Slow Sites, Ma Ying-jeou, etc.
First, I want to complain about something that has been bugging for a long time: the slowness of Taipei Times'. China Post is a pro-KMT newspaper, yet their site is faster and, as a result, is easier to access online than the pro-DPP newspaper, the Taipei Times. You know what? This makes a difference. Maybe a small difference, but it still makes a difference. This means that international news media, and bloggers as well, wherever they are living will access pro-KMT information much easier than, well, the stuff from the other side.
I find, that the Taipei Times site is just getting slower and slower. I just tried to access it a few minutes ago, and nothing came up for something like...five or ten minutes! When the site finally came up, it was in bits and pieces, like when you use internet on a cellphone.This is slower than usual, but this is a continuing problem. I don't know if it is because the people who work on the site are just not as good as some others at writing html, nor do I know if the problem resides instead on chooser a domain and server that are really slow. As you know, the Western media are slow and attention-span challenged. So let me tell you, Taipei Times needs to improve its accessibility. The look of the website is okay, although I must say, it is a little boring. If they could just make it super-fast, though, that would be the key, because the China Post does come up super-fast.
That said, Ma Ying-jeou has won the Taiwanese election. Perhaps it is the news media's lame idea of what makes a good photo to print (after all, some people have accused the news media repeatedly showing Hillary Clinton looking like she is crazy). His picture, seen in this China Post article shows him cheering his victory. Ma is the only public figure in Taiwan, whom, when I see him getting all excited, looks like he is ready to crush all the bugs below him with his foot. Hopefully, he is nicer than that. All in all though, I honestly DO NOT think the results bode well for the future of Taiwan, in light of the recent conflicts, protests, etc. in Tibet. Taiwan, as I so often state, has, at present, a better and more palpable democracy and social system than my own country, Canada. With Ma, I am not sure how much longer that will be the case. With this, Taiwan is in danger of become just another globalized, transnationalized city (I mean in the worst sense, not in a way that means relative equality for the people), with Trump Plazas, Trump Hotels, and super-expensive glitzy places that no one can afford. The only jobs left will be ones left in the IT industry and the service industry, just like what, sadly, had happened in Montreal. Folks, the sad fact is, the no one but the rich (or the boring) can live in in Montreal anymore. Unless you are lucky, which is rare. There are the odd examples, like my friend John, who can work as art teachers in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Other than that however, there is nothing left but multiplexes, American Apparel Stores, and Gap stores. Sad.
Does anyone really want Taiwan to be such a deadened place? Apparently the international media does, since almost none of the them ever presented Taiwan in an intelligent, informed way. Perhaps John "Death Star" McCain is what we all deserve?
Labels: "progress", bad website design, Frank Hsieh, Ma Ying-Jeou, Taipei Times
posted by Thoth Harris at 2:41:00 AM
12 Comments:
Apparently you also inherit the "stuffwhitepeoplelike.com" disease... you know better than the natives what is good for them.
Oh no, you don't want Taiwan to attract international investment and become a transnational city? How culturally chauvinistic... Should they continue to emphasize ancient ethnic difference, plow fields, and foment anti-China protests all day?
Or will you concede, as the overwhelming majority of Taiwanese concur (including the parliamentary elections), that eating and living up to first-world, international standards is more important.
Seriously, you are the prototypical stuffwhitepeoplelike person. I ain't trying to be confrontational, but I hope this gives you some food for thought.
And you are the prototypical "Anonymous Coward," and no doubt the one who responded to my comment with the trash you wrote on the Peking Duck.
IF YOU REALLY HAD THE COURAGE OF YOUR CONVICTIONS, OH ANONYMOUS COWARD, you would at least put your blogger name, so I could respond in kind on your blog
Anonymous Coward "Not being confrontation"?
Bullshit. You called me a prototypical white person and under the cowardly cover of your anonymous pseudonyms, you trash me and my sympathies. Not only that, you make groundless accusations, accusations which are beneath contempt. Evidently, Anonomous, you are like all Anonymous Cowards (and I don't mean anti-Scientologist anonymous'!) you are a CCP sympathizer, or you wouldn't see things in such a blank-and-white way.
OBVIOUSLY, you don't know anything about me. Good day, good sir, or should I say, nobody, since you don't dare put your name! Let this be a notice to all Anonymous Cowards out there who think that this is an acceptable way to express yourself.
I have no problems with the Taipei Times website loading here in Taiwan. It may be a problem with your connection or something else.
Anyway, apparently ANONYMOUS COWARD apparently crawled out of his hole to research or "discover" enough about me to know that I comment on how much I enjoyed that "stuffwhitepeoplelike" site.
You know what is interesting? For all I know, ANONYMOUS COWARD could be your prototypical white person.
Apparently, ANONYMOUS COWARD never heard of ESSENTIALISM.
As for plowing fields, obviously ANONYMOUS COWARD is a stupid idiot dedicated to his idea of driving SUV's around, turning all of North America into one giant suburbia where you can't even own green curtains and where you can't even tie your own shoes without a policeman showing your how to do it. Welcome to Donald Trump land! Have you seen what Montreal and Toronoto are turning into? Well, I am against it. And I am against what people like Trump are going to do in Taipei. It means high property values so that poor, regular people like, well, anybody but ten percent can manage to own property. Sad.
