Bilirubin posted:

I just had a farewell party for a student who was returning to China, and his Huawei phone had a nifty function where you could remotely trigger it to take a photo with a voice command. I wonder if my Android can do that...

Was very strange to see all of the Huawei phone adverts, which were everywhere about 4 or so years ago in Canada, simply vanish seemingly overnight. Now its like they never existed or were available for purchase.

paul_soccer12 posted:

Some Guy TT posted:

But – facing a backlash from Korean politicians and on social media – authorities seemed to change tack on Monday, saying they had deployed about 137 personnel to Itaewon that night, compared to about 30 to 70 personnel in previous years before the pandemic.

“For this time’s Halloween festival, because it was expected that many people would gather in Itaewon, I understand that it was prepared by putting in more police force than other years,” said Oh Seung-jin, director of the violent crime investigation division at the National Police Agency.

However, he admitted, “currently there is no separate preparation manual for such a situation where there is no organizer and a gathering of a crowd is expected.” Moreover, the police had been deployed not for crowd control – but for crime prevention and to prevent “various illegal activities.”

Bilirubin posted:

I just had a farewell party for a student who was returning to China, and his Huawei phone had a nifty function where you could remotely trigger it to take a photo with a voice command. I wonder if my Android can do that...

Was very strange to see all of the Huawei phone adverts, which were everywhere about 4 or so years ago in Canada, simply vanish seemingly overnight. Now its like they never existed or were available for purchase.

Some Guy TT posted:

South Korean authorities said Monday they had no guidelines to handle the huge crowds that gathered for Halloween festivities in Seoul, as families in the country and around the world mourn the 155 victims of Saturday night’s crowd crush.

The crush took place in the narrow neon-lit alleyways of the popular nightlife district Itaewon, where witnesses described being unable to move or breathe as thousands of revelers stood shoulder-to-shoulder in a street no more than 4 meters (13 feet) wide.

Frantic families spent much of Sunday gathering at information centers where authorities compiled details of the dead and wounded, and contacting morgues and hospitals in a desperate attempt to locate missing relatives.

With all of the victims now identified, the panic has transformed to national grief as the country grapples with one of its worst-ever disasters – while parents overseas make arrangements for their deceased children in a foreign land.

Official memorial altars were set up in central Seoul Monday, with photos showing crowds visiting to pay their respects. Many were in tears and holding white flowers; others knelt and bowed deeply to the altar.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, his wife, Kim Keon-hee, and top officials including the prime minister and Seoul mayor joined the mourners.

Many shops and businesses were closed to observe a week-long national period of mourning. Parts of central Seoul were nearly deserted – a highly unusual sight in the usually bustling capital that’s home to about 10 million people.

People also paid respects at a makeshift memorial in Itaewon, outside a subway station near the alley where the crush occurred. The station entrance is adorned with rows of flowers, and offerings such as handwritten notes, bottles of the Korean liquor soju and paper cups filled with drinks.

Among the mourners was a civic group of the bereaved families of the Sewol Ferry disaster, which killed 304 people – mostly teens on a school trip – when the vessel sank in 2014.

“As one who had suffered the same pain, my heart is torn and I’m rendered speechless,” one of the group’s members told reporters at the memorial, saying the families were saddened to see “a major disaster like this repeated.”

Just down the street, the entrance to the alley had been cordoned off, with security personnel standing guard as forensic teams clad in white protective suits scoured the area, still littered with trash and debris.

Amid the grief, questions have emerged about the government’s handling of the incident and an apparent lack of crowd control before the tragedy.

One survivor, 22-year-old French exchange student Anne-Lou Chevalier, told CNN she passed out in the crowd after being “crushed” by fellow revelers. “At some point I had no air, and we were so crushed to other people that I couldn’t breathe at all. So, I just passed out,” Chevalier said.

Several eyewitnesses and survivors said they had seen few or no police officers in the area before the situation deteriorated.

