snage

Work Online for Free

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:46:00 +0000

The web is full of promising work but only few require nothing for start-up. oDesk.com and elance.com provides unlimited online jobs for free, suitable for starting freelancers. These are just two sites from which you can work online and earn.

Free work online Sites

My Little Planted Tank

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:26:00 +0000

Here are some pictures of my young aquarium. I’ve been meaning to change it to all tetras but Petsmart (Davao) in Sta. Ana doesn’t always have the stock. Got to wait though. Taking care of these plants is far more difficult compared to taking care of the fishes ;> Whoever has nice freshwater plants, I’m accepting gifts even it’s after the holidays!

A well planted tank with tiny fishes is an amazing sight. It’s nice to watch them glide and chase each other. Takes away the boredom of being alone.

If you have your own aquarium. Share it here! Happy Fish Keeping Davao

Davao Fish Lover

Davao Fish Enthusiast

Davao Aquarists

Davao Fish Aquarium

Crocodile Park Davao

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:42:00 +0000

Another enjoyable trip with the Almoceja Family and friends.

Crocodile Park Davao is among the popular places to have a nature adventure in Davao City. It is not a place only dedicated to crocs but also to a variety of animals (though they really made a spotlight for the crocs).

They have a lot of shows and you can check it in their website.

Here are some info for you to prepare for an amazing Crocodile Experience.

The Davao Crocodile Park will open Monday to Sunday
Monday to Thursday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM

As of 2010 their Entrance fee is:

ADULT: P150.00
Inclusions
1. entry at Butterfly House
2. entry at Tribu K'Mindanawan
3. entry at Crocodile Park

KIDS (2-12 years old) P75.00
Inclusions
1. entry at Butterfly House
2. entry at Tribu K'Mindanawan
3. entry at Crocodile Park

Davao Crocodile Park showcase their animals by having great shows which includes the Crocodile Dancing, Crocodile Encounter, Crocodile Frenzy, Crocodile Feeding, Wildlife Encounter and the Tightrope Walking.

Davao Crocodile Park Complex
Riverfront, Corporate City, Diversion Highway
Ma-a, Davao City 8000 Philippines

Phone: (082) 286 8883 or 286 1054
Telefax: +63.082.221.4671

It’s expensive when you have a crowd. But truly it’s worth it.

EPOL Spring Trip

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:37:00 +0000

Epol Spring is located in Epol, Baganihan , Marilog Davao City. It is one of the attractions in Davao. My friends went there to unwind and celebrate an occasion. It wouldn’t take too long to be there. If you are a resident in Davao, you just have to go to the bus terminal and board a bus to Marilog. It would take approximately 85-105 pesos depending on how you ask the driver’s assistant. The drive is 2 hours. Be sure to look for the wooden sign saying “Epol Falls” since it looked ancient and may be hard to see due the fog. It is not always foggy on the road but when we went there, it was.

From the high way, my friends and I walk for about 20-30 minutes. It’s not really hard compared to the trail in Virgin and Tudaya Falls, which almost made me cry. The only obstacle that you can encounter is the slippery and muddy track. It so happen that two of my friends suffered with this and it’s so bad that we can’t hide the laughter that burst out from our mouth. So better wear appropriate clothing when going to this type of place. It’s not like you are going to some malls and flaunt all of your curves and fancy dresses. Try putting on comfortable shirts and shorts and sandals or shoes for trekking would be good.

The good part in the location of Epol Falls is that there are built houses ready to be rented by people who doesn’t have tents. Though the rent is a little bit expensive for me (well, its 50 pesos per night) the comfort is well serve. I think that they have 2-3 houses available. The one that we rented is fine-looking and have parts just like a typical house. It consists of a dining area which is also located in the main area; the kitchen is at the back, the sleeping area is upstairs with a small porch where you can put a “duyan” for relaxation. Just a reminder, due to changing temperature in the area, it would be best if you bring sleeping materials to relieve the coldness of the night.

The falls is simply amazing! The walk is short from the house, maybe 10 minutes or less. Though the length of the falls is 30 ft., it is not short in magnificence. Walking down, you can get past the top and see it. The water is cold, but so fun. Anyone can also climb from the lower portion of the falls to the upper side. My friends were able to go beyond the top and continued exploring but I decided to stay since I’m really frightened with slippery rocks.

So if you want to get out of the busy and noisy city, Epol Falls would be a great get-away! If you have no money to go home, you can hitch a ride anytime.

Snage's Top 10

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:09:00 +0000

I’m participating in the top 10 Emerging and Influential blogs for 2009. The following are my nominees for this prestigious writing project:

1. Patay Gutom
2. Muffie Shannen
3. Ax Realm
4. Lakwatsero
5. Flair Candy
6. Focal Glass
7. Millionaire Acts
8. Pickle Minded
9. Video Chops
10. Adaphobic

This writing project will not be possible without the support of sponsors such as Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, Events at Work, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile, Budget hotel in Makati, and Blog4Reviews.com.

ICEAN 2009- Proposed Yearbook Covers

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Guyz, just an update... the cover size is 9x12. Interested ICEAN's as well as aspiring designers why not take the challenge of our yearbook? Well, anyway hope to hear from you all soon.

I made changes from one of the designs.

These are just some proposed cover for the yearbook publication of the ICEAN 2009. Staffs, I’ll be sending your works sooner. Interested graphic artists are free to comment and send other files for development on the

cover.

For those who doesn’t know US. We are the proud graduates of the Institute of Computing 2009 (University of Southeastern Philippines)

AT&T Uverse- Overview (First BPO Experience)

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:03:00 +0000

From TV,HSIA and Voice Service, AT&T U-verse has it all cover up. The technology is really amazing since all of these developments runs through IP Technology. And since the month of June I’ve started troubleshooting some technical issues that the members are experiencing.

And to share how astonishing the products are click here https://uverse1.att.com/un/launchAMSS.do

Tidbit facts:

IPTV
Enjoy 100% digital picture and sound that means your digital TV transition is done. Also enjoy digital video recording (DVR), Video on Demand, access to over 105 High Definition channels*, and choice programming–all at a competitive price!

HSIA (High- Speed Internet Access)
Reliable high-speed Internet delivered on AT&T’s advanced digital network includes a wireless Internet router, wireless networking service4, and 11 email accounts with online photo storage and best-in-class security. Downstream speeds up to 18Mbps available.

Voice digital home phone service
Digital calling that works like your home phone. Only better! Use the home phones you already have. Plus, keep your number or get a new one. Powerful features that allow you to manage your home and Wireless from AT&T voice mail messages in one mailbox, accessible from any phone or PC, or broadcast voice mail messages to a group from your online address book that you can share and access from any PC, are included at no extra charge. Low international per-minute rates with no monthly fee!

I just think if the Philippines can have this kind of advancement, it would really be expensive!

ICEAN 2009 GRADUATES: Toil Finally Paid Off

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:21:00 +0000

This year is the most hectic schedule when talking about graduation ceremonies. How many relatives and friends graduated this year? That I cannot say. But let me inform you all of the happiest moments I felt these past days.

Starting with my closest cousins: Raychell and John Ray Galinato
My bestfriend: Ms. Irish Dianne Dalit, a Tourism Professional
My Sister: Ms Vanezza Galinato, having a Diploma in Information Technology
and Yours Truly: Ms. Agnes Galinato, an Information Technology Professional
and to all my friends and classmates! KUDOS!

Trek to Mt. APO: The greatest walk I ever had

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:04:00 +0000

As usual, I am again invited by my bestfriend Ms. Dianne Dalit to go with her in their trip to Mt. Apo. Knowing nothing but the simplicity of the fact that it is the highest point in the nation, I didn’t hesitate for a second. Well, the decision was a little bit not in the right track, but because of the exciting idea of climbing the highest peak in the Philippines, all doubts vanished. So let the journey begins!

April 11, 2009 First Stop: Digos City, Food Preparation Kapatagan, Davao del Sur... Start of the long walk Night: Stayed in a sub camp

April 12, 2009 Second Stop: Camp 1 from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Third Stop: Camp 2 from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm stayed for the night

April 13, 2009 Third Stop: Mt. Apo Peak but before the exciting though of it, I can’t imagine how I manage to be alive after all the horrifying stunts I ever did.... we went to visit the rocky path to the sulfur site of the mountain, now I know why there is a visible smoke present in the mountain.. (it creates a spoiled smell) the hard track was starting to get on my nerves, I was not used on climbing with so much difficulty. The only thing that I can hold was roots and stones, having faith in that stones were not so easy for me. It went on how several hours, and then the most terrifying sight I ever seen, There was no more green things on the scene I was looking up to, from bottom to the top of my sight. It was all big rocks, bare and dead! It took almost 5 hours to finish the boulders. I was on the verge of giving up that I was willing to be left behind and die behind those big rocks, I was numb all over and all my muscles aches and if they can only speak, they are cursing me to be on that spot. Yet, it was useless being left in that spot, so I went on with the help of my friend Chengy (Jake and Dianne were walking far passed us.) I thought, the boulders would be the shocking track, yet there I was, looking at a wall almost creating a straight line, yet in a vertical manner. When we started to climb, I was hopeful that we were almost there. Jakey was always talking about 87, I was then curios what it was, then I know it wasn’t a place but the degree of elevation of the wall. I was trying to absorb the thought of climbing an 87 degree wall, without any rope, foam bed at the bottom and the bothering load in our back. Up there, sticking to that wall and gripping to the stones with my life, I was crying. It was like I was to die any time. Looking at the bottom, I know I will be crushed into pieces. After almost 2 hours, we were finally in the crater. It was splendid. Another hour of walking that we finally arrived at the camp site. It was raining hard, yet we were able to pitch our tents. It was so cold, but because of the exhaustion, we slept like pigs.

April 14, 2009 In this day, we enjoyed the view, it was really awesome since I can see almost all the provinces in Mindanao (well, not really...hehehe) but I was able to identify, Digos City, Davao, Kidapawan, South Cotabato, Bukidnon and many others.

April 15, 2009 Time to go home, we walk for the whole day, from 8:00 am – 10 pm. (We were lost in our way, because the batteries went dead. I was crying because I need to go home for my graduation would be the following day. )

April 16, 2009 My graduation Day! But where I am? Thinking of how am I gonna be in my graduation since I am still in the mountainous place of Kapatagan. Yet, God is still good, for it came quite good. (I’m ALIVE and I went to Mt. APO)

Kaputian Detour

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:23:00 +0000

This post was supposed to be published earlier; still it’s worthwhile to read. How can you reject the request of your closest friends? Well, I can’t, and that’s why I came to experience this extraordinary escapade. Big thanks to the celebrant, Jake Caspi and my forever bestfriend, my “Ogre”. These friends of mine would just appear out of no where and say “Tara na!” During this time, I am very busy with my paper, since it’s less than a month for the submission yet I still didn’t have a concrete framework. Ogre, frowned and told me that it’s Papa Jake’s birthday. So, the four of us went to Kaputian, Samal to go swimming. Our baggage was enough to explain that my friends were staying not for just one day. Our journey began with a heavy rain, maybe the rain was a blessing for Papa Jake (seems a lot of blessings for just one birthday… hehehe.).

The following day, Papa Jake took us to a sea cliff to try rappelling. Honestly, I am afraid of heights, even the time when we had our falls hoping in Kapatagan, Davao del Sur. Yet, the experience was so exciting that I can’t let it pass by. So, I went first, but it took a lot of courage to look down and move my feet. I was so thrilled that even the weather jive in. It rained the time I went down and stopped when Chengy started. Samal Island is really a breath-taking paradise. You could clearly see the fishes and corals from the point where we were standing. The following days went by, we played Frisbee and one afternoon decided to go fishing and gather shells to be eaten for that night. The shells were easy, but fishing was a lot more difficult. It frustrated us that we spent all afternoon sitting and watching the fish ate our bait. The funny thing was, you can actually see the fishes below yet we didn’t catch even one. Still, the dinner was goo d.

