Internet and E-commerce

In a not so long future that will come, e-commerce would undoubtedly be one of the most significant factors in the global economy. The e-commerce technology has made this kind of industry progress at such a fast pace and such an unstable environment. These technologies that will bring the e-commerce industry into a greater space will continue to bring transformation to personal communication and conducting global business world wide. Though the global economy may falter at times or in the past years of crisis, but the advances of the e-commerce would surely be able to help the global market to get back on its track and do well or even greatly. These advances are also significantly related to bringing the whole world online. Its advantages offered will attract lots of newbie or non-newbie on conducting business or just simple transaction online. According to NUA Internet Surveys (http://nua.ie./surveys/), over 620 million people worldwide are linked to the internet or are getting used to the World Wide Web (WWW). And experts predict that the global Internet usage will be growing more and more for the next succeeding years. By 2009, it was even estimated that 47 percent of all business-to-business (B2B) commerce will be done online already.

The rapid growth of the Internet also attracts the increase of organizations opting to use the World Wide Web in conducting business at a greater speed, access and efficiency. This shift is very common in business-to-business (B2B) commerce and trade. Companies now adapt to a system called e-procurement that offers and uses different B2B protocols for interaction with seller system. Examples are Ariba, Commerce One, and mySAP. Many others participate as buyers in e-marketplaces, such as Commerce One MarketSet, Ariba Hosted Market Place, and IBM’s Web Sphere Commerce Suite, Marketplace Edition (WCS MPE, or MPE for short), among others. Many other protocols for B2B methods, many proprietary to procurement and other systems, and others custom-made for specific partners are being defined and implemented. In addition to the procurement systems that usually reside in the firewall of the buying organizations, marketplaces are being situated on the Internet through which buyers can access a large number of suppliers, typically for specific industry divisions. Several of these marketplaces use the same or similar technology to connect to procurement and supplier systems and offer buyers at small and medium-sized businesses access to suppliers.

E-commerce technology will not only become smarter and faster but it can also cast a wider net for companies and organizations globally and renovate their methods of dealing with internal information, customer service and other important business transactions in a whole lot better way. Internet technology has also been used not just for business them selves to cater their business transaction needs but there are also internet portals that provide service for those who do e-commerce, another facet of business-to-business commerce. Some of which are domain name service which includes simple transactions in a business namely, transfer, agreement, domain forwarding and e-mail forwarding. There are also other website services provided like online shopping, website packages, web page, web store, custom design and also other promotion services. These internet technologies that are employed would surely help business get better and for those who are just thinking of transforming theirs to an e-business. An e-commerce business solution can provide an organization’s customers with detailed information of their products and services a year for a fraction of the cost just like having an international sales staff that is really efficient and always available as what is offered in Web Sphere commerce Suite, an IBM’s award winning e-commerce software. The solutions they offer comes in both a B2C and a B2B likes and allowing them to strengthen their relationship with their valued customers by cross selling and up selling products and services, streaming inventory management, returns and refunds, providing live help and online collaboration with suppliers and customers.

E-commerce technology could surely increase one’s company by boosting beyond their physical locations, culture, and time zones. Affordability, scalability, and profitability are a very important terms for e-businesses and they should make sure they could be able to offer these such importance and advances. One of advantage of an internet technology that could offer to any businesses or organizations is that it could bridge the problem of those companies in having limited resources, limited skills and as well as limited budget that growing a business as well as transforming a growing one into an e-business is very daunting. So getting connected to the internet would really help you in building a business and make it grow more by initially building a virtual storefront and creating a global Web presence for the online audience who would be the probable online customers. With e-commerce technology, finding solutions to problems that organizations get to face everyday like customer retention and increasing supply costs are few to mention and with this, a B2B e-commerce could never be that hard as it was and to make an e-business faster and cost efficient with just the appropriate solutions to be implemented.

There are also other suggested ideas to make e-business a success. New features are already starting to emerge from years after years that could bring several technologies apart that could be later on used in e-commerce extensively. A) Collaboration Key - companies set up smart hubs that are not only used by their own customers, but also interact with other companies' sites. Particularly on the business-to-business (B2B) side, this innovation could change the way companies do business with one another, according to Mark Byrd, senior vice president of product management at VerticalNet. B) Breaking Barriers - breaking down barriers between different departments and companies to achieve potential ‘real-time’ future, allowing constant updates of information related to inventory, product availability and shipping status. C) Supercharged Kiosks - consumers could have more direct contact with the next generation of e-commerce technology. Such kiosks will see increased use for actual purchases and financial transactions. D) IM's New Role - transforming instant messaging (IM) from a chat enabler into a serious e-commerce asset. Enable companies more easily create communities of like-minded customers, and will offer more secure ways to vouch for information that is sent back and forth over a network. E) Speeding Things Up - the real-time aspect of future e-commerce technologies will allow users to engage in "threaded discussions" as they negotiate contracts and share data. F) On the Same Page - smart interactive portals, accessible from wired or wireless locations, are the best way to consolidate information in a single place, separate mission-critical functions from other operations and control that has access to specific data.

Although the technology that has been incorporated now in doing e-commerce could provide lots of advances to those who opt to employ them, it is very important for these businesses to be very prepared in engaging to an e-business world. This kind of economy as is situated in the virtual world is running in a fast pace and catching up is one thing that one should never neglect or else. Technology could just be that useless despite its advances offered if one doesn’t know how to be a good player in such an economy.

The dynamic nature of the kind of new economy calls for new challenges to industry and the policymakers, although the internet promises great features for such businesses. The decision makers involved are entitled to develop procedures that would motivate growth and press on consumer interests. To craft groundwork for the fast paced growth of e-commerce appropriately, enterprises must learn to adopt effective e-commerce technology policies and strategies. These strategies involve strong intellectual property protection, online trust, free and open international trade and investing in an e-commerce technology infrastructure. Strong intellectual property protection refers to strong copyrights, patent, rewarding creativity to foster innovation and other forms of intellectual property protection to strengthen the economy. Of course online trust involves the ever important security and privacy, which without consumer’s confidence in security and privacy of their information could mean less growth and weaker e-commerce. So protecting information and interactions on the internet is a total key to ensure success. Closed markets and inequitable management is not very good for e-business. It is said that it should be realized that only in an open and free market will the Internet’s potential be realized. Investing in an e-commerce technology is a very good step and very vital to stimulate technological growth. The future of electronic delivery demands a dramatic evolution of the telecommunications infrastructure in every part of the world. Also, the digital divide is a major concern for organizations who have worked independently to increase access to computer technologies in under served regions. They distinguished that a global e-commerce technology future depends on extensive access to new technologies, mainly by individuals who have accordingly far failed to share in many of the communications and productivity benefits that technology offers. For all these motives, many e-commerce organizations support policies to support broadband deployment in a way that will augment widespread access to technology and, in so doing, lessen or even close the digital divide.

