Blatant Plug: Thud! Splat! Blog!

I've been thinking if I should plug my new blog here but then again, it dawned on me that heck! This is my blog too and I can post anything in it. (Not as if anyone would care, right?)

Anyway, here's my first ever ummmm... article? It's Philippine boxer Manny Pacquiao: TKO (The Koup is Over):

How Filipino boxing phenom Manny Pacquiao saved the Philippines from another failed coup. And his goal to sell more socks, sardines, cock fighting medicine and to properly say the word "conflagration".

Yup. I'm blogging about boxing gloves against M16 Assault rifles...

The I.T. Crowd

In a cluttered basement deep in the bowels of Reynholm Industries lurk Roy and Moss, the I.T. Department. Reviled and mocked by cooler colleagues, their world of servers and firewalls is rudely interrupted by the arrival of Jen, a new "Relationship Manager" who knows as much about computers as a yak.
She doesn't want to work in a dingy basement, and they don't want a manager who doesn't understand BASIC let alone binary, but they discover sometimes there are benefits to having a woman about the place.

This has been going round the net for awhile. Now BBC's The I.T. Crowd is now out. And you can watch it online too!

Fear of Girls: True Love is but a +2 Broadsword away.

Meet PLP (Platonic Life Partners) Game Master Doug Daglason and Raymond Ractburger, a 7th level Barbarian. Two Uber geeks who must be respected and feared because of their ability to bend the walls of reality with their ummm... imagination?

This is one cool Google movie!

If you are a geek or a geek at heart, this one scrolls like butter.

And remember, vampires aren't evil, football players are. And don't expect mercy from them, Raymond is chaotic neutral...

Russian Inventor Patents Invisibility Cloak

A professor from the department of quantum and optical electronics of the Ulyanovsk State University in western Russia has patented a method of making things invisible, Interfax news agency reported.

The so-called invisibility cloak, created by Oleg Gadomsky, is called “The method of conversion of optical radiation” in the patent.

An Invisibility Cloak! This is more Predatorish than Harry Potterish, donchatink?

Cool Free PC Games

Here's a short -- and totally idiosyncratic -- list of some of my favorite free games, each of which innovate one thing cool and new:

Man! I haven't really logged in any decent time in gaming anymore. It's blog, blog, blog. Am I getting old?

Come to think about it, I haven't even upgraded my Warcraft III to Frozen Throne.

THE STORY OF ANDY'S COMPUTER

Recently I got myself a new computer. I bought it as components because it was cheaper and I've been telling people that I assembled it myself. However, I can no longer live this lie. I must now reveal ...

THE STORY OF ANDY'S COMPUTER

First, I used my pretend palm pilot to explain to R2D2 what kind of computer I needed.

I wonder if R2D2 subcontracts. His workers are awesome!

The 25 Top Jobs for 2005-2009

Fast Company based this year's index of the top jobs on four categories: job growth, salary potential, education level, and room for innovation. Relying heavily on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the work of Dr. Kevin Stolarick, a lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University and an expert on the creative class, Fast Company has assembled a list of the 25 Top Jobs for 2005.

To those entering college: Remember, it's best to predict what jobs would be hot WHEN you graduate. Oh wait, I'm talking to freshmen, ummm... dude, Don't think Playstation 3. Try and be Playstation 6.

Pope John Paul II's first step into sainthood

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican may have found the "miracle" they need to put the late Pope John Paul one step closer to sainthood -- the medically inexplicable healing of a French nun with the same Parkinson's disease that afflicted him.

Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the Catholic Church official in charge of promoting the cause to declare the late Pope a saint of the Church, told Reuters on Monday that an investigation into the healing had cleared an initial probe by doctors.

Oder said the "relatively young" nun, whom he said he could not identify for now, was inexplicably cured of Parkinson's after praying to John Paul after his death last April 2....

Out of millions of prayers, one "relatively young" nun gets cured and they say it's him. I don't want to sound sacrilegious but how does the Vatican know it's Pope John Paul II? Did he leave a calling card?

I can just hear all those donation boxes filling up this Sunday...

Big Mac Prices In Asia

The price of the McDonalds Big Mac in the United States: $3.15 an order.

In other Asian countries, the Big Mac prices (are:

• Philippines: US$ 1.56


• Indonesia: US$ 1.54


• Thailand: US$ 1.51


• Malaysia: US$ 1.47


• China : US$ 1.30

These are based on the current dollar rate. I've been wondering about this for so long, now I know...

