North Americans and country codes

As I explained to a friend:

By the way, may I offer a small foible correction? In Europe and Asia, people add "+" before their phone numbers as you have below. However, what should come after the + is first the country code. So, below, you should have +1 615 ... rather than +615.

For example, someone from the UK would list their numbers as +44 .... Chinese as +86.

What makes this doubly confusing for us North Americans is that the country code of the US (and Canada) is "1" which is the same as the long-distance dialing input. And, still being the world's largest market, we can spend our lives only dialing area codes and never dealing with country codes.

So, in conclusion, I suggest you change your signature and cards to read +1 615 ... for international business affairs.

Picasa Slideshow

Dad's 61st birthday celebrated at Bonefish Grill.

Dad's 61st birthday celebrated at Bonefish Grill.

Drive through bucolic Columbia, Tennessee.

Drive through bucolic Columbia, Tennessee.

Unnecessary Quotations Marks in Lynchburg

As seen on tour at the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Submitted to the "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks.

Drive from Murfreesboro to Franklin, Tennessee

Taking a shot through the nose - Jack Daniels

Took a friend to visit the Jack Daniel's distillery. We took the tour. In the warehouse, the vapors were so powerful it was like taking a shot through the nose.

Amnesty International weighs in on the Beijing Olympics and Human Rights

Amnesty International UK's first video about the Beijing Olympics and human rights:

Dad tilling the garden

Dad tilling the garden:

China blocking RSS podcast feeds

When I was last in China (in March), I found it fascinating which podcast RSS feeds the Net Nannies blocked and which they did not. This motley mix of censoring the benign and leaving salty feeds uncensored (e.g., the Distorted View podcast) really emphasizes the keystone cop nature of China's Net Nannies.

BLOCKED RSS PODCAST FEEDS:

60 Minutes

Escapepod

Pseudopod

Scott Sigler

Pacific Coast Hellway

UC Radio Podcast

Best of National Geographic

The Economist

Talk Radio News

The Onion Radio News

This American Life

Well Told Tales

Comedy Central Stand-up

WSJ Tech News Brief

NOT BLOCKED:

Distorted View

BBC - Best of Today - not salty, but interesting that this BBC feed is not blocked given that the BBC was in a tiff with China a few years back, etc.

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 vs. Carrefour

As I blogged about before, the Chinese are taking it out on the French. On Carrefour.

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.

IHOP breakfast

Decadent but delicious American breakfast at IHOP:

Google Search LCD

Google's famous scrolling search on LCD screen as recorded at Building 44.

Lights off Taiwan

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

Globalization = truth is stranger than fiction.

Globalization = truth is stranger than fiction.

Secondary citizen

For the last several years, almost every time I clear security at US airports, my boarding pass is marked “SSSS” and I have additional security screening. I am called a “Secondary”. I have asked for years why this always happens to me and no one has an answer at the airport. Thus, I am turning to the Internet to see what I can do to stop hemorrhaging time on excessive security checks. Or is this my fate as an international man of mystery?

Ironic poor connectivity in Silicon Valley

I am always amazed when visiting the Bay Area (aka Silicon Valley) in terms of the poor connectivity – both in terms of Wi Fi coverage and cellular phone coverage. Weak signals on the mobile phones. What little Wi Fi there is is often corporate or proprietary (e.g., T-Mobile’s) and a bit on the expensive side (compared with Wi Fi in Asia). Seems quite ironic that connectivity is so poor in the heart of the global innovation engine.

Way around the Great Firewall o' China

Found a neat way around the Great Firewall of China! E-mail me for more info. Better not post it here otherwise the Chinese Net Nannies might get wise.