Merry Christmas!

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example.  To yourself, respect.
~Oren Arnold

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanks for following my blog.

Evanescence in Manila!

Evanescence is coming to Manila for a one night concert on February 19, 2012 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.  The gig will also feature the band Bush.  Tickets are not yet available though.

2012 Philippine Holidays Announced

Time to set your calendars! Malacanang has announced the holidays for next year. There will be 16 non-working days in 2012 per Proclamation 95 signed by the President recently.  These include 10 regular holidays, five special non-working holidays and one special holiday.

Mark these days on your calendars:

Regular Holidays
New Year’s Day: January 1 (Sunday)
Maundy Thursday: April 5
Good Friday: April 6
Araw ng Kagitingan: April 9 (Monday)

Labor Day: May 1 (Tuesday)
Independence Day: June 12 (Tuesday)
National Heroes Day: August 27 (Last Monday of August)
Bonifacio Day: November 30 (Friday)
Christmas Day: December 25 (Tuesday)

Rizal Day: December 30 (Sunday)

Special (Non-Working) Days
Chinese New Year: January 23 (Monday)
Ninoy Aquino Day: August 21 (Tuesday)
All Saints Day: November 1 (Thursday)
Additional special (non-working) day: November 2 (Friday)
Last Day of the Year: December 31 (Monday

Special Holiday (for all schools)
EDSA Revolution Anniversary: February 25 (Saturday)

As you can see on the list, November 2 has been declared a special non working day.  This is, according to the proclamation,“to give full opportunity to our people to properly observe All Saints’ Day with all its religious fervor which invariably requires them to travel to and from different regions in the country.” Usually, only November 1 (All Saints’ Day) is declared a holiday.

The observance of Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha will be declared as national holiday in separate proclamations once determined in accordance with the Islamic calendar.

Morning Walk in Quezon Memorial Circle

I joined a few friends in a morning walk at the Quezon Memorial Circle recently.  Though the place is the resting place of the late President Manuel Luis Quezon, city officials in consultation with the heirs of the deceased decided to turn it into a people's park.  The circle, which used to be a flat piece of land in the middle of the city has been developed into a recreational hub for its citizens.

It is now a hub of activities.  When we were there, there were kids jogging around the park, young people playing volleyball, old people doing calisthenic exercises, and there was even a seminar on the benefits of coconut.

We were there to shoot photos and that's what we did the whole morning.  Here are some of the scenes I captured.

Revisiting the National Museum

I had the chance to see the National Museum again a few weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they are allowing photography inside.  We were told that like in other similar places, they do not allow flash photography.  Since it was sunny that day, I knew I wouldn't have any problem with the light.

The National Museum houses the award-winning mural of Juan Luna called, "Spoliarium".  It is the first piece that will greet you upon entering the gallery.  It shows the bodies of dead and defeated gladiators being dragged in the dark undergrounds of the colosseum.  It won the gold medal at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1884. The art piece is a metaphor for the colonial rule of Spain in the Philippines and was used as propaganda material by the revolutionaries.

I love this painting and it never fails to impress me every time I see it.  You must see it for yourself to truly appreciate its beauty.  

Inside this hall are other works of Luna as well as those of Hidalgo and other great masters.  Most depict important events in our country's history.

On the other floors of the museum are pieces of sculpture and paintings from the 20th-century Filipino masters.  

On our way out, we passed by the floor where the Philippine Senate used to hold office.  It's there where we realized that the building of the National Museum is itself a work of art. Built during the American Colonial Regime, the hall gives us a glimpse of that time. The ceiling, flooring and even the friezes adorning the walls were real national treasures.

This section of the building is still being repaired and renovated.  I am not sure if it will be open to the public once the repairs are done.

In another gallery, mostly showing more contemporary works of art, I was reprimanded by a security officer for taking pictures.  When I told him that we were informed by the people at the front desk that we could take pictures he said that we are allowed only if we include ourselves in the photograph.  I was dumbfounded actually but I just followed and let it be.

