Did I imagine it?

I ring Joe’s phone via SKYPE twice a day.  Yesterday, I was griping to him about the medicine problem. The phone went dead.  It’s not unusual for connections to be interrupted, so I called back. All I got were buzzes and crackles.  When I tried again, there were echoing noises like the ones in a Halloween haunted houses, and an ominous voice spoke in Chinese. 

After this, my computer stopped having sound, and I couldn’t listen to music or broadcasts on NPR. A message on SKYPE said I had to attach a microphone, which was curious, since the microphone I use is built in.  When I did troubleshooting, I was referred to Microsoft. The technician I “chatted” with thought I might need a new audio driver, whatever that is. She offered to sell me a “convenient” maintenance package for $150, but when she learned I was in China, she said there was a different one used here, and it cost $20. When I declined both, she agreed to send me “complimentary” instructions but never did.

A couple of times that day, I shut down and restarted my computer, but I still didn’t have any sound.  I shut the computer down in the evening before teaching my class, and when I came back, the system updated, and I could hear sound. SKYPE was working, and NPR was audible.

Now was this simply a case of a computer needing an update, or was it something more sinister?

China is said to abound with experts in “information control” who examine communication. I think this is probably true.  My Yahoo and Mason accounts go down periodically, which is why I use both. I cannot attach a Word file like this one to either, though I can attach images.

 

“Nonsense!” says one of my colleagues. “We have too many people in China for them to pay any attention. The government is not so efficient. Especially now. It is hot.”

 

Am I a trifle paranoid ( a common symptom of culture shock), or is my friend in denial?