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Where in Asia is Google’s Eric Schmidt?

Rani Molla — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:46:24 +0000

Burgeoning populations and pockets of lagging technology infrastructure make Asia a prime location for IT development. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt surely thinks so with his recent stint of trips across the continent, where he’s been spreading messages of open internet and much more. Click on our map below to see what else he’s been up to.

Seoul, South Korea

Sept. 27, 2012: Last year Schmidt took a trip to much less controversial South Korea, where he met with Samsung execs, promoted Nexus 7 and showed a sillier side by dancing along with Psy and his viral “Gangnam Style.”

Pyongyang, North Korea

A March cyber attack on South Korean computer networks has been traced to an IP address in China, despite many experts suspecting the attacks to originate in North Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Jan. 7, 2013: Google’s executive chairman took what many saw as a strange and controversial trip to North Korea, where he advocated for a free and open internet in what he calls “the last really closed country in the world.”

Beijing, China

During a April 2006 trip to Beijing, Google chief executive Eric Schmidt spells Chinese characters “Gu Ge” at the inauguration of the company new Chinese brand name. (Photo by Guang Niu/Getty Images)

Feb. 20, 2013: Attending a TED-like event known as Geek Park, Schmidt made his first public appearance in China in three years. In his hour-long talk, he discussed Google’s Android operating system and encouraged developers to write apps for it.

New Delhi, India

New Delhi (Thinkstock)

March 21, 2013: While on a trip to the Big Tent Activate Summit in New Delhi, Schmidt warned about heavyhanded control over the internet in China, where he had visited the month before, and advocated for better IT infrastructure in India.

Yangon, Myanmar

Old colonial palace in Yangon, Myanmar. (Thinkstock)

March 22, 2013: Schmidt became the first top U.S. executive to visit Myanmar after its decades-long military dictatorship. There he promoted a free and open internet in a country ripe for IT expansion.

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North Korea cuts Twitter followers to 3 — but keeps the guy from Texas

Jeff John Roberts — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:44:09 +0000

The North Korean government is despotic and cruel — but sometimes it’s just plain strange. Like the time it claimed the late Kim Jong Il (5’3” in heels) shot 38 under par on the golf course. Or, for a more recent example, look at its official Twitter feed.

The Hermit Kingdom this week downsized the number of sources it follows on its Twitter account to just three. While other governments are discerning in who they follow (New York City follows 122 and Great Britain just 27), surely North Korea can handle more than three? More strange is who made the final cut. The first two — communist Vietnam and a Korea propaganda site — make perfect sense, but the third one does not. Take a look:

Jimmy, the guy in the picture, is reportedly just an ordinary 25-year-old fron Texas. Twitter users have accused him of being a spy but he says he has no idea why North Korea follows him.

“I was initially surprised, but I always try to make friends with people from all different locales and backgrounds,” he told Mother Jones, who first reported the story.

(Image by Maxim Tupikov via Shutterstock)

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North Korea's State Newspaper Launches English Version Online

Laura Hazard Owen — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:41:14 +0000

As the uproar over New York Times public editor Arthur Brisbane’s “truth vigilante” question continues, it’s worth noting that North Korea’s official newspaper, Rodong Singmun, launched an English-language digital version this week. The home page includes a large picture of Kim Jong Un inspecting a construction site and headlines such as “150,000 cubic meters of earth blasted” and “Japan’s ‘Three Principles of Arms Export’ No More Than Scrap of Paper.”

The English version of the paper is divided into four sections — “Supreme Leaders’ Activities,” “In DPRK,” “Inter-Korean” and “International.” The “Inter-Korean” section consists exclusively of articles criticizing South Korea; 56 of these, with headlines like “Lee Myung Bak Shrieks before Fatal End” and “Foolish Outbursts of Military Warmongers,” have been published since Wednesday.

South Korea’s Korea Times reported on Rodong Singmun‘s English version launch. South Koreans’ access to the website is blocked because the two countries are technically at war, the Korea Times reports, though they were able to access it for a brief time on Tuesday when its IP address changed.