E-commerce and trust

With the e-commerce world, trust is indeed a very critical element that each e-commerce players should be looking forward to. Every organization, online shoppers and the sort would really be concerned about this issue to whether they are really protected by venturing in such kind of commerce. Trust issues with e-commerce is viewed by others as how protected they truly are with their privacy of information and how they are really defended accompanied with certain rights in times of problems in trading and other transactions they do. There are actually different views on trust depending on the state of an individual and it is becoming different as it travels around the web. According to an article posted over the net by Yinan Yang and colleagues, trust can be viewed as a counter measure for al uncertainties in an E-commerce perspective. E-Commerce trust can be defined as subjective of the web communities and the perception and exception of honesty and law equity by others. It is certainly hard to trust in such an environment where you do everything virtually and you never really get to see or touch elbows with those whom you do businesses with. The increase of Internet users has also increased the internet frauds, hackers and all sorts that contributing to the anti-trust issues and such crimes and this proportionally increased the entire web user’s awareness with the trust issues as being faced by the e-commerce now. The issue of complete trust is becoming a very big problem to both web users and as well as consumer service providers or those businesses that duly engaged their selves with e-commerce. So the big challenge is truly given to those consumer service providers or other businesses venturing in e-commerce to establish their selves as truly worth of the trust that the entire web users can give. We can never really define to which extent a trust of one user or consumer is strongly established in doing e-commerce transactions. These trusts would definitely rely on users experience in using the internet. It was said internet users would opt to indulge themselves in E-commerce after 4 to 5 years of being an Internet user. Surveys even showed that around one third of the chosen respondents were unwilling to engage in e-commerce or purchase an item for one reason of being reluctant is that they worry that they can be exposed to misuse of information. According to a post by Susan Kuchinskas in Small business computing.com, “Thanks to constant phishing expeditions in which evil-doers spoof the e-commerce sites of major retailers, consumers have become much more aware about the dangers of offering up personal information online. That's a good thing for consumers, but it may be bad for online merchants, especially those who haven't become household words.” It seems that consumers are becoming smart and more aware of the risks they could be taking in engaging in e-commerce stuffs but that would really be a bad news for the business ventures as well as in the economic industry.

That is not really an easy task since the trust relationship we are referring to is just merely based with consumers and providers identify each other only with their Websites, email addresses and some electronic mediums like public key or with the digital certificates. Sad to say that this kind of array has brought some changes and as well as a set of new electronic threats and risks like deceptions or frauds, mishandling of personal data (credit card information), intentional misinformation posted on web documents, copy legal businesses as to get over with the consumer’s personal information like their credit card numbers, spying and more negation. These set of threats and risks add up more to the burden of the E-commerce environment in dealing with the trust uncertainty. And to which they are the main stakeholders to receive the negative effects such as, primarily, financial losses and the likes. I don’t’ think that they will surely never let it get to them and start to think counter measures to limit or lessen these kind of uncertainties and further losses for them. To counter these threats they have now established TRUST as their primary element in E-commerce, with which is the most to be prioritized on the first hand. There are already mechanisms done to establish initial trust over the web such as a number of Public Key Infrastructures (PKI) which can identify business parties but these were said to be not enough trust models since there is still a lack of logical assessment of Trust in Web Commerce. There could also be certain ways to which a business could establish their selves with to start gaining every consumer trust.

1.Identify yourself properly

Businesses must appropriately identify or introduce their selves on their site since this is one good preliminary step to create trust relationship with their customers. They must post their complete company name, address and as well as their contact numbers to which they could give their users details and assurance that consumers would have their ways to contact a certain company whenever they want to. It is really important that consumer service providers’ show how trustworthy they could be at first hand or how could they sell their selves as a trust worthy business everyone could surely rely on. Legal companies should always be transparent with the transactions they do in a way that they are doing the right thing, or they are really doing the right ways in the personal data of their customers and that their strategies are always taken care of.

2. Respond to consumer

For instance where transaction is being done or your consumer is just starting to view your site to buy something that interests them, it is normal for a consumer to have many or different additional inquiries. So it would be better to respond to consumers in a short span of time. This way could greatly affect a consumer’s trust. Responding to them right away would make them feel that they are really given a proper service and that you are really doing business seriously. On the other hand, late responses would test consumer’s patience of which are not usually that long and that could give you a very bad impression and another customer loss.

3.Inform Consumers properly

Personal information from consumers is required when a transaction is being done. Consumers find it very fun and convenient to do their shopping online but oblivious to many is the risks they are being faced as their personal information might go to risks as well. Consumers have to become smarter now to avoid themselves with different threats. In asking off personal data from your consumers, you must clearly explain to them why would you ask for such requirements and what are you going to do with those data. In this way, consumer wouldn’t be ignorant to such protocols and that they would still be in the know about their personal data.
In times of delay, businesses have to duly inform their end consumers on what causes the delay and that what would their customers should expect from their orders. Never give them false hopes as to which this could really destroy your image for breaking trusts.

4. Structure website with security

Every player in the E-commerce World should assess the amount of trust present. It is said that one preliminary technique in gaining trust from end consumers is the way their websites are constructed. In establishing their websites, businesses have to see to it that their web contents are 100 % Web trustworthy or there is expected 0% fraud probability present. They must make sure that there website is protected from expected harms and they have to be always on guard. They must always inculcate in their minds that the information they handle in their websites are from their consumers and they are the ones reliable to protect it as strongly as they could. And this method should always be re-assessed to ensure complete security. Also they have to make proper navigation with their sites as well as the web objects they placed as their web contents. Poor downloading for example and poor display could lessen the interest of the end consumers for your services.

5.Always improve service

Businesses must always see to it that they are giving 100% satisfaction service to their end consumers. This could always be the best way wherein they could establish their trust relationship with the consumers they provide with. Good service could always refer to how fast they process everything from the start of the transaction till the end and still providing the security measures appropriate in each process undergone. It is a really good impression that you could give the proper service without any compromised personal data from your end consumers. Also businesses must establish return policies that in times customers have dissatisfaction with their product delivered, they have to stick to policies that gives the consumers right to accommodate the service they really want to have.