Earlier on Sunday, the minister of the interior and safety said only a “normal” level of security personnel had been deployed to Itaewon because the crowd there did not seem unusually large – whereas a “considerable number” of police had been sent to another part of Seoul in response to expected protests.

But – facing a backlash from Korean politicians and on social media – authorities seemed to change tack on Monday, saying they had deployed about 137 personnel to Itaewon that night, compared to about 30 to 70 personnel in previous years before the pandemic.

“For this time’s Halloween festival, because it was expected that many people would gather in Itaewon, I understand that it was prepared by putting in more police force than other years,” said Oh Seung-jin, director of the violent crime investigation division at the National Police Agency.

However, he admitted, “currently there is no separate preparation manual for such a situation where there is no organizer and a gathering of a crowd is expected.” Moreover, the police had been deployed not for crowd control – but for crime prevention and to prevent “various illegal activities.”

Kim Seong-ho, director of the disaster and safety management division at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, echoed these comments, saying they did not have “guidelines or a manual” for such an “unprecedented situation.”

The victims were mostly young people who had gone to Itaewon Saturday night, eager for South Korea’s first Halloween celebrations in years without Covid restrictions.

Of the 155 dead, 12 were teenagers and 103 were in their 20s, the Ministry of Interior and Safety said in its situation report Monday, with 55 men and 99 women killed.

Among their number were 26 foreign nationals from countries including the United States, China, Iran, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan, Australia, Norway, France, Russia, Austria, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

A further 149 people were injured, 33 seriously, including 15 foreign nationals.

Six students who attended schools in Seoul – one middle schooler and five high schoolers – were among the dead, as well as three teachers, said the Korean Ministry of Education.

Three South Korean military personnel were also among those killed, said a Korean Defense Ministry official.

Two American college students were identified – Steven Blesi from Georgia, and Anne Gieske from Kentucky – both in their junior year.

Blesi’s father, Steve Blesi, said his son had “always been an adventurer.” He was an Eagle Scout, liked basketball and wanted to learn multiple languages, he said.

“Maybe in a half hour before this tragedy event took place, I texted him in WhatsApp … ‘I know you’re out and about. Stay safe. I love you.’ And I never got a response back,” Steve said. “He had an incredibly bright future that is now gone.”

Dan Gieske, Anne’s father, said in a statement Sunday evening that the family was “completely devastated and heartbroken,” calling Anne “a bright light loved by all.”

Anne had been a nursing student studying abroad in Seoul this semester, said the president of the University of Kentucky.

The father of Mei Tomikawa, a 26-year-old Japanese exchange student who was killed in the crush, told Japanese public broadcaster NHK he was “prepared for the worst” when he couldn’t reach her.

She was studying Korean before starting school in Seoul, he said, speaking before traveling from Japan to South Korea on Monday.

“I tried calling her to warn her to be careful, but she never answered her phone,” he said, according to NHK. “She was a great daughter … I want to see my daughter as soon as possible.”

The family of an Australian victim, Grace Rached, also released a statement on Monday describing her as “a talented film producer who was passionate about making a difference.”

“We are missing our gorgeous angel Grace who lit up a room with her infectious smile. Grace always made others feel important and her kindness left an impression on everyone she ever met. Grace always cared about others and she was loved by all,” the family wrote.

Authorities are now working with foreign embassies and families overseas, offering support with funeral arrangements. As the week goes on, more names and faces of those who died are likely to emerge, as the nation searches for answers as to how such a disaster – in an area known to be crowded on Halloween, with festivities weeks in the planning – could have unfolded.

Some Guy TT posted:

The victims were mostly young people who had gone to Itaewon Saturday night, eager for South Korea’s first Halloween celebrations in years without Covid restrictions.

Lostconfused posted:

The sanctions placed on Huawei means that they can't support the devices with software updates or bug fixes. You shouldn't be buying their Canadian phones in the first place because they've been gimped on purpose.