Oh and about the picture, yeah, yeah, compared to the real thing, the picture is smaler...

Thud! Splat! Blog!

I got a brand new spanking blog. It'll be way different from this one. How different? Well it's like comparing apples and oranges. Oh wait... they're both fruit. Hmmm... a cat and a dog? No, I mean The Ca t has dibs on that already. Wait... I get it, it's like comparing ummm... ummmm... oh heck! You get the point don't you?

Cool title though, huh!

The Passion of the Clerks Trailer

Oh My God!

It's the Clerks II: The Passion of the Clerks Movie Trailer!

I spent so much time on that test (only to find out, some did more under an hour) that I almost didn't catch this.

Does that mean I'm a genius?

If you get 19 + of these, you are a "genius".

Believe it or not, this type of test can be a good estimate of intelligence (if you excuse the cultural bias).
People who did well on this type of test are likely those who are gifted with verbal ability and linguistic pattern recognition.
This sort of assessment would discriminate against those with non-linguistic pattern recognition (like solving jigsaw puzzles)
and spatial intelligence (like the ability to use a map or see hidden figures in a drawing).

Not really sure about it but this one is a "Mensa" Intelligence quiz.

Ok, so I got 24 out of 33. It took me about two hours and honestly without cheating. Does that mean I'm a genius? Wow. I didn't know that.

So how come I flunked my integral calculus but passed my differential calculus?

(via J-Walk Blog)

Flying Car in Google Maps Solved?

Remember that flying car in Australia that made the rounds of blogs last week? Well, someone visited the actual place and took pictures. Go check it out and see what the whole hullabaloo is about

A Piece of Internet History

What you're loooking at is the first ever banner ad placed on the Internet.

AT&T was the first to dish over some money to HotWired to display the beast they created, a 468 x 60 banner that came to life on October 25 1994.

Notice that even with the first banner ad, it was still deceptive. I mean, no mention of AT&T or anything. Just a click here thingy.

I wonder what the first Google Ad was?

Embassy of the United States in Manila, Philippines

Since the Republic of the Philippines gained its independence in 1946, the United States government has been represented in the Philippines by the U.S. Embassy in Manila. The Embassy exercises many different functions in its official representation to the Philippine government. These include political, administrative, economic, public diplomacy, and consular affairs managed under the Ambassador by counselors from the Department of State. The U.S. Agency for International Development manages bilateral development projects. Military affairs are handled by the Defense Attaché’s office at the Embassy. The U.S. Veterans Administration has its only overseas office at the Embassy in Manila. This office takes care of veterans affairs for the many American and Filipino veterans residing in the Philippines.

This is the official site of the Embassy of the United States in Manila, Philippines. Basically it's the best site to check out for any U.S. Visa requirements or U.S. Visa questions.

When I Wake Up

Remember E.T. the movie? Don't remember E.T. the videogame?

Well, the story goes, that the game was so bad that Atari dumped all of the game cartridges in a landfill in New Mexico.

The video tells the story.

No Internet in Quezon City. No good reporting in INQ7.

A Bayantel customer service representative admitted, "we've been flooded with calls from the Quezon City area about the outage."

...Joevel Rivera, vice president, product development and management division of Bayantel, told INQ7.net that there is no major outage in Quezon City.

He said the problem might be isolated in a few areas.

“There is no major outage because we could have been swamped with calls,” Rivera added.

In Philippine journalism, being swamped with calls is way way different from being flooded with calls...

Oh and remember International Internet Free Day on Sunday, January 30.

International Internet Free Day

Why an Internet-Free Day?

- Because it's all too easy to miss out on face-to-face interaction with your family, friends and neighbours.
- Because the net can be addictive, and a day of cold turkey won't hurt.
- Because blogging doesn't provide your daily vitamins and minerals.
- Because you've got RSI coming on in your mouse arm.
- Because we all need time to reflect.
- Because the real world is a wonderful place.
- Because if the mere idea of it enrages you, you definitely need it

Sunday, 30 January 2005, is Internet Free Day. Turn off the PC. Unplug the modem.

Go out. Have a picnic. Dust off that frisbee. It's International Internet Free Day! One day without being connected! Enjoy life! It's going to be gr...Ack! I don't know if I can handle it though...

(via J-Walk Blog)

Christopher Penn Dead

Actor Chris Penn, the younger brother of Sean Penn, has been found dead at his home in Santa Monica, California.

