tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139337892012-02-17T01:40:16.233+08:00My blog about stuff. Such is a blog - about stuff.Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.comBlogger1661100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-52024349055468915402010-01-08T00:30:00.001+08:002010-01-08T00:30:15.596+08:00

The Mutant Jedihttp://mutantjedi.wordpress.com/Blogger continues to be blocked in China so I'm going to continue my ramblings on wordpress.com.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-56342899736711381312010-01-06T00:05:00.001+08:002010-01-06T00:05:46.040+08:00

Tweeting public unstoppable in China's new decadehttp://opinion.globaltimes.cn/editorial/2010-01/495975.htmlThe Chinese government is aggressively blocking Twitter and Twitter proxies. It is also blocking YouTube and Facebook. Yet this article, written by the government, seems to pretend that there is unfettered access to foreign social networks. And then it wrings its hands wondering what to do

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-49145384408349846142010-01-04T10:53:00.001+08:002010-01-04T10:53:45.158+08:00

GFW outagehttp://danwei.tv/?p=612Last night was just a temp glitch in the crab machine. Net life today is back to normal. Ignorance is bliss. 

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-58131190068913945322010-01-03T23:14:00.002+08:002010-01-03T23:15:47.043+08:00

If there's still access tomorrow, I'll tell you about 燕子, the, in my opinion, perhaps not 老倪's opinion, beautiful girl from 四川.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-84598717590705735842010-01-03T23:11:00.002+08:002010-01-03T23:13:36.018+08:00

It is 23:12, I've spent the evening drinking with 兄弟, and now I have unfettered access to blogspot. Thank you River Crabs. (We'll see if the access is still there in the morning...)

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-19075754992308081002009-12-18T19:51:00.001+08:002009-12-18T19:51:28.562+08:00

Found in the following article...Odd couple take stand against demolitionhttp://china.globaltimes.cn/society/2009-12/492775_2.htmlXu asked for 100 yuan ($15) a month, which he said will later be donated to Sun Zhongjie, the driver who cut off his finger to show his innocence in the taxi entrapment case in Shanghai.Actually, I really do hope one day in China that arrest doesn't mean guilt by

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-89059886023281418322009-12-18T19:42:00.001+08:002009-12-18T19:42:28.656+08:00

Chinese-born foreigners ought to be cautious when coming back to China. I heard of this long ago too. The gist of it all is that China treats Chinese-born foreigners differently. They are treated more like Chinese than foreign. Given that it is very difficult to intuit what is or isn't a state or trade secret here, depending on one's job, one could find oneself in deep shit quickly. I'm hoping

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-47540337289937507982009-12-14T15:58:00.001+08:002009-12-14T15:58:10.535+08:00

Narrow Dwellings: a TV series that slipped through SARFT's guidelineshttp://danwei.tv/?p=514This article touches upon several issues of interest in modern China. Prostitution, mistresses, sexual resources, money, power, corruption and so on. The 20-somethings that are graduating university are faced with complex issues relating to our basic human experience. Everybody knows the "没有车，没有房子，没办法" -

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-10182759795068438302009-11-30T09:41:00.001+08:002009-11-30T09:41:55.962+08:00

Secrets and rights: experts weigh up China's legal moves towards transparencyhttp://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/29/content_12560197.htmThis article is an interesting window into the legal workings of China. A municipal government's budget is considered a "state secret" in Shanghai. This means that someone mentioning that X元 is spent on staplers to a foreigner could get both parties

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-42024547124331904212009-11-23T17:48:00.000+08:002009-11-23T17:49:07.086+08:00

Love, Justice & the American Wayhttp://special.globaltimes.cn/2009-11/486844.htmlThe headline is odd. I wonder if it was sculpted to be that way. You see, the story has nothing to do with "the American Way" but everything to do with "the Chinese Way" of justice. I wonder if it was sculpted to slip past the censors. Or to tenuously test the tepid waters of commenting on the legal system in China. 

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-9536685812346425532009-11-18T13:28:00.001+08:002009-11-18T13:28:32.411+08:00

CNN reporter gets detained in Shanghai over 'Oba-Mao' shirthttp://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/national-news/2009/11/18/233147/CNN-reporter.htmBanning the t-shirt is silly. Even sillier when explained with the t-shirt "may offend the American president." If anything, I expect that Obama has already secured one for himself as a souvenir. Perhaps, from a Chinese context, being hypersensitive to such

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-85970723223461248002009-11-17T18:35:00.000+08:002009-11-17T18:36:05.274+08:00

Blogspot is gone again. Not a big surprise. And here I was thinking that I should extend some credit to the crabs… Maybe later tonight or tomorrow access will be rationed out again.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-82516636142577942782009-11-17T13:43:00.002+08:002009-11-17T13:47:22.029+08:00

It looks like blogspot.com and blogger.com are working now. Who should I thank? Obama perhaps?Hmm... it is a bit unsettling. Before, I could drop my messages from a sober mind or a Baijiu soaked mind into the ether that is the Internet and be, mostly, unconcerned that bottles adrift would be picked up in China. Now that has changed. A bit. Overall, I'd say that it is a good thing. I wonder how

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-11980743241183955762009-11-17T13:33:00.000+08:002009-11-17T13:34:04.364+08:00

For one brief moment, I saw this blog... but then it was gone. Will it come back again?

