Links
Friends & Family
- KatieNet and Alaskan Journals
My sister Katie's homepage and blog
Stories and photos from her life in Alaska. (Only the blog is accessible from China.) - Everyday it's still the same...
My best friend Erin's blog
Frequent posts about what she's up to during grad school in North Carolina. And occasional amusing one-liners from their nearby Mornigstar Mini Storage sign. - Muse Me
My sister-in-law Kerry's blog - Currently Not Working
Photos and journal from Kerry's point of view. - Life As It Comes
Our friend Kevin's blog
Kevin's view of life, the universe, and everything. With lots of photos. And a very cool new layout. - What, me blog?
My friend Shane's blog
A great way for me to see what Shane's up to these days! And to somehow end up feeling jealous that China doesn't televise hours of competitive curling! - Adrian's Web Page
Our friend Adrian's very first website
Congratulations, Adrian! Check out all his photos of East Asia. - dawn and greg in china
Our friends Dawn & Greg's blog
An often-updated journal of living in China. - Chaoyang Dwelling
Our friend Anuj's blog
Anuj's comments about life in Beijing. - icode4food.com
My friend Suzy's homepage
Lots of photos from Suzy's world. - nolandda.org
The website of my college friend Nolandda (aka Dan Noland)
From his own description: "A handy place for me to stash stuff that I find useful, publish stuff that I have created, and host projects that I am working on." And he's right that the popular Purdue Webcams page is good fun! This is where I used to teach!
Helpful Tools & Utilities
Translators & Language Tools
- Norwegian-English Translation
Block text translation
Since Babelfish doesn't speak Norwegian, this was the first online translator we found. It allows you to enter a complete sentence and then tweak the words one by one. - Norwegian Vocabulary
Dictionary and vocabulary-building
The dictionary at this site is only Norwegian-English (or Norwegian to other languages), and it only accepts infinitive verb forms, but it gives common usage examples along with the translation. It also contains themed pages with pictures to help build your vocabulary. - Norwegian Dictionary
Homemade dictionary of Norwegian, English, and Spanish
This site was allegedly created by a few language enthusiasts and offers translation between English, Norwegian, and Spanish. The big selling point here is that it will direct you to the infinitive verb for translation. - Babel Fish Translation
The mother of all online translation tools
I've always loved Babel Fish, and not just because of the Douglas Adams reference. It's been a great resource while I was taking language courses, and it was a godsend for translating local websites while I was living in Paris. And on top of that, it's just good fun - like translating MegDesk into Japanese. - Pinyin Tone Mark Converter
Tone number to HTML markup converter
Why does HTML make it so easy to code European accents and such a pain to code pinyin, which really isn't all that different? Couldn't they just add two more vowel marks? Until they do, I will be thankful for this site. - Chinese Character Dictionary
Character lookup and analysis with pinyin
I found this by accident while I was looking for something else, and I would have loved to know about it sooner! Babel Fish is great for translation, but the pinyin here is a huge help! Although this site works for single-character words only, it even includes radical breakdowns and stroke count!
Web Hosting & Development
- DreamHost
The Best Web Hosting Company Ever!
Seriously! It's not very expensive, and you get tons of space and bandwidth. And that amount grows the longer you stay with them! Oh, and they're accessible from behind the Great Firewall in China! Use promo code MEGDESK20 and get $20 off when you sign up for a 1-year plan or more! ($10 off if you pay by month) - DNS Stuff
IP & DNS lookups
Because every webmaster needs a good IP lookup, and this one automatically includes city info for the ISP. The site also has lots of extra goodies like traceroutes and HTML validation as well. - W3Schools CSS Tutorial
Comprehensive CSS reference
This is a fairly thorough reference site of most CSS properties along with examples and samples. It's a handy place to look things up when a particular property name slips your mind. - JavaScript Source
Some fun "cut & paste" JavaScript samples
Though many of them are fairly basic, there are some fun scripts on this site, and it can be somewhat helpful for learning if you're just starting out.
