nnish
3
Blogs
Blog
Small town surprise
Its been 5 months since we moved from Shenzhen to Gaoan ( Jiangxhi province ) . Life started with people staring at us and commenting at us , as they had never seen any foreigners in the city. Few people welcomed us saying welcome to Gaoan these were mainly students . But in recent 2 months I am surprised and very happy to see people try to speak basic words in English in this small town. Bike Taxi guy I cant speak Chinese so I asked my friend to talk to the Bike taxi guy to drop me home . My friend negotiated with the bike taxi guy and he agreed to drop me at 15 RMB . I dont know what they spoke but it took 5-8 mins to negotiate with him with what Chinese i could understand he was asking for 20 RMB but my friend bargained and fixed it at 15 RMB. The bike guy starts his bike and then tries to have a conversation with me . Bike guy - Do you know Chinese ? ( this was in chinese ) Me - TimbadongBike guy - Laughs Me - Can you speak English ?Bike guy - Says something in Chinese also speaks to some other bike guys while riding . Me- I was confused and was trying to think what he said.Bike guy - No English , English poor.Me - If you speak everyday you can learn easily .Bike guy - No speak English. No speak.Me - Practice , Talk in English everyday.Bike guy - Everyday work , No English speak.Me - I figured this one out that he doesn't have anyone to speak .Bike guy - Thank you ( In English ) , Me - I give the guy 20 rmb and he tells me thank you in English and in Chinese.The guy had a smile which was priceless.System Admin guy at my workplace -I had some issues with my internet and I call the system administrator guy . He comes to check whats wrong .He always use to shy off or not talk to me at all. Me - Whats wrong ?Sys Admin - hmmmmmmm .Me - Is there a problem ? Sys Admin - One minute , I will be back . Me - After a minute he comes back makes some changes in my computer . Sys Admin - Your IP changed . You can use Internet . Me - Thank you so much. Sys Admin - Smiles and walks off.My colleagues were surprised to see this happen. China Unicom My wife had some issues with her 3G we walk into a store and a pretty healthy lady greats us with "Hello , May i Help you?" . I kept telling my wife that your going to have a tough time to explain and get this problem solved. My wife kept telling me lets try. Before going to this shop we tried 2-3 small stores using a Google translator and they couldn't understand us and we couldn't explain what was the problem.So we walk into one store . My wife - Nihow , My internet doesn't work . Phone Lady - No problem , No problem . We Check . We Check .Give phone.My wife - Phone Lady - She calls customer service and speaks for a while. Wait a moment . My wife - What happened ? Phone Lady - It is working now. My wife - she checks the phone and replies back it works , Thank you. Phone Lady - No Thank you . Come back again.My wife - When I came to this town I was pressurized by everyone to learn Chinese but after seeing these incidents I think the time is changing.
Do people care about trees ? Paper ? Global warming ?
How much paper can be made from 1 tree?Or, alternatively, how many trees are needed to make a given amount of paper?There is no simple answer to these questions, and all calculations can be no better than "ballpark estimates."Many people have heard the statistic that "a ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees." The "17 trees" number was popularized by Conservatree when it was a paper distributor, based on a report to Congress in the 1970s. It was calculated for newsprint, which is made in a totally different paper making process from office and printing papers. But it was the best number anyone had, so it became the number everyone used to calculate number of trees saved by recycled paper, or number of trees cut to make virgin paper, no matter what type of paper they were talking about.Paper is made from a mix of types of trees. Some are hardwood, some are softwood. In addition, some are tall, some old, some wide, some young, some thin. Many of the "trees" used to make paper are just chips and sawdust.So how can one talk about a "typical tree"? And do numbers calculated 30 years ago still apply to today's much more efficient paper industry?We decided it was time to update these numbers, so Conservatree has tracked down some ways to make ballpark estimates more reliable than in the past.CONSIDERATIONS IN CALCULATING TREES TO PAPERWhat kind of paper are you talking about?Paper made in a "mechanical" or "groundwood" process (e.g. newsprint, telephone directories, base sheet for low-cost coated magazine and catalog papers)uses trees about twice as efficiently aspaper made in the "kraft" or "freesheet" process (e.g. office and printing papers, letterhead, business cards, copy paper, base sheet for higher-quality coated magazine and catalog papers, advertising papers, offset papers).So how many trees would make a ton of paper?Claudia Thompson, in her book Recycled Papers: The Essential Guide (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1992), reports on an estimate calculated by Tom Soder, then a graduate student in the Pulp and Paper Technology Program at the University of Maine. He calculated that, based on a mixture of softwoods and hardwoods 40 feet tall and 6-8 inches in diameter, it would take a rough average of 24 trees to produce a ton of printing and writing paper, using the kraft chemical (freesheet) pulping process.If we assume that the groundwood process is about twice as efficient in using trees, then we can estimate that it takes about 12 trees to make a ton of groundwood and newsprint. (The number will vary somewhat because