In local news...

As mentioned recently:

- Got my Chinese visa renewed! These things are never a gimme, and the outcome isn't always easy to predict by what we might call logical factors. Eg: last summer's rash of visa denials at just the time Beijing was "inviting the world" for the Olympics. Tale of my original visa woes included in this article. Lesson of experience: if you're applying in the US, stick with the LA and San Francisco consulates. Hyper-busy, which has its drawbacks (bring a book! bring two!) but means that the questioning when you get to the window often boils down to "will you pay extra for rush processing?" Suggested answer: yes.

- For those in the KQED/SF listening area, I will be on the "Forum" show tomorrow (Friday, March 13) morning from 9am-10am PDT, talking about this new Atlantic article about China's economic travails.

- When I have regained come closer to sanity, which thanks to the PEK-SFO flight is likely to be around 3am local time, I will try properly to register the excitement at the array of interesting software on display at the David Allen / GTD Summit, plus some architectural compare-and-contrast thoughts about the three cities I've seen in the past four days: Shanghai, Beijing, and SF. That's for later. Now, zzzzzzzzzzzzz.....