Red Alert 3

EA released a teaser screenshots with regards to their new and upcoming game, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. Just look at those details! It makes my hype to play this game, judging I can buy a machine that could play this one. According to EA this will be available in PS3 and Xbox360 as well as the beloved PC platform.

The Red Alert series is close to my heart because this was the first RTS (real-time strategy) game I ever played (Red Alert 1).

Shopping cart software

My first web application was a shopping cart software. It was a written ruggedly and the code uses the .NET framework, using of course ASP.NET and VB.NET. The good thing about that software is its extensible feature that can be easily integrated into any website that wants to have a shopping cart feature. But the bad thing about it is the lack of enterprise-ready features such as payment facilities, security features, easy configuration and easy maintainability. If you are planning to create ecommerce software, you have now two options, first is to hire a programmer or second is to use tried and tested shopping cart software. One of this shopping cart software is ashopcommerce.com. If you are hesitant to buy the software, they offer a demo to test drive the application. This is a great move on their part because it gives future costumers a chance to experience enterprise ready ecommerce software and best of all hassle-free service.

Get Paid to Blog

Every blogger dreams of having an extra earning with their passion – blogging that is. Sometimes we try to add Google ads or we let other companies buy advertisement space on our own blogs. But what if there is a service that you get paid for blogging? Several weeks ago I discovered a site named Smorty.com that will let you get paid to blog. Yes, it’s that simple. Smorty.com is a blog for money site that lets you earn while blogging. The first rule is to have a Paypal account, for Philippine netizen, don’t worry, Paypal is now being offered here. Then go to Smorty.com and create an account. From there you are given tasks that you need to accomplish for you to earn. Just create advertising links from within your blog site and voila instant additional earnings! Blog advertising has never been this easy. So if blogging is your passion and having an additional income is not an issue, then go ahead and visit Smorty.com and maybe just maybe a few extra dollars will come your way.

Wanna play online casino?

The rave these days is poker. And to those who want to play the game with other people can play it through online poker sites. Not just that, as online poker sites prosper so does online casino sites which are also gaining quite a significant following both here and abroad. The best place to know about good online casino site is Online Casino List.com. It is a site that reviews all online casino worldwide thus wherever you are, in the Philippines or outside of the country you can be sure that you can choose an online casino site. The good thing about knowing first a preferred online casino is that you can be sure that the site is legitimate, if it can be played on a mobile phone, the type of casino entertainment it offers, and that feeling of playing with different kinds of people without leaving the comfort of your own place.

It's a Diggnation out there

This little piece of website has became a weekly habit for me. Just over a few months ago, out of boredom, I surfed to a site that was totally lost on me for a long time. That site was www.diggnation.com. What is diggnation? From wikipedia, Diggnation is a weekly podcast hosted by Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht. Its main purpose is to discuss the top stories from Digg, the social bookmarking website developed by Rose and others.

As an avid Digg user, by the way my name is kozo in Digg.com, it took me a long time to realize the massive success of Digg and Diggnation. I am first and foremost a /. avid reader - to the non-techies it's Slashdot, also a popular new website. It took me awhile to like Digg because I thought it was a clear rip-off of Slashdot, well after a year since it was launched I finally joined the Digg revolution and never looked back.

So back to Diggnation, my friend who is a fan of Diggnation started talking about how cool each episode was - and he isn't even a fan of Digg- curious I quickly browse to the site and lo and behold it is indeed very entertaining you will never be disappointed. Each episode just keeps on getting better, of course it is much better if both of them are semi-drunk.

And by the way, if anyone out there who wants to give me a Diggnation shirt, I will be forever indebted to you.

A few nifty tricks for Windows and Office users

This has been passed on to me, so I have no idea if this is old stuff but here it goes.

