For class discussion, Feb. 3, 2009, two articles about China.

- western china.pdf
  "The E-Transformation of Western China"
  [plus a sidebar on censorship]
  Communications of the ACM, Sept. 2003, pp. 62-67

- china google.htm
  "Google's China Problem (and China's Google Problem)" 
  New York Times Magazine, April 23, 2006


1.  In the 1st article, what does it mean for a region to "leapfrog" ?

2.  What are the important ingredients to IT development in an area such
as western China?

3.  The article mentions several obstacles to future success in delivering
IT.... which do you find surprising?  Which do you think are particularly
significant or intractable?

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4.  Kai-Fu Lee has degrees from the US and has worked for American firms.
What lessons has he taken from this experience to offer to his fellow Chinese?
What does the article suggest about America's influence on the rest of the
world?

5.  How does Google's motto "Don't Be Evil" get applied in China?
Why did Google decide to open an office in China?  (think about benefits
and risks)

6.  According to the article, how do American and Chinese values clash
regarding the use of technology?  Is the difference more cultural or
more a function of the type of government in each country?

7.  Does it bother you that Google and Cisco went along with the Chinese 
government's censorship policies?  Do you think they should have campaigned 
for free speech in China?  (e.g. active campaign or just passive covert support)
Also consider the case of Microsoft agreeing to delete a pro-democracy blog, and
Yahoo revealing personal details to Beijing.

8.  Initially, the most popular search engines in China were made locally
by Chinese companies rather than American.  Why was this?  

9.  In a nutshell, how does the "great firewall" work?  What exactly is banned?
What effect has it had in China?

10.  According to the article, what do Chinese people think about their Internet
access?

11.  What is your overall impression about IT and internet use in China?
What issues do you wish were discussed more in the articles?