Monday, November 28, 2011

Daily Links, Nov 28, 2011

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Yikes! This year is almost over!

Last week I got a Kindle from Amazon, the international version with keyboard, 3G, and wireless. Awesome. It's like rediscovering reading again; at last I can have a ton of books with me wherever I go, keeping up with my insatiable lust for new things to read. I'm reading all the old copyright-lapsed SF on Project Gutenberg at the moment, plus a bunch of free SF I've found on the net (at Baen, for example). I have no complaint at all about the Kindle itself, but the prices of e-books are often ridiculous (8 bucks for a Larry Niven book that's almost 40 years old? Puh-lease). Luckily, the internet is awash in free e-books.

Don't miss: Drew's awesome 250 km ride over Alishan and back in a day. Incredible pics from one of the most inspirational riders I know.

Dems Abroad Taiwan will hold a get-together and farewell party this Wednesday, Nov. 30th from 7 pm to 10 pm at Carnegie's on Anhe Rd in Taipei. Very longtime Taiwan resident and DA Taiwan Chair Jason Echols will be relocating to Denver, and he'd like to see you all before he goes!

BLOGS:
MEDIA:
EVENTS:
  • North American Taiwan Studies Association Annual Conference, June 8-9, 2012: websiteFacebook
  • CFP for the Tamkang U conference on American Foreign Policy and the New Global Milieu. Topics are 1. U.S. and the Rise of China. 2. Challenge and Opportunity for U.S.-Latin American Relationship. 3. The Current and Future State of U.S.-European Relations. 4. U.S. Role in Global Strategic Affairs. Submit papers to: tifx@www2.tku.edu.tw
  • CONFIRM BY TOMORROW! The Third Annual KIDZ Charity Gala will be held on Sunday, December 4th, 2011 at the Windsor Hotel. It is one of the most elegant and unique formal galas held in Central Taiwan featuring a night of fine dining with a live band, an open bar, childrens’ performances, and a silent auction. Guests include the deputy mayor of Taichung as well as numerous CEOs and Presidents of large Taichung companies. 今年,第三屆 兒童慈善募款晚會將在台中裕元酒店舉行,日期定為2011年12月4日(星期日)。是一個極具特色美食的晚宴,開放的酒吧,兒童演出,和無聲拍賣及現場live音樂演出,是一個在中部地區少有而獨特優雅的正式晚宴之一。嘉賓包括台中副市長,以及眾多的產業負責人和大台中地區公司主管歡迎大家一起共襄盛舉。 — 在 Windsor Hotel - Taichung Taiwan

    Please confirm your ticket order no later than Nov. 29 thanks
    請於11月29日完成購票手續謝謝合作
    River Chen, Taichung AmCham Coordinator, coordinatoramchamtaichung@gmail.com

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Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums! Delenda est, baby.

7 comments:

Jenna Lynn Cody said...

HAH!

I am definitely not an expat curmudgeon though (I don't fit the description anyway, being young and female).

I say bring on the tinsel!

Jenna Lynn Cody said...

Although, really I should add the main thing is being away from family - lights, tinsel and Christmas music is more a reminder of the large Christmas gatherings of my childhood than desireable in and of itself.

John Scott said...

Thse "global voices" photos also include a photo of Jon Huntsman (possible GOP candidate and former missionary in Taiwan) on a bike in Taiwan.

Anonymous said...

Ooooh, you took a leap. Tell us more about the Kindle soon.

George

Steve said...

Project Gutenberg is great! I'm currently reading Xenophon's "The Education of Cyrus" from there. eBooks@Adelaide is another excellent resource, along with The Literature Network. Those are my big three for free ebooks.

Ben Goren said...

"Those "global voices" photos also include a photo of Jon Huntsman (possible GOP candidate and former missionary in Taiwan) on a bike in Taiwan."

I think that photo is off Huntsman in China, not Taiwan. To my knowledge Huntsman hasn't officially visited Taiwan in many many years, if at all.

The Expatriate said...

I've had a Kindle myself for about a month now and don't regret it a bit. I've also loaded it up with free books - there are plenty of Amazon. In fact, most of what you would call "Classic Literature" is completely free and downloadable from Amazon although you still have to "purchase" it (by that, I mean that you have to click the purchase button, but you won't be charged).

The one huge problem I have with it, however, is the formatting of many books. I was reading through the Canterbury Tales, but the footnotes make it very difficult to read. I've found that many free e-books also have the same problem.