It had been a long time since I last went to the cinema. The previous Saturday, I finally went to see the Chinese film 《欢迎来龙餐馆》. I came away feeling it was well worth watching.
Beyond the story, it also made me think about my own experience building websites for overseas audiences. Somehow, even a trip to the movies brought an old work mistake to mind.
From a Film to Arabic Website Localization
The film sparked a little more interest in Arab culture. Having worked on an Arabic-language website, I found myself paying more attention to the language and cultural details.
I had previously made a rather basic assumption when building Arabic pages. I was so used to left-aligned Chinese and English layouts that I insisted on keeping the same layout for Arabic content.
But Arabic is primarily written from right to left, and the page needs to accommodate that reading direction and the corresponding alignment. As W3C explains, the appropriate base direction should be set with dir="rtl". Simply aligning text to the right is not a substitute for setting its direction.
Looking back, I had changed the language without really considering how someone would read the page.
Around that time, I also noticed fewer visits from Arabic-speaking countries. I suspect the reading experience may have been one contributing factor, but I never tested that hypothesis, so I cannot attribute the traffic change to the layout alone.
It was a useful reminder: a multilingual website needs more than translated words. It needs to fit the way its audience reads and uses it.
Switching from the TV to an iPad Changed the Experience
More recently, I watched 《年会不能停2》 at home on the television through Apple TV. I did not finish it in one sitting, so I continued on my iPad later.
Same film, different screen, noticeably different experience. On the iPad, something felt missing. I still enjoyed it more on the big screen.
That is simply my personal preference. A tablet is convenient, but when I want to settle in and really watch a film, I prefer the TV—or the sense of immersion I get at the cinema.
Which Brought My NAS Wishlist Back
After these two viewing experiences, I started wanting a NAS again.
At the moment, I am interested in a ready-made four-bay NAS from 飞牛 (Feiniu), with a system drive and two 4 TB hard drives. My rough budget for the whole setup is around RMB 5,000.
That is my own planning estimate. I have not settled on a specific model, and it is not a confirmed purchase price. When I am ready to buy, I will check the configuration and price of the NAS, system drive, and hard drives individually.
The appeal is mostly the chance to gradually improve my home movie setup. Watching on a big screen has renewed my interest in making time for films.
For now, it stays on the wishlist. Hopefully, I can put the setup together before the end of the year.
Sometimes, being able to settle down and enjoy a film after work is plenty to be happy about.
