Expatriot

Gizmodo - Gridus BBQ Grill Finds The Best Piece Of Meat With Excel Spreadsheets - Gridus

2009-04-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

Gizmodo - Gridus BBQ Grill Finds The Best Piece Of Meat With Excel Spreadsheets - Gridus

What I need.

Quiet for a bit...

2008-09-23T07:31:00.001-07:00

while I get settled at Gracenote...

Herding Cats: Risk Management is How Adults Manage Projects

2008-09-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

Herding Cats: Risk Management is How Adults Manage Projects

Nothing judgemental there... :-) But some important key info on risk management in projects.

Fiddling with Roxio Photo Show

2008-08-20T13:50:00.001-07:00

It would be nice if the embedding actually worked. :-(

Orville Schell on China

2008-08-13T13:42:00.002-07:00

Very interesting piece in New York Review of Books (online, of course) by Orville Schell, reviewing the movie Dark Matter, about a Chinese PhD student in the US who, perceiving that his advisors have caused his humiliation and loss of face, kills them and himself.

It's a very perceptive historical review of the "100 years of humiliation" that Chinese feel (and celebrate, if that's the right word) that goes a long way to explain the actions and reactions of the government and Chinese citizens in response to things like the torch protests.

Check it out:
China: Humiliation & the Olympics.

Later...

2008-08-09T13:50:00.003-07:00

So sad. Last trip to Shanghai, for a while at least. Check out the pics:

Blue Sky Day, Shanghai

2008-08-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

OK, I should've posted this when I got here. When we got in the van to head to the hotel, what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a bunch of puffy clouds and blue sky! All the rain must have had some positive impact, I guess.

China, the Olympics and the Visa Mystery

2008-07-31T20:28:00.002-07:00

Fascinating and somewhat provocative piece here with a really quite compelling analysis of the Chinese visa restrictions. Some key points:

* Beijing is willing to sacrifice stability to retain power (and there are plenty of historical examples of the same thing)
* China is due for an economic crisis due to the underlying nature of the growth

Fascinating reading. Stratfor

Euros in Mono

2008-07-03T21:41:00.002-07:00

We're on a quick trip down the east side of the Sierras, and are spending the night (and tomorrow AM) in Mono Lake. Having dinner, it was impossible to miss that easily half or more of the diners were European. The Euro must be doing quite well.

Tale of Two, er, Three Flights

2008-06-12T12:25:00.001-07:00

Get to the Shanghai Pudong airport at 10:30am June 11, check in for United 858, nice new airport terminal (Pudong Terminal 2) and nice business class lounge. Board the plane, push back.

Pilot annouces the air conditioning is broken. We sit out on a side runway. After two hours, we get towed back to the gate, and told the flight is cancelled. We have to walk back out through immigration (typical Chinese queueing, meaning, every person for themselves), get our bags (no agents to tell people exactly *where* to get them), and stand in line to be reticketed. We decide to stand in line at the ticket counter, since the sooner you get reticketed, the more options you have (overhear people calling their travel agents and rebooking while waiting to re-enter. Isn't it annoying that our new agency only has a toll free number, worthless outside the US?) While Lizette waits, I dash downstairs to get our bags to shortcut things. No news, no info, not enough agents visible (really, just one or two not behind the counter). Turns out you walk down to the Burger King (!) and go through a side door through security and get the bags and exit customs, back up to ticket line, where we're at the front of the line, but... 300 people changing their flights - it's a little slow. By 4:20pm (4 hours after original push-back), have tickets to Chicago and then to San Jose. Those folks who rebooked while waiting to get through immigration have seats to SFO, but we don't, too late.

Oh, did I mention that United cancelled 858 the previous Saturday and Sunday? Are they skimping on maintenance to pay for gas?

Board the nonstop to Chicago, push back at 5:30pm or so. Kinda warm - pilot tells us, one of the three air conditioning packs is "degraded". Seems it was that way when the plane flew from Chicago the day before, and there's no way to fix outside the US. Good planning, guys!

3 hours into the flight, the captain comes on and says, "We know it's in the 90s back there in coach, but the only other choice we have is to turn around and go to Tokyo, and you wouldn't get home for 2-3 days. Just think of it as a summer day." He must be getting lots of flack. Plenty comfortable in business class - I stand at the boundary for a while to cool down. After about 8 hours, temperature finally reasonable. Only 4-5 hours to go!

On the ground in Chicago. Recheck bags. (Later, we realize that they failed to remind us about checking duty free in checked luggage -- helpful ticket counter agent fixed that up.) Security again, and at least that paid-for-with-miles Red Carpet Club membership comes in - wireless and power (and potato chips).