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-50458421808113143492009-11-16T22:47:00.001+08:002009-11-16T22:47:29.292+08:00

Obama to China: Uncensored Internet is healthyhttp://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/national-news/2009/11/16/232891/p1/Obama-to.htmI hadn't written about this factor in the censorship of the net in China - health. A key principle to China's concept of good government is social harmony. I actually agree with this. Social harmony can encourage prosperity because the playing field is calm and

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-68367490384421435652009-11-16T15:52:00.001+08:002009-11-16T15:52:36.078+08:00

No bars, mistresses, Chinese officials warnedhttp://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/national-news/2009/11/16/232983/p1/No-bars.htmThis is not the first time I've seen this story. The first time was actually in Global Times in October.http://china.globaltimes.cn/chinanews/2009-10/479211_2.htmlThe quote in the Global Times article is interesting: "as many as 95 percent of major corruption cases are

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-37716718754813159752009-11-15T13:31:00.001+08:002009-11-15T13:31:20.493+08:00

'Sabbath' protest targets Intel - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8360429.stmThese people are protesting about working on a Saturday on a Saturday. They may pause at pressing a button on a Saturday but organizing, transporting, and all the logistics that go into the work of a protest are all okay. Some kind of loophole, eh? 

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-63569435230372789112009-11-15T03:31:00.002+08:002009-11-17T13:41:27.053+08:00

It's almost 3am and I happen to be not drunk.Tonight was a bit of a flash back to a year ago. Missing is Ben and the arguments that would ensue between Ben and Francis. I do miss Ben. Francis was at the MacBar tonight. He eventually fell asleep on the bench - traditions.As for myself, I paced it all quite well. That's the real skill in drinking - pacing. After drinking with Chinese so much

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-91618115936273206742009-11-14T02:27:00.002+08:002009-11-17T13:42:52.665+08:00

Tonight was a good night.I started from the school after having a coffee then a quck shopping tour of 北国. 北国 is generally expensive unless you find stuff in the 超市. but in the mall.. 好贵！I saw a jacket for 8000 元。that is a silly amount of cash.I'm looking for something cheaper. but that isn't found at 北国. I call a friend. She will shop with me.Tonight i go to see 瑞瑞. She is someone that I love

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-84686818740665191502009-11-10T13:22:00.000+08:002009-11-10T13:23:04.148+08:00

Binge drinking kills 3rd China Commenist [sic] official this yearhttp://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/local-news/other/2009/11/10/232130/Binge-drinking.htmDrinking 白酒 (Báijǐu) is a part of the northern culture in China. I don't remember it playing much of a role with my Hong Kong friends as, if they drank at all, would only drink beer. Because my HK friends were almost all practicing Christians, my

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-84973366342641857102009-11-01T04:11:00.000+08:002009-11-01T04:12:05.761+08:00

I just got back home. by myself. just me.I hung out at Mazzo for hours hoping that someone would be interested in me. While I was there I met 马一鑫。Before coming to Mazzo, I met 老倪 at a place to drink tea. There was a woman there who is interesting... but I went with 老倪 to Mazzo. 老倪 went home. Some co-workers were at Mazzo. But nobody for me.Nobody for me. This is a reoccurring theme for me.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-81780324138458135402009-10-29T23:56:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:14:38.089+08:00

In my drunken stupor the other night, I blogged a short burst about Amy.We met on Skype July 2006. That's just over three years ago. We talked a lot and shared a lot. We planned on meeting January 2008 but that didn't work out. We have a connection but how well that connection would translate into a "real" relationship is anybody's guess. If I could find that connection again in someone close

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-57004868832595423992009-10-28T08:53:00.001+08:002009-11-17T14:13:44.681+08:00

I must learn to restrain myself from inebriated blog postings.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-66653319484215468052009-10-27T23:42:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:13:19.009+08:00

I have a complex enough password that prevents me from texting when I am too too drunk. 但是喝多了我还能enter我的秘密。我的中 文还不好。因为我喝多了。我爱中国我也爱中国的美女。One such 美女 is Amy. Oh how I love her. She impacts ever relationship I have. She is my perfect love. Every girl gets compared to her. She is the phantom 美女。Tonight I talked with 王頔。我特别想她的声音。是个梦 想。肯定我爱她。But that is all part of another reality. Tonight, my

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-4967897249569542572009-10-23T22:24:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:12:51.677+08:00

Officials warned on prostitutionhttp://china.globaltimes.cn/chinanews/2009-10/479211.htmlQuoting the first paragraph of the article…A Party official warned his counterparts to resist sexual temptations and preserve their moral integrity in the interests of the Party's leadership, otherwise, they will receive demerits in their performance appraisal, the latest warning that highlights the Party's

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-77251225352838970542009-10-22T23:59:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:11:34.928+08:00

So. What about China?I've been asked about the future of China several times. It is a question of the season, in a sense. October 1st was the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. It is also a question that I ask myself often. What about China?I have bet the house on China and her future. I am not an armchair critic, comfortable in some Canadian study. I'm here… in the heart of

