Author Archives: Ben

About Ben

Ben Hwang is involved in a number of online publications and also writes at his personal blog, LUX.ET.UMBRA. When he's not in the middle of starting companies and dreaming up new ventures, he is heavily involved in local community efforts. Currently resides in North Carolina.

Weather Channel ex-host Bob Stokes caught in sexual harassment case

Posted on May 14, 2008 by Ben

The former meteorologist for the Weather Channel, Bob Stokes, had a thing for womanizing according to court documents filed by an ex-cohost, Hillary Andrews. I have to say that I happen to be a Weather Channel junkie and I remember … Continue reading →

Posted in WTF | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Deaths feared at five thousand in China 7.8 quake

Posted on May 12, 2008 by Ben

Near Chengdu, China in the Sichuan province, a 7.8 earthquake struck. After shocks were felt all over the country as news spread like wildfire across world news. People everywhere evacuated out to the streets since it is said to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Why American Chinese cuisine isn’t exactly Chinese

Posted on May 9, 2008 by Ben

Have you ever noticed how Americanized Chinese food, really isn’t so Chinese? I’ve found that interestingly enough, the food is… well, coarsely made. I’m not really sure how else to put it, but a lot of it is bigger, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, Observations | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

How anime and manga has infiltrated Western culture

Posted on May 7, 2008 by Ben

I remember back in the day, in junior high, when I thought about how strange it was that the great comic book series, Dragonball Z and City Hunter were not available for purchase in the United States except through imports. … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Observations | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Ninja Warrior: The United States needs a Sasuke

Posted on May 2, 2008 by Ben

The Japanese have some of the craziest shows ever. Distributed by Monster9 whom eventually did Viking: The Ultimate Obstacle Course. And you know it’s definitely a big deal if ESPN picked up US distribution rights for Viking. G4 picked up … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Kaneshiro to be cast in Onimusha film

Posted on May 1, 2008 by Ben

The Onimusha series for Sony’s Playstation 2 has had a wide following including the fan girls of Takeshi Kaneshiro. And it seems that with the movie in pre-production status currently, there are few things that we know except for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Korean Air targets you by your surname

Posted on April 30, 2008 by Ben

I thought it was a one time deal. Seriously. The first time I totally overlooked it. But two barrages of snail mail junk is absolutely annoying. Korean Air has been pumping their US marketing up in the six months. Just … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations, WTF | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Feng shui on a mobile?

Posted on April 23, 2008 by Ben

When I saw this “lucky Dragon” phone. I about dropped my jaw. First three words that came out were: “Are you serious?” In hindsight, I probably should have gone with “Are you silly-us?” but all jokes aside, this mobile phone … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyles, Technology, WTF | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Does the 80-20 initiative uses spamming tactics?

Posted on April 6, 2008 by Ben

The 80-20 Initiative is one that claims to want to pull all asian americans as a swing block for voting and is nonpartisan and… well… yadda yadda. That’s great and all, and I’m glad they’re looking to have Asians vote. … Continue reading →

Posted in WTF | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Immigrants just want to blend into the crowd

Posted on March 29, 2008 by Ben

Interesting conversation I had with a friend of mine. I had asked why he spoke American English without an accent since he was taught in the style of British proper as are pretty much all Asians that immigrate to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations | Tagged , | 23 Comments

The next evolution of pen twirling

Posted on March 25, 2008 by Ben

I don’t care where you learned it or how. It seems that at some point, there was probably an Asian involved, wasn’t there? Pen twirling that is. Don’t deny it. You were in awe when you first saw it and … Continue reading →

Posted in Observations | 8 Comments

Conversation with Kina Grannis

Posted on March 24, 2008 by Ben

A while back, I got the chance to interview the lovely Kina Grannis, on behalf of 8Asians. She is one of Interscope’s newest artists ever since winning the Dorito’s Crash the Superbowl contest. The conversation itself covers everything from some … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Music | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments