Blog | Dominik Mayer – Products, Asia, Productivity

I’m a big fan of social search service Aardvark. Today I got a question I couldn’t answer. Aardvark explains why it thought I would:

aardvark: OK. Type ‘mute’ if you’re not interested in art. (I sent you this question since you know about mechanical engineering.)

I was at work, here at italki, when a very good Chinese friend called me. She was the one who has been looking for an apartment for me before I even arrived in China, she helped me to find the room that should become my home for the next year and she guided my first steps in this foreign country.

She said she knows italki. Of course. That’s where we first met. I remeber. Back at the computer, I checked my friends and there she was. And on Saturday, we’ll meet in person.

Less then one week until the first of my last exams here at Tongji University. So many things I’ve learned in the past year.

Back to work. Let’s study more words that a China-born friend, who has been living here for eight years, doesn’t know… ;-)

that there will be a time, where each June 4th, the Chinese leaders will gather together with the Chinese people around a memorial site at Tiananmen Square, commemorating the victims of injustice.

And I hope it won’t take another twenty years.

A recent discussion among friends. They think the Chinese government is on a good way. It’s working in the best interest of the country. We have to understand that.

Today, the Golden Shield also blocks Twitter, Flickr, Hotmail, Live, and Bing.

One of the friends is now “disappointed by the government.”

I feel confirmed. And helped her to set up tor.

I invited two friends to facebook. They joined. And added my whole friend list. Now everyone’s asking me who they are. Annoying.

What I don’t understand: Why are so many people are accepting the request?

Buying books for my third and last semester at Tongji. They have strange titles. The most important one: “Climbing up”. And no “Elementary Chinese” next semester. Now it’s called “Intermediate Chinese”. I’m afraid.

The Mother of Shanghai has left. The city thanked her for her dedication with a beautiful last day and a starry starry night.

Matt Mayers, creator of the great Metro map ExploreShanghai (review at CNReviews) is going to do the Tube Challenge next Monday. He’ll attempt to visit all stations of the Shanghai Metro that day. More information in his blog.

“Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.” (LaCrosse, Wisconsin, October 18, 2000)

“The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the - the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice.” (Washington D.C., October 27, 2003)

“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” (Washington, D.C., August 5, 2004)

More at BBC and Evil George.

A German friend raves about her hand creme, two Chinese friends explain it consists of snake oil. There were times where this would have surprised me more.

It was quite hard for a good friend to adapt to the “new me”. She didn’t know where to look and what to say. As if we had never met before. Strange…

Taking off the glasses helped to ease the situation.