Information Overload
If gigabytes of data don't do you in, the paper they're printed on will.
Sunday, November 02, 2003
Thursday, October 09, 2003
Man vs Machine
Kasparov, there you go again! The last time K won over Fritz. Will he win the second time around? Maybe not as what happened to him when he went up against Deep Blue... but not so fast, according to this account that benchmarks the historical performance of computers against humans. Elsewhere, chess is regarded as a "game that generates examples and analogies relevant to a broad range of intellectual concerns."
Kasparov, there you go again! The last time K won over Fritz. Will he win the second time around? Maybe not as what happened to him when he went up against Deep Blue... but not so fast, according to this account that benchmarks the historical performance of computers against humans. Elsewhere, chess is regarded as a "game that generates examples and analogies relevant to a broad range of intellectual concerns."
Sunday, October 05, 2003
Blogging is dead. Long live blogging!
El Reg notes the report that although blogosphere is growing in size, it's made up mostly of abandoned or dead sites. Blogging is typically an activity of teenage girls who want to keep their friends updated on their otherwise uneventful lives. However, teeny boopers don't have a monopology of blogging. Even Lawrence Lessig blogs. :-)
El Reg notes the report that although blogosphere is growing in size, it's made up mostly of abandoned or dead sites. Blogging is typically an activity of teenage girls who want to keep their friends updated on their otherwise uneventful lives. However, teeny boopers don't have a monopology of blogging. Even Lawrence Lessig blogs. :-)
Thursday, September 18, 2003
The Business That's Church
Forbes reports how churches are acting like business corporations (with matching ads and all). This is not inherently bad, if one thinks of the Christian origins of capitalism. Max Weber would feel vindicated.
Forbes reports how churches are acting like business corporations (with matching ads and all). This is not inherently bad, if one thinks of the Christian origins of capitalism. Max Weber would feel vindicated.
Sunday, August 31, 2003
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Solipsism delight!
If solipsism were to be in this form, I don't mind wearing it. Harold Bloom also speaks of Shakespeare as "the true mulitcultural author." I wonder how this guy is related to Alan Bloom, another great defender of the classics.
If solipsism were to be in this form, I don't mind wearing it. Harold Bloom also speaks of Shakespeare as "the true mulitcultural author." I wonder how this guy is related to Alan Bloom, another great defender of the classics.
Multi-valued logic
Here's a piece on the possibility of the introducing multivalued logic in computing. There's nothing new about the idea of course. The Russians might have started it.
Here's a piece on the possibility of the introducing multivalued logic in computing. There's nothing new about the idea of course. The Russians might have started it.
Thursday, August 21, 2003
Movie flops due to txting?
Yes, you heard the excuse right! Or it's a good time to reassess movie marketing basics.
Yes, you heard the excuse right! Or it's a good time to reassess movie marketing basics.
Friday, August 08, 2003
Market Failure 101
A central argument for government intervention in public affairs and the economy is
market failure.
A central argument for government intervention in public affairs and the economy is
market failure.
Thursday, August 07, 2003
Lights Out Please!
One segment of Korusawa's "Dreams" is "Watermill Village" where a city guy shows up asking questions about the lifestyle of the villagers (perhaps he's a sociologist :) ). One of his curiousities concerns the villagers' lack of electricity. The guy asked to the effect, "Why don't you have electricity? Wouldn't it be so dark at night?" To which an old villager replies, "The night is supposed to be dark!"
Only in the dark will one appreciate the beauty that is darkness and all the things that go with it: stars, fireflies, the moon. The downside of having too much light is this.
One segment of Korusawa's "Dreams" is "Watermill Village" where a city guy shows up asking questions about the lifestyle of the villagers (perhaps he's a sociologist :) ). One of his curiousities concerns the villagers' lack of electricity. The guy asked to the effect, "Why don't you have electricity? Wouldn't it be so dark at night?" To which an old villager replies, "The night is supposed to be dark!"
Only in the dark will one appreciate the beauty that is darkness and all the things that go with it: stars, fireflies, the moon. The downside of having too much light is this.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Saturday, August 02, 2003
Saturday, July 26, 2003
Designer Babies, Anyone?
Two days ago was the birthday of Louise Brown, the first 'test tube' baby. Since Brown, reproductive technologies have have changed, and it's interesting how public opinion changed as well. Here's an account of such opinion.
Two days ago was the birthday of Louise Brown, the first 'test tube' baby. Since Brown, reproductive technologies have have changed, and it's interesting how public opinion changed as well. Here's an account of such opinion.
Cantenna
An Antenna made out of a tin can, this geeky stuff is practical to build. I'm constructing one, with the help of some info:
- orig diagram
- a good guide
- a "how to" guide
An Antenna made out of a tin can, this geeky stuff is practical to build. I'm constructing one, with the help of some info:
- orig diagram
- a good guide
- a "how to" guide
Friday, July 25, 2003
Porn Gore
Just when I thought I knew pornography, this Guardian reportage on the rough trade came. Pop Quiz: what's the diff between a feature and a gonzo? Read on...
Just when I thought I knew pornography, this Guardian reportage on the rough trade came. Pop Quiz: what's the diff between a feature and a gonzo? Read on...
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Technological Gobbledygook
is a definite turn-off. Here's a BBC report on how new technology jargons have inhibited some people from reaping the benefits and wasted advertising money.
is a definite turn-off. Here's a BBC report on how new technology jargons have inhibited some people from reaping the benefits and wasted advertising money.
The Tragedy of the Anti-Common
The New Yorker writes about how America has "always had a vibrant patent system," and "managed to strike a balance between the need to encourage innovation and the need to foster competition." "In the past decade, the balance has been upset," says the writer James Surowiecki in an article. "The scope of patents has been expanded, copyrights have been extended, trademarks have been subjected to bizarre interpretations." Such is the tragedy of the anti-common.
The New Yorker writes about how America has "always had a vibrant patent system," and "managed to strike a balance between the need to encourage innovation and the need to foster competition." "In the past decade, the balance has been upset," says the writer James Surowiecki in an article. "The scope of patents has been expanded, copyrights have been extended, trademarks have been subjected to bizarre interpretations." Such is the tragedy of the anti-common.
Monday, July 07, 2003
Computing Power On Demand
I have yet to get my hands dirty on Beowulf. Notably, distibuted computing (Beowulf's an example) is the next wave of cheap supercomputing. Case in point: SETI@Home. It's the world's fastest distributed computing, and--best of all--it's freely provided for by millions of people with extra CPU power and time. "Put the computation near the data," thus urges this Microsoft research guy in his article on the economics of distributed computing.
[ more from IEEE Task Force on Cluster Computing ]
I have yet to get my hands dirty on Beowulf. Notably, distibuted computing (Beowulf's an example) is the next wave of cheap supercomputing. Case in point: SETI@Home. It's the world's fastest distributed computing, and--best of all--it's freely provided for by millions of people with extra CPU power and time. "Put the computation near the data," thus urges this Microsoft research guy in his article on the economics of distributed computing.
File Swapping Rules (or Not)!
Even threats of lawsuits couldn't stop filesharing. Stats shows that after RIAA announced its strategy to sue people sharing copyrighted music files, online file swappers increased in number. This is contradicted by a news article from CNN saying it actually decreased.
On its flip side, P2P is seen in the future as an instrument of freedom, passing news and information beyond the reach of censors.
Even threats of lawsuits couldn't stop filesharing. Stats shows that after RIAA announced its strategy to sue people sharing copyrighted music files, online file swappers increased in number. This is contradicted by a news article from CNN saying it actually decreased.
On its flip side, P2P is seen in the future as an instrument of freedom, passing news and information beyond the reach of censors.
Saturday, July 05, 2003
Future of Open Source
Divining the future isn't exactly my cup of tea. But this interview Tim O'Reilly got me thinking about what I've been doing along IT lines. Tim predicts EBay will buy up Oracle, as Open Source lincenses don't work.
On the other hand, while OS licensing doesn't work, OS software development model just might. Linus compares it to biological diversity. Micro$oft is likened to a shark... or a turtle:
"You have the Linux approach that is fairly diverse and all over the map. Maybe it is not very efficient. But it works very well in the face of complexity and changing circumstances. Changing circumstances will really show that part of that diversity really works. Biology on the other extreme is a very mono culture, which works very well as long as the circumstances stay the same. To some degree they are seen as very efficient and they can live on for a long time. A perfect case in genetics is sharks. They are very stable but they also don't evolve anymore. That works, but if you want to go past a certain point, it's a problem."
Divining the future isn't exactly my cup of tea. But this interview Tim O'Reilly got me thinking about what I've been doing along IT lines. Tim predicts EBay will buy up Oracle, as Open Source lincenses don't work.
On the other hand, while OS licensing doesn't work, OS software development model just might. Linus compares it to biological diversity. Micro$oft is likened to a shark... or a turtle:
"You have the Linux approach that is fairly diverse and all over the map. Maybe it is not very efficient. But it works very well in the face of complexity and changing circumstances. Changing circumstances will really show that part of that diversity really works. Biology on the other extreme is a very mono culture, which works very well as long as the circumstances stay the same. To some degree they are seen as very efficient and they can live on for a long time. A perfect case in genetics is sharks. They are very stable but they also don't evolve anymore. That works, but if you want to go past a certain point, it's a problem."
Friday, July 04, 2003
Vitamins, Anyone?
There's little evidence to support the use of vitamin supplements (like the anti-oxidants A, C, & E) to prevent cancer or heart disease, says this report from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
There's little evidence to support the use of vitamin supplements (like the anti-oxidants A, C, & E) to prevent cancer or heart disease, says this report from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
Rage Against Word Attachments
Some people might think attaching Word and Powerpoint files to emails is pretty cool. Well, NO! Avoid Word attachments like hell. Here's why.