I will still go back to the National Museum in spite that,  It is indeed a repository of our nation's soul.

Not so good Teriyaki Boy Donburi

We had lunch yesterday at Teriyaki Boy at the Promenade in Greenhills Shopping Center.  We were supposed to have Chinese food but at the last minute our father decided he wanted something Japanese.

Donburi is one of my favorite Japanese food so I ordered a Suki Beef Teppan Don.  It's made of thin slices of beef stir-fried in teppanyaki sauce and onions and then placed in a bowl of steamed rice.  A raw egg served as a topping to the dish.  Sounds good, right?

Well, I didn't like it.  First, the dish was on the bland side.  There's something missing in the taste of this dish, a little salt or a little sweetness?  I couldn't tell but the over all taste was not as satisfying as I hoped it would be.  My sister-in-law also complained that the bit has a rancid taste in it.

Then of course there's the beef.  It is not tender even though the slices were thin enough.  It was like the cook forgot about it and somehow cooked it for too long.  Another disappointment was the rice.  It was not soft like the ones in other Japanese restaurants.  It was flaky and honestly, I had a hard time eating it with chopsticks so I had to ask for spoon and fork.

Luckily we ordered for their salmon and kani sashimi which were a lot better than the Donburi and saved our lunch from being a total disaster.

7 Billion and counting

Today marks a milestone in Earth's history.  Today the 7 billionth human being is born somewhere in our blue planet.  According to the United Nations, if he or she happens to be born in Japan, France, the United States or other wealthy nation, that baby will live up 100 years.

How big is 7 billion? According to the National Geographic, don't other counting it out because even if you if you spend just a second for each number, it will still take two centuries to reach that number.  If you take 7 billion steps, it will take you around the globe 133 times!  It's that big.  You may wonder how 7 billion people will fit in this tiny sphere.  Well, someone did try to determine how and by their estimates, if all 7 billion of us stand shoulder to shoulder, we will all fit in the city of Los Angeles.

Here are other interesting tidbits about us 7 billion earthlings:

• 13% of us speak Mandarin as their first language, 5% Spanish and 5% English;
• 19% are Chinese, 17% are Indian and only 4% are American;
• 33% are Christian, 21% Muslim and 13% Hindu;
• 51% of Earth's 7 billion live in Urban areas;
• 82% of us are literates.

We should remember of course that the world population will not stop at 7 billion.  Health improvements resulted in longer life spans, improved survival of mother and child.  Also despite declining fertility rates, about 80 million people are added to the world population every year, roughly equivalent to the entire population of Germany.  If this trend continues, there will be 10 billion people on earth by the end of this century.

Aside from this, the UN has estimated that there are some 3.7 million people that are in their reproductive years.  So expect our population to further grow in the next few decades.  Much of the growth will be in Asia but Africa is fast catching up.  Fertility in the continent is double than that in Asia, so much so that its population will triple by the end of this century.  For example, Germany and Ethiopia has the same population of about 80 million.  But due to differences in fertility rate, Germany which has a fertility rate of 1.4 child per woman will see its population will go down to  75 million.  Ethiopia on the other hand with its 4.6 fertility rate will almost double its population to 145 million.

The task of providing for this 7 billion souls lies in the hands of governments around the world of course.  Part of their work should also be to educate their people on reproductive health and provide the facilities and services for the same.  They need to study and take in to consideration how to make life sustainable for all of us.  The decisions and policies that they will make today will determine the future of 7 billion people.

By the way, by time you finish reading this blog, you will be one of the more than 7 billion people in this rock we call home.

"We are 7 billion people with 7 billion possibilities"

Babatunde Osotimehin

Executive Director, UNFPA

Credits: Data and images used come from reports of the United Nations Population Fund, National Geographic, 7billionactions.org

Nokia Announces the Lumia: First Smartphones Powered by Windows

Nokia unveiled two new smartphones based on its new operating system, Microsoft's  Windows Phone instead of its Symbian or MeetGo software.  Children meet the Lumia 800 and 710, two new smartphones that Nokia hopes would help them get back in the mobile phone scene.