We spent the following day evaluating our artistic side. Since Boracay was known for its huge sand castle, we are known for our sand marine creatures. Well, some of our creations were from fictions, but still reside in the water. We made, Papa Jake as a Tuna, both Chengy and Dianne as mermaids and lastly Papa Jake again as a Giant Octopus.

Some of our pictures during the trip.

Good luck for me, because after that outing. I was sleepless for almost a month. But still the reward came first, since I am a certified graduate of BSIT.

Mr. Jake Caspi also known as Papa Jake is an active naturalist here in Mindanao. Member of numerous groups for rescue, mountaineering events, cyclist and many other athletic sports. Among his favorite past time is to climb Mt. Apo. If anyone would like to arrange a tour as well as a complete guide for a trip in Mt. Apo, contact me in the information below.

Warning:
If it’s your first time, try to exercise a bit. Because I experience a whole body pain when we were falls hopping.

The birth of a new Journey

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:10:00 +0000

March 23, 2009, another year had been given to me to celebrate the life given from the grace of the Lord. Yes, I am a year older yet new things are coming to disagree with the maturity I am yearning for.

Still, I was very happy of many countless ways. Among these was the final verdict of my standing as a candidate for graduation. My research paper had been approved and graded, not to mention the misfortunes it undertook before the submission. Both my sisters went to Davao to see me. We stayed at my best friend’s house in Puan. What a ride! My friends surprised me with their gifts. I want to appreciate their unfading love and support. Thanks for those people who greeted me and took the time and money to give me something. My classmates and friends, thank you so much. Well, you are all my friends. (pero mas friend ang naa gift.. hehehe…)

Here are some pictures of the happenings during my birthday.

The submission of my research paper
- Kulitan with my friends (Ogre, Papa Jake and Ince) and sister
- Gifts I received
- First thing I ate…

The Olympiad 2009: Presentation of My Ongoing Research, Finally OVER!

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:58:00 +0000

It was indeed the most hectic and exhausting week of my school life. Two of my classmates were asked to present the Researches that we are working on. It was a bit ironic on my part knowing that I am still on the part of evaluating my methods, in short "I still don’t have a research!" Mr. Gamboa who is our adviser personally recommended the three of us to our Dean, Mr. Val Quimno to be the representatives of the school. Unable to protest, I accepted it, it was a challenge a personal gratification that someone believes that I am capable of this responsibility. We only had 5 days to finalize the points that we want to include in our presentation.

Monday: Made Sir Gamboa look at my new methodology
Assessment: "show me how this would be done, what are your tools?"- hmmnnn, another sleepless night.. (night on a net cafe...huhuhu)

Tuesday: AWS test, though sleepless, I was able to take the exam but not lucky enough to pass it. Regina made it though! GoGoGo.... (she has a long series of test to be able to pass...Good Luck!)

Wednesday: Still working on my Research, but a news somehow broke my heart. We were somehow not qualified since thesis and researches that are already finish are the only ones considered. My classmates were relieved, I was doubting the feeling I had at the moment, was it relief or regret? So words burst out of my mouth, "Sayanga Lord uie, chance na unta to!" (Still, I was doing my researches and spent the night in a net cafe)

Thursday: Morning, Sir Val, texted me that the presentation will proceed. The organizers considered our ongoing research since UPMin students are still on the process of finishing their works. So, the tension and anxiety intensified. I was thinking that the Lord heard what I said. He made a way for it to came into reality. So, the three of us were advise to go to school at 11:00 am. Feeling energized by the news, I decided to wait for the time regardless that I am sleepless the night before. Chengy and I went home, It was already 9 in the morn, looking at my bed, it tempted me to lay down. Chengy, feeling the same went to bed to. I was not able to wake up and was frantic about what our adviser and dean would say, ditching a meeting with these people is not so advisable!!! hehhe... it was 3:30 in the afternoon that I receive a call from Mr. Gamboa, asking for my presence it his office. It was after that call that I read the messages of my classmates saying that Mr. Gamboa want to see our presentation. Worried, I still went to school, I apologized for my behavior and was not able to show a presentation. Mr. Gamboa asked me if I can make it by tomorrow, full of hope, I said yes! I will do everything just to present something tomorrow.

The night came, Dianne, Papa Jake and Chengy were in full support, they accompanied me during the night, but I told them to sleep, I was infront of my PC the whole time, up to 7:40 in the morning.

Friday: The day finally came. I was even late for our meeting with Sir Gamboa that morning. I went to school just to find out that we can’t rehearse since Mr. Gamboa is busy in other matters. Relieve that I could sleep for a while, we went home to relax a bit. We had plan that Mr. Gamboa would be in school around 12:30 pm to get us, but the bad news came out that he won’t make it. Depressed by it, we contacted Mr. Val if there is any chance that he would come with us in the venue for the event. Well, even in the chaos for that day, we still are lucky. The event was held in the University of Mindanao Matina, it was designed that the event would have a parallel session, which means Regina was not in the same venue with me and Glayra. It was a dismaying scene, seeing students already in front and presenting their study, not to mention that we are the only ones wearing out uniforms. Again, the sad part is, we don’t have any supporters from school since the event requires a fee of PHP 50.00. It is a big amount considering the students in USEP (in short, kuripot cla, aw apil ko... hehehe). Big thanks to Chengy and Rhod that they never left us. Regina was accompanied by James in the other venue and went back as soon as she was finished.

Glayra and Me were the last presentors. She was nervous and all that they would asked questions since I asked the other students about their thesis. She was saying: "Dai, mag ask jud na sila kay mubalos sa imo... huhuhu", I just told her that everything will be fine. I operated her presentation and she with mine. After that, the forum made exciting feedbacks, questions were asked, and somehow we both pulled it off.

I know, Mr. Gamboa was proud of us. He was smiling all the time when we were in front. He congratulated us for making an interesting discussion. It was a happy feeling that we were able to prove that USEP can compete even with other schools.

Not to mention, simple lng amo mga research, though kapoy, sus kung ang mga programmers pato naa didto, unsa nlng kaya... hehehe....
Participants from other University were also good. Participant came from UIC, Ateneo de Davao, UPMin, AMA and of course USEP.

A Post Valentine Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:37:00 +0000

I never expected to celebrate valentines because of the hectic schedule in school. I was still so pressured in my Research. The very evening of the hearts day, I was visited by my Mom, (knowing she was going to have a date with someone! hahai). My experience was split in to two events.

1. Going to the Beach: Jones Beach
Thanks to Chengy that I enjoyed it, though it was late. Her friend ask her to joined them in a beach, I was hesitant since its already late (11:00 pm on Feb. 14, 2009) not to mention that the beach they were talking is in Talomo: The Jones Beach. To my amazement, the place was nice. I also enjoyed playing the Frisbee, I thought it was easy to play but took me a little while to learn how to shot it out in the air. We were awake the whole time, and in the morning, before finally going home, we took picture of the place and the nice spots.
Here are some of our pictures:

2. Kublai Art Craze: Ponce Unconventional Suite
My best friend Dianne (my sweet OGRE!) was a little melancholic during the valentines. And I felt guilty for not being there, so as a late gift for her, we decided to hop and visit one of Kublai’s properties. We went to Ponce’s Unconventional Suite located in Doña Vicenta fronting Victoria Mall. Dianne treated us to dinner before going there, we ate at Chowking just before going, (they made some naughty actions :> ) Papa Jake and Chengy were the one’s responsible for it... (Wala mi labot...)
Since Ponce is just a walking distance, we decided to stretch some muscles and enjoy the magnificence of that night. We enjoyed taking picture mostly with the gigantic statues, the sculptures were inspired from the natives of the Philippines. The inside of the mini hotel were full of his works and being there for a short time would not be able to go through every art and painting he ever made. I really enjoyed being with my friends, though my family can’t be with me, I am still blessed with the people who loves me.

USEP: Integration of Internet Apps to the University (System Proposal)

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:21:00 +0000

Since the rise of Internet, countless application and software had been developed to assist the needs of people as well as giving business a new definition of processing. Because of its fast growth, its accessibility does not limit only to those who can afford it but even to those. Almost all individuals in the world know what “Internet” means.

Because of these applications, systems today are now very flexible and efficient in doing works in every possible areas. But what makes a system proficient is its ability to integrate beneficial functions into one. When talking about a University, it contains many different tasks and individuals to consider with. This is a proposal of how USEP can integrate application, this is also in connection with the prior topic on USEP having an Intranet and Extranet System.

I am thinking of a complete system that could handle all the processing in the University. From the staff to the students, starting in the pre-enrollment procedure to the current accounts of students.

System Proposal: University Integrated System (UIS)

1. Data Processing :
This part constitute of any data transaction. Showing information about the school and the possible business or contract. Any user can view data about enrollment, curriculum, history, MVO and other issues. It also include the data centralization of departments within the University. With this one general database, errors and delay could be avoided. This unified storage will include the accounting and the finance division, which handles mostly with monetary funds. Students can also view the schedule available for a certain course.

Internet Application:

* it will include FTP or the File Transport Protocol, Multimedia application (flash and other apps), may also include video streaming for detailed information. E-mails for online submission of data.

2. Inter Department Link:
This will include the updates on every colleges in the University. It will include events, issues and topics that are reviewed or be taken later during the semester or school year.

Internet Application:

* HTML application that includes images and video (if possible). Data transfer will also be applicable.

3. University Staff:
This will include the initiative of the University members and staff. Their Proposal and Extension Programs, will be posted as well as the reviews on the previous events.

Internet Application:

* HTML application that includes images and video (if possible). Data transfer will also be applicable. E-mails and comment which is now gaining popularity in the net will be implemented to create dynamic audience within the University.

4. University Professor and Adviser:
Mostly configures the look and content of forums. Incorporated with events, schedule, timeline and news. With this, students will know the course of a certain professor.

Internet Application:

* HTML application that includes images and video (if possible). Data transfer is also employed. E-mails and chat box will also be helpful. Looks and content is in line with how forums look. To promote the University’s system and Institutional Competency, an organizational e-mail will be one of the ways. Proposed: having the extension of @usepobrero.edu
all staff and adviser should use this for transaction purposes.

5. Students Forum:
Includes and promote the voice of the students in the University. Contains interactive connection and communication. Links can also be added to personal blogs and other information (regarding schooling). Students can also encourage e-commerce within the university’s site. With this, students will be able to find resources that is available in the school.

Internet Application:

* blog and a forum environment. E-mails and other communication will be included. File transfer within students will also be prevalent. This page can be group into colleges. Files and documents can also be uploaded and downloaded here.
HTML application
Multi media presentation
just like E-bay processing and amazon.com

6. E- Learning and Online Test:
Contains some of the classes that could not be taken inside the classroom. Also comprise of quizzes and examinations.

Internet Application:

* real time updates, database and networking
HTML application
multi media presentation
Student conferencing, interactive communication

7. Outputs:
Here is where the students and other users can view important information, just like grades. Online Grading System was being proposed by many students and other staff but could not be fully implemented. Also contains the publication of the school, researches, articles and curriculum. All topics are also included for the articles and researches for better filtering.

