Photoshop Etiquette

Sometime last month, an Egyptian paper have earned the ire of international media when it had been found out to have altered a picture of some world leaders at the Middle East peace talks at the White House. The original photo above have been altered to look like this:

The Egyptian leader was made to look like "leading" the other leaders (including Obama) through the hallway.

While we've heard quite a lot about celebrity sex scandals done through Photoshop, this is the first time I've heard of a scandal of diplomatic proportions brought about by photo editing softwares. And to think, it's a newspaper that did it. Whatever happened to true pride, eh?

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Sirs,

My blog posts are all under the tag FGM. :)

I've only made 12 blogs.

Of Open Source, Flashcarts and Homebrews

I bought my Nintendo DS to play the then-new Version of Pokemon (Diamond and Pearl). And for a while, knowing that one original game card of the NDS costs quite a lot, I thought those would be the only games I'd be able to play... until I learned about flashcarts.

A flashcart is a device similar to an original game card, but instead having a built in memory, it runs with an external microSD card, wherein you can put in, as originally intended, unofficial, user- and community-created, usually-free NDS softwares (homebrews): from media players (Moonshell), to comic book readers (ComicBook DS) and to organizers-slash-web browsers (DSOrganize).

However, while flashcarts were originally intended to the development of a self-sustaining homebrew industry, they are now more commonly used to play commercial games via downloaded ROMs, free of charge. These ROMs have been the source of Nintendo's (and other gaming companies') intensified battle against piracy, even going as far as placing Anti-Piracy (AP) features in their titles.

After learning about open source last Friday, I can't help but relate this practice with my flashcart experience. Indeed, the flashcart industry, may be considered as an underground society of (illegal?) open source enthusiasts.

What was termed as Linus' Law provides that, "given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow".

The bug-solving prowess of the flashcart community has helped detect and solve numerous bugs not only in homebrew apps, but also in commercial titles. The community, however, has also learned how to bring down several AP measures of these games, thus successfully making these AP-infested ROMs playable in flashcarts. Flashcart programmers have also developed tools in editing and recreating these ROMs. Cheat code programmers have also joined in on the fun of testing and developing a whole new gaming experience. A lot of community-created translation (localization) projects of Japan-only games have also fluorished over time.

As I've said, the gaming companies are starting to notice the threat that flashcarts pose unto their market, but I am doubtful as to the practicability of Intellectual Property Rights discourse in this phenomenon, given that a huge part of this community involves the internet. But knowing the capitalists that they are, they will not take this matter lightly.

TV vs. Net

I just realized how disconnected I am to our TV already.

I remember the times when I had to finish my assignments at school so that I could just stay at home, relax and watch my favorite anime series at that time (BT' X, Ghost Fighter, Hunter X Hunter, etc.) I'd get mad at my cousins when they try to change the channel whenever my eyes are glued unto the screen. I know the exact times when my favorite shows are shown and I always act as if I have a vested right to watch these shows, as a reward for my being a "good" student.


But now, I rarely watch the TV. Aside from the snippets I see from the teleseryes my mom's fond of, I only watch the TV whenever I feel like I need to watch the news to remain "in the know".

And now that I thought about it, me getting over the tube-box may have been caused by my now-full-blown internet addiction:

1. My daily morning news from Inquirer.net and Yahoo! News;


2. My weekly dose of anime and manga from various torrent and streaming sites (I don't need to be at home at a specific time just to watch a TV show anymore);


3. My daily mail;


4. My daily fix of Facebook and its games;


5. My occassional Wikipedia trips.

Even my mom, who has been religiously following her seryes 'til almost midnight has discovered the existence of Youtube, ever so thankful that she won't need to stay up late just to watch Villainess A slap the face of Protagonist B.

Indeed, the Internet has changed the way people entertain themselves and it probably will continue to make TV less and less relevant in the future (thus resulting in a lot stronger presence of the TV networks on the Net)

If video did kill the radio star, then the net will, someday, kill the TV star.

Dial-up vs. SmartBRO vs. Globe Broadband

It's only been recently that I've realized that our internet connection is so much bearable now than when we first got connected through dial-up and prepaid ISP cards (ehem, ISP Bonanza). Gone are the days when I'd get a bad temper for having been disconnected from Ragnarok Online just before the consummation of a "transaction". There's also the fact that 100 pesos for 2o hours of 28kbps of connection simply isn't worth it.

My Mom, upon some convincing that the Internet will help my education and that it will lower the costs of our communication with my Dad, had us connected to SmartBRO. It was great at first, but then, the rainy season came and so did the seemingly endless intermittent connection. We had to call their customer service everyday and ask them to send a technician immediately, but SmartBRO will send someone a week after, when the connection's good. Hence, I eventually developed "hatred" and distrust against wireless broadbands. I succumbed to the fact that wireless broadbands don't go well with the rain and Antipolo City.

When I learned that Mom is switching to Globe Broadband, I was quite wary since I knew that it's another wireless service. The first few months of their service also had us calling their call centers but fortunately, unlike SmartBRO, they were fast in sending their field technicians to us. Eventually, though I was not that aware at first, the connection got better and faster, I could now download large files without waiting for 3 long hours.