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-52800499265175515112009-10-16T00:25:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:10:44.824+08:00

I met Anna again tonight, after tutoring. She lives near my student. We walked together for a few hundred meters.I was excited. Happy that she seemed eager to meet me after the lesson. She gave me an apple and a pomegranate. I told her she was too kind. We walked and talked. She explained why she didn't reply to some of my text messages. I told her it didn't matter. I enjoyed her company. I

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-30675656450513290762009-10-15T18:26:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:09:47.690+08:00

Dad had his surgery and he went home. Relief. Everything is going to be fine.But then, the last two nights he's been returning to the hospital by ambulance. His heart is racing.Emails from mom which arrive mid day here but sent in the wee hours of the night there.Mom is strong. I get a new sense of what I've always known; she is strong. She is also very scared. So am I.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-68404791589238658722009-10-14T08:57:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:09:32.211+08:00

So What Exactly Happened With That Crashing Moon Probe?http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/10/13/so-what-exactly-happened-with-that-crashing-moon-probe/Some of the commenters made comments about the poor and the homeless… money spent on science is wasted.Just to keep the cost of the LCROSS mission in context…The National Rifle Association's 2004 expenses were about $207 million.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-62329432004388231442009-10-11T23:23:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:09:04.373+08:00

Qzone is too cute and too laden with javascript. It is slow and it is crowded. It has the same saccharine feel of myspace. And I loathe myspace.Often when you visit a qzone, the functionality has been altered, links are scattered. The guys who wrote this steamy pile of poo also love frames way too much.I'm not a big fan of the web page as a application approach and qzone helps underline, for

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-2028074167359434432009-10-10T04:29:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:08:30.000+08:00

我喝多了。The English for this Chinese phrase is not clear cut. Chinese has 我喝晕了 to 我喝醉了. English is more bland about states of inebriation. There is an art in drinking in China. At least in Northern China. My southern friends lacked the nuance in inebriation.It is past 4am. I had a great night with another girl and her mom, her friend, and her friend's mom. The girl is 圆圆. She is cute. She is

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-38137554717000733282009-10-08T23:26:00.001+08:002009-11-17T14:07:11.886+08:00

安娜 (Ānnà) has beautiful eyes and a bright smile. She has a soft voice and a cute accent when she speaks English. She loves cats. She has patience with me while I speak Chinese. We don't often fall back to the dictionary, instead we try to describe what it is that we are trying to say.Tonight was the third time we've met. The first time was when I was helping some friends with some

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-64496645942867448462009-10-08T23:06:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:04:47.398+08:00

Today, on the way to 北国商城 (a main shopping mall), off the main road near a canal, I saw a man beating a woman. She was screaming and crying. They were across the canal from me. I stopped at the commotion and saw them in the trees. An older woman on my side of the canal also stopped. I pulled out my cell phone and asked the woman what should I do. She said dial 110. I did and then asked the

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-24995520839482784412009-10-08T13:10:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:03:25.970+08:00

I'm fairly well convinced that censorship on the web has less to do with national security than it does to provide some sort of trade tool to the government/web companies. The most significant sites that are currently blocked in China are: youtube, blogspot, facebook, and twitter. There are many more but these four sites represent prime web real-estate. Certainly you can find inanity on youtube,

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-14609270387456719992009-10-06T12:18:00.002+08:002009-11-17T14:02:52.327+08:00

Where to begin? Let's get the blatantly obvious out of the way. Prostitution has been around a long long time in China. When I was reading The Journey West, I found it interesting that the traveling monks would, from time to time, be offered the amenity of a prostitute at an inn. These were monks that were clearly on an important mission. In a way, to my perspective, it would be like the Holiday

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-1753905842984277562009-10-03T15:58:00.001+08:002009-11-17T14:02:22.224+08:00

I talked with Mom yesterday. She says that Dad is doing fine after the surgery. I don't have many details as I've been involved in some holiday activities here. Today I 包饺子 (wrapped dumplings) with a family. It was a wonderful visit with a lovely family. But it did mean that I wasn't around to chat with Mom. Yet… it is the reason I'm here - to learn.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-13085824157156888512009-10-02T01:53:00.001+08:002009-11-17T14:01:21.003+08:00

Today, I went for a walk. The sky was clear and the moon was bright. 中秋节 will be here soon so the moon was almost full. So, amongst the other thoughts in my head, I thought of a girl, Anna. I gave her a text message, "安娜你好。回家了吧？今晚的天空很清。我正在赏月亮。" She replied, "回家啦，每逢佳节倍思亲。自己一个人吗？""我自己一个人。散散步呢。""想念家人么?""是的。我很想念他们。今天在网上我跟我妈妈聊一会天。" After supper and walking a bit, I continued, "哈哈 :) 我能看到月亮的兔子。它很清楚。

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-81384483301287114252009-09-24T12:00:00.002+08:002009-11-17T13:59:29.227+08:00

and I'm a million miles away. My sister says he's okay. But I can't go visit him or mom.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-45466583975116822102009-09-13T17:39:00.002+08:002009-11-17T13:59:06.989+08:00

