Was re-reading an article in the NY Times today (from 2006). Basically, it's about the controversy when Google started a Chinese version, and how if you look at the English version, banned sites may come up as search results but when you click on them, all you get is an error message. When you go to the Chinese version, these web sites don't show up at all.
I'm so amazed because I tried this (with the English version, obviously) and while sites show up as results, every time I clicked on one I got a message saying that the network had been reset. Most of the sites involve incidents in Chinese history that I won't mention right now, etc., and things like Wikipedia (although I think I've been able to get to some Wikipedia pages while I've been here, but now I can't get to the main page). When I tried to go to other sites, everything was totally fine.
I don't know why this is so amazing for me and I'm not going pass judgment on it either way at this point...it was just so incredible to read an article about something that seemed SO far away and removed from my life when I read it last year, and then see it actually be true in real life. Kind of like experiencing something from your history book in real life, I guess.
I should be asleep. :)
