Made in Taiwan by Visionary

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Made in Taiwan

POSTED BY: VISIONARY
UPDATED: Wednesday, September 18, 2024 04:03
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VIEWED: 6240
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Tuesday, September 2, 2003 9:05 PM

Hey folks. I know this probably isn't the best place but I need to vent badly. First, a little about myself: I am a 25 year old guy who recently moved with his girlfriend to Taiwan to teach english. Now, I have only had a month to settle in but the one thing I can NOT get over is the roads here. My God, I can't believe there's so many people is Taiwan, they should all be dead in car accidents. While cruising around in my little defenseless scooter I have begun to recognize some apparent rules of the road:

- If you are on a scooter and approaching an intersection wanting to turn right, there is no need to check if it's clear. Just go! Do a shoulder check AFTER you merge into traffic. It doesn't do any good but if you cause someone to swerve to miss you, then you have an excellent chance of seeing someone get creamed, which would be cool.

-If you ever need to change lanes or turn, just do it. Cars and scooters have brakes...people will get out of your way.

-Taxi's are equipped with invisible, invincibility force fields that allow their drivers to do whatever the hell they want.

-If your car is parked on the side of the road, or in the road (or in the intersection...no joke), the best time to open your driver side door to get in or out is right when scooters are approaching at 60 km/h. Drivers like to have their reflexes tested. Keep them on their toes!

-When turning left, you have the right of way as long as you creep as slowly as possible across the intersection. If you do it slowly, maybe no one will notice.

-As long as the person in front of you does something, it's okay for you to do it too. If he turns left, keep going. If he runs a solid red, keep that parade moving, man.

-And my favorite: When making turns, please use your turn signal the WRONG way. You know how to use it, I know this because you turned it on to make your turn, so it is very logical to conclude that if you are making a right turn should turn on your left indicator. That's right, right?

The best part is that these are not just random occurences that I happened to notice. These are the things I have seen enough to question whether or not I'M doing something wrong. My girl and I sat in stunned horror at a light and watched a garbage truck do a u-turn right through the middle of an intersection.....TWICE!

Sorry to rant but I needed to get this off my chest.
Peace out

"Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you finish criticizing him, you are a mile away....and you have his shoes."

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 1:32 AM

CULTTVGIRL

You should get a blog. Then you can rant away to your heart's content! I should know - I do!

Book: “A duel?”
Wash: “With swords?”
Simon: “The Captain's a good fighter, he must know how to handle a sword?”
Zoe: “I think he knows which end to hold.”

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 2:20 AM

HAKEN

Likes to mess with stuffs.

Not to detract from the discussion of the finer arts of motoring around in Taiwan, but speaking blog, would any of you be interested in keeping a blog on this site?

I've been playing around with the idea for quite a while now. Mostly because I wanted one. And since I already wrote most of the code for it, does anyone else want to make use of it? If there's interest, I'll finish it up and get it working.

Now, back to our regular program in progress.

I bet there's a lot of swearing on Taiwan streets.

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 2:22 AM

JOHNNYREB

Are you sure you moved to Taiwan? Maybe, you're only living in Boston and don't know it.

Viva Firefly!

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 2:27 AM

JOHNNYREB

Quote:
Originally posted by Haken:
...but speaking blog, would any of you be interested in keeping a blog on this site?

Um, What's a blog?

I'd use one (if I knew what they did) and could get away with it at work

Viva Firefly!

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 4:08 AM

STILLSHINY

I'm with him.

Mal: “See how I'm not punching him? I think I've grown!”

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 4:33 AM

KAYTHRYN

This tells you all about what blogs are and has tons of links if you want to see some done by other people.

http://www.blogger.com/about.pyra

-------------------------------------
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 5:57 AM

SARAHETC

Quote:
Originally posted by Haken:
Not to detract from the discussion of the finer arts of motoring around in Taiwan, but speaking blog, would any of you be interested in keeping a blog on this site?

I've been playing around with the idea for quite a while now. Mostly because I wanted one. And since I already wrote most of the code for it, does anyone else want to make use of it? If there's interest, I'll finish it up and get it working.

Hey Haken! It's alway so nice to see you post. How's the little one?

I'd blog some. We've actually created kind of an ad hoc blog ring with Moral Calculus, The Rubble, The Carnage, Dumb Philomel, and Insights... Wild Poptart. It's getting referential and very fun.

Let me know what, if anything, I can do.

Sarah

I'm a dying breed who still believes, haunted by American dreams. ---Neko Case

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 6:17 AM

JOHNNYREB

I read your post, Kayt, but I don't see how a blog is different from a thread. The only difference I see is that I may be able to post pictures from my pc to the site without having another site host them first. Is that about accurate or have I missed the point?

Oh yeah, and "Dang Taiwanese drivers!"

Viva Firefly!

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 8:55 AM

SUENOS

I'd love to blog! Life is just to short to keep all your weird disturbing thoughts to yourself!

