Should have done this earlier in the week but I kept telling myself, I’ll finish reading this first… I’m the worst for that always wanting to have a clear plate before considering something done. So sorry for the length of this one, but definitely some interesting things. Looking back over the list, it’s definitely pretty China-heavy… but somehow China seems to make its way into the news on so many different levels day-in, day-out. Whether it be economics or culture, something is always worth noting. Ok time for bed, I have a game tomorrow at 9:30 am at pretty much the border to China aka FAR…
-Eugene
*If you’re always on the go, I’m a huge advocate for Instapaper. Basically you can bookmark links to read on your mobile device later and it can strip away all the unnecessary imagery to load more quickly.
**If you encounter a login page for a NY Times article (yes there are quite a few of them…), I highly suggest signing up for a free account or else use this dummy one I set up.
Login: tempaccountNYT
Password: tempaccountNYT
Treat Me, But No Tricks
So all that conventional wisdom about treating athletic injuries might just be a bunch of bullshit… ironic as ice my ankle with an ice pack right now…
Why Social Media Marketing is Still a Red-headed Stepchild
Social Media Marketing was perhaps the biggest trend in 2009 which saw the explosion of Twitter. Undoubtedly a consistent figure in mainstream media, whether it can really become efficient has some factors going against it.
Hermès To Launch Chinese Luxury Brand
Lots of interesting angles on how luxury brands will face the massive market that is China. Do you play to China’s desires with loud, gaudy and ultimately hideous offerings or do you keep your brand identity and do what has kept you relevant for so long… Hermès decides they want to create ugly shit under a different name… let’s say how it goes. I figure F-A-I-L. In Hong Kong, Billionaire Boys Club | Ice Cream has the same aesthetic of Bape, but never took off, why? Cause Bape is MUCH more recognizable. Why wear something that is expensive if people DON’T know it’s expensive… that my friend is the HK State of Mind.
China’s Greenest Cities, and Its Brownest: No Match for San Diego
Ok China gets shit on a lot and more often then not rightfully so… but China’s greenest city > the US’ greenest city.
Why do H&M and Wal-Mart Hate the Homeless
If you followed various fashion blogs, this was a big deal that involved people finding out that H&M and Wal-Mart would destroy perfectly fine clothing, rendering it largely unwearable. Even on different levels, A Bathing Ape and Visvim have secretly done the same thing. While branding is obviously the reason, I think there are ways to circumvent it. Although not 100% efficient, why not create a “marination” period in which you wait a few seasons and then release the clothing in one form or another into areas that have little to do with your demographic.
Antitrust Case Has Implications Far Beyond N.F.L.
Is the NFL one company with everybody an employee of the company… or an organization that houses many different companies (teams). Hmmm big business implications as to how the NFL conducts businesses with sponsors starting with American Needle and Reebok.
10 Tips: My Personal Journey Toward Maintaining Inbox Zero
I pretty much always keep a Zero Inbox… it feels a lot better knowing most of the shit is separated or delegated to the proper “sub-inbox” to be taken care of or removed for less clutter. With Gmail’s multiple inboxes, tags and different stars, your shit can be super organized and you’ll never ever forget something again.
White House Upset Over Weatherproof’s New Obama Billboard
I would imagine using the President’s likeness to sell your product is a pretty powerful statement… but without permission… what were you expecting?
Mona Lisa smile due ‘to very high cholesterol’
Mona Lisa’s fatty face = high cholesterol haha
How to make perfect porridge
I don’t eat oatmeal or porridge anymore… but hear the method to perfect oats in the morning.
UCLA study says legalizing undocumented immigrants would help the economy
Somebody has to do the shitty jobs I guess?
An Alliance Larger Than One Issue
The US Military and Marines formed an alliance with Japan some time ago, this is all looking on the rocks following a changing of Japan’s governmental guard. The reason this has implications? North Korea is crazy and the US Military wants to keep China in check.
Fighting Trend, China Is Luring Scientists Home
Despite lesser resources, “China Pride” is luring well-decorated and highly talented researchers and scientists away from places like the United States and back to the motherland.
A Drug’s Second Act: Battling Jet Lag
Like baldness, who’s going to figure out a cure for jet lag?
