admin – Page 284 – On The 8 Spot

March 11, 2009

rePost:Public Transpo Rant!:Business – Prius to hit Philippine roads by June – INQUIRER.net

: Image via Wikipedia

The mortgage of my parents latest vehicle is going to be paid by next year that’s why in total consumer cliche behavior we are beginning to think of our next car. The Prius is probably going to be very expensive hope my parents can afford it. As for me. Public transport is still the best way to bring people with the least amount of carbon emissions and gas usage. I may only be one but I vote with my peso and ride only the best busses to promote investment in this underserved sector of the Philippine services part of the GDP. Hope more people do because as long as we tolerate overburdened, second rate, second hand 20 year old buses from Japan, people who can buy cars would always prefer buying one.
If public transport:
-ran just a little late (10 minute car ride becomes 20, versus the now, 10 car ride is an hour ),
-meant I get to sit down during rush hours(versus the forced to stand up)
-meant standard fares and intelligible fare matrices, so I don’t get irritated by rider and bus conductors fighting over 1-4 peso difference in fare.
-meant exclusive lanes or congestion pricing. Because the volume of traffic in manila is unsustainable and old cars are just too cheap, we must discourage these jalopy or at least level the playing field. I like the way Singapore handles this. You have to have a garage and your car can only be used for a fixed number of years.
-meant less pollution , which means the Department Of Health would no longer warn the public from biking to work because of the health risk associated with lung/repiratory diseases.
I could go on but I detect a mild rantiness in my writing probably due to me being very sick with fever and flu yesterday, and the ton of work I have to Do

Prius to hit Philippine roads by June
By Abigail L. Ho Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 03:41:00 03/11/2009
Filed Under: Automotive Equipment
MANILA, Philippines — Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. plans to bring the Prius hybrid car to the Philippines by June, amid global efforts to come up with ways to limit carbon dioxide emissions, a company official said.
The company “very recently” got the go-ahead from Toyota Motor Corp. in Japan to bring the Prius over, its vice chairman Alfred Ty said.
Business – Prius to hit Philippine roads by June – INQUIRER.net.

March 11, 2009

Better Press Corp:Reuters and Inquirer Edition:Business – World economy to shrink below zero – INQUIRER.net

: Image via Wikipedia

I’ve got a beef with this title! World Economy to shrink below zero is obviously eye catching. You have a feeling that it is about growth but you have to read the second paragraph to be sure. This is shoddy writing!

World economy to shrink below zero
Reuters First Posted 15:12:00 03/10/2009
Filed Under: Unemployment, Economy and Business and Finance, World Financial Crisis
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – (UPDATE) The world economy is likely to shrink to “below zero” this year, in what many are now referring to as the “Great Recession,” the head of the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday.
Business – World economy to shrink below zero – INQUIRER.net.

March 11, 2009

rePost: 5 Years Late :BPO sector: English skills no longer enough – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

: Image via Wikipedia

It’s nice to know that the our leaders are finally thinking of the stuff I’ve been hearing form Indian Business leaders probably 5 years ago. Hope we could catch up.

“Labor arbitrage erodes over time. What we need are people who can contribute to the bottom line. Success comes from a combination of labor arbitrage and cost efficiency. These would make for a successful long-term play,” he added.
He said critical thinking was an important trait for BPO workers to imbibe, as this provided added value to what they could do. Beyond answering calls and doing basic voice functions, critical thinking could be applied to other aspects of the BPO chain.
BPO sector: English skills no longer enough – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos.

March 11, 2009

rePost:Great News:Business – Toshiba to shift some SSD assembly to RP – INQUIRER.net

: Image via Wikipedia

Companies that have manufacturing facilities in the Philippines usually have factory priced sales during December. They sell excess supply. If the recession continues to dampen demand, there would probably be excess supply. I hope I can buy a few SSD drives!

Toshiba to shift some SSD assembly to RP
Solid-state drive assembly to start in Apr-June Reuters First Posted 10:23:00 03/10/2009
TOKYO, Japan — Toshiba Corp. said Tuesday it planned to start production of solid-state drives (SSD) overseas to cut costs and increase output, beginning assembly in the Philippines by the middle of the year.
Toshiba, the world’s number two maker of NAND flash memory after Samsung Electronics Co., is betting on strong growth for NAND-based SSD memory devices, seen as a promising alternative to some hard-disk drives because they are more shock-resistant and consume less energy.
Business – Toshiba to shift some SSD assembly to RP – INQUIRER.net.

March 11, 2009

Praise To Effort:DWade Edition:Jackie MacMullan: Dwyane Wade has the look of an MVP – ESPN

: Image via Wikipedia

In Wade’s case, that means leading his team in scoring, assists, steals and minutes. It means corralling a young nucleus of Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers and Daequan Cook (with Joel Anthony and Chris Quinn in smaller roles) that averages 22.8 years old and flounders without him on the floor.
Jackie MacMullan: Dwyane Wade has the look of an MVP – ESPN.