Hey! Guess what? Plane to San Jose is delayed! Finally take off two hours late - 10:20pm, in to San Jose at 1am. Thanks to Debbie Boydston, there's a very patient limo driver waiting to drive me to Berkeley. Finally in bed at 2:15am Thursday June 12: 32 hours after departing the Salvo Hotel in Shanghai!

China’s Loyal Youth - New York Times

2008-04-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

China’s Loyal Youth - New York Times - an interesting article about internal Chinese opinion on Tibet. The English language media in China is pretty much the same way.

Real Programmers

2008-01-31T21:33:00.000-08:00

Real Programmers use...

Stuck on the Plane in Shanghai, or, Mei You Deicer Truck

2008-01-28T00:31:00.000-08:00

Almost 150,000 passengers were stranded at Guangzhou Railway Station on Saturday night after a power failure caused by snow, ice and sleet stopped more than 136 trains in Hunan Province on the trunk line between Beijing and Guangzhou.

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6345929.html

I’m stuck on the plane (shockingly, stealing internet access from some place at the airport), with conflicting information about when the deicer truck will be available, and when we might freakin’ leave this place.

This is the impact of two or three days of sleet and snow on a city that if it's lucky, gets a few drifts each year.

2008-01-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

OK, yesterday there was lots and lots of miserable, remind-me-of-Wilmington-DE 雨夹雪 (sleet). Today, I wake up, and what do I see from my hotel window? 雪 on the rooftops! In Shanghai!

Back to China...

2008-01-16T01:13:00.000-08:00

I flew into Hangzhou Airport this afternoon from Tokyo Narita. What a quick and easy process... except for the many hour schlep to Narita. Immigration and Customs at Hangzhou is amazingly quick - 10 minutes. They seem to have copied the unfortunate plan of putting the airport way way out in the boonies, though - an hour to the hotel and our office.

And it was snowing! Not sticking, but snowing...

oobject » best Rube Goldberg Machine videos

2008-01-10T11:02:00.000-08:00

You've got to check this out: oobject » best Rube Goldberg Machine videos: http://oobject.com/category/best-Rube-Goldberg-Machine-videos. I have a special fondness for these kinds of systems, having been a software architect :-)

Back in Berkeley

2007-08-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

OK, we've been back in Berkeley for a month and a half. People keep asking us if we've adjusted. Short answer - both yes and no. Here's where we lived: Ambassy Court. Here's where we live now: Berkeley. One's urban, one's a town. We certainly miss the street food and the ease of getting around. We missed the good food in Berkeley. Dunno. Perhaps we should go back :-)

Where We Are, For A Little While More

2007-06-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we'll just be here for a few more weeks, but here's a nice view of Ambassy Court. Google Maps is amazing.

Back in the Saddle... Lessons Learned from a Thailand Vacation

2007-05-09T00:27:00.000-07:00

OK. Remember that quote by Nietzsche? The "what doesn't kill me" one? Consider this: 23 hours from Phi Phi Don Island (in Phuket) to Guangzhou in China. 3 hours on a boat, a quick lunch, a drive to a "gem showcase" where we were pestered by sales drones while looking at a godawful selection of tacky gems. Then, the airport: wait, wait, wait, board the plane. Oops! Back off the plane, it's broken. 5 hours of no answers from Orient Thai Airlines, followed by a 10pm departure, 2am arrival, bus to downtown Hong Kong to a bus to the Shenzen border to a van to Guanzhou, arriving at roughly 7am.

Sigh.

Also, while there were some nice moments (an elephant ride, a half day snorkel trip), Patong really is only suitable for 23 year olds and creepy old men who like young Thai women. Not for families.

So, I need a vacation to recover. Would we return? Well, maybe. But not to the same places.

Hong Kong

2007-05-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

We've begun our May Holiday (aka Golden Week) with 3 days in Hong Kong. Shanghai and Hong Kong are often compared ("Shanghai is the new Hong Kong"). What is striking is just how different they are.

Shanghai is flat and sprawling; Hong Kong is dense and mountainous
Hong Kong is remarkably multi-ethnic; Shanghai by comparison is just Chinese

The food has been quite excellent, with only one minor exception. Julia had a fabulous time strolling through the Ladies' Market shopping for hair ties and watches.

Plus, of course, the inevitable Mao memorabilia...

17 Hates

2007-04-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a translation of an article written by a Chinese blogger. Interesting read. Some things that are really only Chinese, but you can probably come up with a list of your own for your own town.

Lunch in Shanghai

2007-04-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here we are having a team lunch in Shanghai. 12 people for about $100 US. Is it any wonder I'm gaining weight?

