I was a little surprised when I read this but not a lot….”China bans cyber cafes for a year”, (06 March , 2007, Reuters):
“Fearful of soaring Internet addiction and juvenile crime, China has banned the opening of new Internet cafes this year, state media reported on Tuesday.
“In 2007, local governments must not sanction the opening of new Internet bars,” Xinhua news agency on Tuesday quoted a directive jointly released by 14 government departments, including the Ministry of Culture, as saying.
There are currently about 113,000 Internet cafes and bars in China, Xinhua said, citing the Ministry of Information Industry.
The notice comes as lawmakers at China’s annual session of parliament, the National People’s Congress, called for stricter regulations to keep teenagers away from Internet cafes, which are often seen in China as hotbeds of juvenile crime.
“It is common to see students from primary and middle schools lingering in Internet bars overnight, puffing on cigarettes and engrossed in online games,” Xinhua quoted NPC
Last year, a report from the China National Children’s Centre, a government think-tank, said that 13 per cent of China’s 18 million Internet users under 18 were Internet addicts.”
(Also at China bans new internet cafes)
Although the report says that the ban is aimed more at curbing addiction to online games (and internet addiction in general), I suspect the truth is little more complex and there is more to it than appears at first glance.
This move goes to the heart of why China may loose some of its competitive edge in the long term (over several years, possibly decades)…I have written before on how democracy, diversity and the freedom to openly debate/ argue/ discuss ideas is one of the core strengths that India has - thanks to its long democratic tradition* …and it may yet prove to be the winning card in the now boringly familiar debate around India vs. China. see e.g. this post (personally, I dont see this as a zero-sum game).
Coming back to the ban though – what exactly is the government trying to accomplish?
I am looking forward to comments from my Chinese readers and those familiar with China.
.
P.S. In case you thought that curbs on “harmless” freedoms (such as surfing the net/ online gaming) are limited to online activities, think again….according to an Associated Press report:
“…some 170 Chinese cities limit or ban motorcycle use or ownership, largely because they are viewed as underpowered, cheap, polluting machines that clog traffic and endanger others.” and apparently..
“Motorcycles have been banned from almost all the main streets in Shanghai, Huang said, and the city stopped accepting (new) motorcycle registrations in 2002.”
.
* As an aside, the democratic tradition in India goes back over a millenia and is not just a result of Britain’s colonial legacy as is commonly believed.
March 9th, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
China, Development Issues, Global Competition, India, Miscellaneous |
4 comments
A friend sent me this link reminding me of my past life…the document details a meeting that happened almost 13 years ago – in far away Tokyo!
Incidentally that was just a year after I first “discovered” the internet…thanks to a dear friend, Rodrigo – at the time with the Ecudaorian Diplomatic Service – today running a very successful business in his home country…
How the world has changed…
March 7th, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
India, Japan, Miscellaneous |
no comments
Guy Kawasaki has a great post on his blog about the CommunityNext conference where according to him, “speakers defied many conventions of tech entrepreneurship—in particular the ones that venture capitalists believe are “proven.”.
Guy goes on to say, “If you’d like to learn how these companies became successful without “proven teams, proven technology, and proven business models,” you’ll love this video.”
P.S. From Guy’s post: “Here’s a little factoid that blew my mind: both Fark and PlentyofFish have only one employee!” – amazing! (and fark is funnY).
March 1st, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
Miscellaneous, Venture Capital |
3 comments
Came across this (below) on zdnet earlier this week. Very interesting…To be honest, I had never thought about this in terms of power at all…Not sure if this really matters though (and whether there are not ways to mitigate it…one radical approach being making the user pay…)
What do others think? and does this have any policy implications in India and China…in terms of 3G rollout?
**************
Analysts claim the demands of mobile broadband applications could make WiMax and Metro Wi-Fi the cheaper option for operators
In a piece of research that could have implications for the future of mobile broadband, a US analyst firm has claimed that new mobile applications will make pure cellular technology too energy-inefficient to be practical in the future.