Also, businesses have to establish a sense of security among their consumers by allowing them to select the mode of payment they want to choose and the software they are using must verify their consumer’s ability to pay of which of course involves credit cards, electronic cash or purchase orders. The business could also use customer information as a part of their e-commerce operation. More refined packaging retains a great deal of customer information, including where users go in a site, and make this information available in the form of analytical reports.

6. Be always true to what you sell

Different strategies are thought of by these several businesses to sell their selves off over the net particularly their goods and services. This is a very important step they should do to ensure that they gain something after their big investments on such business. They would give off the most indulging messages to attract customer to avail of their service. But they should never forget to only display the messages or information that is really incorporated with them. For instance, a company tells the web users over the web that their product is something so good but is really not and when an end consumer gets fooled but realizes in the end that the product they ordered is really substantial, the business is faced more trouble that they could handle and that puts their business into its image risk and wearing off the trust of their consumers and non-consumers who might have heard their scheme. Also sell your goods and services appropriately.

7. Strictly imposed policy rules

The E-commerce laws have set our rules in which every business should be strictly imposing alongside their business goals and objectives. This method could not only establish their selves with end consumer trust but it could also protect them from oblivious actions inside their premises that could hinder progress and destroy their company name.

I have really understood that trust is a thing that you should always get to be serious with and it should not be one of the things you could just neglect. Especially with the businesses wherein there profits and brand are at stake of taking care with their privacy issues. Along side with the e-commerce law, they should work hand in hand to lessen internet crimes and fraud that just slows down the e-commerce industry. Since the legislation, particularly in our country is not yet that reliable, we should start to make it one. We need more advocates to establish a stronger law incorporated with e -commerce. E-commerce is really a good way of employing ICT with the business industry as its offer many advantages and results to more progress, so let us not be the hinder to this progress but instead help it to become more productive as it would contribute much to our industry. And that is to make everyone believe that only the absence of misuse of personal information of others and other internet crimes could be the way to make the e-commerce industry bloom more and that would eventually lead for more economic progress.

tech vs. nature

There have been indeed numerous books wherein authors have exerted their much effort in trying to convey an environmental message, not just a mere message but a very significant message that all of us should hear of. Or they have interestingly perceived the future destructions we might be all facing in the very near future. We could either be very alarmed upon hearing such message or just keep our ears and eyes, as well as our mouths closed as if we did not come to perceive such things. Not only books but also movies have been used as a medium to let us hear the most important message that we all should be hearing and that message would be the message of global destruction. Global destruction is such a totally major word and for me, hearing the term ‘global’ would also totally mean big time, and incorporating this big time word with the term ‘destruction’ is very disturbing and frightening since I’m one of the big-time-word’s inhabitant. Destruction to our earth would surely mean destruction of mankind. Obviously, immense actions should now be at mobile to counter act the damages done and prevent further spoiling of our environment. I don’t think I had already read a book that tells about global destruction and the like where the future is the setting but I already have seen a bunch of movies about it, though I guess those movies are still based from published books. The Day after tomorrow, Wall-E, Back to the future, Water world, Ultraviolet and Time Machine are few to mention. As far as I can remember in the movie Time Machine, when the lead actor travelled into the future, there was a scene wherein the moon was gradually tearing into pieces and seems to be falling off from the sky. And another man was shouting something about the plant earth will surely be next. The moon has already been inhabited by the humans, where they locked up prisoners, causing imbalance in the environment of the moon and it started to get destroyed. Since each bodies of the universe are interrelated, the destruction of the moon would surely affect the planet earth as well as other planetary bodies in the outer space. From that instance, the future seems to be nothing but a damaged world. And those damages seem to only source from us. It just appears that every step we make to bring us to the future would also be a step for greater obliteration.

I am only a typical student of one of the known college in the metropolis of Davao and I have my own plate of concerns to attend to as being an Information Technology student. I am already aware that technology is indeed one of the major contributors of environmental problems. Although I am a person I the technology field, I can’t give my side to technology and all I can do is give the help I can to lessen what these technologies has done. These are the little things or ideas I could think of for now as a small and concerned citizen who greatly wants to save our mother earth in an Information technology student way:

1. Yes to Obama’s move

I read over the internet in the BBC news website that the newly elected United States of the America president, Barack Hussein Obama II has assigned his new Department of Energy Secretary Mr. Chu which is a Nobel Prize Award winner for knowing how atoms are trapped or the like. The president wants to give up the addiction of the world or particularly the Americans for gasoline or oil since this is one cause of the environmental problems. He wants to greatly focus, in his term, in taking care of our earth. In line with this, I would really be an advocate to his actions and beliefs. About the oil issue addiction, I really admire him for somehow letting go to the bond of trading oil which is some kind of purposely active for bigger profits in countries. Even our own country, Philippines couldn’t seem to let go of that trade even a Filipino citizen has found a very great solution to lessen pollution and made water as gasoline. If I had a car, I would really opt to use the ‘water gasoline’ than use the typical one everyone uses and flaunt to everyone how I would add up to the pollution day to day. To motorists, they should regulate their use of their cars like if possible they could just find time to walk than use their car; they might as well do that.

2. I am a Green campus Computing advocate

Green Campus Computing is one of the recently formed advocacies in our school particularly by my schoolmates, also Information Technology students. Green Campus Computing yearns to call upon every student, with University of Southeastern Philippines students initially, to reduce technological effects to our nature in our own ways. It wants us to conserve electricity and regulate the use of technological devices that usage of such mostly contributes to radiation emission and some sort. So whenever you don’t use your personal computer at home or even at school, in computer laboratories, might as well just shut it down or turn the power off. That is also the same with conserving electricity at school, at home or wherever we maybe. This advocate has been formed by my schoolmates spear headed by one of the professors we look up to, to inculcate in our minds as Information technology students, that technology is damaging what has to be really taken care of always by us and we must do something to counter these acts and let others know that we are not in this field to contribute more to the damage done but to be a pro-earth despite of the field we are in. I really think that this is a very good advocacy and I really hope that it would reach more schools locally and nationally or even as well as in global terms. Mobiles are not exclusion to this matter and the same with everyone I am a mobile user. Mobiles also emit radiation that is actually bad for our health as well as to the environment too. I am not really sure how exactly it contributes to the damaging of nature but actually it is. Mobile use regulation is completely as hard as telling someone not to breathe specially in a country like ours which has been called as the text capital where millions of text messages are sent a day. But I just hope that we should do something regarding this device usage to somehow lessen its damaging contribution.

