Via Gridskipper, we learn that The Observer has singled out some of the world's top hotels, calling them the "Magnificent seven: icons of modern hotel design." A Shanghai property, of course, makes the list: more ›

• Ever wonder why Zhang Ziyi speaks English so fast and always makes her sentences rhyme?
• ".cn" is the new favorite suffix for web addresses in China. And Chinese consider Google to be the best search engine, although more people still use Baidu. Oh, and China now has 111 million internet users. And 14 percent of youths in Shanghai are addicted to the internet.
• Japan has turned manhole covers into works of art. Not a bad idea.