Forums > Living in Kunming > Need to buy laptop Hi tigertiger,
I haven't seen many fake laptops so far around Kunming, I also haven't seen many laptops without an OS. Easiest to spot are definitely spelling errors on the stickers advertising the hardware. Check if the correct amount memory is installed, if the screen has the right resolution. Check if the installed OS matches the sticker on the bottom of the laptop. Then check the case itself, can you see large gaps, does it feel cheap or does it feel worthy? Also make sure to take a good look at the hinges; how is the screen opening, is anything bending that looks like it shouldn't bend?
Then buy the laptop that you think will fit your specifications, take it home and wipe all the crap, that the manufacturer thinks is important for you, off it. Then use the correct (english) windows version that matches your sticker at the bottom f your new laptop. This way you never have to crack or worry about genuinity of your OS.
PS: Do not try to ask them if they can install an English system. 2 Months ago this ended in major discussions, a lot of talking around, waiting for 4 hours and in the end doing it myself again (wiping and reinstalling) as they installed one of those hideous ghost copies.
Good luck. If you need further help, PM me
Forums > Living in Kunming > Solutions other than VPN Get a VPN that allows you torrents, works very well... easy to find them too, I have seen downstreams of about 600 Kb/s.
Forums > Living in Kunming > email alternative If you're willing to outsource video chatting to Skype for the moment, I could recommend zoho. They're an Indian or Californian company specializing on integrated business solutions, GoogleApps like. They offer almost the same functionality (with one drawback, "Writer" is blocked in China for licensing reasons. A Chinese company purchased the sole "Writer" rights for China and won't allow the English labled product. But you can go around this problem by activating SSL encryption on Zoho). Their address is www.Zoho.com
Give it a try, I am thinking of forwarding all my Email there... just to make sure.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Mountain biking on Changchong mountain Hello fellow bikers,
please note that the northern parts of Changchong mountain are currently closed off for the public because of wild-fire hazards. Currently nobody is wanted to enter (or should enter) the trail that starts at the park entrance, leading away from it. So when you arrive the corner with the small pavilion you can still turn left but shouldn't continue straight on. The ban will be lifted on May 30 and all parts will be accessible again.
Forums > Living in Kunming > The salt of the Earth I went to Metro today and it was unbelievable. People were just hording soy sauce. I told myself they must have a real bargain on those 2 liter bottles as nearly everybody was carrying at least 2 of them. Then it also was packed, it seriously felt like the last day before Spring festival and when I could cues ended within the first aisles (next to the oil and chocolate).
OK I know that in Europe we have normal salt, and iodinized salt because iodine levels are very low in normal salt. I know too that you can't (CAN'T!!!) counter a radiation poisoning with iodine salt (I guess the amount of salt you'd have to take to counter the radiation effects would kill you before the radiation would - *thinks* I'll check the news tomorrow...).
And then I have another question: Is salt in China iodinized?
Kunming residents rally against chemical plant
Posted byThanks Ian. That summed it up very well. Nice to hear a voice of reason here. If I could I'd promote your comment. I guess my latest Forum post went in the same direction, just so much more sarcastic.
Again, I couldn't agree more.
Kunming Zoo to move, Yuantong Mountain to become park
Posted byTo answer (or raise) questions about the relationship of the safari park and the zoo, I can offer you some "experts" (as well as some journalists) opinions, quoted from a China daily article in 2004. You'll find the link to the whole article on the bottom of my post...
... "The zoo is a well-run commonweal which belongs to the public and State," she says. "The wild animal park is a private enterprise. I could never understand why such a good base for zoological education and research should be dumped and its assets be given to a private entity — Huzhou Jinjing Investment Co Ltd from Zhejiang. Isn't this a drain of State property?"...
..."in China, most such [safari] parks are simply artificial surroundings for animals to run loose, some experts point out. So there is no essential difference between such parks and zoos, except parks are farther out of ordinary citizens' reach and charge more for admission.In Kunming's case, the zoo charges 10 yuan (US$1.25) for adults and five yuan (about 60 cents) for children, as compared to the park's 35 and 100 yuan (US$4 or 12) for locals and tourists from outside Kunming, not to mention its distance from the city."...
..."As a commonweal, a zoo focuses on education, research and other public interests, while a park as an enterprise is destined to pursue profits."...
Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-06/29/content_343575.htm
I think there is just no empathy for animals left, and oh yeah, how is a zoo in Anning or Chneggong close enough to be called in "ordinary citizen's reach"? Let's hope they'll only extend the premises and not the number of animals too.
Manufacturer addresses Kunming metro safety, comfort concerns
Posted byHmmm, no air conditioning? I don't know, this could work out but I wouldn't bet on it. During winter it should be "ok". It's cold outside you wear a lot of stuff and so you just leave your jacket, scarf and hat on when you get on the train. BUT, summer on the elevated tracks going out towards the airport? This summer we had several AC's failing on our German bullet trains and it was a disaster. People collapsed with heat strokes on the train, emergency stops on the open tracks just to get the people out, etc... ...
And then the guy pointing out: "The subway's signal system is controlled by a computer, and within the controlling system, each train will have sensing antennae installed," Yang said. "The antennae will transmit information such as car location to the controlling platform, with computers automatically directing the conductors of each train."
I mean, this is Train protection system 101, every track should have something like this by now (in working condition too). Hopefully the trains won't have an easy safety override for the conductors/engineers.
Illegal 'gutter oil' operation casts shadow on Kunming food safety
Posted bySewer Oil stands as a term and it's so disgusting that I am not sure whether I should believe it's existence or not, though I have seen stories written about it and I have seen people doing it (maybe it's the usual denial reaction), the story goes like this.
Back in the days, restaurants would discard used cooking oil into the cities sewer system where it would collect on certain points (either floating on top or building up large chunks on the side walls). People would then go down into the sewers and skim off/collect this oil, filter, maybe refine, but in the end sell it again.
I read stories about restaurants getting aware of those collection points on (or close by) their property and selling "licences" to people to, officially, clean the gutters.
The only "upside"I see is that, after cooking with this oil there shouldn't be any traces of viruses or bacteria left, as the oil is probably heated up to over 180 degrees Celsius, which, even on a short time exposure, make sure that everything still living in it should be dead.
Nowadays, every restaurant is supposed (by law) to have an oil filter system (basically a large metal box with different chambers to slow down water flow, so that the oil can be skimmed off) in the kitchen, I guess this makes the operation more economical and cleaner (hate to say this).
But like I said, it's so hard to believe that it might be an urban myth and I am not sure. If you want to see for yourself, google is your friend and will help you, if you ask it about sewer oil nicely.
Illegal 'gutter oil' operation casts shadow on Kunming food safety
Posted byI would like to see how this operates from a business point of view. You know like, how can they run this with profit, how low can the cost of chemicals be to bleach (what the F are they using to do that anyway) and perfumize actually be?
It's the same with fake eggs"? How can the production cost of a fake egg be possibly lower than that of a real egg?
Can someone shed some light on this?