When I first heard about it on the car’s radio, I was surprised — wow, the LTO is going hi-tech. That should be nice. However, some sectors are blocking this move claiming privacy issues.

Nevertheless, from a technical point of view, I think this move by LTO offers more advantages than disadvantages.

This technology is not really new to Philippine highways. The ePass that thousands of cars use to drive thru tollways (NLEX and SLEX) is powered by RFID.

This October 2009, the Department of Foreign Affairs will also implement RFID on all new Passports (ePassport). If you renew your old green passport, it will be replaced with a brown RFID-tagged passport.

Private schools are already using RFID in student IDs for borrowing books and also gates in the campus have RFID ID Scanners (e.g. Claret School of Quezon City and Colegio de San Juan de Letran).

The clothes that you buy in Bench and other apparel stores are also tagged with RFIDs. Those steel gates at the entrance serve as an RFID scanner.

If the same technology is used for all registered cars, it could be a convenience in so many ways:

• Renewals of vehicle registration could be made faster/easier.
• It could also be used to easily identify stolen vehicles.
• All cars can be readily equipped with ePass too — the lines would be faster at the toll gates especially during peak hours. This can also be implemented in parking lots too.
• No need to go to LTO to pay traffic violations. Your RFID could be charged directly (contactless payment) after citation — no more confiscation of driver’s license. That could practically eradicate kotong (what’s the English equivalent?) since traffic cops can no longer blackmail you into going to a 3-day driving seminar in exchange for a small tip.

RFID works like a short-distance radio signal, normally around 10 feet or 3 meters. As such, it cannot be efficiently used to track objects the way GPS can. The issue about privacy is a legitimate concern though.

I still think it’s a good move, though. From reports I’ve heard, the tags will cost motorists around Php400 a pop. I thought that’s a bit expensive since RFID tags are really cheap nowadays.

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The compound, call Cyber Clean, feels like synthetic clay or Play Dough, just a little soft and slimier. It doesn’t break up easily too so when you mash it against the gadget you’re cleaning, it doesn’t leave any trace of the substance.

What it does is it sticks/attaches to your device and removes small dirts and dusts along with it. The advantage is that it can get into the hard-to-get corners and openings of devices like your computer keyboard, grooves of the lens body or your cellphone keypad. If you tried cleaning your laptop keyboard with water and cotton buds without much success, then this one might help.

If the dirt has already settled into the device, this compound can’t remove it.

The dirt also remains within the compound so after several uses, you’ll have to dispose of the clay. The number of uses will depend on how dirty your gadgets are.

They sell them in a small sachet of 50 grams for Php150 and the 140 gram bottle for Php350.

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I’m not really into magazines lately although I still have that 12-issue subscription from Digital Photographer. Went around Virra Mall this afternoon to get me a new kick-ass PC case (that’s for the PCLabs) when I saw copies of Mobile Philippines being given out for free.

It’s a good move I think since the focus is getting as many readers as possible and make money off print advertising. It’s pretty to sell magazines if they’re free, right? Inquirer’s Libre was a huge hit.

To those who aren’t into magazines any longer, would a free subscription change your mind and go back to reading a printed copy? In the era of Gizmodo and Engadget, could this be the future of gadget magazines?

Note: You can get a free monthly subscription by sending an email to free.mobilemag@gmail.com with your contact info and home address.

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1. Philippines 4th on AdMob Global Ad Traffic In April 2008, the Philippines was just at #7 for...

This is in response to D&AD Student Awards brief set by Hewlett Packard — “Present an idea which promotes HP Workstations ability to bring to life anything the creative mind can conceive.”

So who said you can’t do fun stuff with your inkjet printers?

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This is a senior project from a student at Savannah College of Art and Design. They also documented the making of this video here.

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You get a comfortable sofa and a PC in a box. Not just for your home but probably for the office too (while you keep visitors waiting, like the doctor’s).

That is, if you can afford the price tag of $15,436 or Php730k {via}.

