Archives
Google in China
I'm not going to get it into here except to say that I find the stand-off between Google and the Chinese government fascinating. And here's a link to a helpful chart on which Google services are being blocked (most recently, that list has expanded to include Google's mobile services).My friends and I that are a little left of center (or more) have often talked about the hand major corporations have in controlling international affairs. I don't think anyone has conceived of Google as an Enron-like entity or something as insidious in its reach as say, Coca-Cola, but it's going to be interesting to watch a major corporation go head-to-head with a national government. Rather backwards, too, as I think the typical accusation is that governments are masking their corporate interests and here Google is being accused of hiding its American government interests.
On being stuck
I was just watching an episode of Nurse Jackie and her boss got stuck in the elevator for a few hours. That scene made me think of how much I like taking the bus. Most of the time I can get my own seat in the back. It takes as long as 30 or 45 minutes for me to get home, and during that time, there's nothing I can do but sit and watch the traffic pass by outside the windows. Even if someone were to call me and tell me there was an emergency, there would be nothing I could do but sit there and listen to the music on my mp3 player. I can only sit and think and occupy myself whatever book is in my purse and whatever thoughts are in my head. There's no work I can do, no problem I can solve, no one has any use for me. The bus ride to and from work are my favorite times of the day.crossing the line
I am going to start a new blog that is more focused and more professional. I am still up in the air about whether I should use a pseudonym or my real name. Here's the thing: the internet is a public forum. If you show up at that forum wearing a suit and tie with a pile of business cards to pass out, then you are taking advantage of that opportunity to put yourself in a good light. You are taking control of the situation and using the forum as a tool for your own purposes.I have a general rule, sometimes I test it, but basically it's not to say anything on the internet that you wouldn't want to say to a bus full of people. Some people like to use the internet for free therapy. That makes me very uncomfortable. Not only would I not want to tell the people on the bus about the most intimate details of my personal life, but I wouldn't want to be sitting on a bus with someone who was talking loudly about their sex life or their personal problems.
Read More!
birds of a feather
vs. 
I couldn't find any better images than this online, but I wanted to shared with you guys the sad/funny coincidence of two of the big Shanghai expat rags having the same cover this month. I guess everyone was just too excited about the upcoming Shanghai literary festival and pictures of books on shelves were in short supply.
Read More!
Hasta la vista, baby!
Read More!