3. Pro – Earth Blogger

I am not really a good writer but I think everyone could understand what I would try to convey. I have been a blogger for a year I guess and the realization of what blogging could do has already crept into me. Blog posts can be viewed by the whole world via Internet and your message could be read globally in just an hour I think. It could either make a positive or negative impact, but nevertheless, your message could still be sent out. As an information technology student, I would start to use my personal page of letting everyone be a mother earth hero or heroine. Through my blog posts, hopefully I could influence everyone or make them realize the global problem we are actually facing now and also motivate them to participate in any environment saving activities there are. A result of one or two influenced reader would really mean a lot for me at least someone has actually believed my beliefs and advocacy. I would really want to use this method to reach the whole world in becoming one to make a difference about the global crisis. Although I didn’t have any pro-earth posts on my blog yet, this item would surly be the first. And I would invite every bloggers in the cyber world to do the same.

4. An environmental Org member

I have been a member of the Junior Ecologists Movement (JEM) way back in high school and I am quite sad for the thought that I am not a member of it anymore and I am not currently in an environmental club though I really want to. Looking back with the activities we have done in JEM, I am proud of myself that I did such things. I learned to change my attitude in throwing trash anywhere and had tried to influence others to do the same thing too. I had actually planted a tree or a plant four or five times already in our several escapades. I have read in Global issues about the method being planned to use “Carbon Sink” to drench all the carbon dioxide. And that is to do reforestation or planting of new forests. Planting trees would really help reduce carbon dioxide emissions so it would be really nice and helpful if we could have mini ecosystems in our own homes or even in schools. And what I’m most proud of is when I joined a river trekking once as a charitable act to save the Tamugan watershed in Baguio District somewhere in the ends of Calinan. We trekked over 3 kilometers and met stumbles and other small accidents along the way. My face was really sun burnt and my body is aching all over but it was all nothing compared to the experience that I had actually survived it in the name of saving nature. I had heard of Green Peace which is a global organization, I guess, for pro-environmentalists and I really want to join

5. Regulate businesses with the nature issue

I read from an article in Global Issues site posted by Anup Shah that the first world countries, or particularly United States of America and other few countries are indeed one of the major contributors of global warming as they continued industrializing and giving off the climate change gases around so well. Large corporations within these countries have been always against climate change settlements because they fear the economical effect and to their profits if they would do substantial changes inclined to such settlements and also the fear that they would realize that their means have been contributors of the said problem. Although most of the large and influential corporations have continually destabilize this issue that they are greatly involved, others were good enough to embrace the settlement and involve their company to reversing global warming. I think that is what every companies as well as governments should be doing right now.

Another thing is that impact or the effect emitted by large corporations in first world countries is greatly felt by poor countries. I think that they should stop being so self-centered as to getting focused only in worrying about making their profits bigger. They could just be left out if they really don’t want to join the pro-earth club but the thing is they are greatly affecting others with their methods. What’s good for them is to actively participate in World Conventions about climate change or other protocols organized by some concerned ones and start doing emission reductions.

6. Go with good innovations

We are the makers of technology and obviously we are the main culprit of what we are faced right now. Although technology has really brought us much convenience it has also brought us another side of its effect that we really don’t like and the big one is still to come or actually it is already on its way to us. Putting myself to the makers of technology, or those technological devices, I really could not relate that much yet, but if I were one, I would really opt to make a technology that will have less negative impact to contribute again to the global dilemma or if possible, no negative effect at all. I could not still fathom on how those developers think, why they would neglect the side effects of their technological creations to the real world and just seem to be focused in breaking innovations or making profit. But I guess it is related to the norm of humans that we have still many things to learn and that is hopefully to innovate and climb each level to maximum technology without ever disturbing the natural ecosystem as what has been conceived and placed by God. Would that be even possible? I do really hope so.

Well, those are my ideas and proposal to everyone who wants to get involved but whether you like it or not, as long as you’re an earthling, you are undoubtedly involved, I just came to realize now that the fear I have of technology becoming so advance, that we might get ruled over by it rather us ruling over it, is just a part of what we all should be realizing. That technology would be a way to destroy the world we are living in and would totally change the way of living that we all got used to and loved as humans. I don’t think we will be called as humans then for that matter. All I can say is we need to badly participate in saving the environment and not just pretend to be blind, be deaf or be mute. Our little actions put together would be really powerful against global warming. I know there are already in the move to the saving plan but it seems that it is still not enough and this global problem needs global counteract. And let us change the image of technology that has been established as the destroyer of the environment and make it the technology that is on the environmental side.

Are we e-safe?

Legislation of e-commerce has been employed so as to protect every aspects or elements that may be included in the e-commerce environment, the consumer and producers as well as any data security and integrity. Every area of businesses nowadays is surrounded with circles of boundaries composed of appropriate rules and regulations. These legislations serve as the transparency of every transaction that is done online or any transactions involved in the e-commerce ‘world’. So that every actions done between any processes or between customers and businesses, shall be appropriately guided and make sure every step will be done accordingly, starting from the consumer moving through the internet into a merchant’s website and see a prospect product to finally exchange of electronic cash for payments. Also will make the players of the e-commerce environment be legal in their every ways and these laws should always be observed and complied.

The Philippine government became the third country in Southeast Asia with legislation to promote and protect electronic transactions when Former Pres. Joseph Estrada signed the e-commerce law and was ratified on June 14, 2000, called as the Philippine Electronic Commerce Act (Republic Act 8792) (Lallana, E. & Quimbo, R., April 2008). This would cover any individual in the Philippines that also includes electronic transactions. The Philippine e-commerce act is based on UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law). The UNCITRAL is a UN organ tasked to plan model laws wherein the member nations may adopt this for them to employ for themselves organized legal administration for businesses and trading, and this was gradually embraced by the Philippine government.

