Meta

How many degrees between my wife and me
It's a new meme today. We are living in a six degree small world. However, from the experience using some SNS(LinkedIn, Orkut, Friendster, etc.). I found the number of degrees can't be simply set to integers since there are still many differences in your connections even they show same degree. e.g. I and my wife are now in one degree separation in linkedin.com, however, it's obviously that we are closer than other one-degree connections, either in life status or trust level.

So I guess we are in a 0.5 degree separation. Any theory supports me? Or I have to develop my own theory about it? Ha.

"Free Culture" (Chinese Edition) Wiki

A Wiki for translating "Free Culture" has been set up on Socialbrain.org. Hopefully, more Chinese readers and bloggers can help translate the work collaboratively, in a FREE culutre style. Please Email me if you are interested in this work voluntarily(The wiki only accepts authorized authors, but viewable to any anonymous users).

New Tee in CNBlog's online shop
There is a new design listed in CNBlog's online donation shop hosted in EAKU.com. "Sydicate My Blog Tee". Hah, looks good, doesn't it?



Any more design ideas?

*Also, the long-sleeve shirt could be in promotion list, price low to 40RMB. However, the shipping charge will be added from April 1st(5 RMB/per tee?).

Translate "Free Culture" in a collabrative way?
Yunshen asked me in last process meeting that if "Free Culture" has been translated into Chinese? Of course not, as it's so fresh. Although it's labelled by CC(NC-BY), I'd be polite to ask Larry about it. Now he has replied me that "A noncommercial translation is as permitted as an audio version. "

So can we initiate a collaborative workspace(such as wiki) to start this work?

Wanna a copy of AsiaWeek
I'm now in a short period trip. I heard of some interesting talks on Shanghai Mag-lev railway on the road, they said the report could be checked from a recent issue of AsiaWeek magazine(Ya3 Zhou1 Zhou1 Kan1). However, I can't access the online version of this magzine from my laptop via current wire. I wonder if this site is in the banning list of Great Firewall, too. Who can help to get it?

Free Culture
A fresh new book by Lawrence Lessig, published by Penguin($24.95) while free e-edition under Creative Commons license at the same time. He is telling us "How big media uses technology and the law to lock down culture and control creativity".

Many echos in Blogshpere in these days, via Feedster.

You can download via BitTorrent, following CC license, here.

Excellent job, Larry, I've read 2 chapters online.....

More blocks on foreign weblog hosts by China Great Firewall
[via China Herald]
Anger is hitting the Chinese blogosphere as a Typepad, a foreign weblog hosting service seems to be blocked this morning, according to report by Brainsmurf, followed by Living in China.
All weblogs hosted on domain names with 'typepad' are now blocked and it is a similar problem that started last year with the largest weblog hoster blogger.com when all its weblogs with 'blogspot' in its domain were blocked.

Bloggers are leaving community-based blog service
Community-based blog service(CBBS) is a featured genre of blogging in China, mostly from the evolution of BBS, and other kinds of virtual community. However, more and more bloggers are moving to independent domain name to seek more free blogging.

Blogging is a timeline-based personal experience, mature bloggers will eventually seek independ solution, while still keep loose connections with public domain. So I found that many bloggers with over one year blogging history in China have their own domain name or hosted in a small ring-based blogging site(namely Blogflat, via weciti).

Also, after times of single-point failures(either technical or political reason), many bloggers realized that only distributed blogging can be more free on speech. The three beated CBBS(BB, BC, BD) are putting more effort on filtering sensitive words in bloggers post, I can't see any bright future on this.

* Some cases just in these days of leaving from community-based blogging service:
- "Seeking a new house"
- "My whole new site"
- "Question?" --- one post asked why "taiwan" related posts were deleted by CBBS webmaster

Stephen embeded another referrer script in his script
Smart solution. We don't have to change the script to another referrer system. Stephen embeds a fairly good one for us. Thanks, man.

Google, Yahoo! and Blogs

GoogleBot seems to not like blogs anymore, on the other hand, Yahoo! welcomes them and keeps them higher up in the rankings than Google. We??ll see what Google??s PageRank update in the coming weeks will do about blogs.----- [theunofficialgoogleweblog]

That's it. The PR of my Chinese blog drops from 7/10 to 6/10, while cnblog.org drops from 7 to 6, too.

Evaluating SNS team
I'm evaluating some biz plans and web sites providing SNS service in China. Also I will soon visit those teams to see how to help them grow and approach international VCs. For sure, arena of SNSs in China is now emerging. And just like what I said to two teams last afternoon, at least half of current teams will disappear by the end of this year.