Some people might think attaching Word and Powerpoint files to emails is pretty cool. Well, NO! Avoid Word attachments like hell. Here's why.
Home Networking
This Guide details how to build network from scratch. Caveats: it's just a guide. Follow it closely only if you have money to burn. Some products mentioned are not locally available. But as far as guides go, this is a good one.
This Guide details how to build network from scratch. Caveats: it's just a guide. Follow it closely only if you have money to burn. Some products mentioned are not locally available. But as far as guides go, this is a good one.
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Technology Without A Cause
This essay in the Guardian reminds us of technology's downside (if not downright meaninglessness):
[IF...,] "one of technology's ends is to reduce our lives to such blob-like stasis that we hardly ever have to interact with other human beings. Another is to distract us from the shame we feel about our decadent lifestyles. Our response to being bored and rich is not to discard our possessions and live more simply, but to buy more stuff to reduce the space in which we might contemplate our shame."
And while Nokia boasts of connecting people, it does so with people discussing what their cellfons can do rather than what they REALLY DO WITH the technology. Too much technology can even compromise personal relationship.
This essay in the Guardian reminds us of technology's downside (if not downright meaninglessness):
[IF...,] "one of technology's ends is to reduce our lives to such blob-like stasis that we hardly ever have to interact with other human beings. Another is to distract us from the shame we feel about our decadent lifestyles. Our response to being bored and rich is not to discard our possessions and live more simply, but to buy more stuff to reduce the space in which we might contemplate our shame."
And while Nokia boasts of connecting people, it does so with people discussing what their cellfons can do rather than what they REALLY DO WITH the technology. Too much technology can even compromise personal relationship.
Technology Evangelism
A sort of a zealous follow-through of Information Rules, Tech Evangelism examines how Micro$oft could churn out technology that becomes an industry standard. As the book puts it, "Evangelism is war," and Micro$oft appears to be the victor--for now.
A sort of a zealous follow-through of Information Rules, Tech Evangelism examines how Micro$oft could churn out technology that becomes an industry standard. As the book puts it, "Evangelism is war," and Micro$oft appears to be the victor--for now.
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Saturday, June 07, 2003
Good Ol' Adam
Notes on the range of intellectual sensibilities of Adam Smith, as exemplified by his two books:
The Theory of the Moral Sentiments (1759). Part II: Of Merit and Demerit; or, of the Objects of Reward and Punishment Consisting of Three Parts, Section II: Of Justice and Beneficence:
-Chap. I: Comparison of those two virtues: "the violation of justice is injury"
- Chapter III: Of the utility of this constitution of Nature: "All the members of human society stand in need of each others assistance, and are likewise exposed to mutual injuries. Where the necessary assistance is reciprocally afforded from love, from gratitude, from friendship, and esteem, the society flourishes and is happy. All the different members of it are bound together by the agreeable bands of love and affection, and are, as it were, drawn to one common centre of mutual good offices."
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, (1776) The Modern Library edition, New York, 1937:
-"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer and the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity, but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our necessities but of their advantages" (p. 14).
Notes on the range of intellectual sensibilities of Adam Smith, as exemplified by his two books:
The Theory of the Moral Sentiments (1759). Part II: Of Merit and Demerit; or, of the Objects of Reward and Punishment Consisting of Three Parts, Section II: Of Justice and Beneficence:
-Chap. I: Comparison of those two virtues: "the violation of justice is injury"
- Chapter III: Of the utility of this constitution of Nature: "All the members of human society stand in need of each others assistance, and are likewise exposed to mutual injuries. Where the necessary assistance is reciprocally afforded from love, from gratitude, from friendship, and esteem, the society flourishes and is happy. All the different members of it are bound together by the agreeable bands of love and affection, and are, as it were, drawn to one common centre of mutual good offices."
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, (1776) The Modern Library edition, New York, 1937:
-"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer and the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity, but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our necessities but of their advantages" (p. 14).
Wednesday, June 04, 2003
Globalization blues
I thought I never have to blog anything on this topic, apart from my school assignment. But the temptation of a good site, like Yale's, is hard to resist. YaleGlobal is Online Magazine is a goldmine of info relating to globalization.
I thought I never have to blog anything on this topic, apart from my school assignment. But the temptation of a good site, like Yale's, is hard to resist. YaleGlobal is Online Magazine is a goldmine of info relating to globalization.
Friday, May 30, 2003
Indian Take
"Take on Gates!," an Indian president tells techies at the Indian Institute of Information Technology. Here's the text of his speech where he also outlines his vision of technological convergencies as well their uses to power rural life.
"Take on Gates!," an Indian president tells techies at the Indian Institute of Information Technology. Here's the text of his speech where he also outlines his vision of technological convergencies as well their uses to power rural life.
Txting in America
is relatively new, but Americans are catching up. By 2007, there will be as many as 75 million American SMS users. Hmm... better remind them that txting hurts. :)
is relatively new, but Americans are catching up. By 2007, there will be as many as 75 million American SMS users. Hmm... better remind them that txting hurts. :)
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Aristotle got it wrong again!
His 'Great Chain of Being,' in which animals are arranged in scales according to their degrees of 'perfection' beneath humans, collides with a recalcitrant fact: Chimps belong to the human genus. They may even have culture, social behavior, language, and other things we consider "human."
Further info from: Jane Goodall Institute | Discovery Channel
His 'Great Chain of Being,' in which animals are arranged in scales according to their degrees of 'perfection' beneath humans, collides with a recalcitrant fact: Chimps belong to the human genus. They may even have culture, social behavior, language, and other things we consider "human."
Further info from: Jane Goodall Institute | Discovery Channel
Care for tea?
--the very words of my partner Helen every morning. Turns out that tea, especially green tea, is good for dental health (in addition to its vitamin-like substances).
--the very words of my partner Helen every morning. Turns out that tea, especially green tea, is good for dental health (in addition to its vitamin-like substances).
Sunday, May 18, 2003
Grade Inflation
Professors of Harvard and other leading universities have reportedly been inflating the grades of their students for various reasons. But who really cares? Perhaps Bush does not. But Mansfield does.
Professors of Harvard and other leading universities have reportedly been inflating the grades of their students for various reasons. But who really cares? Perhaps Bush does not. But Mansfield does.
Human Free Will as "computational irreducibility"
What if the human free will is just a consequence of a "computational irreducibility" (its maximum complexity), and, just like other systems, the only way to know what it will do is to just let it be? Our minds, if not our souls, claims Wolfram, are computational consequences of simple rules and are the "computational equivalence" constitutive of the actual states of affairs. Allegedly the most complicated behavior imaginable arises from such very simple rules.
The principle of computational equivalence necessarily puts limits on science itself. Many questions simply could not be answered a priori, since the only way to discover the consequences of many complex processes, like the human free will itself, is to let things proceed naturally. There's no shortcut, maintains Wofram, "since our own computational tools are at best only as powerful as the complicated systems we hope to study."
[ Sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ]
What if the human free will is just a consequence of a "computational irreducibility" (its maximum complexity), and, just like other systems, the only way to know what it will do is to just let it be? Our minds, if not our souls, claims Wolfram, are computational consequences of simple rules and are the "computational equivalence" constitutive of the actual states of affairs. Allegedly the most complicated behavior imaginable arises from such very simple rules.
The principle of computational equivalence necessarily puts limits on science itself. Many questions simply could not be answered a priori, since the only way to discover the consequences of many complex processes, like the human free will itself, is to let things proceed naturally. There's no shortcut, maintains Wofram, "since our own computational tools are at best only as powerful as the complicated systems we hope to study."
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Neo Metaphysics
How about film as metaphysics? Or 'Neo' as the One? Hmm... I'm really tempted to list in the census with 'Jedi' as my religion. :)
[ more Matrix-religion stuff... and more. From NPR | NY Times ]
How about film as metaphysics? Or 'Neo' as the One? Hmm... I'm really tempted to list in the census with 'Jedi' as my religion. :)
[ more Matrix-religion stuff... and more. From NPR | NY Times ]
Philosophy of Language
Or, is it 'taste' of language? This article accounts for the eccentricities of programming languages and hazards that, in the final analysis, they're all the same. Meantime, I'll practice my Klingon!
Or, is it 'taste' of language? This article accounts for the eccentricities of programming languages and hazards that, in the final analysis, they're all the same. Meantime, I'll practice my Klingon!
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Neo Metaphysics
How about film as metaphysics? Or 'Neo' as the One? Hmm... I'm really tempted to list in the census with 'Jedi' as my religion. :) [ more Matrix-religion stuff ]
How about film as metaphysics? Or 'Neo' as the One? Hmm... I'm really tempted to list in the census with 'Jedi' as my religion. :) [ more Matrix-religion stuff ]
Thursday, May 08, 2003
BOFH
Here's one reason why you should be kind to your sysad, even if he sometimes acts like a bastard operator from hell. On seccond thought, though, BOFN (a sampler) is now a passé, isn't s/he? :) Mwahahahahahahaha!
Here's one reason why you should be kind to your sysad, even if he sometimes acts like a bastard operator from hell. On seccond thought, though, BOFN (a sampler) is now a passé, isn't s/he? :) Mwahahahahahahaha!
Friday, May 02, 2003
SARS and AIDS
What do they have in common? Obviously both kill! But they came at different times: the latter at a time of less openness and less sharing of information; the former at a lot more open time. It took years to discover the causative agent of AIDS while it only took months to uncover the "bug" for SARS. Hail the Internet!
Meanwhile, there's anecdotal evidence that garlic helps prevent SARS.
[ Science Mag's SARS page ]
What do they have in common? Obviously both kill! But they came at different times: the latter at a time of less openness and less sharing of information; the former at a lot more open time. It took years to discover the causative agent of AIDS while it only took months to uncover the "bug" for SARS. Hail the Internet!
Meanwhile, there's anecdotal evidence that garlic helps prevent SARS.
