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Friday, May 24, 2013

Dan Brown's latest book upsets Filipino

Dan Brown's latest book Inferno has offended some Filipinos and the Philippine Cyberspace is at a buzz with the latest work of the controversial writer. Honestly I didn't really have the same reaction as most of my countrymen have. We all know that Brown has a knack for creating controversy. His earlier works, Da Vinci code and Angel and Demons have caused a stir in the Roman Catholic world. So you may ask why I am not really that affected and calling foul the minute I read the news? It is simple because I think Dan Brown hasn't been to the Philippines and even if he did he may have visited Manila as a whole. Yes Manila is neck deep in poverty. Yes it is not the best place in world to visit. But there are more places far worse compared to Manila. 
The book described Manila as a city with a six-hour traffic jam, suffocating pollution and horrifying sex trade. There are places that I can think of worse traffic jam, pollution and prostitution compared to Manila. 

MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino was one of the first Filipino to react about Dan Brown's latest work. “While we are aware that yours is a work of fiction, we are greatly disappointed by your inaccurate portrayal of our beloved metropolis. We are displeased (at) how you have used Manila as a venue and source of a character’s breakdown and trauma, much more her disillusionment,” Tolentino said. Tolentino has also extended an invitation to the bestselling author to visit Manila

Being populated by people mostly Roman Catholics and other Christian religion, I see why most are offended by Brown calling Manila the "gates of hell". But seriously there are more places in world that is far worst than Manila. I think Brown may have chosen Manila since Filipinos would create a lot of publicity for his book. And calling Manila "the gates of hell" surely did that. His three books: Deception point, Digital fortress and the lost symbol did not sell compared to the Da Vinci Code and Angel and Demons because they are not controversial enough. The Catholic Church’s reaction fuelled people' curiosity and that is one of the reason why a lot people read those book. I just got a copy the book. I want to read it first and will let you know what I think of it.



Sunday, May 19, 2013

Alcatel One Touch Idol Review

Alcatel was one of the biggest Mobile phone makers when GSM was just making it' mark in the mobile phone world. But in recent years they thave failed to create phones that would compete with widely recognize Nokia Handset. Now in the Smartphone world where people has acknowledgement handset created by not only the to leading smartphone creator, Apple and Samung. Alcatel has a chance to get a piece of the smartphone market.

Before I got my Alcatel One touch I was using my Iphone 3g. I am not the type of person that enjoys purchasing a new handset from time to time. But my Iphone 3g has a lot of limitations which prompted me to buy a new phone. 


Here are the general specfcations that I got from gsmarena.com

GENERAL2G NetworkGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G NetworkHSDPA 900 / 2100
HSDPA 850 / 1900
SIMOptional dual SIM (Micro-SIM)
BODYDimensions133 x 67.5 x 7.9 mm (5.24 x 2.66 x 0.31 in)
Weight109 g (3.84 oz)
DISPLAYTypeIPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size540 x 960 pixels, 4.66 inches (~236 ppi pixel density)
MultitouchYes
ProtectionDragon Trail Glass
SOUNDAlert typesVibration; MP3 ringtones
LoudspeakerYes
3.5mm jackYes
MEMORYCard slotmicroSD, up to 32 GB (dual SIM version)
Internal4 GB / 13.3 GB (dual SIM version) storage, 512 MB
DATAGPRSYes
EDGEYes
SpeedHSDPA 7.2 Mbps
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
BluetoothYes, v4.0 with A2DP
USBYes, microUSB v2.0
CAMERAPrimary8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
FeaturesGeo-tagging, touch focus
VideoYes
SecondaryYes, 2 MP
FEATURESOSAndroid OS, v4.1 (Jelly Bean)
ChipsetMTK 6577+
CPUDual-core 1 GHz
SensorsAccelerometer, proximity, compass
MessagingSMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
BrowserHTML
RadioStereo FM radio with RDS
GPSYes, with A-GPS support
JavaYes, via Java MIDP emulator
ColorsSilver, Slate, Pink, Red, Yellow
- SNS integration
- MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA player
- MP4/H.264 player
- Document viewer
- Photo viewer/editor
- Organizer
- Voice memo
- Predictive text input
BATTERYLi-Ion 1800 mAh battery
Stand-byUp to 415 h (2G) / Up to 410 h (3G)
Talk timeUp to 7 h 10 min (2G) / Up to 3 h 30 min (3G)

The Alcatel Idol One touch  available by getting postpaid plan 600 with Sun Cellular. Now please note that the Idol release here in the Philippines is just single sim. Many people, myself included thought that it would come in with dual sim. Also the sun cellular release on comes with Slate color back cover. 

