http://www.virtual-china.org An exploration of virtual experiences and environments in and about China. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:01:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This picture is a not related to the post. (Photo credit: n0r) When Lyn and I started the Virtual China blog back in February 2006, it served as an online notebook and promotion vehicle for an Institute for the Future program of the same name. And indeed, some of what we ... http://www.virtual-china.org/2008/11/20/farewell/ Last October I posted on the ongoing scroll of commentary on ChinaTechNews and pointed out the need for a blog to help non-Chinese speaking users figure out their Chinese-made phones.  Today, almost a year later, Jeff posted a link to a site called chinamanuals.com, where you can buy English manuals ... http://www.virtual-china.org/2008/10/01/find-english-manuals-for-your-chinese-phone/ A Nature article about China's latest space launch yesterday, the first to cease reliance on Russian spacesuits: The craft also carries a companion satellite, which will be released once the astronaut capsule is in orbit. Flying in close formation, it will relay real-time images of the spacewalk back to Earth. "China wants ... http://www.virtual-china.org/2008/09/26/a-hollywood-moment-for-the-china-space-programme/ ijoi's Chinese name is 视觉我享, which roughly translates to "I Enjoy Sight." ijoi is a web platform to promote design(ers) from and in China. They showcase work, conduct interviews and have plans to roll out podcasts (video & audio). For example, here's an excerpt from the video interview (subtitled in both ... http://www.virtual-china.org/2008/09/25/platform-for-chinese-design/ Qifang and PPDai are both online peer-to-peer lending systems, where you can donate small amounts to people who are often poorer and from rural areas (it is a form of microfinancing). But where PPDai focuses on the fast and high returns, Qifang takes it a step further: Translation of left side: An open ... http://www.virtual-china.org/2008/09/19/a-brilliant-approach-to-p2p-lending/ Aricsqueen. He's from America, but living in China. He video blogs a "Shanghai Diary." His mission is to give an alternative and honest view on China. The news and views typically take a critical position on China; stories include how an American got jailed in China for, a watchdog piece ... http://www.virtual-china.org/2008/09/15/american-dudes-video-diary-of-china/ From my friends over at Khaki Creative (based in Beijing): An interesting detail: "All MOKOMOKO apparel sizes are Asian standard, which is slightly smaller than European standard. Please reconfirm your order to account for this difference." See their store with designer shirts and plush dolls. http://www.virtual-china.org/2008/09/10/893/ A friend went on vacation and snapped these photos in a kid's park in Guilin. Photo credits: Aurelie Glorieux. They're made of foam, for kids, and the fathers apparently kept putting theirs kids next to them to take pictures. http://www.virtual-china.org/2008/08/28/pokemon-spotted-in-guilin/ "Private kitchen" = 私房菜 = home-cooked or super-traditional meals that are fixed course depending on the day and the restaurant is usually set in a small apartment upstairs; was all the rage in Hong Kong some years ago. If you're in Hong Kong, why don't you try a few set up ... http://www.virtual-china.org/2008/08/24/a-sample-of-hong-kongs-private-kitchens/ UPDATE: I added my short analysis/reflection. An ad for Wellcome (one of the big supermarket chains in Hong Kong) based on the premise that if the little daughter saves enough, one dollar at a time, that she can buy back some of her father's time spent at work. But why does it ... http://www.virtual-china.org/2008/08/20/hk-wellcome-ad/