Reading Rodong Singmun‘s articles is a somewhat surreal experience as they are a strange combination of incredibly boring, funny and scary. Following Kim Jong Il’s death, the paper reports (there are some bylines, but not on every article), even animals mourned: A bird “went stiff in death” a few meters from the place where Kim Jong Il once stood; flocks of magpies circled a statue of Kim Il Sung “crying with sorrow” and bears emerged from hibernation:

At that time three bears, a mother and two cubs, appeared on the road and cried in a mournful manner.

Bears live in deep forest and sleeps in a burrow in winter. That day, however, the bears appeared on the road in the daytime, on which Kim Jong Il took his way, and roared for a long time. It was really mysterious.

via CJR

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Vid-Biz: Clinton, TiVo, Weird Al

Chris Albrecht — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:30:36 +0000

Bill Clinton Met with Kim Jong-Il Over Current TV Journalists; former president spoke with North Korean leader today about the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee. (CNN)

RCN Partners with TiVo; the cable operator will make TiVo its primary DVR platform in 2010, will integrate RCN’s VOD as well as TiVo’s broadband services. (Broadcasting & Cable)

Star in a JibJab Weird Al Video; putting your mug in the song about Charles Nelson Reilly available only if you’re a paid JibJab member. (TechCrunch)

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Roughly 200 Million Set-Top Boxes to Be Shipped in 2013; growth spurred by high definition adoption, and by homes in areas like rural India getting TVs. Video Business)

ESPN Using Web Series for High School Quarterback Competition; webisodes follow real-life QBs as they prepare for the Elite 11. (paidContent)

DivX Signs Studios, Storefronts; Lionsgate and Paramount to release films on the format while three European storefronts ERG, FilmOn.com and Play4Film agree to sell films playable on DivX devices. (releases)

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North Korea Sentences Current TV Journalists to 12 Years of Labor

Liz Gannes — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:48:50 +0000

Terrible news. The two Current TV journalists arrested for trespassing in North Korea have been found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in labor camp. Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested March 17 by North Korean guards; they were working on a story about refugees on the China border and it’s not clear if they actually crossed the border themselves.

The conviction cannot be appealed through the North Korean court system as Ling and Lee were tried in the country’s highest court. Analysts had previously said a worst-case scenario would be that the women would be sentenced to 10 years in labor camps.

The Al Gore-founded Current has not commented publicly on any aspect of the situation, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she was “incredibly concerned” but did not want to interfere while the trial was ongoing. One analyst told the Associated Press that he expected Pyongyang will release the two if the U.S. reciprocates by sending an envoy to North Korea, which is currently fraying international relations by engaging in nuclear tests. More background and links here.

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Vid-Biz: Current, Upfronts, Van Natta

Chris Albrecht — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:53:54 +0000

North Korea to Indict Current TV Journalists; state news agency says after an investigation of the two American reporters, N. Korean officials will indict them on “hostile acts,” if convicted, the two women could face five years in prison. (CBS News)

Analyst: TV Upfront Sales Could Be Down 15 Percent; impact could be felt by sites like Hulu as web ads are thrown in as sweeteners, pushing those prices down. (MediaMemo)

Former Facebook Exec to Head MySpace; Owen Van Natta to replace ousted Chris DeWolfe. (release)

Pirate Bay Retrial? Judge in the case is allegedly a member of two copyright organizations; if conflict of interest is formally found, trial could be sent back to district court. CNET)

Blu-ray’s Prospects Better Than You Think? Lower prices, the physicality of the medium and a scant number of people connecting TVs to the Internet (so far) could brighten the outlook for the high-definition format. (Gadgetwise)

CBS.com Integrates Facebook Connect; fans interacting with CSI or How I Met Your Mother can publish their actions back on the social network. (release)

GEMA and YouTube Talking Again; two parties resume negotiations to resolve royalty payment disputes. (The Hollywood Reporter)

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