Here is some things that I've noticed.

Bluetooth - I tried pairing with a Samsung Galaxy phone but it did not work. I am not sure If this holds true only for the Samsung Galaxy Y or all Samsung Phones. Ironically it worked with my Iphone. Normally the Iphone's bluetooth does not recognize other phones except if it is an IOS device. 

Battery: It is what you would expect from a smartphone. With consistent use of wifi the battery would last for a day. When I used it watching Movies, I had to to make an extra charge to make through the day. However this what I noticed. I know it is not ideal to use your phone while charging, but Alcatel Idol heats up real fast when I did it. When I was using my Iphone I never experience that problem. Even when I continuously play Candy Crush without charging, it heats up fast. 

Touch screen: When I am playing candy crush, and swipe the screen from left to right and vise versa, I encounter some lag or sometimes it does not respond at all. I have to swipe it again to make the move. But other than that it works fine. I am not sure if this is caused by the free screen protector that they provide. There are fingerprint smudges all the time and I have to clean every now and then. 


Camera: 

Here are some of the sample camera photos that I have taken. I think it is great when i take photos during the day. I still have to test how it fares during night and still have to test the front camera




I'll end it now and provide further updates in the coming weeks since I just got the phone and still testing it out. Please stay tuned. What do you think of the Alcatel One touch Idol


Arrow Season 1 Episode 23: Sacrifice

In the previous episode, Oliver confronted Malcolm Merlin and learned that he is the other archer. A fight broke out and Oliver failed to beat Malcolm. The episode started where Oliver is captured by Malcolm. Malcolm tried to explain that reason why he wanted to destroy the glades but Oliver would not accept his explanation. Oliver eventually escapes with the help of Diggle who put a tracking device in Oliver's boot.


Oliver then confronted her mother Moira and told her that she knows about Malcolm's plans. Moira was willing to let the people in the glades die to keep her family safes which Oliver replied that he could not sacrifice countless lives for his name.

Tommy then visited Oliver and told him that he saw him and Laurel kissing. Oliver told Tommy of his father's plan to destroy the glades but would not believe him. Before leaving, he told Oliver that he should have died in that island.

Moira held a press conference about her involvement with the undertaking. She was arrested while Thea went running off to the Glades to save her boyfriend Roy. Malcolm saw the press conference and revealed to Tommy that he is the other Archer. Later the Police came to arrest Malcolm but he was able to kill them easily. Tommy held his father at gunpoint but was able to subdue him easily as well.

Felicity was earlier arrested by Detective Lance with accusation of computer hacking. Just as Felicity was being interrogated, Lance received a call from Oliver detailing Malcolm's plan. She let Felicity go but told her not to leave town. Lance told his superiors about the undertaking that got him a suspension for conspiring with the hood for months.


Felicity was able to pinpoint the location of the device by comparing the Starling City fault line and the underground railway system that hasn't been use in years. With the help of Felicity, Detective Lance located the bomb and was able to disarm it.

Diggle and Oliver went to Merlyn's office and found an unconscious Tommy. Tommy told Oliver that he was right all along and asked if Oliver would kill his father. Oliver simply told Tommy to get to safety. Diggle found the trap door leading to Malcolm hiding place. Malcolm was waiting for both of them and a fight erupted immediately. Malcolm injured Diggle and escaped to the rooftop. Oliver pursued Malcolm and continued fighting. At one point Oliver got the upper hand but the tides turned to Malcolm's advantage. Malcolm was strangling Oliver but using an arrow, he stabbed Malcolm. during this time the bomb was deactivated by Lance. Malcolm told Oliver that there was a second device.

The device took out the east side of the Glades where Laurel's office is located. Laurel got trapped but Tommy was there to rescue her. Tommy was then unable to escape as he was trapped by the debris and was fatally wounded. Oliver came and tried to save Tommy. Tommy apologize and thank Oliver for not killing his father.

Also in this episode. Oliver's flashback in the Island showed that Shado, Slade and Oliver managed to stop Fyers from blowing up a commercial Airline. It also showed Oliver's first kill with an arrow when he shot Fyers in the neck to save Shado who as held on gunpoint.

So what do I think of the season 1 finale? It was great! More than  I expected. Before watching the episode I learned that a character would die. I had my guesses by when I finally watched the episode, I would never guess that it would be Tommy. It is a great thing that they did not follow the Smallville plot where the Clark's best friend turned out to be his mortal enemy.

There are still a lot a question left unanswered. We know that Malcolm is still alive and eventually will learn about Tommy's death. I think he would somehow blame Oliver for his death. Then again he was pretty adamant about killing Moira and Thea when Oliver and him was fighting in the rooftop.

