MIT Media Lab hires college dropout as director: Beyond Negroponte

By Christopher Dawson | April 27, 2011, 10:01pm PDT

The last director of MIT’s renowned Media Lab to make serious noise was Nicholas Negroponte, the flamboyant, controversial man behind the One Laptop Per Child effort. He was also the first director of the bleeding edge working group. The latest director, however, seems to be the un-Negroponte.

Joichi Ito, a college dropout turned entrepreneur and venture capitalist brings with him a string of credits ranging from investments in Last.fm and Twitter to guild master status in World of Warcraft, according to a New York Times feature:

He was also an early participant in the open-source software movement and is a board member of the Mozilla Foundation, which oversees the development of the Firefox Web browser, as well as being the co-founder and chairman of Creative Commons…

While his credentials seem impeccable from a real-world standpoint, the Register was, not surprisingly, a bit more cynical about the appointment:

MIT has appointed a new director of its Media Lab: a blogger and networker who found computer science boring, and dropped out of higher education completely after discovering that he couldn’t learn physics “intuitively”. But since it’s actually MIT’s Media Lab we’re talking about, the appointment of dot com socialite and self-confessed dilettante Joicho [sic] Ito is really the perfect, perfect choice.

Why does this even matter? That so-called $100 laptop still isn’t $100 and the Lab has become known for expensive stunts and demos. In a time of fiscal draw downs, couldn’t the work of the Lab be distributed among other research labs at MIT with a greater focus on results and lower costs?

Perhaps, but the MIT Media Lab is supposed to inspire technologists and researchers alike, showing us the could be’s if our brightest minds are allowed to run free. As computer technology becomes not only ubiquitous but utterly taken for granted, an organization like the Media Lab reminds us that there is still creation to do and innovation to chase. An investor/entrepreneur/Internet mover and shaker is going to have as good (and most likely better) sense than anybody of what the next great innovation will look like in the second decade of the 21st Century (and beyond).

Negroponte is probably cringing right now, but I’m curious what the Lab will bring us over the next several years under Ito’s leadership.

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Pinoys wax sentimental about losing Friendster

JM TUAZON, GMA News

04/28/2011 | 04:12 PM

For many of its users, Friendster was a shutting-down hoax story that eventually came true.

Following the announcement of its service revamp after May 31, Pinoy netizens who once flocked to the pioneering social networking site remember the times and memories they shared over the site during its heyday.

Acknowledged widely as the social network that started it all, Friendster became a hub for Pinoys looking to rekindle ties with old classmates, or sustain relationships with loved ones from abroad.

"Ang friendster ang first love ko," said blogger Leny Grace Louise in post. "Pero after nung umuso na yung Facebook, Good bye, Friendster na. [But after all of it], I will miss Friendster. Ang dami kong nakilala dahil sa Friendster."

But among all the photos, blogs and shoutouts to be wiped out of Friendster's databases after its nine-year run, Pinoys seem to have a collective fondness of the testimonials—or "testi," for short—on their pages from friends and loved ones.

"oh no, ang mga testimonials ko sa friendster mawawala na due to their reformat! di ko na maalala password ko dun," said Twitter user @brattydianne.

"Enjoying myself reading all the testimonials I got in friendster. Kinda' nostalgic but fulfilling," @CrisTan23 chimed in.

@raimongonzales, on the other hand, was in shock: "OMG. I don't know how to react to these testimonials. It's like reading retreat letters online that are open to the public!"

Mad Dash
Luckily, Friendster has given its users enough leeway to back up all their content through a Friendster Exporter application available on the site.

This spurred a mad dash of users accessing the site in hopes of saving all their precious memories before they get deleted, rendering it inaccessible at some point due to huge traffic.

The revamp was being talked about in other social networking sites so much that it even rose as the second most trending topic on Twitter as of writing time.

For most of those who had opened their accounts for the last time, Friendster has become a time capsule of old—and sometimes awkwardly embarassing—memories.

"Gonna visit my Friendster account! Will recover my old pics. Poor Friendster," @dendenguevarra said.

"I just downloaded my Friendster profile. Parang matinding pambobola yung mga testimonial sa akin, a," @necramirez joked.

"Oh, so wala nang friendster? Sayang, I wasn't able to have some copies of my hideous photos there. Remembrance din yun from my jologs days," @camilababe shared.

@nadelyntorres puts things in a wider perspective: "End of our era: our prince charming Prince William found his princess; Harry Potter is ending; Friendster is about to take its final bow."

Not affected
While many users are getting all nostalgic about Friendster's demise, some may have thrown the towel a tad bit too early and are unaffected by the shutdown.

"Not affected by Friendster's issues since I deleted mine a long time ago," said @KiaSLedesma.

"I deleted my Friendster like 3 years ago. It was topnotch way back in high school though. Good times," @francelleisms added.

@DevenConcepcion, meanwhile, could only look back with regret: "I wish I didn't deactivate my Friendster (account). ang dami ko kayang testimonials and comments. plus ang ganda pa nga friendster layout ko."

Death by Facebook
Ironically enough, among the profile pages to be deleted by Friendster includes that of Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, touted as the social network that finally issued the death blow to the once-dominating site.

When Facebook and another social networking site, MySpace, rose to fame in 2004, Friendster lost majority of its North America-based users to it. It eventually found solace in Asian countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines, where it reportedly had 20 million users, its biggest user base to date.

But despite this massive popularity early on, Friendster failed to sustain user interest much less its own financial capacity.

Fallen ventures

Tech blogger Abe Olandres noted in a 2006 blog post: "Unfortunately, the number of local users has not translated into financial success for them," he posited.

In early 2005, Olandres shared, Friendster forged a deal with local classifieds site Pusit.com, giving birth to Friendster Classifieds and Friendster Ads, an attempt to monetize its large user base.

This partnership eventually gave birth to Friendster Philippines.

However, the venture didn't take off, sending the team of Friendster Philippines and Pusit.com packing their bags and walking home.

Malaysian online payment site MOL Global eventually bought Friendster in 2009, and pushed for the site's redesign to what it looks like today.

But despite the redesign, new features and a host of local activation events, Friendster still failed to woo users from vastly more popular social networking sites back into its own backyard, prompting its owners to lay the final nail on the coffin.

Evolution

MOL Global officials said they are planning to revamp Friendster into a social gaming site that "aims not to compete with, but instead to complement, Facebook."

Friendster is the latest of many Internet-based companies that have recently revamped or simply folded up, some due to strategic decisions by owners, others due to overwhelming competition.

Yahoo!, for example, folded up its Geocities website hosting service in 2009 after deciding to "focus on helping customers explore and build relationships online in other ways."

Multiply, another social networking site with a large Filipino user base, recently announced its plans to metamorphose into an e-Commerce platform, pandering to its huge base of online sellers. — TJD, GMA News

Friendster evolves to escape Facebook's shadow

Associated Press
First Posted 16:22:00 04/28/2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia— Faded social networking site Friendster will soon delete nearly a decade's worth of user photos, blog entries and other data in a revamp to set it apart from Facebook, a company official said Thursday.

The overhaul is meant to help Friendster regain a semblance of online relevance after being outmuscled by Facebook, which boasts about 600 million active users. Friendster has accumulated at least 115 million registered members since 2002, but only about 40 million currently have valid emails and fewer still are active users.

