GPRS on the iPhone in Vietnam

The iPhone is freaking ubiquitous up in here - with here being Vietnam, natch. I can't believe I still get google hits to this blog looking for it. Go to Saigon Nezumi for iPhone stuff, 'cause he knows more than me.

But since you're here, I may as well give you something useful. Such as info on how to set up EDGE (i.e. GPRS) service in Vietnam. If you're half patient (or decent) with Google, you would find this page which tells you how to do it.

Basically navigate to Settings>General>Network>EDGE and change the APN / Username / Password fields thusly:

For Mobifone: m-wap / mms / mms
For Vinaphone: m3-world / mms / mms
For Viettel: v-internet / de trong / de trong

As the info states, to use GPRS, your number must have the GPRS service "turned on" - this means post-paid service, requiring a post-paid contract.

Somehow, after a very short Stateside visit, my post-paid mobile number is now dead, so I cannot test the settings above. As I mentioned previously, competent office help is difficult to find up in here.

Skype Tools

Living overseas means lots of Skype time.  I think I've spent over $50 in Skype credit calling to the US in the past three months - that is a lot, considering that computer-to-computer calls are free.  

Recently, what I wanted to do is to call up our home in the US in the middle of the night, get Skype to automatically answer, and get it to automatically transmit video back.

Sorta like the "DIY Home Security System" hack from these 25 Tips to Improve Your Skype Experience from VoIP News.  Of course, it is pretty easy to set up a new Skype user, put yourself in the contact list, set to auto answer and auto video out in the Skype Preferences. 

But the trick really is to have two Skype accounts running concurrently on one computer - that way, on your "normal" account, you do not auto answer with a video out.  

Some Googling led to this Applescript (OS X) called Peek-O-Matic.  This script, by Andreas Schuderer - allows for two concurrent Skype sessions for different users.  One can be the "home security user" and the other the "normal" user.  Handy little tool, it is.  The version on the site, v0.4 is for Leopard.  Ask for v0.3 if you are running OS X 10.4.

Finally, if you have the bandwidth and the hardware, here is how to improve Skype's video quality on OS X.    

No Delegate Lead for Obama

As the adage goes, vote early, vote often, so we snuck the little one into the booth and cast an extra ballot.  Ok, so not really, but the kid, being a DCite, got into the game early.

Our time back here coincided with the presidential primary, so we went out and voted.  Our guy (or should I say, "gal") didn't win, so that was a bummer.  I'm still a supporter till the race is called.

The genesis of this post came as a reflection on Preya's post titled Why Voting For Hillary Now Is Bad For The Democratic Party.  Originally this post was to be titled "Voting on Vacation," but that sounded a bit pedestrian next to Preya's nicely titled thoughts. 

A simple response to Preya is that I do not agree that voting for Hillary now is bad for the party.  But on a wider view, I don't understand the hoopla and lack of analysis that we get from political reporters during this election cycle.  Yeah, Obama has won more states, but there are few who ask "do those states matter?"

For instance, Obama (re)started his momentum with a win in South Carolina, taking a 26 to 14 delegate tally.  But when was the last time the Democratic nominee won South Carolina in the general election?  You have to go back to 1976 when Carter took this neighbor to Georgia over Ford.  

Can we reasonably expect any Democratic nominee to turn this demographic tide?  

Of course, similarly, Hillary won Arizona and took a 35-27 advantage.  But will that mean anything in the general against McCain?  That delegate victory should be discounted when we are sizing up who would be the best candidate in the general election.  After all, as Al Gore showed, it's not about winning the popular vote, but rather, squeeking out wins in places that matter.  

Going by the Red State-Blue State breakdown for the 2004 Presidential Election, and using CNN's numbers on the pledged delegates and superdelegate estimates as of today, we see that, crazily enough, Hillary and Obama are tied (!!!) with 785 delegates in "states that matter."

"States that matter" are the 19 states which were blue in the 2004 Presidential Election.  After all, when viewing things thru the lens of trying to win the general election, is it really important to know how Kansas thinks on Clinton v. Obama?    

Clinton and Obama are tied in states that went Kerry - of course to win in 2008, they would need an additional state (Florida, or Virginia perhaps) while holding onto these states that matter.  Clinton took the 'non-contested' Florida results while Obama took Virginia.

Note also that these tied delegate numbers do not include numbers for Michigan (a blue state), which Hillary won (no delegates were awarded due to the calendaring issue) and for Pennsylvania, which won't hold the primary till April 22nd.

I am not saying that SC Democrats 'do not matter' - I am saying that Democrats in non-blue and non-purple states cannot help a Democratic nominee win in November with their action at the polls.  Given that, their actions at the primary polls should be discounted.  Heavily.      

The Taxman Cometh

So we're in the final days of this trip back to the States and that means handling some business that cannot be easily taken care of abroad - such as filing our taxes.

I am old school in that I like to do the tax forms by hand, with pen and calculator in tow. This used to be much easier back in the day of qualifying for the 1040-EZ, but these days it's getting a bit wee complex.

Compared to last year, this year's return will include a Schedule E (because we rented out our place while we were in Vietnam), a Form 1116 (for the Foreign Tax Credit), and the Treasury Form TD F 90-22.1 (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts). This is along with the standard alphabet soup of forms - A, B, C, D's - the bane of folks of a certain age.

