when written, they use completely different characters so confusion only occurs in the spoken form.

Returning from the aside, Grass Mud Horse（草泥马） with different tones translates to "F*** your mother". So, while the Chinese netizen may type Grass Mud Horse, they are referencing the alternative meaning. In addition, "river crabs" represent the Chinese Government with the spoken words sounding like "harmony". Those familiar with Chinese leader's speeches will often here references to the creation or growth of a "harmonious society".

Think you are lucky for living somewhere that doesn't take such an active approach to information control? The Harvard Business Review recently posted an article about proposed legislation that is currently making its way through the American legislative branch. It is exceedingly unfortunate that American politicians seem unable to rationally approach technologies spawned after 1960 (remember the VCR/recording hu-ha that culminated in Mr. Rogers arguing for the legality of time-shifting? ).

The video below is NSFW due to extremely strong language (of course, only the captions are in English so...maybe it is somewhat safe for work). It will introduce you to the wonderful animal known as the 草泥马。你看看。

The song used is the theme song to the Smurfs in China. To help cleanse your pallet that video is below:

生日

This past weekend I celebrated the official addition of one more year to my age (age++). I expected the event to be a quiet affair but was pleasantly surprised that it developed into a weekend of delicious dinners and simple surprises.

As you may know, cheese is a rather uncommon ingredient in East Asian meals.  With this in mind, my friend and I sought to create a feast able to satisfy our western palettes. The prep began with a trip to one of the larger groceries in the area. Tomato paste, cheese (offered in the classic Kraft single serving style), and coffee stood out on our long receipt not only as the most expensive purchases but also as the mark of the foreigner.

With an afternoon of washing, cutting, chopping, and dicing we managed to prepare a delicious Saturday meal. Two variations of salsa, spaghetti with tomato sauce and beef, and buttered garlic bread were all delicious escapes from our normal rice, noodle, and vegetable centric diet.

However, the star of the evening were a specially prepared batch of Mantou Nachos. In the absence of good tortilla chips, we instead took mantou which is steamed bread and cut it into thin slices which were then fried. These were then topped with cheese,beef, and salsa. Overall, an awesome meal.

The next day I was treated to a cultural excursion to a Pizza Hut. Unlike American Pizza Huts, the restaurant is quite nice in china (though the service is hit and miss). Oddly, drinks cost upwards of 8x their normal price but the pizzas were surprisingly cheap. For a cheese pizza the cost was only 70 RMB (basically U.S. prices). A Hawaiian pizza was slightly cheaper. However the staple of the American pizza landscape was oddly absent- Pepperoni Pizza was nowhere to be found. After gorging ourselves on three pizzas, I was presented with a gift from my employer.

The gift was an awesome set of matching items that included a pen, card holder, and USB key. In my mind, it was a perfect representation of the ongoing clash between modern and traditional China.

The final surprise was a birthday cake delivered to my apartment while I was at work the following day. The cake was truly quite large and I have yet to finish it, despite receiving help from my friends. Luckily, it was just small enough to fit in my fridge so it has not gone to waste.

Overall, it was a very pleasurable way to mark a birthday and, best of all, no singing was required.

The Agonizingly Slow Death of Netflix

I hope to someday soon to be brave enough to short a stock. For those unfamiliar with the term: when you short a stock, you earn money when the stock drops and lose money when it rises. Essentially, you are borrowing somebody else's share, and buying it back at a different price. So, if a stock is at $300 and you short it, then buy it back at $70, you have just made a tidy $230 profit.

Unlike the standard buy, this approach can be very risky. While the upside is limited by the current price of a stock (you can't drop below zero), the downside can quickly grow and cause significant losses if proper practices are not followed.

Due to the nature/ capital requirement to effectively short, I shy away from that realm. But some days it hurts when you opportunities you noted do come to fruition.

Netflix was one such opportunity for shorting. The company had dropped from a high of $300 in mid-July to an unsteady $120 in October. Yet, even $120 seemed expensive given a string of poor management decisions over at NFLX headquarters.

