I bought a USB hub on eBay about a month ago. It cost about a buck. When I realized it was being shipped from China, I knew it was gonna take a while.

Which is why I was temporarily taken aback when I got a package from Zhangzhou today. You know, Pantuo. It's in Zhangpu County. In Zhanhzhou, Fujian. In China.

I don't know why I'm so amused by this little package, which came without any receipt or anything. I just know it cost ¥016.80 to ship, which, if I did the currency conversion correctly, is $2.46.

Maybe I'm just amused that we live in a world in which we can so easily buy cheap crap direct from China. Without using a middle man, a month later, it'll actually show up at my office in a funky envelope. I mean, I know that most of the stuff I buy comes from China, but it's never this direct. To the best of my knowledge, I've never received any personal mail from this far away. (And yes, I know I'm contributing to the trade deficit. But it's just $1.)

Hey, I'll take anything I can get. It's a Monday morning.

Anyway, we'll see how long -- if at all -- my $1 USB hub works. My expectations are low, but $1 is a very small price to pay for a little blog fodder today. Win-win from Chen Wenhui. Thank you, sir, you'll get a positive eBay feedback.