Law and ICT

ROBOT*

2012-01-29T16:42:00.000-08:00

Noong bata pa ako, isa lang hinahanap ko sa palengke o sa mall. Robot.

Tanungin mo kahit ang sinumang lalaki kung ano ang paboritong laruan niya sa pagkabata, iikot lang ang sagot niya sa kotse, baril o robot. Ang saya maglaro ng robot talaga. Ang saya galawin ng braso at binti niyang gawa sa metal habang pinalilipad sa ere at pinapapaputok ang ilang armas na nakadikit sa katawan niya. Ang saya kumalikot ng iba’t ibang parteng bumubuo sa kanyang katawan at pagpalit-palitin upang baguhin ang kayang gawin ng robot. Parang bata pa rin ako hanggang ngayon na wala pa ring palya ang pagkamangha sa kahit anong uri ng robot.

Kaya naman sobrang lupit talaga ng mga sumasali sa paligsahan ng robotics.

Kamakailan lamang ay idinaos ang 2012 National Robotics Competition sa siyudad ng San Juan sa Maynila na nilahukan ng iba’t ibang paaralan at estudyante. Gagawa ang bawat kalahok ng programa para sa kanilang mga sari-sariling robot kits at iaakma sa iba’t ibang kategorya ng paligsahan. Tatlo ang kategorya sa paligsahan: Sumobot, Line Tracing, at Prison Break. Basahin mo pa lang ang mga ito hindi mo mapigilan ang panggigigil sa kung ano ang makikita mong gagawin ng mga robot ng mga kasali. At hindi biro ang papremyo. Bukod sa salapi, ang mga mananalong grupo ay itatayo ang bandila ng Pilipinas sa 2012 International Robot Olympiad sa South Korea.

Naiisip ko, isang paraan ang robot para magtakda ng malalim na pagbabago sa pag-aaral ng Pilipinong mag-aaral.

Paano? Iabot mo ang isang robot kit sa isang musmos na paslit na naninirahan sa liblib na lugar sa malayong probinsya sa Pilipinas. Iniaabot mo sa kanya ang isang bagay na magbubukas ng walang katapusang posibilidad sa kanyang hinaharap. Isa itong libro na magtuturo sa kanya ng mga problema sa siyensya o matematika. Isa itong ID na nagpapakilala sa kanya sa iba’t ibang tao at magbibigay daan sa pagbubuo ng mga bagong relasyon at pagkakaibigan. Higit sa lahat, isa itong susi upang siya ay makalaya mula sa kapaligiran niyang hinahadlangan ang kanyang pag-usad sa pait ng buhay. Sapagkat ang edukasyon ay dapat ikinakabit sa isang bagay na walang hirap na pumupukaw sa isip at puso ng mag-aaral magpatuloy at magpursige.

Sino bang aayaw mag-aral habang nagpapagalaw ng robot?

*Iniaalay ko ito sa aking mga kaibigan sa hayskul sa UP Integrated School (UPIS) na binigyan ako ng pagkakataon tunghayan ang mundo ng robotics. Sana isinama nila ako sa International Robot Olympiad noon.

Aldan S. Avila, Entry No. 7

Lola Techie, ikaw na!

2012-01-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

I always envied my nephews. They have my parents, their grandparents,who, without a doubt, spoil them. Toys,trips, favors, anything they want that their parents won’t get them, thegrandparents definitely will. I neverhad a grandparent. They all left beforeI was even in my parents’ plans. Anyway, I often imagined what my grandparentswere, what they could have been, and what I want them to be if they were stillalive. Then I see this ISP advertisementof Lola Techie pulling off a gaming strategy with a “Huli ka boy!” and at thatmoment I knew I want a lola like her.

Who’s this Lola Techie? I know she’sjust a made-up advertisement character, but I really don’t care, I likeher. So, I Googled her up and found her Facebook page. On the self-description panel of her page, itsays she’s a mother of six and a grandmother of sixteen. She likes chatting, playing on-line games,surfing, blogging, and going to Youtube. Cool right. Then I remember thiswhole-page newspaper advertisement of her, years ago, it was a message for hergrandchildren, giving them advises on everything- career, school, love life. I remember this advertisement quite vividlybecause it was written in chat-speak. Back then, I really am chat-speak illiterate. My friends and I usually type the normal way,spelling out everything, thus my “illiteracy”. I did not understand the message. I had to consult the net to decryptthe message. It was fun, actually.

I think it would be really cool to havea granny like her. Someone totroubleshoot my internet connection, send me links to hilarious videos, help mewith my research, or even play RPG games with me, but without the “Huli kaboy!” stunt please. I’m a gaming noob as I am. Anyway, getting back to reality, I see my parents, aunts and uncles, mynephews’ grandparents on Facebook playing all those Facebook Applications. And I realize, wait, Lola Techie isreal! And if I were asked to submit anentry for the new tourism campaign, I’d say “Gaming is more fun in thePhilippines” with a hashtag Lola Techie.

BTW, I also found this. FYI.

What comes after terabyte?

 8 Bits = 1 Byte
 1024 Bytes = 1 Kilobyte

 1024 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte

 1024 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte

 1024 Gigabytes = 1 Terabyte

 1024 Terabytes = 1 Petabyte

 1024 Petabytes = 1 Exabyte

 1024 Exabytes = 1 Zettabyte

 1024 Zettabyte = 1 Zottabyte

 1024Zottabyte = 1 Brontobyte - that is a 1 followed by 27 zeroes

Maricor Estrella, Blog Entry #6

Meralco Prepaid

2012-01-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

While watching the news, one of the banner stories I saw was that Meralco is set to launch its prepaid services soon. I did some Googling and found that the Meralco prepaid-electricity scheme works like the mobile-phone loading system. A consumer provides a sari-sari store or any prepaid outlet his subscriber information number and the amount is loaded to that number via text message.

Meralco conducted a study and found that most of customers showed their preference for prepaid electricity, saying the managed appliance use matched their household expense with their income.

The said research also showed that the prepaid system, which is like buying tingi, is ingrained in the Filipino lifestyle. The study noted that, since many wage earners receive daily or weekly pay, they prefer their expenses—from mobile phones to Internet and electricity —to be also on a tingi basis. It was also revealed that consumers were interested in the prepaid system because it serves as a budget tool that teaches household members to save and share expenses.

I personally think it’s a great mechanism in order to make electricity more widely available (since Meralco will be rolling out around 4,000 new meters for this project); affordable for most people, since a prepaid system can really help in budgeting the household income; and, easily accessible because anytime one needs electricity, all she/he needs to do is go to the suking tindahan and say “Pa-load nga po ng kuryente!”

Agnes M. Santiago, Entry #6

Google to users: You’re Mine!

2012-01-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

When I go online, my homepage is usually set on Google. I like Google for two reasons. One is because of its simple appearance. It’s just a logo and search box. No fuss, no worries. Two is it a reliable search engine. Compared to Yahoo’s search, Google, most of the time, hits the things I needed to search. It is much broader, more comprehensive and usually faster.

I happened to observe this note by Google when I went online.

Out of curiosity, I clicked on the link. And this page appeared…

Apparently, Google is simplifying all of its privacy policies of all of its products into one single policy. I am not a tech expert but this is how I understand this – Google is combining all of its net properties into one single umbrella so it would be easy to move from one Google property to the other. Under this, Google properties like Search, Gmail, Google maps, Google+, YouTube and Android mobile, along with 60 others will be merged into one single product experience.

So what’s wrong with this? Well, any information or data a user would give to one of those sites will be shared by all of them. And since almost all of the internet population uses Google and its products, everyone is affected.

According to online newspaper The Guardian, users cannot opt out of the new Google policy. The Guardian stressed, “Information about your YouTube choices might affect the Google search results you get, and your Google Maps usage might affect what ads you see the next time you search. Google will soon have a massive, all-inclusive database of your most private information, from your political leanings to your searches for prescription drugs. And there's nothing you can do about it, short of giving up your Google habit.”

Twitter, Facebook and Myspace have openly criticized this blatant attack on internet privacy. These sites have launched a campaign called Don't Be Evil to counter any attempt by the search engine to skew results towards one of its products.

How does it affect me? I have a gmail account and Google’s search is always a tool for me to traverse the internet. Other than these two services, all other products of Google are unnecessary to me. Therefore, whatever information I share in search and gmail is likely to spread to all other Google sites which I do not follow much less I am aware of. If the new privacy policy takes effect, it is easier to know the identity of a person on the amount of information he puts in the internet.

The new Google policy is set to take effect on March 1, 2012. It will be interesting to see how this agenda unfolds and how the online community will react to this new policy considering almost everyone will be affected.

Christopher P. Columna, Entry # 6

One Laptop Per Child

2012-01-26T07:49:00.000-08:00

I recently came across an advertisement on TV about free laptop computers being given to young Filipino students. The laptops looked quite different and appear to have been custom-built for children. I was curious so I searched the net, hoping to find more information. It turns out that the ad is about a global project called One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). The project is an initiative of a US-based non-profit organization, having the same name as the project, created by MIT faculty members. OLPC aims to provide children in different parts of the world with rugged, low-cost, low-power, and ecological laptops to make learning more interactive and fun.

Called “XO,” the laptops were designed with children in mind. XO laptops are small, light, and capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions. They’re energy-efficient and have sun-light readable display screens. Other hardware specifications include: 1 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of flash storage, video camera, water -proof keyboard, 5-cell battery which lasts for about 16 hours, and WiFi connectivity. There is no hard disk, but the flash storage is upgradable to 32GB. XO laptops operate on a Linux-based operating system, which come with a collection of educational tools and software for kids, such as: calculator, games, puzzles, chat, journal, measuring tools, paint and drawing, e-book, recorder, music, word processing, and even a Wiki-Browser. Particularly interesting is the capability of the XO laptop to directly connect to another XO, using wireless peer-to-peer technology. This is possible even without routers or the internet.

The laptop is priced at around $200 per laptop (around Php 6,800). OLPC sells the XO laptops to different governments around the world. In the Philippines, the first recipients of the XO are grade 4 students in Lubang, Mindoro. The laptops were secured through the efforts of their mayor, an NGO, and numerous private donors.

OLPC goes a step further than just providing the hardware and software; under the project, it is the child, and not the school, who gets to own the laptop itself. This is commendable and I fully support the project. I once taught high school students and I know how excited they are and eager to learn whenever computers are used to aid in the discussion of the subject matter. However, I believe that computers are just that – they are tools to facilitate learning. They shouldn’t be considered as substitutes for discussing ideas in class, hitting the books, or interacting with schoolmates outside the classroom or the home. I hope that the students who got XO laptops realize this. I hope they truly learn and have fun learning.

Carlos Manuel Prado, Entry # 6

Will you eat the marshmallow?

2012-01-26T07:35:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, during Victory service, I saw this funny video of kids trying their very best to resist eating a marshmallow:

The “marshmallow experiment” involved kids who were given a marshmallow but were told that if they wait for a few more minutes and not eat that marshmallow, they will be given another. This is what American psychologist Dr. Walter Mischel did more than 40 years ago to test the willpower of children and understand the development of deferred gratification, or the ability to wait before obtaining something that one wants, among children. Some children were able to control themselves and not eat the marshmallow, while others did not.

I found out that after 40 years, a follow-up study was conducted among the same children, who were now adults. The adults were divided in two groups: high-delayers (those who resisted eating the marshmallow then) and the low-delayers (those who did not). Then, the groups were exposed to two tests. In the first test, the participants were shown a series of faces and were asked to press a button only when a face of one gender was shown. This test revealed no significant differences between the two groups. In the second test, the participants were shown a happy or frightened face and were asked to push a button when they saw one but not the other. The happy faces took the place of the marshmallow as the “reward” in the experiment. The researchers expected that the low delayers will have trouble in refraining to push the button if they see happy faces, even when they were not supposed to.

What is interesting about the experiment is that the researchers found out that the same differences in the ability to defer gratification remained in the participants now that they are adults. In other words, the children who ate the marshmallow are the ones likely to have trouble in “pressing the button” as adults. The study is important in understanding self-control and responding to temptations, especially when they see something they think is rewarding for them.

Now, what does this all mean to us?

We all have been in situations wherein we acted based on impulse especially when we are enticed to something extraordinary or unexpected: we go on a sudden shopping spree when we see the red and white SALE sign on or we overeat when food choices are always mouth-watering, among other things. But I think, whenever these situations arise, I will be reminded of this experiment. To resist the temptations, I will always remind myself, “I will not eat the marshmallow!”

