Category: General

Found some proxy site from http://www.anonymousinet.com/ that allowed me to configure my browser to access websites (like mine) that’s blocked by the Chinese over-zealous proxy server. I can access my  site, but I’m not sure if its fast enough for me to upload huge files. Anyway, there’s a need to try all the transparent proxy on the list, and one of them should work. I guess the server list will be updated frequently, so for sure this site will be bookmarked.

Interesting day today. I actually see clouds and blue skies over Shanghai! =Usually its covered in a cloud of strange air, strange because its either =
pollution or a geographically specific phenom, but usually grey and misty =
coloured and difficult to breathe in. Today its actually a fine day by any =
standards!

Some months back the famed huang loong bai huo camera place near the main railway station was closed for renovation. its still in the same location, with some new granite floors and what looks like a new layout, and larger looking shops. The first floor is still littered with counters selling tidbits and nothing of interest. Not sure of the point of it all.
Camera gears still start from the second floor onwards.
2nd & 3rd floor now has run of mill shops selling standard photo crap from major marques. There are a couple of medium and large format shops, but surprisingly only 1 used photo equipment shop.
4th floor sells only wedding dresses and make up kits. 5th floor nothing yet, all empty.

Overall impression was lukewarm. This place starts to look like a typical photo shop carrying the major brands, thus not too exciting. No voigtlander, no cosina. Unless they start stocking the 5th floor with used equipment shops, I’ll stick to the store at xietu lu/luban lu.

I hate graffiti 2 that comes with the new Palm OS machines. After using Graffiti 1 for the last 7 years, and now having to use 2 strokes for some characters, plus some problems entering t’s and o’s I decided to bite the bullet and replace it back with Graffiti 1 using utilities I have found online. Unfortunately on my Japanese Clie TH55, it crashed the thing and I can’t restart it anymore until I do a hard reset!!

Got myself a used Nokia e61 while in Kuala Lumpur a couple of weeks back. Original idea was to get a second phone that supports UMTS for use in Japan. This thing comes with that, quadband GSM and also wifi, and I’ve found the keypad to be absolutely comfy enough to type long emails or to email to my blog engine. That bypasses the censorship the chinese govt has put onto my website.
What I would do is to type out my email, with the subject as the blog title and keep it in the outbox till a wifi access point is near, and send it off to be posted. And the best thing about it is i can do it anywhere!

Vaja cases make some of the best leather PDA cases out there. I was using one for my Sony Clie NR70V, and just recently I ordered another custom case for my “new” Clie TH55 which I bought from Akiba in Tokyo. I did find a case in one of the BIC cameras in Tokyo, but after getting used to a previous vaja, it was difficult to use anything else. Most cases don’t fit well, leather smells of petrol, and looks bulky.
This current order from vaja will take 10 days to ship, since its custom made, and probably another week or two to reach me here in Shanghai. I have done the same shipment to Shanghai 7 years ago for my first Clie, so there shouldn’t be a problem. Shipping adds another 20% to the total price.

Can’t wait for it to arrive in a month’s time!

I’m still having problem accessing my own website, FTP, HTTP, anything so have been finding it quite difficult to keep it updated. The only way I can blog now is to either use my office connection (uses an overseas proxy) or blogging by email. Will sort that part out. A trace of the path to the server shows the packet getting blocked after 1-2 hops and nothing comes back after that. I doubt an email or phone call to whoever is blocking this connection will help. Only way is to get a fixed IP address from my ISP or to switch ISP. Anyways…

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Bought a Wii today after several weeks of thinking and computing. The only ones available here in Shanghai (at least in volumes) is the Japanese version, so everything will be in Japanese, including the 110V power supply. Bought it together with an extra controller (for the wife, but after buying it looks like she has about zero interest in anything “not serious” at all…) for a total of 2300RMB including 2 games (not original!) and a 110-240V power supply. Not too bad a deal. Apparently the unit is also modded with a WiiKey chip to play games from all regions as well. No way to verify that for sure.

I have been having a lot of problems logging into this website and even viewing any page in it from China. Did a tracert command and looks like its been blocked by the Chinese Govt’s over-reaching proxy server! The only way for me to log on right now is to do it from the office or via email blogging. Trying with different proxy servers but they’re all too slow.
This explains why this site has not been updated as frequently. I’m even having problems accessing the FTP server!!!