Okay, I've lived in China for the past 6-7 years from the beginning of net access to the cybercafes of today (except in Beijing:) where we are now.
Anyhow, my observations, and daily experience is such:
Email is not a problem. About as reliable as in the states, with certain exceptions when the infrastructure is having problems, like when they cut that trans pacific cable a few years back, and other nonsense.
Almost EVERYTHING is accessible, in terms of content, from Pr0n to anti-China news.
There are a few sticklers, like:
The Chinese Association of Students and Scolars (which has a lot of Tiananmen rhetoric up)
MAJOR news sites, like CNN, WashingtonPost, LATimes, ChicagoTribune, etc. (But who gives a damn!? Most of their articles are bought from wire services and you can still read them on Yahoo!, MSNBC, ABCNEWS, Google's cache, etc. I mean, Chinese business interests still have to keep up on their stock portfolios!)
Many of the "Free Website Services" are blocked because people put up all kinds of shit (that can't find funding or a feasible business model) there anyhow. (mostly lots of anti-China, China Democracy movement, and Fa Lun Gong, and Tiananmen rhetoric)
>> Side note: Don't blast me because I use the work 'rhetoric'... I use it both ways, to describe all kinds of people that keep moaning about the same damn things instead of getting anything done about them. I know people who were 'fasting' in Tiananmen, and what CNN didn't tell you, like: Ice Cream, Yoghurt, and Beer are not considered food, so they could have those. And, the fast was only during the daytime. After nighttime many of the students went ahead and ate. It was more of a WoodStock to most of the Yoots invovled, at least before the tanks rolled in.. much the same as the protests on the American Embassy after the 'bombing' of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia.::
Anyhow.. I don't think this is such a big deal to most people on the Internet in China. Most people are just happy to get online, play games, see what's going on in the outside world, etc.
Most CHINESE CHINESE (i.e. Not involved with the foreign community enough to speak English on a daily basis) don't have any interest in going to most of the sites mentioned because it's IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE! They're content to get most of their information from sites like Sina, Sohu, Tomtom, etc.
Most ENGLISH SPEAKING CHINESE are independent enough to get news from multiple sources if they want English news, but for the most part, it's through interactions with people, and not through spending time online checking websites. China has much to great a social life (i.e. you actually get out and meet people instead of being holed up in front of a glowing screen) for them to spend isolated looking for information on English websites. Why look it up when you can just talk about something over dinner with friends?
Most FOREIGNERS in China follow the ENGLISH SPEAKING CHINESE habit (or vica versa), but still fall into the morning 8-10am massive news surfing habit because they want to keep up to date on what's going on back at home, or simply can't read Chinese news and need something to comfort them.
In any case, in China everyone's so freakin' international that if there's something they can't get access to, we just send an email off to a friend and ask them to send us the text from a particular URL.
No, it's not INSTANT GRATIFICATION like in the US, but it's manageable without too much hassle. I'd say nine days out of ten it doesn't really matter.
It's more of a token demonstration than anything. The more you point it out, the more valuable the token becomes.
If anyone wants more specific insights into China's internet, send me email.
In AMERICA, may be so. But in many other countries it is DEFINITELY NOT this way.
I'm an American and have lived outside the states for about seven years now in Asia, and I HAVE TO SAY, we definitely have our priorities straight over there.
Even people making a MODEST income (dollar wise) live much richer life than people in the states. How do you count rich? Friends. Trips. Parties. Hanging out. Varied jobs. Varied adventures. Playing sports. Lots of great food and the other.
It's not just about the time your put in at work, it's about your freakin' humanity. I mean, seriously, a 30 minute lunch? What Drucorian scoundrel thought of that? You have to ENJOY a meal, then you'll be a more contented person. (Though I suppose the Super-Big-Value-Meal-and-Mighty-Gulp phenomenon puts your brain in on the Fritz -- must be that Brain Freeze I hear so much about!)