Friendster emailed its members over the past week to inform them to save their pictures, profile information, messages and blog posts on other sites by May 31, said Nor Badron, a company spokesman based in Singapore.

"This is an evolution of the site to push the boundaries of our business," Nor told The Associated Press. "It's not about direct competition with Facebook. Whoever wants to compete with Facebook would be crazy."

It is the biggest change to Friendster since Malaysian tycoon Vincent Tan's online payment systems company MOL Global purchased the site in late 2009. Tan's businesses include retail franchises in Southeast Asia such as Starbucks and 7-Eleven.

In June, Friendster will launch services that are not provided by Facebook, focusing on a new platform for social interaction in gaming, music, entertainment and online shopping, Nor said.

Friendster members can have a different social networking experience by cultivating unique online identities that are different from their real-life ones, Nor said. They can connect with people whom they don't personally know and share music with them or play online games together.

"We realize there's no need to have photo albums or the duplication of status updates on both Facebook and Friendster, so this is something totally different, a whole new ball game," Nor said. "It's about something you don't do on Facebook that you can do on Friendster."

Nor declined to say how much Friendster is investing in the changes or give details about its financial targets.

The biggest number of Friendster users are now in the Philippines, the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia and Britain.

Anti-PCOS, IT whiz named to Comelec

By Christine O. Avendaño, Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:08:00 04/28/2011

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III has appointed a 71-year-old information technology executive to fill the vacancy at the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The President’s deputy spokesperson, Abigail Valte, announced Wednesday the appointment of Augusto “Gus” Lagman as Comelec commissioner, to replace Nicodemo Ferrer who has retired.

Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. said he had no objection to Lagman’s appointment.

“I’m okay with him,” Brillantes told reporters. “I know him personally. I know his criticism of the PCOS (precinct count optical scan) machines. We have spoken about it for a long time. We shall see his stand on the matter [when he becomes commissioner]. The Comelec is a collegial body, so it will be decided by us. So there’s no problem.”

Valte said Mr. Aquino signed on April 20 the appointment paper of Lagman, a “certified computing professional” by the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals in Des Moines, Illinois, in the United States. He will hold the position until Feb. 2, 2018.

“He is a known expert in the field of IT and he has been very involved in the automated elections,” Valte said of Lagman at a press briefing.

“We know that he has spoken out on so many issues relating to the automated elections ... and we are confident that he can discharge the duties of his office as capably, as competently, as he has in the past,” she said.

Defective machines
On the phone with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Lagman said he was “most likely” to maintain his opposition to the use of the controversial PCOS machines in future elections.

“My stand is very clear that we don’t use those PCOS machines again. They have lots of defects,” he said, adding:

“It was a good thing that President Aquino won by a landslide [in the May 2010 elections]. What could have happened if it were a close fight? In the local elections that are currently being protested, there are still many questions.”

Valte said Lagman’s competence in his field was a factor in the President’s decision to appoint him to the Comelec.

Mega Pacific deal
“If you recall, a few months back, whenever asked about a prospective appointment, the President would always say that he wanted an IT expert given the issues that have faced the [Comelec],” she said.

Lagman headed the IT Foundation of the Philippines, which sought and got from the Supreme Court a ruling nullifying the P1.3-billion contract between the Comelec and Mega Pacific eSolutions Inc. for the production of automated counting machines for the 2004 midterm elections.

He will be one of the prosecution witnesses in the impeachment trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who is being accused of, among other things, failing to charge the Comelec officials involved in the Mega Pacific deal.

Lagman said that instead of purchasing and running a new system for the next elections, the local IT community would be willing to help the Comelec design and develop a quick but workable system for national and local polls.

But he expressed an openness to view the PCOS machines from the perspective of the Comelec. “I’m most willing to listen to logic,” he said.

Release of source code
Lagman and other petitioners managed to convince the Supreme Court to order in September 2010 the release to the public of the PCOS source code, or the series of encrypted instructions and programs on the machines’ software.

The Comelec has yet to comply with the high court’s order as demanded by IT groups and election watchdogs because of disputes on the mechanics for the release of the code.

“We have to follow the law [on automated elections],” Lagman said. “The law says that the source code must be released to any interested body. So I will obviously recommend to the commission en banc that the source code and other documents be made public. They are all lawyers, so I know they will understand.”

Lagman last criticized the PCOS machines in January, when he asked the Comelec to disclose how much it was paying for the storage of the 900 units it had purchased from contractor Smartmatic for the resolution of election protests.

Namfrel nominee
Lagman was nominated to the Comelec position by various groups, including the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), the Automated Election Systems Watch headed by former Comelec Chair Christian Monsod and the Makati Business Club.

He is an incumbent member of Namfrel’s national council, and has participated in the watchdog group’s quick-count operations.

“We congratulate him. We know him, we know what he stands for, but we are still going to monitor his performance as commissioner. We will not treat him differently,” Namfrel secretary general Eric Alvia said in a phone interview.

Alvia said Lagman was the third Namfrel official to be named to the Comelec, the first being Monsod and the second, Commissioner Abdul Gani Marahomsar, who served in the late 1990s.

Not a lawyer
Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento also welcomed Lagman’s appointment, saying: “I’m sure he has the sufficient wisdom and sense of patriotism for the good of the electoral democracy in the Philippines.”

Both Brillantes and Sarmiento acknowledged Lagman’s expertise in IT.

But they noted that Lagman was not a lawyer, and said the commissioners would discuss with him how he could help in the disposition of pending election cases.

Added value
Lagman said his knowledge of IT would be “an added value to the Comelec.”

“The other six [commissioners] are all lawyers. I can help in the automation, in the setting of systems and procedures,” he said.

Lagman said he would form a legal staff of election law experts to help him in the adjudication of election-related cases.

“The [Comelec] is a collegial body. I’m sure there’s going to be a healthy discussion, and as I would listen to them when it comes to questions on law, I hope they would listen to me when it comes to questions on technology,” he said.

He added that one of his “would-be requests” to the other commissioners was “to make everything transparent so that the public would know what we are talking about.”

Lagman holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of the Philippines.

He was the president of the IT Association of the Philippines and of the Philippine Computer Society, and a lead convenor of TransparentElections.org.

According to his curriculum vitae, which Malacañang released to the media, he is the chair of Vinta Systems Inc. (developer of AI-oriented software products) and a director of Systems Technology Institute (STI) College Recto and Biometrics Technologies Inc.

Lagman is the founding chair of STI and various STI campus colleges. He was also a director of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and the first Hall of Fame awardee of the Philippine Computer Society.

Friendster, another Facebook casualty

By Arlene Burgos, abs-cbnNEWS.com

Posted at 04/26/2011 10:49 PM | Updated as of 04/26/2011 10:49 PM

 

MANILA, Philippines -- Social networking pioneer Friendster has advised its millions of users to take their files elsewhere, or face oblivion by May 31, when the site begins a reincarnation of itself as a non-Facebook-competing, "entertainment and fun" service.

 

TechCrunch, an IT-website, has reported that "Friendster has advised registered members to install a custom application that will export all their profile data as most of it will be deleted on May 31, 2011." 

 

The report, along with several others that discussed how Friendster planned to stay relevant in the age of Facebook domination, has sparked rumors of a winding down or at least a reinvention that will see the destruction of a social networking site that has connected people and made them friends.    

