Author Archives: dontai

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response ASMR in China

This, is really weird. A girl whispers gently into your ear, and you get an immediate physical stimulus. I can hear her breath and sigh. She seems to not be talking about anything special. I am unsure if this is a sexual response, but I do experience some response. Very interesting, to say the least. You do need to know Chinese, I believe. This is the latest internet space that has been banned as anti-porn in China.

Recovering from Back Pain, Naturally

Pretty much everyone, some time or other, will experience back pain. I do remember moving a large CRT TV from my house and hurting my back. It did eventually heal. I have known others with chronic back pain, some visiting a local pain clinic. They said their visits were near useless.

This back pain article is very interesting, going through MRI scans, surgery implications, opiods, and eventually conservative management. The Guardian article refers to a Lancet series of three back pain articles.

Photo: Still Life with Douchebag

No photo says it more clearly than the photo of Angela Merkel staring down Trump at the recent G6+1 summit in Quebec, Canada. This was supposed to be a meeting of Allied countries, not a meeting of enemies.

Merkel and the rest of the G6 countries confront Trump, 2018 May 11, Charlevoix, Quebec

Merkel and the rest of the G6 countries confront Trump, 2018 May 11, Charlevoix, Quebec

source

I quote Stephen Colbert: “Still Life With Douchebag”. Not only funny but apt. There seems a lack of friendliness with Allied countries, which Trump has put tariff on all Allied countries. Then there is the issue of insulting Justin Trudeau and Canada in general.

Talking to Kids, Mr Rogers’ Way: Freddish

There is no doubt that Mr. Rogers has influenced not only myself but a multi generation of kids. How he talked to kids was very unique and carefully thought out. Freddish was his methodology’s nickname.

Per the pamphlet, there were nine steps for translating into Freddish:

  1. “State the idea you wish to express as clearly as possible, and in terms preschoolers can understand.” Example: It is dangerous to play in the street. ​​​​​​
  2. “Rephrase in a positive manner,” as in It is good to play where it is safe.
  3. “Rephrase the idea, bearing in mind that preschoolers cannot yet make subtle distinctions and need to be redirected to authorities they trust.” As in, “Ask your parents where it is safe to play.”
  4. “Rephrase your idea to eliminate all elements that could be considered prescriptive, directive, or instructive.” In the example, that’d mean getting rid of “ask”: Your parents will tell you where it is safe to play.
  5. “Rephrase any element that suggests certainty.” That’d be “will”: Your parents can tell you where it is safe to play.
  6. “Rephrase your idea to eliminate any element that may not apply to all children.” Not all children know their parents, so: Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play.
  7. “Add a simple motivational idea that gives preschoolers a reason to follow your advice.” Perhaps: Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play. It is good to listen to them.
  8. “Rephrase your new statement, repeating the first step.” “Good” represents a value judgment, so: Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play. It is important to try to listen to them.
  9. “Rephrase your idea a final time, relating it to some phase of development a preschooler can understand.” Maybe: Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play. It is important to try to listen to them, and listening is an important part of growing.

Interesting British Slang Words

Learning English is complex. The nuances of the different types of English are very interesting.

div: (n), Actually originates from prison slang in the UK. A job often given to the lowest inmates was to put cardboard dividers into boxes. Someone given this job was a ‘divider’ or a ‘div’. Now used as an insult to those who display stupidity.

Chinese Internet Censorship Document 2018 June 03

I found this reference in the G&M to an unpublished Chinese document about internet censorship, so I contacted the author for a reference, which he provided. As these are pictures and not text it is more difficult to translate. When I have more time I will try to translate all the pages.

I cannot have one of my Chinese friends translate this as this would get them into a lot of trouble with the Chinese government.

Unpublished Chinese censorship document reveals sweeping effort to eradicate online political content

互联网直播服务信息内容管理要求 Internet broadcast service information content management requirements
http://www.lawinfochina.com/display.aspx?id=22901&lib=law
http://www.cac.gov.cn/2016-11/04/c_1119847629.htm

Toronto Air Quality Advisory 2018 May 27 vs Beijing

Air quality index PM2.5, Toronto vs Beijing, Shanghai, Changzhi, 2018 May 27 15:00 Toronto time

Air quality index PM2.5, Toronto vs Beijing, Shanghai, Changzhi, 2018 May 27 15:00 Toronto time

Toronto issues its first air quality advisory of the year 2018. Toronto AQI 2.5 is 50. In contrast Beijing is 442, Shanghai at 147, and Changzhi at 137. The scale was to go up to only 100.

Alerts for: City of Toronto
Statements

12:33 PM EDT Sunday 27 May 2018
Special air quality statement in effect for:

City of Toronto

Possible high levels of air pollution are expected today in the southwestern Ontario and Greater Toronto Area.

Canada Rejects China’s Aecon Corp Takeover, China is Angry

This plays out exactly the same in many countries, so one should not be at all surprised. A Chinese company wants to buy a foreign company, the foreign government blocks the sale, Chinese Government gets upset, calls the blocking racially motivated and implements trade sanctions on the foreign country. There are many cases in many different countries that I see this as one from China’s economic trade playbook.

NoFrills Website User Interface Error: Can you read this screen?

NoFrills grocery store web site has a selection screen of yellow buttons with white text. This colour contrast is so low and is very difficult to read.

NoFrills grocery store web site has a selection screen of yellow buttons with white text. This colour contrast is so low and is very difficult to read.

There are more than a few user interface errors on the NoFrills web site. Our family is a frequent shopper at NoFrills, the Canadian grocery store. Thankfully they are much better as a grocery store than they are at building and maintaining their website.

A couple of weeks ago they blocked me because I have an ad blocker. Really? I want to see your advertisement flyer, which is displayed on your site, and because I have an ad blocker you deny me the ability to see your flyer? Is not this counter-productive to my family buying from your store?