Monthly Archives: March 2008

iPhone Money

How much money Apple makes with each iPhone? Part of every $400 retail sales, probably 15%, so that is around $60 each. But this is only the most obvious part. Steve Jobs also gets a cut from the owner’s cell … Continue reading

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Android and Cell phone economy

Cell phone market is too big. The amount of money attracted the biggest and strongest players into this arena. Lots of marketing competitiveness and economic strategies are vying for advantages: really fun to speculate over a good glass of alcoholic … Continue reading

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Definitively Maybe 《绝对,也许》

Definitively Maybe Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin Pub. Date: 14 February 2008 Cross posted at http://blogs.sun.com/syw What a cute movie! Romantic comedies ran out of originality long time ago. Of course, they are never meant to be. The formula includes … Continue reading

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Automatic Center Punch

This tool makes a small dent on the surface for ease of drilling. A tap with a nail will also do the job. But if you are drilling all day long, this tool saves you from fetching the hammer and … Continue reading

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JiuMen Food Court 九门小吃

Cross posted at: NomadicMinds, Sun English and Chinese blogs. Note that the Chinese and English contents are not quite the exact translation. 到底什么是北京小吃?北京人说豆汁焦圈,但真吃过的没几人。胪打滚,碗豆黄,艾窝窝去哪找?九门小吃把几个百年老字号召齐了,店开在后海北。游人转进孝友胡同,宋庆龄故居西,就看到了。进门先到吧台买卡(俩人百元尽够了,没用完可以找),再端个托盘逛去。爆肚冯、年糕钱、奶酪魏、羊头马、豆腐脑白、德顺斋。看招牌就谗了。贪心每家各买几盘,自己找张桌子(有点费劲)。再去拿筷子,盘子,点饮料。大张朵颐。吃撑了逛后海消化,日丽风和,柳枝拂水。人生不过如此。 许多点心都是名气大的百年字号。吃起来不错,但不能说是人间美味。德顺斋的烧饼及豆腐脑觉得很好。奶酪魏卖完了。羊头马,年糕钱就是地道但熟悉的味道。 I have heard so much of those famous, yet elusive, Beijing snacks. No one under 35 … Continue reading

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Beijing’s Spider Men

Beijing discourages high-rises, no ShangHai-styled skyscrapers. CBD’s Hyatt Park holds the current record: 64 stories of nearly 250 meters. Others are strangely uniform at about 60 meters, or about 30 stories. Not too high and consistent enough to create an … Continue reading

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When do you go to lunch?

Day Light Saving comes with many assumptions; the key one is that it saves energy, and therefore money. In summer, when days are long, why not go home and enjoy your lives under the bright sun: catch a short round … Continue reading

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User’s Manual to Human Body 人体使用手册

User’s Manual to Human Body 人体使用手册 吳清忠 ISBN: 7536046316 Pub. Date: 2006å¹´1月 Publisher: 花城出版社 Cross posted at http://blogs.sun.com/syw. If a free and legal version of the same book is available online, would you go to the bookstore and buy a … Continue reading

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新版狗不理

6年前来北京,看到“苟不理”真兴奋。这包子可是天下闻名哪。迫不急待买他一屉,大失所望。勉强吃半屉,油味就塞饱了。老婆来时也过了同样的历程。我们双双发誓,永不再吃苟不理。和北京人谈起,“苟不理是天津菜,北京的不地道。要吃上天津去。”有回,老婆真去了趟天津,找到了正宗狗不理包子。“好吃,和北京的大不同。下次一起去天津吃。” 没错,“苟”不理,应该是“狗”不理。 几年过去。上个月,老婆有事去大闸栏。一看居然狗不理有个新门脸,买屉试试。一吃大大兴奋,味道和天津的一样。好极了。回家上网查查,东直门内簋街也有一家。刚好有个朋友要回美国。给她饯行呗,一伙人尽欢而归。而我至今还没吃到真正的狗不理包子呢。 Hal Stern几年前看了我的博志,及后来续篇。当他决定访华时,也一心要吃这大大有名的包子。终于,我有机会一尝天津狗不理包子了。他在华的最后一晚,一行四人,初试簋街狗不理。 这可不是路边的包子铺,是个观光大饭店。有门面,有带位,有经理,有伙记。当然也有彩色菜单,酒水饮料。包子一个可以20元。现包现蒸。Jim Baty一口咬下,“感觉像喝了口香槟。”哇塞,有这么好吗?大伙纷纷动手动口。又热又香,小到一口吃,热到拿不住。皮甜馅香,微带点汁。是好。 其他的菜就一般了。值得一提的是狗不理烧酒,点了高度的,顺口流畅,白酒里是不错的,但比名牌的便宜太多。值得一喝。

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Hilary-Obama Ticket

This 2008 election made fools out of pundits. Which of them even considered McCain just a few months ago? Bright-eyed, confident, 72-year-old, he is too pleased to see the attrition war on the other side. Hilary definitely did not expect … Continue reading

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