The Great Firewall

The geographic boundaries of China lie within a great firewall, one that keeps many people inside this nation from viewing websites that the Chinese government deems inappropriate. Sometimes what makes it through the firewall surprises me. News stories about Libya and Egypt came through last week, as well as news stories about China's reaction to them, and recent crackdowns on dissidents. In retrospect, maybe the government has an interest in that combination.

Sometimes what does not make the cut surprises me, too. I can not access imdb.com, and I can not always shop at Target.com. Other things are standard, and well publicized. I can not get to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia or Blogger.

And so, those us of with means and with an interest, simply skirt the firewall with a personal VPN. Our VPN is located in Virginia, and although I do not understand the technicalities about this technology, I do know that when I turn on my VPN, most websites believe I am accessing the internet from Virginia rather than from China. I pay $4.95 per month for this privilege. Interestingly, VPNs are legal in China. They don't mind some people accessing the broad spectrum of communication on the world wide web.

Here is where the Great Firewall of China impacts you, dear reader. After I lost my wallet, I canceled my credit cards. This includes the card which GoTrusted billed every month to pay for my VPN. This being the first of the month, my VPN has been canceled. As I've got less than 20 days less under the firewall anyway, I'm just leaving it be. Posts may be a bit less frequent, and posting will be a bit more creative.Dave is posting this for me from Manila, where he has been the past two weeks. An upcoming trip to Hong Kong, and visits to friend's houses will allow more access. Still, if the impending move and the arrival of my parents as house guests were not enough of an excuse, please understand why I may not post often for the next few weeks.