User profile: Anonymous Coward

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Gadget advice

The problem with most netbooks is the small screen and low resolution. A lot of software is not designed to work correctly at sub-optimal resolutions. I've had instances of being unable to install drivers because of this. There's also basically no memory expansion and the CPU/GPU is almost too slow for regular use. The only real advantages to netbooks are weight and battery life. Is the netbook platform even still alive? I thought intel basically abandoned it. I know that many manufacturers are dumping them in favour of 11.6" CULV subnotebooks. (CULV=consumer ultra low voltage).

As far as memory goes...yes, you will need "a lot" in order to do basic stuff. These days 2GB just barely cuts the mustard. With the OS and browser loaded, you're already north of 1GB. Once you start opening multiple tabs and running stuff like youtube, you'll be swapping to the HDD (slow) in no time. I recommend no less than 4GB for a system running OSX or Windows 7+. XP is becoming horribly obsolete, so I certainly wouldn't recommend that to anyone buying a new system.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Gadget advice

I recommend the Acer One AO756 subnotebook computer. It has an 11.6" screen (1366x768) and can be upgraded to 8 or 16GB RAM (I forget which). It's just slightly larger than a netbook, but has the functionality of a full laptop computer. These are available with different CULV (intel) CPUs, batteries and memory capacities. You can pick up the base line unit for $300USD. I think that one has a CULV Celeron, 2GB and 4 cell battery.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Bicycle Brands, which is better..

Interesting. I just looked into UCC. Looks like another Taiwanese brand. The prices seem to start fairly high. Giant and Merida are better established, and seem to start at around 1000. Though, it seems Giant has a habit of taking crap Chinese bikes and slapping their logo on it. They're cheap, but they're not really Giants.

I don't know how long an expensive bike is going to last with a good lock. A lock only stops the punk kids and amateur theives. But somebody who knows what they are doing will steal it regardless. If you want a nice bike, you'd better park it indoors.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Bicycle Brands, which is better..

Giant and Merida are not European or North American brands. They are in fact both Taiwanese companies, and I think their quality is pretty decent.

I think is somewhat accurate to say that most of the Chinese branded bikes are shit, but some of them seem to be getting better. I think it really depends on how much you pay. The brand I bought "Gammax" or 杰玛仕 is the "high performance" branch of the Gamma or "杰玛" bicycle company. I can't say how strong the frame is, but at least the design is modern (has 1 1/8" tubes, and all the correct mounting holes). For the most part, it seems as long as you don't spend less than 1200RMB you will get something fairly decent.

Considering that the price difference between a domestic brand and a foreign brand (Giant and Merida) is minimal, I advise you to play it safe and go with a foreign brand. Though, this will likely make your bicycle a target for theft. I just went with a Chinese bike and upgraded all the components to second hand or new old stock 500 level Shimano parts. Now I have a bike that works well that doesn't say "steal me".

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Minimum Daily Expenditures

1 person can certainly live off 10rmb a day. My wife and I (two people) survive on about 15rmb/day for meals. Sometimes we even have a little meat.
I didn't hear a single person in here mention beans (though somebody did say tofu). These have plenty of protein. From what I've read, you can basically live forever on a diet of beans and rice..probably best complimented with some greens, eggs and meat every now and then.

Buy in bulk, buy on sale and buy in season. Simple food can taste good too if you put a little effort into it.

Sweet potato tastes good. I like it.

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Some places have adequate trash collection service but locals still choose to burn the trash to cook with and heat their homes. It's pretty common with the elderly. They also like to burn coal inside their homes when radiant or electric heating is available to save money.

I am living in Shandong Province, which is just about ground zero for air pollution. The main crop here is wheat, and they burn it.

When I stayed in Dali for the entire month of February, the air quality index was over 100 almost every day. There is very little industry in Dali, but you can clearly see where the air pollution is coming from...farmers burning stuff. I have a clear view of the valley, and I toured it several times on a bicycle.

Not all the pollution in China comes from factories. A lot of it comes down to bad personal choices like driving a car to save face when a bus or bicycle would do instead. How about all the uncontrolled exploding of firecrackers? When the government tried to regulate it people got angry that their right to foul the air was being infringed upon.

How about the 700 million farmers that are constantly burning garbage and organic material (rather than rotating crops)? Agricultural pollution in China is huge problem, but it's not something that can be dealt with easily because many of these farmers simply can't afford to adopt modern farming methods. It will likely take decades to move these people into urban middle class environments and switch to large scale farming.

Anyone know when Metro Line 3 will come online? I read in another article that the local government was being pretty quiet about it. I thought I recalled a completion date of spring 2015, but maybe it's been pushed back to 2016 now?

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