Send As SMS

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Filipino Transformers!

More proof Filipinos are natural adopters of social media.



Filipino Transformers!

(Via Jepoy.)

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Dedicated Physics Processor

Remember when a great CPU and GPU were the key chips for great gaming?



Those days could be over. If chipmaker Ageia's idea catches on, the third key chip will be a good PPU -- a "physics processing unit".



Wonder if today's GPUs are ready for this. During a demo of the new chip, even twin GPUs had trouble keeping up with flying debris at high resolutions.

Also wonder how this will match up to nVidia's software physics solution.

(Via Alix Paultre.)

Street Fighter II on XBox Live Arcade

When I started playing Street Fighter II fifteen years ago, I never imagined it would become a digitally distributed online game available via microtransaction...



...and yet, here it is on XBox Live Arcade. Good move by Microsoft attracting nostalgic hardcores to a mostly-casual catalog.

The Dragon Punch gets a Long Tail.

Friday, April 28, 2006

New YouTube Player



Check out YouTube's new player. Not as clean, compact, and seamless as the old one -- but the time display, volume control, and smoother slider are welcome additions.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, that video's the final battle of Advent Children in English.

Columnist Clueless on Site Stats



Columnist Bhel Cunanan claims a mathematical impossibility. No one can claim nine million(!) visits to a three-week-old site whose (nonrealtime!) public counter counts only 371,414 total, and whose hosting supports only 1.2 million monthly.

And no, upgrading your shared hosting account is not "increasing your Internet servers".

Hey, Inquirer, get this dumb n00b off your paper!

Microsoft Gears Up for Gamevertising

Looks like Microsoft's looking to serve ads where Google cannot: in-game. They're buying a gamevertising company.

This should be encouraging news for the gamevertising girl over at Mobius. No, Dyan, I will never call it "advergaming". I know you use that word to idiotproof the concept for Philippine advertisers -- but it's gaming first, advertising second.

Nintendo Revolution's New Name

Wii.

No, I'm not squealing with delight. That's the new name for the Nintendo Revolution.

Big Content Companies are the Real Pirates



Kudos to Gary Shapiro on fighting for media consumers' rights.

I've been saying it for years: the Optical Media Board is a bad idea, wide-open to abuse.

Oh, and speaking of bonehead bills, check out this one looking to ban MP3 streaming.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Yahoo Philippines Ideas

Had an interesting chat with Yahoo's Larry Jordan at Greenbelt the other day. Among other things, we talked about Yahoo Asia's new mobile client, how Yahoo's knack for community-building appeals to Filipino bayanihan (bayahoonihan?), and the barrier of low Philippine credit card penetration (4%).

To sell premium services in this country, Yahoo Philippines should ride on the prepaid electronic metacurrencies emerging in the Philippines, like Smart Money, G-Cash, and MOLePoints. I know at least one guy who regrets signing on exclusivity with G-Cash, but Yahoo should have the clout to avoid such silliness. Larry was off to meet with local online game publisher Level Up after our chat; their COO Ben is clued in on the metacurrency concept.

Oh, and Yahoo's new DVR software could find a market with 80,000 computer-literate time-displaced disposable-income Filipino call center workers. Too bad its branding is confusingly similar to that of the Asian mobile product: they're both called "Yahoo! Go".

Viacom to Buy Xfire for $102M

While I'm no big fan of MTV Philippines' mindless gaming coverage, their mother company is certainly clued in on the subject.

That's why, as a fan of intergame chat and documentation tool Xfire, I'm delighted to hear Viacom will acquire Xfire for $102M.

Philippine game publishers should note this emerging global gaming standard. If you're going to publish a localized version of an Xfire-supported game, make sure the installation directory and primary executable filename match those of the international version. These simple considerations will ensure seamless compatibility with Xfire.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Filipina Cosplay Celeb Jerry on Shirts



Filipina cosplay celeb Jerry Polence as a priestess.

Only at Pinoy Cosplay Apparel.

Because life is a cosplay.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Filipino Telco Satirist Blogging

Gerry Kaimo, the satirist who made a Filipino telco monopoly's cluelessness painfully obvious for six whole years, is now blogging. Check it out.

Filipino Bloggers Expose Song Ripoff

Yet again, Filipino bloggers expose plagiarism by Filipino companies insulting Filipino intelligence.

This time, it's Toni Gonzaga's We Belong ripping off Utada Hikaru's First Love. Why am I not surprised that a Filipino major record label is capable of such cluelessness?