Internet Application:

* HTML application
file transfer
multimedia presentation
communication via email and instant messaging
search engine optimization

USEP IC (Institute of Computing): Future Technology Presentation The Event which Every Future Tech Students Envisioned

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Finally, the event had been in its fruition yesterday Feb. 10, 2009. It was the event that fully shows how the IC students stands together to prove and shows their competency in the University’s intellectual minds. The presentation caters the showcase of different future technology that is visualized and designed by the Future Technology students. The whole class had been in charge to all areas of the event which made it not just successful but also remarkable to everyone in the class. They showed participation and cooperation that fully manifest their concerns to the individuals that somehow rely to the event as a stepping stone. A first triumph towards the achievement dreamt by every 4th year students, the occasion on April! Though the presentation have flaws and other technical problems, it was a success (hahaha.. bias daw ko….) We had guests and other visitors that supported us throughout the event. (Well, almost half of it is from IC also ;>). But still I want to announce and affirm that it was indeed the program we will all remember.

The event consists of group presentation. A video and a brief description of the diorama were introduced by the group members. The technology that was covered by the event were: VIDEO CONSOLE, WEARABLE COMPUTERS, VIRTUAL CHATTING, FARMING, MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, CLOCK, WASTE MANAGEMENT, BOOK, TELEPHONY, AIRCRAFT, CHARGER TECHNOLOGY. These areas of possible developments were the focused of the Future Tech. students. To give credits to the people who work hard on the project, most of viewers think that the WASTE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY was the most significant of all the technology presented, which I think is followed by the FARMING TECHNOLOGY. As expected, technology should focus on how we improve the society and our well being.

Like all events, ours went to a stressful process. Almost every part of the program has a fault.
1. No speakers
2. Not all diorama sketches were approved
3. Reservation on the Social Hall
4. Technical Support
5. Letters
6. etc. (end of thinking capacity!!!)

But still, we had proven somehow the bond we have, will be remembered. All we give thanks to our dear adviser RSG who never get weary of having sermons to us.
GO…… Research and IP nlng…
Godbless everyone, I’m so proud of us all.

Freeware: Are they really for Free?

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:55:00 +0000

Are there things still for free?

As far as I remember hearing software, hardware, adware, shareware and freeware seemed like the same concept. All of them have –ware in the last part, which I thought was a component of every computer related terms. I almost thought that tupperware is also among them.

Freeware form what I had understand it is some kind of distribution style with regards to software. The term is constantly associated with programs downloaded over the internet. From Wikipedia , there are numerous form or kind of distribution among these is : Abandonware • Adware • Beerware • Careware • Commercial software • Crippleware • Demoware • Donationware • Foistware • Freely redistributable software • Free software • Freeware • Nagware • Open source • Otherware • Postcardware • Registerware • Retail software • Shareware. Seeing from its wide scope, there are really different ways of sharing application or programs over the internet.

I myself, during my earliest years in the Computing World or in the Information Technology age, freeware is a big “NO, NO” for me. I was thinking that all that is given even if in its very lowest rate should be properly compensated. If I am a programmer that create programs would at least have something out of my work. But this perception was very way beyond my head. It was then that I realized, that not all programmers and developers are selfish and greedy enough to create such actions. Freeware as describe in Wikipedia “is computer software that is available for use with no cost or for an optional fee. Freeware allows authors to contribute something for the benefit of the community, while at the same time allowing them to retain control of the source code, future direction of development and preserve its business potential. Freeware is different from shareware, where the user is obliged to pay (e.g. after some trial period or for additional functionality)”. There are also software that are available for grabs without any monetary support. Which I think is a really great idea. The computing world or the virtual world can be seen as a living community where people should helped each other to prosper. Sharing freeware over the net is one of the actions for these cause. As I observed from the construction of some freeware, it is not really complete “free”. I have come up with these because some freeware are still connected to other software that should be included or an added-up. But of course not all freeware are into these construction. Nowadays, more and more freeware are raising into immense numbers, that almost all application have a corresponding freeware. Some of these application and programs are the following: KML Generator 1.24, which this utility can be used to analyze GPS log files containing NMEA string data and then generate Google Earth (TM) compatible KML files, Auslogics Disk Defrag (disk defragmentation) disk fragmentation leads to system slowdowns, PC crashes, slow startups and shutdowns. It is also designed for fast optimization of modern hard disks, Digital Clip Factory creates slide shows using the "Ken Burns" motion effects with, music and transitions. Burn your movies to DVD or publish them to the web. "Pictures say more..." True, if you use Digital Clip Factory application to create those "Ken-Burns" effects you like and export it to a compatible Windows Media File. There is also a freeware called LingoPad which is a Multilingual Dictionary. It contains a German ? English dictionary; other dictionaries (Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, Kurdish, Norwegian or Arabic) can be downloaded as well. You can also import your own wordlists and use them parallel to the existing dictionaries. For each dictionary, a user dictionary can be defined to include additional wordlists. Having these kind of software available is a big help for those people who cannot afford to purchase expensive programs.

Some people mistakenly compare FREEWARE, SHAREWARE and Open Source. These three have different purposes as well as unlike definition. Freeware as stated is something that is downloadable without any monetary fund support, the user can create things on what the application is functional for without any expiration date. A criterion was also stated in Wikipedia where “the only criterion for being classified as freeware is that the software must be fully functional for an unlimited time with no cost, monetary or otherwise. The software license may impose restrictions on the type of use including personal use, individual use, non-profit use, non-commercial use, academic use, commercial use or any combination of these. For instance, the license may be "free for personal, non-commercial use". Everything created with the freeware programs can be distributed at no cost (for example graphics, documents, or sounds made by user). Shareware is different since the sharing is free but using it well cost you money. Its like posting an ad and when you contact them and buy from them, it is expected that you must pay. Open Source in the mean time, which I am aware of is also different from these two. Open Source are programs that are free but anyone can alter or modify the content of its source code for future development. It’s like a big project given to every developers in the world. Everyone can have the opportunity to examine the program and if any bugs or defects seen it can be changed. That is the advantage of open source software. There are also many people who can help whenever there is something wrong with the open source application since it is already being viewed by many experts.

So I can say that not all freeware are free. I think that it freeware is also concerned with its difficulty or use. If a freeware is in small packages and do not have any links to other application, then these things are fully free Another thing that may contribute to the distribution of these freeware is it availability. Any people can see different freeware almost everywhere. . But if freeware is given with an remarkable purpose, I think it is associated with other much bigger software which is not for free anymore. I think that all is business when it comes technology. It’s like a strategy to get attention of customers and users.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware
http://www.freewarehome.com/
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-freeware.htm

Holiday Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:34:00 +0000

Parties are all over during the Christmas vacation. I had attended some of it and was so happy to get way out for the hectic schedule in school. First of is the SCHolaRs party. The New wineskin family had a very entertaining celebration that made our bonds more closely with each other. The party was also dedicated to the real celebrant of the holidays.Mr. Gamboa also made a little party for his E-commerce student. An advance present because of their holiday trip in Hong Kong (i don’t know if its Hong Kong or Singapore). Well, anyways, thanks again sir.

Another thing that made me happy during the season is when my sisters came over to buy some things for the holiday. We went out together and bought gifts for our parents and for Monique (our little sis). The vacation I had was a little exhausting instead of a relaxing one. Me and my friend had to look for my sister in the hospital due to high fever. Its just so untimely since its Christmas and were suppose to be celebrating. It was to tiring that during the Christmas I was also suffering from fever. At least the New Year’s a bit cheerful since all of us are sick-free and away from the hospital.

Well, the holidays over and welcome back again to the frustrating and exhausting year in college.

Design Characteristics which affect customer experience in using Organisational Website

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:05:00 +0000

“how to judge a website depends not how beautiful it is but the accessibility it provides”

E-commerce done within the enormous realm of Internet handles competition which is indeed tight. Businesses must have a striking yet informative way of handling the design of their websites to enable the success of their commerce. Yet, when we say striking it is not only the attractiveness of the site but there are also other terms to which sites are to be judge. There is a quote given by an author of an article about SEO which states “A beautiful Website that gets no traffic and makes no money might as well be an ugly Website. An ugly Website that has traffic and makes money gets more beautiful by the dollar.” Observing and analyzing the quotation, sites don’t necessarily have colored images covered all over its page, moving objects and images as well as audio and video attachments. Even simple websites can be said as beautiful if it is working to its fullest and acting to its suppose function. Business online is much the same with the offline industry where advertisement and the presentation of the product is very vital in the progress of the business. Though it is being done differently, yet the concept is the same. Mostly, we see and observe business outside our homes where it contains models that promote their merchandise, seeing huge billboards and flyers posted all over the walls. Somehow it is done slightly diverse when dealing with the online processes. Webmasters and developers have observed that novice developers often make mistakes in improving their websites. In a network, there is a huge difference between beautiful and pleasant to the eye with sites functional and user-friendly, which will have a better chance of success. The webmaster should always bear in mind two things: optimizing for visitors and for search engines. If the time the page will seek to infinity, and the search robots will not be able to index your site, it is immaterial whether he was handsome and informative. When talking about design, it doesn’t mean that it must contain images and other moving pictures to say that the site is indeed richly in designing. Design also covers the navigation capacity of the site as well as its user-friendly interface. The website need and must look professional and trustworthy for the reason to build connection and rapport with clients and consumers. Confidence is a great factor that must be included with all businesses either it be online or offline. The webmaster should be able to see that the site must relay its function to its buyer thus creating a consumer confidence. Having a poorly designed website will cost sales. Poor website design is often the primary reason for a website’s failure. This is because it fails to engage the user. Connection is indeed important between the user and the website.
Just as how businesses is done, there are also legal actions and other governmental laws that governs the proceedings in the online business industry. There are web standards that preside over these processes. Web standards refers to guidelines set out by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These standards ensure websites look and feel consistent across a broad range of devices and platforms, as well as being accessible by internet users regardless of disability. Conformance with the WCAG 1.0 (and other W3C) guidelines will enhance the market share and audience reach of your Web site by increasing its general usability. Adoption of WCAG 1.0 recommendations also demonstrates the commitment to social responsibility and equity of access to information and services. In addition, many of the WCAG 1.0 checkpoints will directly improve the performance of certain Web services and reduce the maintenance effort required.
Because of the importance of design in the web developing, there are many points that I have researched and compiled through the observation and study of other developers through out there online business experiences. I have enumerated some of it.

1. Usability
- as researched users who can’t find their way around easily (usually between 5 and 30 seconds) will often leave your website. If the information contained on the website is difficult to read or poorly structured chances are users won’t be able to find what they were looking for.
Usability can be broken into the following categories:
1. Ease of learning (learnability) – where buyers and customers will have an easiness of learning the content of the site. What product it implies or what is it all about.
2. Efficiency of use (efficiency)- this means the effectiveness and the good organization of its content.
3. Memorability – these defines the quality of being worth remembering, websites must have an impact with its users that it can be remembered easily by the customers.
4. Error frequency and severity- also another indicator in the usability of a website, where the frequency of errors must be minimized to show usability of the site
5. Satisfaction- contentment of the user when visiting the site, this means that the reader of the site gets what they want out of a particular site.

2. Navigation and Navigational Bar
- As a general rule users should always be able to get back to the homepage of the particular site. Common practice is to make the website logo (usually in the top left hand side) link to the home page.
as describe in one of the articles about web designing states that the use of breadcrumbs provide an excellent navigation system and show exactly where a user is in relation to your entire website at any given time. This can be likened to a map at a shopping complex showing where you are and how you get everywhere else. The navigation bar is an important part of the web design. the webmaster will have to have a navigation bar place either at the top, or the side of the web page of the website. This is because the visitors to the site will be depending on these navigation bars to help them in their navigation of the site. Without an effective navigation bar, the visitors are bound to get frustrated with your website.

