Category: News

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Life Musings Technology Weblog

Want direction how to get to New York from London? Try Google Maps

I’ve just learned this from Al-Jazeera’s Street Talk by Riz Khan this morning.

Google Maps is trying to outdo Yahoo! Maps in terms of giving service to its clients. Outdo they did. Try getting directions on how to get from New York to London. Here’s a print screen of what you’ll get, notice direction no. 24.

Google direction for your New York to London route

Direction No. 24 says:

Swim across the Atlantic Ocean 3,462 miles

It’s certainly past April Fool’s Day, isn’t it? But Google has their way of making their clients happy. Who’s going to swim that long, well unless you’re trying to break a Guiness record. At least they were kind enough to say how long it was for a swim. eheheh!

I tried getting direction to Manila from Bangkok, both Yahoo! and Google are mum. Waaah, why can’t I go home? 😀

Driving directions cannot be determined between these locations.

-Yahoo! Maps

We could not calculate driving directions between Bangkok and Manila.

Google Maps

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Musings Politics Weblog

The Challenge of the Superduperfriends

The Challenge of the Superduperfriends

My friend and former colleague, Jonas Diego, recently announced the completion of the Superduperfriend site. The site is a satire of US politicians. I haven’t seen the video, for some reason or another I just can’t view it here in Thailand, I’ll try it in the Internet Cafe. Meantime, enjoy. Here’s an excerpt of Jonas’ blog entry about his project.

It’s a parody animation/video we made based on the Saturday morning cartoon, Challenge of the Superfriends (remember the good ole days?). Only instead of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman we got the US Presidential Candidates duking it out in four color wonder.

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Life Musings Technology Weblog

Nominee for blogger’s choice award (UPDATE)

Blogger's Choice Nominee for Best Blog About StuffMy good online buddy, Massa P., was kind enough to nominate Blogbastic! as best blog about stuff. 🙂 This is my first nomination but not sure if I would survive the contest as I’m pitted against some of the most read blogs on the blogosphere but it’s a good experience anyway.

You have to register though before you can vote. Unfortunately, I cannot vote for Massa P, or the other blogs or even my blog as I might violate the TOS I have here on wordpress.  I’m still on free blog. As I’ve told Massa P., I might just have to watch the votes from the sidelines and see if my blog will earn some votes.  With the registration requirement, any blogger who would take time to vote suuuuuureeeeely loooooovvvee Blogbastic!

For some reason or another, I was able to register just now and have an option to sign up or NOT with PPP (25 april, 9am bangkok time). So, again the invitation still holds, please vote and yes, the registration was not that tedious after all. 🙂 

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Journalism Philippines Technology Weblog

INQUIRER.net Blogs

Although not as fancy as gmanews.tv’s blog network page, you can find all of INQUIRER.net Blogs in one site. From one, they now have 11 blogs covering almost everything from technology, entertainment, money to current events. 🙂

Now we have more than one choices in one roof.

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Journalism Musings Philippines Politics Weblog

When newsmen become the news (UPDATE)

The last thing that any journalist would want to end up with is being the news themselves. So, when I’ve learned that the Philippine Daily Inquirer issued a statement regarding a reported slay try on my former colleague, Mr. Delfin Mallari, Jr., it took me a while to believe what I’m reading. 

I met Ka Jun during one bureau meeting in Lucena City back when I was still with the PDI as a correspondent sometime between 1999 and 2000. I remember that my first impressions of him was that he’s a kind person, humble and seem to be a principled journalist add to that he’s quite a funny guy, too. His slay try came just a day after another newsman was found dead, apparently killed because of his chosen profession.

If you’re a journalist in the Philippines and your in a critical area covering a critical beat especially politics, drugs or illegal gambling, expect the worse to happen anytime you hit a sensitive spot of the industry. So, this would mean that your closest family member should be prepared when the time/day comes for you to be the news. I remember covering the news on the illegal numbers game or Jueteng in Laguna. One of my stories was published. A few days after, suspicious-looking men began surveying our house and was asking for me. It was pretty scary to think that I haven’t written, yet, a critical or explosive story. Suddenly, covering the games of the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association became interesting. 🙂

National Union of Journalists of the Philippines Chairperson Joe Torres described the events this week as another dark period for Philippine Media. He cited a number of cases of harrassment against journalists in just one week all over the country.

Ka Jun might have survived the slay try and I’m pretty sure that he’ll continue what he loves best but the bullet that almost took his life is still lodged in his body. A grim reminder that his chosen profession is anything but safe.

