Hi Folks,
The internet cafes (wangba -- internet bars) I've been using since leaving Shanghai are impressive. Some are enormous -- 200-400 machines with fast connections. The rooms tend to be smoke-filled and most users are gamers and chatters. Still, it is impressive.
Apparently education authorities in Shaanxi Province feel so as well. The English essay required for this year's college entrance exam was on the impact of the net. Ask around -- see if you can find out if the net has crept into the exam in Shanghai. Has the net affected vocabularies? It certainly seems to be affecting the sleep patterns of teenagers. The places are open 24 hours a day and at 5:30 yesterday morning I found a number of young people staring into screens. Most looked as though they'd been doing so for hours.
Check out AsiaMedia http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu (via the search function on the page) to locate net-related stories.
PHOTO CONTEST
Right now it looks as though the first entrant will walk away with the 7/17, 7/31, and 9/1 prizes. Don't let this opportunity pass. Select your photo (800x600 pixels is best, 1024x768 is okay as well), and upload it asap.
smiling,
clay