3. Keeping it clean and focused
- this means that when doing business, web developers don’t need to put every third party advertisements all over the page, since it can cause frustration and negative effects on the consumers. Don’t clutter the website with every widget or third party advertisement . Less is most definitely more where design is concerned, and two or three well-placed ads will attract much more attention than a host of flashing icons. Keeping the focused is also an necessity in having an effective website. In an article the author stated that developers must think about the purpose of the website design. What do they want people to do when they first visit? Browse the products? Subscribe to a newsletter? Download a catalogue? Enquire about a service? Whatever it is , make it obvious and incorporate a ‘call-to-action’ into the design.

4. Give the Website an Attractive 'Look and Feel'
design concerning fonts and images is still important in the site. There are some obvious question like :Why should a website look good? Why should it look professional? Because like the sign hanging over a store in the strip mall, the website reflects upon business. If the sign's lettering looks crude and homemade, people would tent to be judgmental.
Developers owe it to themselves to make their website look top-notch. To succeed, they’ll need some artistic flair, or perhaps hire a graphic designer's talents for the basic design and site graphics. If you are not comfortable with graphic designing or web designing, you will have to hire either a website designer or graphic designer to help you with the designing of your website. With the help of a professional designer, you will be able to create the perfect web design as they will be able to assess your internet needs.

They will be able to create a professional design for your website. Remember that these people have years of experience and skills backing them, making it all the more safer and better for you to approach them for advice on creating the right web design.
Besides seeking help from the professionals for the perfect web design, you have to also get a professional logo created by them for use on your website. With a logo, your business has a representation in public with which people will be able to remember you and your business better. With the right logo and web design, you will be able to set your business apart from other businesses and thus have a stepping stone to success.

5. Construct the Site to Be Search Engine Friendly
Each webpage construct needs to contain the following elements. Note the careful placement of keywords, the search words people would use to find this particular webpage.
Title -- provocative and descriptive, containing the most important keywords from that webpage, no more than 80 characters. This is what shows up hyperlinked in search engine results, so make people want to click on it.
Meta tags -- The description meta tag should include one or two sentences (up to about 250 characters) describing the contents of this particular webpage. Work into the sentence the most important keywords and keyphrases that occur on this page. Some search engines will display your description. I still include a meta keywords tag, since Yahoo currently uses it for indexing, though Google doesn't.
Headlines -- H1, H2, H3 in HTML parlance. Your headline and subheadings should include your important keyword at least once.
Body text -- The first paragraph of the content of your webpage article or text should contain the main keywords for that page.
Hyperlink text and filenames -- Search engines believe that the words contained in hyperlinks on your webpage (such as widget) are important, and thus rank them higher. If the filenames contained in the hyperlink URLs contain important keywords (such as widget.html for the filename of your widget order page), so much the better.

6. Increase Market Share and Audience Reach
another thing that would create a impact and importance to the consumers is the sites marketability and its capacity to reach vast audience. Increasing discovery, access and usability of the Web site for all visitors is a major benefit from applying many of the WCAG 1.0 checkpoints. Furthermore, the proportion of people with disabilities can range up to 20 percent in some populations. A significant portion of those people with disabilities - in some countries as many as 8% to 10% of the overall population - can benefit from Web sites' conforming with WCAG 1.0.

Clear and consistent navigation – this is still one of the most important part of a website. people often avoid a Web site after an initial visit because they encounter difficulties navigating complex collections of information or cannot find (or refind) the item they wanted. Applying the WCAG 1.0 recommendations for clear and consistent navigation will help reduce this problem. There are also terms to which websites will enhance their usability, among these are the following from the article entitled Auxiliary Benefits of Accessible Web Design:
Device independence because of situational usage - an increasing number of people use a variety of technologies to access the Web and the WCAG 1.0 techniques can expose critical content and facilitate interaction in all these situations.
o While the primary Web device for some may be a multimedia-capable desktop computer with a high-bandwidth connection, those same people, and others, may also choose to access the Web with personal digital assistants, mobile phone browsers, or other, less capable Web devices, possibly over lower-bandwidth connections.
o Some users may find themselves in noisy environments where audio content may not be easily heard; having a text-based alternative becomes critical.
o In some situations glare on a screen may make seeing video, or even text-based content, difficult so having content that can be rendered with a voice synthesizer can be beneficial.
o An increasing number of users will access the Web with hands-free/eyes-free devices.
Clear and understandable content - this will immediately increase the size and breadth of the audience that can benefit from your Web site.
Text alternatives
o "D" links and "longdesc" attribute - since the message you hope to convey with complex graphics such as photographs, graphs and diagrams may not be immediately obvious to (or even viewable by) some visitors a clear text description of what the image means or conveys can be a great boon to your audience.
o Text descriptions for multimedia files - for any number of reasons (and many are identified in this document) a significant number of users worldwide will not be able to access content contained in multimedia files. Providing alternative text-based content will significantly increase its availability.
o Captioning - audio content will not be accessible to all users. Providing alternative textual content will significantly increase the number of people who will "hear" your message.
Color contrast - contrasting colors for page background and text make for easier reading. Dark text on a light background is usually the best combination for non-visually impaired, but utilising style sheets for controlling text and background colors allows others to chose the best combination for their needs and current environment (in other words, they may choose one style sheet while at their desktop computer, and another while using their laptop or PDA at a meeting or on an airplane). Also be aware that 8% to 10% of the male population in many countries exhibit some form of color blindness.

References:
http://infopirate.org/_design-vs-functionality-what-important-your-business-project-network
http://www.davidairey.com/5-important-design-aspects-of-any-website-or-blog/
http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/12design.htm
http://www.roseindia.net/articles-directory/view-free-article/16095
http://www.dmreview.com/dmdirect/20041015/1011285-1.html
http://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/benefits.html
http://www.selfseo.com/story-18143.php
http://www.topclickmedia.co.uk/web-design-important-success-business.htm
http://www.melbourneit.com.au/successbox/website-tips/good-website-design-why-its-important

Role of internet technologies in enabling an organisation to obtain competitive advantage through B2B e-commerce

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:03:00 +0000

Business now faces its new phrase by the use of Internet, where most of the customer and the producer are doing transaction only in the virtual realm. It is undeniably true that almost all businesses have its corresponding web site to advertise their business to the public. Most of the people also are creating their business already in the virtual world or in the virtual market. The internet gives greater advantage both in the consumer as well as in the producer’s side. There are many processes that are cut off because of the direct linked of businesses in the internet. Markets are globally competitive even if it only has small funds in the beginning, because trade in the internet doesn’t require big requirements.

Companies are using exchange of information through the use of proprietary EDI systems. Although companies have been doing business electronically for many years using proprietary EDI systems, B2B commerce over the Internet remained in the early adopter stage at the start of the 2000s. The notion of an early adopter comes from a popular marketing theory which holds that buyers of a new product enter the market in several stages, starting with the early adopters who set the trends and ending with so-called laggards who purchase only after the vast majority has already bought. If B2B is still attracting mainly the early crowd, it suggests great potential for growth, as do the figures from the Census Bureau and private firms. However, another part of the theory suggests there is a gap, sometimes called a chasm that must be bridged between the early adopters and the early majority buyers; many products are believed to fail after doing well among early buyers but failing to catch on in the wider market. Whether B2B Internet commerce crosses the chasm remains to be seen. The same with the traditional way of marketing the internet doesn’t guarantee a 100 percent loyalty of customers. Businesses also have responsibility to maintain to be able to attract many customers not to mention the now growing competitiveness of companies regarding e-commerce. If anyone is having their customer a priority, they should have a flexible strategy that even in the change of trends can still cope up.
It was said that the economic slowdown that began in 2000 was expected to dampen the development of B2B e-commerce and decelerate the migration from proprietary EDI systems to the Internet. Because of this event in the industry many businesses was not able to easily transfer their means of information exchange to the internet. Starting to a new way could also mean a new investment a new capital, and because of the occurrence of striving within businesses it is not possible in the quickest way. All this came on top of the reality that corporate decision-makers were slow to adopt the benefits of B2B e-commerce, even though the technology was available. Some believe part of the problem has been that adopting B2B e-commerce could be challenging to the existing corporate culture. There are also a lot of barriers, ranging from a shortage of technology resources to competitive strategies.
Most and the often problem is interoperability between systems in companies. Often a prerequisite to certain types of B2B e-commerce is compatibility between a company's computer systems and the online exchanges or marketplaces where it seeks to conduct e-commerce. A survey by Computer Sciences Corp. found that in late 2000, less than 15 percent of North American businesses' Web sites had the ability to conduct business online. Other estimates of enterprises able to transact business online ranged up to 20 percent.
There are several reasons why businesses have remained on the sidelines of e-commerce. Small and mid-size suppliers appear to be waiting to see what kind of e-commerce initiatives their larger trading partners will undertake. Suppliers are faced with a choice of building their own Web site, selling over a public exchange, or joining the private exchanges of multiple trading partners. They may feel there is not enough demand from their customers to sell online. Also, many businesses do not have the internal information technology (IT) resources to enter into e-commerce. E-commerce operations typically require significant deployment costs and integration work, much more than simply offering a hosted Web site.
There are also many studies to which says that the first-generation B2B e-commerce Web sites were difficult for customers to use. Problems included too many Web pages to click through, distracting and unhelpful content, difficulty signing up for online service, and difficulty researching products. Next-generation B2B Web sites are expected to be more customer-friendly. They will incorporate such elements as personalization software that will reduce the number of click-throughs required. Other features will facilitate customer self-service, letting them check such things as inventory status on potential orders and track order shipping. Next-generation sites will reflect customer service as business's top priority, with companies leveraging the Internet to better serve their customers.

With the rapid growth of the Internet, organizations are increasingly using the Web to conduct business with greater speed, reach, and efficiency. This transformation is especially prevalent in business-to-business (B2B) commerce and trade. In many studies they had found out that many of the Fortune 500 companies have adopted e- procurement systems such as Ariba (see sidebar, “Ariba”), Commerce One, and mySAP. Many others participate as buyers in e-marketplaces, such as Commerce One MarketSet, Ariba Hosted Market Place, and IBM’s WebSphere Commerce Suite, Marketplace Edition (WCS MPE, or MPE for short), among others.

B2B buyers have diverse procurement systems, such as those offered by Ariba, Commerce One, and SAP, among others. Each of these procurement systems uses different B2B protocols for interaction with seller systems. Many of these protocols are proprietary and specific to the procurement system. Check attached example:
Ariba uses the punchout process between the Ariba Order Request Management System (ORMS) and seller systems using their Commerce XML (cXML, or Commerce Extensible Markup Language) specification for the messages. Commerce One uses XML Common Business Library (xCBL) as the format of messages, and mySAP uses the Open Catalog Interface (OCI; for a process similar to punchout) between buyer and seller systems.The following are some things that are being offered by the internet that enables competitive advantage in the B2B e-commerce:
Open Exchange of Information:
The internet present unlimited amount of information that no one could possibly limit it. Anyone can view the data of certain business and is able to compare it with others. Information also is not limited to time since the internet is open for the whole day, 24 hours a day, 7 day a week, thus everyone can view it.
Online Transaction: Online trust: security and privacy:
Having this advantage, business would not necessarily have many papers to fill up just to complete a transaction. In doing it in the web, one can easily done it without too much hassle. With the growing trust in the cyberspace, almost all transaction is now absolutely in good hands. Without consumer confidence in the safety, security, and privacy of information in cyberspace, there will be no e-commerce and no growth. Protecting information and communications on the Internet is an absolute prerequisite to the continued success of the Internet and the information economy.