Another thing I've noticed after coming back, many employees don't go out to eat together! *boggle* And almost never do the management and lower levels (or other departments) mix. *!!!*
And after work, no one wants to go out and play? Why's that? It should be more common than it is. I know we all drive cars here, so no pubs, and no Karaoke-Box... *sigh*
This is really making me depressed.
What we give up for the almighty buck, first humanity, then freedom... or is it in reverse?
Thank God I'm only back here to study, I don't think I could ever live in America again, it's too bad on my morale!
It occurred to me, why is the government deciding the time limits for copyrights and patents? Since each application requires a document unto itself, wouldn't it make sense for there to be a space to assign your own time limit, and might this provide a way to encourage short time limits on tech patents?
For example, in patenting software, let's say software patents require a time limit (to be imposed by the author), after which, the software source will be forced into the public domain under an OS license.
As example, say you have two creators, that create competing products at the same time.
Creator A chooses 5 years because he knows he can make a lot of money with the software immediately (there's a strong demand for the software RIGHT NOW), but at the same time wants the software to gain market share and beat out other competing products in the long run. He advertised that it will be OSS in five years, and his patent is registered (along with his code) for five years, after which the patent office will release his code on the internet.
Creator B chooses lifetime because he thinks, no matter what, it's my idea, and if someone uses it, I should be reimbursed.
Now, since A can advertise "Here's this great product, and, btw, after five years it's OSS and you can do with it what you want" whereas B can only say "Here's this great product".
Would companies be more inclined to buy things that will eventually be free to them? Will other companies license this technology because they know they only have to pay for it for five years? Will companies wait for five years, possibly losing a competitive advantage, in order to avoid paying?
How might these ideas play out?
Would people embrace technologies with shorter time limits, because it would imply eventual cheaper adoption later on? Or, would everyone just make unreasonably long lifespans? Would creators use this idea to work against publishers who would just milk a product dry even after the creator no longer works for the company?
Just curious if any work has been done on that idea?
Slashdot Mirror
Okay, I've lived in China for the past 6-7 years from the beginning of net access to the cybercafes of today (except in Beijing :) where we are now.
Anyhow, my observations, and daily experience is such:
Email is not a problem. About as reliable as in the states, with certain exceptions when the infrastructure is having problems, like when they cut that trans pacific cable a few years back, and other nonsense.
Almost EVERYTHING is accessible, in terms of content, from Pr0n to anti-China news.
There are a few sticklers, like:
The Chinese Association of Students and Scolars
(which has a lot of Tiananmen rhetoric up)
MAJOR news sites, like CNN, WashingtonPost, LATimes, ChicagoTribune, etc.
(But who gives a damn!? Most of their articles are bought from wire services and you can still read them on Yahoo!, MSNBC, ABCNEWS, Google's cache, etc. I mean, Chinese business interests still have to keep up on their stock portfolios!)
Many of the "Free Website Services" are blocked because people put up all kinds of shit (that can't find funding or a feasible business model) there anyhow. (mostly lots of anti-China, China Democracy movement, and Fa Lun Gong, and Tiananmen rhetoric)
>> Side note: Don't blast me because I use the work 'rhetoric'... I use it both ways, to describe all kinds of people that keep moaning about the same damn things instead of getting anything done about them. I know people who were 'fasting' in Tiananmen, and what CNN didn't tell you, like: Ice Cream, Yoghurt, and Beer are not considered food, so they could have those. And, the fast was only during the daytime. After nighttime many of the students went ahead and ate. It was more of a WoodStock to most of the Yoots invovled, at least before the tanks rolled in.. much the same as the protests on the American Embassy after the 'bombing' of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia.::
Anyhow.. I don't think this is such a big deal to most people on the Internet in China. Most people are just happy to get online, play games, see what's going on in the outside world, etc.
Most CHINESE CHINESE (i.e. Not involved with the foreign community enough to speak English on a daily basis) don't have any interest in going to most of the sites mentioned because it's IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE! They're content to get most of their information from sites like Sina, Sohu, Tomtom, etc.