 

But Friendster itself has explained to its users in its help page that the removal of all users' information -- blog, photo, profile -- is to pave the way for the introduction of a new Friendster. 

 

"We are introducing a new and improved Friendster in the coming weeks that will be focused on entertainment and fun. There will be new features that will leverage on your online activities and will enable you to connect with friends or engage new friends with similar interests." 

 

Friendster said the "improved site is designed to create new profiles that allow you to connect differently with people and do things differently than other networking sites. Basically, the new site will complement your existing online presence in other social networking sites." 

 

To do this, Friendster will retain users' friends lists, basic profile information, wallet and games. 

 

Attempts via phone and email by abs-cbnnews.com to get more details about this from Friendster failed. 

 

TechCrunch described the impending move "exactly like Myspace when they started feeling the Facebook heat for real." 

 

This observation comes against a backdrop of intense attrition for social networking sites. 

 

"Tech industry analysts comScore say figures show MySpace lost more than 10 million unique users worldwide between January and February... Year on year the site has lost almost 50 million users, down from close to 110 million in February 2010," BBC reported in March. 

 

Yet, in a ZDNet Asia report just this month, Friendster CEO Ganesh Kumar Bangah may have hinted how his company views this kind of brand reinvention. 

 

In that report, Bangah pitched for a unique value proposition in an attempt not to be sidelined by a global social graph dominated by Facebook. 

 

"Friendster... will be re-launched as a social entertainment site that will leverage the global social graph using Facebook's "Connect" feature... will not compete with but instead will complement Facebook," ZDNet Asia quoted Bangah as saying. 

 

A preview of what the site may have in mind may be the announcement last September that it is launching social media portals for music and social gaming fans in Asia. 

 

Friendster claims to be a leading global online social network with 95 million members worldwide.

Sotto wants law authored by late grandpa amended

By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:04:00 04/27/2011

MANILA, Philippines—In the age of Twitter and Facebook, electronic news media should also enjoy the same privilege of protecting its sources.

Sen. Vicente Sotto III wants the ’40’s-era "Sotto law’’ amended to also exempt the electronic media, cable, TV and radio from revealing their sources of information to keep the law in step with the times.

Sotto said that existing laws, including Republic Act 53 authored by his late grandfather Sen. Vicente Yap Sotto, should be tweaked to conform to emerging media of mass communications.

“The law was conceived at a time when today’s technology was unthinkable,’’ Sotto said in Senate Bill 41.

Even so, RA 53’s purpose of "protecting and enhancing the freedom of the press, so as to inform the public of current events and issues that affect their lives, remains relevant and important,’’ he said.

The Sotto law, enacted in 1946, exempts the publisher, editor or reporter of any publication from revealing the source of published news or information obtained in confidence.

To expand its coverage, Sotto proposed that ``responsible personnel’’ from Internet-based media, cable, TV and radio be included in the exemption provided by the law.

He said Section 1 of RA 53 be amended to read that station manager, producer, news director or reporter of print, broadcast or electronic mass media, including but not limited to newspaper, radio, TV, cable, Internet site or other electronic media outlet should not be compelled to reveal the source of information unless a court or Congress finds that such revelation is demanded by the interest of the State.

Android also collects users' location data -researcher

04/22/2011 | 10:23 PM

It's not just Apple that exposes data on the whereabouts of the owner of mobile devices running the iOS operating system - Google's Android does it too, according to a controversial researcher.

Samy Kamkar said that Android Map exposes the data Google has been collecting from "virtually all" Android devices and Street View cars.

"Android Map exposes the data that Google has been collecting from virtually all Android devices and Street View cars, using them essentially as global wardriving machines. When the phone detects any wireless network, encrypted or otherwise, it sends the BSSID (MAC address) of the router along with signal strength, and most importantly, GPS coordinates up to the mothership," he said in an entry on his site.

The "mothership" in this case was Google, he said.

A BSSID is the Basic Service Set Identifier or the Media Access Control (MAC) address, a unique physical identifier for networks.

Earlier this week, two researchers disclosed a hidden file in iPhones, iPads and devics running iOS 4 and later - "consolidated.db" - secretly records the owner's whereabouts.

The file is unencrypted and can be synced to a computer running Apple's iTunes software.

A separate story on the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said that documents showed that Apple and Google smartphones regularly transmit their locations back to Apple and Google, respectively.

"Google and Apple are gathering location information as part of their race to build massive databases capable of pinpointing people's locations via their cellphones. These databases could help them tap the $2.9 billion market for location-based services—expected to rise to $8.3 billion in 2014, according to research firm Gartner Inc.," it said.

The WSJ story quoted Kamkar as saying an HTC Android phone collected its location every few seconds and transmitted the data to Google at least several times an hour.

It also quoted Kamkar as saying that the phone transmitted the name, location and signal strength of any nearby Wi-Fi networks, as well as a unique phone identifier.

Google declined to comment on the findings, the WSJ said.

The WSJ noted that the data that Kamkar observed being transmitted on Android phones did not include personal information.

For its part, Apple said that it intermittently collects location data, including GPS coordinates, of many iPhone users and nearby Wi-Fi networks and transmits that data to itself every 12 hours.

In a July 2010 letter to US state representatives Edward Markey and Joe Barton, Apple detailed what kind location information it collects from device owners.

According to Apple Analyst, the company may “collect and transmit cell tower and Wi-Fi Access point information automatically," and that "this information is batched and then encrypted and transmitted to Apple over a secure Wi-Fi Internet connection every twelve hours."

But even then, location information is only collected when one is using an application that requires his/her location such as Foursquare or Facebook Places, Apple Analyst quoted Apple's letter as saying.

Apple Analyst added that the only exception to this rule is that Apple will automatically collect cell tower information when a GPS-enabled device has location services turned on and is searching for a cellular network, as phones search for a network after dropping a connection or when first powering on.

Markey has since sent a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs to explain the data-gathering further.

"Apple needs to safeguard the personal location information of its users to ensure that an iPhone doesn't become an iTrack ... Collecting, storing, and disclosing a consumer's location for commercial purposes without their express permission is unacceptable and would violate current law. That's why I am requesting responses to these questions to better understand Apple's data collection and storage policies to make certain sensitive information can't be left behind for others to follow," a report on CNET quoted Markey as saying.

The WSJ said that, as early as last year, it found some of the most popular smartphone apps using location data and other personal information even more aggressively than this.

In some cases, it said that the apps share the data with third-party companies without the user's consent or knowledge.

Reviewing Kamkar's findings

The WSJ said that it hired a consultant to review the findings of 25-year-old Kamkar who, it said, has a controversial past.

It said that in 2005, Kamkar created a computer worm that caused MySpace to crash, and pleaded guilty to a felony charge of computer hacking in Los Angeles Superior Court, and agreed to not use a computer for three years.

Since 2008, Kamkar has supposedly been doing independent computer security research and consulting, and developed the "evercookie" last year. The "evercookie" is a tracking file that is difficult to remove from computers.

CNET: law enforcers knew of tracking logs

Another story on CNET said that law enforcement agencies had known since at least 2010 that an iPhone or iPad can secretly record its owner's whereabouts.

Computer forensics specialists said such location logs are not merely an open secret and have even become a sales pitch in attracting "customers."