Free and open international trade:
The web as it is defined is a linked to all connection in the whole wide world, thus the market in the cyberspace do not have any limits to its audience and customers. Closed markets and discriminatory treatment will stifle e-business. The Internet is a global medium, and the rules of the information economy must reflect that fact. Only in an open, free market will the Internet’s potential be realized.

Investing in an e-commerce technology infrastructure:
Because of the growing electronically driven business, government are also supporting and studying for ways to have a concrete structure in the internet. Supporting the physical infrastructure necessary to deliver digital content (primarily through telecommunications deregulation and government efforts to reduce the digital divide) is vital to spurring technological growth.

Speeding Things Up:
From an article in the E-commerce times , Martin Boyd, director of product marketing at Ariba (Nasdaq: ARBA) Latest News about Ariba, said the real-time aspect of future e-commerce technologies will allow users to engage in "threaded discussions" as they negotiate contracts and share data. The advantage of this is that all are able to see the latest updates and documents in the business.
Because of processes is being done over the internet, things are easily being done, things are speeding up to its high rate. That is why people are now engaged in doing business over the net.

Transactions are simplified:
The net is the home of all possible businesses around the world. From house equipment to the trendy gadget are all in the web. Even finding work is easily done in the internet. Doing the transaction is the internet is so easy to adopt and learn. One just simply have to fill up some information to transact, rather from the traditional ways that there are many needed papers and other documents to be filled and comply to be able to complete the transaction.

Reference:
http://www.business.com/directory/internet_and_online/ecommerce/b2b_markets/
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/businessline/iw/2000/05/28/stories/0728g101.htm
http://ecommerce.hostip.info/pages/141/Business-Business-B2B-E-Commerce.html
http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid182_gci214411,00.html
http://endeca.com/manufacturing/b2b-ecommerce.html

E-commerce: Trust through implementing security measures

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:58:00 +0000

It is true that trust is the greatest aspect in having transactions in the web. Trust is something that one could not easily be given to people that he doesn’t know completely. As I was being introduced to online transaction in my early years as an IT student, I am amazed to how people transact and some questions arises: Do the people have the assurance that the owner or developer of that site they are subscribing be truthful to their contracts? Why does people easily and fully trust these people? Do the government have any laws for these? Are they sure that the site is not a fraud or something? Something that only gets money and then disappear in an instant? These are just the few questions that came into my mind as e-commerce had been initiate to my understanding.
Trust is a major challenge to the consumer acceptance of e-commerce: the lack of trust is an important reason for the hesitant growth in e-commerce and for the reluctance of consumers to engage in online buying transactions. Communicating trustworthiness is therefore a major challenge, companies encounter.

Trust is a concept everybody understands at some personal level, but most people will have trouble enunciating a specific definition of the concept. Some people will have strict measures they use to evaluate their level of trust in a person or company, while others rely on a more subjective "feel" for determining whether to trust somebody.
There are many different ways to which department of the government act upon the need of security in terms of trust issues when it comes to transactions being done over the net. An example of this is in an article by Eric Enge, Search Engine Watch, He had spoken about this issue at length with Nigel Ravenhill, Director of Marketing Communications at ScanAlert, the people who offer the HackerSafe service. This service audits and certifies your Web site's e-commerce infrastructure as being secure. Putting their logo on your site assures the consumer (or your B2B customer) that the information they submit to your site will be protected from, well, hackers.
Some of the cues a user may look for while evaluating trustworthiness in a commerce site:

Is the site professional?
Have the designers taken care to create a coherent interface, or is the site the apparent product of somebody learning how to code HTML? Does the site have typos, grammatical errors, useless animation, or any of a slew of other problems that indicate that the designers or implementers don't know what they are doing? If they can't design a good site, why expect them to be able to handle commerce transactions and fulfillment? Personally, I won't deal with any site that uses the Comic Sans font face because it shouts "built by an amateur" to me.
Does the information architecture make sense?
If the organization of information doesn't appear to have been carefully designed, why expect the site designers to have thought much about fulfillment and payment systems?
Is the site easy to navigate?
Can I find the product I want to buy? Is it easy for me to browser the site looking for interesting things I might want to buy? If the designers can't make the site easy enough to navigate around, why would I trust them to have made a backend that works?
Is the site easy to use?
Can I access and use the site and its offered functionality? Can I search, browse, and purchase from the site? If I can't, because of my browser and preferred browser configuration, then the site designers are telling me that they don't want my business.
Are my questions answered?
If I'm concerned about security or privacy, can I find information that addresses these concerns without having to email a faceless answer-bot? If the designers didn't think about my possible needs before I made my purchase, why expect them to handle my needs after they have my money?
Do other people trust this site?
What's the word about this site? Have customers received their orders correctly?
Am I familiar with this company?
Have I had good experiences with this company before, on or off the web?
Are the prices reasonable?
Is the price realistic or just too cheap? Will they hit me with an outrageous shipping charge to balance the low price?

Ensuring Web Site Security

People do not usually trust some sites that present amazing offers. To ensure these information as well as that of the information of the consumer, servicers are being used. Among these are the following:

HackerSafe
has been subjected to A/B testing by a large number of retailers, where half of their visitors see the HackerSafe certification, and half do not. Visitors who saw the HackerSafe logo converted at a 14 percent higher rate on average. Pretty significant.

ScanAlert
has published additional research that provides further visibility into shopping behavior on the Web. What ScanAlert did was examine in detail the elapsed time between a user's first visit to an e-commerce Web site (measured by setting a cookie), and the visit in which they purchased something (latent conversion delay). To make this more interesting, they started measuring this back in May 2005, and have continued to measure it through May 2007, allowing to see how this behavior has changed over time. ScanAlert has participated in 480 tests by 470 organizations covering a wide range of e-commerce activities.

A few interesting points emerge immediately:

1. Purchases taking less than 1 hour dropped from 50 percent to 43 percent. These are the purchases that may have taken place on one visit.
2. Purchases taking longer than 3 hours grew from 40 percent to 44 percent. The majority of these purchases were probably multi-visit in nature.
3. 30 percent of all purchases took more than one day. So if they are an e-commerce site, know that there is a lot of money on the table when it comes to capturing people for multiple visits to your site.
4. People requiring more than three days went up 23 percent (from 21 percent to 26 percent).
5. 18 percent of purchases took more than one week, a 28 percent increase from 2005.

Arguably, most of e-commerce purchases are based on more than one visit to an e-commerce Web site. Why would this be? Most likely, it's because of comparison shopping in action. More and more consumers have the Web savvy to understand how to compare options, and they look at other places where they can buy the same goods.

The Importance of Trust and Safety

ScanAlert also did some additional tests of the impact of its HackerSafe service on these latent conversions. ScanAlert's data show that for those people requiring more than three days to buy (24 percent of all purchases measured), the HackerSafe logo resulted in a 34 percent lift in purchases, as compared to a 14 percent lift overall. What this suggests is that trust and safety are major factors in the behavior of these more hesitant shoppers. So price is not the only issue at hand.

This suggests online retailers should look at strategies for projecting trustworthinessWill it frighten users away or convince them that you are the real deal? Nigel also suggests that offering users an option to provide you with an email address is a smart idea. Users who are not ready to buy may be willing to hear what you have to say, and may well provide you with the opportunity to get back to them. Following up with an emailÂ containing a special offer is an excellent way to increase that latent conversion rate.

E-Commerce Security
When someone is shopping for something over the net, what assurance could they get to know that it is not a fraud? How do you know that the data you enter will be protected as it flies across the Internet?
The de facto mechanism for ensuring e-commerce security is the digital certificate.
In fact, the sole goal of digital certificates is to make sure online shoppers feel secure, by authenticating the legitimacy of the certificate owner and by protecting your sensitive data.
Digital certificates are issued by a third-party certificate authority. The certificate authority will only issue a digital certificate after they have thoroughly checked out a company.
Once you get a digital certificate, you can post a logo on your website. Presumably, customers who see a digital certificate logo prominently displayed on your site will trust you considerably more than if you didn't have the digital certificate. They know that you've gone through a vetting process and that the personal data they submit to your site will be encrypted.
This is one of the ways to which organization or individual customer have a strong and assured bind to the site they are purchasing to. A digital certificate to be able to check the reliability of the site and knowing that the information you have given them would not be used by others or be hacked.
Privacy in E-Commerce Transactions

There are also issues after the customer had done inputting their information. Does the merchant sell those information to others? What assurance does the customer have to know that their privacy are being protected?

E-commerce companies can show prospective customers that they take privacy seriously by applying for a displaying a TRUSTe privacy seal.

The TRUSTe seal tells customers that the company practices good privacy policies. In order to obtain the seal, the e-commerce site must have a privacy policy that complies with TRUSTe's privacy guidelines.

E-Commerce Reliability
If you've taken care of your e-commerce security issues and assured customers that you are a trustworthy partner who will protect their privacy, what's left to prove?
The last frontier of building e-commerce trust is conveying to customers that you are a company that delivers on its promises.
Surprisingly, there are e-commerce companies out there who have digital certificates and TRUSTe seals but who completely fail the reliability test. For example, maybe they promise an order will be delivered in a few days and then they take weeks to deliver instead.
If you believe your service levels are excellent and want to convey that to customers, check out these programs.
Here are also components of a commerce site that suggest trustworthiness from the article of Derek Sisson entitled A thoughtful approach to web site quality. ecommerce | Trust & Trustworthiness:

1. Seals of Approval -- Symbols, like VeriSign and Visa, designed to re-assure the visitor that security has been established. The companies that provide these seals of approval are referred to in this report as "security brands.
2. Brand -- The corporation's promise to deliver specific attributes and its credibility based on reputation and the visitor's possible previous experience.
3. Navigation -- The ease of finding what the visitor seeks. If the information architecture of your site doesn’t make sense, customers will doubt your ability to serve them. In the same way that cleanliness and layout affects a brick and mortar experience, problems such as poor navigation, broken links and broken images erode customer confidence in your brand.
4. Fulfillment -- Clearly indicates how orders will be processed, and provides information on how to seek recourse if there are problems.
5. Presentation -- Design attributes that connote quality and professionalism. Even if customers don’t have any artistic inclinations, they intuitively know if your website design sucks. Your website doesn’t have to do a fancy song and dance, it just needs a professional, clean design that instills confidence in your brand.
6. Technology -- State of the art connotes professionalism, even if it's difficult to use.

These are just steps to which customer can assure that the site they are buying to would meet their agreed transaction. Having a transaction online without seeing the one you are doing business to requires a great deal of trust. E-commerce also requires this kind of deal to its customers, steps should be followed by buyers to ensure that the site is not a fraud. E- commerce replacing the traditional way of purchasing should be taken seriously because of its impact in the society. Organization must have appropriate law or regulation to protect customers from hackers lurking in the depths of the internet waiting for someone to a victim of their nasty works.

Reference:
http://searchenginewatch.com/3626363
http://www.gaebler.com/Conveying-Trustworthiness-in-E-Commerce.htm
http://www.philosophe.com/commerce/trust.html
http://www.palmerwebmarketing.com/blog/helping-customers-trust-your-website/

Emerging Technology: Technology at Constant Change

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:54:00 +0000

Just like all other things: “Technology is in constant change”

Today, it is very much obvious and apparent how technology is driven in fast paced. All aspect of how human lived have a corresponding technology that is also developing even as we speak. Development is rapidly changing that emerging new technology can be expected in the coming years. People are so smart to create a technology to almost all things that has to do with how we work and how lives would be better as time passes. People tend to be aggressive each progress the technology show, if it is successful they find other ways to make it more simpler and applicable to people. Most people see future associated with the computer but Technology cannot be limited to computers only. There are also other things that are now being developed by developers to help other aspect and field of man for us to be able to excel in ways.