Don't believe me? See for yourself. Listen especially for the chorus.


Utada Hikaru - First Love.


Toni Gonzaga - We Belong.

The Potential of Gamer Babes


Hey, Level Up, this is why gamer girl Alodia would make a more effective spokesperson than showbiz celeb Iya as Philippine online markets become more participative.

To start, gamer girls are being eyed as the next generation of booth babes. Given online gamers' inclination towards social media, it can go much further than that. The Edelman trust barometer maintains that "a person like yourself" is more trusted than ever. Hardcore gamers will trust a hardcore gamer like themselves more than they would trust traditional models.


I'm not sure how much sense it makes to spend half a million pesos (about US$ 10,000, a considerable sum in the Philippines) on an expensive traditional showbiz celeb like Iya, when you've got the loyalty of more credible sneezers who are just as cute. Despite my distaste for dead tree media, even your FHM feature on gamer babes is smarter than that.

Alodia's gaming and social media savvy has the nascent potential to approach John Cuneta's. If it does, she could become a powerful Filipino microbrand in those industries. Heck, Scoble boosts Microsoft's image more effectively than millions in PR spending ever could...


...and Alodia's much cuter than Scoble. ;)

RFP: Tailrank-Type App

Hugh Macleod's client is looking for someone to build an industry-specific Tailrank-type app. Any takers?

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Autoplay Annoyance: GamesMaster Philippines

Again with the autoplay annoyance: GamesMaster Philippines. Also from Summit, which also publishes FHM Philippines, where I also saw autoplay annoyance.

How many times to I have to say it? Repeatedly autoplaying homepage video is the mark of little girls' MySpace profiles, not professional web sites!

Saturday, April 22, 2006

iBlog2 Presenation Links

Thanks to all the bloggers (and soon-to-be-bloggers) who attended my talk at iBlog2. For your reference, here are links to some of the things we talked about.

The Long Tail
The Global Microbrand
State of the Blogosphere, April 2006
Shish Kabob
Purple Cow
Getting Started with RSS
Standard Feed Icon
FeedBurner
TrackBack
Backlinks
Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger
Social Bookmarking
Socializer
The "Blogs on Mike" Mashup (comment #3)
Social Technology List
Video Sharing Services
Google Analytics
Performancing Metrics
StatCounter
Sneezer

'Til next time, keep spreading your virus.

Monday, April 17, 2006

PowerPoint and Spotty WiFi are Evil

PowerPoint is evil. It's crashing so much that it's taking me twice as long to finish my visual aids for iBlog2 -- and I'm not even trying to do anything fancy.

I'd use Thumbstacks if I weren't warned that the wifi might be spotty. Heck, most restaurants in the Philippines think wifi is food.

Maybe that silly web-on-a-hard-drive idea will find a small market here after all.

34.5 Million Blogs

34.5 million blogs, doubling every six months.

A new blog created every second of every day.

19.4 million bloggers (55%) still posting 3 months after their blogs are created.

1.2 million new blog posts each day, about 50,000 per hour.

Wow.

YouTube Director Program Cuts Legit Users Some Slack

Good to see YouTube do something to prevent the legitimate user exodus I predicted when they put a length cap on uploads.

I've just been accepted into the new YouTube Director program, which allows uploads beyond 10 minutes in length for legitimate users, plus cobranding options.

Titanic 2!

This has to be the most creative, most seamless movie mashup parody I've ever seen.



Titanic 2!

This actually looks more seamless than (and almost as silly as) the critically-panned mainstream local timewarp romance Moments of Love.

(Via Steve Rubel.)

IPac Lobbies for Information Freedom

IPac is a nonpartisan group dedicated to preserving individual freedom through balanced information policy. They just shipped 12 iPods loaded with Creative Commons content to US Senatorial campaign committees.

I just signed on to support their statement of principles, as stated below:

  1. Creators of ideas and inventions have the right to be compensated for their work, but not to limit political expression, veto technological innovation, or restrict education and scientific research.


  2. Information policy laws should be judged by their potential to foster new creativity, as required by the U.S. Constitution.


  3. Information policy laws should be clear and explicit, so anybody can create without fear of lawsuits.


I encourage you to do the same. Too many Filipino politicians just ape American politicians on information technology issues. Influencing American politicians on these issues indirectly influences said Filipino politicians.

(Via Shel Holtz.)

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Ex-US Marine to Host on Al Jazeera International



Tired of being muzzled by his superiors after speaking out against Bush's propaganda machine, this captain resigned from the US Marines, the only institution he had ever known since high school.

