coComments related to jackyan

I am totally fascinated by thi

2007-01-15T14:31:33.700+01:00

I am totally fascinated by this, Todd. Amazing! I am outside the US, but do you think you could tell me where I might rank versus my colleagues?

I have found Maxthon to be ver

2006-09-03T14:15:28.691+02:00

I have found Maxthon to be very good, if folks want an IE engine but more stability and tabbed browsing. Firefox, sadly, won’t display fonts properly, based on my experience, and I love typography too much. Browser arguments aside, I do thank you for your tip, as Firefox got me out of the very trouble that your post highlights.

Testing on Firefox with the bo

2006-08-16T00:25:16.550+02:00

Testing on Firefox with the bookmarklet, not the extension.

Timing test on IE and not Maxt

2006-08-12T15:46:16.587+02:00

Timing test on IE and not Maxthon for conﬁrmation. Delay here is 14 seconds.

Re-testing. Still 32 seconds.

2006-08-12T15:37:11.588+02:00

Re-testing. Still 32 seconds.

Delay has grown to 31 seconds

2006-08-12T15:36:04.114+02:00

Delay has grown to 31 seconds after activating bookmarklet on IE; conﬁrming that with this post. Closer to 32 seconds …

Testing on Firefox …

2006-08-12T00:33:13.946+02:00

Testing on Firefox …

Robert, this is a touching sub

2006-05-13T15:28:36.976+02:00

Robert, this is a touching subject and I had to cover it on live TV on Friday, talking about my Mum who passed 12 years ago. Far too soon. I know she would want you to go to New York. However, if I were you, I would stay by her side. I just think you need to be there, to know that you were there for as long as you could be. ¶ While I still feel connected to my Mum’s spirit, there are still days, after 12 years, where I feel I have lost an entire limb. I know people are consoling you but I have to be honest and say the feeling of loss does not disappear easily. These last days will be important to you.

Robert, I am deeply sorry to h

2006-05-13T15:23:51.238+02:00

Robert, I am deeply sorry to hear this. I remember getting some similar news when my mother was in a hospice—at age 54. If she is likely to pass, I would encourage you or member(s) of your family to be present at that moment. It was important for me to be there, as a way of saying goodbye. If you are a spiritual man, then I also believe it’s somehow good for the spirit to see the family there when she first departs from the body.

Congratulations on 600! That w

2006-05-13T14:21:38.303+02:00

Congratulations on 600! That was the total of what we managed at the old Blog between 2003 and 2006—so I know just what a milestone it is since it took eight of us to get there.

Here in New Zealand, natural g

2006-05-10T00:31:56.241+02:00

Here in New Zealand, natural gas cars were common for about 16 or 17 years before the oil companies got their way, and we took a massive backward step back into petrol. Diesel is yet to catch up here because of the premium you have to pay for a diesel car, which doesn’t offset itself over three or four years. Oil companies 1, New Zealand citizens 0. So I know exactly what it’s like to see governments cover up the superiority of one fuel over another …

I can understand the gaming as

2006-04-29T01:08:24.379+02:00

I can understand the gaming as we had those little LCD games from Nintendo and Casio when I was around 10 or so. But I don’t think we withdrew from human contact, which is what this sounds like. However, I can understand how these are all great tools for adults. A lot of the cars I drive have Bluetooth these days, not that that means much to “no-cellphone” me!

Me, too, especially given the

2006-04-27T10:56:23.835+02:00

Me, too, especially given the cost. I was talking to a friend who hasn’t made up a choice as to which telco to go with, so he and his wife use a cellphone for home. But he has had to take a cellphone off his daughter: he said in 10 days, she turned from being an outgoing, bright girl to a total introvert and glued to her gadget. That is very sad to hear, and I think that can only lead to a backlash. Phones are meant to help people connect, and their presence seems to do the opposite to kids, who become insular and don’t socialize.