Travel
- SkyScanner
Flight search with no destination required
This site searches low-cost airlines (mostly in Europe) but doesn't require a destination or travel date! Just enter your origin city or airport. It's perfect for a long weekend when you don't know where to go or for just getting a general idea of how much flights to different places cost. - SeatGuru.com
The ultimate guide for choosing an airline seat
With maps of all different plane types from all different airlines, this site lets you know everything from where the exit rows are to how noisy it will be based on the galley and lavatory locations. Now they also have marks for outlet locations on power-equipped airplanes! - Priceline & Hotwire Forum
Records of winning Hotwire & Priceline hotel bids
Get an idea of what hotels you're bidding on, and what you should expect to pay! I guess it's kind of like cheating, but it works! I found a winning bid for our Honolulu hotel bid listed by someone (after I'd already booked). - Virtual Tourist
Tips for off-the-beaten path destinations
While it can be daunting to look through the volumes of information for popular destinations, this is a great source of information for visiting lesser-known places. And if you're willing to hunt for them, there are some great traveller tips for the popular spots as well. - TripAdvisor
Hotel reviews
I'm not a big fan of TripAdvisor's ad-laden layout and unhelpful price sorting, but I appreciate it as a source for hotel reviews. It's easy to look up a specific hotel and read past travellers' reviews and sometimes see their photos (because hotels always show the best rooms on their websites)! - Airline & Airport Quality Rankings
Reviews & ratings of worldwide airlines and airports
Although within the US, general opinion is probably that all the airlines are horrible, this is a good place to read reviews of lesser-known (and often inexpensive) international carriers. - Sleeping in Airports
Traveller reviews of airports around the world
A potentially useful resource if you have a choice of connection points, a long layover, or a really tight travel budget. Otherwise, it's still kind of interesting reading! - Mobissimo Travel
Airline ticket search
This site doesn't sell tickets, they just search a whole lot of sites that do. The search isn't very flexible, but once you have a few dates and locations pinpointed, it can be a help.
Norway Resources
- Aftenposten
Norwegian newspaper in English
It's always nice to be able to read the local news instead of relying on the foreign press to find out what's going o.n - New to Oslo Group
Yahoo group for Oslo newcomers
This group of new (and not-so-new) Oslo residents is a great place to find information, ask questions, and meet fellow ex-pats. - Trafikanten
Oslo public transportation
It's mostly in Norwegian, and the route-finder is a little weird, but at least you can get bus, tram, and T-bane timings! - Posten
Website of the Norwegian postal service
Again, this site is mostly in Norwegian, but you can use their map to find the nearest post office or post box, and it even has individual buildings drawn. - Moving Pets to Norway
Mattilsynet website with official import information
It's a complicated process, but at least the information is in English!
Beijing Info
General
- That's Beijing
Articles from the magazine, classified ads, etc.
The website of Beijing's favorite free English-language magazine. - Beijing City Weekend
Event listings, reviews, and addresses
Although some listings are outdated (and a lot of places no longer exist - as happens in Beijing), this is a great place to print makeshift contact cards with Chinese addresses (to show taxi drivers). - Air Quality Reports
Pollution ratings for major Chinese cities
Knowing that it's a 400+ index day doesn't make it easier to breathe, but it's still nice that they publish it. - Beijing Maps
Various maps of Beijing
A subway map, shopping locations, the area around Beijing, etc. - China Daily
Website of the English-Language Newspaper
Chinese news and general info for living in China. - Beijing Community Forum
General information and forum
A growing site dedicated to sharing information about life in Beijing.
Forums
- That's Beijing
General beijing forum
The place to discuss all things Beijing (in English): restaurants, shopping, events, news, etc. - Ask an XPAT - Beijing
Beijing expatriate forum
Questions and advice on the logistics of moving to and living in Beijing as an expat. - Chinese-forums.com - Living in China
China expatriate message board
Discussions of living, working, and studying in China.
Entertainment
- Cherry Lane Movies
Chinese movies with English subtitles
A small theater with weekend screenings of various subtitled Chinese films. - UME Cinema
Showtimes for one of the international movie theaters
Apparently this is the only main-stream theater in town with a working English website.
Organizations & Events
- Chinese Culture Club
Calendar of activities
Various classes and trips to experience and learn about Chinese culture. - Beijing Boyce Blog
News, events, and reviews of the Beijing bar scene
The place to hear about what's opening, what's closing, and what's going on in Beijing's drinking scene. - Beijing Wine Club
Wine tastings and information
A new group centered on finding and sharing good wine in Beijing (not always an easy task)! Monthly wine tastings and events. - Our Lounge Game Cafe
Gaming cafe popular with at least one local board game group
Check the events at the website or contact the cafe for info on gaming groups. - Beijing Cheese Society
Periodic cheese tastings
Since China isn't very enthusiastic about cheese in general, this is one of the few ways to try interesting cheeses here in Beijing. - West China Adventure Tours
Trips around China, especially West China
A small, more personal tour company that organizes trips around Beijing and other parts of China. - Beijing Hikers
Organized hikes around Beijing
A group with regular weekend hikes, including a number of routes along the Wall. - American Community Club
Events for US citizens and Green Card holders
A members-only community organization organized through the American Chamber of Commerce. - The Bookworm
The original Beijing lending library
Talks and events centered on books, history, music, poetry, etc.
Dining & Food
- Chinese-English Menu
Names and descriptions of popular Chinese dishes
A list of common dishes including the Chinese names, basic pronunciations, descriptions, and approximate price. - Palette Wines
My favorite wine distributor in Beijing
Wine distributor and ownder of Palette Vino in Shunyi. - Montrose China
Wine importer and retailer
Online sales and local Beijing delivery. A better selection than the local Jenny Lou's. - ASC Fine Wines
Another Beijing wine distributor
Wine retailer with various local events and promotions, including providing wine for Beijing Cheese Society events.