Ka Jun Mallari during a rally in Camp Crame in August 2004 (Photo Source: Dannyarao.com)

Ka Jun, second from left, during a rally in August 2004 in front of Camp Crame. They were condemning unresolved killings of journalists in the country. Three years after, he was almost one of the statistics. (From Prof. Danny Arao’s site)

DATESTAMP: 23 April 2007; 10.14pm, Bangkok time

Most of my Filipino readers might have read it over the Philippine Daily Inquirer but here’s an excerpt of Ka Jun’s thoughts on his slay try:

I now realize that being a part of a big national media entity, like the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and being a responsible media practitioner no longer guarantee one’s personal security.

I used to read in various articles about the Philippine media industry being under siege and about journalists being abducted, maimed, tortured and killed by enemies of press freedom.

After condemning the attacks, my naïve, provincial journalist frame of mind just brushed them off as part of the hazards of the profession. I thought that I would never be physically harmed as I had been circumspect in all my writings, no matter how explosive the topic was.

But these justifications seem not valid anymore.

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Journalism Life Musings Politics Technology Thailand Weblog

Inquirer.net & CNN.com blocked in Thailand??? (UPDATE)

(I originally posted this at around 8.30pm, Bangkok time, 11 April please read my update on this post below) 

I usually surf the news on the Internet after office hours, however, I was surprised of what I’ve discovered tonight. At about 8.06pm, Bangkok time, I typed Inquirer.net and this is what I’ve got.  

Inquirer.net when you browse it in Thailand

I’m not sure what’s happening but apparently after Youtube, Inquirer.net and CNN.com got the ire of the Thai Government for some reason.  

This is hot news, I informed Joey and Erwin re the possible blockade for their info. I said to myself, this might be an error on my computer, I refreshed my laptop but the same window.

I tried to check Inquirer Bloggers, to my relief, I can still view the site. 

I surfed CNN.com. Surprise, surprise, this is what I’ve got.

CNN.com when you browse it in Thailand

The small English script reads as follows:

ict.cyberclean.org

( Sorry! the web site you are accessing has been blocked by ministry of information and communication technology )

I lost my contacts in CNN so I’m not sure how to inform them but I’m sure they’ve already noticed as they have a regional office here in Bangkok.

They usually do this for pornographic sites but Inquirer.net and CNN.com?? Their news might be too sizzling for the Thai government, well I hope I’m wrong. I tried to key in other news media addresses. Al-Jazeera and BBC are still up, so I might probably be wrong and this might be a simple case of technical mistake???

****

Time stamp: 11.43pm, Bangkok Time, 11 April 2007 

I’m really puzzled of what happened early this evening it’s like I entered a Twilight Zone! When I surfed the internet just to check on the latest on Inquirer.net there was this announcement from Thailand’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. Good thing there’s print screen, so I have an evidence of what I saw and that I’m not just hallucinating.

After blogging about this apparent blockade, I tried to access the Tagalog site of WordPress. Guess what? I was directed to the cyberclean webpage again. I tried to access wordpress.com, while I was able to access it it was in its naked glory. I tried to access Chuckie’s website, it was also blocked!??? (hmm, is it because of Antoniella??).

I’ve received an inquiry from Yuga as to what ISP I’m hooked on, I was on True, which is a private company here. I took his lead and tried to ask my friends based here in Thailand to further confirm the possible blockade. A friend, who’s served by TOT, said the sites that I claimed to be blocked were fine (CNN, Inquirer.net, Tagalog WordPress, A Day In The Life, and yes even my blog), she can read all the news and all my blog entries! (by that time, I couldn’t access or update my blog on Blogbastic! as in only that site, I still have access to my other blogs on wordpress though).

Alas, when I asked two other friends, one confirmed that Inquirer.net was blocked the other confirmed that my blog was blocked, they were also on True. In the process of confirming the sites that they are surfing, one of them told me that she can now has access to part of my blog! I was puzzled and then after a while she can read most of the entries on my blog.

When I checked on my laptop, typed CNN, then Inquirer.net on one tab, then Chuckie’s blog on another, then WordPress Tagalog on another then my blog on another tab–I can see, I can see all of them (sigh…).

It made sense to me now, that last year, I started a blog for a network of communications officer here in the region and even before I could populate it with entries, it got blocked also by the MICT for some reason. When I emailed them for an explanation, no reply was made, I guess if this block was eventually for a longer period, my inquiries would have landed on deaf ears, too.

It was a great relief (to know I still have access on this blog in Bangkok, THAILAND!), puzzling but a bit scary. I’m supposed to be on a blogging hiatus because of an office work load and, have to admit this, because of the contagious moods of Massa P. and Shari. But this event was too good to pass not to be blogged.

Sayang I thought I had a scoop already, but that’s fine at least I have access to my blog again. Now, I can really relate to people having a site and then censored for no reason at all–I mean really no reason or provocation. Enough said.