March 8, 2009

Had To Share:Good Ideas Need To Be Nurtured Not Shoved Into Anybody's Throat!:Big Tent Atheism – Boing Boing

: Image by buckofive via Flickr

I come from a very religous family , I have friends from both spectrum of religousity /belief . What I find that is grating me personally is that need by a lot of people to assert their correctness by tearing the other guy a new one. I used to feel that need when I was younger , but with age comes nonchalance, you just realize that people live within their own worlds and the true miracle is that any group of people exists as a group.
What helped me get to this is the realization that although “Good Ideas Need To Be Nurtured, They Don’t Need Anyone Trying To Shove Them In Anybody’s Throat”.
Although, based on what little I pretend to understand of the mathematics of evolution, the goodness/fitness of an attribute over that of the norm does not mean it would be carried over in successive generations, it depends on how well it helps the species survive. Which I interpret to mean in the case of ideas : How right an idea is does not mean that an idea would survive, it is how well an idea gives rise to other people believing in the idea. In some ways what my analysis is pointing me towards the feeling that their strategy is counter productive; as I believe the quoted article is saying.

With religion, I think atheists have the same dissonance going on. If they really think the world would be better off without religion, they shouldn’t hate religion and call believers fools. Any successful new belief system must appreciate the beauty of what it’s replacing and strive for backwards-compatibility. If Matthew 1:1-16 hadn’t explained how Jesus’ lineage fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 1:1-5, it wouldn’t have gotten where it is today.
So I put it to declared atheists– the ones who fly the flag about it, not the ones who are quiet or closeted: Do you think that most of humanity is A) hopeless and doomed to kill each other because of their stupid religious beliefs, or B) capable of coming to and benefiting from your views?
I think closeted atheists who participate in other religious activities are the future of atheism. They know that prayer feels good without a needing brain scientist to tell them, and they know you don’t need God to want to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and provide homes for the orphaned. What if they simply stopped reciting the words that they didn’t agree with during religious services, without calling attention to it? In many places I don’t think they would be kicked out or turned upon and beaten just for that.
Big Tent Atheism – Boing Boing.

March 8, 2009

rePost:Finding Happiness:Stumbling and Mumbling: Money, reputation and happiness

: Image via Wikipedia

I suspect there might not be. One reason why I think I’m happier now than when I was younger (despite the U-shape in happiness over the life cycle) is precisely that I’ve stopped giving a damn what anyone thinks about me. If you care about your reputation, you end up worrying about things you can’t easily control. You become like Heather Mills, ranting hysterically about the press.
This is pretty much the exact opposite of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s recipe for happiness – flow. He says we maximize happiness when we lose ourselves in an activity – playing music or sport say – when we are in control, and yet oblivious to our own ego.
Stumbling and Mumbling: Money, reputation and happiness.

Happiness is that thing that I yearn for and actually try to find. I haven’t but all good things take time. What am I trying to do to find happiness? Here are some:
-Trying out new thing. This includes hobbies etc. I am trying to skew towards activities that do.
-Connecting with people. Trying to interact with people and increase my circle of friends. This also include improving connections with my friends now.
-Connecting with your family. We tend to take our parent and siblings for granted. I try to smooth things over and try to maximize my time spent with my parents.
-Self Improvement. A most overused word but its overused for a reason you are never perfect. What you can be is a person that is totally comfortable with yourself! The best way (for me) to be comfortable with yourself is to face the harsh realities of life and your rough edges head on. This means being honest to yourself with the things taht are painful for you, the things that irk you, things that give you joy, the activities that gives you a lasting joy. The good thing about being honest to yourself is that when you do it often enough it becomes a habit thatbrings you closer

March 8, 2009

rePost:Draconian Anti Internet Free Speech Laws in Thailand:Global Voices Online » Thailand: Web director arrested for “allowing offensive comments”

: Image by longhairthai.com via Flickr

I find te thai a wonderful people full of warmth and hospitality(next to Filipinos). It is sad that the Thai people still live under such draconian oppressive laws, although I understand why there are laws such as these, a kind of command responsibility concept, It is unfortunate that the government does not realize that the price for responsibility is more than the pound of flesh they exact on the service providers . They are stiffling that which makes humans unique. Thought and creativity.

In Thailand, there is a “draconian” computer crime bill that states that any service provider who deliberately let a third party post anything that violates the law is also subject to the same liability as the person who committed the offense. Excerpts from the 2007 Computer Crime Act which the Prachatai editor allegedly violated:
Global Voices Online » Thailand: Web director arrested for “allowing offensive comments”.

March 6, 2009

rePost:Funny: CNBC Gives Financial Advice | The Daily Show | Comedy Central

This is quite funny!
CNBC Gives Financial Advice | The Daily Show | Comedy Central.