Most ENGLISH SPEAKING CHINESE are independent enough to get news from multiple sources if they want English news, but for the most part, it's through interactions with people, and not through spending time online checking websites. China has much to great a social life (i.e. you actually get out and meet people instead of being holed up in front of a glowing screen) for them to spend isolated looking for information on English websites. Why look it up when you can just talk about something over dinner with friends?
Most FOREIGNERS in China follow the ENGLISH SPEAKING CHINESE habit (or vica versa), but still fall into the morning 8-10am massive news surfing habit because they want to keep up to date on what's going on back at home, or simply can't read Chinese news and need something to comfort them.
In any case, in China everyone's so freakin' international that if there's something they can't get access to, we just send an email off to a friend and ask them to send us the text from a particular URL.
No, it's not INSTANT GRATIFICATION like in the US, but it's manageable without too much hassle. I'd say nine days out of ten it doesn't really matter.
It's more of a token demonstration than anything. The more you point it out, the more valuable the token becomes.
If anyone wants more specific insights into China's internet, send me email.
> The Real World Tends to Be Up or Out?
I HAVE to take issue with this.
In AMERICA, may be so. But in many other countries it is DEFINITELY NOT this way.
I'm an American and have lived outside the states for about seven years now in Asia, and I HAVE TO SAY, we definitely have our priorities straight over there.
Even people making a MODEST income (dollar wise) live much richer life than people in the states. How do you count rich? Friends. Trips. Parties. Hanging out. Varied jobs. Varied adventures. Playing sports. Lots of great food and the other.
It's not just about the time your put in at work, it's about your freakin' humanity. I mean, seriously, a 30 minute lunch? What Drucorian scoundrel thought of that? You have to ENJOY a meal, then you'll be a more contented person. (Though I suppose the Super-Big-Value-Meal-and-Mighty-Gulp phenomenon puts your brain in on the Fritz -- must be that Brain Freeze I hear so much about!)
Another thing I've noticed after coming back, many employees don't go out to eat together! *boggle* And almost never do the management and lower levels (or other departments) mix. *!!!*
And after work, no one wants to go out and play? Why's that? It should be more common than it is. I know we all drive cars here, so no pubs, and no Karaoke-Box... *sigh*
This is really making me depressed.
What we give up for the almighty buck, first humanity, then freedom... or is it in reverse?
Thank God I'm only back here to study, I don't think I could ever live in America again, it's too bad on my morale!
Hi, all.
It occurred to me, why is the government deciding the time limits for copyrights and patents? Since each application requires a document unto itself, wouldn't it make sense for there to be a space to assign your own time limit, and might this provide a way to encourage short time limits on tech patents?
For example, in patenting software, let's say software patents require a time limit (to be imposed by the author), after which, the software source will be forced into the public domain under an OS license.
As example, say you have two creators, that create competing products at the same time.
Creator A chooses 5 years because he knows he can make a lot of money with the software immediately (there's a strong demand for the software RIGHT NOW), but at the same time wants the software to gain market share and beat out other competing products in the long run. He advertised that it will be OSS in five years, and his patent is registered (along with his code) for five years, after which the patent office will release his code on the internet.
Creator B chooses lifetime because he thinks, no matter what, it's my idea, and if someone uses it, I should be reimbursed.
Now, since A can advertise "Here's this great product, and, btw, after five years it's OSS and you can do with it what you want" whereas B can only say "Here's this great product".
Would companies be more inclined to buy things that will eventually be free to them? Will other companies license this technology because they know they only have to pay for it for five years? Will companies wait for five years, possibly losing a competitive advantage, in order to avoid paying?
How might these ideas play out?
Would people embrace technologies with shorter time limits, because it would imply eventual cheaper adoption later on? Or, would everyone just make unreasonably long lifespans? Would creators use this idea to work against publishers who would just milk a product dry even after the creator no longer works for the company?
Just curious if any work has been done on that idea?
M.