I also admire the fact that tyhphoon "Ondoy" has not hampered our connection even once during its onslaught in the Metro. (I was dead sure that I'd get home without an internet connection the day after that flooded Saturday).

I guess SkyBroadband would have to wait longer before we think of switching services again. As of now, we are completely satisfied with Globe.

(NOTE: I was not paid to advertise Globe Broadband!)

The Internet for Porn

"The internet is really really great... I’ve got a fast connection so i don’t have to wait... There's always some new site... I browse all day and night... It's like I’m surfing at the speed of light..."

- The Internet is for Porn, Avenue Q

I've been humming this tune subconsciously since the start of the semester, every time we talk about the internet in class. The song, by omitting those two words in its lyrics, really sums up what I feel about the internet and what I've been doing to pass the time for the past three years.

A certain news article got me re-thinking, however: Is the internet really for porn? I would have readily answered no, but then, it is quite true that the "advent of technology" is almost always followed by, at the very least, some sort of sexual adaptation:

The telephone - Phone Sex
FlashVideos - Streaming Porn
SMS - "Sexting"
MMS - Sex Videos / Scandals
Webcams - Cybersex
3G and 4G Phones - Phone Sex on Video

Pornography addiction has been said to be boosted by the proliferation of online porn sites and relative ease of obtaining porn from them: Just a click away. This ease also results in a higher probability for minors to be "sexually aware" and, with the many stumbling blocks with respect to a proper sex education, this awareness will likely evolve to activity.

In the end, pornography is one aspect of information that cannot be easily regulated. What the state can do is to at least equip its citizens with the proper information to counter its "misleading effects".

Privacy Policy

I've just blogged about spies on Facebook and now we have this: "the existence of a[n electronic] document that details the names, URLs, and unique Facebook IDs of 100 million of the site’s users" which is currently being shared as a Torrent file. According to the news artcle, only those accounts which are publicly searchable were included in the said file.

Another article points out that the said existence of such a file does not necessarily mean a bad thing provided that you have not shared to "everyone" (1) personal information that you wish to remain "private" or (2) those information that might be used against you.

Facebook, on the other hand, points out that the said data was already publicly available, given that they are readily available through search engines and their privacy policy have clearly set forth that:

Information set to “everyone” is publicly available information, just like your
name, profile picture, and connections. Such information may, for example, be
accessed by everyone on the Internet (including people not logged into
Facebook), be indexed by third party search engines, and be imported, exported,
distributed, and redistributed by us and others without privacy limitations.

In the end, it is the user's obligation to protect information he wants to protect by making use of the Facebook's privacy settings. But, since a lot of people do not read privacy policies and terms of agreement, they are still those who are left to learn their lessons the hard way.

As what has been pointed out in class several times, "What has been uploaded into the Internet remains there forever." It is, therefore, our own responsibility to protect our own trails. Self-censor if you must.

Spies on Facebook

While it may have already been common knowledge that social networking sites may be used as a spying tool (for employers, jealous spouses, or just plain cyberstalkers), who would have guessed that spies may actually be your friends on Facebook.

Ordinarily, spies have been portrayed in movies as highly cautious; careful not to leave any trail; willing to kill anyone who give them the slightest of suspicions. But, apparently, this is not the case with Anna Chapman:

AFP reports that Ms. Chapman left an "enigmatic" trail on social networking site, Facebook, posting several of her pictures and other "personal" informtion. The media, probably taking advantage of her account's lack of security settings, have hit a "research" gold mine. Surprisingly, the Russian sleeper agent may have no intention of taking down her account, and continued posting status updates, and adding even more journalists as friends, even after her deportation.

But then again, it is still uncertain whether Ms. Chapman is personally maintaining her Facebook account. For all we know, this may actually be part of a complicated Russian ploy, reminiscent of the several spy-themed fiction (Bond. James Bond.). As for me, I'd still be a passive advocate of privacy settings in social networking sites.

REMEMBER:

They are among us.

Of Lacrosse and Machine-readable Passports

The American-Indians have been known in modern media to have a strong sense of community and have often been depicted protecting their "lands", even in less-than-diplomatic ways. This time, however, a news article I've read may have placed them under a different light: a victim of discrimination.

The Iroquois are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America, particularly found in the United States and Canada. They helped invent the game, lacrosse. From July 15-24, 2010, the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship was held in Manchester, UK. But unfortunately, the Iroquois Nationals team was not able (allowed?) to participate in the event.

The UK has denied them entry into its territory for not having machine-readable, US- or Canada-issued passports. Not considering themselves to be citizens of the US nor Canada, the Iroquois lacrosee team, though eligible to get the passports, refused to acquire the said documents saying that doing so will be a "strike on their identity" as Iroquois people. After days of negotiating for their entry into the UK, the Iroquois Nationals decided to just forfeit their participation in the World Championships.