Sixteen months later, Josh Rushing is set to host on the upcoming Al Jazeera International. Al Jazeera, the Arabic channel based in Qatar, is the station that showed the ugly side of Bush's war in the Middle East.

Right-wing American bloggers suggest a special ops team "take him out". Fox calls him a traitor. Strange as it may sound to some, this man's courage to exercise his First Amendment rights may be just the ticket to save America's image.

Oh, and SkyCable: I don't normally watch TV, but I want Al Jazeera International when it comes out.

New Photobucket Front Page

Photobucket's a bit of a hit in the Philippines, perhaps because we like the simplicity of embedding remotely-hosted media in the information taxonomies of our own preferred social media services instead of sharing it on a new one. On Pinoy Cosplay, for example, more people prefer Photobucket over Flickr. This is consistent with the peculiar, insular-yet-collaborative Filipino pattern of social media adoption.



That's why I couldn't help but notice their snazzy new front page and its nod to anime culture. Anime consumer evangelism is big in the Philippines.

The Easter Bunny Hates You!

The Easter Bunny is about rebirth on Easter Sunday...



...but before that, he's all about death!

Happy Easter, everyone!

(Via Robert Scoble.)

Indian Arrested for Song Choice

The culture of racist paranoia promoted by Bush and Blair has created a world where someone of the wrong race can be arrested for his musical taste.

No, I'm not kidding.

(Via John C. Dvorak.)

Why Your Employees Should Use RSS

It's not just the social media evangelists saying it. Listen to HR specialist Regina Miller on why your employees should use RSS -- in bullet-point form for all you upper management PowerPoint junkies.

  • RSS feeds may actually increase employee productivity - info about customers, competitors easily and quickly accessible.

  • RSS feeds may actually increase employee understanding of your company's media attention, brand, reputation, new products and services, etc.

  • RSS feeds may be used internally to enhance your key company messages but if employees can only subscribe to internal feeds it seems hypocritical to only pump out company propaganda

  • RSS will be built into future technology and become part of the way people manage their lives (attention) and information - it will become harder for companies to control in the future.

  • If your company culture and brand prides itself on being smart, fast, all-knowing, etc., without RSS as a way of accessing the most current information, your internal culture and brand may feel slow, and out of the loop. And this feeling will be disappointing to customers and employees.


There's also the small matter of RSS being integrated into the next Windows.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Tony Jaa Should Do Hollywood

Because this guy deserves a Hollywood movie, I give you Muay Thai action star Tony Jaa.



Try to count the thugs his character takes out in this clip. For bonus points, count the bonebreaks.

Oh, and he can sing, too. And rap.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Happy Birthday Marc Hil Macalua!

Happy birthday to Filipino SEO expert and fellow Pinoy Tech Blogger Marc Hil Macalua!

Painom -- ng Google juice.

PLDT Purgatory: Slowband

Chin Wong laments that he too is going through PLDT Purgatory.



In fact, he's made a logo for PLDT Slowband. Spread the love, people.

Google Calendar

What's the coming Google Office without a calendar? The calendar import feature is now tempting me away from Outlook -- and I've been an Outlook junkie since '97. All it needs now is PDA sync -- and if Yahoo can do that...

John Batelle calls Google a portal. The evolution from portal to office suite will be interesting to watch.

Philippines Needs Gaming Market Education

JC Cuneta posts some great stuff on the need for gaming market education in the Philippines, both among Hillary Clinton-wannabe congressmen and scoffing grunt Luddites. Check it out.

Hey, Dondi, this is the same thing you said about the Philippine IT services market last year.

National Cleavage Day

South Africa celebrated National Cleavage Day April 7.



We should have this internationally.

(Via Amanda Chapel.)

Evangelion Destiny

Because I thoroughly enjoyed Evangelion SEED, I give you...



...Evangelion Destiny.

Viral video breeds viral video.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Osaka Apple Switch

I haven't congratulated Apple on their 30th anniversary, so here's my little greeting.

Check out a classic Apple Switch ad...



...reinterpreted by the most "different" thinker in anime, Osaka.

PLDT Purgatory: Bizaare Math

My PLDT DSL connection costs PhP 3000 (around $ 60) per month. That's the price of their 2 Mbps package.

This morning, telemarketers kept trying to sell me an "upgrade" from 768 Kbps to 2 Mbps.