With all these precautions, a set of rules and regulations were laid upon the course and boundaries of e-commerce, national or international, we may all be just relax and believe the rest is assured and we could all just be sound. As for the issue brought up that questions the legislation of satisfying the demands of both the government and consumers, although every defense has already been built-up, there could also be room for breach or area for any not-so-secured transactions and anything could be just as subjective for compromise. With the Internet having the power of reaching across the world, it is inevitable that legal issues would be involved that involves intellectual properties, copyright, trademark, privacy and the like relatively predominantly on the business side. Our technology today is so fast paced, and everyone becomes the player. And the population of these players is really hard to control. A very challenging task is posed for the authorities or for these laws to fully control the e-commerce or harmonize everything as it should be. Even laws that do not concern the e-commerce world even experience breaches and loss of assurance. With regards to the state of our country solely, that we are just starting to adopt these technology, and everyone is not yet acquainted to it, it seems that there’s more to this that we, Filipinos, should understand still. As everything goes entirely electronic, we can’t stop questioning on how such laws could be fully applied to the world of cyberspace. It seems very hard to fathom thinking that cyberspace or the Internet is such another big world that we humans have still yet to learn more, wherein everything seems to be done so freely. For example, purchasing hardware locally could give you bigger chances of retaining your right if ever the hardware does not function well, you could just go to the store where you bought that stuff and complain or charge them. But in the case of purchasing it online, you may have bought it from the other part of the world, and in times of problems that what you bought was defective, you really have little chance to fight for your rights.

I have read many counteracts or precautions taken to ensure the ‘safety’ of all that is involved in the digital world and I hope that these could be taken as universal as in everything is standardized entirely for the whole world so securing might be more efficient as soon as possible. The legal issues imposed could be handled easier in the nearest time we could have. That these governing rules and regulations would be as fast paced as technology is, and that human can still control the ‘wire-ness’ were becoming. And that we could prove that we still have control over the technology and not let it become a tool for more crimes and anomalies but just room for more developments for our kind. To sum all the situation up, the legislation could not yet somehow satisfy the needs of the government because, even the authorities are still having a hard time, incorporating such laws and how it could be applied. It seems that we still need more understanding of applying a ‘cyber law’ to a ‘cyber world’. To my view, although e-commerce or digital cash seems to be already an old stuff, mastering to play in this kind of industry wherein everything would be fully regulated and taken under control, is still needed very essentially knowing that everything is not constant and unpredictable. So for short, we should make everything predictable and keep up with whatever is happening inside the digital world. It would just be a matter of taking control of the things, I mean; we already have other laws aside from these e-commerce laws and we managed to control things with these laws, so it would not be that impossible to also incorporate ourselves with the cyber laws.

Society and Innovation

The needs of the people are the creation of a new technology or of a new innovation. Several decades or centuries have passed us and we can obviously see the big changes that happened over the technologies or with the things we find useful in our daily lives. The history of mankind has taken its shape along the years that has passed and innovation was always constant, was always there. Countless technologies have been thought of, created, invented and that was all because of the needs of the society that urges them to make something out of things and improve something as well as to improve our lifestyle. I agree with the statement that one of the reasons why we embrace technology that much in our lives is the environment; the people are greatly affected by what the nature would throw at us or shall I say what the environment would exchange us. Since it is not, yet, in our hands the control of Mother Nature or of the environmental turns, we inclined ourselves with the other side of things that would still help us ease with the way we live and in defense or counter of what the environment brings to us.

The significant event I had chosen to be an example of this assignment is the World War II (WWII), wherein no one can deny the events that occurred at that time were indeed unforgettable and we wish would always remain a history. And related to this very significant event was the formulation of a very interesting yet also destructive, the nuclear weapon or the atomic bomb where the nuclear age had seems to start of the use of atomic weapons in wars. The United States of America, together with United Kingdom and Canada, in their secret projects in designing and building the first atomic bomb ever under the so called Manhattan Project, had plotted a plan to make an end to their dispute with Japan. The bombs were named “Little Boy” and “Fat man”, the former was a gun-type bomb made with uranium-25 and which was the one dropped in Hiroshima, and the latter was a synthetic-element made with plutonium-239 that was dropped in Nagasaki on August 6 and followed on August 9 way back 1945.

One instance that I could also cite in relation to this topic, although I’m not really quite sure, was about the creation of the ‘yo-yo’. I heard several years before that yo-yo was conceived by the people during the Great Depression. If I’m right and my memory is still good, it was in a certain TV station or channel that this story was part of their commercial. The Great Depression was an economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world.Even yo-yo was existing during 500 BC, the birth of the modern yo-yo was initiated by Mr. Donald Duncan at the depression era in the United States. It was stated that the investment of the said person was a good one since the modern yo-yo became popular in the said country probably because of the negative state they were in and that they really needed something to relieve the circumstances they were entailed.

My own Innovation

If finally I could see myself as an IT Professional, that is the probability is really unknown, I would want to dwell in busying myself with the innovations or technologies about the biotechnology specifically on medicine. Technologies that are more focused on saving or extending lives of every human. Like creating something that is a sure breakthrough in the word of medicine and IT both. Death shouldn’t be feared as they say because it is inevitable. But I think it is really good to be developing something innovative in taking care of every human’s health. I am not a doctor or an expert of this field as I hadn’t chosen the Nursing course, but it kind of interests me when I came across technologies that deal with curing severe diseases, detecting a disorder that would usually take days to conclude and other stuffs like that.

Biotechnology, as defined in Wikipedia, any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use. Biotechnology has applications in four major industrial areas, including health care (medical), crop production and agriculture, non food (industrial) uses of crops and other products (e.g. biodegradable plastics, vegetable oil, biofuels), and environmental uses.

I think the area I’m most likely describing is on the Red technology which is applied to medical stuffs like genetic engineering and producing antibiotics and the like. Another one was what Sir RSG told us about a chip that once inserted to your body, would help detect any kind of sickness or disorder that is present inside your body. There are really many new inventions posted in the internet already and sure they were really amazing and interesting though difficult to understand myself since again I’m not that expertly inclined with the sort. Hopefully, I want to craft something that would give humans to have less possibility of getting diseases and something that hasn’t been thought of yet, of course. As for my side, hopefully, I can also make a device, a capsule or anything that when I take it in, would grow me up to 5 feet or so in less than a week maybe to cut the whole anticipation stage if you would really gain height. But seriously, I’m more concerned on curing existent diseases, and prevent or totally eradicate the existence of these diseases, if that could be possible, though I would really want to make something that I just mentioned awhile. I am interested with this sort because, I’m not that really afraid to die, but I’m afraid of losing someone. So if saving lives would be a very good calling for me in the future, and I’m currently in the field of IT, hopefully I could integrate all of these and make a technology so great. But to always set my foot on the ground, it wouldn’t be oblivious to me that no one can defy death.