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It’s been a common practice by some Nokia employees to leak out details and photos of products yet to be released/announced. Nokia believes the product leaks put a negative impact on all the efforts made by the Finnish company.

In a blog post at the Nokia Conversations website, the Finland-based company admitted that the Nokia E71 is their most leaked product ever.

It adds that these breaches of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that specifically state that pre-launch information is property of Nokia and cannot be revealed outside the company. The proposed bill (Lex Nokia) would evidently help curb that problem.

It is said that the mobile giant is threatening to leave Finland if the bill is not passed, leaving some 16,000 employees and over 1.3 billion euros in annual tax revenues. Nokia representatives deny this in a recent interview posted at Yahoo! News.

{translated from IDG Sweden}

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Only costs $155,000 for the Korean company, BioArts International, to replicate the dog from frozen DNA. I’m sure if this were commercially viable with humans (in the future), even if it costs $1 million, people would grab the deal.

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Well, that’s until you realize the characters seemed familiar and taken from other movies — Troy, 300, Riddick, LOTR, Garfield, etc.

Pretty cool actually. And funny too.

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While it’s no uncommon to see teller machines on blue screens of death (BSOD), this is one is a bit odd to me as it shows the command line window and FTP instructions to some IP address.

I thought it was just a bug, but then after I repeated my initial steps 2 or 3 times, the window did not show up again.

Good thing it didn’t show any passwords in it or something really sensitive. Although it was possible those two guys ahead of me were doing something to the ATM I just didn’t noticed.

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• Residential WiMax. There are a couple of WiMax providers out there but none that has really catered to residential customers on a full-scale mission. The existing ones are focused on corporate accounts and are pretty expensive for the bandwidth they provide.
• 3G coverage in the boondocks. People who regularly travel to the provinces know 3G coverage is almost nil in far-flung areas of the archipelago. I know customer usage density there is thin but it’s where people really need a decent connection the most. My suggestion — start with the top 500 summer destinations in the Philippines.
• Google Android OS compiled to run with most touch screen phones in the market (SE XPreria X1, LG Cookie, HTC Touch HD, Samsung Omnia). Dual-boot would be nice too. Wouldn’t it be fun to be able to switch between a WinMo and an Android in your phone?
• Flat-rate bottomless 3G from all carriers. Yes, Sun Cellular has one, Globe used to have one and Smart has one on hold. A Php999 a month for 512Kbps could be the sweet spot. Oh, and please make data roaming affordable (Bridge Alliance is nice but rates are still steep).
• Bank-funded Paypal accounts. Millions of people without credit card are still stuck in limbo when making online purchases. Paypal should enable funding of accounts via local banks. I know my previous meeting with a Paypal exec tells me this feature is far down the list but I do hope it pushes thru this year.
• Digital TV. LCD HDTV sales are up and rising from last year. Would be nice if one of the cable networks would serve up hi-def broadcasts (HBO, CineMax, ESPN) especially for those owning 32″ or higher screens.
• How about AM Radio as standard on most phones? I’ve already talked about this before here. (Sony Ericsson has one launched last year.)
• Lighter but better battery life. That’s for mobile phones and laptops. I’m not asking for that water-powered battery from Samsung. Just a more compact but upsized battery life using another polymer alloy. It should not be very pricey too.
• Wireless landline will kill NDD charges. Will it still be national direct dialing if I bring my wireless landline to the province and call another line in that area?
• Better and mode detailed public maps for my GPS devices, even for just Metro Manila. WikiMapia rocks but too many pollutant data in there.

How about you? What do you want to see happen in 2009?

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It’s now being carried as a Daimler AG brand with models running on hybrid or pure electric power.

The car is small enough to fit 2 on a single parking space. I wonder we don’t have this model back in the Philippines. They’re cheap and they take up very little parking space — should be a good car to drive around traffic-heavy Metro Manila.

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Nice editing and really funny, especially the part with the Paper Clip.

