My cousin, who has been based in
Over dinner, she said something that I did not quite expect but did not really surprise me. According to her, museums in
One word. Amazing.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Amazing
Something For the Weekend
Even before the rush of Christmas shopping, I had to come up with a special gift for this weekend when my girlfriend and I will be celebrating our anniversary. I've been shopping online these past few months so I decided to see if the internet would give me any ideas. I surfed through the usual gift sites and stumbled upon one dealing in wines. An online store was selling a 2005 Syrah from Santa Barbara County - a particular wine that's special to us because we enjoyed it in our trip to Napa Valley in that year. I remember it was presented to us hesitatingly because the bottle needed at least three years to reach its peak. But even then, it was exceptional.
I tried asking around the local wine stores if they carried the same brand and vintage, but to no avail.
So even if the bottle cost five times more than what it did three years ago, plus exorbitant standard shipping costs, and the fact that it would take two weeks to arrive, I happily clicked on the "Buy Now" button, and filled out the order details.
I tried asking around the local wine stores if they carried the same brand and vintage, but to no avail.
So even if the bottle cost five times more than what it did three years ago, plus exorbitant standard shipping costs, and the fact that it would take two weeks to arrive, I happily clicked on the "Buy Now" button, and filled out the order details.
Stalker Mode
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I’ll be watching you
--Police
Globe has a system wherein a subscriber (A) can track the location of another Globe subscriber (B) via text. A will need to request B’s permission to track her. If B approves the request, A can track B anytime, without B knowing the exact moment that she is being tracked.
There are safeguards, like the approval of B, the option of deactivating the tracking permission anytime she doesn’t want to be tracked, and the tracking system only gives a general location, not a specific one, but this opens up privacy issues. We as a people with our cellphones being our extended limbs, would be virtually under constant surveillance. It may also be used to commit a crime under RA 9262, which prohibits stalking (placing a woman under surveillance intentionally and without lawful justification).
True, this technology would be useful for suspicious wives who want to spy on their philandering husbands, but this would be dangerous for the rest of us who want to go wherever we want without having to constantly look behind our backs.
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I’ll be watching you
--Police
Globe has a system wherein a subscriber (A) can track the location of another Globe subscriber (B) via text. A will need to request B’s permission to track her. If B approves the request, A can track B anytime, without B knowing the exact moment that she is being tracked.
There are safeguards, like the approval of B, the option of deactivating the tracking permission anytime she doesn’t want to be tracked, and the tracking system only gives a general location, not a specific one, but this opens up privacy issues. We as a people with our cellphones being our extended limbs, would be virtually under constant surveillance. It may also be used to commit a crime under RA 9262, which prohibits stalking (placing a woman under surveillance intentionally and without lawful justification).
True, this technology would be useful for suspicious wives who want to spy on their philandering husbands, but this would be dangerous for the rest of us who want to go wherever we want without having to constantly look behind our backs.
Unwilling Voyeur
The likes of Multiply, Friendster and Facebook have spawned an era of voyeurism. We can now be privy to the lives of others by looking at their pictures (provided the site isn't restricted) or get into their thoughts by reading their blogs. Internet is a way to see and be seen. Immodest people who talk about themselves endlessly have become more irrelevant- if we want to find out about you, we'd look you up on the internet.
While this is an entertaining phenomenon to many, it can also be irksome at times. The cyberspace has a way of updating you about things that you don't want to know about. Pictures we don't want to see and people we don't want to hear from just seem to pop up on our computer monitors - adding you up on Friendster or sending automatic updates on Multiply. Last week, a classmate blogged about wanting to send notices to her college debtors online. In similar vein, it would be nice to get a restraining order against people who buzz you up on YM even when you're on invisible mode or view your Multiply site, leaving a trail with a ghastly main photo that you'd rather not view. Call me cruel but if such a restraining order is indeed possible, it should last from a period of one year 'til infinity.
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
1 message received.
"It’s not working. We’re over. I’m sorry"
Braking up through text. I’ve been hearing horror stories from friends about this strange phenomenon (thankfully, I haven’t been a victim of it and hopefully I won’t ever be).
Sure it’s efficient and saves time, effort, tears and awkward moments. But come on. Are we really that busy to substitute a personal and intimate talk with our special someone with a short, not more than 160 character text message worth 1 peso (or even free if you’re with the UNLITXT promo)? I find the practice cowardly, insensitive and nerve-wracking. It’s as if everything special you shared gets reduced to a mere directive that’s transmitted in a few seconds.
There’s no easy way to break somebody’s heart, as the song goes. Break-ups are painful so deal with it. But I have a feeling breaking up through text is here to stay. People will succumb to this activity for its mere efficiency. So watch out. You’ll never know what your next text message might say.
"It’s not working. We’re over. I’m sorry"
Braking up through text. I’ve been hearing horror stories from friends about this strange phenomenon (thankfully, I haven’t been a victim of it and hopefully I won’t ever be).
