Summertime and the livin’s easy

So summer’s definitely here – I know this because when I’m outside for more than a few minutes everything gets blurry and my skin starts to melt. I’m Canadian — +40°C weather is something for fairytales of where the old folks go come winter. Of course it’s the perfect time to take a holiday and …

Green Dam bursts under netizen pressure

I had meant to post this yesterday when I learned of it, but having my nation’s birthday to celebrate proved too much of a distraction–apologies. So, if you’ve not yet heard, Green Dam Youth Escort appears to be dead. What was, as of July 1, to be mandatory censorship software installed on all new computers …

Proud to be a Canadian (expat)

I love Canada, I truly do. For all the grief that myself and my fellow compatriots give the country, it really is top shelf as countries go. Sure, it’s a bit vanilla when it comes to foreign affairs and global influence; a bit archaic when it comes to political makeup; and, well, a bit cold. …

Obama loves his Blockberry

I don’t have the strength or wherewithal to blog about yet another block, so instead of talking about the blocked/not-blocked status of Google today in the PRC, I thought I’d go instead with a bit of levity. Fortunately China’s shanzhai culture never leaves a man wanting for a chuckle, and it is especially amusing when …

Green Dam Youth Escort: A Summary of the Holey Harlot

Not since the release of Windows Vista has such a poorly designed, expensively developed, non-mandatory but strongly encouraged, scenically sounding piece of software created such a buzz as has Green Dam Youth Escort. The new was-said-to-be-mandatory-but-now-isn’t-and-maybe-never-was software, produced for the Chinese Government as a way to protect the world’s most massive population from the evils …

Blog redesign, take 5-ish

As will be apparent to everyone reading this, sans feed readers, the blog is undergoing a bit of reconstructive surgery. Please bear with me as I juggle the redesign of the site with “real” work. I had nothing against the last design (despite it borrowing 5 bucks and not paying it back), but after having …

Living without trust

This is really a topic I’ve been thinking about since back in December/January when our dog Addie died. I wasn’t sure how to put to words my feelings about it and so have shelved it until now. I don’t know that I’m any closer to knowing how to verbalize it, but maybe this post will …

Comparing China, US Internet usage

A couple of days ago Silicon Alley Insider posted a chart displaying the differences and similarities between Chinese and US Web usership. The chart mines and melds data from the Pew Research Center and China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC, why isn’t it CINIC?). There were no huge surprises, but it does give a pretty …

Apple Snow Leopard allows Chinese writing with trackpad

While I’m still relatively new to the Mac world, and haven’t fully embraced the hype surrounding an unquestioning allegiance to everything Apple, I absolutely adore my MacBook’s trackpad. The multitouch glass trackpad could school any of its contemporaries on how to do it right. The big and beautiful button allows me to use my digit …