Lumia 800 is obviously the high end model between the two.  It sports a rather curvy design and based on the picture, its 3.7-inch 800x480 AMOLED screen seem to occupy most of its body.  Inside this device is a  1.4 GHz processor, with hardware acceleration and graphics processor.  For those who like snapping their  photos using their phones, the 800 comes with an 8-megapixel camera.  It has a dedicated button to instantly share your photos online.  It has a hefty 16GB internal storage for your photos and music.  

This baby will come in three colors, cyan, magenta and black.  It is now available for pre-order in Europe but will be available in select Asian countries later this year.  Don't jump for joy yet because most likely, the Lumia 800 will not reach our shores until early 2012.

Nokia wanted to bring the Lumia experience to more people in the world so they also introduced a more affordable phone, the Nokia Lumia 710.  Like its higher end sibling, this model comes with the same 1.4 GHz processor, with hardware acceleration and graphics processor as that of the 800.  However, this one comes with 8GB internal storage and a 5-megapixel camera.

Its design is a typical Nokia design.  It comes in two colors: black and white but the removable back cover can be changed to either black, white, cyan, fuchsia, or yellow.   Remember how much fun it was then to change those plastic covers to our preferred colors?  Well it seems Nokia wanted us to experience that again.

Both handsets runs on the lates Windows Phone 7.5 Mango operating system. It will also have apps exclusively available to Nokia Phones and optimized for the Windows Phone operating system.  Among these apps are Nokia Drive, which delivers a full-fledged personal navigation device (PND) with free, turn-by-turn navigation and dedicated in-car-user-interface; and Nokia Music introducing MixRadio, a free, global, mobile music-streaming application that delivers hundreds of channels of locally-relevant music.

The Lumia 710 will be released later this year in some Asian countries.  Just like the Lumia 800, this device could be available in the local market by early 2012.

all images from nokia.com

More Pinoys Get Hungry

While I was doing my blog on hunger myths and facts, I also checked on the state of hunger in the Philippines. I wanted to know how our country fares in terms of hunger.  I came upon the results of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) on hunger which shows a rise in the number of hungry Filipinos.

According to the survey which was conducted in September of this year, one in five households or 21.5 percent which is an estimated 4.3 million families, claimed to have experienced having nothing to eat the three months prior to the survey.  This is the highest incidence during the current administration and also higher by  7 percent of the 13-year average of 14 percent.

The SWS divided hunger into severe or moderate.  Severe are those who experienced hunger "often" or "always" while moderate refers to those who experienced it "only once" or " a few times" in the last three months.  Severe hunger was highest in Metro Manila where some 6.3 percent of families claimed they had nothing to eat.  Moderate hunger also increased in the region at 16.7 percent.   

For this survey, the SWS polled 1,200 household heads or 300 respondents for each of four regions: Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The process of choosing respondents is random, to assure neutrality.

While this is the highest recorded hunger percentage during this administration, the SWS noted that it is still below the record-high 24 percent registered during the past administration.  Earlier, the current President expressed dismay about the results of the survey done in March.  At least that is better than the reaction of the President before him who said that she also experienced hunger especially when she forgets to eat.  Oh well...

The Truth About the 11 Most Common Hunger Myths

I received a very interesting article from the World Food Programme about the common misconceptions about hunger.  I want to share it with you the highlights of the said article.

Myth 1:  There isn’t enough food to feed the world. 

Reality: There is enough food in the world today for everyone to have the nourishment necessary for a healthy and productive life. There is, however, a need to be more efficient, sustainable, and fair in how we grow and distribute food. This means supporting small-scale farmers who make up the majority of farmers throughout the developing world – and ensuring that they have fair access to markets.

Myth 2:  Resolving hunger means ensuring people have enough to eat.
Reality: Hunger also involves the type of food you eat. Good nutrition means having the right combination of nutrients and calories needed for healthy development. It's especially important for infants, pregnant women and young children.