Angeli I. Serapio, Entry #6

Made in China

2012-01-26T06:36:00.000-08:00

An article came out yesterday (Putting a Human Cost on the iPad by Steven Musil) about the death of four employees due to the explosion of a factory in China that makes parts for the many Apple devices such as the iPad. Apparently, this isn’t the first explosion of this kind, and dozens have already been injured in the past year alone. It also tells the story of Lai Xiaodong, a 22 year old degree holder who moved to China and ended up working for one of these manufacturing hubs as a repairman with a salary of only $22 a day—far less than minimum wage. And although Apple’s Supplier Code of Conduct states that plant workers are not to work for more than 60 hours a week, it wasn’t long before Lai was working 12 hours a day, six days a week. To make matters worse, housing arrangements weren’t exactly standard. At the end of the day, Lai would come home to a room that was just big enough to house his bed. But even then, he is considered fortunate since most others had to be crammed in company dorm rooms where there was hardly enough room to sleep.

Taking into consideration that Apple reported $13 Billion in profits earlier this year, it makes you wonder what that amount is truly worth. And although I cant say that I don’t own an Apple computer and that I don’t love how it has made my life so much easier, nothing should ever be worth anybody else’s liberty, and even more so, his life.

Joni R. Gomez, Entry # 6

Applied Gadgetry Series: 11" MacBook Air

2012-01-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

If I had to choose one among my gadgets I would keep, I would say it's the 11" MacBook Air.

Best feature: It's literally lightweight but is powerful and durable, weighing only 2.38 lbs., but has the power of the new Intel Core i5 processor (which can be upgraded to i7) and DDR3 graphics memory.

I also like the glass Multi-Touch trackpad, which supports the many features of the OS X Lion. For example, one can 'swipe to navigate' like flipping pages in a notebook, 'swipe between full page applications,' expose all applications through 'mission control,' by just swiping of a certain number of fingers in a certain direction, depending on your set-up.

What I don't like about it is that while the display is quite impressive with the 384MB Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor in Air, but is nothing compared to the stunning high-definition of the MacBook Pro. This meant that Photoshop is a no-no. And, it's $1199, which means digging deep into one's pockets.

It's still my favorite though because it's perfect for general office and web applications and digital photos. And it's so easy to carry around with law books and case files.

Verdict: Power portable.

Photo from: Apple.com

Mary Rhauline Lambino, Entry No. 6

Bourne Legacy Mania

2012-01-26T06:11:00.000-08:00

I am just proud that Bourne Legacy is shooting some of its scenes in the Philippines. Or do I need to be proud? The reason why they chose Philippines might not be because the places are beautiful here but because they need a filthy place which the story requires. In any event, people around the selected places are happy because they see beautiful Hollywood faces. Some of the people will even play extra in the movie and get paid for it. Everybody just talks about the movie because everybody is so proud.
This is the reason why a lot of people would want to take a picture of the set especially a picture of the Hollywood stars. But taking pictures is being prohibited by the movie management because it is now so easy to disseminate such thru the internet and it might prejudice their movie. They don’t want to expose even a bit of the scenes.
Where is the marketing person of this movie? I want to give him one crucial fact. The movie will gain more interest from the people if some scenes will be exposed. Yes. It’s quite ironic. But people will love it especially Filipinos. They want to have a glimpse of the movie and their curiousness will set in. They would want to check out in the movie what they have seen in shooting. That is how a Filipino thinks. And more pictures from the shooting will bring more buzz to the public. That is publicity.
I am sure that Bourne Legacy will be supported by the Filipinos. Not only because some of the scenes were shot in the Philippines but also because of the publicity that people brought about.

Adrian Francis S. Bustos, Entry #5

Pondering Twitter

2012-01-26T06:02:00.000-08:00

Late last month, I needed to print a coupon from my young cousin’s computer. He forgot to sign out from his e-mail account and I was able to see (before I opened a new tab) that his latest batch of new e-mails were notifications from Twitter—he was being followed by x person, y person, z person, etc. You see my young cousin is a freshman in high school, meaning he is fourteen years old. And at the ripe old age of fourteen, while sheltered in a private school, he tweets about his “life” experiences. Things were just different when I was in high school. However, young or old, and sometimes even pets, have joined the world of tweeting, sharing to the world the nuggets of wisdom (we could only hope) or plain random thoughts in their daily lives.

Celebrities have obviously taken advantage of the ease of connecting with fans in 140 characters; though this doesn’t mean they are the most responsible in launching their opinions to society. To quote Joel Stein’s article published in Time: “So when celebrities got on Twitter, it was great. After years of publicist-vetted blandness, we got to read stars' unfiltered thoughts. Many of their personalities were just as big as we'd hoped. Alec Baldwin feuded with everyone; Ashton Kutcher befriended everyone; Gilbert Gottfried made fun of everyone; Kim Kardashian sold everyone.” Time also released a list of their top ten best tweets and top ten 10 worst tweets for the year 2011. Below is a sampling from each list. You be the judge under which one it falls.

First Lady Michelle Obama is one of the latest people that have joined the ranks of Twitter users. Last January 12, 2012, an account was created in her name, managed by a campaign staffer but personal tweets are signed with “mo.” Her tweets span various topics from promoting her advocacy (fighting child obesity) to her appearance in the Nickelodeon show, iCarly, to showing support for his husband’s address to the nation. In talking about Twitter, we mustn’t forget former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who managed to single-handedly ruin his political career buy tweeting a picture of his “weiner” to all his followers. He initially tried to explain that the release of the picture was the act of a hacker but the truth was revealed.

Twitter. It has its positive impact but it has its destructive effects. Some people go crazy about it, some dismiss it as a fad and some even create accounts for their pet dogs. A lot join the bandwagon, while some, like me, remain to be tweet-less. While it is true that there are quite a few that abuse the forum (tweeting almost every waking moment of their lives), my friend will forever be thanking Twitter for one waking moment of her life. Last Friday evening, she had a flat tire along EDSA. Her parents were out of coverage area and she didn’t know whom else to call. She decided to tweet, sending this general message of distress to the world that her car had ran a flat, and hope that at least 1 of her 218 followers will heed her call. And just for good measure, she tweeted @MMDA too. Luckily, a friend near her area responded and soon was on his way to help. Shortly before that MMDA’s Twitter account replied to her too asking for her whereabouts. She would’ve been stuck on a major thoroughfare at night, if not for this social media behemoth called Twitter. And while I still am currently out of Twitter, I just might change my mind, eventually.

Source: Time.com

Candice See

Entry # 6

Chronicles of the Anonymous: The SOPA episode

2012-01-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

…and piss off those hackers they did. These U.S. congressmen didn’t seriously think that Anonymous would let this one by so easily, did they?

SOPA or the Stop Online Piracy Act, and its Senate counterpart PIPA or the Protect Intellectual Property Act, have been the trending topic among netizens of late. Labeled by an overwhelming majority of net users as the “kill-the-internet” bill, its popularity or more appropriately-infamy- have driven the erstwhile politically apathetic global internet community to action. As succinctly put by this graph:

This would have been funny. Except that it wasn’t the least bit amusing for our hacktivists, the Anonymous. Of course, the non-hacktivists staged their own protests to the Bill. Wikipedia (to the chagrin of students worldwide) conducted a blackout-calling on the world to imagine a future without free knowledge. An estimated 7,000 other smaller websites followed suit- either through blackouts or posting protest messages on their pages.

How did Anonymous protest?

As one website puts it “Federal agents executed a crackdown on the files sharing website Megaupload on Thursday. The response, you could say, was not minor.” The entire article can be read here.

Almost immediately after feds shut down the immensely popular website, the biggest internet attack by the hacktivist collective was launched. First to fall was the U.S. Justice Department’s website. Others soon followed like the FBI, SOPA supporters such as the Universal Music Group, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and Broadcast Music, Inc.

What exactly was it about SOPA that drove Anonymous, and the entire internet community, up in arms?

to be continued..

Nathan J. Marasigan, Entry No. 6

In Google We Trust, Part 2

2012-01-26T03:13:00.000-08:00

Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

An update. Megaupload.com is dead. The Federal Government of the United States did not even need SOPA/PIPA. It killed the file sharing site in one fell swoop, and brought down similar sites with it. The chilling effect is in full force and effect. I feel stifled...and I miss watching my favorite television series. Sigh...

Anyway, as I was saying, I am not suprised content producers reacted the way they did when SOPA/PIPA died. To repeat, I bet what irks them the most is the fact that tech firms are beating them at their own game, a veritable old rich versus new rich situation. The former despises the latter for taking its privileged status away from it. In this fight, I count myself as being on the side of Google and company. It is more representative of the sentiments of my generation. But then, a thought came to mind. Is my decision to side with Google et al. a product of blind faith? Perhaps I have been on the wrong side all this time? Is my disdain for old corporate America preventing me from seeing that Google and the others are nothing but "old corporate America 2.0"?

These questions were brought about, ironically, by content from Murdock and gang, specifically, by a Simpsons episode entitled "Holidays of Future Passed." Here, we find grown-up Lisa looking for her daughter Zia in the "ultranet." As she was exploring the virtual landscape, the thought of using Google to find Zia occurred to her. She then proceeded to Google's domain. Upon coming, literally, face-to-face, with the search engine, she exclaimed: "Google, you have enslaved half the world, but you are still a damn fine search engine!"

Note: The image above does not belong to me. No copyright infringement intended. All rights revert back to the owner. Image sourced from http://selnd.com/tEJWM5.

Seemingly innocuous words, but what it really is is a social commentary on our over-reliance on Google and the latter's creeping entry into every facet of our lives. For instance, online we use Google products like Google Search, Gmail (with Google Contacts), Google Calendar, Gtasks, Google Docs, Google Maps and Navigation, Google+, YouTube, and Picasa. Google even has its own browser (which is what I'm using right now!) called Chrome. (Note: Chrome has become so popular as a browser that computer manufacturers decided to create netbooks built around it called "Chromebooks." No kidding.) Google's success in cyberspace emboldened it to expand outside of it. We can now bring it with us through our mobile devices thanks to Google's mobile operating system called "Android." Android has gone through several iterations, with the latest one being Android Ice Cream Sandwich. It's foray into mobile computing did not end with producing Android. In the past, Google partnered with HTC to produce the first Google phone called "G1." Today, we have the Samsung Nexus, Google's flagship Android phone, preloaded with, you guessed it, Android Ice Cream Sandwich. With Google's recent acquisition of Motorola Mobility, the air has been thick with rumors (and anticipation) that a Google tablet is just around the corner. And as if that is not enough, Google has been dabbling with NFC (near-field communication) technology, which will enable us to use our mobile devices to pay for goods and services. (Note: Of course with the help of another Google app, Google Wallet, which is, as its name suggests, a digital wallet. You can have a digital version of your credit card stored in your mobile device for the purpose of making payments.) But wait, there is more... Google has been trying to get into our living rooms as well. Have you guys heard of Google TV? Yes, it exists. Before, it was only available through television digital boxes like the Logitech Revue, but some television manufacturers like Sony are now producing models with Google TV already installed. With cyberspace, mobile devices, our finances and living rooms under its belt, what is next for Google? Google Fiber! Ultra high-speed broadband made possible by fiber optics. The project's test city is Kansas in Texas, United States. In other words, from individuals to families and businesses, Google is now focusing on full-blown communities.

Note 1: The video above does not belong to me. No copyright infringement intended. All rights revert back to the owner. Video sourced from http://bit.ly/vCf7dk.

Note 2: The smart phone featured above is the Motorola Droid Razr. Although it runs Android, it is not Google's phone. The current manufacturer of the Google phone is Samsung, and the phone is called "Samsung Nexus."

Should we be afraid?

Google's competitors, both direct and indirect, seem to be; hence Murdock et al.'s disdain for the tech firm. In the European Union, Google is facing anti-trust raps initiated by Microsoft. According to the Windows maker, Google has been abusing its dominant position in the market for web search services, to the detriment of fair competition. Put simply, whenever one searches for a product or service using Google's very popular search engine, it is alleged that the same always places on top of the search results Google's products and services, and this, according to Microsoft, is unfair business practice. Albeit indirectly, Apple has joined what seems to be a growing anti-Google bandwagon. It has been on a war path, suing manufacturers that carry the Android platform for patent infringement. Samsung has been receiving the brunt of Apple's attention. Samsung was sued by Apple in Germany for patent infringement, and for a while Samsung was disallowed from marketing and selling their Android tablets there. Only recently was the injunction lifted. Lately, Google has been drawing flack for its updated privacy policies, reminiscent of the commotion the company created when it first introduced Google Maps with Street View.

Note: The video above does not belong to me. No copyright infringement intended. All rights revert back to the owner. Video sourced from http://bit.ly/zYwI6l.

How about us consumers? Should we be afraid? Of Google? Honestly, I do not know the answer to that. All I know is that there is no substitute for vigilance. Google's ubiquity and the convenience that it introduced into our lives should not lull us into believing that Google is not a corporation for profit with economic interests to promote and to protect. The moment we let ourselves believe otherwise is the moment we come one step closer to Lisa Simpson's future and Sen. Amidala's senate-related nightmare.

Note: The video above does not belong to me. No copyright infringement intended. All rights revert back to the owner. Video sourced from http://bit.ly/pKsMy4.