Photo Albums Online

2007-04-05T03:19:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to posting photos from the last 8 months. You can check them out at http://picasaweb.google.com/bill.hofmann.

Life at Ambassy Court

2007-03-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

You know you're cool when they do fashion shows for hip urban brands like Van Dutch at your complex. I missed the actual show (got back from Hangzhou an hour too late), but the next morning, the Harley Davidsons and the catwalk were still there. By tonight, it should be like we were never hip.

It's a shame, though. I kinda wish they would leave the red carpet. It's the closest I'll ever get...

We're in the middle of a kind of heat wave (although we're about due for the weather to change). So half of Shanghai is walking around with a coat or sweater, the other half is cautiously considering summer. Me, being a gringo, I'm wearing my bold geometric print shirt.

One of the nice things about the new place is that you can see something from the balcony. We're in the middle of a mostly low-rise neighborhood, with some fairly nice houses that clearly have had money put into them recently. The orange one is actually a restaurant, "Cilantro." Feels like I'm back in California!

Spring Has Sprung

2007-03-29T01:50:00.000-07:00

It's hot and sunny here in Hangzhou. What a shock! All of a sudden, it's not cold and windy.

Brief Sojourn in Suzhou

2007-03-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we made the trek to Suzhou, which is a quick train ride away from Shanghai. The pleasant thing is that there are very few tall buildings. I would say, however, that the train station is a major obstacle for tourists. They're doing massive construction across the street, so in addition to all the dust and noise, it's not immediately clear where to go to escape the van touts and hopeful tour guides.We made the decision to escape to the Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuo Zheng Yuan), which is a 16th century garden covering many acres. Not always the best choice with a bunch of kids, but it was so nice compared with the train station that it was worthwhile. The weather was excellent, and there is a nice pedestrian street (DongBei Jia) fronting it and the fancy new Suzhou Museum.

The pedicabs, as you can see here, are covered with ads. They seem (as in other places) to be actually used by locals. The good news is that the drivers didn't really seem to be too interested in pestering us to take them. One "no" would suffice...

New Neighborhood

2007-03-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

We just moved from right-in-the-middle-of-everything-downtown to out-in-what-in-the-thirties-used-to-be-the-burbs. We're now in Ambassy (sic) Court on Huaihai Zhong Lu. Across the street, the American Consulate. Next to that, the French Consulate. A block away, the German Consulate. And to round it off, around the corner, the Iranian Consulate.

Across the street and down a little is the Shanghai Library, which is huuuge, and quite interesting. Our street, where we are, isn't terribly interesting. But downtown a ways, it's one of the two big shopping streets (Nanjing Xi Lu being the other, in our former neighborhood). South of us, however, is a charming set of sycamore-lined streets with the occasional lovely villa. Also, a few blocks away, Xujiahui Park, which is large, and on a sunny Saturday, full of kids.

Beijing institutes queuing day

2007-02-10T21:33:00.000-08:00

Beijing institutes queuing day

"The 11th of every month in Beijing is to be 'voluntarily wait in line' day as the city attempts to eradicate queue-jumping before next year's Olympics, a city official said on Wednesday....

"'The reason for establishing such a day is to mobilise the Beijing population to ensure that where there are more than two people, they should wait in line,'" said Zhang Huiguang, director of the Capital Ethic Development Office."

Of course, one of the most striking things to a Californian living in Shanghai is the mob scene to get into anything, and how people will just walk up and cut in front of you, and often shove you just because. Queue-jumping is hardly the word for it. On the upside, however, when you're in a bad mood, it's nice to be able to shove people and cut in line.

For folks from New York City, though, no big difference. Boarding a plane at Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai or in LaGuardia Airport in New York is pretty much the same....

Imagethief : What do the kids think of Starbucks in the Forbidden City?

2007-02-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

When you enter the Forbidden City, besides the droves of Chinese tourist groups and the occasional group of international kids on field trips, one of the things that you will see is a rather well integrated Starbucks. Those of you who have been following the news from China may have heard that a Chinese Scholar is up in arms about this.

Imagethief : What do the kids think of Starbucks in the Forbidden City?

Interesting link...

What a Contrast: Hangzhou

2007-02-04T17:54:00.000-08:00

You get used to being in a big (big) city like Shanghai, and you can forget that there is a countryside, or green space that isn't maintained by an army of gardeners. A couple of weeks back, we spent the weekend in Hangzhou, which is an old town a couple of hours southwest of Shanghai. It was dang cold, but we lucked out - it was crystal clear.

This is a view of part of Xihu (West Lake), a mostly man-made (via dredging) lake that is the center of Hangzhou.