"Among computer forensics specialists, those location logs--which record nearby cell tower coordinates and time stamps and cannot easily be disabled by someone who wants to use location services--are not merely an open secret. They've become a valuable sales pitch when targeting customers in police, military, and intelligence agencies," it said. - TJD, GMA News

New software to merge Google Maps, Google Earth data

04/21/2011 | 10:14 PM

To assist mostly governments and businesses in their mapping needs, search-engine giant Google Inc. has launched a new service that allows users to integrate their data with existing mapmaking software Google Maps and Google Earth.

In a post on the official Google Enterprise Blog, the company’s Geo Enterprise Sales head, Tarun Bhatnagar, said the new tool called Google Earth Builder will allow users to upload, process, and store their geospatial data in the Google cloud.

“No technical expertise or GIS training is required," Bhatnagar added.

Cloud software allow users to store and access data via the Internet using any computer, redounding to efficient and cheaper services.

The company said its online tools Google Earth and Google Maps have equipped its users to easily view rich geographic information using their desktop or mobile devices.

Google said its Earth Builder will help free geospatial data from “costly" servers, and extend to government agencies and business groups the same benefits that consumers have enjoyed for years.

The company said the benefits of the 100-percent web approach of Google Earth Builder include:

• Accessing maps from any computer or Internet-enabled device
  
  
• Quick and efficient processing of complex geospatial data
  
  
• Reducing costs and eliminating time spent for buying, maintaining, and patching software and servers
  
  
• Ensuring the security of storage and recovery

"We hope that more people can use Google Earth Builder to make better location-related decisions within business and government," Google said. — PE/VS, GMA News

Take Control of Your Office Records

By RUBEN ANLACAN JR.

April 20, 2011, 12:03pm

 

MANILA, Philippines -- Most managers do not rank organizing their office files highly among their priorities; it is thought to be a routine chore not to concern management. Usually this tedious task is left to the discretion of their staff. Unfortunately many of those in charge fail to do this properly for lack of proper training.

Records and filing management does not seem very important—until the time you cannot find a vital document! Then you turn your office inside out only to find out after hours or days of fruitless searching that it was lost forever, a staff has thrown it away thinking that it was no longer needed. The effect may be expenses or delays that cost a fortune.

Fortunately, the preceding scenario is not the usual case; most people do not lose documents to the trash can since we rarely dispose of an item if we think it may be needed. Instead, the opposite is the more common situation. We tend to keep items that should have been disposed of a long time ago.

With no knowledge of what and how long to keep a document, we are forced to keep tons of useless materials. The sheer volume of stored paper occupies precious office space and becomes a huge expense.

Finding a needed document is like looking for a needle in a haystack. The efficiency of the entire office suffers.

Another frequent office record problem is the routing of documents. Sometimes we cannot track who has the paper we are looking for. It becomes more frustrating when you know whom you gave it to but the person denies receiving it and you have no proof to back you up.

Despite the challenges, there are many effective ways to cope with the problem of records management. To get you started, here are some tips to take control of your office records:

• Classify your records. Categorize them according to their importance, legal time they should be kept, and frequency of use.

• Digitalize your records. Find out what documents can be stored digitally. If you do not need the original or authenticated copy, it is easy to make a duplicate from a digital file.

• Minimize making copies. Unless necessary, do not make more copies than needed.

• Know when you can safely dispose of a document. Do not guess, find out the number of years you need to keep a document. Keep only what you must and throw out what is no longer needed.

• Arrange files both alphabetically and chronologically. Although, at first it is easy to locate a file using either alphabetical or chronological filing, there will come a time that it will be too large to handle easily.

• Do not leave records on the floor. Files that are in direct contact with the floor are prone to be damaged by flooding and pests like cockroaches and termites.

• Have regular pest control. Termites and other pests may irretrievably damage your files. Do not wait for that happen and do not skimp on proper pest control.

• Keep confidential papers in a secure place. Make certain that important or sensitive documents are in a locked and sturdy file.

• Invest in a fire proof vault. For critical documents that are difficult to replace like land titles and vital contracts it would be a wise investment to spend extra on a fire proof vault.

• Have a system for tracking possession of a document. Set up a procedure to document the transfer of a document. A simple acknowledgement receipt may elimi¬nate finger pointing in case a document goes missing.

• Define the responsibility of everyone regarding record keeping and filing. Write an operating procedure that spells out in a step-by-step manner how records are to be handled. Specify such details as whether to use vertical or flat filing and the proper labelling procedures, as well as who is to do it.

Records management is no trivial task— it is important to a small company and critical to a large organization.

Do not let this problem fester in your company. You may learn more by attending BusinessCoach Inc.’s seminar on “Records and Filing Management”. Call them at (02) 727-5628 or (02) 727-8860, or visit their website: www.businesscoachphil.com.

Smart sees still untapped Internet market

By EMMIE V. ABADILLA

April 20, 2011, 11:03pm

 

MANILA, Philippines – Although the Philippines already has a mature and active Internet user group, only 30% of the country’s 95 million total population has Internet connectivity.

So, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) aims to reach the remaining 70 percent, especially the low-income groups in far flung areas across the archipelago, via a P12,795 tablet PC - the ZTE V9.

Tablets have surged in popularity since 2010 because of its high mobility and its possibilities in changing the Internet, information and media landscapes. Some 17.6 million tablet were sold globally last year, outnumbering laptops and netbooks the former bestsellers, according to research firm Gartner.

With the emergence of several low-cost models, 69.5 million tablet PCs will be sold this year. Smart was the first telco to introduce the tablet in the country with the Samsung Galaxy Tab fully powered with network and data services.

Now, the telco has lauched the ZTE V9 is a 7-inch Android 2.2-powered tablet being bundled with Smart Bro the wireless Internet service of its affiliate, Smart Broadband, Inc.

Initially being offered for prepaid subscription, the ZTE V9 combines the Internet experience of desktops and laptops with the convenience and portability of Internet-capable mobile phones and is payable in 6 monthly instalments, interest-free.

“Many Filipinos still access the Internet mainly through Internet cafes and work or school computers. With low-cost Internet devices such as this, we aim to increase the country’s Internet population, by enabling more people to easily have their own personal Internet access device,” explained Orlando B. Vea, Smart’s Chief Wireless Advisor.

Smart expects Smart Bro to revolutionize the way subscribers use data services through the ZTE V9. Because the tablet is powered by Android OS, ZTE V9 owners can easily customize and make their tablet more relevant to their needs and preferences with downloadable applications or apps.

These apps, thousands of which are available in the Android Market, can expand the tablet’s functionalities with various information, connectivity, social networking, gaming and multimedia services, all supported by Smart Bro’s connectivity. These apps will also make it easier for Smart to deploy future data-driven services direct to its subscribers.

But aside from its data-centric features, Smart Bro Prepaid subscribers using the ZTE V9 may also use their Smart Bro account to access the tablet’s SMS and voice call functionalities.

Other key features of the ZTE V9 include a 3.0 MP camera, WiFi, USB connectivity, built-in apps such as multimedia player, maps, YouTube, e-mail and more, and storage memory expandable up to 32GB.

With the launch of the ZTE V9 and with other affordable tablets and smartphones coming soon, Smart officials are confident that they will be able to capture new subscribers especially for their broadband services.

Subscriber can pay for their ZTE V9 in installments at 0% interest through participating credit cards. It comes with a Smart Bro prepaid SIM with 5 days of unlimited Internet browsing. Subscribers may then register the Smart Bro prepaid account to avail of Unlisurf Packages, Per Minute Packages, or All Text Packages.