--Jan Nicklaus S. Bunag, Entry No. 6

Remembering Ondoy and Facebook bashing of MMDA. :)

2012-01-26T00:31:00.000-08:00

After Bashing DPWH, let me take a shot at the MMDA. I have a lot of hate to spread. Haha. Marcos Highway, where I unwillingly spend a good number of hours per day, is not only covered with potholes and uneven asphalt with the traffic severely mismanaged, but did you (meaning MMDA) notice the incessant flooding? Hello RA 7924 Section 3! Please introduce yourselves to the officers of this prestigious organization. You might have been forgotten amidst the politicking and the printing of tarps with their faces on with people’s money.

After a few hours of rain, our area already gets inches of rainwater. This is an ACTUAL picture of the severity of the flooding problem:

Can you see the brown area? That is actual water. This is not photoshopped. I would really die early of a high blood pressure if I go through this day in and day out. NAG MODE ON.

There have been conspiracy theories that the Ondoy problem was not a result of force majeure but rather a result of a number of bad choices made in a panic at the same time. I think it was a little bit of both. We were Ondoy victims. I had to physically wade through chest deep water to get to my house which was already flooded and a couple of hours of rain after, it was already more than halfway through the first floor of the house.

I went home very tired during a nonrushhour hour and was smacked in the face with a flooded pothole-ridden road with jeeps stopping everywhere and MMDAs smoking on the corner of the malls talking to their kumpares. The sad thing is, nobody is honking their horns. Nobody cares anymore. People who live there are jaded since they are used to a 45-minute wait for 300 meter distances. Not me. I’ll be grinding my teeth till I get old. Call me a sap. Maybe I trust too much in people, I expect more from them and when they fail me, I really am floored.

MMDA, in a nutshell, you suck. Please fix the problem of the messy U-Turns, stop WAITING for people to mess up before you collect their drivers licenses or worse, kotong money. Assist them, don’t wait, for the drivers to mess up. Also, don’t let your jeepney driver friends stop wherever they want. Millions of tax money is spent on these commuter sheds for a reason.

By Trisha Isabelle F. Fernandez Entry #06

NICE ONE, WIKIPEDIA. . .

2012-01-25T22:42:00.000-08:00

This is in connection with my last blog where I questioned the ghost protocols of online commerce and the lack of clear rules governing the Internet.

It looks like we’re seeing movement on various fronts in this regard.

First, the US Congress’ SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) were put on hold. The bills sought to end online piracy by restricting access and payment of those sites which purportedly violate intellectual property rights (read: torrents, streaming movies, downloading music, software etc.)

Both bills, which were filed last year, used to enjoy bipartisan support and were quietly debated in both houses. They were about to be voted on when many of the legislations' backers ‘changed their minds’ amidst public outcry, online and offline.

To my delight, last January 18, information (boring) giant Wikipedia and Reddit went on blackouts to protest the bills. If passed, they said the bills would strike at the very heart of the free and open Internet. Fever pitch protesters took to the streets of New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington. Google gathered 7 million anti-SOPA and PIPA through a link on their homepage. Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, lashed against SOPA and PIPA and described them as ‘poorly thought out’.

http://www.qrcodepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Wikipedia-SOPA-2012-Blackout.jpg

http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2012/0118-sopa-pipa-protests.jpg/11493274-1-eng-US/0118-SOPA-PIPA-protests.jpg_full_380.jpg

What we have is a long due clash of titans of the old guard and the values of a generation who grew up streaming everything online. For free!

The shelving of SOPA and PIPA may have hurt their legislative viability, but it doesn’t mean the warriors of IP rights would take things sitting down. Last Friday, authorities arrested ‘Kim Dotcom’ the founder of Megaupload and shut down his website. Megaupload is a file-sharing site that is said to have cost copyright holders $620 million in lost revenues due to pirated material. A few days ago, Kim was denied bail.

(Considering the lack of public outcry on this arrest, maybe it would be better for authorities to invoke existing laws and run after individual founders instead of crafting new and grand legislation susceptible to the ‘Occupy Wallstreet’ crowd.)

In a new twist to the series, there has been buzz as of late that another website is set to replace the defunct Megaupload. Registered in Russian, AnonyUpload, is set to debut Friday and authorities are interested how it will catch on.

Let’s see what will happen next. Things could only be starting to heat up. This high drama and action could rival my afternoon Coronavelas.

Diana Lutgarda P. Bonilla, Entry #6

And she's back..

2012-01-25T22:16:00.000-08:00

After being absent in the first week of the impeachment trial of the beleaguered Chief Justice Corona of the Supreme Court, the feisty Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago is back on again to give more drama and excitement to the tedious trial.

On her first day, Sen. Santiago with her usual professor like manner lashed back at Ilo-ilo representative and chief public prosecutor Neil Tupas for coming unprepared. The scene will remind any law student of a professor cornering a student winging his way out of a recitation that he has not prepared on. It is almost like watching a classmate being put on a scalding hot seat, naturally bringing back worst (even disturbing) law school memories of bad recitations.

The patience of Sen. Santiago started to run low when she asked both the defence and the prosecution to submit the lists of their witnesses and documentary evidence to determine the length of the trial. Apparently, Rep.Tupas had said that he had to consult first with the rest of the House Panel while Justice Cuevas easily gave a straight answer that they will be presenting 15 witnesses and 23 marked documentary evidence, marking the obvious difference as to the level of preparedness between the two opposing parties. The Senator told Tupas “You have to come to court prepared. You do not waste the time of this court!”

In an interview before the trial started, Sen. Santiago said that she suffered from a terminal boredom from watching the trial proceedings. She even said jokingly that she already said her act of contrition, got down on her knees and almost shot her head because of the pain the impeachment proceedings has been bringing her. She further said that should she had her way, she would rather go scuba diving in the Bermuda triangle than participate in the trial prompting the media to a fit of laughter and amusement to the Senator.

She also said that “It has been a display of legal ignorance that’s why the trial has been taking so long. It was unstructured”. According to her, had the impeachment not include the participation of the Media, the trial would have been over after a week. She said that the prosecution and the defence are feeling the need to give drama since the people are watching. Quoting her exact words, Santiago announced that “Everybody has a tendency to go overboard because they think they have to do a dramatic stance in front of the TV. Without the TV, the proceedings could have been finished in a week”.

Despite the innuendos and boredom statements of the good Senator, she however promised that she will participate nevertheless in the trial. She finally said that “This is my Duty. I have no choice”.

Danjun Lucas

Blog Entry No. 6

The other side of software piracy

2012-01-25T20:38:00.000-08:00

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/imprisoned-megaupload-founder-loses-call-duty-crown-205144239.html

As Francis has already blogged, Megaupload owner Kim Schmitz aka Kim Dotcom was arrested recently for criminal copyright infringement charges. Many members of the online community have rallied to his defense. Copyright infringement is of course, a malum prohibitum, and not a mala in se. There have been comparisons made as to how his liability for his crimes will yield prison sentences much longer than that of a rapist or murderer.

However, based on the above article, it is clear that software pirates such as Schmitz do not have the oh-so-benevolent intention of democratizing software, music, videos and other forms of media and making it available to the masses for free, or for a low price of membership in their website.

The fact is, online file-sharing moguls such as Schmitz have their own agenda in mind. It was found, according to the article, that he had assets amounting to $175 million, luxury cars such as a Rolls-Royce Phantom, expensive artworks, and supposedly a swimming pool filled with imported spring water and a wall of high definition TVs in his house.

It's easy to see that the motivation behind Schmitz's actions was money. And according to the article, it was the very extravagance of his lifestyle that led the authorities to crack down on him. In the end, whether one is pro-SOPA, pro-IP or whatnot, the fact remains that while the public may benefit from the free sharing of files online, there are still people at the top of the chain who will profit the most, not just because they were able to acquire media for free or for a lower price, but because they are profiting from those people who do.

Daniel Luis Convocar
Entry No. 5.

Previous Entries: #1, #2, #3, #4

AKO O LARO?

2012-01-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

Isipin mo nasa Araneta Coliseum ka ngayon, pinanonood ang umaatikabong labanan sa Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) sa pagitan ng Petron Blaze Boosters at Talk n’ Text Tropang Texters. Walang lumalamang ng higit sa tatlong puntos. Makapigil-hininga hindi ba?

Pero sa hinaharap, maaaring may mas nakakapigil-hininga pang karanasan diyan.

Halimbawa, may tiket ka para manood ng labanan ng dalawang kuponan. Pagpasok mo, o kaya habang inaayos mo ang sasakyang iyong minamaneho sa parking lot, sa tulong ng isang computer, malalaman ng mga taga Araneta kung ano ang huli mong ginawa noong nanood ka ng nakaraang laban ng PBA o kaya naman ang huli mong kinain habang nanonood sa Araneta. Habang ikaw ay hinahatid patungo sa tama mong upuan, makakatanggap ka ng mga text message sa dala mong Blackberry o kaya naman mensahe sa iyong iPad ng mga pagkaing puwede mong kainin o kaya mga produktong pwede mo bilhin. Sisiguraduhin ng Araneta na ang mga pagkain o produkto ay akma sa iyong panlasa at hilig. Gusto mong makita paulit-ulit ang isang maaksyong kaganapan sa larong pinanonood mo? Walang problema. Agad darating ang isang video sa iyong Blackberry o iPad ng hinihingi mong pangyayari.

Heto ang larawan ng panonood ng basketball na tinatawag sa Ingles na ultimate fan experience.*

Kung iisipin, maraming masisiyahan sa ganitong makabagong paraan ng panonood. Isipin mo, talo pa ng Araneta ang iyong ina sa pagaalaga sa iyo. Lahat ng gusto mo, ibibigay lang ng ganun-ganun na lamang, basta siyempre may pambayad ka. Sa pamamagitan ng teknolohiya, nagkakaroon ka ng impluwensiya sa kung paano mo gusto manood ng laro ng basketball. Kulang na lang ipaghele ka kung sakaling dumating ang antok habang nanonood. Pero sa isang banda, may mga aayaw sa ganitong sistema. Simple lang ang dahilan. Nanonood ka ng isang laro ng PBA sapagkat mahal mo ang laro ng basketball, at hindi dahil para punan ang mga materyal mong pangangailangan. Sa panonood ng laro, ang kasiyahan ay ang mismong laro, hindi ang mga kaakibat nitong luho. Ang purong saya na dala ng pagkapanalo ng iyong paboritong kuponan, o kaya ang walang kapantay na lungkot sa kamalasang dinanas ng pambato mo ̶ walang teknolohiya ang makakapantay sa ganitong mga emosyon.

Ako o laro?

*Sumangguni sa http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/nba-games-could-lot-more technological-personalized-fans-010634117.html;_ylt=AjUl0i25buxYRywWd7rmmya8vLYF para sa iba pang detalye.

Aldan S. Avila, Entry No. 6

Feds sink Megaupload ship

2012-01-24T22:30:00.000-08:00

Amidst the anti-SOPA/PIPA hoopla last week, one of the Internet's biggest file-sharing sites, Megaupload, was shut down by the US Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The federal government also charged seven people connected with it with running an international enterprise based on Internet piracy.

Founder Kim Dotcom and three Megaupload executives were arrested in Auckland, New Zealand at the request of the US government under provisional arrest warrants, and the DOJ describes three other execs as "at large." The complaint alleges that Megaupload, Dotcom, and his team are responsible for $175 million in "criminal proceeds" and "more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners."

Coming just a day after civil protests in the United States over proposed antipiracy bills, the arrests were greeted almost immediately with digital Molotov cocktails. The hacker collective that calls itself Anonymous attacked the Web sites of the Justice Department and several major entertainment companies and trade groups in retaliation for Megaupload’s seizure. The Justice Department’s site and several others remained inaccessible for much of Thursday afternoon.

Following Megaupload's shutdown, FileSonic has eliminated file sharing from their service menus and Uploaded.to has severed access for users in the US. Clearly, this is another dark day for free access advocates. What bothers me most, however, is the language used in the indictment. Megaupload was referred to as an "international organized criminal enterprise." I find it objectionable and highly irresponsible for the US Justice Department to impliedly place online file-sharing services along the same line as international drug cartel or white-slavery. I say they should get their heads checked... by a jumbo jet.

SOURCE: The New York Times

Francis Paolo Tiopianco, Entry #6

Top 5 Things to Do That Do Not Involve the Internet

2012-01-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

As a born and raised in the urban jungle of Metro Manila, it is very natural for me to gravitate towards areas where there is available internet connection. Whether it is a coffee shop that offers the service for free, or a friend's house with fast internet speed, a USB Broadband stick, even the office or the internet cafes are common haunts when there seems to be nothing to do.

It is becoming easier by the day to connect to the world wide web simply because there are more establishments that see the advantage of offering free wi-fi access to their customers.