Sonya's Garden
N 14° 05' 16.7" E 120° 50' 55.9" -- This unpretensious place serves veges and stuff straight from the garden. No menu, no fancy food. Just great dressing that comes with fresh, organic green edible stuff. It's supposed to be "slow food" (as opposed to "fast food," I suppose). We went there yesterday (which happened to be a holiday and people where wondering in the garden while waiting for their turns to dine.) When we were finally sitted, first there came the salad. Then pasta, mint tea, dessert. And that's it! Sonya's Garden really made my day.
What people have to say about the place: 1 | 2 | 3
N 14° 05' 16.7" E 120° 50' 55.9" -- This unpretensious place serves veges and stuff straight from the garden. No menu, no fancy food. Just great dressing that comes with fresh, organic green edible stuff. It's supposed to be "slow food" (as opposed to "fast food," I suppose). We went there yesterday (which happened to be a holiday and people where wondering in the garden while waiting for their turns to dine.) When we were finally sitted, first there came the salad. Then pasta, mint tea, dessert. And that's it! Sonya's Garden really made my day.
What people have to say about the place: 1 | 2 | 3
Winsock Problem
Darn Micro$oft! I was doing some network stuff using my HP laptop to try out new Wi-Fi connections when I got this stupid winsock problem:
An operation was attempted on something that is not a socket
Well, this wasn't even apparent as I had to do some digging before I could uncover this error message. And that's 2 days! 2 days wasted, Bill! Your Knowledge Base was not even of any help. What helped me was some guy's patch somewhere in Canada. Tsk, tsk, tsk... I'm really not suprised why some people are having so much MS rage these days.
Darn Micro$oft! I was doing some network stuff using my HP laptop to try out new Wi-Fi connections when I got this stupid winsock problem:
An operation was attempted on something that is not a socket
Well, this wasn't even apparent as I had to do some digging before I could uncover this error message. And that's 2 days! 2 days wasted, Bill! Your Knowledge Base was not even of any help. What helped me was some guy's patch somewhere in Canada. Tsk, tsk, tsk... I'm really not suprised why some people are having so much MS rage these days.
Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Wi-Fi
A few weeks ago, my LA-based friend Anna emailed to ask me if Wi-Fi is already available in the Philippines. My answer of course was "pretty much." For quite some time, I hesitated to install any wireless network because of its inherent insecurity. But, yesterday, I finally did it, with the help of my colleague and OpenBSD guru, Barry. What the heck?! I don't have much to hide anyway. Anyone can "war drive" near our office where I installed an 802.11b network. We've done minimal security, though. So it's not anything like a walk in the park for newbie war drivers. The install went relatively well, except that the software that came with PCMCIA hardware was antiquated that it kept freezing a laptop PC.
At any rate, for those who believe that unguarded wireless networks should be as free as the air we breath, here's good news for you! Or, you may go to Paris where wi-fi connectivity is ubiquitous.
For those who are only starting, here's a Slate article for dummies. :)
A few weeks ago, my LA-based friend Anna emailed to ask me if Wi-Fi is already available in the Philippines. My answer of course was "pretty much." For quite some time, I hesitated to install any wireless network because of its inherent insecurity. But, yesterday, I finally did it, with the help of my colleague and OpenBSD guru, Barry. What the heck?! I don't have much to hide anyway. Anyone can "war drive" near our office where I installed an 802.11b network. We've done minimal security, though. So it's not anything like a walk in the park for newbie war drivers. The install went relatively well, except that the software that came with PCMCIA hardware was antiquated that it kept freezing a laptop PC.
At any rate, for those who believe that unguarded wireless networks should be as free as the air we breath, here's good news for you! Or, you may go to Paris where wi-fi connectivity is ubiquitous.
For those who are only starting, here's a Slate article for dummies. :)
Friday, April 25, 2003
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Koch Postulates
These postulates must be satisfied before one could say that a suspect virus or bacteria causes a certain disease. However, such postulates have limitations.
These postulates must be satisfied before one could say that a suspect virus or bacteria causes a certain disease. However, such postulates have limitations.
Sunday, April 13, 2003
Tuesday, April 08, 2003
Human v. Machine, Round 1
Click here to read the possible outcome. (In chess, machine keeps winning... but not without cheating.)
There are proposals for science to exercise self-restraint. Here's one coming from a respected physicist. In the genetic engineering front, the question is raised: Will it kill us?
Click here to read the possible outcome. (In chess, machine keeps winning... but not without cheating.)
There are proposals for science to exercise self-restraint. Here's one coming from a respected physicist. In the genetic engineering front, the question is raised: Will it kill us?
Friday, April 04, 2003
'The Second World Power'
Interesting how a blog using this phrase could spread so quickly. Greenpeace, Kofi Annan, everybody uses it. But the phrase was originally mentioned in a New York Times (17 Feb) news analysis bylined by Patrick Tyler describing the global anti-war protests as the emergence of "the second superpower." Here's El Reg's take on the phenomenon.
The term, however, has been neutered by a blog like this.
Interesting how a blog using this phrase could spread so quickly. Greenpeace, Kofi Annan, everybody uses it. But the phrase was originally mentioned in a New York Times (17 Feb) news analysis bylined by Patrick Tyler describing the global anti-war protests as the emergence of "the second superpower." Here's El Reg's take on the phenomenon.
The term, however, has been neutered by a blog like this.
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Kewl Tools
The Net knows poetry (yeah, right! :) ) It provides you with recipes (from ingredients you want to use) as well as track mutations of clichés and the web of networks your site has created. All thanks to Google! (Click here to discover Google's "secrets".) To be able to use these kewl tools, try this key: 7bpG4v1QFHLZZd6DOEihcLXcNK/FnsB/.
And, o!, speaking of network, some tools are available to track your social networks using another set of tools.
The Net knows poetry (yeah, right! :) ) It provides you with recipes (from ingredients you want to use) as well as track mutations of clichés and the web of networks your site has created. All thanks to Google! (Click here to discover Google's "secrets".) To be able to use these kewl tools, try this key: 7bpG4v1QFHLZZd6DOEihcLXcNK/FnsB/.
And, o!, speaking of network, some tools are available to track your social networks using another set of tools.
Friday, March 14, 2003
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
Some of my friends are still 'hot' about going to the US to secure jobs. /. directed us to these articles from CNN and Salon which discuss employment decline in the American market.
On the other hand, the outlook is not at all that bad for those who already have jobs, especially in the IT sector, according to this article. But according to another article, IT employment would remain flat for 2003. This is made worse by the trend of outsourcers being outsourced by others. Still, even if the US economy recovers, chances are the jobs might not come back.
Some of my friends are still 'hot' about going to the US to secure jobs. /. directed us to these articles from CNN and Salon which discuss employment decline in the American market.
On the other hand, the outlook is not at all that bad for those who already have jobs, especially in the IT sector, according to this article. But according to another article, IT employment would remain flat for 2003. This is made worse by the trend of outsourcers being outsourced by others. Still, even if the US economy recovers, chances are the jobs might not come back.
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
A Billion Spam A Day
That's how much AOL, just 1 ISP gets, according to this report. Doesn't it seem futile to fight it? Here's one way of looking at the entire spam economy. Even big companies, big names profit from it.
Here's how spammers got you and possible how you could avoid spam in mail.
In a similar vein, txt spam is growing.
That's how much AOL, just 1 ISP gets, according to this report. Doesn't it seem futile to fight it? Here's one way of looking at the entire spam economy. Even big companies, big names profit from it.
Here's how spammers got you and possible how you could avoid spam in mail.
In a similar vein, txt spam is growing.
'Whipsawing' What?!
What on earth is this word?! It figured recently in relation to AT&T's complaint against the local Philippine telcos that allegedly refuse to connect international calls coming from AT&T network. Here's how the US FCC characterizes 'whipsawing' in a 1988 decision:
Whipsawing often "takes the form of the foreign carrier isolating a U.S. carrier in an effort to negotiate a favorable accounting rate agreement. Once an agreement is reached with the foreign carrier, other U.S. carriers are under substantial pressure to accept the same agreement or risk retaliation by the foreign carrier."
This is supposed to be contrary to public interest. The American public, that is.
Philippine-bound calls constitute the 4th-largest international route for US cariers, with WorldCom carrying about 25-30% of the traffic (Cris Larazo 2003 Manila Intensifies Phone Fights. AWSJ 27 (135/14-16 March): A4).
What on earth is this word?! It figured recently in relation to AT&T's complaint against the local Philippine telcos that allegedly refuse to connect international calls coming from AT&T network. Here's how the US FCC characterizes 'whipsawing' in a 1988 decision:
Whipsawing often "takes the form of the foreign carrier isolating a U.S. carrier in an effort to negotiate a favorable accounting rate agreement. Once an agreement is reached with the foreign carrier, other U.S. carriers are under substantial pressure to accept the same agreement or risk retaliation by the foreign carrier."
This is supposed to be contrary to public interest. The American public, that is.
Philippine-bound calls constitute the 4th-largest international route for US cariers, with WorldCom carrying about 25-30% of the traffic (Cris Larazo 2003 Manila Intensifies Phone Fights. AWSJ 27 (135/14-16 March): A4).
Monday, March 10, 2003
KDE v Gnome
KDE and Gnome--two competing desktop environments (DE) in the Open Source market. I'm of course partial to KDE. Still, this OSNews interview with the DE gurus on both camps is a must read.
Here's a general read on DEs comparison.
KDE and Gnome--two competing desktop environments (DE) in the Open Source market. I'm of course partial to KDE. Still, this OSNews interview with the DE gurus on both camps is a must read.
Here's a general read on DEs comparison.
Txtng Hurts!
The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) warns that too much texting could lead to RSI (repetitive strain injury). "2 mch txting cud corz RSI!" So practice safe txt!