Very recently I watched the 5 part BBC series, The Incredible Human Journey. Now, I'm just starting a 2006 TEDTalks episode with Burt Rutan. If you don't know who Burt Rutan is, quickly google him. His TEDTalk is called: Entrepreneurs are the future of space flight. Rutan makes an assertion at the start of his talk which I had always believed and took for granted, that we instinctually seek out

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-23278441827975675932009-08-26T03:52:00.004+08:002009-11-17T13:57:55.140+08:00

That is a question that I have asked myself throughout my life from time to time. For the moment, time pauses. The flow of events that carried me through time and space to this moment become clear for an instant, like your eye catching a pattern in a turbulent cloud between blinks. Clarity for a moment. Then gone again.It is also a question that lacks an answer. Choices. Certainly. Each

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-60586618311124669982009-08-04T00:08:00.003+08:002009-11-17T13:56:58.015+08:00

I had a few essays in mind to write when I headed back to Canada. About censorship mostly. How it can backfire on social harmony. But all that noise faded to the back with more important things to focus on. Now I sit in YVR too soon. Way too soon. Something has to change.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-67254802228083935142009-08-04T00:04:00.002+08:002009-11-17T13:56:17.277+08:00

Too soon.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-74458349283797233762009-07-07T22:50:00.002+08:002009-11-17T13:55:54.630+08:00

Sigh...Are we all to blame what's happening in Xinjiang for this? Or perhaps the River Crabs are just a little childish.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-88869943906334054482009-06-26T10:45:00.002+08:002009-07-29T02:08:02.656+08:00

Looking at my previous post with sneakme.net, I can see that emailing the story in can lose the html coding.I'll fix it when I get back.... fixed

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-26788091089745727182009-06-24T19:00:00.002+08:002009-11-17T13:54:50.866+08:00

Green Dam, Google and Internet regulation[snip]With the world’s largest online population, China is a lucrative market no Internet company can ignore. The porn industry, especially from the West, is penetrating this market as well.[snip]Any regulation has to win wide public support before achieving the desired result. But Western media shouldn’t overly politicize the Chinese government’s

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-2765144563127976812009-05-22T16:06:00.002+08:002009-11-17T13:53:09.891+08:00

I don't particularly like the chase. But I can't think of a way to tweak it better. How can you possibly tell who is right for who without it. What does "right for" even mean?There is a woman floating in my life. She is beautiful. ... but allusive. There are small red flags on the field. Warnings. Perhaps. Perhaps. Or just red petals drifting across the field only looking like warnings.What

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-53455819169501241432009-05-22T09:54:00.001+08:002009-11-17T13:51:52.462+08:00

A week or so ago, blogspot was also blocked. It joins youtube in the ranks of unwelcome Internet visitors from abroad. When the river crabs do silly things like block youtube or blogspot, I think it becomes fair game to speculate wildly on why as arbitrary stupid actions beg for in kind. Nothing is as mockable as a crab trying to cover its nuts.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_crab_(

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-24547582292362982242009-04-27T08:33:00.002+08:002009-04-27T08:41:28.826+08:00

Are Apple's ads really better than Microsoft's?On the other hand, because Microsoft's "Laptop Hunter" campaign is aggressive and timely, it could become the only advertising output by which the brand is defined: We're cheaper, we're angry, and we're just not going to take it any more.The brand definition sounds like it came directly out of Steve Ballmer's mouth.As far as I've seen, Ballmer, a

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-57928398829994910962009-04-11T03:11:00.002+08:002009-04-11T03:23:28.048+08:00

I hardly know my youngest son. He will be 12 in a few days. My ex has been successful at keeping us apart. I made that complete by moving to China. I wanted to get him something for his birthday but had no idea what to get. I don't know him very well. I don't know what he likes. I don't know what he dreams of. So I gave him my kite. I bought the kite on Valentine's Day. I flew it with a beautiful

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-59916602072784387072009-04-11T02:36:00.003+08:002009-04-11T03:10:45.106+08:00

It is late. Well past 2:30am. And I can't fall asleep. I lay awake wondering how I could have left my kids behind. How could I have found myself here. I know what sort of man I am... yet, I am here. How could I have left them behind with her. Especially the oldest. The one most like me, the one closest to me, the one she would... what is it that she does? Hate? A singular skill at emanating

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-69489593769694940622009-03-31T21:20:00.006+08:002009-04-01T00:15:58.478+08:00

Lindzen on negative climate feedbackComputer models are great for telling you what you know or what you want to know. All you need to do is to communicate what your assumptions are to some guy that can write code, or code it yourself. Press a button. See the results. Hell, you can even call it an experiment... I wouldn't but climate modelers do. CO2 has a diminishing return when it comes to

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-46596163000917804612009-03-30T21:30:00.004+08:002009-03-30T21:58:24.459+08:00

I was poking around some sites. Reading some stuff. I came across Roy Spencer's blog entry Set Phasers on Stun. I was thinking that Spencer has an interesting idea about clouds, temperature, and causality. The research would be very important to making better models. But yet he was having problems publishing it... he tosses off "political correctness" as a big hurdle. Of course I have no doubt