According to http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm, world internet usage has grown by 480.4% from 2000 to 2011. The service is now so prevalent, that internet access can also easily be taken for granted.

During the long weekend (Kung Hei Fat Choi!), some friends and I decided to spend a day in a house in Batangas. When we got there, we realized that we were cut off from the internet. Since most of them were IT buffs, it was a very weird experience not seeing them in front of their laptops searching for the latest funny youtube videos or downloading some new movie.

The experience made me think about the Top 5 Things to Do That Do Not Involve the Internet:

Number 5: Working Out

Whether its hitting the gym, attending that Yoga class, boxing, or any other sport, working out is definitely more fun and beneficial than simply surfing the net.

Number 4: Drinking

Let's face it, surfing the internet is not a very social activity. Drinking, on the other hand, can be done and is much more enjoyable in the company of family and friends. Particularly during long weekends out of town. :)

Number 3: Eating

Ok, so together with Number 4, this is not a very healthy past time. But it sure is fun to munch on something delicious with your friends any time of the day...

Number 2: Watching TV/Videos

After a good meal, what better way to chill out than to sit in the most comfortable couch in the house, catching up on the latest news, events or movies? In the case of the Chinese New Year weekend, it was an Australian Open Marathon for me. (Go Djokovic!)

Number 1: Sleeping

Need I say more?

Norman Roland Ocana III, Entry #5

Social Media as a Tool for Violence Against Women

2012-01-24T05:12:00.000-08:00

RA 9262 or what has now become more popularly known as the Anti-VAWC Act, aims to give relief to the women who have been subjected to violence by their partners and even ex-partners.

"Violence against women and their children" refers to any act or a series of acts committed by any person against a woman who is his wife, former wife, or against a woman with whom the person has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or with whom he has a common child, or against her child whether legitimate or illegitimate, within or without the family abode, which result in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse including threats of such acts, battery, assault, coercion, harassment or arbitrary deprivation of liberty.

One of the punishable acts under RA 9262 is “stalking”:

"Stalking" refers to an intentional act committed by a person who, knowingly and without lawful justification follows the woman or her child or places the woman or her child under surveillance directly or indirectly or a combination thereof.

It is worthy to note that how the law currently defines “stalking” seems to only cover stalking as a physical act by qualifying it with the term “follows”. What if “stalking” or any other act that could possibly result to harassment takes place in cyberspace?

Non-physical acts of harassment have become more prevalent in the advent of social media. Women who have become victims of these are, more often than not, made to resort to the remedies provided by the Anti-Voyeurism Law.

Say if an ex keeps on sending text messages or emails that make the woman very uneasy and feel unsafe, does that not amount to stalking as well? The ex isn’t exactly “following” the victim in the physical sense of the word, but the ex is nonetheless causing harm, psychologically.

Or what if the ex then uploads certain revealing pictures and videos of him and the victim together? It is not simply an invasion of privacy. It is a crime: An act punishable not only under the Anti-Voyeurism Law, but also, and more importantly, the Anti-VAWC Act.

Around 2003, the La Salle Scandal broke out. I was still in college then and the tsismis became more intriguing then, because I somehow knew the girl involved. While the rest of the world watched how that video became “viral” (through the reproduction of VCDs), I became more interested in the back story. From what I learned, the video was made in 2000, while the girl was still with her then boyfriend. She and the guy eventually went their separate ways. It was only in 2003 when the now ex-boyfriend allegedly distributed copies of the incriminating video. At the time the scandal broke out, she had already graduated from college and was hired by a multi-national company.

Years have passed and such a scandal and the sensation that came with it have already faded. Since then, however, I never heard of any case filed in relation to such an incident. The girl in the video had to endure the shame and humiliation without resorting to any legal remedy. I’m just not quite sure why this is so, but, surely, this is such bitter ending to her already unpleasant experience.

All abused women have to know that they are fully protected by the law. The use of social media, and even technology in general, to may tend to spread humiliating information about women should not be known simply as a crime of invading one’s privacy. It is primarily a form of violence.

Ma. Eliza Christine Gomez, Entry #6

Previous posts: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5

The cons of being connected continued

2012-01-19T14:45:00.001-08:00

Faceless Stalkers

With all these social networking sites, it is indubitablyeasier to stalk, and I know this for a fact. But when we use the word stalk, we mean the nice kind of stalk and notthe creepy one. But how can we know forsure what the people are up to. Wesupply all kinds of information about ourselves. We tell the whole world where we are by checking in with social networkingsites. We tweet about our whereabouts, our plans for the night or the weekend,everything. And just thinking of themany possible uses of these information just scares me. Well, partly because I realize I can havesuch a criminal mind. But seriously, we’veheard of stories of real life creepy stalkers and what they can do. Checking in or tweeting about some reallypersonal things may just do your stalker a big favor.

They can see you.

I know a friend who up until now has not subscribed to anysocial networking site. The reason? Hewants to go up the ladder. Quitesensible actually. He said it mightjeopardize his promotion. The backgroundinvestigators aren’t what they were used to be. Before they call your personal references, they might as well check yoursocial networking accounts first where they could see a lot of things, good andbad depending on their interpretation of things. They might see tagged pictures of you in avery rowdy party, or your hate posts on our last boss, those sort of things. Ireally did not think of it before, but yes, it really makes sense. So, unless you’re someone with no bad bone inyour body, take extra precaution. Youmight just miss your big P.

Congratulations! You just won the lottery!

You won an X amount ofcash. To claim, we will need a deposit. Scammers aren’t old dogs. They learn a lot of new stunts, quite fastactually. We are (hopefully) very muchaware of all these scams to even entertain them, but some aren’t. Well, who would not want a million bucks? Butthat’s just too obvious to fall for. Thereare some online Budol-Budol tactics. They assume the identity of your friendseeking financial help, ASAP! So, the goodie ol’ friend in you comes to therescue and sends a money transfer to a certain account. The next day, you find your friend perfectly fineand oblivious to the fact of his own supposed misfortune.

Need vs Want

With all our friends posting about their latest gadgets, it’sreally easy to get into the bandwagon. We all know the B, and the i, especially when they follow apost. And sometimes, our covetous doppelgangersjust do what our subconscious (or sometimes conscious) wants. They go to the mall, swipe that little blue,or red card, and voila! You findsparkling new gadget in your hands. Withthe social networking sites, it’s difficult to draw the line between need andwant. We think that just because othershave it, it’s a necessity and we get out of our ways to get it. But we all know better.

My Mom is online.

To cap my top 10 list, I think having some people connected withme thru these social networking sites is a disadvantage. Parents, guardians, teachers, you know what Imean. Having them online is quite achallenge. Your parents will definitelyfind the answers to their usually unanswered questions. Where have you been? Who were you with? Whattime did you get home? Who are you dating? And the list can go on. Simple as it seems, but it has been, quitefrankly, the biggest disadvantage for me of being connected.

Maricor Estrella, Entry # 5

Chronicles of the Anonymous: Heroes and Villains

2012-01-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

Continued…...

Operation Darknet or #OpDarknet, the large scale attack against online pedophiles, was launched by Anonymous in what was considered by most as one of their more “noble” endeavors.

Basically, a darknet website is a closed private network of computers used for file sharing. Darknet websites are part of the invisible web, sometimes called the deep web, containing content that is not part of the surface web, which is indexed by standard search engines.

Since child pornography is strictly prohibited practically the world over, fetishists have to resort to file sharing and hosting sites in the deep web to keep their illegal activities out of the limelight. Most child porn users also resort to tools that protect their anonymity online such as Tor, a free software tool and an open network that helps defend against network surveillance by bouncing user communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world. Simply put, your I.P. as well as physical location remain unseen by the sites you visit.

In a pastebin release, available here, Anonymous describes how it brought down the file sharing network attributed with an estimated 100 gb of child pornorgraphy. A look at their online statement addressed to the users would be interesting:

------------------------
Our Statement
------------------------
The owners and operators at Freedom Hosting are openly supporting child pornography and enabling pedophiles to view innocent children, fueling their issues and putting children at risk of abduction, molestation, rape, and death.

For this, Freedom Hosting has been declared #OpDarknet Enemy Number One.

By taking down Freedom Hosting, we are eliminating 40+ child pornography websites, among these is Lolita City, one of the largest child pornography websites to date containing more than 100GB of child pornography.

We will continue to not only crash Freedom Hosting's server, but any other server we find to contain, promote, or support child pornography.

------------------------
Our Demands
------------------------
Our demands are simple. Remove all child pornography content from your servers. Refuse to provide hosting services to any website dealing with child pornography. This statement is not just aimed at Freedom Hosting, but everyone on the internet. It does not matter who you are, if we find you to be hosting, promoting, or supporting child pornography, you will become a target.

 to be continued...

Nathan J. Marasigan, Entry No. 5

2012-01-19T07:37:00.000-08:00

Last December, my hard disk died. I have known for some time that something was wrong. My computer was taking too long to read and save files, I was getting cryptic system errors and crashes, I was installing and reinstalling Windows almost every other week. Just when I decided to borrow my sister's external hard disk to back up my files, I found that I could no longer access my own disk. A quick reinstallation of Windows usually solved the problem. This time was different, I couldn't even see the contents of my disk.

Luckily, I found a free nifty utility called Recuva, which undeletes and recovers seemingly lost files. An option allows the user to "recuva" files from a damaged hard disk. Using this feature, I was able to get back most of my files.

A friend suggested that I try using online file hosting services or cloud storage - networked online storage systems where data can be stored, shared, synchronized, and accessed anywhere via the net. I'm curious and I'd like to give them a try, but I'm quite uncomfortable with the idea of storing my files and documents out there in the world (wild) web. It's one thing to share or make back-up copies of a few files or documents thru e-mail or an e-group. It's another to actually work and depend on a virtual hard disk.

So, for now, I'm just going to have to buy a new hard disk and rely on my good old USB drive.

Carlos Manuel S. Prado, Entry # 5

End of an Era for Kodak

2012-01-19T07:01:00.001-08:00

Kodak, a global icon which invented the hand-held camera and once dominated the industry of photographic film, has filed for bankruptcy. Due to drastic losses in revenue and the inability to keep up with its competitors, Kodak is reported to have obtained a $950 million, 18-month credit facility from Citigroup to keep what is left of the company. The advent of the digital cameras single handedly forced the once iconic brand out of the business. The rise of smartphones and tablets made it more difficult for Kodak to remain in the market.

Indeed, this is an end of an era for photographic films. I remember my family would use a manual camera only for special occasions like family gatherings, trips, school events and graduation. We do not have the luxury of taking pictures as often as possible because the cost of “developing” pictures and buying films were expensive. But I guess that’s what makes the old cameras and films unique – we do not waste a single shot. We tend to take only the best pictures and every click of the camera was special.

I particularly enjoyed loading film inside the camera. I would take out the roll of film and lay it on top of the cradle of the camera on the left hand side. Then I would pull gently but firmly the roll of the film across the back of the camera by grabbing the sides so that no fingerprints make it on the surface of the film. Loading up the film is a technique in itself because improper loading would damage the pictures. And do you remember how fun it was to have your pictures printed? You go to your local photo studio to have the pictures “developed”. It would take you one to two days for the pictures to be printed because the transfer of film to paper and the waiting period for it to dry takes time. Once the pictures are handed in small paper containers along with the rolls of the film negatives placed inside plastic sheets, you immediately look at photos while your fingers go through the freshly printed sticky photo paper. We then keep the pictures neatly in photo albums so that it would not collect dust.

I guess we all have our fond memories of using the old camera and films. The term “Kodak Moment” is even included in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It is described as a, “a photogenic moment or scene”. In our language, we use “kodakan” when it is the time for picture taking. The advancement of technology made Kodak obsolete. Despite this it is worth remembering that Kodak has left an indelible mark in this world.

Christopher P. Columna, Entry # 5

DISKURSO

2012-01-19T06:57:00.000-08:00

Wala akong panama kay Lola Techie* sa DOTA (Defense of the Ancients).

Sa totoo lang hindi ako marunong maglaro ng DOTA. Pero alam ko kapag naglalaro ng DOTA, mas masaya kapag grupo o barkada ang naglalaro. Kung marunong lang ako at may pagkakataon, sisiguraduhin kong kukunin ko na kakampi si Lola Techie. Hindi lang masaya kalaro, mautak pa. Kaya malamang, sigurado na ang panalo. Pati mga apo niya sa kanyang bagong komersyal ay nauto niya habang naglalaro ng isang laro sa Internet. Tuloy, buong tuso niyang nabulatlat, “Huli ka boy!”

Gusto mo ba ng isang Lola Techie sa buhay mo?

