August 2010
“If you want to live a mediocre life, live in fear.”
—Roberto “BobbyGuev” Guevarra, on discussing the Prodigal Son for today’s Th141 class. His best class session, IMO.
“Just because someone likes you, doesn’t mean they’ll pick you.”
—Aaron Palabyab (via dennis101) (via bigbluebirdie)
“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new; an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking, is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto, “Anyone can cook”. But I realize - only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry for more.”
—Anton Ego (via pixarmovies) (via leiron)
“In recent statements from ABS-CBN and GMA, I find it encouraging that there is a concerted move to “draft guidelines” and “review procedures”. (Though I find it worrisome that, in less official records and in more personal tweets, Head of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs Maria Ressa would reply to criticism, as if frustrated, “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t”). We could only hope that such “guidelines” are less about professional rights and obligations to their so-called loyal viewers than about their humanistic concern for vulnerable others, others whose status as human beings depend completely upon how the media portray them to the rest of the world.
Indeed, the most tragic cliche last Monday was that Philippine media did their job when they should have chosen not to. For to pause and question their usual norms and standards would really have been the braver and more dangerous choice.” —
Indeed, the most tragic cliche last Monday was that Philippine media did their job when they should have chosen not to. For to pause and question their usual norms and standards would really have been the braver and more dangerous choice.” —
“Safety in the cliché”, Jon Ong, U. of Cambridge/Ateneo de Manila U.
(via mindthemedium)I’ll be damned if I don’t get to take a media studies class under him by the time I graduate. :(
Article 6. CRIME AND CRISIS SITUATIONS →
tinigngplaridel.net
Sec. 1. The coverage of crimes in progress or crisis situations such as hostage-taking or kidnapping shall not put lives in greater danger than what is already inherent in the situation. Such coverage should be restrained and care should be taken so as not to hinder or obstruct efforts of authorities to resolve the situation. (G)
Sec. 2. A coverage should avoid inflicting undue shock and pain to families and loved ones of victims of crimes, crisis situations, disasters, accidents, and other tragedies. (S)
Sec. 3. The identity of victims of crimes or crisis situations in progress shall not be announced until the situation has been resolved or their names have been released by the authorities. The names of fatalities should be aired only when their next of kin have been notified or their names released, by the authorities. (S)
Sec. 4. The coverage of crime or crisis situations shall not provide vital information or offer comfort or support to the perpetrators. (G)
Sec. 5. Stations are encouraged to adopt standard operating procedures (SOP’s) consistent with this Code to govern the conduct of their news personnel during the coverage of crime and crisis situations. (A)
Sec. 6. Persons who are taken into custody by authorities as victims or for allegedly committing private crimes (such as indecency or lasciviousness), shall not be identified, directly or indirectly — unless a formal complaint has already been filed against them. They shall not be subjected to undue shame and humiliation, such as showing them in indecent or vulgar acts and poses. (S)
Source: 2007 Broadcast Code of the Philippines, Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas
A little something the Philippine media should remember.
Toying around with an iPhone: My review on the device
I may be a tech-savvy person (and a self-confessed Apple fanatic), I have not considered the iPhone as a good product (which is the reason why I bought a Nokia E71 as my phone, and not even a Blackberry because it has been too much of a status symbol these days).
And to think my dad, being the most frugal person I have ever known, happens to be the most unexpected person to actually buy an iPhone, especially since iPhones are kinda expensive (and to think he already has an E63 as his primary phone).
So a couple of days ago, I was surprised at my dad’s decision to buy a used iPhone 3g 8gb (it had a couple of marks and scratches along the body, but as long as the screen’s clean AND everything works well), and well, he bought the phone (reason? He earned just enough on that day to get the iPhone he found at tipidpc.com).
Now that I get to play around with it (when my dad does not have any important calls with it, as he uses it as his business phone for calling up patients and what not), I get to review on the worthiness of having an iPhone.
*Yes, that’s me toying around my dad’s iPhone
Some points to consider about my review of the iPhone (3g):
As a phone: Well the iPhone IS a phone, and using it for calls was quite good. I like the large keys when making a call (which is more idiot-proof I guess). Calls were clear, both with talking and with listening. The loudspeaker works well, and basically, the iPhone fulfills the basic functions of a phone very well.
Touch interface: If there was a significant innovation with the iPhone (that most phone manufacturers can’t match yet), it has to be the beauty of the iOS interface. Currently at 4.0.2 (but the one my dad has is 3.1.3, and I’m scared to upgrade it to 4.0.2 since it is jailbroken and that I might screw it up if I upgrade it to iOS 4), the iOS proves to be an innovation. Enlarging web pages and photos is easy, and its auto screen orientation works like a breeze. Oh, and you don’t need any stylus to work around with its interface, making it a plus. However, as much as I appreciate the touch interface, it does have its quirks, especially with typing (something that the QWERTY keyboard phones have a distinct advantage). There’s a need for some acclimatization on typing on such an interface at first, but things would work out well as time goes on.
As an iPod: Just so you know, an iPhone is essentially and iPod touch with a phone function, so being an iPod by itself, the touch interface is a plus here, as browsing through songs is simply a swipe away from the screen. The iPhone does have a loudspeaker, although not as loud (as compared to my E71’s loudspeaker), but the sound quality is good and not that distorted (maybe because it has stereo speakers while the E71 has mono speakers).
As a note-taking device: I tried using the iPhone as a word processor (after installing QuickOffice, enabling it to type Word and Excel documents), and given the quirks of the touch interface when it comes to typing, I feel most comfortable in typing when it is in a landscape orientation. An advantage with the QuickOffice for iPhone as compared to QuickOffice for the E71 is that it has more formatting options, especially for the font style, but the iPhone version lacks support for viewing and editing PowePoint documents (which my E71 can actually do). Overall, the iPhone has a potential to do well in this category, but after a few software updates.
WiFi capabilities: Now I do know why a lot of people prefer the iPhone over a E-Series Nokia Phone or even a Blackberry for that matter: The iPhone’s WiFi is really strong. AND fast, very well comparable to typical loading times on a laptop. I tried downloading a file, and my average downloading speed on the iPhone is around 25-40kbps (while my E71 goes at the most 20kbps).
Games: Given the innovative touch interface, the iPhone is great with games, especially with games that utilize the iPhone’s accelerometer. I’ve played games such as Resident Evil, Need For Speed, Assasin’s Creed, and Metal Gear, and I could say that the iPhone could pass as a portable gaming machine. If NOT for the battery life, though.
Battery life: The biggest quirk of the iPhone. Given the multitude of functions it has, the battery life is not that sustainable for running all those applications. Having tried it out for around 3 days, using a fully charged iPhone with games, internet, iPod, and typical phone duties would render its battery life to last 1-2 days. For one thing, Apple has to improve on this aspect (and I heard that the iPhone 4 has a fantastic battery life).
Overall, I am quite impressed with the iPhone 3g, despite some quirks it has as a multimedia device / mini-computer.
*Soooo … stay with my E71 OR sell it and get myself an iPhone?
