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November 2006 - Posts

Still alive

Posted Tuesday, November 28, 2006 7:07 AM by will
Kinda. It's been a mad, mad, mad week. All nonessential activities have been languishing. Sorry; I know there has been a lot of this recently. I hope it's not permanent. Eventually the pressure will build up in my skull and I'll have only three choices: Read More...
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CNET 46: Hate Wall

Posted Friday, November 24, 2006 1:41 AM by will
Hate Wall 24/11/2006 The Internet has always been good for people who want to blow off steam. Its appealing combination of anonymity and instant gratification have long made it a receptacle angst and hostility, as anyone who runs a blog with a lively Read More...
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A sign urine the wrong village

Posted Wednesday, November 22, 2006 1:25 AM by will
Imagethief has been out in the Chinese provinces a few times. After every such trip, I'm always left with the vague and unsettling feeling that I have somehow managed to visit an entirely different planet. I then chide myself. This is your repressed sense Read More...
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Staid Scandinavians sore at shameless Xinhua

Posted Wednesday, November 22, 2006 1:11 AM by will
Yesterday Imagethief received an e-mail from Paul, a contributor to a Swedish English-language news site called The Local . It seems that, in a fit of a Googling fun, the gang at The Local was surprised to discover that they had become unwitting contributors Read More...
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PR translation highlight of the day

Posted Monday, November 20, 2006 6:47 AM by will
Your correspondent just finished cleaning up a document that will be sent to a client tomorrow morning, and which, throughout the text, had translated "中小企业" (small and medium enterprises) as "S&M", minus the "enterprise". And people think business Read More...
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CNET 45: Regulatory rumblings in online-videoland

Posted Monday, November 20, 2006 6:30 AM by will
Regulatory rumblings in online-videoland November 20, 2006 I stumbled across a short article in ChinaTechNews today that notes that four different Chinese regulators are currently hammering out a new regulatory framework for video uploads in China: Led Read More...
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CNET 44: Wikipedia in China blocked - unblocked - blocked again

Posted Friday, November 17, 2006 7:24 AM by will
Wikipedia in China blocked - unblocked - blocked again November 17, 2006 It was celebration time in China a month ago when a longstanding block on Wikipedia was finally lifted . Yes, there had always been ways around it, such as proxy servers, Gollum Read More...
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Just walking my pony, officer

Posted Thursday, November 16, 2006 7:08 AM by will
Imagethief has been watching with come concern the Beijing city government's drive to crack down on "stray dogs" . In the expansive interpretation of the authorities this means any unlicensed dog, any dog that contravenes the city's 35cm height limit, Read More...
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Help, I'm starved for cynical wit!

Posted Wednesday, November 15, 2006 3:06 AM by will
Imagethief would like to apologize to all readers who are wondering if I have been, perhaps, hit by a train or mauled to deathy by wiener dogs (you have to watch out for those wiener dogs, they're much more dangerous than they look). I have been in a Read More...
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Friday PR blog 2: Dangerous virus, radioactive quote

Posted Friday, November 10, 2006 7:08 AM by will
In the wake of Margaret Chan's confirmation as WHO chief, the usual questions about Chinese transparency in matters of epidemic and disease control are being asked. Thus, in the effort to smooth a bath for building Chan's credibility, you'd expect Chinese Read More...
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Friday PR blog: All those Olympic athletes block my view of the Fuwa!

Posted Friday, November 10, 2006 5:16 AM by will
Imagethief was interested to read today a Xinhua article reporting on BOCOG's new restrictions on Chinese Olympic athelete's participation in "social activities". From the article, I take it that this doesn't mean hanging out in bars or going out on dates Read More...
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What's wrong with this picture?

Posted Thursday, November 09, 2006 10:30 PM by will
Microsoft (or Apple) may want to get on the horn to the folks at Xinhua, who apparently haven't got their digital music player models entirely sorted out. An article on Microsoft's licensing deal with Universal music for the Zune music player included Read More...
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So long TTC

Posted Thursday, November 09, 2006 6:17 AM by will
Talk Talk China, one of the most, um, distinctive China blogs on the web, is closing down . A shame. In an era defined by an endless mix of China Hype and Big China Issues, it was always refreshing to read some petty, misanthropic rant about daily life. Read More...
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Comment interruption lifted - but some moderation

Posted Tuesday, November 07, 2006 9:05 PM by will
I've lifted last night's temporary comment ban. You're all free to kvetch again. For the moment, I will moderate comments by anonymous users. Since my schedule is baked today and tomorrow, the turnaround time might be a bit sluggish. Registered users Read More...
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Temporary comment interruption & philosophy

Posted Tuesday, November 07, 2006 3:46 AM by will
Imagethief apologizes for a temporary interruption in comments due to a little spam blizzard this afternoon. I'll keep an eye on the situation and we'll see how things go. As always I hope not to have to switch to moderated comments. I've been lucky for Read More...
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Imagethief turns the mighty Thought-O-Tronic on a tiger

Posted Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:57 AM by will
Longtime readers will know that earlier this year I invented a device that enables me to read the thoughts of people in news photographs. I was elated today when, upon reading a China Daily article on tiger cubs that have befriended rabbits , I discovered Read More...
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Wife-swapping is out, but crotchless body stockings are go

Posted Monday, November 06, 2006 5:35 AM by will
Sometimes it's hard to make sense of the conflicting messages that bubble out of China's public forums. I certainly felt that way after reading this China Daily story (NSFW) about the Guangzhou Sex Culture Exhibition: Once regarded as "bold and open," Read More...
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CNET 42: Is YouTube a time bomb for Google in China?

Posted Sunday, November 05, 2006 6:15 AM by will
Is YouTube a time bomb for Google in China? November 6, 2006 On the heels of last week's Internet Governance Forum in Athens, an event that yielded some memorable statements , I thought it might be worth pondering a situation infested with unroosted chickens: Read More...
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Sado-mascotism

Posted Friday, November 03, 2006 5:34 AM by will
Imagethief comes to this issue a little late, but I feel that it is important and should be addressed in a serious, public forum. But, since I don't have a serious public forum, this blog will have to do. I have followed with some consternation the recent Read More...
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When I say there is no censorship in China, I mean there is a certain amount...

Posted Wednesday, November 01, 2006 5:37 AM by will
Imagethief was interested to read today all about the interesting things oozing out of the Internet Governance Forum current taking place in Athens. First, of course, US Internet firms are, as always, under pressure for their complicity in the Chinese Read More...
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