Stephen decided to shut down the Referrers System. Is that a final decision?
After days of waiting for Stephen's debuging on the Referrer's System. The following message appeared, "I have decided to shut down the Referrers system. Thanks for all your support.."

I can't believe my eyes. Hey, Stephen, it's not a fair decision to those users. Although we can swtich to some other aternatives, you know there is learning curves and uers experience. Hopefully, you can reconsider the decision. Or we can work out other solutions for this, constructively.

The week in pictures
---- [MSNBC]

Explanation to "Chinese blog services' self-closing...."
Fons asked me in comments, "Any idea what is happening? Sounds like technical problems, since government officials mostly do not work in the weekend. But three at the same time is rather strange."

Some explanations: 1) The three sites are all running in non-commercial stage(they have to face the issue of commercializing, and/or how to commercialize). Thus the "services" are still free online communtiy of practise, though running a new concept of "blogging". 2) Since it's free and non-commercial, it's easier to be closed, while difficult to argue their rights. Even, besides gov's orders of shutting down, the web masters can make decisions by themselves on when to close and when to open. The users are ultimate sacrifice. 3) They are doing "blindman's buff" game with gov in the previous days, you know, it's easy to move domain to a temp site. However, when they heard some tight message happens in one site, they will have to choose close by themselves, again. 4) They are working on keywords filtering functions with their system. It's so called "self-regulation" that gov are happy to see. Future blogging experience of their users will be totally different from past. No any more congratulations from me, at least.

Chinese blog services return to silence
After one day of temporary openning, the 3 main community-based blogging service(blogbus, blogcn, blogdriver) in China chose to keep silence again(don't ask why). Many bloggers' happiness are still warm, however, they will have to grieve again.

Taiwan Nationalists Call Election Result After Shooting Unfair
Nationalist Party leader Lien Chan said the Taiwan presidential election, held a day after incumbent Chen Shui-bian was grazed by a bullet in an apparent assassination attack, is unfair and he will ask the courts to void it.

CNBlog.org is sitll in down time
Our hosting service, Lycos China, told me that they will transfer our site to anther machine during Friday night. However when I tried times this morning, it's still can't be accessed. I found cnblog.org's IP bundling is with the old one. Meanwhile, our other domain's, socialbrain.org and creativecommons.cn, are all rebundled with new IP. I have to wait for a longer time to check again before calling their 3-layer helpdesk.
----------------------------------
Sorry to lycos, cnblog.org is registerred in another domain server. May yunshen update the record as soon as possible. Anyway, I hate the poor service by Lycos China, many times change without any active notification.

Blogbus, blogcn back to service

from CNBlog.org, blogbus and blogcn are all back to service. Hopefully, it's not a temp recovery. Still need to verify in days.

Slow response with traditional media on blog site shutting down
Eventually, Reuters reported the incident after 8 days it happened. As a matter of fact, I did think the meme is dimming in peoples attention since blogsphere is refocusing on other normal topics. There is a very interesting path the meme routing and disseminating from my observation. Summaringly, it's from Grassroots publishing(blogsphere) to NGO publishing(RSF), then Media publishing(Reteurs), then traditionally other medias, and unavoidably, Chinese medias/gov. Who dare to bet the future?

I kept a low-profile in this media game since I've talked with those teams the first time to prevent from worse situation to them. I didn't accept any media inteview in this period. However, no one can prevent the meme from disseminating in other channels. Now, let's keep watching on what will happen in the future: Will this report ruins the team's effort on re-opening services? or presees more the gov to lease the control? Or neither?

Updates: "Reporters Without Borders(RSF) reports on blogbus"
Google news search result here, soon quoted by another blogger, more resonations in Feedster.

Pigie's message on China's shutting down blog services

A message from Pigie, a Journalism and Communication student from NUS.

" A news report is filed out by Reporters Without Borders (www.rsf.org), an international organization active in promoting press freedom. I think the report has kept "low profile" of this incidence, while still managed to get some form of international exposure over this shut down.

The report can be found at http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=9545"

Thanks, Pigie. However, it's a pity that common Chinese users can't access this report since it's blocked by Great Firewall, too. Only savvy users can visit the site with proxy.

Although I'm the first one blogged on this incident in English, more guys including some expats in China resonated soon in the following days. Then Joi, Dave as well other famous bloggers also mentioned this incident in their popular blog, thus more people know the reason and develpment around the world.

