Buying a smartphone in China: Agony and Ecstasy

My new phone will be amazing.

My new phone will change my life.

My new phone will be my newest and closest friend.

VPNs in China

Before moving to China I wish I’d asked these three questions.

Do you need a VPN in China? Yes.

Can you buy one from China? Maybe.

If you plan to continue the life you took for granted in the West without a VPN will you have…

Fourth Dispatch 4.2.14

Hello dear readers,

Unfortunately this dispatch must begin on a grim note. There has been an accident here, or rather I should say I have had an accident. An incident has occurred in which I accidentally hit something on my electric trike. It was a small, spotted…

Scaling the Firewall

Circumventing China’s Censors

Having a smartphone in China: Annoyance and Enjoyment

The saga continues.

Chilling here besides me on the couch is my new best friend.

He helps me learn about the world, talk to my friends, my real friends though buddy, not you, they’re…

Sixth Dispatch 29.4.14

Hello dear readers,

It is a beautiful day here in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. The second of a pair, they have been welcome relief. Earlier this week I experienced one of the few rainstorms I’ve yet seen here. It doesn’t rain here, instead the skies open, the…

E-bikes: Fashion trends in personal electric transport.

In what is an experiment into listicle/gallery/magazine hybrid-monster territory, I will be posting pictures of the e-bikes I see around my Chinese city, with accompanying words about them, in an ongoing series. Interesting as I find…

The personal transport revolution: E-Bikes.

The city is teeming with traffic. Thousands heading to work, taking their kids to school, delivering packages or glass window panes, in a mad flurry of vehicular hustle and bustle. These thousands are using their own personally-owned transport, with all the freedom and flexibility…

Third Dispatch 25.3.14

I sit in the tea room of our apartment. Surrounding me are small potted plants, hanging from the ceiling. They tend to spin wildly when the rare breeze visits our basin-sited city, their leaves catching the smog-weakened sun and casting the room in a pale green light. It’s nothing like…