Stand Up While You Read This! More validation that the TrekDesk is the right product at the right time.

March 9, 2010 by whit · Leave a Comment 

Here’s a great article from the NYT by Olivia Judson about the health benefits of staying active while working.  I am a huge believer in this concept, and I built my own treadmill desk some years ago with the help of my brother-in-law.  I was thinking about taking the idea to market when PassageMaker was [...]

Days 32-36 – Wrapping it up

February 18, 2010 by whit · Leave a Comment 

Day 32 – After recovering from the party the night before, Adam Supernant and I pick up a couple of our clients for a shopping outing to Dongmen.  It is actually quite brisk – south China this time of year can go from the 80s to the 50s in one day – and neither of [...]

Days 27-30 – Plenty of hard work and plenty of visitors

February 15, 2010 by whit · Leave a Comment 

I’ve already returned to the States a few days ago, but the last couple weeks in China were so hectic, I am filing these posts late.  Days 31-37 to come shortly.
Articles, articles, articles…

Chinese diplomat:  Ties with US deteriorated recently – no, really?
More from Reuters
This is just wrong – Chinese girl, 9, becomes one of world’s [...]

Days 6-13 – Shanghai Hooters, Mao’s Revenge, and rotten cell phone companies

January 18, 2010 by whit · Leave a Comment 

Day 6 – Woke to steady rain after a fitful sleep.  The Chinese believe in sleeping on hard beds, as it is supposed to be good for you.  And when I say hard, I mean sheet of plywood hard.  And how having your hips so sore you can barely get out of the bed in [...]

Stupid ads solving non-existent problems and other bad sales pitches

November 4, 2009 by whit · Leave a Comment 

I’ve been cogitating recently on some of the marketing campaigns out there that seem almost designed to not sell the product or otherwise turn off customers.  What the **** were they thinking?
The creepy plastic faced Burger King ad campaign has won awards in the ad industry, but resulted in a declining market share for the client.  I [...]

Sick of China

September 23, 2009 by whit · Leave a Comment 

I’ve been an expat several times in my life, from studies in the UK to stints in Singapore, Taiwan and China.  All were relatively short, so my sense of excitement and wonder never wore off.  For that I am grateful.
I’ve known expats who stayed away for 15 years or more, and many were counting the [...]

Let’s have a trade war! Or, what to do when you tire of chicken…

September 16, 2009 by whit · Leave a Comment 

So we now have a brewing trade row over Chinese tires and American chickens:

“China announced dumping and subsidy probes of chicken and auto products from the U.S., two days after President Barack Obama imposed tariffs on tires from the Asian nation.
Chinese industries complain that they’re being hurt by ‘unfair trade practices,’ the nation’s Ministry of [...]

Ghost Fleet = Great Time to Source in China!

September 15, 2009 by whit · Leave a Comment 

From the Mail Online, “Revealed: the Ghost Fleet of the Recession”. This is the most stunning evidence yet that things will not be back to normal any time soon. 12% of the world’s cargo fleet sits idle?! One-in-eight ships tied at anchor out in the middle of the ocean!? And the [...]