Easily Amused ⊆ The world is a comedy to those that think...

You Wish Your Town Had This Park

By David Xia | Published: July 8, 2010

Centennial Park is one of the local parks in my town. I often bike or walk there to enjoy its wildlife and scenery. I've seen snakes, deer, hawks, and tadpoles there. There's jewelweed, rhubarb, milkweed, and bittersweet vine too. At the back of the park, on top of a hill, there's a bench with a plastic container filled with journals. The container's lid reads, "A little book for your thoughts as you sit in this beautiful place." Regular townsfolk walking with their dogs, spouses, sweethearts, or simply by themselves will sit down and share their lives.

Posted in Nature/Outdoors, Wellesley, Writing | Leave a comment

To Kill a Mockingbird Turns 50

By David Xia | Published: July 7, 2010

I read Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird in tenth grade and remember Scout, Atticus, and Boo to this day. The classic novel about racial inequality, coming of age, and gender roles celebrates its 50th anniversary on July 11. If you haven't read Mockingbird yet, do it (full text in PDF here). Then watch the black-and-white film adaptation starring Gregory Peck. And please, in that order. If my word isn't enough, take it from everybody else.

Posted in Books | Leave a comment

Now That’s My Type of Humor!

By David Xia | Published: July 6, 2010

I like my humor just as I like my martinis - the dryer the better. Here's a list...

Posted in Comedy, Current Events | Leave a comment

Ninjavideo Died! Back to Real Life!

By David Xia | Published: July 5, 2010

When I found out that Ninjavideo.net had died several days ago, I cried. For those who don't know/behind-the-times/actually paying for televisual entertainment, Ninjavideo is website where you can stream the latest TV shows and films in great quality absolutely free.

After I wiped away my tears, I discovered books and the joy of reading. A couple of mind-numbing minutes later, I started crying again from my brain hurting after I once again tried using it after hundreds of hours of televisual-aided-gray-matter-atrophy. That and books were filled with boring ink marks instead of moving images and sounds of limbs flying off in explosions, gratuitous sex, and Big Mac ads.

Posted in Current Events, Internet, TV & movies, Technology | 1 Comment

Chinese Propaganda vs US Propaganda

By David Xia | Published: July 3, 2010

China's Xinhua News Agency started a 24-hour English-language news channel and is about to open a new office in New York City, according to the Times. The Times is once again critical of China. And they should be. China ranks 168th out of 175 countries in the 2009 Press Freedom Index, a survey compiled by Reporters Without Borders. What I don't like about the Times article is its prejudicial sense of nationalism and simplistic view of East vs West. The Times inflated the article by making it sound as if Xinhua Red Guards wielding hammers and sickles are about to kick down the sacred doors of Western media companies.

Posted in Books, China, Current Events, New York City, journalism | 1 Comment

Economy Still Jittery, Lack of Job Growth

By David Xia | Published: July 2, 2010

Krugman's at it again in his latest Times op-ed - criticizing policy makers pushing for fiscal contraction these days. The economy does seem pretty weak at this point. The US just lost jobs for the first time in half a year according to MSNBC and the Times. The markets are down and home sales plummeted due to the expiration of federal tax credits for homebuyers.

Posted in Current Events | 1 Comment

Shake, Shake It Like a Disco Stick

By David Xia | Published: July 1, 2010

Polaroid has just announced that it's entering into a "multi-year strategic partnership with Lady Gaga, who will serve as creative director for a specialty line of Polaroid Imaging products." Not a lot of details are known, according to the Journal, but we can expect sequin-covered cameras with space-age shoulder pads in late 2010.

Posted in Comedy, Current Events | Leave a comment

Now’s Not the Time to Stop Spending!

By David Xia | Published: July 1, 2010

Several days ago, I suggested that the current flurry of national and US state governments concerned about budget deficits and reining back spending was a good idea. Two big-shot economists, Princeton professor Paul Krugman and former IMF chief economist Simon Johnson, disagree.

Posted in China, Current Events | Leave a comment

Google Adsense, So Cool!

By David Xia | Published: June 30, 2010

For a long time I've considered putting ads on this blog. Not because I think I'll make any significant amount of money. The traffic that goes through here is frankly quite pitiful. Maximum number of hits I've ever received in a day? 353. I had to write about a college student pissing in bottles to get that. I wanted to install ads to learn how they work. So I signed up for Google Adsense. Can someone please read their terms and conditions and translate it for me?

Posted in Blogging, Internet, Technology | 2 Comments

Chinese Government Blocked Me, France Too

By David Xia | Published: June 30, 2010

A friend sent my ever-useful Cantonese pick-up lines post to his cousin in Beijing. Unfortunately, his cousin cannot view it. Damn firewall of China! To make sure it was blocked instead of an outdated browser problem I checked for myself. Sure enough, this blog's restricted in China.

Posted in China, Technology | 1 Comment

Sexy Audio Plugin, Oh So Sexy

By David Xia | Published: June 30, 2010

I've just updated my Wordpress audio plugin. The only time I've ever used it was for this post on Cantonese pick-up lines. This is one of my most popular posts that always brings in a steady trickle of horny expats who've just found out their firm is relocating them to Hong Kong. "Quick! How do you say, 'Your place or mine?'"

Posted in Comedy, Technology | Leave a comment

Not All Grad Students Are Doomed

By David Xia | Published: June 30, 2010

After writing about the lack of satisfying career paths for math/science graduate students in a previous post, I got a slew of responses from grad friends who said I'd simply ruined their day. One friend made a good point that this situation only applies to math/science doctorates who choose to remain in academia. There's still demand for specialists in the private sector where a Ph.D. opens doors and bumps up pay. But of course, to the scientists sticking it out through academia, these guys are simply fallen angels and turncoats. For those who are embarking on the Ph.D. path, I've found some advice.

Posted in Career | Leave a comment

A Spy? No! Look at Her Hydrangeas!

By David Xia | Published: June 29, 2010

Recent news about FBI busting into suburban homes and handcuffing couples they accuse of being Russian spies are quite intriguing and ridiculous. The Times has an article with a money quote: Jessie Gugig, 15, said she could not believe the charges, especially against Mrs. Murphy. “They couldn’t have been spies,” she said jokingly. “Look what she did with the hydrangeas.”

Posted in Current Events, Intelligence Community | Leave a comment

Why I’m a Noob

By David Xia | Published: June 29, 2010

At the beginning of the summer, I had the idea of setting up my own server at home. I'm getting tired of paying for hosting, even though Godaddy.com has served me well. Moreover, I'm getting tired of having my photos and other media files that I embed into my blog scattered across various hosts like Flickr and Picasa. One consolidated place would be much easier. Then there are also other perks that come with one's own server such as remote storage.

Posted in Technology | Leave a comment

We’re All Broke Now

By David Xia | Published: June 29, 2010

Many European countries and American states are just plain out of money these days. Last week's This American Life podcast will tell you just how broke and dysfunctional the New York state government really is. Countless headlines about austerity measures and their consequent social discontent in Greece have now spread to other European countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Ireland.

Posted in Current Events | 1 Comment