How Apple “Unofficially” Leaks Information
How do big companies “leak information”… not just Apple. Do it without documentation, like over the phone or in person.
Nobody Has A Million Twitter Followers
Nobody REALLY has one million followers on the basis that any unnatural additions of followers (i.e. being on a highlighted or must follow list) results in people that are sheep or SPAM… both who don’t care what you really have to say.
AMP’s Class of 2010
A recap of the top up and coming rappers of 2010.
Former bin Laden bodyguard is among ex-guerrillas in Yemen
Former bin Laden bodyguard is plying what looks to be a legitimate business and no more crazy shit for him. But the article talks interestingly enough how celebrity Islamic extremisits are doing a good job pulling in new recruits. With Yemen’s society deteriorating, it’s no different than a gang, these people need shelter and guidance… perfectly malleable to the needs of al-Qaeda.
Bacteria Linked To Feces Found In Nearly Half Of Fast Food Soda Fountains
I don’t drink pop and don’t frequent fast food joints so no skin off my back.
E.P.A. Seeks Stricter Rules for Pollutants Causing Smog
Good news… more stringent pollution control with lower levels of acceptable airborne elements.
To Slow Growth, China Raises an Interest Rate
This is almost like a China Economics 101 class condensed in this one article. Want to know what China gains by pegging the RMB to the USD? Want to know what are the benefits of stockpiling foreign dollars? ALL ANSWERED.
Assessing Sanitizers: Cleaning Up the Confusion
So I guess herbal hand sanitizers aren’t so bad. I met a guy that is just fucking crazy about hand sanitation and always uses that shit… never touches door handles when leaving bathrooms… yet he’s sick. I think that overuse obviously fucks with your body’s own defense mechanisms as well.
Asia’s 70-Percent Gods
Cherished for their bravery against the Western World, the likes of Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong and the anti-Western philosophies are slowly fading out as generations continue onwards. Look at China, massive growth in their hands, the societal beliefs once instilled by Mao Zedong may not fade out but they will bend… money does that always.
The Messiah Complex
Can James Cameron’s Avatar really get props for a good story line? The Last Samurai… Dance’s With Wolves… A Man Called Horse… At Play in the Fields of the Lord. Basically these stories all talk about a “messiah” that is awarded to a foreign personality that enters some alien culture. From there the “messiah” turns his back and rebels against his own culture as he adopts the righteous alien culture… social commentary…. CHECK… happy ending… CHECK.
Turin’s No Money Marketplace
Cool concept, leave your money at home… now you can trade the ability to fart at will for food haha.
The Mutant Camcorder Rigs That Stormed CES
CES is some major nerdface for electronics… sigh wish I was there… but check out some DIY set-ups for camcorders.
A Chinese Spit Crackdown
It’s about time… spitting in public is synonymous with China… ever since the SARS incidents in Hong Kong… spitting has mostly been abolished… but I do it sometimes… “ni hao” *picks nose and cuts you in line (many probably won’t get that joke unless they know Mainlander behavior haha)
Reader Responses to Review of Google’s Nexus One
The new wave of Google fanboys are emerging to defend the Google Nexus One phone.
Amritsar is NYC in the Eighties
Uh oh… looks like India has a big drug problem.
The New Age Cavemen and the City
A lot of the health articles I post are in relation to a diet known as a “paleo” or “caveman” diet… although this article doesn’t talk about the health implications, it does talk about the rising popularity of the movement. People ain’t getting skinnier or healthier, so I see this lifestyle gaining traction.
The Distant Executioner
The life of a sniper away from the warzone. Just a regular dude that likes to shoot coyotes… ok maybe I’m over simplifying.
The New Country Club
This made me want to puke… a work-out facility fashioned after a club? What’s the fucking point? Go to work out to get stronger/look better… this detracts from all that… go in get your work done and save the party atmosphere for the weekend.
Gambling Concerns in the NBA
You can never take gambling out of professional sports… what the fuck they gonna do on bus and plane rides? Play PSP and Nintendo DS?
China Turns Drug Rehab Into a Punishing Ordeal
Once again, China fails at dealing with social problems. They are probably among the worst at this. You’re a heroin addict? Oh let me splash a bucket of cold water on your face as treatment.