Monthly Archives: March 2009
I am an atheist
I’ve always considered myself a spiritual person. But I suppose if I’m going to write about this properly, I need to define that at least a little. I’ve always looked at myself and my life as a palette by which I can express my existence in more than just a purely utilitarian way. I view …
Will China turn off their lights tonight?
For an hour tonight, 2,100 cities in 82 countries around the planet will shut off their lights (and other non-essential electromagic gadgets) in an effort to draw awareness and show commitment to stopping climate change.
Earth Hour is an initiative created by the World Wildlife Fund, and has grown in popularity since its 2007 inception in Sydney, Australia.And while China officially signed on as a participant this year, the coincidental overlapping of the country’s new Serfs Emancipation Day holiday has caused Earth Hour to go largely unpublicized here.
Reminder to turn stuff off: Earth Hour tonight
Just a quick reminder that Earth Hour is tonight from 8:30pm to 9:30pm (local time). One hour of lessened electrical usage might not suddenly spark a mass movement towards a cleaner greener world, but I hope you’ll all join me in turn your stuff off for 60 minutes to recognize that there is a cost …
italki.com brings language teaching to market
When I was visiting Shanghai-based italki.com‘s offices this past November (see post) it was mentioned that some exciting news was in the pipes for the massive language learning site.Today, after completely forgetting that such newsbait had ever chummed this blogger’s waters, I was given the lowdown: italki has just launched a Language Marketplace.
Pupdate: Button the Brave
As mentioned, we recently got a new puppy named Button. Now having had a few days to get to know our newest family member, it’s neat to see her personality shining through. Addie was the first time I ever raised a puppy, and so everything was new. I had no way of knowing what was …
WTF, Suzhou 14th worst place in the world to work? Sissies!
A recent article in BusinessWeek featured a slideshow displaying 20 of the World’s Worst Places to Work. Unsurprisingly some Chinese cities made the list – surprisingly Suzhou was among them. The list, compiled by New York-based human resources company ORC Worldwide, states the major reasons for giving Suzhou the thumbs down are pollution and a …
iFakes Part II: Fake Apple netbooks?
I’m not looking to stir up the heat that took over the comments of my last post on the topic, but the crafty Chinese shanzai crew are at it again. Loathed to wait for an official release of an Apple-branded Netbook, a manufacturer in Shenzhen has come up with its own solution–the WF188.
Starting again
It’s been two and a half months now since our dog Addie died, and though it’s rare a day goes by that we don’t think of her and miss her terribly, we’ve started to feel there just wasn’t enough dog hair all over everything. So, about a week and a half ago we contacted the …
WordCamp China 2009 coming soon to Shanghai
As an avid WordPress user and developer, I’m not entirely sure how the fact that WordCamp China 2009 is only a couple weeks away escaped my notice.
Thankfully, fellow CNET Asia blogger Victor Cheung is more on the ball and tipped me off to this once-a-year event which will feature WordPress founder (and CNET alumni) Matt Mullenweg.