On the other hand, another study casts doubt on injuries like this.
The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) warns that too much texting could lead to RSI (repetitive strain injury). "2 mch txting cud corz RSI!" So practice safe txt!
On the other hand, another study casts doubt on injuries like this.
Sunday, March 09, 2003
Private Joyce
I didn't know that Joyce Jimenez ("ang pantasya ng bayan") is a good entrepreneur until I read a FEER article detailing her business success. Private Joyce lingerie is now sold in 14 outlets in the Philippines, NY, Washington, LA, and San Diego, "where local Filipinos tired of ill-fitting American underwear snap up smaller sizes made for their lighter frames" (Hookway, J 2002 Franchising With Frills FEER 166 (10/13 March):34-6). I won't be surprised if some of my friends in the US are wearing Private Joyce right now as I blog. Consumption powered by ethnicity is perhaps another flipside of the Pinoy Diaspora.
In a parallel vein, 84% of ethnic Californians consume ethnic media, according to the New California Media Survey.
[ Joyce Interview ]
I didn't know that Joyce Jimenez ("ang pantasya ng bayan") is a good entrepreneur until I read a FEER article detailing her business success. Private Joyce lingerie is now sold in 14 outlets in the Philippines, NY, Washington, LA, and San Diego, "where local Filipinos tired of ill-fitting American underwear snap up smaller sizes made for their lighter frames" (Hookway, J 2002 Franchising With Frills FEER 166 (10/13 March):34-6). I won't be surprised if some of my friends in the US are wearing Private Joyce right now as I blog. Consumption powered by ethnicity is perhaps another flipside of the Pinoy Diaspora. In a parallel vein, 84% of ethnic Californians consume ethnic media, according to the New California Media Survey.
Waterrrrrrrrrrr!
Clean water reserves are fast shrinking, says the UNESCO World Water Development Report. The report's release is great timing--a week to go before the 3rd World Water Forum in Kyoto.
Some highlights:
1. Shrinking water reserves are due to failed water management policies including over-reliance on dams and overprivatization of the fresh water market.
2. Promise lies in improved infrastructure, sensible pricing plans, conservation technologies and water treaties.
3. Water contaminated with fecal bacteria, parasites, and other microbes causes about 6,000 deaths a day, more than 60% involving children under 5 years old.
4. Access to clean water (def: access to at least 20 liters per person per day from source within 1 km of the person's house) should be made available to more than 1 billion people who today are deprived of it and to twice more who live without sanitation.
Clean water reserves are fast shrinking, says the UNESCO World Water Development Report. The report's release is great timing--a week to go before the 3rd World Water Forum in Kyoto.
Some highlights:
1. Shrinking water reserves are due to failed water management policies including over-reliance on dams and overprivatization of the fresh water market.
2. Promise lies in improved infrastructure, sensible pricing plans, conservation technologies and water treaties.
3. Water contaminated with fecal bacteria, parasites, and other microbes causes about 6,000 deaths a day, more than 60% involving children under 5 years old.
4. Access to clean water (def: access to at least 20 liters per person per day from source within 1 km of the person's house) should be made available to more than 1 billion people who today are deprived of it and to twice more who live without sanitation.
Saturday, March 08, 2003
Behold the Uberman!
According to this Slate article, the next generation gene research promises to build "Supermen" or "Superwomen" out of us all. Want muscles and strength without ever visiting a weight room? Red blood cells to enable us to run "forever"? Human "blood" to speed up evolution and make us less susceptible to disease and injury? Hmm... tempting it is! But, nah!, I want to be the Nietzschean Uberman--aesthetic, comtemplative, self-overcoming rather than too self-absorbed to cheat one's way to a great body and personal well-being.
According to this Slate article, the next generation gene research promises to build "Supermen" or "Superwomen" out of us all. Want muscles and strength without ever visiting a weight room? Red blood cells to enable us to run "forever"? Human "blood" to speed up evolution and make us less susceptible to disease and injury? Hmm... tempting it is! But, nah!, I want to be the Nietzschean Uberman--aesthetic, comtemplative, self-overcoming rather than too self-absorbed to cheat one's way to a great body and personal well-being.
Friday, March 07, 2003
Warning Signs of Scientific Rubbish
"There is, alas, no scientific claim so preposterous that a scientist cannot be found to vouch for it," says physicist Robert Park. How to detect all the rubbish that some people call "scientific" is the real challenge. Here's his guide.
"There is, alas, no scientific claim so preposterous that a scientist cannot be found to vouch for it," says physicist Robert Park. How to detect all the rubbish that some people call "scientific" is the real challenge. Here's his guide.
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
Secret Writing
This is my first attempt at encryption. No, not this message, you bloody man! I'm trying to install an encryption software. Well, two applications: PGP and GPG. The former is proprietary (although I'm getting it as freeware); the latter, open source. PGP is pretty straightforward, and one can download it from pgp.com. The latter requires a bit more savvy. To install GPG, one may use this set of instructions. It's the exactly the clearest stuff but a good start. What's crucial is the installation of the initial GPG file before one proceeds to do the shell installation. Here's a guide for this process.
Now my sigs:
PGP keyID 0x34419024 fingerprint FD6B DF02 2043 5D64 960C 4CB9 393D 9EF7 3441 9024
GPG keyID 0x73286BBE fingerprint E9CE 0EB1 C443 2E19 5326 8BDA CB87 CCAB 7328 6BBE
We may now start exchanging "secret messages."
This is my first attempt at encryption. No, not this message, you bloody man! I'm trying to install an encryption software. Well, two applications: PGP and GPG. The former is proprietary (although I'm getting it as freeware); the latter, open source. PGP is pretty straightforward, and one can download it from pgp.com. The latter requires a bit more savvy. To install GPG, one may use this set of instructions. It's the exactly the clearest stuff but a good start. What's crucial is the installation of the initial GPG file before one proceeds to do the shell installation. Here's a guide for this process.
Now my sigs:
PGP keyID 0x34419024 fingerprint FD6B DF02 2043 5D64 960C 4CB9 393D 9EF7 3441 9024
GPG keyID 0x73286BBE fingerprint E9CE 0EB1 C443 2E19 5326 8BDA CB87 CCAB 7328 6BBE
We may now start exchanging "secret messages."
Monday, March 03, 2003
War Games
With the impending war on Iraq, Illiad's take on war games puts it well:)
Speaking of the Iraq war, a relief rally in the market is supposed to come once the shooting starts. But it may not last.
With the impending war on Iraq, Illiad's take on war games puts it well:)
Speaking of the Iraq war, a relief rally in the market is supposed to come once the shooting starts. But it may not last.
Saturday, March 01, 2003
 | Rosalind Elsie Franklin is not the name one usually associates with the DNA. But she did the 3-D x-ray picture of DNA that led Watson and Crick to finish the job and get the whole credit. While Franklin and her collaborator Maurice Wilkins had better DNA samples, better equipment, and better experience, their personal differences helped slow them down. Wilkins showed Watson the DNA picture taken by Franklin (without the latter's permission). And the rest, as they say, is history. Watson calls her impossibly 'prickly' but "might have been quite stunning had she taken even a mild interest in clothes." Ms Franklin was a woman ahead of her time, pursuing physics and chemistry at a time when women were not so welcome in the academe. Watson's an asshole. Ms Franklin sapmler (letter to her father, summer, 1940): "....science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated. Science, for me, gives a partial explanation of life. In so far as it goes, it is based on fact, experience and experiment. Your theories are those which you and many other people find easiest and pleasantest to believe, but so far as I can see, they have no foundation other than they lead to a pleasanter view of life (and an exaggerated idea of our own importance)." [ More info ] |
"All suspects are guilty. Period. Otherwise, they wouldn't be suspects, would they?
That's according to Troops, a humorous "film on location" about the life of Imperial Troopers. Inspired by "reality" cop shows, "Troops" is a spoof of the Star Wars "troops" characters. In this "episode," some Troopers from Tatooine respond to a droid theft complaint and a call regarding a domestic dispute. [ download | More Info | See "George Lucas In Love" blog ]
That's according to Troops, a humorous "film on location" about the life of Imperial Troopers. Inspired by "reality" cop shows, "Troops" is a spoof of the Star Wars "troops" characters. In this "episode," some Troopers from Tatooine respond to a droid theft complaint and a call regarding a domestic dispute. [ download | More Info | See "George Lucas In Love" blog ]
Friday, February 28, 2003
"One Nation, Overseas"
Sometime ago, an LA-based friend directed my attention to this Wired Mag article on the Filipino diaspora. It's an interesting read on how the phenomenon of Filiino migration has served as both boon and bane for the Philippines.
Update: The global demand for workers generates about $6 billion in foreign currency annually for the country, about 8% of its GNP. In 2001, more than 97,000 of the 865,000 Filipinos who left to work overseas were educated professionals. Those who simply immigrate from the Philippines are not tracked systematically by the government. Source: Naik, G et al (2003). Age Gap Benefits Developing Nations. AWSJ 27 (125): A5
Sometime ago, an LA-based friend directed my attention to this Wired Mag article on the Filipino diaspora. It's an interesting read on how the phenomenon of Filiino migration has served as both boon and bane for the Philippines.
Update: The global demand for workers generates about $6 billion in foreign currency annually for the country, about 8% of its GNP. In 2001, more than 97,000 of the 865,000 Filipinos who left to work overseas were educated professionals. Those who simply immigrate from the Philippines are not tracked systematically by the government. Source: Naik, G et al (2003). Age Gap Benefits Developing Nations. AWSJ 27 (125): A5
Accidental Email Forward
Forwarding an email could be a violation of privacy... really? A personal, for-friends-only account of "Class A hobnobbing" with the rulers of the Earth at Davos has turned out to be a Class A Privacy Spill. "A" as in "accidental." Here's a long-winded discussion of its implications.