Truth 1: One cannot save a 'CON' folder in Windows - sans the apostrophe. Well I tried this one and really why can't I save a folder named con? What if I'm an ex-con and I want to remember all my buddies inside the jail, and I want them all to have a special place in my Windows OS? Ohh I get it, Con stands for convict and we do know that con-victs shouldn't be near a computer. So Microsoft may have decided to save their OS a few lines.

Truth 2:
open notepad
type "bush hid the facts" without quotation marks
don't press "enter" save the file
close notepad
open the file again

And byah! You'll going to see scribbled writings, as if bush really 'hid' the facts. And what are those facts? That bush hid the fact in notepad.

Truth 3: One MS Word, type in rand(1,1), press enter. That magical phrase will soon appear.

If you have any nice tricks for Windows, then share away.

iPhone in the Philippines?

Last week, while watching Pinoy Big Brother (I know, but since this is for the Filipino masses blog, I have to watch that show too), I noticed something that made me giggle. To my surprise, Toni's cellphone is none other than the iPhone. Wow, I said to myself, iPhone is now available in the country. But then I remembered, Apple said that iPhone will not be available in Asia until next year, so the question is how did she 'acquired' that phone?

Strolling down the mall, I noticed that some cellphone shops actually sells iPhone. I asked for the price, PHP 29,000 for the 8GB iPhone, hmmm expensive I cringed. I asked if they have those phased out 4GB, unfortunately they don't have those in stocks. Finally I asked them if this was open lined already and they answered me with a big YES. But then I wondered, how the hell did they unlocked it with such a breeze and yet those in the USA or even Europe are having a hard time unlocking those things?

After the initial amazement of iPhone - I asked myself even though they assured me that the warranty is up to a year - how can I be personally assured that this thing will not be bricked if iPhone firmware updates? What if I installed 3rd party apps e.g. jailbraking the iPhone, will I still be covered with their warranty? After that, the realization sets in, it is not worthy right now to buy this gadget at this current state of uncertainty. PHP 29K is no joke and I don't want to brick it nor give them to snatchers. Have to wait for the official release here in the Philippines, who knows it might be open line.

Java ME no more?

There has been reports going on lately that Sun Microsystem will phase out it's touted Java ME (Micro Edition) in favor of a more robust offering in Java SE (Standard Edition). According to James Gosling, often called the father of Java, this is not absolutely true as Java ME is continually evolving. Also he added that as mobile devices are becoming more powerful sooner or later Java ME and Java SE will converge.

What is Java ME and Java SE?

Java ME is a collection of Java APIs for the development of software for small, resource-constrained devices such as cell phones and PDAs. [wikipedia] Java SE on the other hand is the Java platform used to deploy portable applications for general use. [wikipedia]

Brighter Sun

I really those two codebase merge. I haven't done any programming (yet) in Java ME because it is a different beast compared to the standard Java platform. And it will be a welcome addition to code mobile and desktop applications under one set of APIs. Maybe one day we could finally realise the true meaning of 'write once run anywhere' mantra, not just for different systems but for different devices as well. And with the open sourcing of Java, things are going to get bright and exciting for Java developers.

Ubuntu Linux 7.10 Released

Last October 18, Canonical Ltd. - the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu - just announced that the latest Ubuntu Linux 7.10 codenamed Gutsy Gibbon is already available for free download. According to the press release, "Ubuntu 7.10 Desktop Edition adds an enhanced user interface, improved hardware support, multiple monitor support and integrated desktop search" as well as "bringing together the best open source and free software available in a stable, robust environment that 'just works'."

This is a great news to all Linux users out there, just recently Canonical Ltd. released Ubuntu 7.04 codenamed Feisty Fawn, and in keeping true to their bi-annual release you can download the latest version of Ubuntu here. I personally had fun ordering 5 Ubuntu 7.04 cds which I promptly gave to some of my officemates, who like me, have been using Linux for quite sometime.

I highly recommend everyone who are open source enthusiast, Linux users, or just brave souls to give Ubuntu 7.10 a spin and see the benefits - first hand - of using Linux.

Leopard coming this October 26!