Lastly, many thanks to Abe, Erwin and Joey for having the time to look into this info. Thanks to Liza and Danny, Mel and Ligh for helping me confirm this event.

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Life Musings Politics Technology Thailand Weblog

Thai Youtube blockade sparks video wars

Thailand’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology got its wish from Google and Youtube. Traces of the offensive video have been removed, however, the issue sparked a number of protest and triggered an onset of attack on the Thai monarchy online.

So, brace for a prolonged battle of videos online. But nobody’s retaliating against the offensive video, but how are they going to hit back? This is just like Thailand’s battle down south–they don’t know who the enemies are.

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Musings Technology Thailand Weblog

Thailand blocks Youtube (UPDATED)

(JIM’s Notes: Italicized are additional edits for this post timestamp: 9.00pm, Bangkok time.)

If you happen to be in Thailand and try to access your Youtube account, you’ll be welcomed by this page.

Youtube page if you access it in Thailand

The Bangkok Post reports that the Thai government blocked access to the popular website after Youtube turned down request to remove a clip about King Bhumibol that it deemed offensive.

Here’s an excerpt of the article:

Internet users reported on Wednesday that Thai authorities had blocked the popular website YouTube, over an insulting video of His Majesty the King.

Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, the minister of information and communication technology, told the Reuters news agency he personally ordered a block of the entire site from Thailand after the ministry’s attempts to block the offending page last week failed.

“Since Google (which owns YouTube) has rejected our repeated requests to withdraw the clip, we can’t help blocking the entire site in Thailand,” said Mr Sitthichai. “When they decide to withdraw the clip, we will withdraw the ban,” he said.

So, it’s a wait and see situation for us here. My kids have to settle for their regular Thai soap operas for now instead of their usual Philippine movies and Eat Bulaga excerpts.

CNN posted a report at around 0827 GMT (1527 Bangkok Time) today that the Offensive YouTube clip ‘removed by user’. While there are news that the ban might be lifted, Thai media, ironically, reported a way around the ban. They reported early this evening that users can still view Youtube via http://www.proxxxy.org.

I think Google has been very insensitive on this issue and to compare Thailand’s King to George Bush is simply illogical (I won’t elaborate on this). I think Google might have reacted differently had it been a different group. Enough said.

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Musings Philippines Technology Weblog

The 2007 Philippine Blog Awards FINALISTS

The list of finalists of the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards has been released. I was a bit disappointed that only two of three nominations I submitted made it to the finals–but ei! still good. Anyway, voting for the blogger’s choice awards is on this week. I think one has to choose from the finalist list??? Anyway, here’s the list of the finalist for the main awards:

Personal:

Technology:

Travel:

Entertainment:

Home & Living:

Socio-Political:

News & Media:

Business & Entrepreneur:

Sports & Recreation:

Fashion & Lifestyle:

Photo Blog:

Podcast:

Special Awards finalists are as follows:

Best Blog Design:

Best OFW Blog:

Best Free Custom Theme:

Best Plugin / Extension:

To all the finalists, congratulations! Awards night is on 31 March 2007, 5pm at Podium 4, RCBC Plaza Auditorium in Makati City.

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Technology Weblog

Engtech looking for guest bloggers

Engtech, one of the most popular tech bloggers on Wordpress if not the whole blogosphere, is looking for Guest Bloggers. He’s actually running a contest on it. So, if you’re one of who those who wants to have a decent spike in your stats, here’s your chance. Here’s an excerpt of his blog.

… I’ve only had one guest-blogged post so far and it did around 10,000 hits. This can be a great opportunity to reach a wider audience, and to help me out. Read more about why you should guestblog and how to be a good guestblogger at problogger.net.

Stats from the guestblogger post:

Guest blogger - Life in the Trenches stats

WordPress.com stats place //engtech at around 900 RSS subscribers and has between 6,000 and 9,000 page views a day. “It is a PR6 site (Technorati ranking: ~2,000) and usually does very well in search rankings, engtech further explains.

Subject matter should be able something I’d normally write about: how-tos, lifehacks, blogging, programming, development, geeky stuff… of course, I’m pretty much all over the place so it isn’t as limited as you might think.

Older posts are fine if you’re okay with having it republished here.

If you are interested then please contact me with a 3-5 sentence pitch for your post at this email address .

You will get

  • a byline/bio-paragraph at the top of the post and
  • a link to your blog at the beginning/ending of your post along with
  • any relevant links to other posts on your blog you include in the article.

The deadline was extended until the end of this month, so you still have a few days to write those posts! Who knows you could end up having a stat for the day of over 10,000 hits! Whooa!!!