Myth 3: Droughts and other natural disasters are to blame for hunger. 
Reality: Communities that build irrigation systems, storage facilities, and roads to connect them to markets are able to improve harvests. Then people can survive even during times of drought. Nature is only one factor when it comes to hunger. The proportion of food crises that are linked to human causes has more than doubled since 1992. Conflict is often at the heart of today’s worst food crises.

Myth 4: Hunger exists when food is unavailable in shops and markets.
Reality: People can go hungry even when there's plenty of food around. Often it's a question of access - they can’t afford food or they can’t get to local markets. One way we can help is through cash transfers and electronic vouchers, which give people the ability to buy nutritious foods in local markets.

Myth 5: All of the world’s hungry live in Africa.
Reality: Of the world’s nearly one billion hungry, over half live in Asia and the Pacific Hunger is also a relevant issue in the United States, where 50 million Americans are food insecure.

Myth 6: Too many people go hungry in my own country for me to worry about hunger abroad.
Reality: One in seven people in the world are hungry, which means one in seven people can’t create, study, or reach their full potential as human beings. That affects all of us. Hunger slows progress on other important areas that connect nations, including security.

Myth 7: Hunger and famine are not easy to predict and can't be prepared for.
Reality: Tools exist to monitor and predict trends in food production as well as food prices. For example, the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) analyzes meteorological and economic factors to alert the world to the possibility of hunger hotspots and famine.

Myth 8: Hunger is basically a health issue.
Reality: This issue also affects education and the economy. Hungry children struggle to focus, learn, or even attend school. Without education, it's much harder for them to grow up and contribute to the growth of the national economy. A study in Guatemala found that boys who received fortified food before the age of three grew up to have wages 46 percent higher than those in a control group.

Myth 9: People are only hungry during emergencies or disasters.
Reality: Emergencies only account for eight percent of the world’s hungry. There are close to one billion hungry people in the world who do not make the headlines and yet they go to bed hungry every night. This is why long-term efforts like school meals programmes are so important.

Myth 10: There are more pressing global issues than hunger.
Reality: When populations are hungry, economies suffer, people fight, and farmers can’t grow their crops effectively. We need to tackle hunger to be able to resolve environmental, economic, and security issues.

Myth 11: There is nothing we can do to help hungry people.
Reality: There’s plenty we can do, even as individuals. Organizations like WFP need constant support and awareness-building efforts at the community level. You can help with that. Find out other ways to get involved here.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  It is part of the United Nations system and is voluntarily funded.  For 2011, the WFP aims to reach more than 90 million people with food assistance in more than 70 countries. Around 10,000 people work for the organization, most of them in remote areas, directly serving the hungry poor.

Revisiting Historic Paco Park

I joined the photo walk of my camera club this weekend at the Paco Park in Manila.  It's been a while since I last visited the place and it was nice to see it again.  Aside from that, we celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of our parents there three years ago so it's a memorable place for me personally.

Paco Park also has a place in our country's history.  Our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal was buried there for a while after his execution.  The three martyred priests named GomBurZa were also interred there.

I was around 9 in the morning when we got there and the park was relatively quiet and almost empty except from a few visitors.  We have it almost to ourselves except that there were some construction going on.  Some areas were being dugged up while some of the walls were being reinforced.

Here are some of the photos I took during our photo walk.

YouTube comes to the Philippines

It's not as if it is not available in the country yet but YouTube recently launched a localized version of the biggest online video sharing site here in the Philippines.  It is the first one in the Southeast Asia region.

The company noted that number of video uploads by Filipinos is one of the highest in the region.  A number of our countrymen have also been using YouTube to make a name for themselves across the globe. Charice was discovered through the site by Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey.  Rock band Journey chose Filipino singer-songwriter Arnel Pineda to be their new vocalist after seeing videos of him belting out their hits on YouTube. And of course, the well choreographed dance routines for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”  of the uniformed inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center made them popular the world over.

The localized service will also allow for monetization of video views in the Philippines. The YouTube Partner Program will enable regular video content creators in the country to become content partners with YouTube and monetize their work on the site through advertising.

