Magic Jack

For years, keeping in touch with family and friends in the United States had been tricky. Snail mail took forever to get where it was supposed to be, if it even did, while long-distance phone calls cost a small fortune. Today, thankfully, we have electronic mail and instant messaging.
But wait. There’s more! Introducing “Magic Jack,” a Universal Serial Bus (USB) based Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. The unit is about the size of a matchbox. It connects directly to any computer’s USB port, and for a small fee and with Internet access, you are free to make unlimited phone calls to anywhere in North America, with no hidden charges and no frills attached.
Relocating to Manila after spending much of my formative years in the United States was not easy. Although I know the Philippines is where I want to be now, I am guilty of sometimes still referring to America as “home” maybe because it has always been hard missing the family and friends I had to leave behind. But communications technology has afforded me a means to be a phone call away from them and somehow, get that feeling that I was right back “home.”

The YouTube University

I first heard about YouTube from my colleagues in my former job. They were sending me links which lead to funny video clips stored in the website that really made me laugh. The videos were hilarious but the idea of putting up such kind of website never impressed me. I thought it was just an idea of a fledgling techie who, for want of a better idea, comes up with a website for video storage. But one day, when I was surfing the net, I've decided to tinker with the search bar of YouTube, entering any word I could think of. Eventually, all sorts of video clips appeared before me. I suddenly realized that YouTube is more than what I first thought it was. YouTube actually contains tons of educational materials for all sorts of discipline. From a video recording of a class lecture in linear algebra, or a lecture in a robotics class, or an interview of a US Supreme Court Justice regarding torture down to a demonstration on how to prepare sinigang na hipon.

Of course, YouTube also contains filthy videos that deserves not to be seen. But nothing in this world which is not susceptible to abuse anyway. It really depends on the user and not on the tool.

YouTube really is a work of a genius. In fact, it was hailed in 2006 as the best invention by a popular magazine.



Raymond R. Roque
06-78143

Lawyers with Loyalties

I once asked he-who-shall-not-be-named, what life was like for a Lawyer. Its funny how he replied by first giving me a lopsided smile. “It wasn’t easy at the start” he said, referring to the long hours and the non-stop work. Then he began talking about Filipino lawyers working for International companies but who were still living in the Philippines. He went into detail about how the growth in telecommunications has provided a way to supply the international demand for brilliant lawyers who don’t want to leave their country of origin, which is a wonderful thing considering that when it comes to one’s career, opportunities become limited when one has a family to think about. Because of concerns about uprooting the family, most people forego advancements in their careers to protect and maintain the comfortable lifestyle their family has gotten used to. But because of the continuous growth of technology, which facilitates easy access and communication between different societies, it has opened many windows of opportunities to a great number of brilliant people, while at the same time addressing their most cherished and personal concerns.

ICT Advocacy

I have always dreamed of bringing the world closer to the people of my home province, Ifugao.
To show a world that would broaden the minds of my fellowmen, to make them be able to discover the diversity of life. To help them gain knowledge from the plethora of sources presented by the internet.

Yet it has been frustrating and it has shown me that my capacity is limited. I always fall short of getting the approval necessary from the provincial government. While I have gained the support of our governor (as we tirelessly raise it in policy deliberations), our Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) always shoots down my proposal.

This however has not disheartened me. Currently, I am looking for means of bringing ICT to our province. I am trying to look at government agencies (i.e DOST) to consider infusing ICT programs in their projects, for technical support as well as infrastructure development. Its hard since I juggle such advocacy with law school but simply put, I just can't let my people be left behind.

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Baguilat, Raymond Marvic C. 06-78921
Ice
2nd Blog Post 26 November 2008

Steal This Post!

Last month, Radiohead released In Rainbows as a ten track digital download packaged in a ZIP file. It was the first album ever to be sold on an "honesty box" system; that is, purchasers were laden with the task of deciding how much they thought the album was worth. Surveys show that over a third of the buyers paid nothing at all, while a majority of those who did pay shelled out an average of $6 with the odd fanatic or two paying up to $60, somewhat evening out the numbers. 

While the album's commercial success remains questionable, the payment system did remind me of the research analyst turned "bagel man" mentioned in Dubner and Levitt's Freakonomics.  He would bring bagels and doughnuts every morning to several office blocks and leave a payment box which he would come back for later in the day. Although he got paid only 89% of the time, it shows that given the chance, most people will choose to be honest even when no one is watching. Perhaps the anonymity in online piracy doesn't outweigh moral or economic incentives as much as we think. But don't take it from me--I've got Azureus, Limewire and Soulseek on right now.

restricted

It’s ironic…

As my “friend list” in my multiply site grows…so does the urge to restrict those people who can read my posts. I have gotten into trouble a few times because of what I have written in MY site. Things got out of control and were blown out of proportion that I cried because a friend got upset with what I wrote around the time of my campaign last year. It frustrates me when I find myself censoring my posts in my own site just so I wouldn’t hurt other people’s feelings or so that I wouldn’t be misunderstood. The more people who have access to my site and posts the more I feel that I have to be wary lest I be misunderstood. Cyberspace is said to be an effective tool for facilitating communication...but, how come the more people i am connected to, the more vague and less accurate my posts get?

It restriction the price of connection?

Facebook advocacy

If you want something done these days, you can't afford to ignore the power of the Internet to get your message across. I was again reminded of this in my environmental law class today when the professor announced that he wanted to learn how to use Facebook. Apparently, he was told that he will need this in mobilizing people from all over the world to address the raging issue of climate change.

It used to be that you had to spend good money just to be able to communicate to people from around the world quickly via courier or international direct dial service that was not too accessible. Now, all you need to have is access to the Internet, be it via your own broadband or dial-up connection or a rented PC with Internet connection, and you can already exchange ideas, documents, pictures, and other files real time with someone from another time zone. I think that if there is one thing that this decade will be best remembered for, it is the pervasiveness of digital communication in almost all spheres of human activity.

So don't be surprised if the UN Secretary-General himself wants to add you as a friend.