google blocking and other hassles

So much of daily life in China is determined by rumour. I forget this until I am back.

Off and on the last three days, google has been blocked, including gmail. This is a real pain since half of my contacts (business contacts, too) are there.

When it gets blocked (or doesn't work), everyone starts speculating: is today a sensitive anniversary? Are news outlets reporting something unflattering to China? Is the Chinese government angry about something business-wise with google? Or perhaps it has nothing to do with that. Maybe it's just a fluke? A technical glitch (unlikely since every other site I regularly use here is fine -- Vox is always blocked grrrrrr). It's so frustrating. I wonder if it has to do with this computer filtering that the Chinese government is trying to force all computer makers to adhere to: all new computers must include filters for doing away (or blocking) porn. Thank you, nanny state! Like some sleazy government officials in some office in Beijing need to tell an entire nation what is and what isn't suitable for their eyes. So idiotic. I wonder if it has something to do with that because I vaguely remembering hearing a story in the airport in Toronto that google was
refusing to do this or standing up to the government about it (though not sure what that has to do with the manufacture of computers in China; it would also be pretty surprising as big corporations including google rarely have backbone when dealing with the Chinese government). Anyway, who knows. The point is we DON'T know so we all have to rely on rumour and speculation to figure out WHY it's being blocked. Is it temporary or will it be blocked forever?

It sure reminds me how often I use google for random things throughout the day (excluding gmail). Especially for work: when I am editing something or helping a writer put something together, it's so easy to pop over to google to get the straight facts before proceeding. A complete list of discourse markers to indicate cause & effect? Google. The year the Taj Mahal was built? Google. The population of Chile? The legislative history of Bush's "No Child Left Behind"? The stars and year of production for the movie "Klute"?  I actually have to use my own shallow knowledge without google. It's quite alarming how little I know when I'm disconnected...