PandaPassport.com – China Blog

I finally got a new computer. And that purchase was about 5 years overdue.

Please don’t laugh

My old laptop was an IBM A20 Thinkpad. Manufactured in 1999, it had 128M of RAM and a 10G hard drive. Using that computer was a great exercise in how to get the most out of your PC. It forced me to use a ton of online apps, perform regular maintenance — and that in the end all that was a good thing.

My new machine is a Macbook. Read the rest of this entry »

I haven’t been posting too much recently, as during the holidays… well, there are just more important things to do. I have put a few posts up on CNet Asia however, so you might want to drop over and check it out. Or feel free to subscribe via RSS.

Guerilla Translating in China, a Labor of Love
This was a fun post to write. I spoke to a girl who translates a Nintendo RPG as a hobby, and found that China essentially has a huge translation army who hang out on forums, translating games, and whipping up subtitles for movies and TV dramas. Turns out that this volunteer army is way more efficient than any professional translating company could ever be!

5 Goog-tastic reasons I’m betting against Baidu in ‘08
Baidu Schmaidu… Nobody innovates like Google. Period. I don’t care how much of the Chinese search market share Baidu has. Much like this guy, I’m expecting Google to kick it into high gear in China in the new year. Read the rest of this entry »

Just a quick note to say Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy New Year.

I wish I was home this year, but we’re gonna pass on that in the hopes of dropping my in mid to late summer instead. Probably best to avoid winter in Newfoundland.

In any case, it’s been a busy year and work has been hectic to say the least. But I’ve managed to squeeze in some online “hobbies” too, and I’m happy about that.

Here’s a quick look back at some of my highlights of 2007:

Read the rest of this entry »

Fact #1:

Here is a search engine, where you can type in some text if you happen to be looking for stuff. It’s called google.

Fact #2:

Here’s is a string of text, that can be typed anywhere, or copied and pasted if that’s more convenient: “knight rider” season1 site:youku.com

“Knight Rider. A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.”

Classic…

Via Gizmodo, here’s a commercial that ran on Chinese tv in Shenzhen for an iPhone knock-off.

Considering that these spots do show on state-run television, I’m surprised that commercials that explicitly prove China to be producing such knock-offs aren’t from the airwaves. Maybe the censorship boys are too busy watching titty-vids on youku instead?

Much like the Chinese Wii knock-off, this iClone doesn’t even try to look different. Read the rest of this entry »

This story is thoroughly disgusting, so be warned.

On youku’s front page today is a video entitled: “????????????” or “Wenzhou University Security [guard] beats a dog to death in front of everybody.”

And though I wish it wasn’t the case, the video shows exactly that. Click here to see the video, though as I said, it’s pretty disgusting.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s an email I received today. I get quite a bit of junk mail, but it seems these guys are just getting lazy these days. This one was funny.

From: MR Koffi Annan (un_nation4world@hotmail.com)

How are you today? Hope all is well with you and family? You may not understand why this mail came to you.

We have been having a meeting for the passed 7 months which ended 2 days ago with the then secretary to the UNITED NATIONS.

This email is to all the people that have been scammed in any part of the world, the UNITED NATIONS have agreed to compensate them with the sum of US$ 100,000. This includes every foriegn contractors that may have not received their contract sum, and people that have had an unfinished transaction or international businesses that failed due to Government probelms etc.
We found your name in our list and that is why we are contacting you, this have been agreed upon and have been signed.

You are advised to contact Mr. Jim Ovia of ZENITH BANK NIGERIA PLC, as he is our representative in Nigeria, contact him immediately for your Cheque/International Bank Draft of USD$ 100,000. This funds are in a Bank Draft for security purpose ok? so he will send it to you and you can clear it in any bank of your choice.

Therefore, you should send him your full Name and telephone number/your correct
mailing address where you want him to send the Draft to you.

Conatct Mr. Jim Ovia immediately for your Cheque:
Person to Contact Mr. Jim Ovia
Email: jimovia171@gmail.com
Phone: +234 1 850 6325

Thanks and God bless you and your family. Hoping to hear from you as soon as you cash your Bank Draft.

Making the world a better place

Regards,

Mr. Kofi Annan
Former Secretary (UNITED NATIONS)