Writers thrive on feedback, especially blog writers. We really love the comments our readers leave and do our best to leave supportive comments at others' blogs. But, for the past two or three months, I have been unable to leave comments on some of the various blogs I read.
Now I'm getting e-mails that tell me others haven't been able to leave comments at my site.
I checked the help forum at Google blogs and learned that many others who use Google Blogspot are having the same problem. Most of those complaints are dated May 24, while my problems have been occurring longer than that.
The Google administrator says they're aware of the problem and they're "fixing" it.
Actually, I think it's all my fault. And China's. No, no, not the Chinese hacking of Google's g-mail accounts. It's much more sinister than that.
When I was in China and Tibet last Sept-Oct., I was unable to access my blog at all. China censors things they consider subversive and harmful to the cause, I was told by several who shall remain nameless and unidentifiable, so I figured my little old blog was considered subversive by the government censors.
When I returned home to Alaska and started my netbook, everything on the Internet browser page was in Chinese and I was not able to change it. When I turned it on just now to take a photo and prove my point, it has translated back into English.
This is my theory:
China didn't like what my subversive blog has to say about Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese human rights activist who advocates for a peaceful transition to democracy in China. He was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace price in absentia because he's in a Chinese prison.
Either that or they somehow found out that when I took a photo of that fancy new railroad line that runs from Beijing to Lhasa in Tibet, I ACCIDENTALLY photographed a Chinese soldier who was guarding the track. Or that while I was taking a picture of the Tibetan countryside, a piece of a Chinese military convoy was captured by my camera.
Our guide gave us strict instructions that we were not to photograph Chinese soldiers in Tibet because, "they aren't there." I didn't find out until I got home and could see the photos on a larger monitor that I'd committed an uh-oh.
And that concrete courtyard behind the Chinese military barracks where guys dressed in Chinese military uniforms drilled every morning and evening, the one that was right outside my hotel room window in Lhasa? That wasn't there either.
So there you have it. The Chinese spy agency had access to my netbook until they'd milked every bit of subversive information they could from it, then they turned it all back into English because "they weren't really there."
Maybe now they'll allow comments at our blogs?
Nothing I like better than a little international intrique in the morning. I know, your code name "Gullible" is just to throw them off your trail. Sweet!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had any problems posting to your site, but know you have had posting to mine. Your conspiracy theory sounds plausible; you would make a great undercover spy.
ReplyDeleteSo refreshing to have the truth of the matter, especially the creatively true version. Nice work, and I'm glad Google settled down for you.
ReplyDeleteWell I admire your courage in coming clean on this issue. From the comments coming in, it appears to have solved the problem.
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