Do I really exist?

Last Saturday was our continuation for FUTUREtech proposals presentation and I was unfortunately late and I really should have gone faster to school because it didn’t do me any good. I really couldn’t move as breezy as I can because my menstrual cramp is totally killing me for the past few days. I got into the spotlight for being late and unluckily there was another problem on our plate. Our ‘past’ technology presentation should be on Monday, but things were not actually prepared as they should have, making the presentation quite impossible to proceed on the said date. We were again in a tight space, and RSG gave us a quote saying, "I think, therefore I exist". We were asked one-by-one to say something relating the quote to the current situation of our presentation. I really didn’t understand what I should be saying because I was late, but after hearing more talks from my classmate and RSG, it was clear that in relation to our current state wherein we could not be able to do the diorama display on Monday, RSG wanted to point to us, I guess, that are we really existing and are we really thinking, ‘coz if we were, the matter at hand shouldn’t have been there at all. I dread the statement from RSG that honestly, he doesn’t that have much trust on our class anymore. And he is totally right that breaking and earning a trust is not that easy anymore. I have gone through that stage and I can say it is not a good thing to play on someone’s trust. Again, we have been a failure and I can see in RSG, a thread of losing hope for us. I hope not. He gave us one shot to prove ourselves, and move everything for next year. My answer to that quote, as an individual group, is that I am thinking and I do exist, because we have done our diorama as fast as we could to be able to present it on Monday, but as for the whole class, I wasn’t thinking that we should help the assigned group to prepare for the displays and that the whole class should be really helping each other and I partly didn’t exist in the part in making the presentation possible for next week.

Future-Phobia?

Last Saturday was or continuation for futuretech reporting, after several discussions were done, a certain group from the class was asked if whether they were afraid of the future and it was later addressed to all of us. If I were to ask if I am scared of the future, then I would really say yes. I’m not really afraid of what the future would bring, but what I’m afraid is the minds of the humans could bring. What I mean is we are the humans, and we create these technologies as well as the future technologies. Humans could be really productive yet also very destructive. As what RSG said, technology is useless if it isn’t used well at all. We all know that we can be very abusive and self-conceited and the drawbacks of the technology are somehow related to our human drawbacks. I admit that indeed it is scary of what the future may bring, that we ourselves would deliver to our side. I just hope that it wouldn’t be as scary as I think it would be.

'Ze Twilight

I thought watching the movie would still give me the feeling just as what I’ve felt when I first read the book. That I would be as astounded as I had before, the ecstatic mood it had effect on me that kept me awake ‘til 3 in the morning because I don’t want to sleep until I can finish the whole story. I guess it’s because I kind of had the feeling of watching a movie for the second time and the first time was while I’m reading the book but only through my imagination, so maybe the frenzy effect had quite melted already. I finished reading the 4 series a month ago and I really anticipated in seeing the movie to know how everything I had imagined would look like in the silver screen. And the verdict is, I really enjoyed it as much as I want to, although the sequence of the events were rearranged for the sake of fitting a 500-page story into a 2-hour movie. But that doesn’t mean I am totally disappointed. Not at all. Disappointment is completely foreign in this case. I still had the appreciation for the book, for the not-your-normal kind of love story. It has really captivated the many, the readers and the non-readers. Aside from the sweet moments of Edward and Bella, that compounded its goodness, is the way the story was conceived. On how the events where connected since Twilight until Breaking dawn. Like ‘bow’ to Stephenie Meyer for creating such interesting story, characters and everything in it. The characters were indeed individually interesting and combined altogether made a tale like never before. My friends and I even had the thought that maybe Stephenie was writing ‘her’ own story, that she was Bella because she was really good in creating it and it seems that she had this thing for ‘vampire’ stuffs. Like where in the corner of the world did she dug all what she wrote in the book ‘coz I would probably go there myself so that I could write something as interesting as Twilight. It was really funny hearing the audience reacted to the romantic scenes of Edward and Bella and the part where Bella is going to be a snack for James. It was really sad for me when I got to read all of the series because it means I would no longer be in the ‘world’ where I had been when I’m so preoccupied with the book. I wished that there were more series so probably at this time I would still be reading it. There is till Midnight sun, but they said that it was unfinished so I’m just going to check it out when it’s already finished. Well as of now, I’m waiting for the sequels, again, to see how it would look like on a movie.

Why use technology?

Technology is everywhere and it has been a part of us, of our daily lives and we get so dependent with these innovations that without it, we would really find it hard to get used to. And eventually, technology will be literally “US”. There are lots of reasons why we adopt technology and I think the heart of all these is the needs. As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of all inventions.” The need for the faster, need for more convenience, more learning, more entertainment and so on. Also, others embrace new technologies so as to be updated and would always be in the know with regards to the latest trends. As long as humans have these never-ending needs, technology and further innovations will always be there. We are coming of a more “modernized” age and everything seems to be fast paced. Further changes or innovations resurface among these technologies we embraced for the reasons that we need more and something new.

FUTURE reflecting

Today, we had our reporting for our subject FUTURETECH. It was supposed to be started on 9am but we moved it to 1pm. Out of 5 units, 2 units are already down, and I'm part of UNIT 4, which obviously means, my agony is extended until next Saturday. Though, I think it's better so I could buy me more time to practice on my presentation. We had our dose of 'wake-up' call and I could say it was just rightly served. It's because I get to see more of my classmates and it made me realize AGAIN that I should still be improving and not degrading. As for the topics or units that has been already presented, I might as well say congrats to my classmates. They presented well despite the 'pressure' and we had a healthy discussion that somehow lessened the tension we felt. The topics discussed were particularly about "Where are we now?" and "How did we get here?". The materials or information presented where likely related. I had some confusions with the other parts of the report, but it was clarified during our 'question-and-answer' portion. There were gadgets or technologies presented that would likely be present in the future and sure they were cool. The historicizing part was also enligtening, wherein history is everything that we could all turn our selves into in times of ground-zero or the time when technology would be eradicated.

and let the class begin

The classes has already opened though it wasn't that official yet meaning classes are not yet regularly done. My 'sembreak' really left anything for me to be recalling about it with much enthusiasm. I mean, who would want to be bored with my whole sembreak spent at home. This semester happens to be my last and my most pressured pace. Though our instructors had not get to the serious class modes yet, we were already 'warned' about the things we should be busying ourselves already to get to the deadlines and I mean LOADS of things. I'm quite excited about the new things I'll be able to learn this time. But another set of endeavors is already incorporated with these learnings as it always will be. It seems to me, as the deadlines for our projects are set, that we really don't have the time to be unwinding. Well, it will be obviously up to us to handle the pressures and not let it get the best of us. All I could say is good luck to all of you guys. Sure thing we can do this. Hope so..hehe

Research Proposal Finale

At last! I am finished with my research proposal and already got my grade for CS Research Methods. It wasn't really easy being early everyday just to make sure you're not at the bottom of the list for consultation. I'm really happy with my grade. The only thing to face now is my research implementation and I can only get my fingers crossed hoping I could finish it before the toga smells.
Tomorrow would be our enrollment and I really felt the essence of the SEMBREAK.hahaha..