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-20592880235032436192009-03-30T19:04:00.003+08:002009-03-30T19:13:42.808+08:00

Freeman ThinkingThe Civil HereticMy comment in Freeman ThinkingI applaud John for not allowing his “skeptical streak [to] simply cave to the present dominant stream of thought on this issue.” In response to a few of the commenters, one always have to be concerned anytime skepticism becomes a bad thing. AGW, with its pantheon of gods and priests, has, for some time now, been an ideology if not a

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-86803620817287454062009-03-23T08:32:00.005+08:002009-03-23T09:49:49.979+08:00

Unable to fall asleep until past 1am. Unable to sleep past 6am. The good thing is the time spent rolling life around in my head was only 5 hours. Normally wakefulness has enough distractions but this week the topic is memories. So many memories. There's the chapter before school ever started. This is one of my golden ages. The world lay before me like an uncharted land of mystery. Everything was

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-63251760599389041652009-03-19T01:40:00.004+08:002009-03-19T02:04:51.584+08:00

What is that opening line to some movie or TV show... something about stories, everybody's got one. While in Yangshuo, I met a woman. She was an interesting person who seemed to know a few people in town. She introduced me to a local fruit and to a woman in a wheelchair who sells them. She chided me for not going to her to get tickets for the light show as she could have gotten them cheaper. We

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-36077010905448476252009-03-17T01:22:00.003+08:002009-03-17T11:23:42.536+08:00

I am a proud owner of a bottomless pit. Well... it's not completely bottomless. It is finite. Yet, because the bottom recedes faster than I could possibly fill it, it is effectively bottomless. Small conciliation: I now know what lays at the bottom. Thus I know where anything thrown into the pit will go. Still, disquieting is how easily and quietly the pit was constructed. There is no notice. It

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-70341814165197299032009-03-15T11:56:00.004+08:002009-03-15T12:38:09.592+08:00

Probably the single most significant thing to happen to me since coming to China was the realization that my eldest son didn't understand what I was doing. Obviously, he couldn't have understood. But somehow, because he is so much like me, because we have been so close, I just figured he got it by osmosis. As my mom told me once, assume makes an ass out of u and me. Of course, as we talked, his

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-68836026071552525832009-01-02T11:34:00.006+08:002009-01-02T12:04:13.725+08:00

My first visit to Dr. Norman Bethune's tomb happened to fall on the first day of this year. A few times earlier, I had asked friends to take me there on our outings but we never seemed to have the time to work it into our schedule. This time, as a result of a minor scheduling conflict, there I was on Jan 1st. I'm hoping that it will be a good first step in 2009.Bethune's story is one of the loops

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-9888989712620719722008-12-16T19:47:00.002+08:002008-12-16T19:54:29.745+08:00

Is there a moral crisis in Mainland China?Every generation seems to need to be reminded by the older folks how immoral it is. Or the generation looks to the past as somehow better than today. For example, a friend of mine was pining for the golden age of the 1950's in North America, which is a period of time some time before his time. He seemed a bit put off when I queried him just which golden

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-67509763140781070552008-11-27T00:34:00.005+08:002008-11-28T20:25:08.470+08:00

I have so much to write but I am not making the time to settle down and write it out. And some of it I don't want to write to a forum as public as this is... but perhaps I should. I could just change a few names and nobody would be wiser right? Innocence protected.Putting a licked finger to the wind, I can say that I very much enjoy my first few months in China. When I came back last Winter, I

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-25811431109388278262008-10-31T09:56:00.003+08:002008-10-31T10:40:58.291+08:00

I'm processing a dynamic model. With new data, the model changes. New ideas. New perspectives. But it really isn't changing that fast. It's just me. A probe in need of calibration. Language. Culture. And me. I'm fast approaching 50. The physicist in me reminds me that a second now is just as long or short as a second twenty years ago but it is undeniable: what counts is that the perception of

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-13828984833013319342008-10-02T21:34:00.003+08:002008-10-03T20:57:27.420+08:00

I am not sure what to think of expats.I'm not used to expats. The closest thing I've experienced to expats were the missionaries in Taiwan I worked with in 1986. But they are not the same... for one, except for one, I tended to not hang out much with them, and for two, they tried to fit in in their own way. I suppose the expats I know now do the same, in their own way. I like the expats at the

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-61293750737678795422008-09-11T19:18:00.003+08:002008-09-11T19:25:45.009+08:00

In China, I teach Junior 2's English. They would be grade 8 in Canada. Today, one of the students asked me, "What day is today?"I looked at my watch but then had to fumble with my glasses. "September 11," I replied. I knew what day it is. 9/11. That bit of data bounced in the back of my head. In the foreground, I had a stage of Chinese students to teach. Each child has a different level of

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-43773786162753169492008-09-07T23:36:00.004+08:002008-09-07T23:46:42.780+08:00

The last couple of decades in Canada, I have laughed at the mosquito. Or... more specifically... I've quietly mocked the poor man or woman who reacted to the dreaded Canadian mosquito for I had developed an immunity. I was fearless in the pointy, needly face of that insidious interloping insect: the mosquito. I may be immune to Canadian mosquitos but not Chinese mosquitos.Since arriving in