I have posted several videos of my travels on YouTube although none has gone viral yet.  But who knows.

Hello, hello remember me?: Evanescence returns with a self-titled album

It's been almost six years since their last album so it wasn't surprising that Evanescence lead singer Amy Lee would scream "Hello, hello, do you remember me?" in the chorus of the opening track of their new self-titled album.  In fact, the first cut pretty much set the mood for the entire album.  This is Evanescence and they're back even if it's only Amy that's basically left of the original members.

This new turnover must have led to the somewhat new sound of some of the tracks, leading me to believe that Amy must have asked some of her new band mates to help in the songwriting.  There are no hard driving anthems like "Bring Me to Life" but it seemed that "rock hard" was the order of the day.  So rock hard the band did.  So hard that in some tracks, the guitars drowned the orchestral strings the band is known for.  Those of us who love Amy's soaring, breathy vocals, however, have plenty of cuts to listen to and like.  In fact, this was put to full use in the ballads, including the last bonus cut (I am using the de luxe version for this blog), "The Secret Door."  Not to mention the angst filled lyrics that sometimes border (at least some of the songs) in melodrama.  Also, many of the songs have lyrics that   focus, if not obsess on death and the afterlife.  Evanescence is a goth band after all.

The album is Evanescence through and through which could be both good and bad.  Bad for those who wanted to hear something new from them. For fans like me who want to hear more of their signature sound, this is one good album to get reacquainted with the band and their music that we love.

You can download the De Luxe version of Evanescence from iTunes.

iOS 5 is Here!

 

Apple released iOS 5 this morning, its most anticipated mobile operating system for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.  It brings 200 new features and enhancements including Notification Center, iMessage, Newsstand, Reminders, and systemwide Twitter integration.

The update requires iTune 10.5 which was released last Tuesday.  To download, connect your device to iTunes and you'll be prompted with the download.  If not, click on Check for Updates button.  iOS 5 is compatible with the iPad 2, original iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch.

A good number of fellow members of an online Mac users forum stayed all night to wait and be the first ones to download and run this new OS.  Some of them are reporting problems and difficulties with upgrading to iOS 5, as Apple's servers have been acting up perhaps due to high demand for the new release. I am downloading it right now and hopefully the glitches experienced by early adaptors have been addressed already.  I will make a more detailed post about it in the next few days.

Apple Unveils the iPhone 4S

Apple announced earlier this week the latest member of the iPhone family - the iPhone 4S.  While it disappointed some iPhone fans who were expecting an iPhone 5, a closer look at the features of the latest device shows improvement in its processing power and camera quality, as well as a new nifty application called Siri.

The iPhone 4S looks a lot like the iPhone 4 but there’s one small difference: a SIM card slot on the phone’s right side. Since the iPhone 4S supports both GSM and CDMA networks all models feature a small tray along the right side of the frame for a GSM SIM card. 

It also  has a faster processor—an Apple-built A5 chip, which also happens to be the processor that powers the iPad 2. It’s a dual-core processor (compared to the iPhone 4’s single-core A4 processor), which should mean improved performance not only for the CPU, but for graphics on the device as well.

As for battery life,  Apple promises some eight hours of talk time on 3G, six hours of 3G browsing, nine hours of Wi-Fi, ten hours of video, and 40 hours of listening to music. This is due to the more power-efficient A5 chip, according to Apple.

Perhaps still reeling from the "antennagate", Apple put two in the iPhone 4S.  It now switches back and forth between the two when its transmitting and receiving data. Apple says the aim is better call quality and faster download speeds, and obviously holding the phone in any way shouldn’t have any effect on your signal. The iPhone 4S also supports  faster cellular data transfer which  Apple claims can reach maximum transfer speeds of 5.8Mbps for uploads and 14.4Mbps for downloads.

I said earlier that the iPhone 4S supports both GSM and CDMA networks, prompting some quarters to call this a world phone. This is particularly convenient for world travelers as they will be able to connect to a local network and just work. You may either apply for roaming services from your network or get a pre-paid micro SIM in the country you're in.