People don’t question why many are so attracted to new technology. The answer is very evident that even children can determine. At present there are new things discovered, better way of living our lives, new lifestyles and innovative means of having a standard living. All new problems brought about by technology drives people to look for other means to answer these problems. Thus, new technology are surfaced and emerge. Today, ways for new discoveries knows no limit and defies any boundaries that almost any thing in the world have its parallel technology.
As observed by today’s technology, people are attracted to what’s new and what’s in. Communication is one of the prominent field and area of innovation. Cellular phones had been seen to its full transformation from simple texting to the power of 3g and video calling. Cellular phones also have the ability and power to transact business using the internet. Connection to the internet is not a problem anymore since people can easily link to it regardless of the time and place they are in the moment. Business is also improving in terms of online commerce. More and more people are attracted to the transact online because of cutting off unnecessary middleman and cutting off payment thus business is effective and being practiced by people who have knowledge of the benefits done when doing business online, (just remember to identify the fraud sites!). Even in learning their are also breakthroughs. E-learning had been popular to the students and instructor because of its benefit and advantage to both sides. E- learning is very much applicable when students have conflicting hours, and talking about distance. With E-learning, students can learn many things even if the instructor is in the United States and the students are in the Philippines, that’s the power of technology. Though in my opinion, a full blown E-learning is not that effective, I still prefer a class being done in a classroom. Though E-learning have its advantage, I think that it could be better to combine the two motivate the students in their schooling. In medicine, there are also numerous technology that are capable of curing ailments and diseases that is incurable way back in the past years. We can really say that technology had done its part in the human beings living.

In answering what’s new in terms of technology, one cannot possibly state all of the new breakthrough since people are very smart that almost all corners of how people lived is being covered with new inventions and technology. There are technology concerning energy, transportation, Information technology, Biotechnology, Robotics, Material Science and even in the household equipments there are also new innovations. There are numerous technology that are starting to pave its way in the upcoming years. Guiness Book of Records has come out with some new records for technology.

Cellular Phones
Among these is the world’s lightest cell phone is the modu. It weighs only 40.1 g. It is manufactured by modu in Israel and was launched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The modu is just 72.1 mm tall, 37.6 mm wide and 7.8 mm thick. It has a full color screen and 1 GB of internal memory for music and pictures. Cellular phones are now having new ways in development. Almost every year there are new improvements. Just like the modu, where its structure had been highly develop. As technology heightens the smaller the cellular phones become and the greater capacity it holds.

Transportation
There are also new development in ways of transportation. An example of this is the fully submersible sports car. It is the Rinspeed sQuba car. It is manufactured by Rinspeed of Switzerland. It was presented at the Geneva Motorshow. This open-top car can be driven on land, float on the surface of water and steered below water by a driver wearing breathing apparatus. The sQuba is also environmentally friendly, powered by lithium ion batteries. Another technology that concerns with the transportation is now being studied in Japan. They are expecting to have a mass-produced electric cars. It is now coming closer to reality. The makers are trying to polish the image of what experts say could be a hard sell in the current recession. The concept and the potential application for new technology regarding transportation concern the greener and less pollution emission of today’s transportation vehicles. Among these are Electric cars, Personal rapid transit which is a conventional rail/bus public transport that would reduce need for everyone to own their own car. There is also the Crower six stroke engine which is a conventional four-stroke engine and two-stroke engine. The Scramjet which the purpose is to travel at faster speed.

Tech Gadgets
There are also Tech gadgets that are now being develop that is marketable and available in the upcoming years. Among these gadgets are the Projector Phones, Bracelet Video Player and the Electronic Key Finder. The Projector Phone, The Tri Brand Phone made by Chinavision is a GSM/GPRS Touchscreen Cell Phone with a built in projector which allows you to project pictures, videos, address and phone data or anything you like onto a wall. The Tri Brand Phone is already selling like hot cakes and one reason for that is because of the affordable pricing. The Tri Brand Phone also include multimedia functions such as digital camera for photos taking and video recording, mp3/mp4 playing functions, e-book reader and 1800mah battery for long battery usage. The projector phones are now leafing its way in the market because it has new application that could make people be productive in there everyday life. Bracelet Video Player, Bracelet media player made with e-paper is a concept media bracelet produced by the Chocolate Agency Company. It has a very thin but flexible display that can be bent on both sides. The bracelet can be unrolled to work as a video player and can play movies and video clips. This gadget requires no batteries as it charges itself using the kinetic energy produced by the person who wears it. New gadgets today are showing a new trend in getting its power supply. Just like the Bracelet Video Player that it doesn’t require batteries o make it functional. Today, other means of getting power is the new way for the upcoming years. Electronic Key Finder, The gadgets for automotive industry are also coming into prominence, one particular gadget is for finding car keys that are lost by defining location of your keys. This gadget is called the Electronic Key Finder and works with any kind of keys with metal. The Electronic Key Finder has a range of 300 feet and works by attaching a key ringer to your car keys that respond with a loud alarm and bright flashing lights whenever you press a button.
Biotechnology and Medical Equipments
Among these technology is the Genetic engineering which is now having an ongoing research and development. Its potential technology is within the animal husbandry and Plant breeding. Genetic engineering, recombinant DNA technology, genetic modification/manipulation (GM) and gene splicing are terms that apply to the direct manipulation of an organism's genes. Genetic engineering is different from traditional breeding, where the organism's genes are manipulated indirectly; genetic engineering uses the techniques of molecular cloning and transformation to alter the structure and characteristics of genes directly. There motive is to create and modify species for the upcoming years. It is also expected to have the Nootropics technology which are drugs that improve memory or cognition in healthy or aged populations. The anti- aging drug is now also in testing, most of this technology can only be seen in movies but now it is now being develop for the purpose of Life extension.
There are also new technology and are also developing today to be applicable for the forthcoming years. An example of this is a laboratory equipment that will help fight cancer. It is the Cyberknife. The Cyberknife is not a real knife. It is a robot radiotherapy machine which works with great accuracy during treatment, thanks to its robotic arm which moves around a patient when he breathes. According to BBC News, the first Cyberknife will be operational in February 2009 in London, UK. But other machines have been installed in more than 15 countries, and have permitted to treat 50,000 patients in the first semester of 2008. And the Cyberknife is more efficient than conventional radiotherapy devices. The current systems require twenty or more short sessions with low-dose radiation. On the contrary, and because it’s extremely precise, a Cyberknife can deliver powerful radiation in just three sessions. The CyberKnife System uses image guidance software to track and continually adjust treatment for any patient or tumor movement. This sets it far ahead of other similar treatments. It allows patients to breathe normally and relax comfortably during treatment.” And it “uses pencil beams of radiation which can be directed at any part of the body from any direction via a robotic arm;”. This is the new face of medical technology that could be expected for the coming years of technological development. There are also other medical breakthroughs that are being studied to be applicable and usable for the next few years.

Outer Space Technology
Life outside the planet is also being a breakthrough with every scientist in the world. Because of the population burst, it is being predicted that maybe human being could lived in moon. Just like the students from the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech where they are developing dwelling colonies on the moon and can be built with new, highly durable bricks.

Information Technology
The most popular field of development is the IT. It has many extendable areas where people can have any developments. Among these is the Artificial Intelligence, that is being directed to the human brains to create intelligent devices. It is also anticipated the rise of the screenless display that its potential application is the augmented reality and the virtual reality. Screenless video describes systems for transmitting visual information from a video source without the use of a screen.
Visual Image screenless display includes any screenless image that the eye can perceive. The most common example of Visual Image screenless display is a hologram. Arguably, virtual reality goggles (which consist of two small screens but are nonetheless sufficiently different from traditional computer screens to be considered screenless) and heads-up display in jet fighters (which display images on the clear cockpit window) also are included in Visual Image category. In all of these cases, light is reflected off some intermediate object (hologram, LCD panel, or cockpit window) before it reaches the retina. In the case of LCD panels the light is refracted from the back of the panel, but is nonetheless a reflected source.
The 3d display is also foreseen as a new of displaying new technology. It is applicable to television, computer interfaces and cinemas. The development of these technology can create realistic viewing. A 3D display is any display device capable of conveying three-dimensional images to the viewer. It is called automultiscopic display at a new type of three-dimensional display recently introduced on the market holds great promise for the future of 3D visualization, communication, and entertainment. It is desired to acquire images of real-world 3D scenes and display them as realistic 3D images.
Preparations for the new Technology
Preparation or any processes of what to be one if these technology comes is not really a problem. It is because if these technology is being applied thus it is needed by people or there are applications for the betterment of the world. The only thing that people must bear in mind that we are held accountable for the success of these new innovations and breakthroughs. New technology cannot really change the way we lived if we are irresponsible of these technology given to us. Thus, we must use them properly and never abuse it just for the purpose of greediness and other mean things.

Reference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_display
http://etech.eweek.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-temperature_superconductivity
http://www.techamazing.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emerging_technologies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanomaterials

Effects of Technological Change in our Society and Strategies used in the Philippines to address the Skills Shortage

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:43:00 +0000

Technology had become a trend to almost all aspect of the future nowadays. All had been conforming to how technology behaves. From the creation of new machines to the uses of micro gadgets that are now gaining recognition to the population. As far as technology is concerned, almost all new created and establish things are in line with how technology affects it. Traditional ways of doing things are now beginning and slowly diminishing as new improved ways are starting to emerge. Even from the start of studying technology there are some downsides to its benefits. Technology is always viewed as a two way thing, giving benefits to the people and on the other side creates undesirable effect to the society as well as to the environment. Society today can be differentiate automatically to the way it looks and feel way back many years ago. There are many aspects and fields to which technology had affect the way people lived. From everyday living to political, social, economical and ethical issues of human beings. People had change greatly as technology had also been improving. All of which how men are doing their works is also where the application of technology is functional. It is because technology is improving to help and address the needs of people in their application, whether to make work easier or to take pleasure and bliss out of the product from technology. If all would be enumerated to discuss all the effects of technology to how society now changes would have a long list of items. People are now discovering things that are to address their needs. Even communication is now very effective that distance is not an issue anymore. Even of greater distance, many people are able to be in touch with each other. Exchange of information and business is also possible even without buildings or any big stores to establish commerce.

Talking about society, it is conveys almost all parts of the community, individualism to groups of people and how they cooperate and live with each other. Through the development of technology many side of how people live also alleviate in a very great pace. Here are some things to which technology are affecting the community the greatest.

Communication
Communication had been developing even in the earlier days by the use of telephone and the use of radio and telegraph in the purpose of exchanging messages to distant places. Today, the population have telephones as a means of necessity. All have this kind of gadget to be able to be in touch and be connected 24/7 to the world. Cellular phones are also now very effective and efficient not just as an accessory but as a guide to everyday living of people. There are many applications that could be installed into this small gadget that could give many uses. Example of these applications is having a dictionary in the phone which is very helpful as guide, and also the conversion of many measurements.