Instead, suggests the report by ABI Research — entitled Energy Efficiency Analysis for Mobile Broadband Solutions — operators may be forced to integrate WiMax and Metro Wi-Fi into their networks.
Noting that energy costs represent the third most expensive operating expense (OPEX) for carriers today — and that energy costs continue to fluctuate and could rise — the authors claim that the increase in data traffic resulting from the rise of mobile broadband “will push per-subscriber energy OPEX for cellular solutions past acceptable barriers”.
From a pure coverage perspective WiMax is twice as energy-cost-effective and metro Wi-Fi is 50 times more energy-cost-effective than WCDMA [a 3G network protocol],” said Stuart Carlaw, ABI’s director of wireless research, on Thursday. “When data traffic is factored into the equation, WiMax can accommodate 11 times today’s average data consumption and still be more energy-cost-efficient compared to WCDMA or HSDPA.” HSDPA is an enhancement to existing 3G networks, which makes them significantly faster.
Keep Reading…
January 19th, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
Miscellaneous |
one comment
Earlier today, I deleted my account on MyBlogLog…
Why? One, I hated it every time my photo came up on the sidebar when I visited sites I like…(can’t bear to see myself all the time – not any more!). Of course, I could have always chosen NOT to upload my photo…but apparently once you have it in your profile, you cannot just “delete” it (very annoying).
Two, something about the data collection and logging made me uncomfortable…I know there is an opt-out and I know there is other more surreptitious software/stuff out there that does this anyways…but lets just say I acted a bit irrationally.
But maybe I am still too old-fashioned re. my fear of privacy (or more accurately, lack of it)…
As the “About” section of the site notes:
“Readers can become friends with other people who read your favorite blogs. See what else they’re reading. Check out their MySpace and Friendster profiles and view their Flickr photostreams…”
I dont have a MySpace profile and I have never been on Friendster and have barely looked at Flickr (see the common thread?!)
MyBlogLog further says, “Authors can learn more about their readers individually and as a group. What do they like and what are they ignoring? What are they reading elsewhere on the Web?”
I think there are some serious privacy issues which appear to have been glossed over amidst the “buzz”…but then again, I may be getting too old for this :- (
Anyone had the same experience/ similar feelings? Especially fellow “myblogloggers”…
January 16th, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
Miscellaneous |
7 comments
Read this on a flight to Tokyo last month (courtesy JAL in-flight magazine, “Skyward”):
A group within the Tokyo Institute of Technology has developed a gadget that can analyse and record odours in a digital format. The gadget uses 15 sensors to analyse odours and is then able to reproduce the “digital smell” using a combination of up to 96 different chemicals.
The inventors claim it has commercial application in the food and fragrance industries and even digital media (i.e. smells can be recorded onto and sent via email!)
Here is some more detail on how the machine works.
Wait, there is more: A new service from NTT will attempt to offer a completely different experience to cine-goers in Tokyo with by synchronizing “seven different smells to scenes from The New World starring Colin Farrell”.
“A floral scent accompanies a love scene, while a mix of peppermint and rosemary is emitted during a tear-jerking scene. Joy is a citrus mix of orange and grapefruit, while anger is enhanced by a herb-like concoction with a hint of eucalyptus and tea tree.”
Apparently, “the smells waft from special machines under the seats in the back rows of two movie theaters, which create different fragrances by controlling the mix of oils stored in the machines”
NTT has also been offering a machine for home use with this function: “Owners of the $620 home version can download different programs to emit smells to accompany a horoscope reading or work as aromatherapy”! Unfortunately, “NTT Communications would not disclose how many machines it has sold”.
Fine examples of innovation at the “Top of the Pyramid”?
Finally, link to a parallel effort that is (was?) going on in France.
January 4th, 2007
Posted by
Shantanu |
Japan, Miscellaneous |
one comment