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The bill which has been filed as early as April 2008 states that:

… all persons who are accused directly or indirectly of any crime or offense or are criticized by innuendo, suggestion or rumor for any lapse in behavior in public or private life shall have the right to reply to the charges published in newspapers and other publications or to criticisms aired over radio, television, website or through any electrical device.

In essence, this bill could also include blogs (websites). That means if you accuse an individual or entity in your blog, you will be required by this bill to publish their reply in the same space where you first published your entry. It’s not clear if the “space” means the “same entry/webpage” or just the “same website/blog”.

Likewise, if the accused leaves a comment on the blog entry, the blogger will be required to approve the comment (regardless of the tone and language of the content?). At least that’s how I read it.

The Senate version was authored by Senators Aquilino Pimente, Jr., Ramon Revilla, Jr., and Chiz Escudero. The House version was filed by Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella.

Fines and penalties prescribed are as follows (for the House Bill):

- Php10,000 for the 1st offense
- Php30,000 for the 2nd offense
- Php50,000 and imprisonment for not more than 30 days for the 3rd offense
- Php100,000 and imprisonment for not more than 30 days for the 4th offense

Then, a Php200,000 fine and imprisonment for not more than 30 days and the closure/suspension of the franchise of the publication or broadcast media outlet or station for 30 days for the 5th and succeeding offenses.

If the bill passes and becomes a law, I’m not sure how they will handle this. What if Malu Fernandez wrote something nasty about the 8 million OFWs worldwide — should all 8 million be given space on the publication to reply? The printing cost alone will bankrupt the publication.

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The IR monitors hangs on the ceiling supported by PVC pipes that crawls all over the entire parking section. See photos I took earlier:

There are two nodes — one for the IR beam that fires right in the middle of each parking slot and another one at the rear end where a bulb lights green if the slot is empty and red if taken.

The red and green signal lights helps a driver easily identify which parking slots are available. My guess is that the monitors also report to a central system to map the parking floor and manage parking spaces. It might send reports to the security office as well as the toll gates below on the running capacity of each level.

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You can view the movies directly on your GPS-enabled mobile phone or PDA. The player can be downloaded for free and installed on your phone (get the CAB installer here).

The first film they have specifically for this is by Singaporean filmmaker Kenny Tan’s “Nine Lives” — a chase comedy of mistaken identity that unfolds as the viewer explores nine neighborhoods in the island’s downtown.

{hat tip techdrive, via chick click}

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The Senate Bill No. 2464, also call the Anti-Obscenity and Pornography Act of 2008, was filed last July 24, 2008 and defines obscene and pornography as follows:

(a) “Obscene” refers to anything that is indecent or offensive or contrary to good customs or religious beliefs, principles or doctrines, or tends to corrupt or deprave the human mind, or is calculated to excite impure thoughts or arouse prurient interest, or violates the proprieties of language and human behavior, regardless of the motive of the producer, printer, publisher, writer, importer,seller, distributor or exhibitor such as, but not limited to:

(b) “Pornographic or pornography” refers to objects or subjects of film, television shows, photography, illustrations, music, games, paintings, drawings, illustrations, advertisements, writings, literature or narratives, contained in any format, whether audio or visual, still or moving pictures, in all forms of film, print, electronic, outdoor or broadcast mass media, or whatever future technologies to be developed, which are calculated to excite, stimulate or arouse impure thoughts and prurient interest, regardless of the motive of the author thereof.

Punishment for publication or exhibition of such obscene and pornographic materials is between 6 to 12 years imprisonment and Php500,000 to Php1 Million in fines. This bill was introduced by Sen. Manny Villar.

The full text of the bill can be downloaded here.

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Power Unleashed is a 4minute film for Roadrunner Network to showcase their special effects capabilities. Directed by Sid Maderazo, visual effects by FX Guru Dave Yu and the Roadrunner FX team.

See high-quality version here.

What’s curious though is that the entire cast in the short film aren’t Filipinos at all (at least that ones with faces you can see).

Still props to the team that made this.

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