Lifestyle
People are greatly affected to the progress of technology that even everyone’s lifestyle also changes. People live differently to how they are used to in the past years. When technology is very reachable and human beings are very much willing to adapt this kind of technology, change is not a very impossible path. Technology had greatly improved the way people are living. It develops the standard of living. Every action of men correspond a specific machine that could help men one way or another. Examples of these are computers to which people are doing almost the electronic works. For leisure times, as also discussed in our Future Technology subject, entertainment concerning the gaming console is of now in high definition that it is almost like life like that you can easily be addicted to it. The music industry is also in greater pace in development. More and more develop machines are now more capable of handling greater amount of data in terms of music files. Gadgets are also handling many features like having a screen for viewing the music video.
Technology also affects people in many different ways. Example of this is how people work. Before, many businesses are doing most of its transactions using only paper to list the day to day operations as well as the billings. Systems are now being developed and highly utilized by businesses to make their processes more effective than the traditional ways of doing it.
Doing business is also possible even if not having a physical presentation. Anyone can transact processes online as long as he or she has a credit card or digital money. The web offers many things that one could possibly imagine, from business to advertising and also to communication and gaming. Businesses consist of buying things online and selling products. Advertising also are in line to the businesses. Anyone can also book flights through the use of the internet. You can also have a reservation in a hotel even without being there.
Learning had been also in the verge of fully developing the use of technology by having its e-learning strategy. More and more students are now having forums and discussion using the internet. Classes are having their learning in the web. It is not necessary to be physically present in the classroom to be said you are doing great in school. This is also another way to which we can say that technology had greatly affect the way the society behaves nowadays. Because of the changes that are brought about by technology, people are conforming to it to be able to stay in way with how technology is moving.
Because technology has an immense effect to the population, people who are knowledgeable are also necessary to be able to drive the technology in advancement. People should be able to know how to deal with this kind of industry so that the Filipinos would not rely on the help of other foreign developers. As observed there are small numbers of individuals who are engage in this kind of industry. Only little part of the incoming freshmen in college is in the Computing department. And if they are in the Technology department, most of the subjects are not in line with the demands of the market. Since businesses walks hand in hand with technology, there are also a great demand for people that could sustain the balance in having technology to be effective in the Philippines. Technological skills are now having its shortage that Filipinos must study it to be able to cope up with its demand. The government must give way to new proceeding to address these skill shortages.

Cause of Skill Shortage is Complex

Skill shortages could be traced back to the faulty educational system, myopic policy of labor export and pervasive technical change.

There is a study researched by the Department of Labor and Employment which cited that educational flaws stemmed up from poor curriculum, inadequate teacher's training, and low public and private investment in education. The policy emphasis of broadening access to education resulted to sacrificing quality as resource requirements became dispersed. Mismatches between industry requirements and educational preparation of new entrants to the labor force also exist.

The policy of encouraging the export of labor also contributed to the skill shortage. The study opined that the task of dealing with skill shortage is less urgent compared to the malaise of labor surplus.

Of course with fast-changing technologies demand for new skills would render some existing skills obsolete.

There are several ways by which Multinational Corporations in the Philippines deal with the problems of skill deficiencies and shortages. The most common ones are expatriation, recruitment, job outsourcing and training.

1. Expatriation. Results revealed that hiring expatriates in filling vacancies in MNCs is seldom done. Of the surveyed MNCs only 17 percent of managers and less than 1 percent of professional and technical staff are expatriates. The reasons being are the large base of employment hopefuls and the labor market restrictions on the employment of foreigners in the country.
2. Recruitment. Notwithstanding the large pool of applicants, the MNCs still experienced the lack of qualified applicants. Thus, they are employing various modes of recruitment to ensure the competitiveness of the selection process.
3. Job Contracting. More than four-fifths of the Philippine sample were found to outsourced one or several tasks. The most commonly outsourced tasks are those that would require general skills such as maintenance, security and clerical. The main motivation by MNCs for job contracting is to keep its permanent staff lean but mean and for greater flexibility. Multinationals tend to maintain permanent platilla position for firm-specific skills.
4. Training. Sample MNCs indicated that high proportion of employees in all ranks has been exposed to various forms of training whether internal or external to the company as a means of correcting skill deficiencies. Manufacturing firms located in the Philippines tend to spend higher training expenditures compared to Malaysia but lower when compared to those situated in Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Training expenditures for business and services firms were found to be lesser in Indonesia and Malaysia but greater in Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand as compared to the Philippines.

Reference:
http://www.dole.gov.ph/news/details.asp?id=N000000764
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_and_society
http://www.dole.gov.ph/news/details.asp?id=N000002261
http://www.tesda.gov.ph/page.asp?rootID=4&sID=154&pID=34
http://www.practicalaction.org/?id=technology_in_society

Technology as a contributor to Climate Change

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:38:00 +0000

Global Warming as defined by Microsoft Encarta is a term denoting the accelerated warming of the Earth’s surface due to anthropogenic (human activity-related) releases of greenhouse gases due to industrial activity and deforestation. As stated human activities holds a lot of account when dealing with the rapid warming of the Earth. Global Warming or climate change is already happening and represents one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing the planet. There are many governmental organizations that are committed to working constructively for a global agreement to control climate change, and is leading the way by taking ambitious action of its own.
The warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level. The Earth's average surface temperature has risen by 0.76° C since 1850. Most of the warming that has occurred over the last 50 years is very likely to have been caused by human activities.
Climate change is a global issue that will affect all of us. If we work together and take immediate action we can stop dangerous climate change. Industrialised countries need to reduce greenhouse pollution by 20% by 2020, and by 80% by the middle of the century, if we are to combat climate change. Global warming is a topic on many people's minds right now. From elementary school students to advanced researchers, politicians to business leaders, questions abound regarding what global warming is (or is not), why it is happening (or is not), and what can and should be done about it.

Climate change is due to the warming of the earth but necessarily means as the greenhouse effect. As described Greenhouse Effect is a good thing for life on Earth. The problem arises because humankind is adding to the effect by increasing the amounts of CO2 and a few other gases in the atmosphere, notably methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). This results in the enhanced greenhouse effect, or “global warming”. Global warming is being defined as a severe emission of gasses that affects or contributes to the heating or radiation inside the atmosphere of the Earth. As the technology is being develop throughout the entire world, more and more people as well as industries have things that contributed to Global Warming. Carbon Dioxide is among the greatest gasses that constitute to the warming that leads to a dangerous climate change in the near future. Most industries includes many processes that includes the burning of elements and chemicals that emits carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The fact that they come from economic activities that are so pervasive to human society largely explains why global warming control is so complicated and so controversial. CO2 is emitted from the burning of fossil fuels, so that most electricity production and most industrial activity contribute to global warming. Thus, all of the industry as well as household that have electricity would still contribute to the immense warming of the world. Still seeing the reality of how technology develops even in a very short period of time, many industry would rise as well as many would soon develop in one or another form. Human activities that contribute to climate change include in particular the burning of fossil fuels, agriculture and land-use changes like deforestation. These cause emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main gas responsible for climate change, as well as of other 'greenhouse' gases. To bring climate change to a halt, global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced significantly. These will demand massive amount of electricity as well as many industrial raw materials to be able to create products that is of demand by the company. Many people would also be into these technology change since it is the trend. Industries would require electricity, a lot of establishments and great effort from man power. If man power is to be taken out and be replaced by mechanical means, thus electricity would still be needed to run this kind of machines. Since gasoline, kerosene, and diesel are fossil fuels, they too contribute, which means that the entire transport sector is implicated. These facts means that all the development n the transportation aspect would also lead to the warming of the earth. From the simple creation and establishments of cars to the high technology means of transportation, this would be contributors to the climate change. Transportation again, is one of the favorite field in which technology is very much fond of innovation. Considering the vast number of transportation vehicles in the world, it is very much expected that global warming if not prevent would create a massive effect in the world. Not just the industry of business but as individuals as well. Methane is also emitted from fossil fuel burning, but also from gas pipeline leaks and from decomposing vegetation. Methane emissions are therefore associated with livestock and with rice growing. Nitrous oxide comes from fossil burning and fertilizers. The burning of forests also contributes significantly to CO2 emissions.

Technology is being seen to bind the world in the most swift range of time. And as expected, technology is always bound to its electrical needs. Seeing these problems, individuals should be aware that everyone is responsible to this kind of phenomena. Every person contribute to this problem, every action that somehow corrupt the naturally processes in the world could contribute to the global warming and leading to the horrifying effect of climate change. Given these facts and having my position as an It individual, it is to my understanding that there are things that I could suggest to somehow have an action that would serve as a response to the global warming problem of almost all of the people. It doesn’t mean that since it is a global problem, only the people in the higher position could act and must be responsible in having appropriate actions but instead all must be in cooperation to ensure the success of every action being planned. If a certain individual would be first to be doing some actions, it would still me pointless if others would not follow and still continue to be in practice that contribute to the emission of these gasses. The steps that i would follow and introduce to the public would be the following:

1. Awareness of Global Warming through the use Technology
Any actions that would not be properly promoted or being announced would be pointless. If there is any advocacy that should be taken by all, it must start by knowing what is it all about and what it have that should be taken seriously. Critical assessments should be discussed not by professional but by all people from the lowest status in the society to the powerful individuals. There should be enough presentation of how global arming could cause a very severe destruction of the earth if not be prevented and minimized. People must see the factual figures of the current events of how the earth behaves and how it is expected to be in the upcoming years. Showing of simulated effects should be manifested in the population to be viewed seriously. All possible effects and events should be shown if any mean practices is still being continued knowing that if still persisted known terrible effects would not just be a envision of the future but would be seeing there own self inside of that world. People should also be conscious of the grounds that they are leaving, the Earth is not just a place that could be harmed and mistreated after all the resources is being used up. The earth is a place that should be kept healthy and beautiful no matter what technology is being developed for the years to come.
Putting my knowledge in this kind of situation, I would head a team that are putting there concern in having action in the protection of the planet. There would be strategic planning to be able to have a concrete structure of how things should be taken into actions. Presentation should also be catchy, all images should be added to have a greater impact in the public. IT people should start in the environment to which they are living in. It is where they should start. Spreading by mouth. And of course using the most effective way of exchanging information, the Internet. There are many ways to which internet should be put into action. Having forums to discuss it, and making professors to pass the information to their respective students, and the most popular is by blogging. Any new information or concerns would be in blogs and thus be propagated more effectively for those people who doesn’t have any knowledge about it.

2. Know what contributes to the Global warming and act accordingly
The main element that contribute to the global warming is undeniably the emission of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. Thus, actions that should be taken should also be in line with the reduction of emission of this gas in the atmosphere. Here are some actions that should be taken to lower and minimized the release of carbon dioxide in the air.

Car related carbon emissions

Take public transport, bike or walk whenever possible. It saves carbon emissions and money.

Choose a less polluting car – a fuel-efficient car can save up to 20 tonnes of greenhouse gas and up to $10.000 on fuel over its lifetime. New diesel cars are generally more efficient than petrol.

Drive cars efficiently: Drive smoothly and avoid start-stop traffic

Ensure tyres are pumped up to maximum pressure so that they run smoothly

Remove unnecessary weight from your car as well as unused roof racks and other features which create more air drag

Carpool whenever possible

Get your air conditioner checked regularly for leaks and keep the filters clean. Use it only when absolutely necessary.

Offset the carbon emissions from your car

Carbon emissions from water heating

Buy a solar or gas energy efficient water heater – look for environmentally friendly labels

Take shorter showers and avoid using baths

Avoid rinsing dishes under running hot water

Avoid using small amounts of hot water when cold water will do (e.g. to wash your hands) – it saves the carbon emissions needed to heat the cold water in the pipes

Switch off your hot water system when you’re going away for a few days

Fix dripping taps

Ensure exposed hot water pipes are well insulated

Carbon emissions from electricity & appliances

Switch appliances off at the power point

Switch to low Watt TV’s and switch them off when you are not watching

Switch computers and equipment off when they are not in use. Also, adjusting a computer screen’s brightness lower can cut greenhouse emissions by a quarter.

Choose energy efficient models when buying new equipment. Get rid of old, polluting equipment (e.g. leaking fridges and inefficient washing machines)

There is no need to rinse dishes under hot water before putting them into the dishwasher. This can actually use more hot water that the dishwasher itself!