Research Consultation:Ep2

I had my 3rd consultation today as what I had said from my last post that consultations will resume this monday. Happily, from 15% status of my paper, it ascended to 60%! It is a very good thing but I won't really get my hopes up, since I only got till friday to be able to get 100% or reach 75% the least. I'll be editing my papers and look forward for another consultation tomorow. Consultations are really helpful when you get advice from you mentor and clear your clogged brains from confusion as well as the path you should continue on to get all your works done.

36 hours of sunrise

"Coming October 17, 2008 the sun will rise continuously for 36 hrs (1.5 days). During this time the American countries will be dark for 1.5 days. It will convert 3 days into 2 big days. It will happen once in 2400 yrs. We’re very lucky to see this. Forward it to all friends.”

This is a post I got from ankitbhatia.wordpress.com,also from my classmate Mark, who told me first about it then I googled it and found the post I mentioned. It's amazing that days are extending to that particular day, though I don't know the particular reason for this occurence, but I feel both scared and amazed. Scared because the world is starting to behave queerly, maybe because it is starting to end?hehe. I know that the sun will die in the future, the so called "SUPERNOVA" and for sure it would also be the end of the human existence. I don't know if this phenomena is a start of the 'end', we couldn't say right? waiting for October 17,that would already be a day of sem break.I'm not being paranoid here but my interests are quite stimulated when I hear about these kind of things.

EyeBUGS

My eyes are really tortured now, my eyes can't stand to face the monitor for a long time. It would start to get itchy and I can't help myself rub it. My mom always pestering me about my eye bugs that they are really getting dark and I should eat and sleep more. I know this would get to an end, all this cramming and agonizing everything. It's our fault anyway why were experiencing this. I'm really weak now as I'm doing this post. I have my menstruation and I'm having dysmenorrhea, I'm really bleeding! Our problem now is to be able to pass our documentation in Simulation project. My classmate, Mia, even forgot her ID for hurrying to school ID and the guards won't let her in. She brought her printer, so it won't be onerous for our group anymore in going outside to print our projects. Hope this will end sooner, I really want to have a good rest.

Research Consultation

Engineering lobby is again full of students waiting for the in-demand instructors waiting for their projects to have some developments. We waited from 9am in the morning until 4pm on October 7, 2008, Tuesday. Sir Gamboa started to 'accomodate' the students at around 2pm I guess. I'm really nervous while waiting for my turn.It would be my 2nd consultation and I was really hoping that I could reach 75% to get a grade of 3 and not get INC. As my turn came, Sir Gamboa started to check my paper, check the indentation and fonts. But the most part of my consultation is really establishing my objectives. My research topic was about to make a survey about the quality and quantity of the ICT workforce in Davao and whether the industry demands are met by the IT practitioners. After Sir studied my analtyical framework, we discussed about making my research a better outcome. My research now would be about Databanking of ICT workforce in Davao. It would be a repository of all the information I will gather in the implementation of my research which is about the current ICT workforce available or offered by the ICT practitioners in Davao. This would concern directly those business ventures who want to know about the ICT human resource availble in Davao. Sir let me choose whether I want to make a system or an online repository of the information I could gather. But considering the time to finish my study and the skills I have, I just opted to make a hardcopy report of my output. I had already edited my documentation and waiting for the next consultation on Monday. Hoping for the luck..hehe

Shield expired

It was feeling fine for the first days and I thought to myself, it wasn't hard at all that I had usually got scared of dwelling in. I felt fine, somehow in peace and somehow getting my life back on the line. But recently, my shield seems to be wearing out(oh NO!). I knew already it will be really hard to go through and expected the worst. Everyone goes through with it. And I had to also. But with all the academic pressures and burden, why does it have to go with it at the same time? Why not after I finish with my academic obligations and then I can face this after. It starting to get hard to handle now. I'm wearing off and I'm struggling. Needs more control.

The Cramming Episode

Cramming na naman!

Deadlines are really fast approaching! Gosh. Need more strength and determination to get all things done. All subjects require projects to be passed and there still more to be done. Although we manage to gradually lessen our burdens by starting or finishing few of our requirements, it is still heavy..huhu..Extra curricular activities also make it a lot EASIER for me. Why there seems to be unexpected problems popping up especially when you're running out of time?Punishment?I guess so. Other stuffs also make you tired and weak that makes your everyday life so......still but shaky.

Software Freedom day '08

It's actually my first time to attend this event event though last year's was just held at our school. Software Freedom day'08 was held at UM Matina Campus, mini auditorium and was attended by many schools in our place. Several topics were presented, of course, which are all related to FOSS and encouragements of the benefits of FOSS. Some of the topics were, Morph CLoud, GIMP, and Mozilla Framework. It was a lot of fun when the students get to have their part in asking questions in having freebies in return.

Creating a research proposal

Huhu..I know I haven't followed the right steps as what I had scheduled in my gannt chart, due to other important stuffs that I should also attend to. I hope that I could catch up and won't be late for our deadline. Anyay, I'm still on the consultation for my 1st chapter and still composing the rest of the chapters. Reading lots of materials that is critically needed for this research is really mind blowing! And I hope my eyes would cooperate, I promise you eyes that I'll give you the best rest you could have when all of this is done. It seems that my eyes couldn't stand facing the monitor for a very long time and would easily get red and all look wasted. So I have to have visine everytime with me. So much for that, I know that all the readings would help me through in composing this proposal document and as well as for the implementation of my research later on.

The Biggest IT Event of 2008!

I know it's really late to be posting this event guys. And I apologize for not updating my entries recently. But I would still want to share to you, through my blog ,about the biggest IT event of thg year.