Last Sat. I, along with other members in CNBlog.org(non-profit meta blog for Chinese), has hosted key members from the 3 main community-based blogging service providers(Blogbus, blogcn, and blogdriver) to discuss on solutions and future collaborations. We got consensus that blogging is not the real target this time, instead, Dr.Jiang's letter is the only destination. Some net police may never hear of Blog. Thus BB, BC are all sacrifice of this letter. Anyway, it's not the fault of this letter at all. The whole thing is worth thinking for a while, from human rights to emergent democracy.

Anyway, as I said for times on cnblog.org, only the distributed blogsphere can lead to the real digital democracy. The current centralized model can't survive any longer from both political and technology view. I will address in China's Digital Future conference and talk more details on this issue.

A Huge URL to Dr.Jiang's Letter(Chinese)

Can this hugeURL course the Great Firewall explode? :D

http://www.hugeurl.com/?YTI4NDg3M2U2YWJmN2JkYzA4ZmY1NTQ2NGI3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European Regulators Back Proposed Microsoft Ruling
By PAUL MELLER --- NYTimes
European antitrust regulators are united behind Mario Monti, their top antitrust official, on his proposed finding that Microsoft has abused its dominant position in the software market.

Referrer function down again
Stephen's free Referrer system 2.0 down again for maintanance. It reports "We are obviously having speed issues. The referrer system will be offline briefly while we address them.
". We all like new functions, however, we hate low performance and bugs, too.

From days of testing, I think the design theme of Referrer Sytem 1.0 is more suitable to internet users. As a matter of fact, most users most time won't need so many functions. We'd always remember to keep a system simple and stupid(KISS rule). If it's a public service, it should be user orientation, too.

Discuss with Jimmy on SNS service in China

Jimmy Yu is an old friend to me, but long time no contact(one year or more). However, recently, he connected me up in LinkedIn.com. He was invited by someone else just like I was invited firstly by Joi Ito that time. Then he try to explore the network to see who he knows. He found me since I'm in the top three in China region(Actually I'm the top one real Chinese, another 2 is expat). He add me immediately and after minutes, my desktop rings. "Hey guy, without Linkedin, I even don't know how to contact you now", he is very exiting.

As a smart investor and fund manager, Jimmy worked for Softbank China for years. He is now running another capital project in Shanghai. He talked a lot with me last night on how to build a similar service in China. And how he would like to incubate such a team. Actually, I know most of the SNS teams in China. Which one should I recommend to him?

Anger Over Attack Puts Spain's Socialists in Power
Reuters - MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's opposition Socialists have swept to power in a sensational election upset sparked by popular anger over the government's handling of a suspected al Qaeda attack on commuter trains that killed 200 people.

Putin's victory clear; Russia's future cloudy
USA Today - "MOSCOW Vladimir Putin's Russia is almost unrecognizable from the desperately chaotic nation that emerged from the steely grip of the Soviet Union more than a decade ago. "

Dr. Jiang's remarks and names are totally blocked by China's Internet

You can't search out any result from China's internet search engines on Dr.Jiang Yanyong, such as Baidu, or Sina Search. It's obvious that all page indexes in these search engines are delelted or disabled.

The worst case is to google search, if you search the name of Dr.Jiang, it will reponse "This page can't be displayed" immediately and then refuse to work for any further search request.

When you want to access any web pages with the Chinese name of Dr. Jiang. It will be disabled just like Google's search.

Accompanying with Blogbus/blogcn's shutting down, as well other BBS sites. The Chinese net user can't acess Dr.Jiang's remarks any more, even he himself was killed from Internet, virtually. Seems many proxy servers can't bypass the suvillence of Great Firewall, too.

also, Fons' "internet - Filtering drives internet traffic beserk
"

Banning blog sites angers more bloggers in China
Some bloggers expresses their feelings in artwork to the forced shutting down of blog services in China.

(source: ibuzzo)

Stephen upgraded his referrer system

Great, with some new leading-edge features I dreamed before. However, seems all legacy data losted during the upgrading. Hey, it's my referral capital, humm....

update: Seems the system blocked grassland? I've tried some times search RSS from Grassland and link to my site, however, Referral 2.0 can't display this information. Or is that a bug?

Experimental NGO's get first green light, in China
China will for the first time allow non-governmental organizations (NGO's) to work in China, announced the official state newswire Xinhua today. It quoted officials of the State Environmental Protection Administration, who announced this remarkable change on Friday. ---- [China Herald]

Seems it's dawn for China's NGO/NPOs, really?