Naisip ko na nakakatuwa siguro kung iyong lola ko eh mas marunong pa sa akin pagdating sa computer at Internet. Puwede ko siyang maging kaibigan sa Facebook o kaya sundan sa Twitter. Baka siya pa yung magturo sa akin kung paano gumawa ng isang website o kaya bumuo ng isang video gamit ang iba’t ibang klase ng programa sa computer. Siguro marami siyang panonoorin sa Youtube, o kaya nama’y marami siyang kanta o pelikula na hahanapin sa Torrent. Tatalunin niya siguro lahat ng apo niya sa paglalaro ng iba’t ibang online games. Hindi na siya matutulog ng maaga, kasi kailangan niyang maglaan ng oras sa gabi para gumala-gala sa Internet.

Pero sa ngayon, masaya na ako sa lola ko.

Masaya na ako sa lola ko na lumaki malapit sa dagat. Masaya na ako na nakikita siyang nakakalanghap ng simoy ng dagat at nakikihalubilo sa iba’t ibang tao. Ayos na iyong mas kabisado pa niya ang bilang ng mga anak at apo niya kaysa ang pagkakaayos ng mga letra sa keyboard ng isang computer. Panatag na ako kahit wala ng pag-asa na maturuan pa siya paano magbukas ng computer. Hindi makakaila ang kabutihan at kasiyahan ng isang lola na nakakasabay sa diskurso ng makabagong panahon ng computer at Internet. Pero sa akin, sa isang mundo kung saan bawat segundo mahalaga ang koneksyon sa iba’t ibang klaseng impormasyon at pakikipagrelasyon, na siya mismong hinahatid ng computer at Internet, walang kapalit makasama ang mga taong malayo ang kaalaman sa namamayaning kalakaran ng modernong panahon. Ang mga taong ito, tulad ng lola ko, ay may higit pang naituturo patungkol sa tunay kong pagkatao.

Huli ka boy.

*Tessie Moreno sa totoong buhay. Si Lola Techie ang karakter sa ilang komersyal sa telebisyon na bihasa, kahit matanda na, sa paggamit ng makabagong teknolohiya at computer.

Aldan S. Avila, Entry No. 5

In Google We Trust, Part 1

2012-01-19T05:56:00.002-08:00

Source: http://bit.ly/yojIyy.

So apparently major tech firms like Google, Facebook, and Wikipedia joined forces yesterday to protest attempts on the part of the U.S. Congress to pass SOPA/PIPA or whatever-their-offspring-would-be-if-they-were-consolidated into law. The three, together with a sizable chunk of the Internet's movers and shakers, blocked off access to their sites. By the end of it, SOPA's/PIPA's (initially high) hopes of evolving into law abruptly came crashing down. Netizens around the world, of course and rightfully so, rejoiced, while owners of content producers like Ruport Murdock lashed out against what he claims to be misinformation about SOPA/PIPA proliferated by hypocritical tech firms...and by "tech firms," he meant Google. Murdock felt so strongly about Google leading the cavalry charge against SOPA/PIPA that he found himself impelled to tweet: "Nonsense argument about danger to internet. How about Google, others blocking porn, hate speech, etc? Internet hurt?" Oh my, fighting words! I can almost taste the hate! Meanwhile, the content producers themselves (read: Hollywood) are lamenting the White House's (read: U.S. Pres. Obama's) decision to distance itself (himself) from SOPA/PIPA, threatening to tone down their support for Obama's presidential re-election bid as a consequence.

I am not surprised Murdoch and Hollywood reacted the way they did. After all, SOPA/PIPA, I'm betting, was their brainchild. Imagine, after hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of hours and dollars invested lobbying for the passage of either or both, the same is defeated by partial internet blackout?! If I were in their shoes, upon receipt of news of SOPA's/PIPA's demise, I would have emphatically exclaimed: "Are you kidding me?!" In addition to SOPA/PIPA being their pet project/s, their non-elevation to the exalted status of law can only mean the continued erosion of their cash flow. This is a big deal. I mean, if this is allowed to go on, millionaire/billionaire businessmen and Hollywood A-listers like Lady Gaga will be doomed to a life of semi-luxury. The horror!

Source: http://cart.mn/cS6W2N.

Kidding aside, in my opinion, I think what irks them the most is the fact that Google and the other tech firms are beating them at their own game. They intended SOPA/PIPA not only to protect their content, but also to level the playing field, given that Google and the like, specifically, the income of the latter, are not as adversely affected by online piracy as they are.

Note: This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Part 2 will be posted next week.

--Jan Nicklaus S. Bunag, Entry No. 5

Will you pay for something that is "FREE"?

2012-01-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

The rise in popularity of mp3 players, Ipods, smart phones, and tablets during the past years paved the way for the decline of CD and cassette tape sales. It is very seldom now that you hear people say “That song was so good, I’m going to buy that artist’s CD!”. It’s always “I’ll just download it”. Unfortunately, I have not found any website where I can buy music. I tried using Itunes, however it was not available in the Philippines. So, naturally, I revert to downloading torrent files.

Just recently, I came across a news article featuring www.mymusicstore.com.ph. The website offers music downloads from both foreign and local artists. Each song costs 20 to 35 pesos. It seems that this is very much in line with the culture of Filipinos in buying which we call patingi-tingi. Also, when I visited their site, their offerings are up to date with the latest music from different genres. Personally, I will buy from this website since navigation is easy and it looks credible because it partners with the different recording labels such as Alpha Music, EMI, GMA Records and Sony Music to name a few.

These benefits, however, does not go without challenges. The question is, will this kind of service survive despite the fact that there is free music available in the internet? Will it capture the Filipino’s conscience and eventually get support? Also, the payment methods in buying the songs are through credit card or cellphone load. This may also be a challenge that the website may face since paying online through credit cards is not that popular yet in the country.

I may say that I can see a bright future for this company. But I think that this will only happen if its marketing campaign will be successful. Local artists, as well as foreign, if possible, should be one in endorsing and promoting downloading of music the legal way. The key here is not just by making it easy for the consumers to buy songs online but by targeting the conscience of the Filipinos. The music industry cannot sustain itself if no one will feed it. We feed it through paying.

Now, are we ready to pay for something that is "FREE"? Well, maybe we still need a little more time to answer this question.

Adrian Francis S. Bustos, Entry #5

All Progress Comes With a Price

2012-01-19T04:56:00.000-08:00

Things have certainly become much more interesting since the advent of the Internet. Sitting at home in front of the computer can quickly become an adventure with so much information right at our fingertips. Not to mention that people have certainly become that much more creative in terms of providing adequate sources of entertainment. But in the words of Kevin Corrigan, all progress comes with a price.

In an article he wrote entitled “8 Things the Internet Ruined”, he talks about the most interesting ways by which the Internet has made the real world just not as interesting, or at least just not as cool. Here are some of my favorites: (1) Productivity – There is so much to do online that writing a short essay can take forever when you attempt to do it on your computer; (2) Not Being Amazing – Suddenly a singing 3 year old doesn’t come close to being amazing when there’s a dancing dragon underwater in Thailand; (3) First Dates – Its pretty hard to pretend like you know nothing about someone when you’ve found out everything there is to know about him on Facebook; and finally (4) Having Ideas – because nearly every idea that can be had, has already been had.

Joni R. Gomez, Entry # 5

Bashing the DPWH

2012-01-19T04:34:00.000-08:00

DPWH: the perfect fuel for road rage.

Wikipedia, although not entirely dependable, has labeled DPWH as one of the most corrupt government agencies in the Philippines. Without any information, articles or statistics to back it up, I completely agree. Why? Because I have first hand experience of the incompetence.

I had talked about the DPWH in my past blog. Nothing could really be done in a week but I had hoped that my frustration with them could already cooled down; and yet they continue to dangle their incompetency infront of me. You see, I pass by marcos highway everyday and everyone who lives in Cainta, Antipolo, Taytay, Cogeo and Marikina can testify the horrfying traffic that haunts the major thoroughfare everyday. The MMDA, although almost equally incompetent in doing anything about the traffic, is rendered almost pointless with all of the piled up road work that is covered up with second rate asphalt that washes out after three hours of rain.

Marcos Highway is reduced to a two and even one lane road (it’s a HIGHWAY not an eskinita!)

Scattered are puddles and potholes, cones and concrete barriers, confusing u-turns, jeepney’s without any proper stops, pedestrians crossing everywhere (even at night!) and motorcycles weaving around cars avoiding the traffic (but crashing. I literally see one motorcycle accident every five days.).

Its not just irritating anymore, its just impossible. With a 90 Billion budget, cant you really use concrete to cover up the road? Or make sure that people are working on the road even at night so that when the rush hours arrive, the chaos is lessened?

By Trisha Isabelle F. Fernandez Entry #05

Fujitsu Lifebook 2013

2012-01-19T04:14:00.000-08:00

It's the Voltes V of mobile information technology: a tablet, a cell phone/mp3 player , digital camera, which, when their powers combine, turn into a laptop/notebook. This is still in the concept/design stage, but it could very much become reality very soon.

Photo (obviously) from 9gag

While this is all cutesy and high-tech, my biggest gripe is that all of this seems a bit forced. Case in point: the laptop would not have a keyboard. Instead, it will have the tablet plug in and sync with the main laptop body, with typing done on the screen of the tablet which will convert into your standard QWERTY keyboard. This poses a big problem for touch typists, who will definitely find it difficult to type without palpable keys.

I appreciate how companies are continually pushing the boundaries of technology, but a lot of these initial groundbreaking releases are often based merely on novelty. These are signs of things to come, I guess. They offer a glimpse of what future technology will offer, rather than provide decent functionality. As with the first generation Macbook Air which only feature was being thin, the Fujitsu Lifebook 2013 will probably just be a precursor to more more well-rounded hardware in the future.

The problem with all-in-one devices is that they are jacks of all trades and masters of none. Packing too many features in a device while trying to minimize size and weight always leads to some compromised specs. I'm sure this will be the case with the Fujitsu Lifebook 2013, but it will nevertheless attract numerous "social techies." This is a term I invented just now, to describe the iPad, iPhone, Facebook and Twitter crowd which focuses on "porma" and style rather than functionality and price, as opposed to the actual "geeks" (and I use this term nicely and with respect) who require higher technical specifications when shopping for their computers and other devices.

In the end, I'm not really excited for this new gadget megazord, but I'm sure all the cool kids will be asking their yayas to fall in line for it.

Daniel Luis Convocar

Entry Number 4

Bitcoins: Currency of the Future?

2012-01-19T03:04:00.000-08:00

I was able to watch the latest episode of The Good Wife the other day. A digital information law practitioner was being harassed by the Treasury Department to reveal the identity of his client. His client is the creator of “bitcoin” and the Treasury Department considers such invention a crime because it is equivalent to inventing a new currency. One of the defenses brought up was that bitcoin is not a currency because it is not regulated by any central authority, like the Federal Reserve, as it is freely circulated on the Internet. A witness was presented by the Treasury Department; he was a manager of an inn, which as a promotional offer, allowed the rental of rooms in exchange for bitcoins. The defense argued that bitcoins are merely commodities that may be bought or sold. At the end of the show, I was curious whether the concept of bitcoins was just a product of the minds of the writers or was based on reality.

After googling “what is bitcoin”, about seven million results came up. I am not certain of the veracity and accuracy of all seven million websites, links and video, but bitcoin apparently is real. Bitcoin is a “digital internet currency.” This system has existed since January 3, 2009 and was designed by Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoins are the “first peer-to-peer currency; money created by people, instead of governments and banks.” As one blogger put it: “Think of it as an counterfeit-proof electronic dollar which is not manipulated by a central authority such as the Federal Reserve. It’s a basis of trade for goods, just as any other currency. Value is based on scarcity, and new BitCoins are only minted at a predictable rate once a Block is solved.” For a better, concise and animated explanation, I have found a video as one of the seven million results from the google search.

In his paper, Nakamoto stated the purpose of his invention as “a solution to the double-spending problem using a peer-to-peer network.” He expounded that “a purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution. Digital signatures provide part of the solution, but the main benefits are lost if a trusted third party is still required to prevent double-spending.” I am unsure of what to make of this system and how to take it as a part of our rapidly modernizing world. I understand that there are benefits to not being dependent on a paper-based economy: ease of transaction, less dependence on third-parties to facilitate exchange and values are set by the market, with zero interference from the government. There are also drawbacks: hacking will reach a new meaning (hacking into people’s bitcoin wallets might paralyze the entire system), it is high risk (the fact that it is unregulated scares people from availing of it) and it is virtual. As put byan analyst, “It exists in electrons, not atoms, so it's difficult to authenticate it. If you take cash out of my hand, my bank account or my wallet, I know it. You take it out of my digital wallet, I don't know it. I can't file a police report and say I lost 1,000 Bitcoins.” But we are at the age of digital technology. We live in a world where incomprehensible amounts of information may be stored in a tiny chip; where wars are conducted in darkened rooms operating a satellite-controlled drone; and where international businesses may be conducted through the exchange of bitcoins.

