Western narrative likes to pit Chinese against China's government censorship. In accepting the director of the year award, Feng Xiaogang (冯小刚) publicly lamented the difficulties he faced in complying with Chinese censors. What Feng and the 10,000-some people who retweeted him on weibo (sizable, but not that big a deal given the 500 million+ users) need to realize is that … [Read more...] about Hollywood has underwent self-censorship training, so should Feng Xiaogang
If you made a comment in the last 12 hours or so – specifically, after 10:50 pm 4/16/13 and before 2:00 pm 4/17/2013, Pacific Time…
If a made a comment in the last 12 hours or so - more specifically after 10:50 pm 4/16/13 and before 2:00 pm 4/17/2013, Pacific Time, your comment may have been deleted. Posts are not effected. I was doing some tweaking with the system and made a rookie mistake, so the most recent comments (before our next back up kicks in) were lost accidentally. I am very sorry about this … [Read more...] about If you made a comment in the last 12 hours or so – specifically, after 10:50 pm 4/16/13 and before 2:00 pm 4/17/2013, Pacific Time…
What The History of Online Communities Taught Me About “Freedom Of Speech”
Around 1997, I stumbled upon and joined an online forum, now somewhat infamously known as "FreeRepublic.com". This was in the early days of online communities. My initial fascination with FreeRepublic (I was a "Freeper", but I never called myself that), and my subsequent departure from it, marked my first of life long lesson in the self-contradiction that is "Freedom of … [Read more...] about What The History of Online Communities Taught Me About “Freedom Of Speech”
Botanical Espionage, The Western History of IP Violations
About 400 years ago, tea was first introduced to the British, but China was the ONLY nation with monopoly on tea production and methods. http://www.amazon.com/For-All-Tea-China-Favorite/product-reviews/B0043RT8D6 The British did 2 things to end China's monopoly, (1) sold Opium to offset China's tea profits, and (2) stole China's IP on tea via "botanical … [Read more...] about Botanical Espionage, The Western History of IP Violations
Comparing Lincoln to Mao
If you were ask to give a short narrative for those two very important historical figure, what words were to come into your mind? Abraham Lincoln was consistently voted by US scholars as the greatest US president. He was even immortalized in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. However, don't the ill informed Americans know he is the greatest mass murderer in US history? … [Read more...] about Comparing Lincoln to Mao