The role of technology in reducing inequity

By Wilson Ng
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 19:46:00 07/20/2007

Last month, June, was wedding month. It was also back-to-school month. In the United States, which does not have the same academic year as ours, June was also traditionally graduation month.

Two years ago, Stanford University, one of the most prominent universities in the United States and acknowledged as the thought and education center of Silicon Valley, invited Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers, to be their commencement speaker. His speech, entitled, "Stay Hungry, Stay foolish," was a very big hit and it was talked about in various articles, and I received many copies of that through my email where many people thought it was inspiring. That speech, delivered on June 12, can be found on Stanford website at: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html .

This year, on June 7, 2007, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, was invited to be the commencement speaker for Harvard University. Gates, who famously dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft, has been the world's richest man for the last 10 years, as well as the world's most generous philanthropist, having donated over 30 billion dollars of his wealth to philanthropic causes.

In his speech, Gates lauded the new ideas in economics and politics that he learned from Harvard, as well as the rapid advances made in various sciences. However, he says the most important advance and achievement that we can rightly say that should be our focus reducing inequity.

He says his greatest regret was that the school or even the system did not allow its students to understand better the millions of people who live in unspeakable poverty and disease in developing countries. He says he read about millions of children dying every year of measles, malaria, pneumonia, heptatitis B, and yellow fever, and could not understand why it was not apparent to Americans. In fact, a disease called rotavirus kills 500,000 kids a year, but most Americans probably never heard about it, because it is almost unheard of in the United States.

Apparently, the reason why people died of such diseases, he said, is that the market, or the democratic economy did not reward the saving of lives of these children, and government could not, and did not subsidize therefore its cure. So the children died because their parents had no power (no money) in the market, and no voice in the system.

He challenged the people to work so that market forces can become more responsive to the poor, so that capitalism can reach its hands so that more people can make a profit, or at least a living, by serving people who are suffering from the worst inequities. He stresses on how to enable policies of government, as well as spend public money in the government so that profits for businesses and votes for politicians will come to those people who help reduce inequity for the poor?

He also said that it is not because we as human beings, don't care. All of us, he says, have seen human tragedies. In most cases we did nothing, not because we don't care, but because we didn't know what to do. If we have known how to help, many of us would have acted. So the barrier to getting people to change is not that they don't want to, but because it was too complex. So the solution is to get people to start to see the problem, forward a solution, and enable the people who are helping to immediately see the impact.

He believes that pretty soon, emerging technology which is making our world smaller, more open, more visible and less distant will help solve these problems as more and more people are able to use technology to cut through the complexity.

Largely responsible for helping people gain access to technology is the emergence of low-cost personal computers, which has created opportunities for learning and communicating between and among people, where there used to be none. He likens this to magic, because this newly created network “collapses distance and makes everyone your neighbor.” This network links together brilliant minds that can work together in solving the world’s problems. But of course, not everyone can have access to technology and this leaves out much needed ideas and cooperation from those left out.

By allowing more and more people to have access to technology, a digital revolution is sparked that enables human beings to help one another and allowing governments, corporations and other organizations to identify and help solve the global problem of hunger, poverty and desperation.

It is a moving speech, and forces us to think through our goals. If you want to read the full text, it can be found here: http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/06.14/99-gates.html.

* * *

GE equips cameras with projectors

By Eugene Araneta
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:15:00 04/18/2011

MANILA, Philippines—With the new GE PJ1 digital camera, a lot of shutterbugs can now easily view and share their favorite photos or videos with relatives and friends anytime by projecting the images on a white wall or surface.

The GE PJ1 is actually the first point-and-shoot digital camera from GE Imaging that is equipped with a Pico projector using the Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology developed by Texas Instruments.

The built-in Pico projector features a 15 ANSI lumens and an image projection distance of 70 inches or 5.83 feet with a WVGA (848 x 480) resolution.

This camera is equipped with a 14.1-megapixel charged couple device (CCD) sensor for sharp and high image quality.

It is also equipped with an image stabilization feature and 7X optical zoom (equivalent to 28-196mm, f/3.9-f5.8), allowing the photographer to shoot pictures from various distances and even at awkward angles.

This camera is also capable of capturing HD video quality at 720-pixel resolution. This camera accepts both SD and SDHC memory cards. It has a suggested retail price of P14,995.

The GE PJ1 is also ideal for business use as it can be linked to a laptop. It may be used as a handy and portable projector for small group sales presentations.

The new GE DV1 digital HD video camera is ideal for those who love the the outdoor life.

The GE DV1 isn’t just dustproof, it is shockproof as well. It can survive a drop of up to 1.5 meters and can operate underwater by 5 meters.

It has the ability to capture still images and videos simultaneously. It is fitted with a built-in USB plug for easy transfer of photos or videos to a PC. It can also accept both SD and SDHC memory cards of up to 32 GB.

This camcorder can capture videos in three movie modes. A user can record in 1080p, 720p or 640x480 at 30fps. It also has a high frame rate mode of 720p at 60 frames per second. The DV1 can take still images at 5 megapixels. It is equipped with image stabilization and 4X optical zoom.

The DV1 has a built-in accelerometer, and flips to landscape automatically when you turn the camcorder on its side.

The DV1 comes in orange, grey, blue and green. It has a suggested retail price of P5,995. Outdoor lovers will now be able to capture every exciting moment of their adventure with the new GE DV1 digital camcorder without too spending much.

Rock station opens doors and music to world on Facebook

By Pocholo Concepcion
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 09:33:00 04/19/2011

MANILA, Philippines -- The bad news is, FM radio station RJ UR 105.9 – a sister station of DZRJ-FM and noted for its full support of Filipino music talents – will soon go off the air to vacate the frequency it has been leasing.

But the music won’t stop playing. The good news is that the young station is taking its classic-modern-Pinoy rock programming to where everybody is -- Facebook. Currently on test broadcast, the station, now known as UR Faceradio, has opened its own page on the most popular social networking site whose users, at present, total more than 600 million worldwide.

“I think we’re the first radio station in the Philippines to broadcast direct from Facebook,” said Ramon Jacinto II in an exclusive interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer Tuesday.

“We’ve been thinking how can we keep the music playing and at the same time gather the community of Pinoy musicians in one portal. This is it and we’re excited because we can do a lot of things here.”

Jacinto II, a son of musician/businessman Ramon Jacinto, explained that UR’s migration to Facebook would allow listeners to see the DJ at the booth as well.

“All you have to is click the “listen and watch live” button.”

He added that UR Faceradio would be totally interactive on real time very soon.

UR Faceradio will have a grand launch on May 28 with six simultaneous concerts on live streaming.

“We want everyone to know that the music is still alive and is now accessible to more people, worldwide,” said Jacinto II.

“The downside is we’re no longer on conventional radio. But the upside is we’re online,” said his father Ramon, better known as RJ – whose first radio station, DZRJ-AM, started operations in his home’s backyard. “The world is now UR’s backyard,” he quipped.

Church: Don’t watch pirated religious films

By Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:44:00 04/19/2011

MANILA, Philippines—It’s okay to watch religious films this Holy Week but no pirated movies, please.

