Transportation “On The Move” in Beijing!

Last week marked some big changes in the way people living and visiting Beijing will get around the city during the Olympics.
Proving the pace at which Beijing is changing, when I got back last Monday from a 10 day trip through China I was bombarded with news of changes that took place while I was away.
Even though the changes span every sector, having just spent a week and half riding the rails through the guts of the country, transportation is hot on my mind.
It’s also a hot topic on the minds of Beijingers.
The long anticipated Airport express, Line 10, and Olympic branch subway routes were opened up after over 5 years of construction.

All three lines are specifically designed to help handle the high volume of visitors Beijing will be seeing during the Olympics.

For guests arriving at the airport, the Airport Express line will provide a quick and cheap way to get to the heart of Beijing. Now instead of the 70 Rmb ($10 U.S.) cab ride into town, Olympic visitors can hop on the Airport express line and pay 25 Rmb ($3 U.S).

Once they reach the last stop of the Airport Express they can transfer to the Line 10 subway which services the major hotel areas.

The line 10 also transfers to the Olympic branch line where riders can connect with most major Olympic venues.

With the new line 10 easing pressure off of the other routes, it is now guaranteed that Olympic guests won’t have to engage in the elbow to elbow brawling that usually takes place while trying to board the Beijing subway during rush hour.

Although, at a mere $4 U.S. a pop, I get the feeling foreign guests will be opting to take taxis most places anyways.

For those taking taxis, the policy requiring odd-even license plate numbers to alternate driving days went into effect Sunday.

The new policy has expected to take somewhere around 3 million cars of the roads.

Already this has had a dramatic impact on Beijing’s car congestion.

I first witnessed the difference on Tuesday night when instead of the 45-minute stop and go ride I usually take to my favorite restaurant, the ride was a smooth 20 minutes. Where there was once a four lane highway filled with unmoving motors there is now a light sprinkling of traffic.

Coincidentally, the air pollution levels for the last two days have been minimal.

Beijing also began running two brand new double decker busses designed for foreign friends looking to explore the city.

With air-conditioning, extra-wide soft seats (to fit the larger foreign frames), Imax style windows, and Chinese/English commentary, the new busses will whisk 60 passengers through the historical and Olympic related sites of the city in luxury.

Though it’s very unlikely that any expats will find themselves taking public busses, Beijing also began running 10 out of 34 new bus routes.

As for me, after spending over 55 hours on the rails, 30 which were spent standing (they actually issue standing tickets), I have decided that I will avoid public transportation for a while.