Detective Lance know that Felicity knows the hood's identity, would he arrest her or would he let it slip since she helped him disable the first device? Who knows? We would have to see if the Detective lance would bend the rules for Felicity.

What will happen to Moira now that she has confessed her involvement with the undertaking. Laurel would be a wreck definitely but would she remember Oliver's warning to her in not going to the glades. Would she finally connect the dots of the vigilante's identity?. Roy was still in Glades while Thea was leaving. What happened to them? I always thought that it would be possible for Thea to die during the finale. I guess teenage angst sells in TV shows.

I am glad that they have renewed the show for another season. Guess we have to wait for the season premiere month from now. What did you think of the finale?


Friday, April 19, 2013

Marquez vs. Pacquaio out, Bradley vs. Marquez in?

After months of negotiation between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, it seems that we won't be seeing the two fight it out in the ring this year. Rumor has it that Marquez's asking price for the bout is $20 Million. Negotiations has failed and Marquez is now in talks with another who fighter who has beaten Pacquiao via a controversial split decision, Timothy Bradley.

Aside from Bradley, Marquez is also interested in fighting the interim World Boxing Organization (WBO) light welterweight champion Mike Alvarado. Marquez however is more interested in fighting Bradley since he has the opportunity to win another title in a fifth division.

Marquez won his last match with flying colors as he surprised the whole boxing world with his 6th round knockout against Manny Pacquaio. Bradley has won his last match against Ruslan Provodnikov via unanimous decision. 

So who are you betting on? I would go for Marquez who despite his age while compensate with his experience. He is the only fighter who has knock Manny Pacquaio in years. I think a lot of people would agree that Manny was the victor in his match against Bradley. With the amount of damage that Manny has inflicted and the fact that Bradley was on a wheel chair after a post-match interview says a lot. I just don't know what happen with the judges though.

There are rumors circulating that Pacquiao is interested in matching up with Mike Alvarado this coming October in Macau.Who knows. Maybe the winner of each match would face each other next. So I guess we will have to wait if there would be a fifth Pacquaio Marquez match.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Walking dead Season 3 Episode 9: The Suicide Kings


Following the events of the last episode of the Walking Dead titled “Made to Suffer”, Rick and his group were able to save Glenn and Maggie. But in the process, Oscar got killed while Daryl was captured by the people of Woodbury. To make things worst, Michonne took it upon herself to kill the Governor but was surprised to find his undead daughter locked inside a closet. It did not end well when the Governor caught Michonne in his house next to Penny. Michonne stabbed Penny which made the Governor furious and started to attack her. Glass were shattered from broken Aquarium filled him severed zombie head and there was a lot of punching, kicking and chocking during their brawl. In the end Michonne was able to pick up a piece of glass and stab the Governor taking out his right eye.
 

This episode started with the Governor pitting the Dixon brothers against each on other in a death match which would reward the winner freedom. Although I am not sure he would set Daryl free if he is the winner. Actually I don’t think he would allow Merle to leave either if he won. The match was interrupted by Rick and the Gang deploying smoke grenades and shooting at the crowd to distract the people of Woodbury which allowed the Dixon brothers free. As soon as they escaped they met with Glenn and Michonne waiting by the road. They were not happy to see Merle tagged along. Merle was not making his situation better throwing insults at the group. In the end Daryl decided to stick with Merle and left Rick’s group.
Back in the Prison, something is brewing as well. Allen and Ben are in agreement that it would be easy to take over the prison. Good thing Tyreese and Sasha would not allow it. Rick and the others were able to reach the prison before anything happens. As Tyreese and his group were pleading to Rick about staying in the prison, Rick saw his wife, Lori and had a mental breakdown which seems like he was refusing Tyreese’s group to stay.


 
Back in Woodbury, the Governor is also deal with some issues as well. The people were panicking and are ready to leave the community. Andrea was there to diffuse the situation and was able to convince the people to stay. However it is clear that the Governor is affected with Penny’s demise.
 


 
The episode was a bit slow paced in my opinion. Aside from the Dixon brothers’ rescue, there wasn’t much action and too much talking. This episode shows us that people are cracking up. From Rick to the governor, even Glenn is going through some of his issues as well. We still have to see what will happen to Carol as well. Based on the comics, Carol will let herself get bitten since he was depressed due to Tyreese and Michoone’s infidelity. By the way in the Comics, Tyreese and Carol would have a relationship and Michoone would be the third wheel. Whether or not this will happen in the show I guess we will have to see. Maybe instead of Tyreese, Carol would be depressed because of Daryl. In the comics as well, Tyreese would be killed by the Governor. I am not sure if this would happen not unless the Prison Arc would extend until the next season. I think they would have to establish that Tyreese would be part of the chain of command of Rick’s group.  There are lots of events that happened in the comics that has not come to past in the show. Like Rick’s hand getting cut-off. Although we had that we Merle I am not sure if that would still happen. Or maybe Merle would cut-off Rick’s arm as an eye for eye kind of thing. Who knows? Guess we would have to wait longer.

