八八吧 · 88 Bar – Page 25 – A group blog about Chinese tech, media and design

Uncanny confessions by Dashan, the white face who speaks Mandarin on China TV

January 19, 2012 by Jason Li

From Quora, response written by Dashan (Mark Rowswell), the Canadian man that appears in all sorts of Chinese advertisements and TV shows with a mouthful of fluent Mandarin.

The original question:

Why do so many Chinese learners seem to hate Dashan (Mark Rowswell)?
He seems like a nice guy. Does he…

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Ethnography of Tech

Chinese Chat Roulette–minus the naked bits

January 9, 2012 by Lyn Jeffery

I LOVE this: If you feel like chatting via text or voice with random strangers in mainland China, and you live anywhere in the world, download the free Tencent Weixin app for your iPhone or Android phone. My latest favorite thing to do with a few minutes of boredom: check my Weixin for any “drift bottles” that have been thrown into the digital…

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Is China a Telecom Bridge to North Korea?

January 9, 2012 by An Xiao Mina

Image courtesy Scallop Holden on a Creative Commons License.

With the world’s eyes on North Korea right now, it’s important to remember the role of China in this story. As the North’s primary ally, China will be playing a critical role in the coming months and years as the leadership transition plays out.

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Is Twitter Catching Up To Weibo?: Multimedia and Emoji in Western Social Media

December 23, 2011 by An Xiao Mina

The new Twitter interface, courtesy of fly.twitter.com.

There’s an interesting article in Penn Olson recently about Twitter’s new redesign and just how much it resembles Sina Weibo. It’s been circulating around a few tech circles I follow:

Twitter’s slick new redesign has brought it – visually and practically – closer to…

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Gossip from the trenches of China’s telecommunications market: changes to keep an eye on in 2012

December 20, 2011 by Tricia Wang

China telecommunications expert, Marc Laperrouza, tips us off to an unconfirmed bit a of juicy news about the Chinese telecommunication market: China Telecom is being investigated for anti-monopoly infringement! You don’t hear of state-owned enterprises the stature of China Telecom being investigated for monopoly infringement very often so this is pretty big news. Mark explains the charges:

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Book burning? Nationalists accuse Southern Media of treason by burning their paper

December 20, 2011 by jinge

Is investigative journalism a crime against the Chinese people? Is free speech a Western Conspiracy? The nationalists in China seem to think so. On Oct. 18, a group of men in Hebei Province performed a public ceremony in the name of patriotism, in which they burned newspapers and magazines of the Southern Media Group (Nanfang, 南方传媒), which is known for its investigative…

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Shanghai Government to Sponsor Hacking Spaces?

December 15, 2011 by An Xiao Mina

I came across this article recently on hackaday.com, talking up the possibility of new hackerspaces in China:

Government leadership in Shanghai wants to build 100 community hackerspaces funded by the Chinese government. Each space will be at least 100 square meters, open 200 days a year, and come equipped with wood and…

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Housekeeping update: An Xiao joins 88 Bar

December 15, 2011 by Jason Li

Seems like we’re still on a lucky streak for recruiting new writers. Presenting, our latest team member:

An Xiao Mina (aka “An Xiao”, her artist name) is an American design strategist, new media artist and digital community builder. She uses technology to build and empower communities through design and artistic expression. Her work has been featured in venues internationally, from the Brooklyn…

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A Viral Video and a New Wave of Middle Class Discontent in China

December 12, 2011 by jinge

Recently a video called “Everyone is a tax payer” went viral through social media in China, from Sina the microblog platform to Tudou the video-sharing site. The video explains, via a humorous animation, issues like invisible taxes, the spectacular growth of government income (particularly in comparison to working-class income), and the riddle of where the government spent…

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