Another thing you forget about in Shanghai (being a river delta kinda city) is that there are hills. What a pleasure to walk up hill for a while - just like being in San Francisco.

Hangzhou isn't a small city, it's roughly 3 million urban residents. But compared with Shanghai (18 million municipal, 9-10 million urban), it's small.

Almost Like Being at Home...

2006-12-31T05:56:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a glorious week doing absolutely nothing at all in Sanya, on Hainan Island. We stayed at the Hilton Sanya, a five star resort at the end of a row of 5 star resorts (Sheraton, Marriott, etc.).

Weather was mixed, no rain, but not quite as hot as I'd hoped (but, on Christmas, what can you expect?). The last 2 days were nice and hot, though.

We all had fun sleeping late, eating at the buffet, and lounging on the beach or by the pool (pictured here).

Pedal Power

2006-12-31T05:51:00.000-08:00

It's impossible to visit China (Shanghai, Kunming, Lijiang, whereever), and not see bicycles being used for practically everything. My favorite most recently was a pressure washer sidewalk cleaner bicycle.

The photo to the left was taken in October in Lijiang (in Yunnan province), and is the classic flatbed bicycle that you see adapted so many different ways (with an arc welder, full of bootleg books, carrying 8 giant bottles of water, you name it).

New Frontiers of Advertising

2006-11-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

Just when you think you've seen it all, Shanghai ad execs come up with a new way to put advertising in your face. Up to now, I've seen:

LCD TVs running ads outside elevators in apartments
LCD TVs in elevators
Little LCD TVs in cabs
Old-fashioned printed ads in elevators
Ads on the back of airplane seats

New to the world of advertising

Advertising on escalator handrails
Large video displays on street corners

And last but not least:

Yes, you got it right: a large boat (now, two large boats) with giant TV screens motoring up and down the Huangpu.

This is Too Good

2006-10-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

You may recall stories about American car companies naming their cars in silly ways for the foreign market (like the Chevy No va). Check out what SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industrial Company) did with its newly-bought marque, Rover.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/10/25/295174/SAIC_makes_its_marque.htm

The Rong Wei 750!

A Brief Side Journey to Japan

2006-10-11T02:27:00.000-07:00

China has three major holidays: New Year's, May Day, and National Day. These are each officially 3 days, but people work 6 days the preceeding and following weeks, so it ends up being 3 5 day vacations. (Of course, as you'd expect, it's awfully quiet on the Saturday.)

This year, since we're here, we decided to go someplace. We were advised by everyone to not travel in China. So, off to Japan. My former roommate, Lang, lives in Tokyo with his wife Mari, so, heck, we figured we'd stop by. Of course, he was traveling on business. So...

2 1/2 days in Tokyo: Ginza, temples, shrines, the fish market
1 day in Kyoto: temples
1 day in Yudanaka: Snow Monkeys!

You know, I'll never complain again about San Francisco being expensive. Geez. An OK, not excellent, sushi/tempura dinner in Kyoto for 3? 13,000 Yen ($100). A room in a Ryokan that hasn't seen renovation since 1978? 14,000 Yen/night.

Everyone is orders of magnitude more polite than in China, everyone queues up, like the British, everyone keeps to one side of the escalator if they are not walking, even the punk'd out kids.

But. Entirely different cellphones, so you have to rent one at the airport. Most ATMs only take Japanese cards, and using credit cards seems to be unheard of. Mind boggling.

Back in Shanghai, I can be in a bad mood and take it out on people on the subway and not feel guilty. I guess that's OK :-). And dinner for 3? Hmmm. Maybe $10.

Back in the US...

2006-09-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Back for 12 days of meetings and errands.

Someone asked me this morning how I was adapting to life in the U.S.

"Well, there're Starbucks on every corner, just like in Shanghai."

Well, so much for sun.

2006-09-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

Nothing but Blue Skies...

2006-09-07T03:56:00.000-07:00

Woke up today, the sky was blue, and it was almost cold! What a difference 10 degrees Celsius makes!

More on Traffic...

2006-09-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

One of the things that stands out is how people just plain ignore the "Traffic Assistants," who blow their whistles frantically at scofflaw pedestrians and cyclists.

Another sign of how people in Shanghai interact was evident today. On the way to subway, I passed by a man having a raging argument with a cop, yelling, gesturing, everything. Can't imagine that happening in the states - he'd be flat on his back in a minute. Then, on the other side, a guy was having a knock-down drag out fight with a bus driver (who had stopped his bus right in the middle of the street). Lots of shouting, people restraining the guy, everything.