Will there be a fifth Pacquiao – Marquez fight?




When Marquez and his camp were interviewed right after the phenomenal 6th round win against Pacquiao last December, they were willing to give the latter a chance to redeem himself and have a fifth bout. Now they are singing a new tune. Marquez and his trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, would rather fight Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios rather than the Pacquiao.
 
If you are a Marquez fan, you would say that there is no need to fight Pacquiao for a fifth match. Another fight would give Pacquiao a chance to redeem himself. But on the other hand, Marquez always had Pacquiao’s moves figured out. Pacquiao’s wins against Marquez were not that convincing enough and that is the reason why there was a four match.  If there was a fifth match, Pacquiao would definitely have a hard time putting Marquez to the Canvass.
 
If you are a Pacquiao fan you would definitely want a rematch. I personally am rooting for Pacquiao. If he would have won last December, I would say that 4 match is enough. But Marquez unquestionable outmatch Pacquiao last December and would want him to get another chance in the ring. Some would say that Pacquiao was on his way on defeating Marquez. I would agree. Marquez’s nose was already bleeding when the 6th round started. If Pacquaio wasn’t careless he would have won. But that is just about it. There are so many “If”. Main point is he got too eager to knock him out. He got too careless. Some would say that it was a lucky shot. I don’t think so. We all know that Marquez is a great counterpuncher. That says it all.
 
Arum is meeting Marquez to discuss the deal. Off course there would be talks on who will get the bigger purse and where the bout would be held.  They are considering the tax cut if the bout takes place in US and considering other locations such as Mexico , Singapore Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Macau . Tax cut would be around 20 to 39 percent.
 
Should they really fight again? I think that is up to the fighters. Would anyone still watch it? I think people would still do. Although I would never think that they would watch a fifth match if the fourth match did not go the way they did. Meaning if it went down to a decision, I don’t think anyone, including myself, would want to see another bout. We will have to see if the match would take place on September as Arum plans.

Can we avert a Meteor Strike?


If you have seen the movie Armageddon or Deep Impact, you might have asked yourself would it be possible to avert an asteroid from hitting the planet. In movie they both use nuclear weapons to either split the asteroid in hopes that it would pass earth on both sides or completely blow up the asteroid from the inside. Is that even possible?

 
Following the meteor strike last Friday which injured 1200 people in Russia , a number of Governments around the world are now asking whether it would be possible to stop a meteor from hitting the planet. The Neo Shield consortium, a European Union funded organization, aims to find ways to deal with asteroid on a collision course to the planet. A conference was held in Vienna last Monday to discuss on possible means on averting objects that would hit the planet. Some of the ideas seems like something from a science fiction movie. Here are some of the ideas brought up in the conference
 
1.        Kinetic impactor – a huge spacecraft would be launch into the asteroid to alter the path it is supposed to take.
2.        Gravity tractor – a spacecraft would be placed near an asteroid and thrusters would be use to alter the asteroids trajectory.
3.        Using nuclear devices would be a last resort.
 
Also problem which needs to be remedied is the detection of asteroids. The current technology that Space agencies around the globe could only detect asteroids hours before it reaches the planet. NASA and ESA also have said that some strikes are completely unavoidable and warned governments to make plans for wide scale evacuations.
 
Scientist are also looking into the idea of harnessing the power of the suns and using it as laser beams to destroy incoming objects or alter the course asteroids are taking. It seems that this technology is something that far from reality, Gary Hughes, a researcher and professor from California Polytechnic State University said they were able to build the device but the device does not have the power needed to stop incoming asteroids. Building a much bigger device is the challenge that they are trying to resolve.
 
Astronomers with the University of Hawaii are developing a device that would hopefully in the future detect and provide a one week warning for a 50-yard asteroid and three weeks warning for asteroid with a size of 150-yards. The 50-yard asteroid could destroy something as a city while the 150-yard object could destroy a country.
 
Although some predicted that it would years before another asteroid would be close enough to earth, it is somehow reassuring that the technology that would somehow protect the planet from this threat is now being created. Who knows how long it would take to create this devices but at least the technology is not something that we only see in some science fiction movies