It has finally arrive, the most anticipated release of Apple's most visually stunning OS to date, the Mac OS X Leopard. After 2 years since the released of the famed, Mac OS X Tiger, Apple has managed to once again up the ante in the OS Wars. I think this year will be a blowout year for all the OSes. Microsoft just launched early this year their 5 years-in-the-making Windows Vista and as Linux OS such as the high-rise Ubuntu began picking up steam in the alternative OS department, Apple certainly doesn't want to be left behind in this year battle of the OS.

Apple boasts around 300 new exciting features in their upcoming Leopard. Ranging from the most obvious revamp of the desktop, to slick applications such as Time Machine and Spaces, to the completely overhauled Finder, great additions such as Quick Look, and to various development tools this will certainly be an anticipated release for the Apple users worldwide.

To all Apple users and would-be switchers, don't forget to line up on the 26th of October at your favorite Apple store. Well I am still hoping I could buy a new Apple laptop with this OS inside by the end of this year.

Davao City will be a WiFi free zone

Good news fellow Davaoenoes - local businesses in Davao City are mulling a plan to make the city a free wireless internet access zone. You heard it right, Davao City will soon be a premier information and communication center much like Singapore. The said project will be the main agenda on the upcoming 6th Mindanao Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Congress on October 23-24.

When I was in Davao last August, I was amazed to find out that most coffee shops within the metro offered free wifi access. This is a great boon considering that wireless internet access nowadays is rampant and offers added bonus to a local business.

If the project will indeed push through, it will be disruptive that telecommunications company might try hard to put the program in the back-burner, just imagine what will happen if VOIP suddenly becomes available for free and widespread.

And if indeed this will push through, Davao City will once again rise to the top. As of now, Davao City has the most comprehensive traffic management system of any city in the Philippines as well as having our own 911 help line, the first outside US and Canada. And with this project, Davao will be put in the ICT map and lucrative businesses will (hopefully) flow in.

10 Years of Thinking Different

This is the full text of the "Think Different" Apple campaign launched last 1997. The video of which always send shiver down my spine. As a history lover, it is always good to note the big figures being shown in that Apple commercial. Although I don't own a Mac, just an iPod, I wish Apple will once again starts to Think Different and cater back to their customer.

Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
And while some see them as the crazy ones,
We see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world,
Are the ones who do

The IT Solution

Old but still a good way to understand IT solution. Click on the picture to have a bigger view of it.

Do we need a National Broadband?

I don't have a TV. I admit I am poor. I get all my local news from Inquirer.net, GMANews.tv, and SunStar.com.ph. So recently I have been baffled by this current news in our country that talks about the NBN-ZTE Deal. For the uneducated (like me) NBN stands for National Broadband Network and it is a project by the Philippine government to create a private? network among all its government offices throughout the country (correct me if I'm wrong). And the beneficiary of such deal is ZTE Corporation of China. With a staggering budget of more than $300 million, this is the most talked about issue nowadays in Philippine tv airwaves. It even has its own Senate hearing.

As for me, I don't believe in this whole NBN thing. I prefer the private sector fund this kind of project. They have the money, they already have the expertise, and they can monetize this kind of undertaking. What benefit is it for the Philippine government to undertake this one? Just let us take a look at the US, the ones funding citywide "wification" are the private firms such as Google. And why do we need a private network? Is the internet not enough? If the problem is geophysical can't we ask the local telecommunications firms to serve that area? Or do we still have zero signal areas in our country? Anyway this is an interesting issue that will get interesting in the upcoming days. I will be reading more articles regarding this tv drama and giving some of my unimportant inputs.

Happy Programmer's Day

Technically it was yesterday, 09/13/2007. So anyway Happy Programmer's Day to all coders all over the world!

Programmer's day is celebrated every 256th day of the year. In programmer's lingua franca that's 2 to the 8th power. Why that calculation? I don't know.