_________________________
I changed it to "Trust everyone" didn't you get the memo?

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 12:13 PM

KAYTHRYN

Johnny,
Now that you've made me think about it like that, blogs and threads aren't all that different. I'm not sure how the blog will be set up one this site but here's one difference I see. Blogs can sometimes be really personal, like a journal telling about your day to day activities, projects, thoughts, emotions, dreams and

Quote:
Posted by Suenos …all your weird disturbing thoughts…

where most threads don't go that deep into a persons personal life.

Sorry, that's all I can come up with at the moment. If anyone else can think of something, pipe up.

-------------------------------------
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 4:25 PM

SARAHETC

Quote:
Originally posted by Kaythryn:

Sorry, that's all I can come up with at the moment. If anyone else can think of something, pipe up.

Thanks, baobei. I wanted to say something earlier along the lines "you missed the point" but thought I'd leave you to answer.

I can see where one might think a blog is like a thread in that there might be some back and forth about a given topic. But I think in the true weblog sense, it goes beyond that.

It can be like a journal or diary entry, as personal or impersonal as you want to make it. The best blogs, in my opinion, are part journal, part commentary. They give you a glimpse into someone's life and perspective and encourage you to consider your own.

This group obvious knows who Wil Wheaton is. He's nearly as famous now for his blogging as he is for being Wesley. He's going through a low point now, it seems, but he's offered good stuff in the past and will again. Today he blogged that Paramount was trying to stiff him on TNG residuals. That never happens in my life, but he and I share a means of expression and that's something.

Read mine. I blog with three other people and it approaches threadiness at time. Other times it doesn't at all. There are other Browncoats who keep them. Get to know them and read what they write.

Blogging is what you make of it. It's usually something you're passionate about. I'm passionate about Firefly and would love to be part of an fff blog. I write about it as it is.

Does that help?

Sarah

I'm a dying breed who still believes, haunted by American dreams. ---Neko Case

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 10:32 PM

MANIACNUMBERONE

I seem to be around too, Haken. Let me know if I can help with the blog.

-------------------------------------------
Who's winning?
I can't really tell, they don't seem to be playing by any civilized rules that I know.
-------------------------------------------

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Thursday, September 4, 2003 4:25 AM

MEIGUOLANGREN

I have lived in Taiwan since 1989 . . . traffic is something to get used to . . . when we visited LA a year ago last Summer folks were often bitching about the traffic there and we thought is was wonderful! Just go to show you it's all perspective.

If you've never ridden in the passenger's seat of a Taipei Taxi then you haven't truly tasted the thrill of putting your mortality on the line . . . those guys are amazing. No other city compares.

As to blogging . . . I've been toying with the idea of starting one at my site as well http://phillips.personal.nccu.edu.tw/index.html
. . . there are a number of Taiwan-based blogs in English . . . some of which are actually entertaining . . . here are a few . . .

http://www.poagao.org/pjournal.htm
http://www.virtualberta.net/
http://www.fotolog.net/noahoneye/
http://www.formosadiaries.net/blog/
http://www.bombshellstudios.com/mindcrime/
http://www.geocities.com/gdn101/
http://www.maoman.org/
http://www.uglyexpat.com/
http://www.writingblock.blogspot.com/
http://3q2u.com/
http://www.kelake.org/
http://www.akaginster.blogspot.com/

There are a number of others, just do a google or blogspot search.

Not really much to do with Firefly . . . but there they are.

Brian David Phillips, PhD, CH [phillips@nccu.edu.tw]
MeiguoLangren Zai Taibei (An American Werewolf in Taipei)
Assoc. Prof., English Dept., NCCU Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
http://phillips.personal.nccu.edu.tw/index.html

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Thursday, April 21, 2022 4:41 PM

JAYNEZTOWN

Taiwan news channel accidentally airs false report of Chinese invasion

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/20/taiwan-news-channel-acci
dently-airs-false-report-of-chinese-invasion

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Thursday, April 21, 2022 10:54 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Quote:
Originally posted by JAYNEZTOWN:
Taiwan news channel accidentally airs false report of Chinese invasion

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/20/taiwan-news-channel-acci
dently-airs-false-report-of-chinese-invasion

Does that mean they aired it too early?

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Wednesday, September 18, 2024 4:01 AM

JAYNEZTOWN

In the 1970s and then 1980s, “Made in Taiwan” became a global phenomenon, but economics shift over time Japan started to take over and a bubble burst and now

There is no denying the China growth

Quote:
Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
Does that mean they aired it too early?

Communist Chingchong scary song is already inside Taiwan, they get more Left and Socialist and Pro-China and ChingChong scary socialist pharse will take it without firing a single shot as they took Portuguese land back and British land back. Tricky Dick seen Russia as the aggressor so Nixon told them they are China many years ago and long before this Dutch, Portuguese and British moved Mainland Chinese there to replace the aboriginal person of Taiwan.

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Wednesday, September 18, 2024 4:03 AM

JAYNEZTOWN

Hezbollah is incompetent as fuck, Jew Israel says it bombed 3,000 with 'Pagers'

Taiwan is trying to blame 'Europe'

...can they find some country to blame and bully, maybe Serbia or Hungary...there will always be some drunken stoned gay lesbo Dutch idiot you can ridicule...Holland the Netherlands...who will be the whipping boy?

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