Archive for September, 2008

为什么?

Published by
Steve
at September 19, 2008 in China, Food, Health and news. 6 Comments

 

(ABC News)

Some Assembly Required

Published by
Steve
at September 14, 2008 in China, Family and Webel. 3 Comments

Okay, I finally managed to get Erica’s birthday present.  (I know, her birthday was July 20th!  Trust me, I’ve been trying!)

In order to get it, I had to go to Changsha about a two hour drive away.  Because we’ve been so busy lately, the only time I could go was last night.  Long story short, I got home last night around 11:30.

Unfortunately Erica was not able to use it right away – there was some assembly required…

I finally figured it out.  Thankfully there was a manual in English!  (Although I sometimes wonder about the engineers who write manuals – do they really know English all that well themselves…)

Side note:  There were ELEVEN manuals that came with our elliptical machine!  Yes, the box contained, along with about a million parts, eleven manuals, each in a different language!

I don’t read Chinese too well, but something interesting I noticed.  There was a discrepancy between the English and the Chinese under the ‘Tools Required’ section.  In the English manual, it said I would need a rubber mallet, an adjustable wrench, a phillips head screwdriver, and a set of hex wrenches.

The Chinese manual suggested a blunt object, a pair of chopsticks, a toothpick, and a bag of concrete.  Don’t ask…

What Does Facebook Try To Sell You?

Published by
Steve
at September 10, 2008 in Web 2.0, funny and thoughts. 1 Comment

 

For those of you who’ve made the plunge into the world of Facebook, you’ve probably noticed something… it’s called “targeted advertising” and it can be a little hard on the ole ego.

Do you know what I mean?

The Washington Post recently had an article about it;

Facebook targets its advertising to users based on the information in their profiles. This is not a new concept, of course. Kids usually see toy ads while they watch Nickelodeon, and women get ads for birth control pills as they watch Lifetime.

But Facebook’s data miners know much more about us because we tell them a whole lot more. Facebook knows my birthday, my relationship status and which book I’m reading, among other personal tidbits. The site started turning this information into dollar signs last November with the launch of Facebook Ads, which targets users’ presumed areas of interest (or psychological soft spots).

Basically, the subliminal goal of product advertising is to make you feel inadequate and ashamed, because you’re not perfect. Your teeth are yellow. Your armpits stink. You’re fat. And hairy.

I almost always get ads about “Learning Chinese” – how did they know my Mandarin stinks?  Lately they’ve been asking me if I need help with a “gambling addiction” – huh?!  Occasionally I think Facebook thinks I need to get a life, because it keeps asking me if I want to know about parties in Beijing.  

FB must not have got the memo about my THREE kids if they think I’m gonna jump at an opportunity to party it up in Beijing!

Ahhh, technology, you gotta love it!

Hurricanes Downgraded To A Tropical Depression

Published by
Steve
at September 7, 2008 in Football, Gators and Sports. 0 Comments

The Gators broke a 6 game losing streak (spanning 23 years!) with the Miami Hurricanes today with a respectable 26 to 3 final score!

I was not able to see the game, but I heard much of it via the internet and despite their success, it seems the Gators still have a lot of room for improvement if they are going to be ready for their SEC opponents!

I love Gator football!

Go Gators!