Sure it’s efficient and saves time, effort, tears and awkward moments. But come on. Are we really that busy to substitute a personal and intimate talk with our special someone with a short, not more than 160 character text message worth 1 peso (or even free if you’re with the UNLITXT promo)? I find the practice cowardly, insensitive and nerve-wracking. It’s as if everything special you shared gets reduced to a mere directive that’s transmitted in a few seconds.
There’s no easy way to break somebody’s heart, as the song goes. Break-ups are painful so deal with it. But I have a feeling breaking up through text is here to stay. People will succumb to this activity for its mere efficiency. So watch out. You’ll never know what your next text message might say.
I have never owned a camera (digital or otherwise). I'm one of those who would just ask for copies of the photo from others. With the advent of digital cameras, there was actually less incentive to own a camera. It became easier to just transfer and send soft copies of the photo anyway. The only problem is that when I do need a copy, I have none to give. In my current line of work, it can be a bit inconvenient.
Whenever I did a guest appearance in the local talk shows, the researcher would ask me for copies of my photos to be used as visuals. I'd just grab some from the net and send them. The poor researcher would email me back and tell me that they couldn't use it because the station prohibited the use of photos from the net. I don't know which was more embarrasing: that the law student in me wasn't conscious of the possible copyright violations of just grabbing and using these photos or that this beauty queen didn't even have a decent portfolio.
Its a good thing that my best friend and my dad gave me a good head start. Early into the pageant, they were already grabbing photos of me posted in various websites. From pageant forums to news websites to individual blogs. Most were low-resolution copies uploaded by amateur photographers, but there were some pretty good ones posted by the professionals. I surveyed their initial collection and found that most had watermarked names of photographers and websites literally plastered all over me.
Not exactly something I'd want on my print outs but hey, beggars can't be choosers.
Whenever I did a guest appearance in the local talk shows, the researcher would ask me for copies of my photos to be used as visuals. I'd just grab some from the net and send them. The poor researcher would email me back and tell me that they couldn't use it because the station prohibited the use of photos from the net. I don't know which was more embarrasing: that the law student in me wasn't conscious of the possible copyright violations of just grabbing and using these photos or that this beauty queen didn't even have a decent portfolio.
Its a good thing that my best friend and my dad gave me a good head start. Early into the pageant, they were already grabbing photos of me posted in various websites. From pageant forums to news websites to individual blogs. Most were low-resolution copies uploaded by amateur photographers, but there were some pretty good ones posted by the professionals. I surveyed their initial collection and found that most had watermarked names of photographers and websites literally plastered all over me.
Not exactly something I'd want on my print outs but hey, beggars can't be choosers.
Beyond Legal Recognition
Executive Order No. 269 created the Commission on Information and Communications Technology a the primary policy, planning, coordinating, implementing, regulating, administrative entity of the executive branch of the government that will promote, develop, and regulate integrated and strategic ICT systems. There is also currently a pending bill in the Senate (Senate Bill No. 2546, 14th Congress) that aims to establish, by law, a Department of Information and Communications Technology. Basically, it aims to reach a level of global competitiveness for Filipinos in the field of ICT primarily with the help of the private sector.
This shows that there is an intent, at the very least, on the part of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and some Senators, namely Estrada, Legarda, Angara, and Trillanes, to recognize the importance of ICT in the Philippines in our present market and in the future.
While the proposed law looks good on paper, I question the capability of the Philippines to actually properly implement such intent once it becomes law. I mean, had it not been for the need to post a weekly blog for this particular class, I would never had known about EO No. 269 and the pending SB No. 2546. In short, simply putting this intent to law is not enough. Just because those who think they are in power say so does not make it so in the real world. Do we really need a law just so we can develop our ICT sector? No doubt, such law will help (with the proper appropriation from Congress) but in my mind, there are other avenues for development beyond law-making – I can’t think of one right now, but I’m pretty sure there is. Then again, maybe it’s just the law student in me thinking that another law made makes for an additional study load.
---
Rivera, Jan Michael A.
02-16779
This shows that there is an intent, at the very least, on the part of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and some Senators, namely Estrada, Legarda, Angara, and Trillanes, to recognize the importance of ICT in the Philippines in our present market and in the future.
While the proposed law looks good on paper, I question the capability of the Philippines to actually properly implement such intent once it becomes law. I mean, had it not been for the need to post a weekly blog for this particular class, I would never had known about EO No. 269 and the pending SB No. 2546. In short, simply putting this intent to law is not enough. Just because those who think they are in power say so does not make it so in the real world. Do we really need a law just so we can develop our ICT sector? No doubt, such law will help (with the proper appropriation from Congress) but in my mind, there are other avenues for development beyond law-making – I can’t think of one right now, but I’m pretty sure there is. Then again, maybe it’s just the law student in me thinking that another law made makes for an additional study load.
---
Rivera, Jan Michael A.
02-16779
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