Weblog Wishlist Manifesto

Thanks to Lisa Williams, who must have put a great effort to collect dozen's of responses to Dave Winner's "Question: What's next in writing tools for weblogs?", and make up this manifesto.

I like some of the ideas in this list for Wego's development consideration:
- Blog anything, many other structured information besides text/pictures can be blogged automatically or manually and share as blog-like timeline format.
- Unversal comment, people feels frustrated today to manage his comments everywhere and can't collect them in his/her own space. We'd have a new mechanism to comment anywhere and control them locally. As a matter of fact, I think comment is also blog.

However, I don't like the ideas of full-fledged integration all functions into blog tools. We can still use other tools to do their specific tasks instead of putting all things together.

Many others ideas focus on data transformation from one fromat to another. To Wego(codename) project, we'll consider more based on the personal knowledge space theory and lifelong learning genre.

Updates: The biggest ever block on blog in China
I knew it's just a start. Now blogcn.com, another blog service provider, also serves over thousands of bloggers in China, seems can't be access now after blogbus.com.

Hengge(owner of blogbus.com) told me that it's all due to the quotes of "Dr. Jiang Yanyong's letter to urge reassessment of Tiananmen massacre" by some bloggers on blogbus.com. Hengge hopes that his site can reopen soon after his appleaing and removing those sensitive content.

Spain Mourns 192 Dead, Probes Al Qaeda Bomb Claim
MADRID (Reuters) - "Spaniards mourned the death of 192 people in the country's worst guerrilla attack on Friday as officials looked into a purported al Qaeda claim that it was responsible for the bombings on packed commuter trains. "

The biggest ever block on blog in China
Blogbus.com, one of the biggest blogging service in China, has been ordered to shut down it's service from noon today. Based in Henan province, blogbus.com now serves over 15,000 bloggers in China.

It's the annual season that China's Parlianment held session in Beijing. So government conduct more close survillience on Internet remarks and activities. Many columns and online bulletin board related on social problems in some portals has been withdrawed weeks before the session. Also the net police has blocked many foriegn news site afterDr.Jiang called the Communist Party to admit the mistake in 6/4, 1989.

Now the blogsphere is the newest target. The best way of surviving here is "shut up" or say "we are living in a liberal country".
------------------------------------------------
updates: Hengge, the owner of blogbus.com is now appealing to re-open his site. However, he doesn't know how long it will take.

Also, Joi's quote and other's comments on his high-traffic blog.

Other Chinese bloggers reported this incident: cnblog.org, topku, 6e, ibuzzo, sealife, etc. from Grassland, the Chinese blog/RSS search engine.

Seems no more related memes in Feedster, yet.


--------------------------------------
update 2: Jianshuo blogged this news. He also said, "As I posted before, My Site Remains Illegal in China. Don't be surprised if this site post similar notice one day (or disappear with no notice). ". Same situation to my site.

Seems no paper media report this news, yet.

Creative Commons online talking
Will schedule a wider-scope talking with some students from Harvard Law School and guys from Creativecommons.org, on the iCommons China project and issues promoting this new license in this country.

The main problem for CC in China is not on the license itself, however, it's on the literacy and culture side.

SCO Sues Daimler Chrysler, AutoZone

From Ziff Davis Media

SCO has filed suit against two major companies for two different reasons. The first, car giant Daimler Chrysler, was accused of not protecting SCO's copyright rights, while AutoZone was singled out for running Linux code that violated SCO's copyrights. A subtle difference to be sure. We've got details on both the AutoZone and Daimler-Chrysler suits, including my favorite quote of the day from Linux creator Linus Torvalds.

Also, Is Microsoft Funding SCO?
In a series of twists more convoluted than a Fellini movie, we've uncovered new evidence linking Microsoft to a shadowy investment company that underwrote SCO's recent Linux attacks. Microsoft denies it, but could this be the smoking gun? Our story takes you down the path from revelation to confirmation, and lets you decide for yourself.

Socialbrain.org domain name works now
Socialbrain.org, oringinated from cnblog.org, is now the upper level domain of cnblog.org, which will focus on social technology research and activities in China. We shall collect the projects ever within cnblog.org, including "Open Education", "Creative Commons China", "Grassland", "Blog on Blog for Chinese", "Chinese blog directory", etc., into the newly defined socialbrain.org vision. Of course, there will be new mission statements and new team members involved.

Good lucks, SocialBrain.org!