It took about 5 hours of persistent but relaxed work, including downloading the instructions for the forms that were new to me.

Hopefully, one of these days I'll have a Caymans tax shelter, buy some collectible artwork, have depreciable mineral rights, and have a butler, just so I can enjoy filling out the more esoteric schedules to the 1040.

Authentic Eats

This funny blog, Stuff White People Like, recently posted entry #71 - Being the only white person around. You hear this quite a bit in expat circles in foreign locales, such as Vietnam, generally as it relates to food joints. 

Seems like a lot of food places get raves by the internet (and hence by English writing reviewers...) based on how 'local' or 'authentic' it is - with commendations directly proportional to the chance of one picking up cholera.

I try not to eat Vietnamese food when I'm back in the States, for obvious 'I have the cow back in Hanoi reasons,' but I have to note that the best banh mi sandwich I've had in the past year was here in the DC area.  And a friend took me to a Vietnamese noodle shop in Northern Virginia where I had some mighty fine Bun Bo Hue.  Some of the best Vietnamese food in the world is in Vietnamese American enclaves in the States - of course you're mostly limited to Southern Vietnamese food, but for the most part it's better than the 'real thing.'  As all foodies would attest, it's all 'bout the quality of one's ingredients.

One dish that I've really taken a liking to, and not available in the States, is Bun Cha - the Northern compatriot to the South's Bun Thit Nuong.  Now that's worth the cholera!    

Gifting Dilemma

So we're on a short break from Vietnam for personal reasons - i.e. the kid. Heading back means one thing - pressure to get gifts for local friends and acquaintances (so nothing for ya, Thirsty!).

Even though I've lived there for over a year, I have no idea what a nice (inexpensive) gift would be. Suggestions anyone?

A Screaming End to the Year

We met Tet with a scream:

The Year in Pictures

The Tet holiday is upon Vietnam and our staff have taken off already, so any work I accomplish today will not be looked at until, oh, I dunno.. March?

Therefore, I'm about to make it a lazy Sunday and watch the Superbowl live, as opposed to a 6-12 hour tape delay. But the pre-game hype at this noon hour is quite redundant, given the two weeks of build up, so I thought I would clean out the cache of pictures over the past year.

Some of these I've probably posted before, and they are in no particular order:

Living outside of the coasts of the US means you have actual contact with live animals. If you're willing to eat it, then you should be willing to slaughter it. This healthy specimen was more for show in a traditional Korean wedding ceremony though.

In a temple in Korea - prayer notes, perhaps, like lighting votives in a Catholic church? I should pray for a steady hand while composing a shot.

We were eating lunch and the building tower we were in had a heat related incident. As in someone's kitchen was on fire. A bunch of fire trucks showed up. All of the patrons, continued eating, while checking out the commotion. I thought about the structural integrity of the windows and how much damage a 2nd story jump would cause before picking back up my fork.

The most interesting thing about the fire trucks was that they used water pumped from the fire engine itself, and not from street side hydrants. Therefore, they were only able to reach the 6th floor, or thereabouts. These building towers go up to 15 or so floors. Um, good thing I've moved out since.

A typical Northern Tet flower bouquet - or more accurately, half a tree cut down and placed in your living room. Think Christmas tree. In the west, people place aspirin, or Coca-Cola, in the water to help a Christmas tree retain its pines. In Vietnam, folks put in rice rinse water in the base to help these trees flower.

It wouldn't be Vietnam without a picture of lots of stuff carried on a motorbike. I've taken other likewise pictures - massive slaughtered pigs, caged live animals going to the butcher or the pet shop, spit-grilled pigs and dogs, enormous hauls of veggies going to the market, or styrofoam refuse doing to the recyclers.

But this picture above captures a lot of the essence of the current Vietnam. The demonstration of local demand for Red Bull (albeit in its Thai incarnation) shows the economic development and integration of its populace; the late 30s woman doing the work is typical for the country, as you find more women working in all sectors of the economy, except for perhaps the professions of taxi driver/xe om driver/cyclo driver. Some would say local men are lazy, others will realize that an entire generation of males died off due to violence.

Sometimes trees get cut down for progress, sometimes you have to accomodate them. Virtually everything is built by brick and concrete, so oddly clever adjustments to architectural plans abound in the structures of this country.

Frankly, I'm not used to this kind of legroom in a car, much less an airplane. Compared to US carriers, service by Vietnam Airlines' in-air staff, in all classes, is exceptional. It's too bad that with 2008, the airlines upped this ticket to 6 million VND for a HAN-SGN flight. Folks talk about inflation in Vietnam over the last half of 2007 - it hadn't hit me, till now.

This is for a friend who owns Li-Ning shares - they sponsor the Vietnam National Football (soccer) team.

We've been to the Hanoi Opera House quite a bit during our time here, and have managed to sit on every seating level. I would recommend the boxes - cheaper than the floor seats and a better experience to boot. (These are views from the 3rd level)

There isn't a lot of good tv on, but you can get Jezza via a VTC1 feed of the BBC.

Looking out of the Reunification Palace in Saigon. Just think what the view would've been like 35 years ago. And now, I've attended dinners *inside* the Palace. It's almost unreal sometimes.

Ah, golfing. See my ball? (Squint real hard!). Just a few yards away from that longest-drive marker! Ok, it was early in the day, but still! Golf claps, please.