In fact, in some cases, watching religious movies or shows with a religious content during the Semana Santa could have a deeper effect on the faithful’s spiritual experience than attending retreats, according to Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, media director of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

“Movies have powerful images and have a stronger effect on the viewers,” Quitorio said.

But he strictly reminded devout Catholics who wish to spend the Holy Week watching religious films to avoid buying DVDs and VCDs that are illegally peddled in the streets.

The CBCP is helping the Optical Media Board in the antipiracy campaign.

Favorite films
Merchants of pirated DVDs and VCDs, particularly in Manila’s Quiapo district, are enjoying robust sales of religious films in the run-up to the Holy Week.

Among the customers’ favorites are Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ” and “Jesus of Nazareth,” which are already dubbed in Filipino. The pirated films are sold for anywhere between P25 and P40.

If people don’t want to spend too much, Quitorio suggested that they can watch good religious shows aired for free on television during the Holy Week.

TV Maria
Local television stations suspend regular programming during the Holy Week, particularly on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday, to give way to religious movies and other spiritual shows.

“There are many religious movies on cable, there are also Catholic television channels available like the TV Maria,” Quitorio said, referring to the station run by the Catholic Media Network and now carried over 300 cable groups across the country.

TV Maria airs programs featuring praise and worship gatherings and shows featuring daily Gospel reflections and religious documentaries, among others.

BPI wins bid for ‘Pantawid Pasada’ cards

Sunday, 17 April 2011 18:44 Paul Anthony A. Isla / Reporter 

THE Department of Energy (DOE) said on Friday that it has tapped the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) to produce cards for the “Pantawid Pasada” program of the government.

 

Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, BPI executive vice president Ma. Ysabel Sylianteng and Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) first vice president for NCR branches group Daisy Macalino recently signed the memorandum of agreement at the Philippine National Oil Co.

The DOE said BPI topped four other bidders through a bidding done by the DOE’s Bids and Awards Committee.

The DOE said BPI will be the sole generator of the Public Transport Assistance (PTA) cards while LBP will assist the DOE by being the agency’s settlement bank.

BPI will generate and personalize 220,000 PTA cards worth P50 each for qualified public-utility jeepneys and will be responsible in the timely delivering of the cards for the start of distribution on May 2.

The DOE said the card will bear information such as the franchise number, plate number and route of the public-utility vehicle.

The DOE expects to completely distribute the PTA cards for Metro Manila before the end of May, while regional distribution will soon follow with LTO branches handling the distribution.

Card distribution will be done in phases in accordance with the card delivery of BPI.

In terms of the cost, Almendras said the budget for the program will be intact for the drivers qualified for the assistance.

“The entire P450 million will go to the beneficiaries,” Almendras said.

He said they are currently in talks with oil companies for an arrangement that will pass on the cost of the cards to the oil firms as part of their corporate social responsibility.

The DOE said such an arrangement will only be acceptable if there are no conditions.

Almendras added that BPI will also provide the necessary infrastructure to enable PTA card users to use their card in every gasoline station such as reprogramming of point-of-sale (POS) terminals of other banks and providing additional POS terminals.

The DOE reminded drivers to take care of their cards even after consuming its balance.

Starting June 1, according to the DOE, gasoline stations will require drivers to present their PTA cards to be able to avail themselves of fuel through the discount lane. PTA cards are valid up to five years and can be used for future related programs of the government.

Philippine government websites: An overview

Oneal Rosero

04/16/2011 | 08:10 PM

The Philippines has been on the World Wide Web since the early 90s. MozCom was the first commercially available Internet provider in the Philippines, starting in 1994.

In early 2000, via the Electronic Commerce Act or Republic Act 8792, the Philippine government mandated that every department should have a presence on the web. This was to allow the public access to information as well as a means to communicate with their duly elected politicians.

There are different levels of web presence required of the government. The hierarchy, from the most basic to the highest, is:

• Emerging Web Presence level could be just a simple static website with details of the respective agency and contact information.
  
• Enhanced Web Presence includes regularly updated data, a portal to other departments or government agencies, and a section where users can download documents.
  
• Interactive Web Presence means more dynamic websites. Information must be updated on a daily or weekly basis. Documents and forms can be downloaded before submitting them to the agency. Search features should also be available.
  
• Transactional Web Presence means the user can perform secure transactions completely on the site, without the need for filling out paper forms and documents.
  
• The fifth and most important level is Fully Integrated Web Presence. Here the government agency should be able to provide all requirements through two-way communication such email or instant messaging. There should be social networking information, and documents and forms should be available from a single website. This gives the public a direct means of sending feedback, and increases opportunities for almost instantaneous responses from the agency in question.
  

At this point, many departments just barely qualify for the third level, while a few are already exploring the fourth level. Very few governments around the world have the equivalent of the fifth level of web presence.

All government websites operate under guidelines set by the Office of the President to standardize the quality of government web presence. This is implemented and monitored by the Department of Trade and Industry (http://dti.gov.ph). These are followed according to the different types of service provided by the department, which include the agency working with the public, another government agency or a business. Some departments already allow applications online, filing or permits and payment. E-commerce services are also in place for the convenience of businesses and corporations. The standardization allows the agencies to scale their deployment on the web in phases, which ensures that they are able to bring the best service without unnecessary expense or inconvenience to the public.

In recent months, certain government agencies have proven to be valuable in providing information to the public. Such services are useful particularly in times of crisis, both natural and man-made, such as war in countries where there are many Filipinos, or random natural calamities. Part of the government’s job is to make information available to the public. In the past, this was done through TV, radio or printed newspapers. However this means that the information is at least a few hours old. The Internet makes all information available almost in real time, making it the ideal tool in reporting news as it happens, not as it happened hours ago.

Any Filipino citizen should know where to look for information regarding our government. You need look no further than The Official Website of the Republic of the Philippines (http://www.gov.ph). This site is a portal to other government websites and is managed at the Office of the President of the Philippines. It includes news reports, official press releases and a directory of other government websites. The government website directory includes the Office of the President (http://president.gov.ph) and the Office of the Vice President (http://ovp.gov.ph).

But due to the recent earthquake in Japan, many citizens are questioning the capability of our government to react to a natural calamity of that magnitude. The official website of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or PHIVOLCS (http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph) provides information on disasters arising from volcanic eruptions, earthquake and tsunami. PHIVOLCS, meanwhile, operates under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) (http://dost.gov.ph).

Since the civil war in Libya started in February, thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers have been clamoring to return to the Philippines. The unstable political climate in the Middle East highlights the need for a single source of information for OFWs and their families. There are a number of government agencies working together to help these displaced workers evacuate quickly and safely. The first is the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) (http://dfa.gov.ph), which has been in negotiations with the governments on nations in turmoil and the neighboring countries where our countrymen can seek refuge. Another invaluable resource is the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) (http://www.owwa.gov.ph).

As we move into the 21st century, more and more government agencies are working to improve their web presence to include social networking, which is now more than just a new buzzword thrown around in meetings. The information that was disseminated across various demographics at Edsa II show that it’s not just the youth you can reach with technology. Older generations will not be left behind. The sites are becoming increasingly easy to use and the convenience is starting to outweigh the alternatives. Waiting in line at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) (http://www.lto.gov.ph) for your driver’s license will soon be part of the past.