So to everyone out there give some love to your favorite computer scientist. And to the computer programmer's out there, celebrate by fixing those damn bugs.

Photoshop Online

Today, Adobe just launched their premier photo editor program - Photoshop - into the online arena. According to the article, "Photoshop Express isn't meant to duplicate/replace Photoshop CS3 or Photoshop Elements. Rather, it's a new member of the Photoshop family that's meant to make Adobe imaging technology immediately accessible to large numbers of people."

A screenshot of the program will confuse some Photoshop veterans as the web application doesn't resemble anything like the Photoshop CS3. Rather it looks like Adobe Lightroom. Either way it's a win for consumers as Photoshop will reach to different segments of people at the price of free.

Seven Wonders of the IT World

CIO.com has compiled a rather interesting list of the Seven Wonders of the IT World. Some are very interesting while others are not.

The first one is the computer closest to the North Pole, and that title belongs to Webcam #1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory takes care of this floating eye at the top of the world.



The second one is the computer farthest from Earth, and that title belongs to NASA's voyager satellite. It is three times farther away from Pluto.




The third one is the world's most intriguing data center, and that title belongs to Googles' The Dalles, Oregon data center. It has a hydroelectric dam for power, two four-story cooling towers.






The fourth one is the world's largest scientific grid computing project, and that title goes to the E-sciencE II (EGEE-II) project. It is a large-scale scientific research projects in fields from geology to chemistry.




The fifth one is the world's fastest supercomputer, the IBM BlueGene/L (BGL). It helps researchers answer physics questions about stockpiled nuclear weapons and materials like Plutonium.




The sixth one is the world's smallest PC to run Windows Vista, the QOQ Model 2. Such a small and stylish device that runs the latest OS from Microsoft.




And lastly, the seventh one is the biggest paradigm change in enterprise software, that title belongs to the Linux kernel. One of the biggest name in free and open source software revolution.





Disclaimer: All images from CIO.com. Please click here to view the entire article.

Netscape done.

Digg-killer and rebranded Netscape.com will cease to exists. As an avid Digg-reader, yes I spend like 2-3 hours a day just "digging", I think any technophile should be a digg-reader. With its editor free democratic voting system, Digg has risen from its obscure beginnings and into the spotlight, often to the point of branding voting style websites as Digg-clones or possible Digg-killers. One such website is Netscape.com.

I used to browse at the old web portal style of Netscape. But as soon as they turned to another Digg-clone my interests for the site declined. The whole navigation thing was just despicable, I'll be lost trying to work my way through the site. And as the news of its imminent closure looms, that says a lot that it is not just me that hated the new style.

Please bring back the old Netscape site. The one with editorials and cool and original articles.

I want iPod Touch

Wow! Apple just revamped the whole iPod line-up. Their new iPods are the new iPod nano, the new iPod classic, and the very brand new iPod Touch.

The New iPods

The iPod nano brings video (finally!) to the nano family, with capacity still at 4GB and 8GB. The iPod classic boasts of capacity up to 160 GB. The iPod touch on the other hand boasts the same functionality as the original iPhone minus of course the phone functionality. Capacity also is limited to 8GB and 16GB but I'll be damned that is one slick device.

Having owned a 1st Gen iPod Nano device I can say that Apple creates very intuitive product. Next purchase for the holiday season, hmmm, iPod touch!

Foleo has been cancelled!

A look at this article reveals Palm is canceling the Foleo. It has been awhile since I blog about Palm's intention to create a mobile companion device, the Foleo. But it seems Palm succumb to outside pressure about the relevance of their much hyped device. Engadget for their part has filed an appeal to Palm to reconsider axing the said project. Click here to read the very nice article engadget bloggers (don't know they could come up with originals, but it was good) throw at Palm.

With millions and millions of R&D money already spent in conceptualizing Foleo, I don't think Palm will just throw in the towel. I bet they will regroup and essentially (hopefully) create the Foleo as a real contender or if they don't Eee will eat their lunch.