TomBen’s Web Excursions

2022-01-06 18:07:20 China’s Covid policy will be a wild card for markets in 2022

Beijing might keep strict zero-cases approach for longer than investors expect

But Beijing is unlikely to abandon its strategy after the National People’s Congress in March. Instead, China is set to maintain its stance until the 20th National Party Congress is held in November. 打开/如何

2022-01-06 18:06:17 A Long Road to the CCP Congress – China Media Project

https://chinamediaproject.org/2022/01/06/paving-the-way-for-the-20th-ccp-congress

Speaking to propaganda ministers from across the country, Wang (王沪宁) emphasized the preeminent importance of Xi Jinping’s banner phrase, or qizhiyu (旗帜语), as the principle guiding the propaganda work. A mark of Xi’s power and legacy, the banner phrase, “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era” (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想), is likely to be shortened in the coming months to the far more potent “Xi Jinping Thought” (习近平思想), putting Xi on par with his predecessor Mao Zedong and paving the way for his leadership beyond his current second term.

Wang also stressed the need for propaganda leaders to maintain a firm grasp of the so-called “442 formula,” another formulation meant to consolidate Xi Jinping’s personal power as the leader of the CCP. The formula comprises the “Four Consciousnesses” (四个意识), “Four Confidences” (四个自信) and “Two Protections” (两个维护).

Buckle your seatbelts for a long road trip through the official discourse of power and succession. 2022 has hardly begun, but for the propaganda ministers of the CCP there can be no doubt that the year’s biggest news story – the Beijing Winter Olympics notwithstanding – will be unfolding more than 10 months from now. 打开/如何

2022-01-06 18:04:27 Write like you code

Good writing is simple

As a drunken Developer once said: “Good code is code that can be understood by a junior engineer. Great code can be understood by a first-year CS freshman. The best code is no code at all.” Writing is similar.

Good writing is efficient

Similar to how a programmer must bear in mind the finite resources of the computer, a writer must consider the mental resources of the reader. Attention span and memory are the writer's equivalent of CPU Cycles and RAM. Humans get bored quickly and bad writing accelerates that boredom.

Good writing is structured

Your writing, like your code, should be structured in a way that maximizes understanding for the reader. 打开/如何

2022-01-06 18:03:12 Maintaining ownership continuity of your user account’s repositories - GitHub Docs

We recommend inviting another GitHub user to be your successor, to manage your user owned repositories if you cannot. As a successor, they will have permission to:

Archive your public repositories.

Transfer your public repositories to their own user owned account.

Transfer your public repositories to an organization where they can create repositories.

Successors cannot log into your account. 打开/如何

2022-01-06 18:00:07 Internet disrupted in Kazakhstan amid energy price protests
NetBlocks

https://netblocks.org/reports/internet-disrupted-in-kazakhstan-amid-energy-price-protests-oy9YQgy3

Network data from NetBlocks confirm a significant disruption to internet service in Kazakhstan from the evening of Tuesday 4 January 2022, progressing to a nation-scale communications blackout on Wednesday afternoon.

The disruptions come amid widening protests against sudden energy price rises that started on the weekend in the western town of Zhanaozen. 打开/如何

2022-01-06 17:59:28 Kazakhstan unrest: Dozens killed in crackdown

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59880166 打开/如何

2022-01-06 17:58:31 Why I’m No Longer Practicing Law - MacSparky

“What is my purpose? What am I here to do?”

Simple question, right? Simple, but also not easy to answer. Rather than get lost in the big question, I moved on to consider the law practice and MacSparky.

Where I became a lawyer with years of training and intentionality, I became MacSparky by mistake. I felt like I had something to share, so I started sharing it. There was no long game or master plan.

As I write these words, I am no longer a lawyer. I am just … well … a MacSparky. 打开/如何

2022-01-06 17:56:56 掩耳到零

https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/675427.html 打开/如何

2022-01-06 17:54:45 Tiananmen Memorial Removed in Hong Kong Is Now Free to Be Copied

The artist whose sculpture commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown was removed in Hong Kong says he’s dropped the copyright so others can freely replicate and distribute the artwork.

Jens Galschiot said in an interview with Danish radio that he’s gotten more than 40 inquiries from other artists and from demonstrators who want to create their own versions of the two-ton “Pillar of Shame” to support the democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Normally artists don’t give their art away for free, but Galschiot said he’s decided to do so because it’s “important” that people see the artwork. The sculpture “is a reminder of the massacre at Tiananmen Square, of the democracy movement and of human rights,” the Danish artist said. 打开/如何

2022-01-06 17:50:34 Support for non-Mandarin languages and topolects in Taiwan

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=53233

National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) recently passed a national language development measure that encourages full-time faculty to teach courses in the country’s native languages by raising their pay.

These languages include Taiwanese, Hakka, Indigenous tongues, the Matsu dialect, and Taiwan Sign Language, CNA reported.

Such a contrast to what’s going on in the PRC. 打开/如何