Recently, Google has complied with Chinese censorship laws and filtered search results for users in China. However, some people have discovered how to search results for Tiananmen squre pictures using different spellings.
Paul Boutin has a blog entry about bypassing Google's censorship in China. I don't know how good the bypassing is if you use Chinese language. But it's interesting.
I have been reading some Myanmar web sites such as http://www.planet.com.mm and a few others. I would love to read what is really going on among ordinary working class people. I hope more Myanmar web sites will have interesting articles and news.
What I have been reading recently are:
Honestly speaking, I think The Irrawaddy has more or less reliable sources of news. I prefer their English version. Khit Pyaing is also a good one in Burmese. Their English version is not a good quality one. The Democratic Voice of Burma is less professional than the Irrawaddy or Khit Pyaing.
The Myanmar Times is a bit readable. It is quite professional. The New Light of Myanmar is unbearable. I am glad that I am not currently in Myanmar to read the New Light of Myanmar or watch the Myanmar Television (MRTV).
http://www.mchronicle.com.mm is also an interesting one but they lack timely and fresh updated news.
To conclude my findings, none of the sites satisfy me. News site running from inside Burma are self-censored a bit too much. The news reporting styles are outdated. Sites outside Burma are too anti-government. I need to read an unbiased and professional news of ordinary grass-root people. I regard the Irrawaddy to be the highest quality for the time being. If you know any others, please let me know.
Burmese bloggers are also a lot more common now. But most of them are outside of Burma. There were a few who are inside Burma such as:
I would definitely love to see more people blogging from inside Burma. I hope they won't self-censor too much. :-)
Finally, I read this news from Bagan. Again, this is a reprint from the Internet journal, which is published weekly (?) in Burma.
Read the full news article at the Bagan site.
http://www.bagan.net.mm/news/new_detail_1.asp?news_no=2993
Computer Scientist or Technician?
I would love to see Burmese young people to emphasize on computer science education that getting expensive Microsoft, Sun or Cisco certificates. They have to understand that those certificates may help for their careers. However, they don't really mean that the certificate holder is a really good computer scientist. My advice probably would be if you want to be a real computer geek or hacker like Richard Stallman :-), try to get well-rounded education not only in technology but in philosophy, sociology, basic science or even history. If somebody just wants to be a technician, he/she can just get those certificates and I am sure she will get a job to pay her bills and to support her spouse (and) kids. Then again, you might argue that what is more important than your family in life, right? I am just saying to have a balanced life and motivation. Get a well-balanced and rounded education outside your scope of interest.
Well, it's 2:40 AM now on the 29th here. I had better go to bed. :-) Have a good nite or day (whatever) :-)
Um.........another week gone again. Time flies. Last week was just programming and programming. My skills in Perl are improving and I am learning more tricks in vi editor. Nothing much about Burma lately. All I do here in Bangkok is just programming and solving computer problems. Boring, huh? ;-) I just want to say have a nice weekend. See you next week.
I feel stressed out today. Having problems with my programming project at work. Um..... What can I say? It's just part of life, right? :-) I have to look ahead. When all things are over, I will feel much better.
I can't believe that January is almost gone. I have been here in Bangkok almost 3 months. I am learning so much from my work. My Perl programming is getting better and I understand a lot more about image processing. All the more reasons I can't complain much, huh? :-)
Have a good week wherever you are!
I want to share a picture that was sent to me from the Myanmar Institute of Theology. The picture was a group of MIT's guests participating at the Doing Theology under the Bo Tree program.
Doing Theology Under the Bo Tree, a program that is open to seminary and university students, Christian ministers and lay people, was inaugurated in 2000. This program includes opportunities for a week-long study trip to Mandalay, Bagan and Inlay Lake in upper Myanmar, and to Mawlamyine and Pa-an, Basein, in lower Myanmar. Visits to Buddhist homes for fellowship with the Buddhist families, and to some historic sites in Yangon city such as Shwedagon Pagoda, Kaba-Aye Pagoda, The International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University and Buddhist meditation centers for study and research purposes are part of this program.
Participants of Doing Theology under the Bo Tree at Shwe Da Gon Pagoda
Photo courtesy of my friend
Dr. Salai Tun Than's picture from http://www.ahrchk.net/tunthan
Dr. Salai Tun Than of ethnic Asho, was famous for appearing in front of Yangon (Rangoon) City Hall in his academic gown, demostrating against the military government back in 2001. He was arrested until May 2003. He got his PhD in Agronomy from the University of Wisconsin and had served as rector at the Yezin University of Agriculture in Pyinmana until 1990.
Recently, he has written an open letter to the Myanmar (Burmese) government urging democratic changes in a very interesting way, for the benefits of all parties involved. I think his letter is interesting.
Dr. Salai Tun Than's related news
Facts about Dr. Salai Tun Than
I have been busy lately trying to work on improving scanned images from dictionaries -- Shorto Mon Dictionary and Khmer dictionary.
Shorto, H L: MA, Lecturer in Mon 1952-64 Reader in the Languages and Literatures of South East Asia 1964-71 Professor of Mon Khmer Studies 1971-84
South-east Asian languages present many interesting and challenging programming problems. It's fun to work with these languages. There are a lot of research to be done for the languages of Burma. If you are in Burma and a computer scientist, don't get despaired. There are a lot to be done and we lack human resources for now because of brain drains for many reasons. I don't want to go into details here.
There will come a time that your expertise will be much needed. The whole field of South-east Asian languages does not acquire interest from many people. Even less among the computer geeks. But there are projects and money for obscure languages of South-east Asia. Get your hope up!
Bunrak Saraggananda is better known for his roles as vice president of the Association of Thai ICT Industry (ATCI) and vice president of the Asia-Oceania Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO). However, he also runs a small software outsourcing company called Magic Software, which specialises in data conversion.
Bunrak often speaks of the Myanmar IT industry and how the two countries can work together. "Myanmar is closed, but not their Internet," he explained.
One of his partners there has over 200 programmers but with less than ten million baht in revenue each year.
Rather than a threat, Bunrak views Thailand's neighbour to the west as an opportunity: Myanmar can take on many basic programming tasks at one tenth the cost of programmers in Thailand, leaving Thai talent free for the high-value tasks.
"There is little chance of them competing with us directly, as their programmers and project leaders cannot get visas due to international sanctions," he noted.
Happy New Year to you all. I went to Evangelical Church of Bangkok today with some of my Burmese students. On the way back, I spotted a homeless person on the bridge crossing the Sukhumvit road. Please let us remember those who are suffering both in Burma and everywhere in our prayers as we count our blessings.
A homeless person in Bangkok on a bridge on Sukhumvit Road
Some of my students on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2005, from left to right: Awng Di, Chenda, Pa Saw Tee, Cindy, Grace and Aye Aye Aung
Chenda is from Digital Divide Data Lao, and Pa Saw Tee is a hotel and tourism management student at Assumption University in Bangkok. They are not my students, though.
