[7]

Yeah, if I had known how bad it would be on my daughter here I don’t know that I would’ve come. She was never sick in the 4 years before moving here & in 18 months she’s been almost constantly sick. Now I’m practically counting down the days until we leave and just hoping there are no permanent effects.

[7]

This article has some cool interactive photos (#2-4) where you click on the phot and it shows a similar one from a clear day.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/01/chinas-toxic-sky/100449/

[7]

FB still doesn’t work for me. Though oddly the FB app on my iPhone has been working without VPN since last weekend (at least as of last night.)

[7]

Strong stopped working for me a few weeks ago. Even if it connected Facebook was still blocked, but then unblocked sites were unusably slow. I tried changing the settings and have yet to find alternate settings that could connect & ended up just trying something else.

[7]

When I went out yesterday afternoon it was extremely windy. When I look back it was right around 100 then and was the low of the day.

Wind definitely effects the readings, but whether the pollution actually blows away or if it just skews the readings I am not sure.

Also, anyone see NASA’s comparison photos of a good and bad air day recently? http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=80152

[7]

I just got back in town tonight and it seems noticeably than when I left before Christmas. I’m just glad I’m not in Beijing which hit 755 today! That’s got to be some kind of record.

[7]

If your iPhone was bought from AT&T & is no longer under contract then you can have them unlock it for you. That’s what I did and it’s definitely the best way to go (free & you don’t have to worry about jailbreaking/unlocking which comes with a lot of other issues.)

[7]

Cutting a pre-paid SIM to fit is no big deal if you have the tool. I bought one so when I travel I can do just that. I’m sure it can’t be that hard to find someone with the tool who would do if for a few RMB.

[7]

I don’t know if it’s a cultural difference, or just individual assholes, but it seems like a lot of people have no compassion for disabled people & feel no shame at staring at/laughing at/mocking them.

I went to the Great Wall at Mutianyu yesterday & there was a teenage girl with Down’s Syndrome walking the wall by herself (her parents had gone ahead) & she was going very slowly being very sure of each step. This jackass stood there watching her walk up the steps & was laughing his ass off & then when another group of people were coming down & I suppose wondering what he was laughing at he started imitating her.

That’s probably the first time I wish I knew enough Chinese so that I could curse someone out.

[7]

I just upgraded my iPad to iOS6. I noticed the maps were the TomTom’s so I zoomed in on the islands & did in fact find 2 sets of them like in the OP.

[7]

Actually, I just got back to my phone & turned it on & went in to the Map. It loaded the last aerial view I had been looking at & then flashed & loaded a different map of the same area & then overlaid it with Chinese labels. I switched from satellite to map & now it does have the AutoNavi logo. Don’t know why it took so long to switch, but oh well.

I tried the directions again & it will only do driving directions & then only occasionally. Most of the type it just says map server unavailable.

[7]

I’m 99% sure mine is nothing like yours. I don’t think there were any labels for any places & no Chinese characters for street names. I must have the TomTom maps. I couldn’t even get walking or driving directions straight up Renmin Nan Lu. And, I tried to switch to the public transport directions & it sent me to the app store to buy an app. 🙁

[7]

I read that Apple’s contract for maps in China is AutoNavi, but it is TomTom in the US. However, some in China are still getting the TomTom maps.

[7]

Federico, does that app report the raw data such as PM2.5, or only the AQI?

[7]

That Android app I found is just a repackaged version of their webpage: http://aqicn.info/?city=Chengdu

I don’t know where they are pulling all of their data from though as the consulate Twitter feed only gives the PM2.5 & AQI.

[7]

A quick search on the play store turned up this one which says it uses the Consulate date.

I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t vouch for it. But, I’ll give it a shot when I get home.

[7]

Looks like it was in Singapore.

[7]

I guess this would qualify as a cultural difference: “Entire high school class on IV drips while cramming for exams”

[7]

Thanks for the tips guys!

[7]

Quote:

Most foreigners here are pretty friendly, though oddly enough some won’t even so much as make eye contact with you on the street if you try saying “Hello”.

Quote:

What’s that all about!? Still trying to figure it out after being here for over a year

Just because a person is a foreigner that doesn’t automatically make them outgoing. I’m a huge introvert & whenever I see another foreigner it always seems sort of awkward. If we make eye contact I’ll nod “Hi” & acknowledge a person, but usually I’ll avoid eye contact if I can help it just to avoid the awkwardness.

I always work on the assumption that people I pass on the street are on their way somewhere & if they wanted to talk to me they would.

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