The iPhone 4S’s rear-facing camera now has 8 megapixels compared to 5-megapixel in the iPhone 4. The camera also has a wider f/2.4 aperture to allow in more light—that means brighter colors and better lowlight performance. Apple says you can print 8.5-by-11-inch iPhone 4S photographs, and that they’ll be literally pixel-perfect.   Thanks again to the A5 processor which, Apple says, should help you take pictures faster, with more vivid colors and better white balance. The processor also helps focus and balance exposure as you snap photos, with the ability to detect up to ten faces in a group shot.

Alongside this, new features in the Camera and Photos apps give you instant access to the camera right from the lock screen, and you can also use the volume-up button to quickly snap a photo. Optional grid lines help line up your shot and a simple tap locks focus and exposure on one subject.  The new Photos app also lets you crop, rotate, enhance and remove red-eye, and organize your photos into albums right on your device to share them on the go.  How about the front facing camera, you ask.  Sadly, it is still a low-resolution VGA camera.

Phone 4S can also now record video in full 1080p HD resolution and with the new video image stabilization feature, you can take richer, smoother videos. Other iPhone 4S video camera improvements include increased sensitivity, sharpness and an increased ability to capture video in low light conditions. With the new iMessage service in iOS 5, you can now instantly share videos with family and friends.

The iPhone 4S feature that got everyone talking is Siri, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. Siri helps you make calls, send text messages or email, schedule meetings and reminders, make notes, search the Internet, find local businesses, get directions and more. You can also get answers, find facts and even perform complex calculations just by asking.  To date, however, Siri is an iPhone 4S exclusive feature.  Many speculate that this is due to hardware limitation, that perhaps Siri needed the processing power of the A5 chip. 

Here’s another amazing way to get things done using the iPhone 4S: just use your voice. That's right, this thing can take Dictations.  Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard. Then say what you want to say and iPhone listens. Tap Done, and iPhone converts your words into text. Use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web, and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write and send Instagrams

 The 4S comes in both black and white and in 16GB, 32GB and the new 64GB models.  It will be released on October 14 in the US and in 22 other countries by the end of the month.  As usual, the Philippines is not included in the list of countries in the initial roll-out.  The 'net however is abuzz that it might come to our country in November, just in time to get it under the Christmas tree for someone special or for yourself.  As for the price, I would speculate that it will take the same price as the iPhone4 when it was first released here.

 all images from apple.com

Steve Jobs, 56

STEVE JOBS

1955-2011

Thanks for making computing fun. Your legacy will live forever.

Amazon announces four new Kindle Readers

I woke up this morning to some great news from Amazon.com.   The company announced not one (as earlier posted) but four new Kindle e-readers, with prices starting at US$79.  On the Amazon website, CEO Jeff Bezos called the new devices the "best Kindles we've ever made." 

The top of the line among the new Kindles is the Kindle Fire.   The Kindle Fire offers Wi-Fi connectivity and a web browser called Amazon Silk which will use cloud computing to speed access to content over the Internet.  The device is basically a souped up version of the Kindle with a 7-inch color touch screen.  Many pundits are claiming that this gadget is the only real threat to Apple's iPad.  For one, at US$199 it is really way cheaper than Jobs's tablet.  However, Kindle Fire does not come with a camera, a microphone and a 3G connectivity which may not appeal to those who want to these features.  

One of the things that stopped me from considering Kindle Fire is its backlit screen.  I have a first generation iPad and I have to admit that I find it hard to read on it for a long period of time.  Unless Amazon can transpose e-ink technology, I think this gadget will be good for consumption of other media, namely music, magazines and movies which does take long periods of time.

What I am considering is the new Kindle Touch.  This new addition to the Kindle family comes with an easy to use touch screen to make it easier to turn pages, all you need to do is tap to turn a page.  It still comes with e-ink technology and connects through Wi-Fi for access to the Amazon Store.  It is only 6 inches and is lighter at 7.8 ounces.  Battery life is also great - it can last for two months on a single charge without the wireless connection.  If you leave the wireless on, it will still work for 6 weeks on a single charge.

