But in general, Astrill has been causing a lot of problems recently, as have ExpressVPN and VyprVPN. Astrill is completely uncommunicative on Apple products, which is a bite to a lot of people here at my institution. I’m not so sure about the others working on Apple, but I know that a lot of PCs and Androids are also having problems. So far, Astrill is working just fine on my PC, but not all the time on my Samsung DuoS phone and not at all on my IPad.
Astrill says it is attempting to update an app for use in Asia, but we’ll see how it goes. To be honest, I don’t know a lot of VPNS that work well on IOS systems at any time.
Living in Henan, we are kind of in the middle of some of China’s worst pollution. If you look at the Air Pollution map, you’ll see that Zhengzhou tends to run parallel with Shanghai and Beijing for some of the most hazardous conditions for people’s health. This is due in no small part to the fact that many foreign companies have built factories in Zhengzhou, such as Apple (yes, we saw the iPhone 6 first! 😛 ) Having watched skyscrapers literally disappear feet in front of me on the really bad days, I can say that it is definitely horrible to try to be outside in. The city looks like a ghost time about half the time because of the smoky look and the abandoned cast that it gives to all the buildings.
So, I’m pretty excited about this news! Some people said that our numbers actually went down so maybe this will really work 🙂 That would be completely awesome! **DB
A truck loaded with a massive aerosol gun is seen ejecting water spray at Zhengzhou, capital city of central China’s Henan province on January 5, 2015. An operator says the carrier with a capacity of 10 tons of water can eject spray particles for 75 minutes. He added that the water spray can effectively relieve the haze weather in the area by dissolving the pollution particles and dust in the air. The anti-smog tool is said to cost 800,000 yuan. [Photo: tencent.com] . . .
Life abroad has many, many benefits for foreigners to reap – great food, cheaper cost of living, easy travel. It also comes with slow internet speed in many places (just too many people online at once), and lots of online threats (the sheer technological ability of the people even in my student body is mind-boggling.) This is why I always work with a VPN (virtual private network), in fact I use one in the US too.
I like the security a VPN offers from those with bad intentions towards my laptop.
A VPN can satisfy the need for speed and security for me- the internet system here at my university is A. slow as heck (yes my VPN makes my laptop faster here for some reason) and B. filled with hackers and viruses waiting for me to seek them out. A VPN can help keep you fast and safe. Sometimes. Depending on which VPN you choose.
I just hate the feeling that I’m that at risk to viruses, and I’d been using a VPN in the States to help combat malware and data theft. I didn’t want to travel abroad and leave myself at risk to scams or bad people sneaking into my computer. I’ve heard good things about VyperVPN which runs at about $80/year for 1 device or $100/year for 2 device. Another one recommended to be was ExpressVPN which runs at about $100/year for 1 device and 1 phone/ipad. However, after some consideration, I decided to run with Astrill, recommended to me for its price and easy usability.
After more than 5 months as an Astrill user, I thought I would offer you a report on how it’s going.
Price: $70/year + $60/year for use on 5 devices (covers my whole family, phones, laptops, iPad, and more).
Review: The price was one of the lower ends of the group, especially if you want a family plan. Honestly, I’m still paying a surprising amount, but it isn’t too terrible. I get StealthVPN (a safer option) free if I tweet an ad for Astrill every month, which is nice. One problem I ran into is that I attempted to pay Astrill in August, only to find out in October that despite having a confirmation number, the bill was unpaid. I tried a second time only to find out the same again. Their payment system kid of sucks. Conversely, they didn’t shut off my program for any of the mess though, so that was a plus.
Installation: Easy (sort of)
Review: Installation is pretty easy. You set up an account with username and password and then download the program. It’s all fairly straightforward. There was a problem with my first installation because it screwed up the Proxy Settings on my computer so that NOTHING worked. I took it to the resident tech expert and he fixed it in about a second. Something about DNS servers not responding. Not ashamed to admit I don’t know what went wrong, just that it was easily fixed.
Use: Easy
The program is extremely easy to use as long as it is working. It automatically signs you in, you pick your server from a drop down list, and it connects you right up. If you want to see what server is the fastest, go to Help-> Test Speed and just test all the servers. I recommend using a server from the USA if you want to access all US websites. Remember that if you want to use websites not available in the US like Youku or Tudou you need to use a Chinese server.
Access: Scattered and Bumpy
The technology is easy to use but works sporadically and is highly unreliable. Unfortunately, they failed to tell me until after I paid that Astrill rarely works on Apple Products right now. Something about IOS 7 and IOS 8 not being compatible. Astrill keeps dropping off on my iPad and often fails to work at all. On my laptop, it is often extremely slow, even if I use multiple different servers or if the speed test says it is fast. I have had repeated days when it simply didn’t work at all. I also got a pretty snotty email about a week ago on CHRISTMAS EVE!?! telling me that they “detected suspicious movement” and were freezing my account. Given that this was my only way to contact my family in America (one of the reasons I had Astrill), I was not impressed. Upon responding to them, I was told that I was changing servers too many times. 0_0 well duh! I purchased a product that now rarely works and only then if I test out several different servers. I wasn’t amused. That said, when it works it does pretty good. I don’t really have any trouble accessing Facebook or Youtube videos when it is working. It helps if you have a fast internet connection cause Astrill can slow you down. My mom’s internet connection is pretty week and Astrill OFTEN stops working at all for her regardless of the server chosen. Continue reading
Students at the Wushu Festival in the Henan Shaolin Temple. The students work tirelessly to become this good.
“筷子兄弟-小苹果”, sound recording administered by:
Prodigee Media Sdn Bhd (Music)
SIAS International University’s Freshman Candle-Lighting Ceremony was the other night. This song is very, very popular right now at weddings, clubs, parties,etc. So the university clubs, students, and workers got together and put together a dance video to welcome in the Freshmen. So Awesome!!!!
“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city” ~ Roman Payne
Language Translation
![20141012_133908[1]](https://deceptivelyblonde.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/20141012_1339081.jpg)
Deceptively Blonde 