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But if you have no brakes and you scared all the pededtrians away that you could have crashed into, how do you stop?
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May 28, 2014 07:55
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You see, since nobody else has brakes, having brakes poses a greater danger of someone smashing into you.
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May 28, 2014 08:10
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synertia posted:I only have a USB or phone to bring music to a BBQ I don't know if it's ok. I'll make you guys a chinagoonbq theme song and/or mixtape. When's the party?
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May 28, 2014 11:34
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bad day posted:I'll make you guys a chinagoonbq theme song and/or mixtape. When's the party? This Saturday. What will you title your song? Moonlight Streetshitting? Pipe Babby in C Minor?
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May 28, 2014 14:14
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blinkyzero posted:This Saturday. What will you title your song? Moonlight Streetshitting? Pipe Babby in C Minor? Chengduustreetsquatsi
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May 28, 2014 14:42
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Almond Crunch posted:There are places in China where this doesn't happen?! I figured it was a natural chinese darwinism, with cars taking over the bike lane and bikes taking over the sidewalk. I hope you mean bicycle. You should be able to spot a dude in the village somewhere with some tools and bike tires/tubes and such who could fix those brakes up for less than 20 RMB. Most people avoid buying used ebikes because the batteries are usually worn out by the time people sell them. Then you're stuck with replacing the battery which can easily be about 50% of the cost of a new ebike.
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May 28, 2014 16:57
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One of my friends is moving to Beijing and I told him I'd ask you nerds a couple questions. Is the list of VPNs in the OP still good, and what is the model of post apocalypse gas mask you guys like?
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May 29, 2014 12:36
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Grand Fromage posted:One of my friends is moving to Beijing and I told him I'd ask you nerds a couple questions. Is the list of VPNs in the OP still good, and what is the model of post apocalypse gas mask you guys like? Astrill seems to be the one most people I know use though a few kah-razy ones like vipyr are faster/better/much more expensive. Respro is the best mask.
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May 29, 2014 13:23
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Astrill works pretty well for me. Plus they recently made iOS/Android apps so it's really easy to get it working on your phone or iPad or whatever. It used to be pretty complicated and spotty.
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May 29, 2014 13:36
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Couple friends have moved on to expressVPN. Has iPhone/iPad app so is easy for the non-sperg and not terribly expensive for longer periods. Not particularly better than any other option though.
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May 29, 2014 13:46
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Grand Fromage posted:One of my friends is moving to Beijing and I told him I'd ask you nerds a couple questions. Is the list of VPNs in the OP still good, and what is the model of post apocalypse gas mask you guys like? I use Astrill with the StealthVPN option and it works well. It was crapping out pretty regularly recently but I think that was more of a US server side issue. It seems to be running fine now. Here is a helpful list of plants that clean up the air compiled by NASA, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study . They should help things out a bit and most of those don't need natural light so they should fare well in Beijing. If they're on an expat package or making good money, I recommend buying an air purifier as well. The chemicals used to clean those might turn you into the Joker though if you get any on your skin. As a sanity saving measure, I recommend vacationing and vacationing often. The winters in Beijing are pretty post apocalyptic and Beijing was recently voted the 2nd worst city in the world to visit for good reason.
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May 29, 2014 14:19
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The disposable 3M N95 masks have gotten good reviews in some studies. Avoid anything Chinese, most are poorly fitting or do nothing at all. I've liked HostVPN, except recently it's been hard to connect.
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May 29, 2014 16:00
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RocknRollaAyatollah posted:I use Astrill with the StealthVPN option and it works well. It was crapping out pretty regularly recently but I think that was more of a US server side issue. It seems to be running fine now. Air Purifiers are getting cheap with how common they're getting! You can snag a decent one for your bedroom from Phillips or Panasonic for like 1-1.5k now. HEPA filters are pretty cheap off taobao.
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May 29, 2014 16:11
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Echoing Goonz and aero 737. Host vpn has trial price of 2 cents first month. Oh and your friend should get forums account and hang with us. Beijing goons are spread out but are still super cool to hang out
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May 29, 2014 16:26
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Host VPN was terribly unreliable for me, but then every VPN seems to poo poo the bed at some point. We used StrongVPN without any problems for like a year and then it went to hell. On VyprVPN now and it does pretty well -- the European and Australian servers are usually reliable. Really though your internet service will always be kinda awful in China because China.