10 ways to avoid a speeding ticket

(AOL Autos) -- People who get speeding tickets are often guilty of more than simply driving faster than the posted limit.
Their chief offense? It's getting noticed in the first place. That's the first domino to fall in the ugly chain of events that leads to a piece of "payin' paper."
Here are some common sense ways to run under a cop's radar -- literally:
Drive within 5-10 mph of surrounding traffic
Cops are usually looking for drivers who are going noticeably faster than the other cars on the road. If you're within a pack of cars all going 5 to 10 mph over the limit, you've automatically improved your odds of not being the one that gets pulled over for a speeding ticket, even though you're all technically speeding.
The cop has to pick one car; if you go with the flow of traffic, it probably won't be you. And it definitely won't be you if you don't speed in the first place.
Try to stay in the middle of the pack
If you're the lead car, logic says you'll be the first car to run past any cop's radar trap up ahead and get a speeding ticket. And if you're the last car, you'll be the one the police officer rolls up behind. That means the safest place is in the middle -- just like a gazelle fleeing a hungry lion by seeking safety in the middle of the herd.
Find a 'rabbit'
If you can't find a pack of cars going the speed you'd like to maintain, the next best thing is to find yourself a rabbit -- a solitary driver traveling the speed you'd like to drive that you can follow discretely, about 50-100 yards back. If there's a cop using radar, hopefully the rabbit will trip the trap and get a speeding ticket, not you.
And if he brakes suddenly, you have just received your early warning in time to take defensive action. AOL Autos: Fast cars over 600 HP
Don't change lanes frequently, tailgate, drive aggressively
In addition to being rude and dangerous, you're just asking for a trucker or someone with a cell phone to call the cops and give them a description of your vehicle and license plate number.
Always use your signals and be courteous to fellow drivers. It's safer, and it will help you fade into the background. AOL Autos: Fast, fuel-efficient cars
Avoid the fast lane
Use the far left lane to pass when necessary, but try to stay in the middle lanes when possible.
Reason? If a cop is lurking in a cutout along the median strip (or coming at you from the opposite direction on a divided highway) the speeder in the far left lane is the one most likely to become the target. Drivers who get nailed with speeding tickets are often the type who rack it up to 10 or 15 over the limit and remain in the far left lane.
Watch for cutouts and modulate your speed accordingly
On many highways, there are cutouts in the median strip every couple of miles. Usually, you can see these in plenty of time to slow down a little bit in case there's a cop lurking behind the bushes ready to give you a speeding ticket. AOL Autos: 10 hot, small cars
Don't speed when you are the only car on the road
If you ignore this warning it's the equivalent of plastering a "ticket me!" bumper sticker on your vehicle. Even if you're only doing five mph over the posted limit, if there's a cop using radar, he's got nothing to look at but you.
Lonesome speeding is even more dangerous in small towns, where radar traps and aggressive enforcement by cops can be common. And never speed late at night. Drunk-driving patrols are heavy and cops are more inclined to pull you over for any offense in order to check you for signs of alcohol. Don't give them a reason. AOL Autos: Cars with the most thrill per gallon
If it's OK legally, get a radar detector
Yes, they're expensive (good ones, anyhow). But a one-time hit of, say, $300 for a decent radar detector is cheaper than even a single big speeding ticket and the higher insurance costs that will come with it. Radar detectors are legal in most states and well worth the investment to avoid a speeding ticket.
And finally, if possible, drive a nondescript vehicle
It may not be fair, but it's human nature to notice things that stand out from the crowd. Bright-colored cars, those with loud exhaust or other pimped-out enhancements are the cars more likely to draw a cop's initial attention than ordinary-looking, family-type cars.
Since the cop has to single out one car, which car do you suppose is the likely candidate for a speeding ticket? The bright yellow Mustang GT with 20-inch chrome rims? Or the silver Taurus? AOL Autos: Eight newly designed cars
If you do get pulled over while driving a fancy, high-profile car, your odds of getting a speeding ticket versus a warning have probably gone up. If you're driving a fast-looking hot rod, the cop is going to assume you use it and deserve a ticket more than the guy in a family-looking ride whose plea that he "didn't realize he was speeding, officer" comes off as more believable.
Be aware that appearances count
That is, your appearance. If your appearance says, "Responsible member of the community," you're apt to get a more friendly response than if you look and act like trouble.
The worst possible thing you can do is combine all the no-no's listed above by driving a flashy car too fast, late at night when you're the only car on the road while looking like you just robbed a bank.
If you do that, expect a speeding ticket. And expect no mercy

25k To Shut Up About This: by Chad P. Flick

Having something go viral the way Myspace and Facebook have done, is a totally different ball game from the viralness you get when you tell your best friends.
Using ordinary tell a friend pages to make your site go viral and bring in traffic is like watching grass grow, or turtles race.
It isn't going to happen fast, and when it does happen, get this, it wont be any thing significant.
I don't know about you, but I don't have the time to waste filling in friends emails when I come to those types of pages.
I'm lazy!
So what did Myspace & Facebook do different??
They cheated!
They allowed people to import their entire contact list from their email provider.
Now, instead of the average 1 or 2 people being told, it jumped to 30+
So one person tells 30 of his friends, which in turn tells 30 of his friends, which in turn tells....
Well, you get the picture!
I'm not going to insult your intelligence explaining how viral this is.
In well under 2 years they had hit top 10 in the world.
Can this be replicated? Yes. Well now it can
A 23 year old Aussie from "down under" is spilling his guts on how to create massive lists of people begging you to sell them your products with an easy to use software that the gurus have pleaded with him not to sell to the public.
The exact same software that he's been offered $25,000 with a "shut up about this" disclaimer by a very big internet marketer.
Don't even think about this though if your website is permanently stuck on a tiny little server that can't handle lots of bandwidth.
If you are unable to upgrade, this is not for you. You'll have so much traffic you'll want to turn the flow of visitors off.
For more info visit: OptinAccelerator Test Drive