Interviewed regarding Taipei

I was interviewed for Cebu Pacific Air's inflight magazine, Smile regarding what to do in Taipei. Here is a link.

TiT - photographed by Ross

TiT - photographed by Ross
Originally uploaded by BoydJones

My friend Ross took this photo of Taiwan's most exciting residential project -- TiT! No, not "breast" but "Town in Town"! (What does that mean?)

I blogged about this before too.

USI's WiMAX offerings

Photos of Taiwan September 2008

Photos of Taiwan September 2008:

Both flammable and inflammable, Taiwan

Both flammable and imflammable, Taiwan
Originally uploaded by BoydJones

This truck in Taipei County displayed labels indicating its gaseous goods were both flammable and inflammable. FTW?

I kept my distance.

Taiwanese stray dog chillin' in a bookstore

This stray dog in Taipei County knows how to beat the summer heat! Sneak into a crowded, air-conditioned bookstore! The Taiwanese seem kind to strays letting them roam free. Or might it be better for the Taiwanese to exhibit tough love to the strays, coral them up and prevent them from starving and getting mangy?

Taiwanese scooter riding hack - jackets on backwards

I have always found it very interesting that Taiwanese often wear jackets backwards when driving their ubiquitous scooters. I am told that if jackets are worn normally, wind resistance will increase making riding slower and more costly. Could this be seen as an environmental hack? I wonder why no one in Taiwan has designed a jacket that fits on backwards - market opportunity?

Taiwan's Tantilizing TiT Townhouses

I can think of few places in the world besides Taiwan that would market a residential apartment complex entitled "TiT" -- "Town in Town". Are they being coy or just didn't bother to ask any random foreigner what "tit" means? Or to just look it up in the dictionary?

Taiwan's tiny trash tins

Taiwan is one of the most crowded places on earth and yet the garbage bins are about 1/3rd the size of those found in places like Hong Kong or North America. Why? One would think the Taiwanese - who love their island - would learn from overseas and expand the size of cans? Does not seem to match with Taiwan's excellent (world-class) recycling program.

Betel Nut Princesses

The semi-narcotic betel nut (bin lang) and scantily clad young girls selling it to Taiwanese men. Videos taken in Taipei City.

Taiwan - beetle nut princesses + customers

Nah, we just throw them away - Kroger's Rx

Having experienced Taiwan's mandatory recycling program and innovative policies such as mandatory used battery recycling bins at convenience stores, I am shocked as usual back in the USA with the lazy attitude about recycling. Case in point, I picked up some prescription medicines for my parents at the Kroger supermarket/pharmacy. I asked the pharmacists what they do with the used pill boxes / cylinders. To my chagrin, she indicated that they just trash them. No effort or even thinking about recycling these plastic wonders.

It would seem, a priori, that it would make sense to recycle plastic pillboxes -- the right thing to do, good business sense (plastic costs are rising, would help Kroger by selling these to recyclers?) and good PR.

Chinese Nationalism on the rise - Tibet, Taiwan, Olympics, etc.

Mainland Chinese are mad and they aren't going to take it anymore. Invigorated with new-found wealth (largest foreign exchange reserves in the world since 2006, per capita income up by a CAGR of 11% over the last half a decade, largest carbon polluter in the world, world's 3rd largest economy, etc.), the Chinese are responding as best they can to what they perceive as perfidious foreigners trying to break apart their historic Union (Taiwanese and Tibetan separatists).

For example, I received a chain e-mail from Chinese friends about Tibet, the French and Carrefour (a large, French supermarket chain that has expanded aggressively into Asia and China over the last decade and a half). It calls for a boycott of Carrefour:

5月8日-24日正好是北京奥运会的前三个月.请您不要去家乐福购物.因为:

1. 家乐福的大股东捐巨资给达赖

2. 法国支持藏独者甚众

3. 法国总统声言抵制奥运会.

那么我们现在就抵制一下家乐福.为期与北京奥运会同长.前后17天,让他们看看中国民众的力量. 请转发.

It reads:

May 8th - 24th is exactly three months prior to the Beijing Olympics. Please do not go to Carrefour to shop / purchase. Because: 1. Carrefour's largest shareholder has given money to the Dali Lama. 2. France supports Tibetan Independence severally. 3. The French President declared a boycott of the Oympics. Now, therefore, let us boycott Carrefour for a bit. For a period of time as long as that of the Olympics themselves. For these 17 days, make them see the strength of the Chinese people. Please forward this.