Penn, who was in his 40s, starred in Reservoir Dogs as Nice Guy Eddie, as well as Mulholland Falls and Rush Hour.

Police said there were no obvious signs of foul play. A post-mortem examination will determine the cause of death.

Oh no. He was a real good actor. I mean, he wasn't over the top or anything. I really liked his Nice Guy Eddie character.

It's always the good ones that go first.

Family 2.0 Website

Instead of Friendster, this is Family 2.0! Something like friendster but for families. I mean, now you can interact with your family. Play with the kids, remind them of din...Oh wait... I get it. I get it.

Drew Barrymore, her Lalas, and SNL

Everyone's talked about Drew Barrymore and her Peter Pan whatever dress and those two lalas bouncing around. Well, you gotta hand it to Drew and her sense of humor. Instead of sulking in a corner and taking it personally, she goes up and spoofs herself on SNL!

I always wanted to use the word "lalas" to describe those humvees.

Dealer Sells Cocaine on the Internet

BOSTON -- An accused drug dealer was nabbed for trying to sell cocaine -- on the Internet.Police said that Tyrone Burgo, 20, of Brockton, posted an online advertisement for cocaine. The ad also included a phone number.

He has got to be tops on the stupidest criminal on the net.

Technology's Main Driving Force: Porn?

WASHINGTON - At the adult entertainment industry's equivalent of the Oscars in Las Vegas this month, comedian-host Greg Fitzsimmons zeroed in on the entrenched relationship between the Internet and pornography.

"The Internet was completely funded by porn," he said from the stage of the 23rd annual AVN Awards show. And if it wasn't for the Internet, he added, "you guys would be completely out of business." The audience, packed with porn actors and adult entertainment moguls like Jenna Jameson and Larry Flynt, roared with laughter.

Well come to think about it, he's right. I mean people with camera phones always have some kind of porn on it. Most clips and pics on the web that's being searched for is porn material. Heck! Internet porn is a US$2.5 Billion dollar industry.

Maybe that's the key, invent something that has great use for porn material without it being obviously for porn. The following can be a guide to such a device:

• Affordable by teens
• Easy to use
• Must be able to play/record/store media content
• Can be used in privacy
• Can be carried around
• Must have at least a cool factor of 8

Oh wait... isn't this the video iPod?

Famous Philippine Heroes

Listed are some famous filipino heroes (Also known in tagalog as 'Mga Magigiting na Bayani') and some not so well known ones. The bios are very well done and would be a real help to those who have to do homework on these Philippine heroes.

I'm not really familiar with some of the names here. I kind of blame it on the way Philippine History has been taught to us. I have to go back to the books and read if I really want to have a good grasp on it.

Correct me if I'm wrong but most of the heroes listed here are during the Spanish Colonial era. Nothing during World War II or the American Colonial period. I'd consider that a bit strange.

Oh well, maybe during those times there weren't any records about those forgotten Philippine heroes.

Agueda Kahagban Inquinto Andres Bonifacio Antonio Luna Apolinario dela Cruz Apolinario Mabini Artemio Ricarte Deodato Arellano Domingo Abella Emilio Aguinaldo Felipe C. Calderon

Felipe Agoncillo Francisco Baltazar Graciano Lopez Jaena Gregoria de Jesus Gregorio del Pilar Jose Rizal Juan Luna Ladislao Diwa Lapu-Lapu Marcela Agoncillo

Francisco Dagohoy Mariano Alvarez Marcelo H. del Pilar Melchora Aquino Miguel Malvar Macario Adriatico Rajah Soliman Deodato Arellano Vito L. Belarmino Sultan Kudarat

There seems to be something wrong with the home page so I decided to post the links directly here.

Oh and here's another site that has a brief list of Filipino heroes.

TV Show 'Friends' return to TV

Seminal sitcom Friends is returning to television after each of its six stars agreed multi-million dollar deals to star in four one-hour specials...

Hmmm.... you think this'll still be a hit? You think?

Additional:

This one's a hoax. NBC confirmed that there will be no reunion show.

Woman hasn't eaten for four years a half years.

...I haven't eaten for four years and a half now," said Zinaida with a smile. "Speaking of thinness, I should say that I lost some weight. I slimmed down to 74 kilos, I used to weigh 90 kilos. I really wanted to be thin and slender!"

