Grabbity — a very bunny parody

My friend Tim and his wife run a wonderful business called ChunkiChilli, making organic cotton toys and apparel for babies and children. Having a bit of fun with an upturned wok, a sheet of foam with a hole cut out of it, and what looks like a sock hanger; Tim has created a little parody …

New 2014 design – simplification

In my spare time I’ve been working on a redesign for this site, and I think it’s finally complete enough that I’m comfortable writing about it. The first thing that should be immediately noticeable is that top to bottom the site’s been simplified. Largely it’s been pared down to a single column. Navigation is tucked …

Five Years – Wood, Water and Wine

I have a hard time believing that it’s been half a decade since Maggie and I exchanged marriage vows with sand between our toes. But there it is, for five years I’ve been married to the most beautiful, most amazing, person I could ever hope to meet. She is my partner, my confidant, mother to …

New 2012 Site Design

Just over a year ago I retired my old “The Humanaught” moniker and replaced it with the current domain. The change-over brought in a new site design — but not one I was ever overly happy with structurally. It had some things I liked, and a bunch of awkward things that I was constantly working …

A whole different level of baby pictures

For anyone that’s followed my blog over the last year or so, it’s no surprise when I say I love taking pictures of our little guy. I doubt there’s a parent out there that doesn’t feel the same. And while the desire to capture every minor new moment is slowly dying down; I expect there …

Belly Photos

Yesterday was QÄ«ngmíng Jié (清明节) here in China, better known in English circles as “Tomb Sweeping Day”, and while I have no tombs to sweep in Suzhou, it was nice to use the holiday as an excuse to slack off for most of the day and not feel guilty about it. With the baby coming …

Redesigning Sinosplice

I meant to mention this sooner, but as is so often the case around here, I got caught up doing other things. Most people in the China blogsphere are well-aware of Sinosplice, a blog and Chinese learning resource by Shanghai-based expat John Pasden. Last week Sinosplice.com went live with a completely new design, and I’m …

Nothing To Envy: Fascinating book about North Korea

Living in China you can’t help but be exposed to whispers of the “old days” pre-reform. Whether it be the portraits of Mao in taxis and Tiananmen, the massive USSR-inspired government buildings, the general apathy most people over 40 have towards their job (well, actually, that might be universal). The guidebooks give crash courses in …