Tech Stream
Posts Tagged ‘ china’
Cracks appear in China’s Green Dam
16 June 2009
It seems having the most sophisticated internet filtering and blocking system in the world is simply not enough for the authorities in China. Now they are seeking to implement a more thorough and universal solution at the user-end which they say is aimed at blocking access to pornographic and violence-oriented websites. But of course it’s being viewed, both inside and outside China, as a bid at mass censorship and a threat to personal privacy. More after the jump…
Tech Stream 016
5 June 2009
Listen and download: MP3
Electronic waste waiting to be recycled. Photo from Flickr by Eric Dykstra.
We’re marking World Environment Day in the Tech Stream this week. Jeff Angel, Executive Director of the Total Environment Centre tells us about Australia’s new electronic waste recycling scheme. Janet Leslie from Canon Australia explains their e-waste initiatives and ‘green’ calculators. And Elanto Wijayono from Green Map Indonesia introduces us to Open Green Maps – a set of online tools to help communities map natural, cultural and sustainable resources in their area.
But we kick off the program with the blocking of websites like Twitter and Flickr in China this week. Thursday was the 20th anniversary of the Chinese military’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. Myself and Steve Holland from Connect Asia speak with a local Twitter user as well as Jeremy Goldkorn from Danwei.org and Beijing-based technology observer Kaiser Kuo. Radio Australia News Online also has a great feature on the anniversary. Lastly, technology journalist Adam Turner has the lowdown on Google Wave.
The entire program can be heard from the MP3 link at the top, and you can subscribe to the podcast with the link on the right. Feel free to leave a comment below on any of the content in the Tech Stream this week.
Social web blocked in China
3 June 2009
China is blocking access to social networking and social media websites ahead of the 20th anniversary of a bloody crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Sites like Twitter, Hotmail and Flickr were blocked on Tuesday and Microsoft also reported that access was blocked to their new Bing search engine.
The story is being covered today by Radio Australia News who report that internet users filled chatrooms with protest after access to Twitter was denied on Tuesday. And Reuters reports that “Access to video-sharing site YouTube, owned by Google, has been blocked in China since March, after overseas Tibetan groups posted graphic footage of China’s crackdown on protests by Tibetans in 2008.”
The Tech Dynasty blog on CNET Asia also covered the blocks yesterday and says that “anyone in China who spends any amount of time online has weathered these blocks before” and so has recommended some good sites to overcome them. There are also unconfirmed reports on Twitter that the #gfw (great firewall of China) has been removed from the ‘trending topics’ section. We’ll have more in the Tech Stream program, on Radio Australia news and on our own Tech Stream twitter feed.
UPDATE 05/06/2009: Connect Asia covered this on Thursday morning, you can hear Steve Holland’s story from this link, and ABC News Online provided excellent coverage of the anniversary.
Tech Stream 011
1 May 2009
Listen and download: MP3
Voxopop’s audio message boards are popular with people learning English.
In the Tech Stream this week, Firemint’s Robert Murray talks about their mobile game Flight Control which is a #1 worldwide hit; discover a social-networking discussion site Voxopop.com which allows people to start audio-based forums and has been taken up by English language learners across the world; Danny Gorog takes us under the hood of the Kindle 2 eBook reader; we learn how to reduce the impact our PCs have on the environment; and the increasing popularity of shanzhai phones in China.
You can listen to the full Tech Stream program with the MP3 link above or the “Listen Now” link on the right. Feel free to comment on any of these stories or suggest something we can follow up in future programs. You can also subscribe to the podcast too!
Shanzhai Phones
28 April 2009
Listen and download: MP3
Counterfeit mobile phones are big business in China, with research firm Gartner suggesting they already account for more than 20 percent of sales in the world’s biggest mobile phone market. The New York Times reports today on the boom in blackmarket “Shanzhai” phones, which often sell for as little as US$35 each, far less than the devices they are ripping off. And while these devices have been available for years, the drop in price for components and the ability to tap into the supply chains of the bigger brands has made it possible for a small company to mimic anything from an iPhone to the latest Nokia or Motorola.
Tech Stream 007
3 April 2009
Listen and download: MP3
In the Tech Stream this week we’re speaking with IT journalist Patrick Gray about the Conficker worm; Google gives internet users in China access to free music downloads in an attempt to capture more of the lucrative search market; Georgia Webster joins us to talk about the way capital letters are used and abused online; and tech-journo Adam Turner charts the rising popularity of the Blu Ray disc.
You can listen to the full program with the MP3 link above or the “Listen Now” link on the right. Feel free to comment on any of these stories below or suggest something we can follow up in future programs.
The Grass Mud Horse of China
31 March 2009
Listen and download: MP3
I came across this story a couple of weeks ago about the Grass Mud Horse of China and its decidedly potty mouth. It is often refered to as one of the Ten Mythical Creatures of the Baidu but the video and song on the internet featuring the horse is a clever (and dirty) riff on internet censorship in China.
Stephen McDonell reported on the story for ABC’s PM program. You can listen via the MP3 link at the top of this post – but be warned if you’re a Chinese-speaking listener who might be offended by certain song lyrics.
