The Week April 9, 2010

Just for laughs?

There’s nothing funny about global warming. But one side effect of thawing permafrost in the Arctic Circle has been the release of higher levels of nitrous oxide. That’s laughing gas. The journal Nature Geoscience reports this week that higher levels of the stuff are being released into the atmosphere. What if all that new laughing gas in the air reached China? The Week investigates …

Ready, aim, deodorize

Beijing will install 100 deodorant guns at a landfill on the edge of the city by May following complaints about the smell. The (London) Guardian reports they can spray dozens of liters of fragrance per minute. That’s until new landfills can be built to accommodate Beijing’s fast-growing economy and fast-growing landfill needs. What else can those deodorant guns be used for? The Week investigates ....

Apples and Sausages

Apple’s cool, new iPad is now on sale, and people are lining up around the world. But that’s not the biggest high-tech trend this week. For Apple iPhone users, the latest trend is to use sausages instead of their fingers to use the touch screen apps. According to weirdasianews.com, South Koreans started it, using “Maxbong” sausage finger snacks. Now a US-based company, CaseCrown.com, offers its own iPhone Sausage Screen Stylus. Of course, you can’t eat the US version. But how about a sausage stylus with Chinese characteristics? Here’s a trendy sausage stylus at a low price, and tasty, too!

Naked boatmen

Tourism officials in Hubei province have come up with a new way to attract tourism. They’re considering reviving an old custom of boat trackers pulling boats up the river wearing, well, not a thing. Will naked boatmen give camera-toting tourists a new way to see “all” of China? The Week investigates …

Cool, new gadgets

It’s time for our segment on cool new gadgets. With summer coming, Japan’s CC Medico this week introduced its new sun hat that also is a cooler. It comes equipped with a chemical cooling spray that you spray on the hat to drop the temperatures to as low as minus-40 degrees Celsius. Minus-40 degrees? My advice is: Don’t over do it!

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About the broadcaster:

Renee Haines is an editor and broadcaster at China Daily. Renee has more than 15 years of experience as a newspaper editor, radio station anchor and news director, news-wire service reporter and bureau chief, magazine writer, book editor and website consultant. She came to China from the United States.