(Point 3 refers to President Sarkozy's demand that China open talks with the Dalai Lama, etc. as a condition for Sarkozy to attend the Opening Ceremony.)

China now has the world's second largest Internet population and we will see Chinese netizens being increasingly proactive in using the Web to further their agendas.

Lights off Taiwan

Just another venting of the spleen in terms of Asians driving with lights off.

Groping, drugged up Taiwanese

The title is just a joke. Since it seems that the two most popular English words in Taiwanese media seem to be "touch" and "high", I thought I'd take them to the extreme of envisioning a groping, drugged up Taiwanese person! Again, just a joke.

"Touch" is used again and again in all sorts of adds and campaigns and songs. For example, the Cartoon Network is promoting a new cartoon (some soft of Powerpuff Girls take-off) with a song in which the repeated English words are "touch" and "high". Here it is for your viewing and listening pleasure. In terms of touch, HTC has its popular iPhone-like touch handset,the Touch. Another salient example is Taiwan's tourism campaign, Taiwan: Touch Your Heart. OK, these are just three examples of the over-use of the word "touch" in Formosa.

Now that I have burned the image of a groping hand all over Taiwan, let's move onto the word "high". In English, using "high" as an adjective is often used in conjunction with the taking of illicit drugs and the resultant high one feels. However, in Taiwan, "high" is used to mean generally exuberant and happy. Often, you will hear phrases such as "這裡非常熱鬧,大家都很HIGH ("This place is hopping! Everyone is high!"). Or "台北最High跨年晚會" ("The Best / Highest New Years Party in Taipei!"). A final example is description of a Coco Lee concert as the "most high" (最High).

So, if you are coming to Taiwan, be prepared to get "high" and do a lot of "touching"! Or at least understand how these English words have been incorporated into Taiwanese Mandarin.

Video the vote in Taiwan!

There is an effort to duplicate the CNN-Youtube partnership that brought questions from netizens to the American primary election presidential candidates. The site Peopo.com is spearheading the effort in partnership with other media entities. More information here.

Having felt the nascent power of and feeling of community from foreign bloggers in Taiwan through the recent get-together in Hsinchuang (and through on-going and growing contact online), I now feel strongly that foreigners should try to participate more fully in society and communities here. We should have a voice.

As such, I encourage you to consider recording a video question for DDP candidate, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). If you need help with the Chinese on the site, I can help you.

Taiwan's Blogosphere

Andres maintains a great blog covering the various and sundry universe of English-language blogs about Taiwan. Here. A good compendium of the Taiwan blogosphere as it were.

Taiwan's medical system > USA's

When Americans live abroad for an extended period of time, we learn very quickly how much more expensive pharmaceuticals are in the US as compared to the rest of the world. For example, a good American friend of mine suffers from acid reflux and was prescribed Nexium by his American doctor (when he was visiting the States recently).

He assumed the price of Nexium in Taiwan would be much cheaper. The price difference was amazing. In the US, he bought Nexium for about US$300 for 30 capsules. (He, like a lot of Americans living abroad, has no health insurance in the US and the US has no national system like Taiwan does). In Taiwan, he is able to buy the EXACT SAME capsules for NT$1,040 (US$32 or so).

In the US, he needs a Rx to buy. In Taiwan, Nexium is over-the-counter.

When my friend related this story to me, we waxed poetic about medical tourism -- if one lived in the US, one literally might have to fly back to Taiwan to see the doctor and purchase medicines.

Something is wrong with the US medical system... Very wrong.... And, the Economist Intelligence Unit was "spot on" when it rated Taiwan's medical care system as the world's 2nd best in 2000.

Almost-post-industrial architecture in Taiwan

The almost-post-industrial architecture of Taiwan. This shot taken in Hsinchuang, Taipei County.

McDs delivers in Taiwan!

Following the lead of Dominoes Pizza and Pizza Hut in crowded Taiwan, McDonalds has started delivering by scooter as well. American fast food adapted to Taiwanese charateristics!

Asian Engrish # 1 - Candy Oiler

This guy is a Candy Oiler? Lost in translation?