Wash clothes in cold water when possible

Avoid running washing machines and dishwashers only half-filled

Use gas and microwave cooking rather than electrical cooking. It produces only 30-50% of the greenhouse gases produced by ordinary electric plates.

Try cooking larger amounts to freeze and re-heat in the microwave.

Install energy-efficient lighting indoors and outdoors. We provide energy efficient light bulb installations, including downlights, for a discounted price.

Switch to green power. It is not more expensive than a non-green power plan and reduces your footprint drastically.

Other means:

Cut general product consumption of those products which generate a lot of greenhouse gases such as water, metal, paper, glass and plastic.

Minimise and recycle waste. Take a bag when you go shopping rather than bringing home new plastic bags.

If you have a garden, you could set up a worm farm – it saves carbon emissions and produces excellent fertilizer

Buy local, organic products

Plan your holidays close to home

Insulate your house to reduce the heating and cooling energy loads required

3. Using Technology to solve what harm it brought

Technology must not be seen as the main reason to which the planet is experiencing this phenomena, because as technology is concerned it also have many plans to be acted upon the problem of the people. Not by taking out the industry but by alternatives that would minimize it. Developed and developing countries are equally anxious to avoid the sort of cut-backs, or restrictive energy policies, which would undermine their industrial growth or competitiveness. What everyone wants are solutions which are not only good for the planet, but also good for business and good for development. Technological innovation is seen as the best hope of delivering this triple whammy.

Technological solutions are needed for the challenges of both mitigation and adaptation, as they are referred to in climate change terminology. Mitigation is about slowing down global warming by reducing the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Among the many mitigation technologies already on – or nearing – the market are renewable energy sources, such as biofuels, biomass, wind, solar and hydro power; low carbon building materials; and emerging technologies which aim to capture carbon out of the atmosphere and lock it away.

Adaptation involves dealing with the existing or anticipated effects of climate change, particularly in the developing, least developed and small island countries, which are most severely affected. In addition to “soft” technologies, such as crop rotation, hard technologies for adaptation include improved irrigation techniques to cope with drought, and new plant varieties which are resistant to drought or to salt water.

The uptake of mitigation technologies has accelerated in recent years, encouraged by proactive government policies. Yet it is not enough for environmentally minded consumers around the world to install solar panels on their homes and trade in their gas-guzzlers for hybrid cars. The impact and effectiveness of technological solutions depend on their being deployed on a global scale. The International Energy Agency estimates that, by 2020, 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions will come from economies in transition and developing countries, underlining that these countries will need to “leapfrog a technological generation or two” if they are to avoid the fossil-fuel trap and move directly to environmentally-sound technologies.

Here are technology to which the emission of harmful gasses be lessen:

a. Adoption of Renewables

Being out of Fossil Fuel use and switching to renewable energy.

Wind Power

energy present in a moving mass of air (wind), harnessed and converted into a useful form of power, usually electricity.

As with all renewable energy sources (except tidal and geothermal), the energy in the wind comes from the Sun. One or two per cent of the energy absorbed by the Earth from the Sun is converted into wind via the mechanisms of convection and Coriolis forces. There are extensive sites around the world where the prevailing wind conditions could provide significant wind energy.

Solar Thermal:

Solar thermal power -- which uses solar energy to drive turbines. Solar thermal power plants can store energy to produce electricity at night, they can be installed in place of new coal power plants.

Geothermal Power:

energy extracted from the heat generated by natural concentrations of hot water and steam in the Earth’s interior, for use in electric power generation and direct heat applications such as space heating and industrial drying processes. Geothermics is the science pertaining to these sources of geothermal energy, and in particular their location. Heat is produced within the crust and upper mantle of the Earth primarily by the decay of radioactive elements. This geothermal energy is transferred to the Earth's surface by conduction and convection, aided by the movement of magma (molten rock) and deep-lying circulating water. Surface hydrothermal manifestations include hot springs, geysers, and fumaroles. Hot springs have been used since ancient times for therapy and for recreational purposes. Early Norse settlers in Iceland took water from nearby hot springs into their shelters by means of wooden conduits.

b. Enhance Energy Efficiency

Using technology all by it self would not create a very great impact at all if we are not aware of how we contribute to the warming of the globe. Solving global warming isn't only about installing majestic wind turbines and glistening solar energy systems in the desert. One of the cheapest, most effective, and safest ways to reduce global warming pollution is to increase our energy efficiency. In fact, by using energy efficiency technologies and today's know-how, we could cut our global warming pollution by a third.

The facts below is from a study from the US of which CO2 is being emitted:

Cutting fuel costs on the road: CO2 emissions from cars and trucks account for about one-third of all energy-related global warming pollution in the United States. Cars bought in the United States last year averaged only 20 miles per gallon (mpg), which is less than half the gas mileage available on the most efficient cars today and about the same as a 1908 Model T. We can do better than a car introduced 100 years ago. With American innovation and technology, we can offer all cars with much better fuel economy and the same level of safety and features we expect. And the opportunities are not just available for cars: heavy-duty trucks, which transport about 60% of the goods we buy and use 39 billion gallons of fuel every year, can also become more efficient. Effective gas mileage standards and support for innovative technologies will keep our transportation system moving while greatly decreasing our environmental impact.

4. Integrating All the steps through the use of IT

These steps would all be useless if not being send to all people. Leaving other people not knowing the current events of the world. Being an IT, groups in the virtual community should feel responsible and act together to resolve the problems. Even the simple presentation of what global warming could do would create an impact to the world. Because, people would start applying there knowledge in their own household and people would slowly but effectively know its effects. People should be aware that electrical generated appliances should be minimized and applying e-environment. There are also ways to which the government and other organization acts, saying that IT can play an active and valuable role in helping reduce carbon emissions, for example, through the development of technical standards that lower the power requirements of ICT equipment and services, and through helping pioneer new technologies that help reduce the carbon footprint of other industries, such as the automotive sector.

All people, not just the IT knowledgeable are responsible for spreading the information to the world but instead all of us. Let us act upon the call of the nature and don’t wait for it to respond harshly back to us.

Reference:

http://www.wecansolveit.org/content/solution/adoption_of_renewables/

http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2008/01/article_0001.html

http://usclimatenetwork.org/science-impacts/climate-change-basics/how-do-we-solve-climate-change

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28920&Cr=telecom&Cr1=

First Outdoor Experience: Kapatagan Here we come (Tudaya Falls, Palaka and Virgin Falls)

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 04:59:00 +0000

First of all I am not an outgoing person who finds hiking and climbing enjoyable. Honestly, I’m afraid of these things, knowing the path would be difficult and every trail is very steep and slippery. But then again, my best friend as me to, well there’s always a first time for everything.

Our adventure started the night before we left Davao City. We didn’t sleep for the whole night packing for our things. Jake, Dianne, Chengy and me are chatting not minding what time it is. Jake Caspi who is a certified climber, rescuer, swimmer an athlete name it all, said that we must take time packing so that we won’t forget anything.

We left Davao City at 6:00 in the morning going to Digos. Our guide, Jake had to buy a butane or (I don’t know how to spell buthane) gas for us to use in our cooking. We rode in a motorcycle for almost 2 hours going up in Kapatagan. Our legs felt numb because of the uncomfortable ride in the habal-habal (a long motorcycle).

We arrive at a small house just before going into the frightful trail to Tudaya Falls. At first I was excited knowing that it was fun going out. The longer we walk, i’ve noticed that the tiny pathway seemed to be so difficult to pass. I was starting to get scared. Not to mention how tired I was. Seeing my chubby body, I’m not really equip to climb in this kind of experience. Jake and Dianne are long gone ahead of us, Chengy was there helping me to get pass through those steps that I doubted to make. I was always asking if we are near the falls, but all they have to say is “Duol njud nes nes!” Well, it give me a little hope, but time gets so long that I almost want to stop. I want to go home already, where I could lie down on my bed and play on my pc if I want to. I didn’t expect this trip to be so tiring.

But the sight of the falls took away all the regret that I was thinking before it. It was so good feeling the cold water brushing through our skin and hearing the splash of the falls. It was so nice, not minding how dirty I am. We cooked for our lunch behind the big rocks. It was good to be able to eat in a very natural place like that.

After the relaxing moment in the falls, its time again to go up. I was thinking that I couldn’t climb or walk anymore, all my muscles ache and calling for help. But they pushed me to go, saying that on the top, I could get into a bed and be relaxed, so its an encouragement so I started walking. On the way, I’ve realized again that going up is much exhausting than going down. I need to catch my breath all the time. I was really amazed with Jake and Dianne and Chengy that they easily took those steps. But at least I made on top. I was thinking that we are going to camp in that place, but Jake told us that there is some place he wants us to stay. Thinking again that it was only a couple of steps away, I said ok. We started again to walk, and I asked where are we heading to and he just point the trees on some small hills. Thinking that I can still walk, I continued the greatest punishment I ever had in my whole life. We are walking for almost 2 hours know and all my muscles are exhausted as well as I am. Cheng and I were even thinking that we need to stop and just put the tent anywhere. Chang also suggested that letting ourselves be injured could get the 911 in there for us to be brought back to Davao. We’re thinking of many ways just to get over this tiring walking.

Later that time, we finally arrive at the spot. We can hardly move a bit of our muscle that we just sit for a long time. It’s already dark and the cold started to get into our skin. We were just called after Jake had set up our tent. Just as we entered our tent, Cheng and I directly lay down. As the night went by, we didn’t have the chance to fully relaxed and sleep since the cold won’t let us. The cold was so intense that our muscles tend to move on its own. Huhuhu… we didn’t sleep that night.

The next day, we are about to climb again and be on a Hot spring. They just called it Palaka. I don’t know if that’s the name or the place. Well, the path is still difficult but fun. There are alot of vegetables being planted in the hills. All the green in the surrounding is so fun. There are also alot of carrots in there.It was really hot, (its my first time to be in a hot spring). So we cooked there and just relaxed. It’s nice, seeing how the fogs come and go.

The next day, we went to another falls, the Virgin Falls. It was already late but still Jake said it was still ok to continue. But as we walked the trail seemed to be lost, its now really difficult that we can hardly know where to go. Jake was not expecting it to be so hard since the last time they went it is still ok. We have no options but to continue, walking seems endless but again the sight was spectacular. We just spent a few minutes in there since its already dark and we didn’t bring any flashlights. The way going up is the most hard in all the trails. But thanks to God, because no harm was brought upon us though it’s hard to see. We decide to stay in our house in Digos since we’re all exhausted. We ate at Banoks in Digos, its so funny since almost all people looked at us. We’re a head turner because of our get up so dirty. We’re full of mud and dirt but its still ok since were finally home.

It’s a good thing to experience these things, and I am hoping that the next climb would be Mt. Apo. But I need a lot of exercise to be able to endure it……. Hehehe….(I was even late in my assignment because of this trip and miss an exam., uhuhu).

“Cogito, ergo sum” (“I think, therefore I am”)

noreply@blogger.com (snage) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 11:06:00 +0000

These were the famous quotes of Rene Descartes who is a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, often called the founder of modern philosophy. Words, which had been reflected to us by our professor. How could I interpret these words to my life?

I was thinking the obvious that because I am thinking, I am proving to the world that I existed. But this is not the profound meaning of these quotes. As I was assuming different possibilities of any translations, I became aware that I can be whatever I want to be because of my ability to think. I can go to heights because I am thinking. I can conquer all the fears that are ahead before me, thinking that all of it is could be possibly done. It is by thinking that all of the ways and plans could be made possible, just think you can do it, and don’t stop thinking, think as you act and act as you think.