I checked with PLDT DSL cutomer service; in fact, I had to call and coordinate two different departments at two different numbers. Turns out I am on the 768 Kbps package, even if I'm paying for the 2 Mbps package. Broadband Reports confirms this.

Can someone please explain to me PLDT's bizaare mathematics?

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Corporate Blogging is Safe

At a meeting with Philippine TV network ABS-CBN last night, I heard about how Filipinos' adoption of social media has created a constant feedback loop between viewers and upper management, that keeps middle management on their toes.

That came to mind when I saw this article: How to keep blogs from scaring the hell out of people.

Read it and relax, guys. The best way to deal with the global conversation, is to join in. Here's a whitepaper on how.

(Via Steve Rubel.)

AIRWeb 2006 Call for Papers

If you've got great ideas on how to spam search engines (or how to counter search engine spam), the Second International Workshop on Adversarial Information Retrieval on the Web (AIRWeb 2006) is calling for papes.

(Via Matt Cutts.)

2nd Philippine Blogging Summit



The 2nd Philippine Blogging Summit. April 18, 2006, 9am to 5pm GMT+8, University of the Philippines College of Law. Free.

The first one was pretty good, so you should check this out if you're in the Philippines.

Disclaimer: I'm a guest speaker.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Web on a Hard Drive?

With more and more bandwidth moving more and more data off the desktop and onto the Web, trying to put the Web on your hard drive sounds... well... insane.

Thing is, that's exactly what startup Webaroo is trying to do. It's basically a variant of Microsoft's smart client concept applied to huge preselected chunks of the Web.

Now here's a business model not built to last. They're out to make a quick ad buck off mobile users before ubiquitous broadband renders them obsolete.

Personally, I use RSS to sync the content I want onto my mobile devices. I don't like the idea of a bunch of distant corporate editors preselecting chunks for me. I want the Web my way, both online and offline.

Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer

For all you Gundam fans out there, the official web site for Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer opens today.



Since this new Destiny sidestory involves something called the Deep Space Study Development Institute, maybe we'll finally get some answers on Evidence 01.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Social Video Choices

YouTube and Google Video aren't the only social video services out there. Check out this comparison of ten video sharing services.



All you people in traditional TV and movies should see this as not as a threat, but as an opportunity. Social video is your friend.

Evangelion SEED!

I'm a big fan of both Gundam SEED and Evangelion, so I was smiling ear-to-ear when I saw this.



Check out the Evangelion theme with Gundam SEED footage. The little PIP box in the corner shows the original Evangelion intro to help you fully appreciate the analogies.

Hero Channel, take note. You own the Philippine broadcast rights to both Gundam SEED and Evangelion. Tapping directly into fan creativity without the filter of focus groups is what Seth Godin means by finding your own otaku. You've taken a step in that direction with your boards, and I encourage you to further leverage social media to directly engage your otaku.

As Steve Rubel puts it, you have to fish where the fish hang out. And young Filipinos hang out on social media.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Technorati Serves More Niche Ads

Looks like more niche advertisers are buying Technorati search ads.



A search for my name yields a J-List ad. How did this get through my ad-blindness? I'm a J-fan. :)

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Filipino Kids: Drop Learned Information Helplessness

I don't believe this.

After alleging inaccuracies in the mainstream media's coverage of the poisoning at the Philippine Science High School, these student bloggers close off their entries on the matter.

Normally, I'd ignore this, but you're from the Philippines' ultra-elite science high school. Speak up, dammit! Don't they teach the impact of social computing in your computer science subjects? Our alma mater's hymn speaks of a search for the untarnished truth. How can that search continue if you let the alleged abuses of the mainstream media go unchallenged?

If the finest teenage minds in the Philippines offer nothing but the cowardice of Industrial Age information helplessness, then I fear for our country's future.

Intel Macs Officially Run XP

Hackers did it first. Now Apple's using it to sell a lot more Macs.



Apple has released beta freeware to let Intel-based Macs run Windows XP.

This is a brilliant marketing ploy. They even managed a small swipe at Microsoft in the instructions: Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS. But with Boot Camp, the Mac can operate smoothly in both centuries.

Maybe John C. Dvorak wasn't so crazy after all. Maybe that's why Apple didn't invite him to their 30th birthday party.

Google AdWords Editor Beta

I manage several AdWords campaigns, so I definitely need this: the AdWords Editor.



Anyone here in the closed beta for this? How is it?

(Via Philipp Lenssen, who strangely isn't in the beta either.)