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-46314580553909194162008-09-01T14:28:00.004+08:002008-09-02T08:59:33.183+08:00

I was warned about heavy train usage for Spring Festival, but the day before school starts can be pretty busy too. The waiting lounge for the train was packed. At Shijiazhuang, humanity flowed out of the train through the wide corridors of the station to be jammed at the exits. Once your ticket was checked, you could step out into the bright sunshine of Shijiazhuang. I was to meet Victor Wang. I

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-84511332724684326182008-08-31T10:08:00.006+08:002008-08-31T10:23:18.976+08:00

Today is a sunny day in Beijing. Yesterday, it rained on and off all day. The wet falling from the air brought some relief from the wet hanging in the air. I remembered my first day in Hong Kong some 20 plus years ago and reminded myself that I'll quickly get used to life in the humidity. But today is sunny. I can even see the mountains to the West. The streets are full of kids coming to school

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-60280576322520546982008-08-30T10:39:00.004+08:002008-08-30T10:57:48.128+08:00

This is a quick sort of note while my iPod recharges. I was lucky to have a 14 hour delay in Vancouver. It meant that my old friend, John, and I could spend more than a quick non-coffee coffee together. It's been years since we've been able to sit in comfy chairs. The interesting thing about this time going to Beijing is the number of teachers. I've spotted perhaps 4 of them waiting for the

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-81597895994461899642008-08-02T14:43:00.000+08:002008-08-02T14:44:35.395+08:00

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-8223840213952864312008-07-29T06:52:00.003+08:002008-07-29T07:10:40.194+08:00

Okay. The months in 2008 leading up to now have been more interesting that I would have hoped. To say it has been a roller coaster ride would add a trivializing element that is not befitting. Snow, Riot, Earthquake, Flood. Added to these elements things that really seem minor in their shadow are visas, complaining expats, fiat commercial (etc), and a host of other things and oddities. But... the

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-44144067215407119002008-06-30T12:10:00.011+08:002008-07-11T10:51:48.503+08:00

Protests in China at official 'cover-up' of teenager's death - www.independent.co.ukPolice station assaulted, torched by local people in southwest China county - news.xinhuanet.comThe reason we have inquiries in Canada is to maintain confidence of the citizens in the supervision of the government (to use Wen’s language, as learned from Thornton’s article). Instead of trying to buy off the family

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-59742847441605370532008-06-23T08:42:00.002+08:002008-06-23T08:54:49.451+08:00

Don’t indulge our “race complex”foolsmountain.com is a fascinating blog about China. If you are interested in China, I would strongly suggest following this blog. It seems to me the closest one can get to having candid conversations with Chinese friends as one can get sitting here in the West. One of the things that you'll find on this blog are translations of entries from other blogs, blogs that

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-28493821683751511772008-06-08T04:20:00.003+08:002008-06-08T04:38:07.536+08:00

A lot of people will look at that video and feel that the message is pro-environment. I don't.Change it up a bit in your mind. Replace words that refer to humanity with words that refer to an ethnic group, say, Mexicans. Replace words that refer to the world or earth with words that refer to some region, say the USA. Now watch it over again. This is a hate video. It isn't about the environment or

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-29317933599356105062008-06-06T00:29:00.006+08:002008-08-02T14:43:35.797+08:00

Shanghai Diaries, June 5 by Aric QueenIn his video, Aric says he and many expats hope that the games fail. I doubt if government will allow the games to "fail", even it it means making it something that Kim Jong-il would be proud of.I'm sure out of 1.3 billion people, a few could be found to fill the stands.I read "Foreigners find Beijing becomes a forbidden city before Olympics" in the Globe and

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-22112509759138727022008-06-04T11:56:00.004+08:002008-06-04T12:27:38.375+08:00

China: Democracy, or Confucianism?This was a thought that I've been mulling for some time - Confucianism in China. It didn't seem to be exclusive choice to democracy. But I was also skeptical of democracy for reasons suggested in the link and because what I'm watching in the US and Canada seem to be... um... hard to imagine in a Chinese context. Confucianism, on the other hand, is easy to imagine

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-79948974375214255822008-05-22T15:06:00.010+08:002008-05-22T15:50:52.209+08:00

Celine Galipeau reports for CBC-TV (Runs: 3:48)QuickTimeReal MediaThe first part of the report talks about how China is asking for help, including satellite photos of the area from the United States. The report shows a sequence of disturbing photos. The first one is before the earthquake of two villages along a river. The next photo is three days after the earthquake. The bridge is gone and the

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-68150586188840106072008-05-22T13:46:00.003+08:002008-05-22T14:01:50.927+08:00

A response to Shanghai Diaries - May 21Venomous public reaction to stuff is as universal as it is not new. For example, in Alberta, a Camrose cat killer was exposed on Facebook. Naturally, our noble netizens nodded towards neutering, nay, nuking of the nefarious felon. (sorry... get started on alliteration... and, by the way, I love cats...) For the most part, the cloud of hubris is no more

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-55009985733185806382008-05-20T12:43:00.008+08:002008-05-20T15:55:17.308+08:00