...It is an alternative way of nourishment, feeding on original energy the way minerals, plants, and plankton do. This kind of nourishment becomes a reality when the points of spiritual power (called chakras in Yoga) on your body get cleansed."

Alternative way of nourishment? That's putting it mildly.

You think her tummy will explode if she wolfs down a quarter pounder?

Philippine Moviemakers

This is a site about Philippine movies and famous filipino film makers. This covers a list of popular Philippine directors such as Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Ishamel Bernal, and even Jeffrey Jeturian. This site is really comprehensive as it lists the film makers bio as well as movies they have made.

Although it (the site) has been taken down, the Wayback Machine helped out and gives us access to a truly rich ummm... site about Philippine cinema.

A Personal Post

Fruits and vegetables... How about fruit juice? I just quit smoking and am on a diet so this one is a bit personal but today's strip is a bit prophetic for me...

Famous Philippine Athletes

It seems filipino athletes are again taking the spotlight. Go check out this site. Actually, this site seems to be taken down for some reason. Thank god for the Wayback machine.

They have featured bios of Philippine Athletes like:

Manny Pacquiao - won the International Boxing Federation super bantamweight championship at the age of 23

Lydia de Vega - Asia's fastest woman in the 1980s. Brought home the gold medal twice in a row in the Asian Games in the 100-meter dash; and the silver medal in the 200-meter run.

Paeng Nepomuceno - the all-time greatest international bowler with six world championships to his credit

Bong Coo - made her mark in the bowling world when she delivered nine consecutive strikes in 1979. She has continued to reap honors for the country since then.

Carlos Loyzaga - led the Philippine team that won a bronze medal in the 1954 World Basketball Championship and four gold

And many more famous filipino athletes. Go check 'em out.

Comic Strips to the rescue

Seems it's a slow post day. Thank god for comic strips. I mean, three posts that are japan related. And this is the Philippines!

Japanese Emoticons

The difference between Western Smileys(Emoticons)(1 byte) and Japanese ones(2 bytes)
Apparently, Japanese Smileys(Emoticons) are read vertically while eastern Smileys(Emoticons) are read hosizontally. And Japanese Smileys have more variation than eastern ons. I think the reason is that while American(alphabet) letters in computer are 1 byte, Japanese letters in computer are 2 bytes, so Japanese letters can have more characters. And also, Japanese sentences contain Chinese characters which are phonograms, so it is easier to express and recognize something graphic with letters for Japanese people.

I kind of like these emoticons. They're so Sanrio! I mean, it has that light fun thing. And you don't even have to tilt your head sideways!

\(^0^)/

Japanese Commercials with US Celebrities

Many of America's biggest celebrities avoid advertising to preserve their perfectly marketed Hollywood image, but apparently when they visit Japan, all bets are off! Japander is a wonderfully cool website that has a video archive of some truly amazing ads featuring celebs that you'd think you'd never see. Give 'em a look and make sure you see some truly inspired examples featuring Nicolas Cage extolling the virtues of Pachinko, and Arnold Schwarzenegger in some truly batshit insane works of art.

Remember Steven Seagal and his local Tanduay rhum commercial. It was tanduay, right?

And to those who don't know who that guy is, that's Rick Astley. If you were as old as me, you'd remember him.

(via Retrocrush)

8 Pointers on how to correctly do Powerpoint

8 mistakes when creating PowerPoint presentations-I've just come back from a gruelling week of corporate meetings, a 5 day marathon of seemingly never ending PowerPoint presentations. As the person in charge of marketing and IT, part of my job is to be the contact point for all of the attendees, folks ranging from 1st year sales reps to divisional presidents, COO's and CEO's. Everyone is required to send me their presentations in advance, so that they can all be put on a single computer. If I get them in time, I usually go through them quickly and fix any of the obvious problems. Human nature being what it is though, most people actually gave me their presentation the morning they were presenting, usually on a memory stick with the words 'I made some last-minute changes, just put this one in instead...'. Sometimes this doesn't work quite as well as they would like:

Well, this is a very useful "how to do" Powerpoint right. You can never go wrong with these eight pointers.

Orgasmic Japanese Women in an obstacle course

A group of women are hypnotized so that loud sounds cause them to have orgasms, after orgasms, after orgasms, and then set on a very loud obstacle course.

This is just too weird not to blog. Only in Japan will they think of stuff like this. Now... I wonder if I can get hypnotism or is it hypnosis lessons to do this.

You gotta hang around for the last obstacle. That one's a doozy. Hypnotizing people is fun!