Into the World:
The Random Thoughts in My Mind

Just getting back from a 5-day solo trip through Xi'an and Zhengzhou to see the famous Terracotta Soldiers and Shaolin Temple, I am sitting in my living room in Shanghai downloading a game on Three Kingdoms (got a bit hooked when I was playing it in an Internet cafe in Xi'an) while thinking about how lucky I was to get bus and train tickets off scalpers that made my journey such a go-when-I-feel-like-it style that is my only enjoyable way to travel. At least here in China, the underground economy is everywhere. The brothels fronting as foot massage, karaoke, and dance clubs that I talked about in the last post, of course, are the most obvious example, but probably the only thing in this country that cannot have underground involvement is airplane tickets. Being known as the "world's factory floor" gives you the advantage of generating not only illegal services (brothels, taxis, scalping tickets, you name it, but these exist not just in China but all developing c

Yep, if China could be considered a "morally righteous" country (like what the govt is trying the best to do...see last post), the "foot message," karaoke bars, and even "restaurants" better be controlled somehow...the pink lights streaming out of these places are really quite amazing...wait til nightfall, the country where porn is banned becomes a prime destination for sex tourism (I have heard quite a bit about sex tourism to China organized by Korean and Japanese companies...) Yes, you heard right...porn sites are completely banned here...in fact, if you try to access any porn sites (foreign ones, of course..anyone who try to register a domestic porn site is bound to be arrested...yes, there have been cases of that..and you think Internet is anonymous when you don't use your real name and identity...the cyber police is quite powerful and can track a lot of things down..its all prep for the cyber war, i.e. the war of the future) and actually manage t

Today, there is an apparently growing trend of establishing wireless Internet connections in populated areas to benefit large numbers of users simultaneously with little cost. Most notably, many coffee shops and college campuses have already taken a lead in installing a network for customers, students, and faculty members, allowing for immediate rapid Internet access from all corners of their large coverage areas. In fact, the technology is probably most important not when used by some dude in a coffee shop sending emails, but in major industries that cannot be access physically and thus requires remote communication for control and smooth operations. The best example that comes to mind is oil and gas fields far away from population centers, such as those in the northern slopes of Alaska (that I so regret not being able to visit in my Alaska trip) Rapidly sharing information is necessary for the safety and efficiency of the oil and gas industry in the future. Instant communication b

My grandfather recently passed, dying after struggling with three different cancers for over 30 years...he was quite a remarkable man, having fought in World War II, Chinese Civil War, and the Korean War, starting his military career as a 17-year-old anti-Japanese guerrilla fighter and ending it as a colonel leading his artillery regiment in the North Korean battlefields. After suffering various wounds that made continuation of his military impossible, he became a high ranking administrative official, becoming the dean and headmaster of various major academic institutions...he certainly was the pride of my extended family. With that said, obviously his passing is a big deal around here. That is especially true for me, his oldest grandson and legitimate heir (of what, I still am not sure...his legacy of military and administrative success, I suppose?)...and then here comes the biggest irony of all: while he was breathing his last breath on the hospital bed, surrounded by his other fami