Forwarding an email could be a violation of privacy... really? A personal, for-friends-only account of "Class A hobnobbing" with the rulers of the Earth at Davos has turned out to be a Class A Privacy Spill. "A" as in "accidental." Here's a long-winded discussion of its implications.
Thursday, February 27, 2003
Cooperation v. Competition
Lamark's (cooperation) and Darwin's (competition) evolutionary theories are competing models. But it appears Darwin's always wins (no pun intended) the day. For a long time, ant hills have been viewed as paragons of selfless co-operation for common good. Enter this report on Finnish researchers suggesting that some ant colonies are nests of nepotism and hidden selfish agenda. Here's the link to the original article.
Lamark's (cooperation) and Darwin's (competition) evolutionary theories are competing models. But it appears Darwin's always wins (no pun intended) the day. For a long time, ant hills have been viewed as paragons of selfless co-operation for common good. Enter this report on Finnish researchers suggesting that some ant colonies are nests of nepotism and hidden selfish agenda. Here's the link to the original article.
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Take It From the Senior, Bill!
A retiring Micro$oft exec tells his company to embrace the open source. This is his advice: "Open source software is as large and powerful a wave as the Internet was," says the exec David Stutz. "Microsoft cannot prosper during the open source wave as an island, with defenses built out of litigation and proprietary protocols" (not to mention people are increasingly running out of reasons to use Micro$oft or actively seeking alternatives). Well, way to go, David, to humble Goliath (for whom the world is not enought)! [ InTrO tO oPeN sOuRcE ]
On the other hand, while so much blood has been spilled over Open Source, perhaps equal zeal should also be focused on Open Data. (Here for the Open Data Format Initiative.) We should also take a look at the gift, and consider copyrights a crime. :)
A retiring Micro$oft exec tells his company to embrace the open source. This is his advice: "Open source software is as large and powerful a wave as the Internet was," says the exec David Stutz. "Microsoft cannot prosper during the open source wave as an island, with defenses built out of litigation and proprietary protocols" (not to mention people are increasingly running out of reasons to use Micro$oft or actively seeking alternatives). Well, way to go, David, to humble Goliath (for whom the world is not enought)! [ InTrO tO oPeN sOuRcE ]
On the other hand, while so much blood has been spilled over Open Source, perhaps equal zeal should also be focused on Open Data. (Here for the Open Data Format Initiative.) We should also take a look at the gift, and consider copyrights a crime. :)
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Extreme French Cooking
Here's a case of French cooking taken to the extreme. One of France's most celebrated chefs kills himself after his restaurant has been downgraded by critics who probably can't prepare decent meals themselves. Well, after all, if you can't be an artist, be a critic. That's a lot better than agonizing over bad cooking.
Here's a case of French cooking taken to the extreme. One of France's most celebrated chefs kills himself after his restaurant has been downgraded by critics who probably can't prepare decent meals themselves. Well, after all, if you can't be an artist, be a critic. That's a lot better than agonizing over bad cooking.
Evidence- v. Race-based Medicine
This article from San Franscisco Chronicle reports of a controversy in AIDS vaccine research: whether the efficacy of a vaccine has some racial basis. A vaccine trial initially shows that among blacks, Asians, other non-Latino minorities, the vaccine appears to reduce infection rates by two-thirds, compared with a trial with other races where there has been no difference in infection rates between those who received the vaccine and those given shots of an inert placebo. Would this really constitute evidence-based medicine? Too early to say.
This article from San Franscisco Chronicle reports of a controversy in AIDS vaccine research: whether the efficacy of a vaccine has some racial basis. A vaccine trial initially shows that among blacks, Asians, other non-Latino minorities, the vaccine appears to reduce infection rates by two-thirds, compared with a trial with other races where there has been no difference in infection rates between those who received the vaccine and those given shots of an inert placebo. Would this really constitute evidence-based medicine? Too early to say.
Monday, February 24, 2003
In Blog We Trust
Just came across these articles from Salon about blogging:
- 'Use the blog, Luke'
- 'Much ado about blogging'
- 'Fear of links'
I won't be saying much about them for now as I'm sleepy already. Basically they're debating about how to construe the latest craze on the Web called 'blogging'. Is it the "new journalism"? Or, is it something else? What's with blogging that would make you fight the urge to sleep just to finish an entry? Good night! In blog I trust. [ blog: charterization; history ]
Update: A survey says bloggers are mostly teenage girls. Makes sense! :)
Just came across these articles from Salon about blogging:
- 'Use the blog, Luke'
- 'Much ado about blogging'
- 'Fear of links'
I won't be saying much about them for now as I'm sleepy already. Basically they're debating about how to construe the latest craze on the Web called 'blogging'. Is it the "new journalism"? Or, is it something else? What's with blogging that would make you fight the urge to sleep just to finish an entry? Good night! In blog I trust. [ blog: charterization; history ]
Update: A survey says bloggers are mostly teenage girls. Makes sense! :)
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Is Religion Hot Again?
My friend Tim Montes directed my attention to this article ('Kicking the Secularist Habit') from the Atlantic Online. This led me to ask how much "religious" orientation I've shed off myself over the years, in my exposure to philosophy and sociology as well as to a secular and academic lifestyle. I will certainly give this article some more serious thoughts. Meanwhile, I wonder if secularism isn't somekind of a religion itself. It might well have its own "gods" (like money perhaps) and rituals (like watching "Sex and the City" or the Oscars), canons (think of what all the punditry in your humanities and social science classes is all about) and "heresies" (well, basically anything going against the 'secular' worldview), heroes/victims.
Meantime, ambiguities characterize Mr Bush, supposedly a 'religious' president.
My friend Tim Montes directed my attention to this article ('Kicking the Secularist Habit') from the Atlantic Online. This led me to ask how much "religious" orientation I've shed off myself over the years, in my exposure to philosophy and sociology as well as to a secular and academic lifestyle. I will certainly give this article some more serious thoughts. Meanwhile, I wonder if secularism isn't somekind of a religion itself. It might well have its own "gods" (like money perhaps) and rituals (like watching "Sex and the City" or the Oscars), canons (think of what all the punditry in your humanities and social science classes is all about) and "heresies" (well, basically anything going against the 'secular' worldview), heroes/victims.
Meantime, ambiguities characterize Mr Bush, supposedly a 'religious' president.
Friday, February 21, 2003
Hot date on KaZaA?
Here's an El Reg account of the new dating feature of Kazaa music download. Wew, the music file swapper can now become a date swapper! Hmmm.... on second thought, I'm waiting for my Hero.DVDRip.DivX5.02.AC3.popofox download to finish. 1412:36.17 hours to go!
Here's an El Reg account of the new dating feature of Kazaa music download. Wew, the music file swapper can now become a date swapper! Hmmm.... on second thought, I'm waiting for my Hero.DVDRip.DivX5.02.AC3.popofox download to finish. 1412:36.17 hours to go!
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
The Gramscian Turn
OK, this is a sociology class stuff and perhaps not appropriate for blogging. My personal spin on Gramsci has to do with his dictum "Pessimism of the mind, optimism of the will" that I first read about back in college. O, that got me! In a roundabout way, it justifies (or I wish it does) my OC, bullhead behavior. Perhaps that's "the political is personal"/"the personal is political"! (whatever... except any reference to natdems, socdems, popdems, gaddems.)
I'm reporting on The Gramscian Turn in the Study of Popular Culture. Relevant materials:
- report outline (extended version commin' up!)
- Resources on Gramsci
- Gramsci at the Marxist Internet Archives; Gramsci and Marxism; Marxist Cultural Theory (Readings)
- Resources through PopCultures.com
- "hegemony" in Prison Notebooks
- Gramsci for beginners
- Gramsci of the Right? Here's a fascinating account of how Gramsci has been abandoned by the so-called "progressives" and appropriated by the Right.
- Mass Media Effects. This is a look at how media could be studied using the Gramscian approach.
I'll try to annotate these links some more. (But don't bet on it.) Incidentally, my class report has been postponed due to extended discussions on Adorno and Althusser. "Cya nxt mtg!"
OK, this is a sociology class stuff and perhaps not appropriate for blogging. My personal spin on Gramsci has to do with his dictum "Pessimism of the mind, optimism of the will" that I first read about back in college. O, that got me! In a roundabout way, it justifies (or I wish it does) my OC, bullhead behavior. Perhaps that's "the political is personal"/"the personal is political"! (whatever... except any reference to natdems, socdems, popdems, gaddems.)
I'm reporting on The Gramscian Turn in the Study of Popular Culture. Relevant materials:
- report outline (extended version commin' up!)
- Resources on Gramsci
- Gramsci at the Marxist Internet Archives; Gramsci and Marxism; Marxist Cultural Theory (Readings)
- Resources through PopCultures.com
- "hegemony" in Prison Notebooks
- Gramsci for beginners
- Gramsci of the Right? Here's a fascinating account of how Gramsci has been abandoned by the so-called "progressives" and appropriated by the Right.
- Mass Media Effects. This is a look at how media could be studied using the Gramscian approach.
I'll try to annotate these links some more. (But don't bet on it.) Incidentally, my class report has been postponed due to extended discussions on Adorno and Althusser. "Cya nxt mtg!"
What's Hot, What's Not?
Surges in the use of certain words in web blogging may suggest what's "hot" online, according to this New Scientist article. In a parallel vein, bursts in the google using certain key expressions may be linked to the rise of certain trends. Well, for a while, "sex" topped as the most frequently used word in Google, until "mp3" replaced it about 2 years ago. I wonder what that really means... your feedback please. :)
Surges in the use of certain words in web blogging may suggest what's "hot" online, according to this New Scientist article. In a parallel vein, bursts in the google using certain key expressions may be linked to the rise of certain trends. Well, for a while, "sex" topped as the most frequently used word in Google, until "mp3" replaced it about 2 years ago. I wonder what that really means... your feedback please. :)
Soundless Music
I've thought my emotions were somekind of music playing in my head. (Lately it's been mostly Bartók and less of Mozart... sans actual sound, only the intensity.) Now, there are experiments on "soundless concerts" using infrasound, according to this report.