The string of notable mistakes began in the spring with the launch of an overhauled user interface(UI) which catered to console users while producing a frustrating experience for PC users. The "improved" UI redcuced efficiency by requiring additional hover-time and clicks to learn about movies and their ratings. Further, the UI introduced a seasickness effect that required users to browse rows that crawled across the screen and repeated without notification. These changes were accompanied by a blog post written by Reed Hastings which happily announced the change. Hasting's posting habits have become rather infamous with each Netflix decision.

The next falter in Netflix's stride occurred in mid-July with the announcement that prices would be increased. Amid the continuing complaints about the new UI the price increase amounted to a 50% increase for those who wished to continue to receive discs and stream from the internet ( fun fact: just a few months prior, customers had already accepted a $1.00 price increase  which amounted to about a 10% price increase at the time). The price increase was largely blamed on the cost of licensing rights and again accompanied by one of Hastings' missives. Again, the blog post attracted a massive amount of comments from the user base (largely criticizing the decision).

The final chapter, occurred when members received an email notifying them about the separation of Netflix into two services. Netflix would continue to stream movies via the internet and a new service entitled Kwikster would assume the role of DVD delivery. The excited tone of Hastings' "personal" email left many readers saying, "WTF" in unison. This final announcement was easily the largest failure of Netflix. The separation of key functions of the website into chunks unable to "talk with each other"(queues, ratings, reviews, etc.) was such an asinine idea, it makes me wonder if Hastings and the board even know what value the company provides. The Kwikster fiasco was swiftly shelved after immediate blowback from subscribers and investors.

That short case study ( likely soon to be a book by a departing president...) summarizes the reason for departure of some 800k subscribers and a $40 plunge in NFLX today. Too much, too fast, too little attention to the people that pay your bills.

Is Netflix finished. No, for many reasons. But, with such poor decisions over the past year, I no longer see a reason to believe NFLX will be the dominate player forever.


*Disclosure: I own zero Netflix stock.
** I also now know that I misspelled Qwikster. I don't care, it is a poor idea no matter how you spell it.
*** See also the speech Fry gives at the end of Futurama- Future Stock

Language Study

This week has been very pleasant (aside from faulty keyboard issues, Lenovo's build quality is increasingly suspect in my eyes).

In addition to my normal two hour-long tutoring sessions and daily 1.5 hours of language study, I visited one of the intermediate classes on campus to observe the class's level. I was pleased to note that I am swiftly approaching the level of the intermediate class and I expect to surpass it in the very near future.

Studying and learning the language seems to have improved following my complete submission to the fact that in language study, there are no shortcuts. On the upside, retention and growth seem directly related to input (time) so that is a significant motivator to put in significant study time each day. The addition of a tutor also helps significantly and I regret having not paid for one when I was a student.

Of course, living in China helps bring to light every small improvement made on Chinese. I literally will learn a word and use it or see it the next day which is pretty cool. These small pieces of cheese remove the drudgery of studying for studying's sake and replace it with a practicality; the knowledge that you are learning things applicable outside of a testing situation. I suspect that is the key factor in my dislike for traditional schooling but eternal love of learning and self-study.

Only 1800 more characters to go until fluency ;)

I am going to end this article a bit early and seek to fix my keyboard which has given up on typing the correct letters 50% of the time. UGH (even at the higher price, a macbook is more and more enticing).

Oh, one more thing. There is a breakdancing  group here.

Ode to Privacy

Whether or not we as a society have fully realized it, Privacy is dead. Exactly when

Privacy passed from comatose to deceased is uncertain; but a decade after 9/11 and nearly eight years since the birth of Facebook, the once vibrant vessel has transformed from a lifeless mass to a hunk of decaying slush.

Oddly the rank odor and third-generation maggot inhabitants belonging to the mass don't deter some from claiming Privacy is alive and well. They overlook the groceries gaming prices using "membership cards", phones containing GPS units, and security points dominating airports (a trend initiated pre-9/11 and driven to extremes  in the past few years).