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Elite Filipino Student Botches Rival Poisoning

Local cops suspect graduating Philippine Science High School student Angelynne Fabro was poisoned by a male academic rival named Jan.

Jan, I'm very disappointed in you. You are a disgrace to my alma mater. Mercurous nitrate is a slow, messy poison. You should eliminate your enemies quickly and efficiently.

Dane Cook on Catholicism



Dane Cook, the comedian popularized by MySpace, talks about his Catholic upbringing.

MacGyver Saves World of Warcraft!



How will MacGyver save World of Warcraft? Click here to find out.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

My Inbox is the Beast!



Yes, my inbox is the Beast.

This is why I'm liking RSS more and more. And why I prefer to be pitched via my del.icio.us.

Oh, and speaking of the Beast: this is how Bill Gates works.

Add Value to Viral Video

E! Cybersmack's initial foray into YouTube was panned as lame.



It was a Web clip of a TV clip of a Web clip -- profoundly pointless.

Looks like they've learned their lesson with their latest clip: add value.



Note the metajoke they derived from the rollerskating monkey. That's the way to do it, guys. You need to add value to viral video to keep it viral. That's what the Numa Numa parodists taught us.

Less Autoplay Annoyance, More Viral Video

What is this I see on the FHM Philippines homepage? Autoplaying video!

What is this, a little girl's MySpace profile? This is just annoying!

I've talked about this sort of thing before. Don't get me wrong: I'm all for rich media. In fact, I created their local publisher Summit's first Flash promo screensaver way back in 2000.

Thing is, if I really want to hear from these girls, I'll click to do so. I don't want to hear them say the same thing every time I go to the homepage!

Has FHM's web team even checked how much the autoplay fucks up pageload time? I'm on DSL, and it takes several seconds for most of the homepage to even show up. At least Itzamatch doesn't do it every damn time!

So many Philippine companies' Web strategies are still stuck in the '90's, while so many Filipino online prosumers are rapidly embracing Web 2.0. FHM, drop the autoplay annoyance and start spreading these babes on viral video. Here, I'll get you started.

The Generosity of Social Media

Something Doc Searls said just inspired me to post this on Pinoy Tech Blog. Check it out.

Suggest Links Quickly and Easily!

I've been getting a lot of great suggestions (and pitches) for my sidebar linkroll, so let's make this quick and easy.

If you'd like to suggest (or pitch) a link for quick inclusion in my linkroll, post it to del.icio.us with the tag for:mikeabundo. If you aren't already using del.icio.us, here's how.

I'll review your suggestion (or pitch) ASAP. If approved, your suggested (or pitched) link will appear in my sidebar linkroll for Web readers, and my daily link digest for RSS readers. Keep the narcotized information coming, people! :)

(Suggested by Steve Rubel.)

Monday, April 03, 2006

Korea Pushes Robots

The South Korean government wants a robot in every South Korean household between 2015 and 2020.

Hope they look like A.I.Dolls.

(Via John C. Dvorak.)

NYTimes Redesign Inspired by Blogs

Since the mainstream media isn't God anymore, they'll have to adapt.



The New York Times unveils a blog-influenced redesign.

Hey, Bobby, when's Inq7 gonna publish RSS feeds? You can put ads in those things nowadays. ;)

Rooms for Rent from Mary Ann Go

Because she's helping get more fun online services into the Philippines, I'm posting this ad from Itzamatch's Mary Ann Go.

Why settle for less when you can live a quality/stress free life in a city?
Inviting Young Professionals, single, non smoker, working in Pasig/Makati

Ideal Place for you. Room for rent at P8500 fully furnished with all the facilities available:

Greenhills Garden Square
New condo situated in N. Domingo ( 10 mins away from Virramall and Galleria )
* Laundry Area: Washing machine
* Kitchen: range, ref, micorwave, basic utencils, water dispenser

* Living room: sofa, ceiling fan
* Common toilet and bath
* Maid to clean 3 x a month
. 3 Rooms available with wall fan, cabinet and bed

Extra: swimming pool and jogging area with garden See to appreciate.
Call at 2423249,7492617 or 09175323299
Email: go.maryann@gmail.com


Check out the pics. Oh, and Mary Ann: get a blog, dude. In fact, put blogs on Itzamatch. Try Wordpress MU; it's free.

Pinoy Cosplay in the Blogosphere

Here's a tiny little forum-search-blog mashup for ya.



Pinoy Cosplay now features top posts on Filipino cosplay from across the blogosphere, auto-updated with data from search engines.

