I have a number of friends who do business in China and know a bit about the economic and social environment there. Communism generally only exists in name only and I'm generally convinced it persists to keep the current leadership in power. But then, with a few exceptions, people there are generally satisfied with things. It's difficult to complain about consistent 8% economic growth. And the fact is that most Chinese agree with government policies. Where Americans value free speech at all costs, for example, Chinese value stability more highly.
I don't agree with all of the parent's ideas, but this bit, very much so.
People tend to forget what recent history means in China: a large number of people *remember* the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. My friend's parents watched people starve in 1960, and had to deal with the Cultural Revolution in the late 60s. And they've watched their children go to university (which they couldn't do), get decent jobs (which weren't available, or reserved for those with connections), and have discretionary income (which didn't exist).
Is this true for everyone? Of course not. But, as the parent said, are people "generally satisfied with things," and "agree with government policy?" Seems that way, because things are measurable better for most people here, compared to 50 years ago.
I have a Hanlin V3, and I absolutely love it. I do know my situation is unusual, though. I don't live in an English-speaking country, so *any* English-language book is expensive. I also travel quite a bit. Being able to replace the a couple heavy, bulky dead-tree books with one ebook reader with a gig of memory is really nice.
As far as the complaints go, some seem valid, others not so much. Page lag is a bit weird to start, but I got used to it within an hour or so. It's just a matter of hitting "turn page" before reading every word. Battery life: actually, it's excellent. It only draws power to change a page, and one charge lasts thousands of page turns. I can also just leave it on to my current page, so I can jump back into the book quickly. On the other hand, search functions suck. I would never use the current crop of technology for reference books. Texture/feel...well, I guess. But the ebook form factor is just too much more convenient for me.
Just opened it now, in Beijing. Seems to be working fine. But of course, the Tiananmen Square Protest page is blocked, still. That's the keyword filter, still chugging along as usual.
True, but not new. I've been in China since 2004. Every time I've clicked on a Google Video link, it hasn't been blocked by China, but it's never worked. They're very nice about it, though: "Thanks for your interest in Google Video. Currently, the playback feature of Google Video isn't available in your country. We hope to make this feature available more widely in the future, and we really appreciate your patience."
Do no evil, or, if you have to, be polite about it?
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I have a number of friends who do business in China and know a bit about the economic and social environment there. Communism generally only exists in name only and I'm generally convinced it persists to keep the current leadership in power. But then, with a few exceptions, people there are generally satisfied with things. It's difficult to complain about consistent 8% economic growth. And the fact is that most Chinese agree with government policies. Where Americans value free speech at all costs, for example, Chinese value stability more highly.
I don't agree with all of the parent's ideas, but this bit, very much so. People tend to forget what recent history means in China: a large number of people *remember* the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. My friend's parents watched people starve in 1960, and had to deal with the Cultural Revolution in the late 60s. And they've watched their children go to university (which they couldn't do), get decent jobs (which weren't available, or reserved for those with connections), and have discretionary income (which didn't exist). Is this true for everyone? Of course not. But, as the parent said, are people "generally satisfied with things," and "agree with government policy?" Seems that way, because things are measurable better for most people here, compared to 50 years ago.
Not to be a luddite about things, but how about a skylight or 2?
I have a Hanlin V3, and I absolutely love it. I do know my situation is unusual, though. I don't live in an English-speaking country, so *any* English-language book is expensive. I also travel quite a bit. Being able to replace the a couple heavy, bulky dead-tree books with one ebook reader with a gig of memory is really nice.
As far as the complaints go, some seem valid, others not so much. Page lag is a bit weird to start, but I got used to it within an hour or so. It's just a matter of hitting "turn page" before reading every word. Battery life: actually, it's excellent. It only draws power to change a page, and one charge lasts thousands of page turns. I can also just leave it on to my current page, so I can jump back into the book quickly. On the other hand, search functions suck. I would never use the current crop of technology for reference books. Texture/feel...well, I guess. But the ebook form factor is just too much more convenient for me.
Damnit, the last thing we needed is to make Galactus more interested in our delicious planet.
Just opened it now, in Beijing. Seems to be working fine. But of course, the Tiananmen Square Protest page is blocked, still. That's the keyword filter, still chugging along as usual.
True, but not new. I've been in China since 2004. Every time I've clicked on a Google Video link, it hasn't been blocked by China, but it's never worked. They're very nice about it, though: "Thanks for your interest in Google Video. Currently, the playback feature of Google Video isn't available in your country. We hope to make this feature available more widely in the future, and we really appreciate your patience." Do no evil, or, if you have to, be polite about it?