When I first became very close to the local Chinese community in 1983, almost all of my friends were from Hong Kong. I knew a bit about China and that knowledge grew through the lens of my Hong Kong friends. In 1986, when I visited Hong Kong for the first time, the Transfer of Sovereignty was still over 10 years in the future. Still, each time one of my friends made the choice to return to Hong

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-26610549779453724682008-05-17T03:57:00.005+08:002008-05-17T04:48:21.282+08:00

I've been trying to watch more of George Stroumboulopoulos from "The Hour" since, while channel hopping earlier this week, I stumbled upon him making a joke I considered in poor taste. As the callousness of the joke seems to have been an aberration, I won't go into details about it. However, I was intrigued that Ben Stein was going to be on his show, especially after watching Stein call

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-92022074748286953452008-05-14T12:28:00.002+08:002008-05-14T12:31:22.475+08:00

My thoughts and prayers go out to those in the region and to those affected. May the rescue efforts bring relief quickly.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-4125201957390407562008-05-06T01:11:00.007+08:002008-05-07T06:55:41.171+08:00

April 30th, I had the lens of my right eye removed and replaced with a bit of plastic. Months earlier, I met with my ophthalmologist. I needed to get new contacts. My prescription is very strong. There are not many people who walk around with eyes as myopic as mine. Worse, my last pair of glasses, already years behind in strength, broke a year or so earlier. I wear my contacts when I don't sleep,

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-41993777271424368362008-04-26T10:12:00.003+08:002008-04-26T10:15:45.746+08:00

China opens door to talks with Dalai Lama representativeI'm confused. Why is this new news? And when I listened to the report on the CBC radio, the reporter seemed to be crediting Western pressure for a change of heart on the part of the Chinese. And, looking at news.google.com, it is not only the CBC but many many Western news outlets are picking up on the story.The reason I'm confused is that

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-25464117463637822152008-04-23T04:05:00.006+08:002008-04-23T06:18:42.418+08:00

Appeals court upholds search of laptop at LAXWhat is the purpose of security at airports or other border crossings? National security, of course. And you thought it was your security. But this story is really isn't about security, it's about customs, the part that happens after you've landed and you're about to enter the country. But no, I'm wrong again. The article notes that the legal experts

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-29043027827355652422008-04-21T03:52:00.010+08:002008-04-21T09:55:37.063+08:00

Mr. Li, Myself, Fred, and JimmyRecently, I have been thinking about Mr. Li. In November of 1985, he arrived from Nanjing to the University of Alberta where he was one of my roommates in HUB for more than a year. Mr. Li was born in the early 40's. He came to the U of A as a visiting scholar. The three of us greeted him with an enormous amount of respect. At the same time, his modesty was profound.

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-63737228002135333262008-04-17T14:25:00.007+08:002008-04-17T14:52:13.558+08:00

This morning on Edmonton AM, a CBC Radio One show, I heard a local lawyer make statements about China and Tibet. Unfortunately, the show prefers to take controversial drive by shots as the transcript of the commentary is not available. Without the transcript, I have to rely on memory and I am bound to do the lawyer a disservice by quoting him wrong. Without the transcript, I am unable to

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-29297663593282482152008-04-14T14:33:00.008+08:002008-04-15T01:25:42.496+08:00

Thousands rally for ChinaFormer Tibet serfs say they cherish present happy life more than everAs I've mentioned before, I don't know a lot about Tibet. But, when I get the chance, I'll be sure to visit. I want to see for myself this place. While I was in Beijing, it was one of the places my friends mentioned, proudly, as a must see place. Yet, now, it has become a focal point for every criticism

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-51656209901147382312008-04-10T08:58:00.010+08:002008-04-10T14:18:07.876+08:00

Driving home, listening to the CBC, I heard a news clip. I think it was Richard Gere speaking. Regardless, the speaker made the statement that the genesis of the March 10th riots in Lhasa had nothing to do with the Olympics. Ha - I found the speech on YouTube and it was Gere. He's saying that the protests had nothing to do with the Olympics. Just spontaneous. Bullshit. From the first step, it was

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-10420438822716484682008-04-08T03:59:00.003+08:002008-04-08T04:32:36.510+08:00

Canadian Olympic Committee vows our athletes will be there when Games open in Beijing in Edmonton Journal.I'm very happy that the Canadian Olympic Committee has come out strongly in favor of the games in Beijing. The Olympic Torch is a lightning rod for activism as it goes on its international tour. Instead of being a time to celebrate the athletes and the ideals of the Olympics, it becomes

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-12120924388441690162008-04-08T02:53:00.005+08:002008-04-08T03:52:00.759+08:00

Earth in crisis, warns NASA's top climate scientist in the Edmonton Journal.AGW is a multibillion dollar concern and James Hansen is a key player in the AGW play. When he talks about the greasing of scientists palms to get them to say cigarettes don't cause cancer when talking about the "well oiled" administration, I'm thinking how ironic. But he's got to be concerned because what doesn't concern

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-83162665842552702152008-03-30T08:05:00.005+08:002008-03-30T08:34:50.228+08:00