Lostconfused posted:

The sanctions placed on Huawei means that they can't support the devices with software updates or bug fixes. You shouldn't be buying their Canadian phones in the first place because they've been gimped on purpose.

comedyblissoption posted:

consumer retail pcs having trivially swappable and upgradeable parts is a minor miracle

BrutalistMcDonalds posted:

https://twitter.com/AlexParini/status/1384743873587470337

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28SL2ms_mBk

quote:

Trong – the first foreign leader to visit China since Xi secured a third term – said Vietnam would not allow any overseas military base to be established in the country, nor would it join forces with any country against another.

“Vietnam … has made the development of friendship and cooperation with China the top priority in our foreign policy,” Trong told Xi during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

crepeface posted:

basically the same reason why went apeshit on that Japanese in the 80's. they were getting to be an economic threat. if you go back to this post, you can see excerpts:

OhFunny posted:

Xi Jinping says China will build stable supply chain with ‘comrade’ Vietnam

The modern day American opinion writers' shallow, fanciful ideas are quite something. What can wake them from the dream world they reside in?

quote:

Observer.com: Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China will last for four days. What do you think might be the topics of exchange between the two sides?

Xu Liping: From the itinerary, I think one of the most important contents of this visit may be political or strategic communication.

China and Vietnam have similar national conditions and development paths, so it is possible for the two sides to exchange views on some general issues related to future development. In addition, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has also made some theoretical innovations, and the CCP should introduce these innovations to the Communist Party of Vietnam. For example, it is proposed that upholding and strengthening the overall leadership of the party is the fundamental political guarantee for the success of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is a very important point, and the two parties in China and Vietnam may have in-depth exchanges on this point. It is worth mentioning that Nguyen Phu Trong himself is a very professional and authoritative senior expert in the study of party building theory.

[...]

For example, in the theory of party building, China's "two combination" (combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's concrete reality, and the excellent traditional Chinese culture) is also a very important theoretical innovation; Under the influence of the Communist Party of China, if Marxism can take root in Vietnam better, we can have more exchanges with the CCP in this regard. There is also a lot of exchanges between the two sides on how to reflect theoretical confidence and institutional confidence. Every year, experts on party building theory from both sides attend seminars to communicate specifically on these aspects.

In terms of cadre training, many Vietnamese cadres will come to China's Central Party School and some local Party schools to participate in cadre training. The most important thing is to learn China's experience in state governance. Cadre training involves all levels. Affected by the epidemic, many offline trainings have been changed to online exchanges.

https://www.guancha.cn/xuliping2/2022_11_01_664678.shtml

gradenko_2000 posted:

This is not going to hold forever and the WEF model is eventually going to push us to things like GeForce Now and rented servers and cloud computing where the PC is a thin client and everything is streamed to you

You will own nothing and love it

crepeface posted:

thank god for stagnant and decaying US internet infrastucture!

Ghost Leviathan posted:

Even the monopolistic megacorps can't actually keep their poo poo together long enough to force people into locked down platforms. That'd require actual long-term support for them.

stephenthinkpad posted:

So you guys know the meme of r/AlwaysTheSameMap

Where the word "world" actually only meant "western countries"?

Some UK institute actually did a search and backup with numbers.

https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/blog/a-world-divided/

quote:

However, after a Covid-related dip, China’s popularity in the developing world has bounced back, especially among the 4.6 billion people in 147 countries participating in the colossal “Belt and Road Initiative” – among whom almost two-thirds hold a positive view of China, compared to just a quarter (27%) in non-participating countries.

quote:

The opposing cluster [against liberal democracies] is centred on a “Eurasian Bloc” anchored by China and Russia, with links across the continent to Central Asia, Iran and the Arab Middle East, as well as large parts of Africa and Southeast Asia.

Researchers say that some comparisons to the Cold War era still hold, as this latter group is broadly united in a rejection of “western modernity” and liberal values.

“High-income democracies have become steadily more secular and receptive to minority rights, but the rest of the world has not,” said co-author Dr Roberto Foa, co-director of the CFD at Cambridge’s Bennett Institute.

genericnick posted:

One thing I wonder: Is China making a point of spreading Mandarin? Are they sending teachers or is the idea that Chinese workers learn the local language?

