Chinese nationalism
Talking heads spar over Carrefour boycott – internal debate on China’s self confidence and identity and how it should be expressed. I think that Wang Xiaodong was one of the authors of China Can Say Now – a groundbreaking collection of essays on Chinese nationalism published in 1996
EastSouthWestNorth: Why Is CNN Patriotic? – interesting piece on the western media from a Chinese perspective – it tells us a lot about Chinese national identity, confidence and rising Chinese nationalism
What Tibet and Carrefour Can Teach Us About the Chinese Internet – Interesting article on BBS phenomena in China and how it is being incorporated in Chinese national identity exploration and Chinese nationalism
When China learned to say no – interesting interview with Chinese authors about ‘China can say no’ and the Chinese national identity. It does beg the question of when does Chinese national identity stop and Chinese nationalism start
China
New rules for expats in China – International Herald Tribune
Consumer behaviour
Predictably / Irrational » Blog Archive » A Prada overnight bag – interesting anecdote about the interaction between consumers and brands
Global Youth Panel: Spending Habits – if only I had this data before last week’s MobileYouth conference!
brandchannel.com | People buy brands the way they make friends – nice piece on brand relationships
Faster – Why Constant Stress is Part of Our Future
Culture
PingMag – Archive » Style Wars: Art or Crime? – reflections on the classic graffitti documentary
Design
The rise of contextual user interfaces – nice article on the development of user interfaces over the years
NYTimes.com hand-codes its HTML – Boing Boing – nice interesting piece mirroring the craft that goes into traditional newspaper printing :)
FMCG
Opal Fruits make a comeback after decade away – Brand Republic Login – Brand Republic
Gadgets
Trace Me Luggage Tracker Purchase – interesting that this has been developed by a UK company – the home of the disastrous baggage handlers at LHR have won world-wide acclaim for their unique approach to their work. Definite must have though
Hong Kong
How to
Ideas
Web 2.0: Obsolete within three years? – this isn’t as bad as it sounds, most technological progress is littered with failures. I think the bigger issue is the yuppification / tech bro culture starting to rear its ugly head in Silicon Valley. Web 2.0 is the last gasp of the ‘hippy’ influence on Silicon Valley culture – something that the article doesn’t address
Innovation
Upgrading processors for speed is doomed to failure – the need of paralellism in software – PS3 coders who have had a lot experience on programming for paralellism could be in demand doing business software
Bill G Puts Faith In Innovation – Interesting analysis of Microsoft post the Yahoo! deal by Portfolio magazine
Japan
JapanLinked – Gyaru Gal Styles – view in amazement, shock, horror at some of the make-up these kids are wearing.
NHK’s ‘Domo-kun’ to be aired in 101 countries › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion – Way cool Domo-kun is a bit of an icon, looking forward to seeing his TV debut in UK
Korea
Paper is passe for tech-savvy South Koreans – SEOUL (Reuters Life!) – Young, tech-savvy South Koreans are making coupon clipping a thing of the past and turning to their mobile phones instead. Some of the fastest-growing mobile phone services in the country let retailers send discount coupons…
Luxury
Louis Vuitton gets Brand-Jacked, Collateral Damage in Anti-Genocide Campaign
Marketing
Reebok rethinks marketing plans for Beijing Olympics
Media
Online
Powerset’s Dilemma: Go For It, Or Sell – I hope that they go for it, Powerset is built on some interesting ideas, the big challenge is finding an advertising model to monetise it and prevent them running out of cash and selling their intellectual property for pennies
Consumers Using Social Media to ‘Vent’ about, Research Customer Service
MicroHoo: Mail Monopoly Part of Yahoo’s Price Holdout | AllThingsD
Chief Yahoo Jerry Yang: Valley Internet icon now in a tough spot – SiliconValley.com – I think that history will show Yang as having been grossly misjudged.
Software
Author: Microsoft Is Still Here, Dammit! – Mary-Jane Foley on Microsoft
CrunchGear » Archive » Secret firmware gives Canon point-and-shoots that old razzamatazz – interesting hacking story
Russia warming up to open source
Technology
I, Cringely . The Pulpit . Reality Check | PBS – Cringely questions the conventional wisdom of having analyst firms advise enterprises on what technology to purchase
Bits: How Google’s Checkbook Stymied Microsoft
Why Can’t Microsoft Close the Deal? – Seeking Alpha – culture, image and reputation are critical
Apple: Salesforce to become an all-Mac shop
Telecoms
Skype for your mobile – VoIP java application for some 50 low and mid-priced feature phones, it will be interesting to see how the networks (with the exception of 3/Hutchison Telecom) handle this
Europe Lags on Internet Penetration, Moves Ahead on Broadband Take-Up – interesting take on the mobile web here by Edelman thats a bit at odds to what I have heard from developers (rather than marketers) in terms of its viability
Web of no web
Web 2.0 Asia :: Cyworld 3D about to enter closed beta – I think that is potentially more interesting than Second Life given the social norms and size of the existing Cyworld communities
Wired News – GPS market challenges – GPS devices heading towards market saturation
Wireless
Top-5 handset vendors losing ground in profit share, says Strategy Analytics