I've thought my emotions were somekind of music playing in my head. (Lately it's been mostly Bartók and less of Mozart... sans actual sound, only the intensity.) Now, there are experiments on "soundless concerts" using infrasound, according to this report.
Sunday, February 16, 2003
"Beam me up, Scotty (from Perth)!"
Arguably the possibility of a space elevator first concocted by Arthur C. Clark is increasingly becoming a reality. A company is planning to build one right in Perth, Western Australia. Perth is the sunniest and "farthest" city in the world! According to this article, Perth is chosen as the spot because (1) it's within 45 degrees latitude of the Equator, (2) has a gentle ocean, with lower than average tidal movements, (3) access to land, a city and international airport, (4) in or near an economically advanced and politically stable country.
IMHO, Perth, as a city, is unimpressive. That of course will not affect the space elavator. There's the hip neighbor city of Fremantle, though. Before you take off to space from Perth, perhaps you can hang out in "Freo" (as Fremantle is called fondly by its locals), with its friendly people, cool bars, old-Western style streets. Western Australia is also known for good wine. You might want to check out some estates that serve their products right next to oak barrels... What a lifetyle to precede one's journey into space!
Still speaking of space elevators, here's a /. review of a book that concludes space elevators a near-term feasibility. Beam (er, take) me up, Scotty!
Arguably the possibility of a space elevator first concocted by Arthur C. Clark is increasingly becoming a reality. A company is planning to build one right in Perth, Western Australia. Perth is the sunniest and "farthest" city in the world! According to this article, Perth is chosen as the spot because (1) it's within 45 degrees latitude of the Equator, (2) has a gentle ocean, with lower than average tidal movements, (3) access to land, a city and international airport, (4) in or near an economically advanced and politically stable country.
IMHO, Perth, as a city, is unimpressive. That of course will not affect the space elavator. There's the hip neighbor city of Fremantle, though. Before you take off to space from Perth, perhaps you can hang out in "Freo" (as Fremantle is called fondly by its locals), with its friendly people, cool bars, old-Western style streets. Western Australia is also known for good wine. You might want to check out some estates that serve their products right next to oak barrels... What a lifetyle to precede one's journey into space!
Still speaking of space elevators, here's a /. review of a book that concludes space elevators a near-term feasibility. Beam (er, take) me up, Scotty!
Saturday, February 15, 2003
Dating Guide
Perhaps this is rather belated, as I live in a +8 GMT country and Valentine's Day comes ahead of other time zones from where this matter has been brought to my attention. Nonetheless, Valentine's Day or not, we date. Here's Slashdot's "Some Geek Guides for Dating." If you're really handicapped, you may start with this Dating Flow Chart by Illiad. (And don't forget to speak her/his language.) Happy Geek hunting!
Perhaps this is rather belated, as I live in a +8 GMT country and Valentine's Day comes ahead of other time zones from where this matter has been brought to my attention. Nonetheless, Valentine's Day or not, we date. Here's Slashdot's "Some Geek Guides for Dating." If you're really handicapped, you may start with this Dating Flow Chart by Illiad. (And don't forget to speak her/his language.) Happy Geek hunting!
Thursday, February 13, 2003
Tech Support
This piece by Illiad reminds me of my 'tech support' days. Hmm... that was like some patience and ages ago!
Incidentally, people are increasingly dissatisfied with commercial tech support nowadays. But tech support people contend that some users are just clueless if not irrational when dealing with tech support guys. Or could it be due to a general malaise with technology itself?
This piece by Illiad reminds me of my 'tech support' days. Hmm... that was like some patience and ages ago!
Incidentally, people are increasingly dissatisfied with commercial tech support nowadays. But tech support people contend that some users are just clueless if not irrational when dealing with tech support guys. Or could it be due to a general malaise with technology itself?
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Diet
Lately Atkins diet seems to have staged a good comeback, challenging the traditional nutritional pyramid. But here's an alternative to both choices. (<-- just don't quote me :) )
Lately Atkins diet seems to have staged a good comeback, challenging the traditional nutritional pyramid. But here's an alternative to both choices. (<-- just don't quote me :) )
'On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog'
Let's revisit that 1993 New Yorker cartoon. There's really nothing inherently wrong with being a dog, if we may add. I still wonder, however, why up to now no one has come up with some kind of a Turing's Test to distinguish human intelligence from dog intelligence on the Net. :)
Speaking of Internet and "smartness," here's a piece on "What the Internet Is and How to Stop Mistaking It for Something Else," and find out why stupidity is bless when it comes to Internet.
Let's revisit that 1993 New Yorker cartoon. There's really nothing inherently wrong with being a dog, if we may add. I still wonder, however, why up to now no one has come up with some kind of a Turing's Test to distinguish human intelligence from dog intelligence on the Net. :)
Speaking of Internet and "smartness," here's a piece on "What the Internet Is and How to Stop Mistaking It for Something Else," and find out why stupidity is bless when it comes to Internet.
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
Amara's Law
I've just blogged about Murphy's Law. This time, it's about another popular "law": Amara's. Named after Roy Amara, former president of the Institute for the Future, it states that people tend to overestimate the short-term impact of technological change and underestimate its long-term impact. That's true with cars before and most true now with the Internet, with all the hype about it. One observation from Phil Agre's Red Rock Eater News puts it quite clearly,
"It strikes me that the conventions of news reporting introduce a bias into our understanding of new technologies and their place in society. And it's not just news reporting: scholars who want to get tenure are asked whether they have discovered something, and the easiest way to discover something in the social world is to declare that something is new: for example, that we have entered an "information age", a concept that has been renamed many times. (James Beniger's book, "The Control
Revolution", includes a huge table of these names, and it's already fifteen years old. Nowadays the table would probably extend to book length all by itself.) If you can't declare a vast world-historical discontinuity then you have to go to the trouble of analyzing the same old world more deeply than others have, and that's a lot of work.
"The hardest work, it seems to me, is analyzing just how the existing forces of society are transposed in a world of pervasive information and communication technologies..."
I've just blogged about Murphy's Law. This time, it's about another popular "law": Amara's. Named after Roy Amara, former president of the Institute for the Future, it states that people tend to overestimate the short-term impact of technological change and underestimate its long-term impact. That's true with cars before and most true now with the Internet, with all the hype about it. One observation from Phil Agre's Red Rock Eater News puts it quite clearly,
"It strikes me that the conventions of news reporting introduce a bias into our understanding of new technologies and their place in society. And it's not just news reporting: scholars who want to get tenure are asked whether they have discovered something, and the easiest way to discover something in the social world is to declare that something is new: for example, that we have entered an "information age", a concept that has been renamed many times. (James Beniger's book, "The Control
Revolution", includes a huge table of these names, and it's already fifteen years old. Nowadays the table would probably extend to book length all by itself.) If you can't declare a vast world-historical discontinuity then you have to go to the trouble of analyzing the same old world more deeply than others have, and that's a lot of work.
"The hardest work, it seems to me, is analyzing just how the existing forces of society are transposed in a world of pervasive information and communication technologies..."
Such "transposition" takes a long time. By then most people would find it boring to talk about what happened.
 | Based on a novel by Kôji Suzuki, this series of Ringu (1 and 2, plus 0) is the best horror film I've seen since Blair Witch Project. Hideo Nakata (director) makes the most of persistent supertition in modern life (this time, surrounding the video technology). Film's synopsis here. Interview with the director here. Some of my friends do not recommend watching this movie alone at home. Or if you must watch, make sure the phone ringer is off. :) |
Is the 'digital divide' destiny?
Perhaps, as this Clay Shirky article muses: "A new social system starts, and seems delightfully free of the elitism and cliquishness of the existing systems. Then, as the new system grows, problems of scale set in. Not everyone can participate in every conversation. Not everyone gets to be heard. Some core group seems more connected than the rest of us, and so on."
While this possibility certainly poses a challenge to people of egalitarian persuasion, the whole point of human development is the overcoming of present problems (including digital divides) and, perhaps unintentionally, replacing them with new ones--each time with the hope that the world will become a better place to live in.
Perhaps, as this Clay Shirky article muses: "A new social system starts, and seems delightfully free of the elitism and cliquishness of the existing systems. Then, as the new system grows, problems of scale set in. Not everyone can participate in every conversation. Not everyone gets to be heard. Some core group seems more connected than the rest of us, and so on."
While this possibility certainly poses a challenge to people of egalitarian persuasion, the whole point of human development is the overcoming of present problems (including digital divides) and, perhaps unintentionally, replacing them with new ones--each time with the hope that the world will become a better place to live in.
How long will the rule of Moore's Law last?
At least for a decade, reportedly according to Intel cofounder Gordon Moore and formulator of the law. Others seriously doubt it, or at least think we should forget it altogether as it has become an unhealthy obsession.
Moore's Law states that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every 18 months. Arguably this law helps define the limits or pace of technological progress.
Update: NASA has discovered a way of improving computers with tiny carbon tubes on silicon chips. Arguably this extends the life of Moore's law.
At least for a decade, reportedly according to Intel cofounder Gordon Moore and formulator of the law. Others seriously doubt it, or at least think we should forget it altogether as it has become an unhealthy obsession.
Moore's Law states that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every 18 months. Arguably this law helps define the limits or pace of technological progress.
Update: NASA has discovered a way of improving computers with tiny carbon tubes on silicon chips. Arguably this extends the life of Moore's law.