It’s a good idea, but is Th

2006-04-27T09:21:12.014+02:00
It’s a good idea, but is The Beverly Hillbillies in black and white ‘modern’?

Ah, I see why people will go f

2006-04-27T07:58:28.799+02:00
Ah, I see why people will go for texting instead. I know from all my friends cellphones are expensive, too—another reason not to get one! Like Superman, I still look for pay phones … :)

I sent a text message once on

2006-04-26T13:50:59.184+02:00
I sent a text message once on a friend’s cell, back in November. Took half an hour to compose. In the end I decided texting was a waste of time as talking is quicker, and said I would not do it again! My view has always been that communication is meant to solve a problem. By writing funny, you create a problem. So, you didn’t communicate. Hence, texting is not communication! Or rather, they go against the idea of the cellphone being a unit for efﬁcient communication.

I am pretty easily contented:

2006-04-26T13:35:22.226+02:00
I am pretty easily contented: I have a few CDs of my favourites, and play them when the fancy takes me. I used to have a piano in the house but I gave it to a kid who was learning. You know, I only learned what emo meant through blogs, about two months ago!

La Logan Break est comme un gr

2006-04-26T12:36:10.680+02:00
La Logan Break est comme un grand fourgon—l'antithèse (bienvenu) des ‹breaks style de vie›. Mais le dessin est un peu non équilibré, avec son grand empattement.

Good point about the iPod, K.

2006-04-26T11:53:21.606+02:00
Good point about the iPod, K. To me, I am just content humming to myself! I am quite into jazz—it’s what I listen to most. But if I were buying CDs, I tend to go for orchestral stuff like movie soundtracks, and the Swedish jazz singer Monica Zetterlund. I’m a big fan of Sacha Distel; mostly the crooners (Andy Williams, Matt Munro) as I sing along with them. Finally, and this will probably surprise most people, Olivia Newton-John, especially the mid- to late-1970s’ stuff that John Farrar produced. I see a lot of your music links, K, but I don’t know the artists. Is there a genre they belong to?

Yes, Ryan was ahead at coComme

2006-04-24T12:54:23.360+02:00
Yes, Ryan was ahead at coComment for some time and during April I passed him. A lot of these big groups pretend to help artists and don’t. Shame. Whatever the case I just don’t like the idea of downloading music. I’m quite happy buying CDs or just listening to the radio (or web radio). June 13 it is! Sounds like a good idea to have a target date.

Smoked your lighters off? Does

2006-04-24T10:26:54.628+02:00
Smoked your lighters off? Does that mean you haven’t stopped? I do need to pop by Ryan’s blog. When Wordpress went down I didn’t go on, and I guess I realized a lot of dialogue was habitual. When the program was down the habit got broken. I’ll zoom over and see what’s going on there.

K, here is a link to the two K

2006-04-23T15:45:12.663+02:00
K, here is a link to the two Kim Cattrall advertisements: http://www.nissan.com.au/tiida/ They are pretty lame, in my view.

It is deﬁnitely worth w

2006-04-23T15:39:51.320+02:00
It is deﬁnitely worth watching! I like the fact we all met via coComment—these unplanned networks are great. I know this is slightly OT and I apologize to K, but C.: how is your quitting smoking going?

I wrote a piece on marketing a

2006-04-22T14:11:57.209+02:00
I wrote a piece on marketing and Kim Cattrall is advertising the Nissan Tiida down here (it’s an Australian campaign). Nice to see you here, C.! CoComment really does let you track where the world’s blogging conversations are.

I can imagine! On another blog

2006-04-21T14:06:26.087+02:00
I can imagine! On another blog I frequent (at ctrinity.wordpress.com, folks had been searching for a sexual term, too. I don’t have many of these terms so most of my searches are quite tame, though after my Kim Cattrall post earlier in the week, I am not sure if that will change!