there often is more fiber in newsprint than in office paper, and there are several different ways of making this type of paper.)SOME TYPICAL CALCULATIONS1 ton of uncoated virgin (non-recycled) printing and office paper uses 24 trees1 ton of 100% virgin (non-recycled) newsprint uses 12 treesA "pallet" of copier paper (20-lb. sheet weight, or 20#) contains 40 cartons and weighs 1 ton. Therefore,1 carton (10 reams) of 100% virgin copier paper uses .6 trees1 tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333.3 sheets1 ream (500 sheets) uses 6% of a tree (and those add up quickly!)1 ton of coated, higher-end virgin magazine paper (used for magazines like National Geographic and many others) uses a little more than 15 trees (15.36)1 ton of coated, lower-end virgin magazine paper (used for newsmagazines and most catalogs) uses nearly 8 trees (7.68)How do you calculate how many trees are saved by using recycled paper?(1) Multiply the number of trees needed to make a ton of the kind of paper you're talking about (groundwood or freesheet), then(2) multiply by the percent recycled content in the paper.For example,1 ton (40 cartons) of 30% post consumer content copier paper saves 7.2 trees1 ton of 50% post consumer content copier paper saves 12 trees.Article source : http://conservatree.org/learn/EnviroIssues/TreeStats.shtmlGetting to the point do people care about trees or paper ?Seen alot of deforestation in many places . Have seen a entire mountain disappear and big factories are constructed there . People are wondering here why the weather changes so drastically do they know anything about global warming ? At my work place they use paper for everything . If i come early from lunch i need to sign a paper . If i don't go for lunch i need to sign a paper . If take leave i need to sign a paper . If i go home late from work i need to sign a paper. For each and everything there is some or the paperwork involved .My ideas on where paperwork can be reduced . 1. Use online portals to save data online so people can share it . A print out can be avoided here. Use a intranet if possible ( applies to schools , companies etc ) .2. In banks they have so much technology but when i go to do a TT / Western union i end up coming home with at least 4-5 papers that the TT or Transfer is done. Cant the bank send me a message saying that its done go home grab a beer?3. Reduce size of catalogs and brochures . I reduced a company profile brochure from 30 pages ( Chinese version ) to 4 pages ( English version ) . I first got criticized for doing it but later i convinced the management that carrying the fat books will add up to luggage while travelling . Most of my brochures have a recycle symbol on them but i wonder if people care.4. During Trade Shows or Seminars or meetings. Send a email or send a e-brochure instead of giving a catalog which is printed . FAQs for people who don't know about global warming : What is Global warming ? -A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.Top 10 reasons of global warming .1. Humans - Cars , Pollution etc etc.2. Burning of fossil Fuels.3. Use of chemical Fertilizers4. Industrial Advancement5. Deforestation 6. Melting of Glaciers due to warm temperature.7. Volcanic Eruptions8. Depletion of Ozone Layer9. Air Pollution10. Green House Effect. I want to know your thoughts where we can reduce using paper .
China the land of "Maybe" , "Of course", "I know"
Been in and out of china for the past 4 years and now finally working in china full time . Its been a exciting journey . I want to share my views with young geeks who want to explore stuff and build or who want to start working in china. China is a land of opportunity and getting the best out of it was my target. My views on the good stuff and things what put me off. Good StuffShenzhen Electronics Computer stuff Hardware stuffMobile phone stuffAutomation stuff ( parts components ) Good job opportunities GuangzhouAutomotive stuffHardware stuff Electronics Good job opportunities Shanghai IT stuff Software stuff Trading officesLearningGood job opportunities Hangzhou IT stuff Software Related stuffGood job opportunities Yiwu Accessories Art stuff Toys etc Things that put me off.Spitting I am not sure if this is culture . Have seen people spitting in star restaurants in big cities not in a corner not in a washbasin but straight on the carpet / floor . Shouting People shout at anytime any place . Let it be hospitals , banks or public place shouting or quarreling is a common sight. Crackers I was surprised to see people bursting crackers in front of hospitals here in china. Cleanliness Have seen hospital lobby where people spit on the floor , people vomiting in the front desk dustbin and people pee in the staircase dustbins .Having bath everyday is not important here. Listening problem If you happen to tell / Suggest / Teach someone something , The most common answer you will get is "I KNOW" you need really good skills to teach here no one will listen to what you have to say as they Know everything . Business Everyone wants to be a business man / business woman . 2-3 months of experience they feel they are ready to open their own factory or office. Food MoneyMoney , Food and Cigarettes are not offered but thrown on the table. This may be subjected to person to person but i wouldn't like a person throw money or food at me as if i was a dog who will bite . Brand Replicas This is something very common bags , electronics , clothes , shoes you name it and you can get it here . Ex. If you travel in a Metro train ( subway ) you can see at-least 3-4 people with a LV or a Gucci bag, even if someone really has a real one its hard to distinguish . Stay tuned for more...
