China Blog List recently launched, and it’s a great way to find out what’s really going on there. The reputation of China is that it censors everything. And though they definitely censor a lot of things, for the most part they seem to leave their hands off the English language blogs. I’ve learned a lot from sites like Shanghaist, Simon World and China White, and I expect this to be a gold mine of new information.
As usual, Joel nails it. Though I think there’s definitely something in the air lately and can understand why people want to put a name to it, it may be that naming it ends up ruining it, or at least distracting me away from getting real work done.
Take a look at this re-made preview of The Shining for a great lesson on context (by way of Blair Warren).
Whenever people ask me about China, I inevitably bring up Shanghai. It’s so incredibly huge and cosmopolitan. The only fair comparison in the US is New York. New York is more culturally diverse because so many ethnicities have established themselves there over the last 150 years, but Shanghai is more impressive physically because of all the tall buildings. And the boom is just beginning, according to the New York Times:
This year alone, Shanghai will complete more towers with space for living and working than there is space in all the office buildings in New York City.
If you’re the kind of person who likes big cities, go visit Shanghai now. Though it impresses on a scale similar to New York, it’s still very cheap (like everything else in China). As an example, you can take a cab across the city for just five dollars or so. Something tells me those prices won’t survive the 2008 Olympics.
Hat tip: Shanghaist
This is rich: cancer-I-mean-cigarette manufacturer BAT has had a secret factory in North Korea (one of my strange obsessions) for the last five years. I’m sure there’s a great, Jon Stewart-esque joke in this, but I’m too dim to find it.
Hat tip: Simon World
An excellent post from Charlie at Union Square ventures: 10 Steps to a Hugely Successful Web 2.0 Company
I’m working on a new venture right now, so this is very timely for me personally, and all the ideas resonate.
Why does eBay screw good Samaritans running charity auctions for Katrina survivors? Maybe someone should tell Pierre.
I generally refrain from discussing politics here, and this isn’t really a political post except that it’s about Rush Limbaugh.
Media Matters for America says there’s a rumor that Rush Limbaugh is dating a CNN anchor named Daryn Kagan. I don’t watch much TV, so I don’t recognize her, but she looks pretty cute. But if it’s true, WTF is up with that? How could she possibly be attracted to this guy?