I would really want to know more about the X-Ray Feature of this gadget.  Amazon explains it as "a new technology that lets customers explore the 'bones of the book'."  It says that with just a single tap, readers can see all passages across a book that mention ideas, fictional characters, historical figures, etc. that interests them.  I think it's worth exploring.

A 3G enabled model of the device will also be available.  The Kindle Touch will be available at US$99 with special offers.  What this simply means is that you will receive special offers and sponsored screen savers.  However, these will only appear when you are not using your device or at the bottom of the screen.  Amazon promises that it will not interfere with our reading.  If you don't want these special offers then opt for the one that does not come with it, priced at US139.  Prices for the 3G enabled model start at US$149.  Both models will be available on November 21, 2011.

If you don't want a touch screen model, there's the Kindle.  The new latest generation Kindle is for readers who want the lightest, most compact Kindle at an incredible price. The latest generation Kindle features a new design that is 30 percent lighter at just 5.98 ounces, 18 percent smaller, and turns pages 10 percent faster. Kindle is now small and light enough to fit easily in your pocket and carry with you everywhere, yet it still features the same 6-inch, most advanced electronic ink display that reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight.  It comes with a price tag of only US$79 and is available starting today at Amazon.com.  

(all images from amazon.com)

Social Networking on Trial

Facebook, the largest online social network was in the local news last week when a 13-year old boy shot a 16-year old boy inside a mall in a fit of jealousy.  The name of the site was dragged into the case because allegedly, the young gunman wrote on his page his intent to do harm to his lover.

This is not the first time that Facebook has been blamed for a crime committed here.  A few months back, a young woman was killed after meeting with a Facebook contact in her apartment.  After that, a celebrity was seriously wounded after a tryst with a contact from the same social networking site.  Both victims have never met their contacts before and they only knew them through the site.

from google.com

I am just surprised that in each case, authorities dragged Facebook in the case like it's its fault that these crimes happened.  Instead at looking at the behavior of the perpetrators and their victims, they quickly turn the site into a scapegoat.

I use Facebook and other social networking sites like Twitter, Plurk, Multiply, etc.  The only thing that I can say to fellow users is to treat these virtual communities as different as possible to the real world.  One can easily create a profile on these sites and that's where the danger lies:  your friend may not be who and what he claims to be,  So exercise caution.

Thin and Light Laptop: It's the Ultrabook!

I recently came upon a report that Intel has created a seed fund amounting to a whooping US$300 million  to push a new class of laptops to PC makers.  These new machines are supporsed to be thin, light and ultraportable that's why they're called the Ultrabooks.

The chip maker wants PC makers to come up with laptops that are a mere 0.8 inch thick, have a long battery life and should sell at less than $1000.  In short, I bet you're thinking what I'm thinking, a Macbook Air killer.

For some, it's not only the MacBook Air that this new gadget could me meeting head on but also the iPad and the other tablets out there.  It seems the PC people are still smarting over the death of netbooks brought about by the pads and tablets.  The Ultrabook seemed to be focused on those who want to do more with their tablet but does not want the heft and weight of a laptop.  Intel wants the Ultrabook to have the instant on capability of the iPad (which the new MacBook Air already has) as well as the ability to update its software via the cloud anytime. By the way, it also doesn't come with an optical disk drive, just like the MacBook Air.

So far, four manufacturers, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo and Asus, have announced that they would come out with their ultrabooks later this year.  The others seem to be reluctant to join the bandwagon due to fear of low consumer demand.  The four manufactures that have joined the movement so far are coming out with units with prices in the range of $700 to more than $1,000.  That's almost the same price as the MacBook Air!

the Asus Ultrabook

Also, why would they want consumers to say, "Oh, there's a new laptop and it's like a MacBook Air that runs on Windows!" instead of "Oh, there's a new laptop and it's great."?   Just asking.