THS2 posted:

can you post articles with the links at the top, then the body of the article in quote, and provide a brief summary and/or commentary at the bottom. you can even skip the last part

its not like you dont ever post good stuff but its so incoherent and decontextualized

strange feelings re Daisy posted:

A publication started by a Chinese-American hedge fund investor was only 90% anti-China instead of 100% anti-China so Marco Rubio condemned the staff as Chinese state agents. Their content is common "I hate the Chinese government, but not the Chinese people" fare that condemns the CPC as both evil and doomed to failure.
https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1587202411323613184?s=20&t=

SuperKlaus posted:

Get a load of those guys

drat people like the country that's building them schools and train tracks? Well, sure, those are nice, but people simply don't base their opinions on material realities. Let's look earlier in the article for more clues.

Ah ha! They're racist! The Chinese schools are teaching racism efficiently supplied by the racism trains.

DiscountDildos posted:

If I'm understanding right, that "10% not anti-china" was mostly the Chinese-American lady speaking out about Chinese-American scientists being wrongfully targeted by the China Initiative. That was like "lol duh of course it's a witch hunt" at the time. Hasn't that initiative been scrapped and basically widely reported and understood as a dumbass witch hunt since then?

Everything is so loving stupid lol

this allusion meant posted:

the short answer is the tendency of the rate of profit to fall forces imperialist blocs to attempt a favorable redivision of the world, whether that means in territory or in trade institutional control, and this pressure becomes acute when the various financial techniques to delay crisis begin to fail

they've been trying to figure out how to arrest china's technological and economic rise for the past couple decades, and openly since the pivot to asia the idea has been to bait a military adventure that rallies the regional allies around america and gets everyone to decouple from the chinese economy simultaneously. because that's the whole trick with decoupling, if you don't make the third countries pick sides then china just does all the intermediate parts and has someone else source the materials and finish the product and circumvent the scheme, but if you don't have a good inciting incident then most countries in the region will pick china's side for economic relations. and the same play seems to have worked fantastically in eastern europe, since everyone has agreed to blow up their economy and count on america for everything because russia really did do the insane thing half the people assumed they wouldn't do. good for american power, not so good for anyone else, so the plans for making it happen in east asia move forward

so the pro-independence taiwan landlords, the falun cult, etc. have ramped things up at the same time as the weapons contractors are in a feeding frenzy and throwing all kinds of stuff to think tanks. come up with reasons to justify us doing provocations. well the big legitimate criticism the consent manufacture machines had relied on in the past few years was that some messed up stuff had indeed happened in xinjiang, but that started winding down in 19 and is now basically down to the level of normal police racism within a generally repressive state, so there's not so much meat there anymore. similarly there's people in hk doing years for dubious charges but no big fights with the cops so no big splashy content coming out of that. so there's all this money being thrown towards the propaganda apparatus and less and less good vessels for it, and they just go wild with whatever. and so the american government tries to ban china from doing computer and keeps threatening to delist a ton of adrs and whatever, and it passes without criticism or even pointing out how this is provocative precisely because we are trying to undermine the main incentives for cooperation and a peaceful status quo. justifying this is quite a lift, and the completely bonkers sinophobia is doing its best

DiscountDildos posted:

If I'm understanding right, that "10% not anti-china" was mostly the Chinese-American lady speaking out about Chinese-American scientists being wrongfully targeted by the China Initiative. That was like "lol duh of course it's a witch hunt" at the time. Hasn't that initiative been scrapped and basically widely reported and understood as a dumbass witch hunt since then?

Everything is so loving stupid lol

Flavahbeast posted:

https://twitter.com/chenweihua/status/1586867241060007936

indigi posted:

the rare Chen miss

Truga posted:

ehh, not really. bernie would still be miles to the left of any previous US president lmao

SuperKlaus posted:

Are videos in embedded tweets choppy for anyone else or is it me? They play fine if I click through and use Twitter.