In the last scene of The Good Wife episode, the old-fashioned lawyer representing the inventor of bitcoin informed him that she went online and bought one bitcoin. The pleased inventor responded, “Really? It’s the future.” The lawyer replied with a shake of her head, “I don’t know. It didn’t feel right.” The inventor answered, “Real’s gonna change. Just watch.”

Sources:

http://www.bitcoinblogger.com/

http://foreverrising.wordpress.com/

http://www.pasadenasun.com/

Candice See, Entry #5

No Wikipedia?!

2012-01-19T01:24:00.000-08:00

Recently, Wikipedia expressed its protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act or more commonly called “SOPA”, by shutting down for 24 hours. The SOPA is a bill originating from the US House of Representatives which is basically aimed at curtailing online trafficking of copyrighted materials. It will, in effect, involve sites such as Wikipedia, Google, etc., because it covers sites which enable or facilitate copyright infringement (I guess, for Google, if search results would lead to a site of for example, a torrent of a movie. For Wikipedia, I guess if it will include an article which features copyrighted material without properly citing the source). The penalties under the SOPA may, in the long run, lead to the shutting down the site enabling or facilitating copyright infringement.

Anyway, back to Wikipedia’s blackout protest.

Those who visited the site during the 24-hour period saw a black page, with text such as “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge” instead of the usual Wikipedia homepage.

(Image from bbc.co.uk)

I am pretty sure a lot of people were adversely affected with Wikipedia’s shutting down, albeit temporarily. As of this writing, Wikipedia reportedly has 3,849,426 content articles, and 26,002,775 pages in total[1]. Think of any topic and Wikipedia probably has an article about it. I personally rely on Wikipedia for a lot of things: from trivial matters such as information on TV series or recent movies to more important matters such as a quick overview of a US case randomly mentioned in class.

Wikipedia articles may be openly edited by anyone, (hence, not a recognized source of information for a supervised legal research paper, for example) but these articles more often than not, provide a general overview of things which one may need an answer in an instant (i.e. when my niece asked me what the arrangement of the planets in the solar system was for a school assignment, I automatically double-checked with Wikipedia whether I gave her the correct answer).

The internet, through sites such as Wikipedia, has enabled people to access information with a few clicks. It would be overly devastating if laws will have the effect of shutting down such sites, thus curtailing people’s access to free knowledge.

Agnes M. Santiago, Entry #5

[1] From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About (last accessed, 19 January 2012)

Applied Gadgetry Series: Kindle Keyboard

2012-01-18T23:06:00.000-08:00

I love books. I adore the bittersweet smell of book paper, and its crisp and smooth texture, as I turn the pages. The sensation of books is what I miss when reading from my Kindle Keyboard. But I certainly do not miss how pricey each book is and the weight of carrying two or three books (especially when I also carry a pile of photocopied Supreme Court cases and law books, which would take forever to convert electronically, and other IP issues).

The Amazon Kindle is optimized for reading with its core feature, the E-ink Pearl electronic paper display technology, which does not have the glare of other eReaders. It's way cheaper ($140.00), is claimed to have battery life of over 1 month, and weighs only 8.7 lbs.!

To download books, one can easily connect to Amazon through either Wifi or 3G. Or, connect the Kindle via USB and transfer it manually. I find it very useful to just convert documents (such as code provisions, rules, and even cases) to .pdf format, which is compatible with the Kindle. According to Amazon, the device can contain up to 3,500 books.

The Wifi does not have any issues, but my first purchase of a Kindle had a defective 3G. The hardware must have been a dud. Luckily, Amazon replaces easily. What's great about the 3G version is that one can access the internet anytime and anywhere (where there's signal), which is especially useful for emergencies. But of course, the web browser is "experimental" so it's slow, only works best with text (otherwise, the Kindle will hang), and surfing is in grayscale. I love it because it's like reading Harry Potter's The Daily Prophet.

The QWERTY Keyboard is awkward at first (especially because the numbers and symbols must be activated through the symbol button) but one will get used to it easily.

I hardly use the playback mode for .mobi files. Yes, the Kindle can read for you, but I find that almost pointless, because again, the Kindle is supposed to be an eReader, not an .mp3 player.

Verdict: 5 stars.

Photo from: Techradar.com

Mary Rhauline Lambino, Entry No. 5

Impeachment buzz..

2012-01-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

A decent law student would have been very much excited at this point in Philippine History. After all, impeachment trial has only happened twice including the one being carried now subjecting the Chief Magistrate of the Supreme Court as the respondent. Naturally, the legal community are all eyes and ears to the proceedings being carried out in the Senate. Lawyers, law professors and law students of several legal institutions are closely following the latest developments in the impeachment trial. News programs since before the proceedings started both on free and cable tv, radio programs and internet have constantly engaged the expertise and brilliance of several legal luminaries to explain on a simpler note the rather complicated legal concepts involve in the impeachment trial.

Amongst the often sought legal voices regularly appearing in various media programs are Prof. Victoria Avena, Dean Raul Pangalangan, Dean Tony La Vina and Dean Pacifico Agabin. Prof. Victoria Avena has been particularly eloquent and impressive (of course expected from a UP Law faculty) in explaining to the public the nitty gritty of the legal procedures involve. Prof. Avena’s TV appearances have been receiving positive receptions and even prompted a facebook based fan club. Recorded versions of her interviews and opinions clogged facebook walls, twitter timelines and other social networking sites of both members of the legal community and not.

Other than law professors giving their take on matters involved in the impeachment proceedings, familiar faces both in the defence and prosecution panel are also visible. The lead counsel for the defence, retired Justice Cuevas used to teach in UP Law. On top of that, several of the defence counsel including Prof. Salvador Tranquil and their spokesperson Prof. Karen Jimeno are active UP Law professors. Some students even opined that watching the impeachment updates from time to time is like attending classes in the Hallowed halls of Malcolm.

As if mass Media bombardments of whatever impeachment related updates are not enough, facebook walls and twitter timelines are as well excessively littered with every updates available. Everyone of course has their own take on the matter. Opinions are as many as the updates streaming. There are those who throw no caution and say whatever they want to without regard to any legal or even logical basis so long as they contribute to the long line of opinions. Many however are critically and rationally assessing any new developments utilizing several political and legal paradigms. Based on the recent tweets and shout outs from friends, many are quite disappointed at how the prosecution is handling its case. One comment even mentioned that “the state should invoke its right to a competent counsel” evidently referring to the general outlook that the prosecution panel are quite no match to the professionally competent streak of lawyers of Chief Justice Corona’s defence.

Many are claiming, this author included, that the prosecution has to do much much better to present its case and persuade the Senate towards deciding in their favour especially comparing to the well organized and competent defence team.

Danjun Lucas

Blog Entry 5

Ghost Protocols Indeed

2012-01-18T07:07:00.000-08:00

I plopped down on the couch the other night to watch Tom Cruise’s latest installment of Mission Impossible. For the next hour, I was heaving from action sequences and death defying stunts that reminded me that I have absolutely no career as a building window washer. Ghost Protocol reportedly cost $145 million to make. But how much did it cost me to watch Ethan Hunt almost die every 15 minutes?

Nada. Zilch.

I streamed it online.

I didn’t even bother to help the cause of piracy by getting a bootleg DVD.

In this age of YouTube, torrents and megavideo.com, what does ‘intellectual property rights’ even mean? When everybody is literally a few clicks away from watching practically every movie ever made, what does it mean to own the copyright to something? When one can bastardize someone else’s music, without permission or penalty, and in total anonymity, where does ‘fair use’ lie?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3S98Qjh8mQ&feature=related

And when ‘everybody is doing it’, what’s the practicability of legislating against it?

These are tricky questions indeed, especially in light of those antiquated rights formulated before man learned digitizing creativity. But these are not new queries, either. The music and movie industries have been nagging about them. Because when we learned to byte and megabyte stuff, a new ecology of rules was immediately required.

So where are those rules now?

As more and more of human activity is relocated online, where are those rules that will truly teach us how to doggie?

Diana Lutgarda P. Bonilla, Entry #5

Unlocking Carly

2012-01-17T23:57:00.000-08:00

I've watched a video in Youtube entitled "Autistic Girl Expresses Unimaginable Intelligence" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNZVV4Ciccg&sns=fb). This video is about Carly, who was diagnosed with autism, and was unable to speak a word or connect to the world around her. But a remarkable breakthrough happened when she turned 11. She ran through a computer for the first time and began typing, H-U-R-T. Coincidence? Think again. A little bit later on, she typed H-E-L-P.

At first, her family and therapists were skeptical about it. For 10 years, they haven't seen Carly wrote a single word. Even the other therapists searched for proof but Carly refused to type. Instead, she exhibited hysterical behavior. She threw tantrums, threw up, locked herself in the bathroom.

Time to give up? No.

They gave her “tough love”. If she wanted something, she has to type it by herself first. Several months later, she started to type for others. And it was damn astonishing! Correct spelling and with fluency! Due to this, she was able to unravel the mysteries behind her wild behavior. By communicating, she had power over her environment. She was able to let people understand what she’s going through, what she feels and what she needs.

My heart cried when Carly wrote this to her father: “Dear Dad, I love when you read to me. And I love that you believe in me. I know I am not the easiest kid in the world; however, you are always there for me, holding my hand and picking me up. I love you.”

Now, Carly has a voice that can help other kids (and parents as well). She looks at herself not anymore as a burden and a disability, but as someone who can express hee thoughts, serve as an inspiration and leave a mark in the world.

This is a very heartfelt story. The love and dedication given by Carly’s parents changed her life. Carly now gives hope to everyone in the world of autism. I checked her blog – (http://carlysvoice.com/), Twitter and Facebook page and I was impressed with her positivity, understanding and insight. She’s even writing a novel!

I’m fascinated at how the Internet, even in its little and simple ways, can change one’s perspectives, change one’s outlook, and change one’s life. Personally, someday, I want to be that parent - who has never given up on her child, come what may.

More than inspiring us, I think Carly has illuminated what most of us take for granted – that is, how to live life.

Angeli I. Serapio, Entry #5

Google, Wiki, others go black to protest SOPA/PIPA

2012-01-17T23:29:00.000-08:00

Google, Wikipedia and a host of other websites are either going dark or making huge, unmistakable statements on their homepages as part of an effort to stop Internet piracy legislation that is being considered by the US Congress.

The online encyclopedia, the tenth most popular website in the US, shut down most of its English-language services and replaced its familiar white and gray design with a black homepage featuring information about the bills. Known as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), the legislation—backed by major American media companies—would allow the Justice Department to seek a court order requiring US search engines to scrub certain results from the sites, among other antipiracy measures. Critics of the bills argue that the bills are poorly constructed, quite dangerous and won't actually address the real problem of piracy. They cite the requirement for US-based sites to actively police links to purported infringing sites as both unrealistic. As in the case of SOPA's Spanish counterpart, the Sinde law (which I talked about in this post), critics worry about the ambiguous and overly broad legislative language.

Although the bills are apparently losing support, they are not dead yet. Media giants (see list) are still lobbying for the passage of the bills with all their might (and money). I had already voiced my opposition against any form of censorship in the internet in a previous post. Bills like SOPA and PIPA go way too far in “protecting intellectual property” to the point of censorship.

From a civil rights standpoint, the bills undermine the freedom of speech and exchange of ideas that sit at the very heart of the Internet. The self-policing requirement threatens the viability of free websites, such as Google, Wikipedia, and Facebook. Looking at it from an economic perspective, the bills would pose a very high barrier to entry for startup businesses. Small-scale entrepreneurs will have to invest money on censorship utilities, which they otherwise would have no need for. While the bills, if enacted, would apply only to the US, it could potentially set a precedent for the rest of the world—potentially a prelude to the untimely demise of the internet as we know it.

Source: WSJ

Francis Paolo Tiopianco, Entry #5

If the Three Wise Men had GPS

2012-01-14T04:25:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, I went to mass on the solemnity of the feast day of the Three Kings. During the homily, the priest mentioned that if Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltazar have existed today, they would no longer be lost in the desert. There wouldn’t be a need to resort to constellations to find out exactly where they are. One of them could simply log on to Google Maps using their mobile device and they will find their way in an instant. The irony here, though, is that if they actually had done so, they would no longer be the wise individuals they purport to be for they would simply be like the rest of us: People who get all of our answers to our everyday problems from the comfort provided by technology and a reliable network connection.

Today, things like getting lost and finding the right way are actually non-issues. These have become problems only of people who existed in the past. Or those who exist in the present but choose to live in the past. There are certain inconveniences of the past that have been rendered obsolete by the advancements that we’ve had in technology.

Tip of your tongue. Probably, one of the most common human experiences is not knowing the right word or name you need for a specific moment.

What is the word that means to put things side by side?

What do you call that dessert with thick coconut milk, sago, kamote, saging na saba, and those soft, little marshmallow-like balls?

What was that movie where Goma and Mega were husband-and-wife, got separated, then got together again?

Who was that “little person” who starred in action movies in the 70s?

