THOMAS PODVIN’S FREELANCE WORK
Freelance writer - translator - Editor

http://www.chinese-furniture.com

A marvelous, eccentric site for aficionados of classical Chinese furniture. Webmaster Curtis Evarts was a former curator at the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture in Renaissance, California. Consequently, he knows his ta from his chuang. The fact that Evarts uses this site to plug his own consulting services is forgivable since he has compiled an invaluable resource for collectors and dilettantes alike. Not only does the site provide a useful point of contact for collectors and dealers but it also hosts an event calendar, furniture bookstore, historical data, information on museum collections and a newsletter. One of the site’s most appealing pages is devoted to the “Piece of the Month” which is an educational appetite-whetter for those expats willing to break the money-pig. The site is beautifully illustrated with images of prints from hand scrolls and ancient paintings putting the various pieces into both a social and historical context. Who knew that the folding stool (deck chair) was once used for mounting horses?

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
November 2005 issue

http://www.blogherald.com

Blogs (or web logs to the uninitiated) have been with us since the late ‘90s so it’s no wonder that a site such as The Blog Herald has popped up to act as a news and information source for all things blogging. The site goes about its business with a great degree of solemnity providing statistics, studies and columns on its “blogosphere” as well as other interesting tidbits. Take this one for instance: “60 percent of Chinese bloggers are female because girls are more emotional while boys are busy playing online games.” Yes, you heard it here first (that is unless you’ve already visited this site). The Blog Herald itself is a blog, having been selected by technology consumer CNet.com in its list of the Top 100 blogs. Like most other blogs, it will no doubt draw an audience of like minds and preach to the converted.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
November 2005 issue

http://wwww.uglydress.com

Internet technology provides many types of services, from cultural to informative to commercial. The web is the perfect way to see the high and low, as well as great and dull of this world. Or, one can spend endless hours on utterly demented websites like “Ugly dress”. Here, the simple and unpretentious concept is to show the very worst of bridal wear, the special outfits that brides made their friends wear on their special day. Yes, this site displays some truly horrendous sartorial mistakes and lives up to its name. This database is a temple of abominable taste. Webmaster Keesha Myas has managed to survive numerous assassination attempts after compiling all the dreadful pictures she received (and categorized) from all over the globe: Ass Widener; Bad Color, Pattern and Shape; Hello Kitty Wedding Dress; Big Ass, Short Skirt; Bad Tuxedo; Condom Dress and so on. Check out the Pregnant Prom Dress, if you dare.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
October 2005 issue

http://www.shanghaiist.com

Writer Dan Washburn, famous for his city blog, Shanghai Diaries, launched an even more ambitious blog last July; Shanghaiist. This website follows the ‘Gothamist’ concept: a series of highly-successful city blogs founded by Jake Dobkin in New York in 2002. Gothamist.com is one of New York City’s most popular independent websites, with 1.5 million pages viewed per month. It features daily posts about news, events, entertainment and food. London, Los Angeles, Toronto and Paris are among the eleven cities with “-ist” web-magazines. On the look out for whatever happens in Shanghai, a city Washburn clearly loves, it didn’t take him long to make the first “-ist” in Asia a very successful website. Six staff and twenty contributors are necessary to review Shanghai’s gossip, local and national papers, and up-to-date listings. Both Gothamist and Shanghaiist were named a ‘Forbes Favorite’ in Forbes magazine’s ongoing ’Best of the Web’ series.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
October 2005 issue