Saturday, February 08, 2003
| Finally got to watch this short hilarious film about the "origin" of Star Wars saga and its characters. (Here's the download link at MediaTrip.) Fighting a writer's block while trying to complete his final screenplay for USC Film School, young George Lucas finds inspiration from people around him: his stoner roommate, evil neighbor, and a girl fan (with matching hair buns) who becomes his lover. These are some of the "prototypes" of the characters found in Star Wars... yeah right! R2D2 and 3CPO, Darth Vader, Yoda, Hans Solo--you'll find them here in their "natural" habitat! 'Shakespeare In Love' + 'Star Wars' = 'George Lucas In Love'. Arguably this is the most watched short on the web. Run Time: 9 minutes Director: Joe Nussbaum |  |
War on Terrorism?
How about war on plagiarism? Here's a report that claims the British dossier on Iraq was lifted from the work of an academic, even copying its grammatical mistakes! O, Tony Boy, this time it's more than just mispelling the word "tomorrow" three times! Tsk, tsk, tsk...
How about war on plagiarism? Here's a report that claims the British dossier on Iraq was lifted from the work of an academic, even copying its grammatical mistakes! O, Tony Boy, this time it's more than just mispelling the word "tomorrow" three times! Tsk, tsk, tsk...
 | Zhang Yimou's Hero is one of the best films I've ever seen. A dazzling beauty, this picture could have been made only by the man who did Raise the Red Lantern, Red Sorghum, The Road Home, and Not One Less--only the films I need to hazard the bet that Zhang is the best Chinese film director ever. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon would pale in comparison to Hero. Zhang is probably China's answer to Japan's Akira Korusawa. Hero is a historical fiction or a fictional history of the drama behind the rise of China's first dynasty. Synopsis here. Nameless (Jet Li) the assasin-in-the-making competes with other legendary assassins, Broken Sword ( Tony Leung Chiu-wai), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Sky (Donnie Yen), to get to the King of Qin (Cheng Daoming) and to kill him. From start to finish, this is easily the best Chinese banquet on celluloid! |
Is your boss spying on your Net activities?
Tell him to back off! Workplace Net monitoring has negative effects, says a Business2.com report. While about 50 percent of Net utilization at the workplace is for personal, non-work related pursuits, that fact does not necessarily support an outright ban of non-business online activities. The ban might result to (1) employees taking days off from work to deal with personal matters that could have been done shortly from a Net connection at work, and (2) low morale of employees when net controls are enforced. Another study suggests that personal web use at work is offset by online office work at home. So tell you're boss it's just about even. Now, if you excuse me, you're blocking the monitor. I have an eBay auction to bid in.
Tell him to back off! Workplace Net monitoring has negative effects, says a Business2.com report. While about 50 percent of Net utilization at the workplace is for personal, non-work related pursuits, that fact does not necessarily support an outright ban of non-business online activities. The ban might result to (1) employees taking days off from work to deal with personal matters that could have been done shortly from a Net connection at work, and (2) low morale of employees when net controls are enforced. Another study suggests that personal web use at work is offset by online office work at home. So tell you're boss it's just about even. Now, if you excuse me, you're blocking the monitor. I have an eBay auction to bid in.
Friday, February 07, 2003
 | Another great film by Spanish director Julio Medem shown at the UP Film Center. (I blogged about the films of this director only last Wednesday.) 'Los Amantes...' (Lovers of the Arctic Circle) plays up the notion of coincidence as a matter that ultimately guides personal relationships. Otto and Ana (whose names are palindromic) meet by chance in grade school and fall in love with each other. Otto's dad and Ana's mom also meet by chance, and marry. The rest of the story is a muti-vocal narration of Ana's and Otto's quests for the greatest coincidence of their lives. I won't spoil the story for you. Go find the DVD release! |
| FINALLY I got to watch 'Star Wars 1.1--The Phantom Edit'. A "fan cut" of Phantom Menace rumored to have been done by a Hollywood insider, this movie is certainly better than the original George Lucas release: less of Jar-Jar Binks and pointless action and dialogue. Phantom Edit is also shorter by about 20 minutes, but the sound dub and the speaker's lips seem out of sync. This is a controversial underground release. Initially Lucas thought it's just a case of fans having fan with the material. But when more cuts were done and distributed as the "better" movie, the director and the film industry realized that the digital approach they inaugurated in film making also allows people to have their own takes at the material. Here's Salon Magazine's piece on the matter. |  |
Thursday, February 06, 2003
Illiad on Ethics
Here's Illiad's take on "ethics." Lots of intelligent geek humor are available at one of my fave sites, www.userfriendly.org, the home of Illiad. Now, who's Illiad? :)
Here's Illiad's take on "ethics." Lots of intelligent geek humor are available at one of my fave sites, www.userfriendly.org, the home of Illiad. Now, who's Illiad? :)
Wednesday, February 05, 2003
Is Micro$oft afraid of Open Source?
Both El Reg and /. have noticed Micro$oft's report of falling profit in its Second Quarter Form 10-Q filed with the US SEC, allegedly in part due to the increasing adoption (or "revolution" as President Nemenzo would call it) of Open Source software. Microsoft notes the "increasing challenge" from the Open Source movement to its traditional software development model. But there's more in the report than meets the eye. Remember all sorts of lawsuits against Micro$oft? Class actions, state actions, private actions, government investigations, patent suits against the company's false adverts, monopolistic practices, insecure systems and crappy products ran up to hundreds of millions of dollars. And I bet there's no letup in sight! If Filipinos have to keep up with the rest of the world, perhaps, they should also go after the company in the legal front. It ran after pirates in Virra Mall and Quiapo. Filipinos can run after Micro$oft in court. (And here's to remind you how much suffering you had to endure. :) ) Wouldn't that be a classier act to do? In this country with an oversupply of lawyers, it shouldn't be a problem. :)
If you're an Open Source fan, here's a cartoon to make your day!
But, what if Micro$oft goes open source?
Both El Reg and /. have noticed Micro$oft's report of falling profit in its Second Quarter Form 10-Q filed with the US SEC, allegedly in part due to the increasing adoption (or "revolution" as President Nemenzo would call it) of Open Source software. Microsoft notes the "increasing challenge" from the Open Source movement to its traditional software development model. But there's more in the report than meets the eye. Remember all sorts of lawsuits against Micro$oft? Class actions, state actions, private actions, government investigations, patent suits against the company's false adverts, monopolistic practices, insecure systems and crappy products ran up to hundreds of millions of dollars. And I bet there's no letup in sight! If Filipinos have to keep up with the rest of the world, perhaps, they should also go after the company in the legal front. It ran after pirates in Virra Mall and Quiapo. Filipinos can run after Micro$oft in court. (And here's to remind you how much suffering you had to endure. :) ) Wouldn't that be a classier act to do? In this country with an oversupply of lawyers, it shouldn't be a problem. :)If you're an Open Source fan, here's a cartoon to make your day!
But, what if Micro$oft goes open source?
Are girls more suicidal than boys?
According to a study, in some likelihood, yes... if they use alcohol and drugs. :)
Suicidal women might need some exposure to male sweat, as it has been found to brighten women's mood, according to this research. But I guess the last thing a woman needs is a man's stinky armpit. My feminists friends shouldn't blame me. :)
Still on the subject of girls-boys/women-men, it appears that women would need bigger computer screens more than men, according to this New Scientist article... perhaps so they could be even in playing Quake. There'll be suicide no more. :)
According to a study, in some likelihood, yes... if they use alcohol and drugs. :)
Suicidal women might need some exposure to male sweat, as it has been found to brighten women's mood, according to this research. But I guess the last thing a woman needs is a man's stinky armpit. My feminists friends shouldn't blame me. :)
Still on the subject of girls-boys/women-men, it appears that women would need bigger computer screens more than men, according to this New Scientist article... perhaps so they could be even in playing Quake. There'll be suicide no more. :)
Bandwidth Talk
Our UP President, Dodong Nemenzo himself recognizes how limited the UP Internet bandwidth is. He takes the initiative to increase our ability to access the Net. "Since I took over," the President says, "we have increased our bandwidth at considerable expense, yet it did not take long before the line got congested again" (Forum, 28 Jan 03). Well put. Still, we lag behind Ateneo, "the other great school down the road" (as one UP anthropology professor fondly calls the rival). In the 2000 Asiaweek Survey of Asia's Best Universities, Ateneo's Net bandwidth per student was 0.27kbps; UP's, 0.03kbps! La Salle is at 0.60kbps per student. Since 2000, despite the administration's enthusiasm to promote IT, there has been no substantial increase in the bandwidth in relation to our number of Net users. There's just too little bandwidth to share at UP, to begin with.
Which is not to say that the administration is wanting in the initiative to put this resource to optimal use. The university's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is supposed to be a step in that direction. However, the ban of non-academic use of the network infrastructure--including the ban on chatting, MP3 download and access to porn site--can only go so far. Technically, the implementation is limited. Porn sites can be accessed through sites that feature anonymous surfing. Porn publishers are known to keep changing their URLs. Chatting can be web-based and doesn't have to depend on locally installed chat client software. There are also software applications that alllow people to dodge certain port blocks by proxy servers, our gateways to the Net. In other words, bandwidth management can only do so much, especially in a situation where there's just too little bandwidth to manage, to begin with. Needed still are more innovative and aggressive means to get additional bandwidth for UP.
One possibility (inter alia) is to get private investment that will put up a parallel proxy server, a gateway accessible by paying subscribers. This should be welcome by those who want premium access through the UP Network. It will loosen bottlenecks at the existing proxy servers. The investment can be negotiated such that UP's "earnings" in this venture can come in the form of added bandwidth for the "free" common proxy servers. Thus, theoretically, the scheme will generate more bandwidth for the wider university constituency as the number of premium subscribers increase. Well, this is just one unsoliticited suggestion. I'm sure the President is backed by good managers who can do better in securing more bandwidth for UP.