I guess the type of questions that suddenly pop in my head or during the conversations I have with my friends might be far from the pretentious intellectual questions typical law students fuss over. I am sure, however, that all of us must’ve had moments and questions like these. We all have had those mundane questions which begged to be answered, to which our reply would most likely have been: “Nasa dulo na ng dila ko!” I haven’t had a moment like that for quite a while now, though. Unless I stubbornly wanted to figure it out on my own, Google has always been ready, willing, and able to read the tip of my tongue for me, given the right mix of key words, of course.

Guinataang Bilo-Bilo: Filipino dessert of coconut milk and other yummy stuff

Weng-weng: The "little person" action star from the Filipino movies of the 1970s

How to. When I was a kid, my Mom wanted me to learn how to play the piano so she sent me to piano lessons. I then wanted to learn how to draw and paint, so my parents sent me to art lessons. When my Lola wanted to learn how to boogie, waltz, cha-cha, and do a side of Macarena, she got herself a young D.I. (dance instructor) to give her ballroom dancing lessons. That was how non-academic things were learned before: by enrolling into a class and attending several sessions. Of course, that meant money out of the pocket and time spent for something that could more possibly turn out as an empty undertaking. Nowadays, however, learning something new would no longer have to cost us thousands of pesos or hours of painful and arduous training. On a whim, we could simply go on to You Tube and watch a “how to” video. All of a sudden things like doing the dougie, picking a lock, and getting washboard abs don't seem like rocket science.

Top chef. In high school, we had a cooking class from which, as I remember, learned how to bake cream puffs. I do remember, too, that the ones we prepared tasted awesome. I have since kept all of our recipe sheets from that class, hoping that I could somehow recreate a dish or two as how we were taught. Recreating those crinkles, brownies, and oatmeal choco-chip cookies was not a problem. However, I seem to have forgotten how to make cream puffs and have since veered away from such a complex recipe. It was not until a year ago when I decided to look up online recipes. To my amazement, not only was I treated to a variety of easy-to-do cream puff recipes, I was given tips in a sort of baking-cream-puffs-for-dummies kind of way. I learned exactly what it meant to “mix until you form a ball” and “add eggs, mix until good emulsion”. Mac and cheese? Nacho cheese and salsa? Aglio et olio pasta with shrimp? With the internet and a bit of effort, we all won’t have to wonder how to make amazing dishes. There virtually are no secret recipes anymore. Now, if technology had a sure-fire solution to washing the dishes, I’d be set.

Cream Puffs and Pasta by the author to welcome 2012

It has been two thousand and twelve years since the Magi got lost. It has been a long time don’t you think? It’s refreshing to know that little everyday pedestrian dilemmas people had before, like getting lost, learning how to dance, and preparing dinner have become less difficult, if not completely brainless and effortless.

Ma. Eliza Christine Gomez, Entry #5

Previous posts: #1, #2, #3, #4

The cons of being connected

2012-01-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

I always thought being connected through the many socialnetworking sites is a good thing. I getto stay in touch with family and friends. I keep up to date with what’s going on in their lives without having topurposely meet for the same purpose. However, after some years of getting connected via these socialnetworking sites, I realize its disadvantages. Inspired my RX TMR’s Top 10, here is my list of the disadvantages ofbeing connected.

Where on earth were you?

With almost all of my friends on these social networkingsites, it has become a sin not to know things about them. You cannot miss their latest acquisitions ortheir latest losses and if you miss one, you will certainly get lost. I’m sure you know what I mean.

Time flies so fast.

We all need a break, and these social networking sites candefinitely give us the entertainment. However, although we may have planned a 10 minute break, it ends up wespend a little more. For humans likemost of us, it sometimes gets the best of us. The break becomes a distraction and we fail to do what we should do.

Inedible spam.

I like how my professors put the prohibition on cellphonesduring class. They hate phones that donot belong to them. Well, I also hatemessages that do not belong to me. Iknow there is such a thing as advertising, but there is also such a thing as responsible advertising.

Oh no you didn’t.

We all know a picture paints a thousand words, but anunsightly picture of your beau doing an unsightly thing can also paint athousand hate words. Bad. I know. But with these social networking sites, it’s difficult not to be seen. And if you are one to keep some secrets, beextra careful.

Account Hacking.

We are all familiar with the “Keep me logged in” optionwhich we usually tick for convenience. However, this convenience can also turn into inconvenience. Sometimes, out of haste, we fail to doublecheck if we have really logged out of all our accounts before leaving thecomputer, this is more problematic when it is not your computer. Some computers also have the “automaticallysave password” feature. And although your password may be hidden as you type, ahacker would only need a user name.

(To be continued…)

Maricor Estrella, Entry #4

Chronicles of the Anonymous: the Hacker and the Hacktivist, is there really a difference?

2012-01-12T13:15:00.000-08:00

Continued….

In the end, the results of a well executed and coordinated DoS attack are disastrous for targeted sites. Among targets have been companies, such as PayPal and MasterCard, as well as government sites, including the CIA's. Such attacks can cost tens of thousands of dollars for the victim, including the cost of defending against the attacks and improving security.

The following is my version of a summary of a DoS attack’s execution and its effects:

FOR COMPUTER NERDS: DoS attacks are implemented by either forcing the targeted computer(s) to reset, or consuming its resources so that it can no longer provide its intended service or obstructing the communication media between the intended users and the victim so that they can no longer communicate adequately.

FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME: They crash the damn thing.

Another kind of attack employed by hackers and hacktivists alike is Doxing. This basically, involves finding personal information about people and disclosing it online.
Doxing is a technique of tracing someone or gather information about an individual using sources on the internet. Its name is derived from “Documents” or “Docx”.

Perhaps the most famous doxing attack of the Anonymous recently was the one made pursuant to their Operation Darknet. Sometime late last year, the Anonymous resolved to declare a vigilante internet war on pedophiles. After hacking into Lolita City, a darknet website used by pedophiles to trade in child pornography, Anonymous released usernames and other information of 1,589 pedophiles trading in kiddie porn.

Nathan J. Marasigan, Entry No. 4

Anonymous declares war on Pedobear

Tebow Mania

2012-01-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

I know very little about American Football. Try as I may, I could not seem to grasp the nuances of each play or the primary function of each player in the field.

However, in the recent days, the name of an individual who was coincidentally born in Makati, Philippines to American parents has been repeatedly mentioned in sports websites all around the world.

Tim Tebow is the current starting quarterback (something like a point guard in basketball or a center midfielder in football) of the Denver Broncos. Throughout his collegiate career, he was a proven winner garnering two national football championships and a Heismann Trophy (something like an MVP) in only his sophomore year.

Presently, he is arguably the most polarizing figure in all of American sports. Not so much for his talent, but because of how he preaches about his faith. After scoring a touchdown, he would oftentimes go down to one knee and say a silent prayer before celebrating with the rest of his teammates.

In College, he would profess his faith openly by wearing references to biblical verses on his eye paint.

The picture above generated such interest in John 3:16 that for 24 hours after the game, it was the most searched item on Google generating over 90 Million searches.

The following season, the Tebow Rule was enforced in College Football banning messages in eye paint.

As expected, not everyone takes too kindly to the way the 24-year old athlete expresses his faith. Some quarters have criticized him for being a God-chaser and have taunted him repeatedly by saying that God does not play a part in a football game. There are many others who have mocked Tebow in one way or another from the uncharacteristic way he moves in the field and the less than perfect way he throws the football.

Yet amidst all the criticism thrown at him, he continues to succeed on and off the field. After having just one win in five games, the Denver Broncos turned to Tebow as their starting quarterback. He was yanked off the bench and delivered several end-game victories which earned his team the division championship. Just a few days ago, he led his team to an overtime victory by throwing a touchdown pass to his teammate against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a perennial contender for the NFL championship.

Despite his popularity in the United States, he has not forgotten his birthplace and continues to help the Philippines by raising funds to build a children's hospital and donating money to a particular charitable organization based in our country.

This young man has proven that with a little bit of faith, there is a lot to be accomplished. Even LBJ has tweeted that "Tim Tebow will succeed in the NFL," James tweeted. "He's a hard worker, a student of the game, a natural born leader and most of all a WINNER!"

In this day and age when everyone loves a winner, it's especially nice to be cheering for the nice guy. Look out for the next Broncos game against the number one ranked New England Patriots.

Norman Ocana III, Entry # 4

The Dark Side of the Internet

2012-01-12T07:22:00.000-08:00

Many of us feel like we have already mastered the Internet; that, with the help of powerful search engines like Google and Yahoo!, there really is nothing out of reach in the world wide web. The Internet, once mysterious and awesome, is now mundane. But what if I told you that the Internet is more than what is within the reach of search engines; that just as the Universe has dark matter, the Internet has "dark web"? Spooky, right?

Note: The image above does not belong to me. No copyright infringement intended. All rights revert back to the owner. Image sourced from http://bit.ly/oiYlfg.

Dark web "consists of unremarkable consumer and research data that is beyond the reach of search engines." According to Michael Bergman, an American academic and entrepreneur who is a foremost authority on this other Internet, "[t]he deep web is currently 400 to 550 times larger than the commonly defined world wide web. x x x The deep web is the fastest growing category of new information on the [I]nternet. x x x The value of deep web content is immeasurable...internet searches are searching only 0.03%...of the [total web] pages available."

Because the dark/deep web is beyond the reach of search engines, it has become a haven for illegal and illicit activities such as the sharing and proliferation of computer and network viruses, online scamming, and child pornography. For instance, "[t]here is a well-known crime syndicate called the Russian Business Network (RBN)," says Craig Labovitz, chief scientist at Arbor Networks, a leading online security firm, "and they are always jumping around the [I]nternet, grabbing bits of [disused] address space, sending out millions of spam e-mails from there, and then quickly disconnecting." He continues, "[t]he RBN also rents temporary websites to other criminals for online identity theft, child pornography, and releasing computer viruses."

--Jan Nicklaus S. Bunag, Entry No. 4

BanKO. It's my bank.

2012-01-12T07:14:00.000-08:00

When I saw three outlets of something like this along Kamias last week, I began asking myself what it was while I was driving. I was pretty sure that it has something to do with banking because of the name itself. But what made it confusing was that all three of those outlets I saw were integrated to a drugstore or a sari-sari store. I cannot help but to search about it when I got home. My instincts were correct. It is a “bank for the poor”.

I once had stumbled on a book entitled “Banker to the Poor” which turned out to be my all time favorite book. It was written by Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi economist, who later received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. The book is about the journey of Yunus in establishing a bank for the poor focusing on microfinance with a sustainable business model. To make the long story short, the book and the business model of Yunus had inspired and is continuously inspiring people especially bankers and businessmen in promoting a socially responsive enterprises.

BanKO is a joint project of BPI and Globe, both part of Ayala Group. It seems that BanKO is taking on the challenge in making a business model (which I think similar to that of Yunus’ based on the news articles that I read) work in the Philippine setting using the existing technological culture of the Filipinos. BanKO is not only offering microfinance which is called PuhunanKO but it is also offering microsavings called PondoKO and microinsurance called PaniguroKO. These products use SMS services as medium to make transactions even faster and more efficient. It will also remove the image to the general public that banking is only for those people in shoes and in polo. This will drive the message that banking is for all people. The ultimate goal is to encourage the masses to do banking with BanKO which will bring economic benefit to them and also to the society as a whole.

Adrian Francis S. Bustos, Entry #4

Ramgen Revilla-Janelle Manahan Sex Video and the Anti Voyeurism Law

2012-01-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

The real life soap opera drama surrounding the death actor Ramgen Revilla took another twist the other day. A sex video of Ramgen and his girlfriend Janelle Manahan spread like wildfire in the internet since it was uploaded via Facebook late last year. The person who uploaded the video deleted it when it was getting much attention. However, netizens were able to save copies of the video clip. They have re-uploaded it and now it has gone viral.

The video shows Ramgen Revilla and Janelle Manahan inside a bathroom having sexual intercourse in a standing position. In the video, Ramgen was holding a digital camera while filming their moment with a proud grin. It looks like Janelle was aware they were being filmed.

As a result of the video leak, Janelle and her counsel are pursuing a case against Ramgen’s mother and his siblings (on top of the frustrated murder charges) for violating the “Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009”. She has sought the help of the NBI cybercrime division to trace the person who uploaded the video. It was her firm belief that Ramgen’s relatives have a hand on the video leak because they were the ones who have custody of the Ramgen’s computer where the sex video was stored.

This case makes an interesting inquiry on the Anti Voyeurism Law. One, it was Ramgen Revilla who took the video. He cannot be summoned or be liable anymore for violation of the said law because he is dead. Two, Janelle Manahan appears to have consented in making of the video. There seems to be no compulsion on her part and she was well aware that the act they were doing was filmed. Three, the identity of the person who uploaded the video is still unknown. Although Janelle points the culprit’s identity to Ramgen’s family, the person who uploaded the video could be anyone who has access to the video and uploaded it using a computer in any point in the Philippines or even outside the country. Janelle has the burden to prove the identity of the person who uploaded the video, a task which is difficult if not impossible to do.

