Easily Amused » David Xia

You Wish Your Town Had This Park

David Xia — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:18:41 +0000

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.

To Kill a Mockingbird Turns 50

David Xia — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:22:08 +0000

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.

Now That’s My Type of Humor!

David Xia — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:18:59 +0000

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

Ninjavideo Died! Back to Real Life!

David Xia — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:44:50 +0000

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.

Chinese Propaganda vs US Propaganda

David Xia — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 02:15:16 +0000

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.

Economy Still Jittery, Lack of Job Growth

David Xia — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:26:11 +0000

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.

Shake, Shake It Like a Disco Stick

David Xia — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:56:41 +0000

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.

Now’s Not the Time to Stop Spending!

David Xia — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:03:03 +0000

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.

Google Adsense, So Cool!

David Xia — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:58:02 +0000

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?

Chinese Government Blocked Me, France Too

David Xia — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:27:36 +0000

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.