Other agencies like the Metropolitan Manila Development Agency are pushing ahead by using Twitter to send traffic updates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, easing the stress of your daily grind through rush hour traffic. It would be nice to get a birth certificate, wedding documents or a new passport without having to leave your couch, along with an alert on Facebook telling you that the President of the Philippines is lowering the price of gasoline. The Internet is information, it is convenience, it is here. You had best embrace it, or you’ll be the only one who’ll be waiting in line. — TJD, GMA News

Globe rolls out 4G mobile network

Cebu Daily News  
First Posted 08:28:00 04/18/2011

A TELECOMMUNICATIONS company recently launched its 4G mobile network providing its subscribers high speed broadband access with the added convenience of full mobility.

Globe Telecom's first-phase of the commercial rollout of the 4G mobile technology will use the global standard HSPA+ or Evolved High-Speed Packet Access, which will complement Globe's existing 4G Wimas (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) network, Globe said in a statement.

According to Globe, HSPA+ is a 4G wireless, mobile, high speed broadband technology that allows for peak theoretical download speeds of up to 21 Mbps with upgradeability for 84Mbps. With HSPA+ technology, subscribers will experience high peak rates, lower latency, improved “always-on experience”, better multimedia upload, high-speed web browsing, and faster streaming and downloads.

Globe 4G mobile technology now covers sites across Metro Manila, which include Marikina, Quezon City, Makati, Pasay, Las Pinas, Taguig and Manila City. The firm plans to expand its 4G presence by 2012.

Globe Telecom president Ernest Cu described the 4G mobile network rollout as among the firsts that the firm brought to the telecommunications industry.

“In 2009, we were the first carrier to launch 4G through our WiMax network. Today, we extend our leadership by taking 4G mobile. With our high speed broadband rollout, Globe will continue to lead in customer experience by giving our subscribers better, faster, and more reliable broadband connections on their phone, laptop, PC or tablet,” Cu said in a statement.

Smart brings LTE mobile broadband to Philippines

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:38:00 04/18/2011

MANILA, Philippines—Vacationers at the beach paradise of Boracay, Aklan will get a taste of the world’s fastest mobile broadband technology starting this Holy Week, courtesy of cellular leader Smart Communications.

Called Long Term Evolution (LTE), this latest advance in mobile broadband technology can deliver download and upload speeds of up to 50 mbps. In the near future, LTE will be able to provide speeds of up 100 mbps.

Recognized as the most advanced fourth-generation (4G) mobile broadband technology, LTE will enable individual users to download a movie in minutes rather than hours, download songs in seconds and easily watch high-definition video on Youtube with no buffering.

Smart has fired up its LTE network in the country and is rolling it out. To give mobile phone users a chance to experience the new service, Smart has set up a booth near Pats and Bombom (Station 2) in Boracay where interested people can use laptops equipped with LTE dongles.

They can also use their WiFi-enabled mobile phones, tablets or laptops in the WiFi hotzone at the Smart booth which is powered by LTE.

Online Visita Iglesia draws more Catholics

By Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:12:00 04/18/2011

MANILA, Philippines—Anticipating a large number of online visitors this Holy Week, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has beefed up the capacity of its Visita Iglesia Online to accommodate an increasingly tech-savvy flock.

Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, CBCP media director, said the Church hierarchy’s official news service had augmented the website to prevent it from crashing like what happened last year when an unexpected 43,000 visitors logged on to it.

Quitorio said the CBCP was expecting the number of online visitors to double this year.

“It just shows that Filipinos, no matter where they go, will always be religious and the desire to celebrate the Holy Week is always there, too,” he told reporters.

The start of the Holy Week was marked Sunday with devout Catholics trooping to parish churches and carrying palm leaves to commemorate Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Earlier launched as a project of the CBCP News, the Visita Iglesia website offers a virtual experience of Holy Week, particularly to Filipinos abroad and devout Catholics who are physically incapable of leaving their homes.

It was created last year merely as an experiment and not as “a serious endeavor,” Quitorio said. Last year, it featured only seven churches.

On Holy Thursday last year, the website suddenly crashed due to an unexpected number of Internet users visiting it. Checking what went wrong, the staff discovered that the website had already reached 43,000 hits, Quitorio recalled.

“So I thought, ‘This is serious and we cannot just ignore the 43,000 visitors just like that,’” he said. “So this year, we prepared for it. We expanded our servers that even if the figures doubled, it would not crash.”

Since it became a “hit” among Filipino Catholics, especially among those who cannot return home to observe Semana Santa (Holy Week), the CBCP News added new features to the site.

It now shows 14 historical shrines and pilgrimage churches in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to correspond with the 14 Stations of the Cross with reflections given by priests.

The multimedia presentation of the traditional Visita Iglesia included the Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila; Quiapo Church or the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene; Our Lady of Manaoag Church in Pangasinan, and the Agoo Church in La Union.

An audio recording of the 21 chapters of the “Pasyon,” the poetical narration of the life and sufferings of Christ, can also be accessed through the website.

The website has also made available homilies delivered by some priests during the entire Lenten season this year and catechesis on Lent, Holy Thursday, Palm Sunday and the Kissing of the Cross, among other liturgical practices observed during the Holy Week.

Bottle light can help conserve energy, prevent fire

by Ernie Manio, ABS CBN Southern Tagalog

Posted at 02/24/2011 11:23 AM | Updated as of 02/24/2011 12:23 PM

 

MANILA, Philippines - Residents of Barangay San Vicente in San Pedro, Laguna wholeheartedly embraced the innovation introduced to them by My Shelter Foundation, a nongovernment organization, on Wednesday afternoon.


It is called the "bottle light", so called because it is made of an empty 1.5-liter soft drink bottle that can be made a source of light.

It is a cheaper alternative to other light sources because all one has to do is to install it on the roof. The bottle light will then absorb the sunlight and will scatter it inside the house.

"Usually 'yung mga nagkakasunog kasi gumagamit ng kandila. Marami ang namumuhay sa dilim," said Illac Diaz of My Shelter Foundation.

The said barangay is the first in the country and even in Asia to use the bottle lights in homes. Four hundred homes were lighted at the project launch on Wednesday.

“Dati natisod ako.. Ang sakit na nga ng paa ko.. Buti na lamang may ganito,” said Aling Lucia, one of the homeowners who tried out the bottle light.

Studies have shown that one can save by using the bottle light instead of a light bulb during daytime.

“Ayon sa Meralco, P70-80 ang mase-save kung one month 'di gagamitin ang bombilya,” said Vice Mayor Novic Solidum.

Illac Diaz of My Shelter Foundation explains how to make the bottle light.

One will only spend P150 per bottle light and making one is easy:

• Fill a 1.5-liter clear soft drink bottle with purified water as tap water will produce moss in the future.
• Add 3 tablespoons of liquid bleach.
• Tightly seal the cap.
• Make a hole in the roof and insert the bottom part of the bottle leaving it exposed under the sunlight.
• Seal roof with sealant to prevent raindrops from getting inside the house.

The group is hoping that what they have started will be replicated in the entire country so no Filipino will ever live in a dark home again.

Meanwhile, Diaz asked everyone to donate, instead of throw away, their empty soft drink bottles so they may provide more bottle lights to other depressed areas in the country.

 

A Pinoy buyer's guide to the Internet

Allan Michael Verzola

04/15/2011 | 06:10 PM

 Summer is here and, along with thoughts of vacation, come thoughts of summer spending. Whether it’s that new outfit you’re looking forward to wearing at the beach or that new laptop you’ve been saving up for since Christmas, many people are turning to online shopping portals to beat the heat —and, hopefully, score a good deal.