While some people may say that it is an "odd" and stupid decision to forfeit rather than just accept the papers, (One comment, read "Your people were conquered a very long time ago, get over it. Most of them are half white anyway") I admire the Iroquois for choosing what is more important to them. I admire them for letting go of a chance to win at a championship, and showing the world that they are champions of their own ideals.


May the Filipinos have the pride and the guts to do the same.

SC on Twitter and FB

Ms. Pau Duman's status tonight had me clicking a newsclip from Inquirer.net. Apparently, the most-of-the-time-old-fashioned-and-conservative Supreme Court has succumbed to the trend of social networking sites. The SC spokesperson said that they want the public to be informed of its latest programs and decisions, thus bringing justice closer to the people, just like how the SC's Justice on Wheels program did.

But then again, as I've learned in my Right to Information class, while it is true that access to information is important, it is equally(if not more) important that the information made accessible is credible, true, and in the SC's case, in accordance with the law. (De Castro and League of Cities, anyone?)

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And, yes. The SC must certainly refrain from doing what that Utah Attorney-General did: using Twitter for self-publicity.

Twttrexecution

I was first introduced to Twitter by my friends a year ago. I don't have Facebook account, back then, so I was impressed with Twitter's usage of one-line status updates and its interactive reply features. I am quite fond of using one-liners so I immediately thought that it was a brilliant idea to have an account on the micro-blogging site. Unfortunately, my excitement was shortlived as I discovered that Facebook is like Twitter with more characters allowed (in its status updates) and more things and time-wasters to do (Mafia Wars, anyone?).

Last week, Prof. Quimbo touched on the subject of Twitter and its relevance to non-celebrities' lives. I immediately thought of this Japanese drama series I've chanced upon, about how Twitter brought a group of ordinary people together and helped them through a lot of tight spots. (Apparently, Twitter has this radar feature on mobile phones, allowing you to search Twitter users within your vicinity.)

With the good, also come the bad. Two weeks ago, I've come across a news article regarding how the Attorney-General of the State of Utah "tweeted" the execution (by firing squad) of a certain Ronnie Lee Gardner. Another news article even reported that the said officer followed-up on this tweet and said, "We will be streaming live my press conference as soon as I'm told Gardner is dead. Watch it at www.attorneygeneral.Utah.gov/live.html".

As aptly described by one Twitter user in one of the articles, I believe that the said tweet "will probably go down in history as the dumbest, most disgusting use of Twitter ever."

Of Japanese Animation and International Relations.

I was quite a "fact-and-trivia-addict" when I was kid. I've tried to learn (memorize?) all sorts of stuff from Greek mythology, to the then 151 Pokemon. When a category of facts piques my interest, I try to come up with a list of all things related to that category and start memorizing them. That was the time I started to get interested with world geography and Japanese anime.

As I grew older, I found out that animes are more than just cartoons intended for kids. They, more often than not, tell some pretty serious stories, that kids will most likely ignore (since they will be pretty busy looking at the colorful moving pictures).

One common theme that Japanese animators like to explore is international relations. An example is the Gundam series which, although set in a futuristic and sci-fi Earth and space, greatly deal with how our world's leaders make mistakes, which often lead to "misunderstandings" of global proportions. (I even recommended this series to a friend who teaches the subject). Other known titles which has recurring themes related to international relations include Naruto, Code Geass and Fushigi Yuugi.

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(In this picture, from top left clockwise: England, Russia, France, China, and America. Click Picture for Source)

One day, as I was searching for something to make me laugh, I came across "Hetalia: Axis Powers" (later in renamed as "Hetalia: World Powers"). The anime comically presents world history and current events through characters which personify the countries of the world. While it is basically a comedy, Hetalia (and double checking over the net) helped me discover pretty surprising facts, such as the existence of a self-proclaimed independent mircronation called "Sealand".

I recommend this title to anyone who wants to take a break and just laugh at how the world was and is. (I end this post with a link to a Hetalia episode about Russia and his sisters, Ukraine and Belarus)

On Easing the Burden of Death.

Summer OLA had me to and fro the NLRC Main Building in Banawe. During my trip back from my first hearing last month, I immediately took notice of a big green banner outside the St. Peter Mega Chapel in Quezon Ave. promoting the company's latest gimick, so to speak: e-Libing and e-Burol.

The official website of St. Peter states that e-Burol and e-Libing allows videos of a deceased person's wake and interment to be uploaded online on their website so that they be accessed by their relatives and friends who are unable to attend the said events in person due to physical distance or other reasons. It is obvious then that the target market of these services would be Filipinos outside the country (legally or otherwise).

At first, I found it funny and quite outrageous. However, as I pondered on it longer, I thought that, with the current advances in communication and technology, it is actually practical to just say our goodbyes online. The e-Burol and e-Libing are bound to attract Filipinos who wish to save time, effort...

gas.

While they are innovative and brilliant ideas, some people might still be wary of availing them. After all, the consoling presence of a loved one will definitely have a hard time passing through the impersonal channels of the web.

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Now, the next question would be: What's next? e-Binyag or e-Kasal? :P

With almost everything going online, I won't be really surprised that, someday, people will be just as big as the people Wall-E saw in space.