Disqus - Latest Comments for AlexBowman

Re: Karen Mazurkewich: Can Marriage Survive Asian Expat Life?

AlexBowman — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:14:00 -0000

Can Marriage Survive Asian Expat Life?

Yes, if it's a good marriage. Maybe not (but not necessarily), if it can't.

I do believe I've saved us all a lot of time.

Re: What Robert Scoble found in China

AlexBowman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:52:48 -0000

I love the point he makes about pollution, very salient, and yes, he was in clean cities.

I also appreciated his "when there are two clones they have to innovate to get the upper hand." China has so much software innovation I'm amazed the copycat manufacturing brush gets stroked over all Chinese.

BTW, is he inebriated?

Re: What Robert Scoble found in China

AlexBowman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:52:48 -0000

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Re: Jakarta Globe: New Asian Newspaper

AlexBowman — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:11:54 -0000

No RSS.

Looks like there is a lot of interesting information there, but if it is not available via RSS how can I visit or suggest to friends?

Suggest Yelvington http://www.yelvington.com/

Re: Jakarta Globe: New Asian Newspaper

AlexBowman — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:11:54 -0000

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Re: Semi-Suicidal Parkour in Beijing

AlexBowman — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:21:39 -0000

Nice vid Tom. What's your next? The tram that came off the tracks in Amsterdam killing 20? The was great.

Re: Semi-Suicidal Parkour in Beijing

AlexBowman — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:21:39 -0000

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Re: Selling Wine in China

AlexBowman — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:41:49 -0000

The wine business in China strikes me as fascinating. Feedback and conversations with international sellers trying to 'break' the China market, especially with regard to Dalian, is a frustration but conviction it could become a large market. Most issues I've heard are:

* Frustration local production is monopolised by large state-owned growers. Local farmers with little appreciation of wine production.
* State owned companies being state owned companies - sitting on a market and stifling innovation and competition.
* High taxes for imported wine.
* Difficult administrative and technical conditions for foreign joint ventures.
* An underdeveloped consumer market, consumers having limited access to both a competitive variety of products and having the access to information to make an informed and educated choice.

Replace 'wine' for pretty much anything still monopolised by state-run/pseudo state run companies, the same will ring true. I do think things are changing.

Re: Selling Wine in China

AlexBowman — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:41:49 -0000

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Re: DalianDalian Offers To Set Up Free China City Portals

AlexBowman — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:01:18 -0000

Cheers Tom,

The video was totally unplanned and unscripted, the software is in a state of flux by if anyone is interested in what we're doing then please do drop me a line. I was staring like a psycho.

I suppose the main points are:

* Web development has got to the stage where someone with little technical knowledge can create a multi-faceted site.

* Know what you really want to do before starting to do it - that's really really important in any project, large or small.

* Choose a business model. Do you want to be able to earn an income from the site? In a 2nd or 3rd tier Chinese city this will be hard, almost futile, and will run into many problems related to regulation, receipt issuance, etc. It is possible to do these things on the side, but I wouldn't recommend it.

* Know the tools available. We started with Drupal because it was really the only (free) thing at the time capable, but needed quite a lot of tweaking, especially modules that were half-finished. Now there are good alternatives, probably Ning is the most well known, but make sure they can do what you really want in the way you want (i.e. have some specifications, as mentioned above).

* Ask someone for help. Drupal is a good community full of free software volunteers happy to give advice. They're not going to build a site for you for free though they will make it easier. I'm happy to give some advice and tweaks for something similar in nature to DalianDalian.com.

* Stay on the move and be self-critical. What do the members and other contributors say? What don't you like? This is very much our problem (we like to break the site to see if a touch-up is possible).

In the end, making a website, creating media, is fascinating. If you're in a 2nd/3rd tier city in China or anywhere in the world that you think under-serves a niche, it can be a fun little project to do with a few friends.

Re: DalianDalian Offers To Set Up Free China City Portals

AlexBowman — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:01:18 -0000

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Re: Rebecca MacKinnon: China’s Newly Subtle Internet Censorship

AlexBowman — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:17:29 -0000

"and put them in their place by making them take a ridiculous series of Chinese tests"

It has been here for 20 years. It is called the HSK.

Re: Rebecca MacKinnon: China’s Newly Subtle Internet Censorship

AlexBowman — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:17:29 -0000

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Re: Bad China Advice for Obama and McCain

AlexBowman — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:26:01 -0000

@thomascrampton Ah! So that's where I read it! ;)

Re: Bad China Advice for Obama and McCain

AlexBowman — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:26:01 -0000

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Re: Arthur Kroeber: China Needs Proof of Democracy

AlexBowman — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:18:43 -0000

What would be ideal, in my opinion, would be a federalisation of independent Chinese provinces into autonomous economic entities able to decide local political decisions. It's very Mao in the sense local power was a major differentialisation of Maoist communism and Leninist communism.

For example, the current inflation problem: Poorer provinces are getting hit by higher food costs. Poorer provinces tend to be more agricultural. If each province has it's own floating currency a free-market method would exist for richer provinces to buy from poorer at a higher rate (the poorer provinces' exchange rate is lower).

A market based direct redistribution of wealth without having to go through taxation-fiscal redistributions which are slow, inaccurate and subject to extreme levels of corruption.

Re: Arthur Kroeber: China Needs Proof of Democracy

AlexBowman — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:18:43 -0000

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Re: Bad China Advice for Obama and McCain

AlexBowman — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:57:58 -0000

Doesn't Obama have a brother (common father) Mark Ndesandjo working in Shenzhen?

Re: Bad China Advice for Obama and McCain

AlexBowman — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:57:58 -0000

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Re: 50-cent Watchlist

AlexBowman — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:51:50 -0000

Tom,

Curious if you're aware of another blog which does similarish stuff with more serious, more technical offenders.

Here it is: http://www.thedarkvisitor.com/

Re: 50-cent Watchlist

AlexBowman — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:51:50 -0000

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Re: Japanese Don’t Care About the Olympics

AlexBowman — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:48:39 -0000

Interesting, appears to be some loose correlation with economic development. Alternate entertainment options? Development bringing with it a change in consumer tastes?

Re: Japanese Don’t Care About the Olympics

AlexBowman — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:48:39 -0000

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Re: Govt: No blogger accreditation in Hong Kong

AlexBowman — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:57:51 -0000

Very interesting indeed. Perhaps no bloggers being interested is because:
a) They didn't know they could ask,
b) HK's economy is strong with the mainland government at pretty high approval levels. 8 years ago this wasn't the case, but blogging/citizen reporting had yet to emerge,
c) Prominant bloggers are already connected in media circles (yes, only a handful perhaps).

I'd imagine stock market crashes or rising unemployment would cause a change in opinions and society's priorities.

Re: Govt: No blogger accreditation in Hong Kong

AlexBowman — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:57:51 -0000

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