These days, e-commerce is no longer a new thing for a growing number of Filipinos. Ever since eBay became popular, millions of people have come to rely on it and put their trust in it, whether to earn money by selling their stuff that otherwise they will find hard to sell, or to save money by finding cheap online bargains.

Here in the Philippines, similar sites have proliferated, such as Sulit.com, TipidPC.com, and TipidCP.com, on top of intesive usage by Filipinos of their Facebook and Multiply accounts, as our media for online buying and selling.

Products sold over the Internet are cheap compared to the ones sold in malls or other establishments. A whole lot cheaper, actually. This is because, first, sellers have a smaller overhead: they don't have to pay rent for shop stalls and other fees. And secondly, much of the stuff sold online consists of second-hand items.

Sure, there are top-of-the-line online stores where you can order brand-new products online. But more and more actually go to online marketplaces —perhaps we can even call them cyber-bazaars or cyber-fleamarkets— where ordinary people can sell personal, hand-made, reconditioned, and even one-of-a-kind items.

Although this may sound like a good deal, you should be mindful of certain things:

1. If possible, avoid long-distance transactions.

Getting an item shipped to you might be convenient. But remember, there are shady people out there who pretend to be selling stuff but won't send anything at all once they have received your payment. Unless you really know and trust the person or online shop you're buying from, avoid these kinds of transactions.

2. Check the all the credentials of the seller.

Always make sure that the person you are buying from has good feedback from their previous online transactions. But don't just look at the number of positive feedback, though. Read what others say and check out the dates of the feedback comments. Some online culprits fabricate false feedback about themselves using dummy accounts to make their account look legit. TipidPC.com, Sulit.com and most other local eCommerce websites have this feedback feature; make full use of it.

3. Check the item thoroughly, if possible, before purchasing it.

This should be common sense, but it’s usually forgotten. You don't want to end up buying something with defects or, worse, doesn’t work at all. Make sure that the item you're buying is working properly before you pay for it. If you're buying a high-tech gadget or part that is not easy to troubleshoot and repair, ask for a warranty if it’s brand new. If it's secondhand, ask for the item’s official receipt so you could still avail of the warranty from the shop where it was bought from originally. Also, for PC parts, there's a so-called distributor's warranty that ranges from one year to even a lifetime warranty. Ask the seller for this if he or she still has it.

4. Get the seller's verified contact information.

It is possible that the item you've purchased looked ok at first, but you found out later that it actually was defective. Having the seller's contact information, not just their email address or cell number, would be handy by then so you can register your complaint directly with them. If you only have the email address or cell number of the seller, he or she could just ignore you; you have better leverage if you have their full names and home addresses as well.

5. If it's too good to be true, it's usually too good to be true.

Finding great bargains are common in the online world. But when an item is priced incredibly cheap, even for an online purchase, there's something wrong. It could either be defective, fake, stolen, or even part of a scam. Be extra careful when transacting these kinds of deals. Would you pay P5,000 for an iPhone 4? Many people probably would, even without taking a direct look at the item itself. But what would you feel if you later find out it was a “China phone" and not an authentic iPhone 4 as advertised by the seller? You’d feel cheated —because, in fact, you were.

6. Avoid using credit cards in unsecured online transactions.

Remember that your signature isn't required to use your credit card online. The card number, CVC, name on card, and your billing address are usually enough for someone to use it without your permission. Never give these out to anyone. Always prefer COD (cash on delivery) over credit card transactions. If using a credit card is your only option, look for signs of security on the payment site, such as VeriSign or at least a legitimate contact number, so you know where to file your inquiries and complaints in case there's a problem with your bill.

7. Always keep records of your transactions.

Most online sellers don't issue receipts. This might be irregular from the taxman’s point of view, but it’s a fact of life. This is probably because most online sellers are just ordinary folk trying to sell personal or disposable stuff and not really doing it as a profitable business. Thus, if you buy an item online and something goes wrong, you probably won't have proof of where, when, and from whom you bought the item. It’s always handy to always keep simple paper documentation that lists the item, its condition, the name of the seller, and the time and place it was bought, then have the seller sign it.

8. Avoid deals involving hefty amounts of money.

Criminals keep getting smarter and are always perfecting ways to victimize people online, posing as legitimate sellers. So try to avoid online transactions involving large amounts of money. The smaller the transaction, the lesser your risk of being defrauded. If you're really itching to buy that big-ticket item, then at least use bank transactions. After all, you can never be fully sure if the person you're dealing with online (or face to face after meeting online) is an honest seller, or a crook who has ways to get your cash, by hook or, well, by crook.

— TJD, GMA News

PLDT Group, Microsoft launch cloud-computing solutions for local firms

By Mary Ann LL. Reyes (The Philippine Star) Updated April 11, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine businesses will soon experience the benefits of more powerful software applications for cloud computing as Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) recently partnered with global software giant Microsoft and Asia’s leading IT solutions company Datacraft, a subsidiary of Dimension Data of the Japan NTT Group.

Cloud computing is network-based computing, where software, data storage and other resources are provided over a shared network. It allows users to access their company’s business applications securely through the “cloud.”

PLDT and Microsoft have recently signed a service provider licensing agreement, allowing PLDT to distribute cloud-based Microsoft software services in the country whereas Datacraft will provide the necessary infrastructure and support for the project.

“This partnership allows us to really serve our customers better as this provides best-of-class, and high quality services and solutions that are available today,” PLDT senior vice president Eric Alberto said.

Through PLDT, Microsoft business applications are made even more accessible for local business use.

Companies will be given the option to implement the cloud-based versions of the Microsoft applications within their businesses in a full or partially-private managed scheme, or via a fully-hosted cloud-delivered model.

Datacraft will ensure a best-of-breed cloud infrastructure and provide expert support to the clients. The applications will be made available through a monthly subscription arrangement instead of the traditional licensing model which entails significant upfront investments.

With such a set-up, local businesses are provided with a cost-efficient solution without having to worry about the underlying infrastructure and maintaining costly operations support.

“Our collaboration with these two companies is the next big step into really building up the application portfolio of our existing cloud computing brand, PLDT AppFarn,” PLDT vice president and head of corporate business group Jovy Hernandez noted.

“With cloud computing emerging as the operating platform in corporate business,” Hernandez said, “investments on bulky and costly physical infrastructure to support and access massive amounts of data and applications are now a thing of the past.”

Through this tie-up, PLDT is set to strengthen its hold in providing leading technological advances in the country with its new ICT partners.

Microsoft Asia Pacific President Tracey Fellows said: “The two organizations can really help build the market, and even create a new market and great value for our customers.”

Microsoft’s renowned software portfolio expands PLDT AppFarm’s already well-established cloud computing services. It is seen as a huge step in accelerating local cloud computing adoption, beginning a symbiotic endeavor to meet the growing demand from an evolving market.

“We are happy for this newest development in our ongoing strategic partnership with PLDT. We’re confident that Microsoft’s dynamic cloud solutions will help bolster PLDT’s existing AppFarm platform,” according to John Bessey, Microsoft Philippines managing director.

“We’re also very optimistic that it will solidify PLDT’s position as the telecommunications leader in this part of the region,” he added.