July 21, 2009

Microsoft Contributes to Linux

The world is changing fast. FT.com:
This is something of a landmark: Microsoft is contributing code to the Linux kernel.

July 20, 2009

Independent Central Banks

Alex Tabarrock:
A number of prominent economists have signed a petition calling for "Congress and the Executive Branch to reaffirm their support for and defend the independence of the Federal Reserve System."  The petition is disingenuous.
To me, the idea of independent central banks has always seemed inadvisable and sometimes recalcitrant. Monetary policies are an integral part of the economic policy of a government; together with fiscal policies, it is best left to the charge of the government itself.

*Googli-con*

On Xiaonei.com, a user named Yu Chunzi commented, after I stating that the only instant messenger I use frequently is Google Talk,  that I am a Gugekong (谷歌控), or Googli-con in English (see lolicon), meaning someone who is crazy about Google. I could not find an existing  translation of this term, partially originated from Japanese, into English; therefore I made it up myself.

I am not sure whether there have been people using this term before, in either Chinese or English. (Are there better translations?) But I think I am (happily) qualified to be called one.

The National Library

Last week I visited the National Library of China, the third largest national library in the world.

July 17, 2009

In Memoriam Prof. Ji Xianlin

A most distinguished scholar in modern China, Prof. Ji Xianlin, an Honorary Doctor of Letters of HKBU, passed away on 11 July 2009 in Beijing at the age of 98.

July 16, 2009

Global Role of the Yuan

FT.com: China plans global role for Renminbi:
If successful, this could lead to nearly $2,000bn in annual trade flows, or as much as 50 per cent of China’s total, being settled in renminbi each year by 2012, compared with less than 10 per cent today... "making [Renminbi] one of the top three currencies used in global trade.”

July 8, 2009

Words for the Future

President Obama's Address at the New Economics School of Moscow.

The Google Operating System (OS)

It's almost like a response to my post yesterday.  Google has announced that it's developing an operating system for personal computers (news link). The new Google Chrome Operating System will be open source, just like Google's browser bearing the same name.

After years of competition with Microsoft in the web market, Google is finally getting down to our desktops - Microsoft's major battleground.

July 7, 2009

Long live Google!

Blogger Quwei wrote an article giving reasons for his love for Google, mocking its Chinese competitor, Baidu's name as "hundreds of poisons" (originally meaning "hundreds of aspects").

As a Google fan, I share many of my feelings with Quwei, and have written articles and convinced friends and acquaintances to migrate their web services to Google. What I, and possibly most Google lovers, enjoy about Google is that Google has always promoted the concepts of freedom and sharing, with its motto "Don't be evil". Almost all services provided by Google, such as Gmail, Reader, Docs, Calender, Sites, etc., are free with all functions and features enabled, and Google has also developed open-source programs like Chrome and Gears, and funded the non-profit Mozilla Foundation for the development of Firefox and other open-source softwares.

Please also read my article about Gmail.

July 3, 2009

Donald Tsang on Dialogue

Hong Kong SAR Chief Donald Tsang was interviewed on China Central Television (CCTV) by Tian Wei on the topic "Asia seeks way out of financial crisis", in the prime time talk show Dialogue. Here's the full video.

July 2, 2009

Feline Prophet

This can be printed on the first pages of macroeconomics textbooks:
Money is not everything. There's Mastercard & Visa.
~ Garfield (Yes, the cat!)