The matter of Internet access fees is a very sensitive issue. But should UP charge people for premium or high usage, this practice isn't exactly "unheard of" in an academic setting. Cornell University charges its faculty, staff or students for using more than 2GB of bandwidth a month. Well, that's Cornell, and I'll genuflect before my University officials if only I get just half of what Cornell gives out for "free."
On the "envy note" relating to bandwidth, the BBC reports a new Net speed record of transferring 6.7 gigabytes of data (the equivalent of 4 hours of DVD-quality movies) across 10,978 kilometres (6,800 miles), from Sunnyvale (US) to Amsterdam (Holland) in less than one minute. Wow. But that wow should be short-lived. Caltech has announced the protocol capable of delivering 8,609 Mbps over the Internet, using 10 simultaneous flows of data. That means the abiliity to download a full-length DVD movie in less than five seconds! Pretty soon I'll run out of wows.
Our UP President, Dodong Nemenzo himself recognizes how limited the UP Internet bandwidth is. He takes the initiative to increase our ability to access the Net. "Since I took over," the President says, "we have increased our bandwidth at considerable expense, yet it did not take long before the line got congested again" (Forum, 28 Jan 03). Well put. Still, we lag behind Ateneo, "the other great school down the road" (as one UP anthropology professor fondly calls the rival). In the 2000 Asiaweek Survey of Asia's Best Universities, Ateneo's Net bandwidth per student was 0.27kbps; UP's, 0.03kbps! La Salle is at 0.60kbps per student. Since 2000, despite the administration's enthusiasm to promote IT, there has been no substantial increase in the bandwidth in relation to our number of Net users. There's just too little bandwidth to share at UP, to begin with.
Which is not to say that the administration is wanting in the initiative to put this resource to optimal use. The university's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is supposed to be a step in that direction. However, the ban of non-academic use of the network infrastructure--including the ban on chatting, MP3 download and access to porn site--can only go so far. Technically, the implementation is limited. Porn sites can be accessed through sites that feature anonymous surfing. Porn publishers are known to keep changing their URLs. Chatting can be web-based and doesn't have to depend on locally installed chat client software. There are also software applications that alllow people to dodge certain port blocks by proxy servers, our gateways to the Net. In other words, bandwidth management can only do so much, especially in a situation where there's just too little bandwidth to manage, to begin with. Needed still are more innovative and aggressive means to get additional bandwidth for UP.
One possibility (inter alia) is to get private investment that will put up a parallel proxy server, a gateway accessible by paying subscribers. This should be welcome by those who want premium access through the UP Network. It will loosen bottlenecks at the existing proxy servers. The investment can be negotiated such that UP's "earnings" in this venture can come in the form of added bandwidth for the "free" common proxy servers. Thus, theoretically, the scheme will generate more bandwidth for the wider university constituency as the number of premium subscribers increase. Well, this is just one unsoliticited suggestion. I'm sure the President is backed by good managers who can do better in securing more bandwidth for UP.
The matter of Internet access fees is a very sensitive issue. But should UP charge people for premium or high usage, this practice isn't exactly "unheard of" in an academic setting. Cornell University charges its faculty, staff or students for using more than 2GB of bandwidth a month. Well, that's Cornell, and I'll genuflect before my University officials if only I get just half of what Cornell gives out for "free."
On the "envy note" relating to bandwidth, the BBC reports a new Net speed record of transferring 6.7 gigabytes of data (the equivalent of 4 hours of DVD-quality movies) across 10,978 kilometres (6,800 miles), from Sunnyvale (US) to Amsterdam (Holland) in less than one minute. Wow. But that wow should be short-lived. Caltech has announced the protocol capable of delivering 8,609 Mbps over the Internet, using 10 simultaneous flows of data. That means the abiliity to download a full-length DVD movie in less than five seconds! Pretty soon I'll run out of wows.
Tuesday, February 04, 2003
| SAGE e-journals available for free? Well, that's the blurb. Supposedly it's accessible via ingenta during February and March 2003. Access includes (daw!) full text files for some issues going back as far as 1999. But as I logged in there now, full access to most issues is unavailable. If it would really be available, what happens to the cliche that good things never last? And, darn!, someone got my handle again! |
Shortcuts to some SAGE journals (you have to login of course): |
Are Open Source hackers altruistic?
Hmm... maybe not, to begin with. Here's a First Monday article that laments the fading altruism in Open Source development. It maintains that "hacking rises and falls inversely to its opportunity cost." But as Barry Wellman has been telling us all along, the information society is "networked individualism."
Hmm... maybe not, to begin with. Here's a First Monday article that laments the fading altruism in Open Source development. It maintains that "hacking rises and falls inversely to its opportunity cost." But as Barry Wellman has been telling us all along, the information society is "networked individualism."
 | Watched this erotic Spanish movie last night at the UP Film Center with wife and friend. It's about Lorenzo (Tristan Ulloa), a writer, and his relationships with 3 women: a waitress named Lucia (Paz Vega), a woman he meets on an island (Najwa Nimri), and a young nanny (Elena Anaya). Directed by Julio Medem--a medical doctor, a leading voice of post-democracy Basque cinema. Sometime last year, I also watched his 'La Ardilla Roja' (The Red Squirrel). The BBC declares 'Lucia y El Sexo' "an intoxicating experience." This makes me wonder how much we're really missing with not that many choices at our theatres showing too many crappy Hollywood and local movies. |
Sashimi
Just finished a meal of sashimi, rice, and soup. The sauce for sashimi came with wasabi, of course. Yummy! I like this food even with the thought that fish like tuna has certain level of methyl mercury which may cause heart disease, in addition to other risk associated with mercury contamination. A report says its risk is underestimated.
Hmm.... will I cut down a bit on my fish consumption? Darn! Perhaps I should also feel guilty that the fishing industry that supports my taste for sashimi decimates major species.
Just finished a meal of sashimi, rice, and soup. The sauce for sashimi came with wasabi, of course. Yummy! I like this food even with the thought that fish like tuna has certain level of methyl mercury which may cause heart disease, in addition to other risk associated with mercury contamination. A report says its risk is underestimated.
Hmm.... will I cut down a bit on my fish consumption? Darn! Perhaps I should also feel guilty that the fishing industry that supports my taste for sashimi decimates major species.
Monday, February 03, 2003
Sex With Animals... er, In the Animal Kingdom
Here's an interesting piece on the larger picture. :) Some links somehow led me to this site... yeah right!
Here's an interesting piece on the larger picture. :) Some links somehow led me to this site... yeah right!
Janis Ian on Life in the Music Business
a /. interview. I've never been familiar her music. But since she figured prominently in netizens' fight against the Greed that is RIAA, I began to listen to her well-thought-out arguments... and her music. Courtney Love also did speak well against the Greed.
In this LA Times editorial, Ms Ian asserts, "The RIAA says it is doing all this to make more money for me and other artists like me, but don't be fooled. Many musicians would lose money, many fans would be denied a universe of new choices and the possibilities of Internet music would be cut off before the revolution even begins." Her site: www.JanisIan.com.
Speaking of money successful recording artists would make, here's a "study" of their income in comparison with what city sanitation workers earn.
Only 21% of the 40 million downloading Americans think they're hurting the artists. [ report | charts ]
One study suggests that piracy is just a scapegoat of RIAA for its miseries, comparing it with similarly placed companies. Here's to start RIAA-bashing!
On a lighter (musical?) note, Illiad has this to say on the matter.
a /. interview. I've never been familiar her music. But since she figured prominently in netizens' fight against the Greed that is RIAA, I began to listen to her well-thought-out arguments... and her music. Courtney Love also did speak well against the Greed.
In this LA Times editorial, Ms Ian asserts, "The RIAA says it is doing all this to make more money for me and other artists like me, but don't be fooled. Many musicians would lose money, many fans would be denied a universe of new choices and the possibilities of Internet music would be cut off before the revolution even begins." Her site: www.JanisIan.com.
Speaking of money successful recording artists would make, here's a "study" of their income in comparison with what city sanitation workers earn.
Only 21% of the 40 million downloading Americans think they're hurting the artists. [ report | charts ]
One study suggests that piracy is just a scapegoat of RIAA for its miseries, comparing it with similarly placed companies. Here's to start RIAA-bashing!
On a lighter (musical?) note, Illiad has this to say on the matter.
Blogging Virgin
Alright! This is my first blog. Well, not really. I did some web admin stuff at web.kssp.upd.edu.ph for many years since Internet was introduced in the university. But this is really one place for pure blogging. Just can't get rid of the itch, huh?
Are you "psy"?
You took away my handle! Well, I guess our dogs have the same name. But, really, "psyfi" is my alternative handle when "psy" is taken.
When I opened an account here at blogger, I realized "psy" was gone. So perhaps I must count the times some other "psy" has been ahead of me in getting login accounts using the handle. So far, I've only been able to get one "psy" ahead of other impostors. :) That's my rocketmail account. O, maybe that's a giveaway! But, yes, I got to rocketmail ahead of others... back when yahoo, hotmail, msn still weren't around. Anyway, "psy" or otherwise, let's blog our thoughts away!
Alright! This is my first blog. Well, not really. I did some web admin stuff at web.kssp.upd.edu.ph for many years since Internet was introduced in the university. But this is really one place for pure blogging. Just can't get rid of the itch, huh?
Are you "psy"?
You took away my handle! Well, I guess our dogs have the same name. But, really, "psyfi" is my alternative handle when "psy" is taken.
When I opened an account here at blogger, I realized "psy" was gone. So perhaps I must count the times some other "psy" has been ahead of me in getting login accounts using the handle. So far, I've only been able to get one "psy" ahead of other impostors. :) That's my rocketmail account. O, maybe that's a giveaway! But, yes, I got to rocketmail ahead of others... back when yahoo, hotmail, msn still weren't around. Anyway, "psy" or otherwise, let's blog our thoughts away!
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