I have been to Singapore in re

2006-04-19T11:12:13.141+02:00
I have been to Singapore in recent years and thought it particularly well run and civilized—they even have a statue of Confucius there, so we know whose principles are calling the shots! My memory of Hong Kong was quite orderly—sort of organized chaos—so back in the day no one ran red lights. Now, Seoul and Bangkok, those are very different!

Seat belts certainly make sens

2006-04-18T23:33:28.668+02:00
Seat belts certainly make sense. We have fewer bus accidents here so these calls have been made, but not taken seriously. I hope we won’t have another fatal bus accident otherwise we might see a similar response from our government. What usually causes these minibus accidents? Is it driver error?

It’s possible. Today alone I c

2006-04-18T15:34:04.429+02:00
It’s possible. Today alone I confronted two drivers who stopped suddenly—which you would notice from the driver’s seat.

Well, it’s not a bad rule to h

2006-04-18T12:10:40.072+02:00
Well, it’s not a bad rule to have. I would do it just as a matter of course. I might not do it in Italy, as the drivers think you are insulting them!

In the movies they still seem

2006-04-17T12:31:12.765+02:00
In the movies they still seem to be Nissan Cedrics (formerly Datsun)—or whatever they are called now. I would feel “naked” without a seat belt: I have become accustomed to them here.

I might have to take the cab f

2006-04-17T07:38:14.907+02:00
I might have to take the cab for some of my journeys just to relive it all! I remember when they were nearly all Datsun 220Cs but occasionally you would ﬁnd a Mercedes-Benz. Ah, I think I can handle the cabbies, being a “local” (albeit one who hasn’t been back in a heck of a long time!).

Very fascinating. Are taxis no

2006-04-16T11:34:35.283+02:00
Very fascinating. Are taxis not good these days? In the ’70s they were pretty reliable and the drivers were honest.

I remember the Stanley Market

2006-04-16T08:36:22.325+02:00
I remember the Stanley Market (vaguely) from my childhood so I would likely go there. I would probably be like a big kid revisiting everywhere!

I know those areas in Kowloon

2006-04-16T08:26:27.058+02:00
I know those areas in Kowloon well. They used to be a lot nicer, from the sounds of it. I know my own neighbourhood has turned into a bit of a hole—which does quell my desire to visit it somewhat. I didn’t cross over to the island that often. Good to know which areas are safe and which aren’t—I always expected if I were to return I would be bringing a girl to show her where I was from.

I have to remember this …! I c

2006-04-16T07:49:07.248+02:00
I have to remember this …! I can only really remember my own ’hood and a few places in downtown Kowloon, and on the island. I can’t even remember their names but I reckon I could ﬁnd them (I have a pretty good instinct for direction).

My general knowledge, and this

2006-04-14T16:21:30.089+02:00
My general knowledge, and this is without any researching but simply hearing from expatriates in Switzerland, is that immigration is welcome, and that the statistics bear that out. Actually assuming the opposite and not bother conﬁrming it seems to be quite a slip-up, and quite contrary to what I had thought to be basic, everyday knowledge about Switzerland. It should be mentioned that the America’s Cup was won for a Swiss syndicate mainly by New Zealand leadership, and I am unsure whether those parties did take up Swiss nationality. I do not believe they did. Small point—call it my sense of national pride (especially since our guys lost to your guys who used to be our guys; and I am an immigrant to New Zealand—ﬁrst nationality British).

L'image de Marianne est changé

2006-04-13T13:58:15.889+02:00
L'image de Marianne est changé parmi nos étrangers! (Au revoir, Catherine Deneuve; bonjour, Evelyne Thomas …)

True. It took years in New Zea

2006-04-13T11:40:59.244+02:00
True. It took years in New Zealand before the restaurants were even near comparable after I got here! Fried noodles rock! Especially yee mein.

I think he will ﬁnd it

2006-04-13T08:03:10.784+02:00
I think he will ﬁnd it a more interesting crossroads of cultures. He has been to Japan to see his grandparents so he has had a dose of a full-on Asian city. But he felt that because he is half-English, there was a bit of “people looking twice”, if you know what I mean. Hong Kong, to me, is more varied and fun.

