Here's the newest online trend: Rainbows after the storm. MSN China has launched a campaign encouraging Chinese Net users to show sympathy for people in the quake zone by changing their MSN signatures to show a rainbow, Danwei reports.  MSN says the rainbow symbolizes hope: "We believe there is always a rainbow after the wind and rain."

    The icon has stolen the spotlight from the much-publicized symbol of a heart followed by the word "China", an instant-messaging MSN/QQ campaign embraced by millions of Netizens eager to show their patriotism in the wake of protests in Europe against the Olympic torch relay. Here's how Shanghailist covered the "(L) China" campaign at the time.

    Today Chinese Netizens are also buzzing about strange coincidences linked to the number "8", considered auspicious by many Chinese. So lucky is the number ba (meaning 'eight'), which rhymes with fa (which can mean 'to get rich'), that Beijing authorities chose 8:08 PM on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008 to launch the Olympic Games' opening ceremony.

      Turns out that the dates of China's record snow storm on Jan. 25, the eruption of violent riots in Lhasa on March 14, and the Sichuan earthquake of May 12 all appear to have a connection to eight -- add the numerals of the dates of each event (month plus day) and each total is eight. The earthquake also erupted 88 days before the Games. We've blogged on the significance of eight before, but Asians aren't the only ones to link the number with luck (or lack of it). Haven't you ever felt you were "behind the 8 ball"?