I don't know a lot about Tibet. From my old textbooks, I do know that this is a region that has been under Chinese suzerainty for a very very long time. In fact, one could argue that it was due to Kubilai Khan and later Yuan emperors showering of favors and prestige that established the lama's powerful position in Tibetan society. They "gave lamas greater prestige and privilege than any other

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-91021300185248659682008-03-27T02:08:00.006+08:002008-03-28T02:02:04.113+08:00

Or... How effective have they've been in abetting terrorism within their own borders?I am extremely jaded when it comes to those with a vested interest in fear telling me just how afraid I should be. The politician that tells me that he will get tough on crime makes me wonder just how bad it really is or is he actively or passively participating in a feedback loop of fear. The average person who

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-57128563501417016212008-03-12T12:06:00.002+08:002008-03-12T12:15:54.274+08:00

那时候我想你。我了解你。我想着你。可能有一天我们俩在一起一边喝茶一边聊天... 一会儿。

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-47829936610342450902008-03-11T23:14:00.006+08:002008-03-13T00:57:01.052+08:00

Is it hidden or do I just lack the secret knowledge that would make it obvious?Or should I not be surprised when I find that my not-so-oft-trod path lacks good documentation?The case in hand is doing an LDAP query using JScript within .asp on an old IIS box. All I would like is some simple documentation on the various actors in this drama. Who is "ADODB.Connection"? I've played a bit with him

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-24521253886837937222008-02-22T23:57:00.005+08:002008-02-23T06:17:37.103+08:00

Remember the game Frogger? Have you ever found yourself on one side of a busy road, wondering if you were up to the Frogger challenge to get to the other side? If you're a Canadian, the rebellious urge to jay-walk was likely suppressed as you sheepishly made your way to the crosswalk. After all, you could get a ticket. And what would people think as they watched you recklessly dodge cars just to

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-30192388996024510112008-02-22T06:53:00.005+08:002008-02-22T12:43:01.309+08:00

Thinking I could watch some movies or do some work on the long flight between Edmonton and Beijing, I went out to my local Mac store and bought one of these. Honestly, I don't know if it even works. The Air Canada flight had 110 Volt/60 Hz plugins that worked with my regular adaptor. Not once did I find an opportunity to remove the contraption from the side pouch of my backpack. The mouse, which

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-76435747561155544302008-02-21T06:23:00.008+08:002008-02-22T03:16:14.703+08:00

I packed a few pairs of socks and just one pair of Tilley socks that I got for Christmas. Honestly, I wasn't that open to getting socks for Christmas. I have socks. I can get a bag of socks from Wal-Mart for less than one pair of Tilley socks. But, I got them so I packed them. On my first day, I thought I would walk to the Beijing Station. About 5 km later, I'm at the station and I can feel the

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-71957329943281670672008-02-21T05:59:00.005+08:002008-02-21T06:11:32.562+08:00

北海/Beihai Originally uploaded by cetuscript. I first learned about 孙悟空 (Sūn Wùkōng/Monkey King) from Amy. He was her favorite character on a TV show. Curious, I looked into his story. I learned more about him and his story. I watched a couple shows with 周星驰 (Stephen Chow) as 孙悟空 and I watched 《大闹天宫》.I bought 《西游记》. I'm hoping to be able to read it one day.From what I understand about the

cetuscriptnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-41733649104782473272008-02-21T05:11:00.007+08:002008-02-21T05:26:12.856+08:00

I started writing this on Feb 17thI am now sitting at Gate 9, waiting for my plane to board. This gate is like any other airport gate. Some interesting architecture, a coffee shop or two, a duty free shop, and generous seating for my fellow travelers who also find themselves in this state of limbo. It is a state of neither coming or going. The continual lazy stream of public announcements, given

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-1680851754341643402008-02-18T07:49:00.006+08:002008-02-18T09:28:11.101+08:00

Updated: The second time reconnecting with Safari, the "Connect" button was visible. Perhaps an image type button is not the way to go here? Anyhow, the basic issue of testing and reliability still stands.Coming back to Edmonton via Vancouver, I have a choice. I can spend $10 for a telus phone card or $15 (plus taxes) for 24 hours of telus wireless access. Either way, I'm forking money over to

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-88138903553890280192008-02-06T12:37:00.000+08:002008-02-05T21:38:03.765+08:00

When I got out of the airport yesterday, I could feel the ocean near by.My experience in Taichung was on the outside of the main downtown. Occasionally, I would ride my bike downtown. Kaohsiung is a port city. Where I'm located at is very much in the downtown part of the city. But the essential feel of Taiwan is the same as I remember it. I like it very much. There is lots to eat and lots of

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13933789.post-43205427968689197582008-02-05T22:00:00.000+08:002008-02-09T00:06:33.668+08:00

Cash.Aside from hotels or places where you can spend way too much money, my credit card was useless in Beijing. Cash is King. Even getting plane tickets was best done with cash. The cheapest tickets I could find online couldn't handle my credit card. Sure, there were other websites offering tickets for 50% to 100% more than the cheapest site that puked on my card but, with my budget, these more

Mutant Jedinoreply@blogger.com0