Remove Annoying MySpace Media!

One of the most annoying things about MySpace is the ridiculous amount of autoplayed audio and video some profiles throw at you on opening -- interrupting your music or VoIP, hogging your bandwidth, and crashing your browser. That's one of the reasons Friendster initially beat MySpace in the Philippines: Friendster used to present less opportunities for multimedia abuse, and PCs here tend to have less horsepower and bandwidth than in the States. As my software engineer ex-girlfriend Cindy put it, MySpace is just "cluttered".

Firefox users are lucky, then, that the Greasemonkey extension allows them to install the Automatic MySpace Media Media Reomover, which disables most audio and video on MySpace profiles by default. Panicked users no longer need to waste time searching a profile for the off switches to its cacophony.



You can selectively enable/disable individual audio/video items on the page with one click -- so if you insist on hearing that bit of music or seeing that bit of video, you can. Of course, you can also turn it off just as quickly.

Now if only Tom would build this feature into MySpace. Come to think of it, Friendster's starting to need it, too.

New Linkroll Digest for RSS Readers



Get more information narcosis for your feedreader! Subscribe to my RSS feed today and get a bonus daily digest of my linkroll, for your daily dose of narcotized information from around the Web!

Web readers can also catch the freshest entries from my linkroll in my sidebar.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Schoolgirl and Catgirl Cosplay Pics Needed for New Books



Schoolgirl and catgirl cosplay pics needed for upcoming cosplay how-to books. More info at PinoyCosplay.com.

Submissions accepted until April 7, 2006.

Cosplay in Malaysia



Malaysia's Star Online runs an interesting (if somewhat fluffy) article on Malaysian cosplay.

Weird stares and snide remarks aside, cosplaying does help improve interpersonal skills. Introverts who want to shed their shy image and take on a more outgoing/outspoken personality should give cosplaying a try as it requires one to interact with enthusiasts and photographers alike. Being photogenic isn’t enough; you must have the guts to pose in front of the camera acting like your cosplay character!


The Filipino cosplay scene is also pretty active. Good to see emerging forms of consumer evangelism break through the shyness programmed into many Asian cultures.

Blog Freedom Across the Pacific

Scoble: You know, if the worst thing that happens to me is I get some pointed questions that I didn't answer well from a CTO of a public company, or get some nasty personal comments, then I am very fortunate. In many places in the world writing your thoughts can get you killed or thrown in jail. Or worse.

When people ask "does blogging matter?" I'll just answer "well, if it doesn't, then why is the Chinese government throwing people in jail because of their blogs?"


Indeed you are lucky, Robert. The Philippine government is threatening several bloggers with sedition charges. Heck, even my own trolls babble about libel.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

MSN Search Spoof!

Here's what MSN Search Spoof has to say about me. ;)

Happy April Fool's Day, everyone!

(Via Matt Cutts.)

Ask.com Caters to Bad Rappers

Ask.com announced today the introduction of RhymeRank, an innovative search technology capable of producing related search results that rhyme with a searcher's original query....

"Web 3.0 is clearly upon us," noted John Battelle, author of The Search, and one of the world's leading experts on the search industry....

Aspiring rappers and poets are a huge, untapped market," said lead engineer Keith Hogan. "Someone will win a Grammy one day using this product. Or, at the very least, an Open Mic Night.


Considering how the big three search engines are trouncing on them with a combined 83.4% market share, Ask.com's April Fool's joke just fails to be funny. They should get Vanilla Ice to endorse this.

Philippine IT Cons in April

Hans A. Koch points out that the Philippines will be having three IT conventions on the same week in April:

  1. iBlog2 on April 18, where I'll be a speaker;

  2. Pinoy Web 2.0 Training on April 17-19, where Hans will be a trainer; and

  3. Emerging Technologies for Philippines 2020 on April 17-18, at my sister's school.


When it rains clue, it pours.

Bayanihan and Social Media

Why are Filipinos such natural adopters of social media? Why are half of all Friendster users Filipino? Why is the Philippines among the top countries on BlogExplosion?



Here's what I think. One of the Filipino core values, passed down from our small-town islander ancestors, is bayanihan -- community collaboration. That's exactly why technologies that facilitate online community collaboration are such hits with Filipinos.

I should thank Chloebs de Asis and her Capcom Team for helping me see the link between bayanihan and social media adoption. Their bayanihan helped start Pinoy Cosplay. Thanks, guys! :)

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?