This project was born in Beijing.* Apparently it’s still there.
Whenever a name I don’t recognize requests an invitation to come play on the site, I send a little note, say hi, and ask how that person knows us or found out about us.
This is from the latest reply to one of those emails:
I’ve been enjoying following TCP over the last few months. To be honest, I’m not really sure how we know each other. I sat down at a computer in an internet cafe near Tsinghua University early this spring, and the carrot project website was up from the previous user. I thought it looked interesting so asked to join up.
Someday, I hope, this won’t strike me as a blogworthy event. Someday, lots of people in lots of gigantic Eastern Hemisphere cities will be leaving browsers running and planting carrots every day. Today, I’m a little stunned.
Stunned, smiling, and wondering if there exist enterprising internet cafe proprietors that make deals with online businesses and strategically manipulate the home page settings on all the browsers in their cafes.
Not because I want to make one of those deals or become one of those proprietors or anything. Just curious…
*Note: Either that or born on a boat. Depends on your definition of birth. Mine changes sometimes.
Wiley
posted: aug 8 2009
There’s a high percentage chance that I left it on a browser in a Beijing internet café. I know I’ve left CP open in the Beijing Apple Store. Everything’s about to change though - no more trolling internet cafés for this gweilo, cuz I just got the iPhones AND a 3g data plan that works in China. And that is how you know it’s the 90s.
Is this useful?
96% What does this percentage mean?
Wiley
posted: aug 8 2009
And incidentally, yes, I think Internet cafes in China do sell their default screen space.
Is this useful?
93% What does this percentage mean?
Jake
posted: aug 9 2009
Party on Wayne. And how about we make a deal. Every time you go into an internet cafe in China and leave CP running, I’ll stick a chinabites.com sticker in a restaurant bathroom. If the stickers are produced crunchily, of course. And if you send me some stickers.
Is this useful?
93% What does this percentage mean?
Wiley
posted: aug 9 2009
Stickers make me feel weird - I’ll take your blog-style promotion of my upcoming iPhones app.
Is this useful?
93% What does this percentage mean?
Jake
posted: aug 10 2009
Blog promos go without saying.
And weird feelings aren’t good feelings?
Is this useful?
93% What does this percentage mean?
Wiley
posted: aug 10 2009
Aren’t stickers sort of a worry in terms of vandalism?
Is this useful?
93% What does this percentage mean?