Finally, someone to speak for the expats: Rapper Eli Sweet found his niche as a performer-slash-English teacher after moving from Hotlanta--to Chengdu, China.

His MySpace page still lists him as Atlanta-based--and as "the dopest white rapper without a fade"--but after graduation from Haverford College in Pennsylvania, Sweet, who had been studying Chinese on and off for years, took an unconventional path to musical recognition in becoming perhaps the only white rapper in Chengdu. NPR's videos of Sweet in Chengdu present a completely different side of the Olympic hosts, but inspire us to visit just as much as those sweeping shots of the Watercube.

We wish Sweet were a more regular blogger, based on a March '07 entry about the popularity of the combover, the state of the bathrooms and what Chinese people think of their neighbor, Thailand. His on-the-ground knowledge of what Asian rap sounds like alone is priceless.

Related Stories:
· American Rapper Eli Sweet Reflects On China [NPR]
· This Is Why I'm Hot [Eli Sweet's MySpace Blog]
· Beijing Olympics 2008 coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of a rap concert in Shanghai: nicklui]]]> egw 2008-08-13T11:00:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/12/17917/6935

Worldwide wireless provider Boingo has just launched 349 new hotspots in Beijing, a move timed to coincide with the Olympics.

The full list of hotspots is here, though it currently only shows 329 places to jump online. You can use Boingo's new Aspirin promotion, but since these connections are overseas, you'll have to pay a "premium fee" to get online.

Presumably, the WiFi is still under the same restrictions as all internet access in China, so your mileage may vary. Earlier this year, we discussed some strategies for circumventing state control of the internet.

Related Stories:
· WiFi coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jon crel]]]> pbb 2008-08-12T17:15:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/11/122231/643

A friend of Jaunted is on-hand for the Olympics, and she'll be doing her best to keep us posted on what it's really like for a spectator in China. The first of her reports came through today:

I arrived in Beijing with my family early this afternoon and we went to our first event: the Women's 58 kg Class Weightlifting. It was amazing to see these women lift up to two-and-a-half times their weight. China's Yanqing Chen won the gold.

But that wasn't the first Olympic event we attended, as we were lucky enough to get tickets to the Men's Preliminary Football event on August 7 in Shanghai Stadium, where some of the soccer matches are being played. We saw an exciting game, sitting next to 50,000 other fans: The sold-out match between Argentina and Ivory Coast.

Just when our 2008 Olympics Venues Map started getting good, Google had to go and outshine us. The wizards over at the outfit's mapping division put together an awesome mash-up of the venues, events and medal winners for the Olympics, which you already know started today--or yesterday if you're checking the clock in Beijing.

Also included on the map are videos made with Google Earth that have the camera flying over 3D renderings of all the venues. Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, here we come!

Check the super-map here

Related Stories:
· Off to the Games! [Lat Long Blog]
· 2008 Olympics Venues Map [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-08-08T16:15:06-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/7/124842/4086

This week we're mapping the top spots in China to be faster, higher and stronger.

The wee girls of gymnastics could get lost in Beijing National Indoor Stadium, also the sleek, glassed-in home of handball and trampoline. (Did you know trampolining has been an Olympic sport since 2000? Our childhoods were not in vain!)

Located just north of the Watercube, the solar-powered stadium was designed by the German firm Glöckner with the cooperation of the Eastern European collective the Munich Group.

Glöckner envisioned a steep-sided arena seemingly open to the heavens for "intensive tension between spectator and athlete." Judge for yourself with an animated stadium tour that will give you chills even if you're not Paul Hamm.]]> egw 2008-08-07T14:30:06-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/7/123748/3629

Watch what you say in that Beijing taxi: The Wall Street Journal says tens of thousands of cabs in the capital have been outfitted with small microphones and GPS trackers that can be used to spy on passengers and drivers.

Officials have asked cabbies to watch out for "suspicious behavior and odd packages," the paper reports, though it's doubtful that China has the ability to monitor every conversation in every one of Beijing's 70,000 taxis. Maybe that's why the city of Shenyang--where some soccer matches will be held--recruited 38,000 drivers to work as unofficial spies?

You won't be safe to gossip in secret once you step out of the cab, either. The State Department advises visitors that hotel and conference rooms could be bugged at any time, and every phone in the country, including cell phones, can be tapped.

Related Stories:
· Beijing Taxis Are Rigged for Eavesdropping [WSJ]
· Paranoia Travel: Get Spied on at This Scary German Bar [Jaunted]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Boris van Hoytema]]]> pbb 2008-08-07T12:45:06-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/6/171445/0036

So those scary-looking masks seen on American cyclists yesterday? Turns out they were designed by the US Olympic Committee and handed out before the games. How do you say gaffe in Mandarin?

Meanwhile, amateur meterologists web-wide are trying to figure out what the smog situation will be when the Beijing games start on Friday. Current consensus? It's not looking good!

Related Stories:
· Beijing Quickly Becoming Spin City [SI]
· Good to Know! (Olympic Air Department) [James Fallows]
· A Protest Sign and Lots of Smog [Flickr]
· A Clear View of the CCTV HQ [Flickr]
· Masked Cyclists Apologize to Olympic Organizers [AFP, via Google]

[Photo taken August 5: Sprol]]]> pbb 2008-08-06T17:15:05-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/