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May 29, 2014 17:06
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The last place he lived was Myanmar so literally any internet access over about 14.4 dialup speed is going to be a huge improvement.
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May 29, 2014 17:15
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So, Tourist VISA Application Checklist. Got a couple of questions as well, if you don't mind. VISA Application typed out, signed in blue ink. Passport style photo Passport Letter from my in-laws inviting me to stay with them, dates I'll be staying, and their address Copies of my flight tickets I need a copy of both my father and mother in-law's government issued ID, correct? What kind of copy do I need? Mother in-law can scan hers and eMail us the scan but Father in-law is working in another province and can not. The letter of invitation is addressed to both me and my parents, but there is a chance my parents can not make it. Should I have one for just me as well for my own VISA application? Planning on using http://www.uschinavisa.com/ as well.
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May 29, 2014 17:36
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Grand Fromage posted:The last place he lived was Myanmar so literally any internet access over about 14.4 dialup speed is going to be a huge improvement. I have some bad news...
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May 29, 2014 17:50
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So I have an invitation letter with all of the relevant information for my Tourist Visa. Do I also *need* a travel itinerary in my application, or is that just a suggested item to make approval more likely?
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May 29, 2014 17:59
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Don't listen to mrmjrt Chinese Internet speeds are fine in big cities.
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May 30, 2014 01:46
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blinkyzero posted:Host VPN was terribly unreliable for me, but then every VPN seems to poo poo the bed at some point. We used StrongVPN without any problems for like a year and then it went to hell. On VyprVPN now and it does pretty well -- the European and Australian servers are usually reliable. Really though your internet service will always be kinda awful in China because China. Astrill has been pretty good for me (stability-wise) except for the part where they are price-gouging jerks and I'm paying $70/yr for just a web browser VPN. Paying extra for StealthVPN sucks, but without it I can't connect to most public bittorrent trackers to get a peer list.
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May 30, 2014 02:30
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Astrill sounds like a feminine hygiene product.
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May 30, 2014 02:51
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computer parts posted:So I have an invitation letter with all of the relevant information for my Tourist Visa. Do I also *need* a travel itinerary in my application, or is that just a suggested item to make approval more likely? It depends. Sometimes its required, sometimes it isn't required. I would have one made out just to be safe. They don't actually check your reservations out, so I would assume if you get a refundable hotel reservation or even just photoshop a reservation. LentThem posted:Astrill has been pretty good for me (stability-wise) except for the part where they are price-gouging jerks and I'm paying $70/yr for just a web browser VPN. Paying extra for StealthVPN sucks, but without it I can't connect to most public bittorrent trackers to get a peer list. Have you tried https://www.yyets.com ? This is the biggest torrent site I've found in mainland china. They have many different download options including Thunder and torrent magnet links. I've never tried to setup Thunder (always too worried about getting a computer full of "features" like iOS style desktops and a thousand different media players) but it is by far the most popular P2P application out there.
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May 30, 2014 03:09
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Aero737 posted:Have you tried https://www.yyets.com ? This is the biggest torrent site I've found in mainland china. They have many different download options including Thunder and torrent magnet links. I've never tried to setup Thunder (always too worried about getting a computer full of "features" like iOS style desktops and a thousand different media players) but it is by far the most popular P2P application out there. I loving hate that piece of poo poo, because my chinese isn't good enough to avoid installing it when I try to install Xunlei media player, and it keeps stealing associations. The reason I use XMP is that it automatically finds subtitles, and displays them correctly with no hassle...the player itself behaves pretty well, though you've gotta kill it with the task manager. That and QQ are the only Chinese software I've let on my desktop thus far. Anything else can stay in my browser. Once, I was walking down the street and saw 360's building, and it actually filled me with rage.
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May 30, 2014 10:35
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I literally dont think a chinese person can use their phone without 360 on it. I'm always uninstalling 360 from our work test phones and they put it back on the next day.
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May 30, 2014 10:39
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Name a major open-source project that doesn't have a Chinese translation. I mean god drat they're putting up with so much bullshit and getting so little in return for it.