Sad that you hate egalitarianism.
From now on, I am not, REPEAT, I AM NOT, ALLOWING ANONYMOUS COWARDS TO comment on my blog, because the only anonymous' who comment lack the courage of their convictions!
Thanks, David. I am sorry that your comment came at such an awful moment for me.
Why is it I always get the dreck, all the worst of the worst when it comes to Anonymous commentators? I should just stick to featuring nice pictures...no I shouldn't. Anyway, thanks for commenting.
@ANONYMOUS COWARD:
Oh, my final trump card (lol)! Are you an absolute moron? You are the one who thinks that Taiwan is all about rice fields. Have you ever been to Taiwan? It is like one vast city with farms scattered throughout. Development should come slowly, and not through exploitation.
In addition, most importantly of all, what is wrong with Japan? Taiwan can easily become like a second Japan, can it not? Now here is yet another trump card: you are afraid of revealing yourself, because, in calling me a "prototypical white person" your afraid of revealing yourself as one too! White I mean. Or are you pink? Green? Black? Mauve? Polka dot? Ah, I know, since you are an Anonymous Coward, you are...no, no, political correctness forbids me from saying the Y-word, even though I would be using it to imply, in this case, not someone who is Asian or Asian descent (I have never seriously used the Y-word in that context), but rather, you are cowardly. Yes. It is too bad that someone like yourself makes the world impossible to live in with your Catch-22's! Because not matter what I do or not do, it will not be good enough for you. Unless, that is, I am clone like you. Now THAT is pathetic. That is what I am deploring. You get it? Anybody who properly knows me, know that I don't easily fit into any category. And that is what gets people like me (anomalies) into trouble. Unlike you. Whatever or whomever you are, since you don't have the courage of your convictions.
Ever thought of that? You are probably one of that strange breed of human beings who supports Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin. I will not speculate on the rest!
Maybe some people out there think I should turn the other cheek. I would give more benefit of the doubt if it wasn't Anonymous Cowards attacking me. If you get attacked by the Invisible Man, do you turn the other cheek? Well, how do I know it isn't Satan himself?
However, I am not even Christian. So, I don't even have to worry about that kind of hypocrisy. I am ambiguous about the value of turning the other cheek. Does George W. Bush turn the other cheek? Not from what I've seen.
The trait I most value is honesty. I don't usually fail myself that way, thank goodness. Which is why I don't appreciate Anon. Cowards. In fact, my harsh treatment of them seems to do the job. The same ones never come back. Knock on wood!
My little taste of Asia was weird to me, because it was super advanced in some ways, totally behind in others. So, cheap and good cell-phones, but no laptops when I was in Bangkok.
Don't sweat oddballs going ballistic on you like that. It's their problem.
Great point, Jack! And actually, in Taiwan, apart from the cellphones, Taiwan is even more advanced than Thailand in many respects. Their infrastructure certainly makes Montreal's roads and subways, etc. look pathetic. What Taiwan has to work on is their pollution problem (which will be solved in a snap by the new Kaohsiung MRT) and the current Taipei MRT. The latter continues to expand (eventually to the Taoyuan International Airport) and will improve things tremendously. There are long term plans (which everyone will believe when they see it) for the also pollution ridden Taizhong City. That will be great, too.
Thanks so much, Jack. It is always nice to hear from you with such friendly words! ;)
Bangkok has a 21st century metro, but hardly anyone one except westerners use it, because people are frightened of flooding. (and I had trouble on the Klong Boats, because I was so tall!).
So there is a point about this west vs. east thing, but it's not as simple as the dogmatists think. I believe that some synthesis is the answer, but that's not quick or easy to come by.
I think the Taiwan News is the most pro-DPP of the English-language newspapers in Taiwan. I knew someone who worked for it a few years ago, and at that time he said the paper was aiming to become the international voice of the DPP.
The Taipei Times is more neutral in tone, but compared to the extreme denials of reality found in the China Post, it does appear to be more on the green side of the spectrum.
I agree with you, Kaminoge, that is does appear more neutral in tone, even though it is more of a DPP-centred voice. Which is why I don't understand why people in the international news don't use it as the research for their reports, rather than the China Post, etc.
Which is also why I think it is too bad that Taipei Times doesn't try to design their online site better. David doesn't live in the West now, so he has no idea how slow the Taipei Times' loading time sometimes is here. Around election time, the site just seemed to be down. It would appear to be loading, but nothing would come after several minutes. And this is on high-speed internet. China Post doesn't have that problem.
I agree with you, Kaminoge, that is does appear more neutral in tone, even though it is more of a DPP-centred voice. Which is why I don't understand why people in the international news don't use it as the research for their reports, rather than the China Post, etc.
Which is also why I think it is too bad that Taipei Times doesn't try to design their online site better. David doesn't live in the West now, so he has no idea how slow the Taipei Times' loading time sometimes is here. Around election time, the site just seemed to be down. It would appear to be loading, but nothing would come after several minutes. And this is on high-speed internet. China Post doesn't have that problem.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home