Je suis fanatique de blog! V 4

2006-04-12T13:09:57.074+02:00
Je suis fanatique de blog! V 41, H 65.

I agree with you, Dazzlingdayd

2006-04-12T10:03:43.741+02:00
I agree with you, Dazzlingdaydreams. I speak of ideals, though they are still attainable in my opinion. It will take decent education and greater awareness of what is happening—which is why blogs like this, spreading the right messages, are good things.

Partly for pleasure but he’s t

2006-04-12T07:20:02.613+02:00
Partly for pleasure but he’s trying to make it relevant and meaningful for as many people as possible (I guess that includes me—he is a nice guy!) so he is working as much as he can. Come to think of it, Doug always works. One of the hardest working guys I know!

Cool, I’ll pass that on, thank

2006-04-12T00:03:05.227+02:00
Cool, I’ll pass that on, thank you. Doug is coming May 17. His web site is www.detunephotography.com—really great guy. Part-Japanese so he is very appreciative of all Asian cultures.

One of these days, I’ll have t

2006-04-11T23:31:59.010+02:00
One of these days, I’ll have to try the subway. Seoul’s one is punctual and clean, so I have an impression of what it might be like back home. But I need to do as many light buses, double-deckers and taxis as possible for nostalgia’s sake! BTW, K, I have one of my team going to HK—do you have any advice for him on what he could see? (You might even want to meet him.)

It’s ironic, because the minib

2006-04-11T10:07:08.138+02:00
It’s ironic, because the minibuses began as a renegade operation much like the modern shuttles! I have not been to the Philippines, but I have heard about the jeepney drivers being totally mad! But the Korean bus drivers are worth experiencing: there are few thrills like going through red lights down a busy Seoul street at 80 km/h.

Yes, they increased to 16 seat

2006-04-11T00:01:12.637+02:00
Yes, they increased to 16 seats some time in the 1980s. The drivers weren’t too bad in the 1970s, but I guess they could have got worse! The whole story was the original bus drivers went on strike and some independents got together, just to help out the city. Eventually the colonials thought, ‘Why don’t we sanction these indies and ﬁre the guys who are on strike?’ And thus the light buses came into being. However bad they are in HK, I’ll bet the bus drivers in Seoul are worse. Those guys have more of a death wish than Charles Bronson.

The Hopewell Centre I remember

2006-04-09T23:15:52.251+02:00
The Hopewell Centre I remember because to a kid, that revolving restaurant is a lot of fun! But when I left, the Connaught Tower was the tallest building, and I think it held on to that record for a while. Homantin, or Ho Man Tin, is just north of Kowloon proper; used to be quite a nice, upper-middle-class neighbourhood though I understand it has really headed downhill in the last 30 years. Homantin is on a train line, but can’t remember which, but the Tseun Wan line rings a bell. We used to get around everywhere on the light buses (14-seat in those days) and cabs as they were dirt cheap, and never caught the train, so I can’t really comment based on childhood memories.

Yeah, I am pretty ancient (wel

2006-04-09T14:52:23.191+02:00
Yeah, I am pretty ancient (well, compared to you!)! The MTR was in the late 1970s: you are right. When I left they were planning it, or about to start it. The place does change quickly, although I guess if you remember the main streets you can still ﬁnd your way around. I had family in Wanchai; I was in Homantin.

I certainly want to get nostal

2006-04-09T00:28:04.647+02:00
I certainly want to get nostalgic one of these days and do a return trip, which was always my intention—but when you emigrate as a child, you don’t have much say in things! I left before the MTR was even built, and I think they had just added new lanes to the underwater tunnel. Shatin was mostly uninhabited!

Well said, Karthik. Yes, perha

2006-04-09T00:25:23.074+02:00
Well said, Karthik. Yes, perhaps all this globalization really should allow us to take the best of all the cultures we are exposed to, rather than the worst.