Under the Anti Voyeurism Law, there are four general classifications of acts that are prohibited. First, taking photo or video coverage of sexual acts, or capturing an image of a person’s private area or undergarment without the consent of the person involved. Second, copying or reproduction of the photo or video of the sexual act or image. Third, selling or distribution of the photo or video of the sexual act or image. Fourth, publishing, broadcasting, showing or exhibiting the photo or video of the sexual act through VCD/DVD, internet, cellular phones and other similar devices or image.

The law is created to punish persons involved in the proliferation of sex scandals in the public sphere particularly in the internet. The law is not clear on many things. For example, what if the person took the photo or video with the consent of his partner and keeps it to himself but a third person has gained access to it? Will the person who took the image have the same liability with that of the uploader? What if a person took a photo or video of his/her private parts and the camera he/she was using was stolen? He/she is surprised that the picture or video is uploaded in the internet? Where then will he/she turn the blame into?

Another problem of the law is identifying the person who uploaded the image or video. People in the internet come and go without their identity being known. It would be very easy for people to upload inappropriate photos or videos without being indentified. We need a really sophisticated cyber crime investigation system to trace where the image or video was uploaded, what computer was used and the identity of the person who uploaded it.

At this stage, the anti-voyeurism law still lacks the teeth to prosecute cyber offenders which capitalize on the vulnerability of the internet and its lack of cyber security.

*I am constrained not to post a video link of the sex video on the pain of being charged of violating the anti voyeurism law for (re)uploading the scandal.

Christopher P. Columna, Entry # 4

TRANSCEND

2012-01-12T06:24:00.000-08:00

In today’s world, you are your own Beethoven.

It is much safe to say that a man of Beethoven’s genius will never again live in the world of music. But with the state of technology today, treading the path of music on your own, has become akin to playing in the backyard. Of course, there is no sure guarantee that in no time Beethovens or Mozarts are going to be produced like automobiles being churned out from production lines. However, increasing avenues are being opened to let the world recognize potential (not to mention horrendous) musical talents, prodigious musical talent even.

Meet Jonas Cano, a twelve-year old boy from the province of Leyte.

A special child, Jonas idolized the famous Filipino band Slapshock and the hardcore rock music they play. He loved playing the drums. Born of a poor family, he made his own drum set using old and used tin cans, or lata in the vernacular. Through the Internet, he learned to play the drums using his improvised drum set and in no time was playing like a professional drummer. Eventually, Jonas became a hit online, and Slapshock came to know of their number one fan. The band invited him in one of their gigs, and Jonas did not disappoint. He simply blew away everyone who watched him ‘drummed.’ Slapshock, in awe, gave him his very own professional drum set.

The Internet has revolutionized the integration of music in people’s lives. The world now is literally our stage, and every waking moment, if any individual is up to it, he can take the initiative and be his own Elvis Presley or Madonna. But Internet has become more than just a platform for personal musical effusion. The story of Jonas shows that online connectivity has created possibilities for so many individuals to pursue musical endeavors otherwise constricted by the boundaries of their own personal lives. Suddenly, one does not need any formal training or instruction to learn the beauty of rhythm and melody with a musical instrument. The Internet has provided the interface for individuals to create their own music conservatories right inside the comfort of their homes. An individual’s musical development of course is another story. It is undeniable, however, that musical education has never been this close to human beings.

Now if only I had Jonas’ talent.

Aldan S. Avila, Entry No. 4

Bar Grade Calculator

2012-01-12T04:55:00.000-08:00

Last January 4, I received an email from a Gmail user with the email address sidewalk1512@gmail.com. The subject of the message is: "Fwd: Bar Grade Calculator (Updated Version) for Bar 2011 and Bar 2012 (Updated Version)(Updated Version)(Updated Version)"

The email basically talks about a Microsoft Office Excel document that allegedly allows the user to estimate his or her final grades for the bar exams by inputting estimates of scores in the MCQ and the Memorandum parts of the bar exam. Attached to the email are two Excel files.

I heard that a number of my law school classmates also received the same email message. I didn’t know anyone with the username “sidewalk1512,” so I immediately deleted the email. The fact that the message was a blind carbon copy (BCC) was in itself already suspicious as BCC conceals the other addressees of the message. The email also didn’t state the sender’s name.

What was disturbing was that sidewalk1512 knew that I was a law student who could be interested in trying out the “bar grade calculator.” Since my other classmates received the same email, sidewalk1512 probably had access to the email addresses of UP Law students.

This isn’t the first time that I received unsolicited email from an unknown user who knew I was a law student. This time, however, the email came with two suspicious-looking files that probably contained malicious software. I hope that something is done about this. If our email addresses were leaked by a UP source or were obtained through unauthorized access to UP computers/servers, our security protocols should be reviewed.

Carlos Manuel Prado, Entry # 4

We Are A Bunch of Fault-Finders and Whiners

2012-01-12T03:43:00.000-08:00

This democracy that we have now is more popularly known to the world for what it once gloriously achieved: The overthrow of a dictator by means of an unprecedented violence-free revolution. It is an undeniable fact that when the masses of people walked to EDSA in 1986, these masses, Filipinos standing up for a, then, very oppressed country and people, were successful in reclaiming our freedom. Having done so showed the whole world the essence of a democracy. As far as we are all concerned, this is the victory of all victories. I do think, however, that all we have been doing since then is chasing the high that came from such a triumph.

There is nothing wrong in doing what EDSA I empowered Pinoys to exactly do: Always push against oppression and fight for what we think is right. This empowerment, however, has left us to be perpetually dissatisfied with our government and practically everything else. For every issue, big AND small, we fret and whine. It’s as if complaining is our only solution

P0.01 increase in gasoline prices? Transport strike.

Budget cut? Rally.

Issuance of a building permit to a large realty company? Black propaganda.

An allegedly biased chief justice? Impeach.

An unsatisfactory performance of a president? EDSA 1. EDSA dos. Tres. Quatro. Cinco

Launch of a new tourism campaign? Sarcasm. Bashing. Skepticism

A very promising campaign and government efforts in this country are welcomed with everything, but support. Our instinct is to find all the flaws of the program like we’re its monster mother-in-law. The “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” tourism campaign was immediately accused to be a copycat campaign from Switzerland’s 1951 tourism slogan:

To make matters worse, since we Filipinos think that we’re all witty, we flood social networks with sarcasm:

Do we not understand the objective of a tourism campaign? If this is what we call “poking fun” at the situation, then our brand of humor is really of bad taste.

I understand that it is our right to stand up, speak out, and be heard. Democracy. I get it. But we don’t have to be detractors all the freaking time.

Our endless complaining will not help anyone, especially our government. If we think that our government needs some improvement, let’s support its efforts at least once in a while. We’ll be stuck in a cycle of EDSA uno-dos-tres-quatro if all we do is find fault, pass blame, and whine. There’s a silver lining somewhere, people. It won’t hurt to choose to see it once in a while.

Ma. Eliza Christine Gomez, Entry #4

Previous posts: #1, #2, #3

Applied Gadgetry Series: Canon EOS 600D

2012-01-12T03:25:00.000-08:00

One of the carry-over interests I had before law school was my love for photography. I have a couple of lomography cameras, an analog SLR, and I exchanged my old DSLR for a new DSLR, the Canon EOS 600D.

There is always a discussion about what the better DSLR product is between Canon or Nikon, but I won't get into that, other than my Mom's been using Canon since forever, the after purchase service is really good, and I like the user-friendly interface.

What I do love about the 600D is its flip-out LCD monitor, which makes live view shooting a lot more convenient, especially during unexpected instances and with a swarm of other people, than having to literally find a spot to ensure that one gets a photo of the subject. This is actually the only reason I gave up my 500D, which almost has the same features. Most amateur DSLRs have the same features, some slightly updated than the other, and the feel of the body and the interface would be different, and one must personally acquaint oneself with the lingo before actually buying one.

Do I recommend it for busy professionals? It's quite costly, ranging from $530 to $650, so not really, unless one wants to really learn and perhaps make a moonlight career out of taking photos. The EOS 600D is almost an enthusiast's DSLR.

It's quite heavy and bulky too at 570 g. and 99.5 x 133 x 80 mm., which makes it inconvenient carry. However, the craze about DSLRs is the truly the quality of the photos. When you're busy and missing out on a lot of things, having stellar photographs during the very rare Holidays (and posting them on Facebook or Flick) is such happiness. With 18.7 MP, the quality of the images is superbly sharp, and with a sensitivity span of ISO 100 to 6400 (and an extension of up to 12,800!), images with ISO 1600 are just stunning.

The verdict: Get any DSLR with the highest mega-pixels that you can afford.

Photo from: Digitalslrphoto.com

Mary Rhauline Lambino, Entry No. 4

BLACK-EYED PEACE

2012-01-12T02:46:00.000-08:00

Banks will bring about my early death.

I had to pray really hard before entering a bank to withdraw or transfer funds. I was so afraid of being robbed, mugged or caught in a CCTV being robbed. Not to mention, the long lines and red tape that banks usually bundled with their services. These financial institutions could really kill me – out of fear, stress, distress and frustration.

That is no longer the case today. I now use their internet banking facility. With it, I can do a whole lot of things with ease. Without the fear of death.

Every month, I get my allowance from my sister abroad through remittance. The money flows directly to my bank account, which I can check through the net. Whereas before, the modus operandi was door-to-door banking – now, it’s bank-to-bank internet banking. The hassle of waiting for the smelly delivery guy for the money, making sure that I stay home to receive it, or of dropping by the remittance facility's nearest branch, is all but history. Now, I can check my balance anytime, at the comfort of my own bed, while writing a blog.

In addition, I didn't have to withdraw money over the counter or at the ATM. I use internet banking to transfer funds to my other accounts. The risk of carrying large amounts of money (not that I carry HUGE amounts) and losing it through negligence or robbers is minimized. I have peace of mind.

I can even pay bills directly from my account. The bank lists various merchants which can be enrolled in the “Pay Your Bills” service, and you cherrypick which ones you want to pay – cellphone bills, insurance premiums, water and electric bills, credit card bills, even prepaid load. Gone are the days of lining up at the bank or ATM, withdrawing money, carrying it nervously, lining up again and paying over the counter. You can now do it with the click of a mouse, without the danger associated with money-hungry thugs, without wasting precious time.

Now, you can do everything without ever leaving your desk and lifting your ass. You just have to lift a finger.

But of course, all these technological advancements, while proffering great benefits, also pose potential harm. What does that mean when it comes to internet banking?

For starters, how do you prove that you've paid? There’s no paper trail. Unless you avail of the print button, paperless transactions rule the day. The same thing applies to fund transfers and remittances. So in order to protect myself, I print and save the ‘Acknowledgement’ page.

And don’t forget your well-educated thieves called hackers who are out to steal your bank information. Just to be safe, use secure connections – HTTPS. You’ll never know the wily predators who man those supposedly ‘harmless’ websites. Online forums are replete with stories of people who got scammed online, losing thousands in the process.

When money gets electronic, the robbing becomes electronic too! People still get robbed. . .big time. (Without the robber getting off his ass and at the comfort of his own bed.)

Now that I think about it, this internet banking thing really gives me the creeps!

Diana Lutgarda P. Bonilla, Entry #4

How to Save a Life

2012-01-11T22:59:00.000-08:00

I’ve had a Facebook account since January 2007 but I didn’t really do much with my account as the social network wasn’t an essential in people’s days then. I posted my first and only status update in March 2009 informing my limited network of friends that I was selling original Ateneo and La Salle jackets by Adidas. I never really understood the concept of sharing the mundane events in one’s life to strangers (before stricter privacy settings). That for me was the use of status updates, to broadcast to everyone updates in your life in the hopes that someone would respond and care. I never considered that it could also be a way to save a life.

Last year around July 2011, Megin Garrett posted on her Facebook page “My husband needs a new kidney.” She and her husband, Dan, have exhausted their family members and well-meaning friends, but there was no possible match. Megin didn’t know what else to do and most likely, she didn’t expect a response from a stranger offering to donate her kidney. Allie Carr responded to the post and got in touch with the couple. Allie and Dan was a match and five months later, Dan has a new kidney courtesy of his and his wife’s new friend. Asked for an explanation for this incredible act of charity, Allie said “I saw it (the post), I knew it was something I had to do.”

My friend says there are two types of people on Facebook: those who are stalkers and those who are kulang sa pansin. I used to agree with this assessment because from my observation, the reason people go online is either to tell people about their lives or to spy on others who freely share such private information. However, in light of this inspiring story, there is apparently a third type of person on Facebook: those who volunteer to donate their kidney (or any vital organ) and save a stranger’s life.

Candice See, Entry #4

Source: Chicago Tribune wesbite