They ignore the steadily increasing obsolescence of brick and mortar in favor of online kings like Amazon, Newegg, and Ebay. Cash has steadily ceded to plastic cards that store our purchase histories, personal histories, repayment histories, histories of our histories.

Privacy knew the end was near when phones no longer stayed at home or work. Instead, ringing followed everywhere, in cars, classes, funerals and birthing rooms. Cell phones claimed the world as their domain. To not answer a call: a significant slight; not returning a message: punishable by death.

But Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter have been the final piece of proof (if one was still necessary). Voluntary surrender of personal histories, contact lists, interests, future plans, and current activities. Think there isn't that much info on you? Feel free to request the 800+ page dossier Facebook owns of your info and "personal" messages.

Privacy is dead. The time to mourn is swiftly passing.

The Chinese Diet

For all of its inadequacies and shortcomings, China always holds a special place in my heart. That place is held thanks to its delicious foods that cost next to nothing. For you cretins that believe delicious foods include KFC and McDonalds, you will be sad to learn that those still cost about the same amount as in America. But for those of you adventurous to avoid fancy restaurants and travel some alley ways, you will find a host of delicious foods, generous portions and cheap beer.

Example 1: Fried Rice with Egg, Ham, and Peppers. -- 6 RMB (approximately $1.00)

This meal is the most deliciously addictive food I have had anywhere in China. I have grown convinced that there is a secret ingredient like nicotine or meth.

As simple as it sounds, the meal is a large plate with a mountain of the concoction piled about 2" tall and served with a Chinese spoon. At first glance it is nothing special, but the greasy fried rice and ham meld to make a rich buttery flavor that makes the rice irresistible. The peppers and pepper oil mixed with the rice serve to add a slight spiciness that completes the dish. Adding some American hot sauce is a special bonus.

The owners of this particular restaurant are extremely friendly and always happy to see returning customers.  I am planning to steal their recipe and try to replicate this food so I can eat it anywhere in the world. Luckily, I can enjoy the original for many more months and at 6 RMB, I can easily afford it.

Example 2: Street BBQ (approximately $3.00 per person)

Want to sit and eat a ton of meat? Street BBQ is the thing for you. All throughout China these outdoor restaraunts spring up around dinner time and remain through the evening.

Simply sit at a table and a waitress will walk around with different types of skewered meats. Beef, chicken, pork, fish, donkey... who knows what options will be available. When you see something delicious, talk to the waitress and she will give you 10-20 skewers of the meat. Eat rinse and repeat. At the end of the meal, the waitress counts the number of skewers at your table and charges you accordingly.

The only downside to Street BBQ is that the "house beer" called zhapi (jaw-pee) is a rather miserable concoction. It is a local beer that tapped from a keg and served in pitchers. Though cheap, it is extremely sweet making it unpallatable. I ordered a pitcher to try some and couldn't even finish a glass. I ended up giving the pitcher to the table next to us.

Street BBQ is very fun, delicious, and the style of eating ensures everyone will enjoy something.

Example 3: Mystery stuff on a stick 

What is mystery stuff on a stick? Well, that is the fun of it? Right?! On the street, next to corn vendors, fried flat bread (delicious), and duck, are vendors that sell an odd non-meat on a stick. The non-meat is a bit fatter and about twice as long as a McDonald's frenchfry. It is skewered and curled in a spiral around a stick. This non-meat is chewy and tastes of cumin and a bit like lamb.

That said, what is it? Well, though the answer is elusive, it seems to be some sort of bread and egg creation. You can buy three for less than 50 cents and munch on these tasty morsels that are cooked to order. As always, make sure to ask for extra spice!

I will update this post with photos in the near future as many of these foods are easily available and part of my standard diet.

P.S. While my recent food poisoning has made me trepidatios about returning to beer, folks state-side will be envious to be reminded that a liter of beer costs 3 kuai (50 cents).