So, not much passivity here... :-)

Not Much Software Engineering in Shanghai

2006-09-04T06:02:00.000-07:00

Just went to a BBQ hosted by an MIT alum. There were about a dozen alums, and assorted family members as well. It was in a renovated lane house, which was such a dramatic change from the high rise life. Though it was 40 feet from Shanxi Lu, a busy, busy street full of shops and traffic, it was like you were in the country, it was so quiet.

The striking thing about the alums is that though many/most of them were MechEng or EECS majors for their undergraduate degrees (in one case, a PhD in machine vision under BKP Horne), all of them were in either manufacturing, or in finance, or consulting, or private equity.

Not for the first time, it's clear that the core business of Shanghai isn't what I'm doing...

No one has to die at 30!

2006-08-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

So, one of the things you notice first taking the subway to work in Shanghai is, "Geez, these people are young." Now, from what I see about stats of the age of people in Shanghai, it's one of the areas with the largest proportion of old people. Confusing.

But for people working for larger or state enterprises, the retirement age is something like 55. And because of the overwhelming privitization of state owned enterprises, a lot of the older population have been (unofficially) retired. And many of the technical people in my cohort (or just before) left China as fast as they could after the Cultural Revolution, so there's a huge gap in the technical sector for senior engineers and managers. Those returnees are making big bucks, since they know how western enterprises run, and know how mainland culture works, so they are a critical part of the success in foreign enterprises in China.

Dunno, it's making me feel old. "I have a copy of K&R older than some of these people!"

---
OK, got my SciFi movies wrong... It was Logan's Run where everyone over the age of 30 faces "renewal," or making a run for it...

Blogging is a Family Thing...

2006-08-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

Check out Robbie's blog, Eloise in Shanghai. Also check out Julia's. In a sign of things to come, Julia has become the expert on "how to do things in Blogger."

Traffic in Shanghai

2006-08-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

Compared to some of the other Chinese cities I've seen (OK, the two other Chinese cities I've seen, Beijing and Guangzhou), city planners seem to have done a reasonably good job with traffic planning. There is plenty of clearance for the elevated freeways, and signage is really pretty good.

It's not their fault that traffic has exploded. People regularly double or triple the "no traffic" time when figuring how long it takes to get someplace. Don't even try to get a taxi to take you from Pudong (the new part of town) to Puxi during rush hour. Half to three quarters of the taxis will flat out refuse.

The drivers remind me of rabid Bostonians: very aggressive, but since there's so much traffic, it seems that there is little real danger. If you can get yourself into the intersection, you're good. If you can push your nose into a lane, you can take it. If no-one is parked in the parking lane, well, hey, there's another lane for you.

Mix in motorscooters, bicycles, and pedestrians, and it makes for a very non-Berkeley kind of traffic experience. You really have to keep your eyes open. Pedestrians have no right of way, or, none that is respected. Right turn on red after stop? Sure, and skip the stop! Zebra crossings really are a way to concentrate pedestrians so it's harder to ignore them. There are "traffic assistants" at busy intersections, but they're there mostly to prevent pedestrians from doing the same thing as the cars: pushing into the street and laying claim. Too many fatalities, I expect.

Like I said, reminds me of Boston....

Getting Used to the Big City

2006-08-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

So the picture to the right is Nanjing Lu, one of the main shopping streets in Shanghai. This particular street is a pedestrian mall. Think it's gaudy? Get used to it. In Shanghai, neon is a virtue. Even the 45 story Citigroup building has flashing neon on it, with a giant Jumbotron making moving geometric patterns on it.

Our apartment is steps from Nanjing Xi Lu (West Nanjing Road), which is a slightly more sedate street, filled with small shops selling European watches, fancy tailored suits, high end designer clothing, and imported food (you can get your Frosted Flakes at US prices plus import costs!).

Right next to Nanjing Xi Lu is Wujiang Street, which is full of street vendors and restaurants selling any kind of food you can walk around and eat: chicken wings, lamb skewers, fried dumplings, steamed dumplings, cold rice noodles, juice drinks, etc.

Next... Traffic in Shanghai

Getting Settled in Shanghai

2006-08-18T03:26:00.000-07:00

We've now been in Shanghai a full week and a day. No more excuses about jet lag!

However, with temperatures near 40 (near 100 for the metric-impaired) and humidity at Washington D.C. levels, we've got an excuse for looking for air conditioning.

So far, we've:

Bought a bunch of housewares by gesturing and pointing
All gotten sick in our own way
Eaten food bought from street vendors and survived
Started school
Had a dozen conference calls early in the morning
Been to our first American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) meeting

It's time to get rolling - everything's mostly set up and ready to go.

Pictures soon!