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May 30, 2014 13:08
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caberham posted:Go for a duck place - some Beijing goons are duck snobs but I find Quan Ju De to be decent. Got the dumplings for lunch; great suggestion! They were amazing indeed. The conference organizers ended up taking us to the famous duck place in ZhongGuanCun so got that covered as well. Found some good places for trinket shopping near Houhai lake, so that's taken care of, too. Anything else worth eating (takeout/snack-type stuff in particular) near the Wenjin hotel/Tsinghua U? 8 hours of exploring so far today has left me a bit tired so I don't think I'll go too far. Also, any suggestions for places I can pick up a few beers to bring back to my room to drink while working this evening?
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Jun 2, 2014 07:56
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Oakland Martini posted:Anything else worth eating (takeout/snack-type stuff in particular) near the Wenjin hotel/Tsinghua U? 8 hours of exploring so far today has left me a bit tired so I don't think I'll go too far. Also, any suggestions for places I can pick up a few beers to bring back to my room to drink while working this evening? Walk east down Chengfu Road toward Wudaokou. At the four-way intersection prior to the subway station, there's a convenience store called the Green Tree (it'll be on the opposite side of the road from the Wenjin) that has beer and stuff. On the second floor of that building there's also a Western place called Lush that has really good chicken strips and other food. Pancakes! 
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Jun 2, 2014 08:17
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blinkyzero posted:Walk east down Chengfu Road toward Wudaokou. At the four-way intersection prior to the subway station, there's a convenience store called the Green Tree (it'll be on the opposite side of the road from the Wenjin) that has beer and stuff. On the second floor of that building there's also a Western place called Lush that has really good chicken strips and other food. Pancakes! Excellent! I remember passing that yesterday.
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Jun 2, 2014 08:22
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Oakland Martini posted:Excellent! I remember passing that yesterday. There's actually a bunch of places to get good Western food on that road (Caijing Road, as I recall; it's been a while). A good pizza place that used to be called Pyro but I think has since been renamed the Sugar Shack -- owned and operated by the same people who run Lush. Free delivery and online ordering, too. Helen's is okay before it fills up with
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Jun 2, 2014 08:26
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The Helen's in Tianjin gave me food poisoning and I found out the week after I got it that people had seen rats in the kitchen :O I was seriously projectile vomiting for about 24 hours, it was horrific, I went back to that Helen's once for a Qingdao but that was it. Never again.
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Jun 2, 2014 09:16
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goldboilermark posted:The Helen's in Tianjin gave me food poisoning and I found out the week after I got it that people had seen rats in the kitchen :O In Wudaokou the only rats I've seen in Helen's are students. But fearcotton did just tell me that she's heard the place has gone downhill a lot since we left Beijing last winter.
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Jun 2, 2014 09:17
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blinkyzero posted:Probably the best place down there is Falahfel, though. It's an Arabic restaurant with great lamb, hummus, Arabic coffee, and kebabs, among lots of other things. The owner is almost always there too and he's super nice. He always used to tell us frankly what was good that day and what was less so. Falafel is freaking fantastic, especially the coffee and hookah. It's one of the things I miss most about Beijing, honestly. Service isn't always fantastic, but it's a wonderful place to chill. No booze is allowed there, though.
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Jun 3, 2014 14:07
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Is there any point in going to Tiananmen today, or will it be closed off?
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Jun 4, 2014 01:32
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Gulluoglu posted:Is there any point in going to Tiananmen today, or will it be closed off? It depends how much of a point you see in detention
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Jun 4, 2014 02:01
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A French reporter was detained and questioned for like six hours for going there and asking people questions about it. I wouldn't go anywhere near it if I were you.
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Jun 4, 2014 02:08
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What's the worst that could happen?
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Jun 4, 2014 02:15
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Nothing happen, tomorrow is huan bao day
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Jun 4, 2014 02:19
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Just don't ask questions? It's not like they're going "Oh gently caress, a laowai, get him!" Or maybe they will and you will have a funny story to tell people.
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Jun 4, 2014 05:44
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Jeoh posted:Just don't ask questions? It's not like they're going "Oh gently caress, a laowai, get him!" Yeah, that was what I figured. 25th Anniversary June 4th Tiananmen trip report: Literally like any other day. Nothing cosmic going on, and I just had to show my passport at the regular checkpoint as per usual. Police presence looked normal, and there seemed to be the regular crowd of both domestic and foreign tourists. I took photos and shot video for about an hour; no one seemed to care. Nothing to see here, move along.
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Jun 4, 2014 16:23
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