Well, I haven't posted in a while, but that doesn't necessarily mean I haven't been doin' nuthin'... Here's a quick summary of my latest web pastimes:

• I've put together a sort of a guide for all things Dalian - Bars, Restaurants, Hotels, whatever. Any attempt at putting together this kind of guide should (in my opinion) have addresses listed in English, and pinyin and Chinese. What's the use of a guide that says, "go up the road until you see a restaurant with a blue overhang next to the post office." If it doesn't have a precise address that people can use in a taxi, it's not worth a damn.
  
  I'm happy to say that all Chinese characters on that part of my site will display pinyin when you hover over the chinese characters. What a ninja I am...
  
  This site also has an area where you can contribute info about your favorite places in Dalian, so I hope all you guys out there will participate and submit any useful information you may have. Also, please give some feedback about the bars and restaurants listed by clicking "Comments" at the end of each post. I've tried to stay neutral and just list the address, and leave it to readers to provide reviews.
  
  
• My PandaShop. If you need an "I Love Dalian" thong, you're in luck! Right now the product line is limited, but I plan to add an "I love xiaojie" shirt, as well as an "I love boba" (meaning "I love whores," and "I love big titties," respectively). They will be added shortly.
  
  
  
• I'm also gonna try to start writing some blog entries for for Ryan's (aka The Humanaught) new site, "Lost Laowai," the second coolest China-related domain name there is. I've gotta try and stay civilized though, and be a little more serious than I am on this site. I don't know if I succeeded in my first attempt though...
  
  For those of you not familiar with Ryan's new site, please check it out. The Haohao Report is one of the coolest things China-related websites to pop up in a long time. It's basically a China-related Digg. It's one stop shopping for all your China news. If you have a China-related blog, you should consider adding these buttons to your site, so that people can submit your articles to Haohao with a single click.

Anyway, my biggest problem these days is sticking to one project because I have too many silly ideas, and I'm always getting sidetracked. But we'll see how it goes. So far this site has about 6 components, and I'm gonna try and tie them all together a little better than they are now (i.e. using a common color scheme, and a common navigation bar on every page). If anyone has any comments or suggestions please let me know.

This site is still just a hobby, and I can't say I'm too serious about it. Still pretty half-assed, but it's a good laugh all the same.

In other news, I've added two new additions to my Dalian Bloglist, Eyes East and International Misfit. Please check 'em out. And then there's this. Dalian Xpat is making progress as well, which is good to see.

My laptop crashed about ten days ago. Being the conscientious and responsible person that I am, of course I had all my important stuff backed up. Still a pain in the ass though, because it seemed the only way to get my computer up and running again was a new Windows installation.



So off I went to the nearest 电子城 (dianzi cheng, Electronic City) to pick me up a copy of Windows XP. I was determined this time that I would buy a "real" copy, as I expected if I were to purchase a fake it'd only lead to more computer headaches in the not-so distant future.

So I arrive at Electronic City and start chatting the sales lady:

Me: Do you guys have an English version of Windows XP?
Lady: Yes, please wait a moment. Please, sit sit sit.
(lady goes behind a mountain of cardboard boxes, comes back)
Lady: Here you are. 15 yuan.
Me: I was just wondering, how much for a "real" version of windows? I should really buy that one, I think.
Lady: Well, we don't have it here, but it would surely be more than a thousand RMB.
Me: Holy Windows Batman!
Lady: 什么？

Anyway, I spoke to another friend of mine yesterday who tells me that he believes a real copy of windows may cost more than two thousand RMB. I have no idea. To me, Real Windows packages are kinda like Mr. Snuffleuppagus -- I'll buy one when I can afford it. But until then, fuck off Snuffy...

If a Windows package costs about 2000 RMB, here are some things to consider:

• What's the average monthly salary in China? Anyone willing to pay a month's salary on a copy of Windows, say "I."
• How much is a desktop computer in China? You can buy some for three or four thousand. Would you spend $1000 on a computer in America, only to have to pay $500 to buy the operating system on top of that?
• How much does a hooker cost? I'm willing to bet that you could squeeze 3 or 4 into your bed for same cost.
• 2000 羊肉串 (yang rou chuanr or meat-on-a-stick) doesn't sound too lousy either. I bet those Xinjiang dudes would really love me then!

Anyway, I'm not saying that all of this software piracy is ok. But man, Windows eXtra Pricy doesn't seem that accessible to the general population as the price stands now.

Tags:
Windows xp fake software product China counterfeit Microsoft software