The 6th Philippine Youth Congress in Information Technology was successfully held at the campus of UP Diliman, Quezon City last September 2-5 pioneered by the University of the Philippines Information Technology Training Center (UPITTC), University of the Philippines (UP), JICA, Philippine Society of Information Technology Educators (PSITE) and other cooperating organizations. The success of the event was indeed unquestionable with the big time sponsors or organizations that have willingly took part in the congress and made it a very great accomplishment. Some of these sponsors were Sun Microsystems and JEDI as the Diamond sponsors; others were Microsoft, Acer, Fujitsu Ten, ABS-CBN Interactive, Job-Street.com, and the exhibitors, J-SYS, techFactorsInc and many other companies who eagerly supported this big event.
The IT congress was organized as a 4-day event held at 3 venues namely UP Bahay ng Alumni, UP Film Institute and the UP Theater. The project head, Dr. Jaime D.L. Caro said that they decided to conduct the IT Congress at UP Diliman Campus to have a sense of ‘school air’ for the students and faculty attending and for better employment of security. Also, to prevent having many temptations for the participants not to attend the activities prepared like what happened last IT Congress held at SM North EDSA.
Very interesting topics were presented for the IT Congress which was held simultaneously at the UP Film Institute and at the UP Theater. Several high profile keynote speakers were invited for the event. Some of the Keynote speakers were Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, Sen. Edgardo Angara, Atty. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and Sen. Dick Gordon. They talked about encouragement for the IT youth, the current ICT state of our country and how we should strive harder to help Philippines become one of the most competent countries in the ICT Industry. Some of those interesting topics presented were Open Solaris, Software as a Service, Java FX, Data Mining, The Internet’s Next Big Star: YOU! and many other great topics that had surely add up to the knowledge of the listeners and hone their interests about the IT field.
As the seminars move along, open forums were set up to allow further discussion and better understanding of the topic and to let the participants take their own part by asking questions. It wasn’t at all a pure serious affair since ‘congress’ seems to be a boring word or event for the youth. Intermission numbers were prepared that made the students as well as the faculty to still have fun. Also, the topics were presented in a way that the listeners wouldn’t be bored and still absorb the talks until they end. And games were inserted between talks that made it a lot more fun. A sense of interacting along with the other participants and have friends who came from different parts of the Philippines was never neglected. A Y4iT 2008 HUMAN BINGO was attached to the IT Congress booklet or guide to make the participants know other participants by letting them sign the matched description in the bingo card. And completing the HUMAN BINGO could help you win great items from the big time sponsors.
The UP Bahay ng Alumni was flooded by exhibits of the exhibitor partners for the event where participants could win freebies, great items, buy souvenirs and also know more about the exhibitors which is open every day of the event. A ‘Pass-by-Me’ card was provided to let the participants visit the booths in the exhibit place and completing signing the card to every booth could have you a chance to win a laptop in the raffle draw.
The event was indeed a haven of knowledge, fun and quite an experience. The hard work poured to put up this big event all together and the effort exerted by all the participants were all worth it. With one goal in mind to prepare and encourage the youth, the educators and every IT inclined people to get united to make Philippines hopefully one of the leading countries in the ICT Industry in the future. The 6th Philippine Youth Congress in Information Technology was certainly the biggest IT event of the year.

Green Campus Computing

Another campaign purused by my Management Information System school mates. I like this campaign since it promotes and encourages the students in every campus to be active in taking care or conserving our environment through many 'computing ' simple ways.

We all know, that technology seems to contrasting environment because the high technology scratches off every tree from the forest, or it contributes much with the greenhouse effect were experiencing. But with this campaign, computing is giving back what it has taken or damaged to somehow ease everything up.

Proposed ideas from SONA

Based from the SONA of our President, Ms. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and last July 28, 2008, I have deliberated of the research topics which I have originally thought of and some are those I got from my colleagues’ ideas. Hoping these ideas could possibly help our country improve and our quality of life and also topics that are inclined with our field. Here are the following ideas:

IT Professional Shortage

This research topic would study about the causes and factors that affect such crisis. Its purpose is to investigate thoroughly why we are experiencing shortage of IT professionals in spite the growing rate of undergraduate of the said field.Objectives:

• To explicitly determine the factors that could possibly contribute to this problem
• To answer the questions about the low percentage of graduates that has added to the problem of our country’s great need for such skills.
• To provide answer that could lessen the wrong employment path of every IT or ComSci Filipino graduates.
• To provide answer that could help our country regarding its demand for IT professionals.
• To disclose the factors that leads to the misconception of many Filipinos of the said field
  

Green Campus Computing

This research topic shall help our country with the environmental problems we are experiencing that results to a greater environmental problems and calamities and is affecting all Filipinos. We all know that technological advancements has greatly affected and destroyed our environment, with this step, technology inclined students will hopefully lessen the damage it has caused. Objectives:

• To promote environmental support in every campus in our country
• To inculcate to every Filipino minds that we are all responsible of taking care of our environment starting off with the future of our nation, the youth.
• To lessen the damage technology has caused for our environment by helping in promoting green campus computing.
• To show that even though technological advancement is believed to be one of the major distributors of devastating our environment, it could also be a contributor for saving it.
• To provide another reason for Filipino students to be active in protecting and rehabilitate our environment.

Simulation of Government projects

This one will be helpful in determining whether any future government projects are worth investing for or worth spending for like building infrastructures like bridges, highways or water sewage systems and the like. Objectives:

• To know ahead whether future projects of the government will be useful and not worthless by simulating it first.
• To prevent wasting government budget for bad investments or projects.
• To improve quality of such projects for the betterment of its usage.
• To lessen accidents that might occur that are not foreseen like faults done while doing the project.

Free Open Source Software

This is the FOSS advocacy pioneered by one of our professors in Institute of Computing, RSG. And pursued by my classmates and schoolmates. I support this advocacy as to promote the use of Free Open Source Software in different schools starting off with our campus. I think that this campaign aims to promote better innovations for all of us with the advantages offered by FOSS. The emergence of Open Source Software seems to be unstoppable, they seem to be the future as believed by almost everyone or those that greatly support open software. Although, the wide acceptance of FOSS, may not be that instant for some may still contradict to this emergence. OPEN wins!

Does your name fit you?

♫ C: good kisser
♫ H: stick to one
♫ A: hot
♫ R: funny
♫ M: Makes dating fun
♫ A: hot
♫ I: is really sweet
♫ N: loves to laugh and smile
♫ E: has gorgeous eyes
___________________________________
♫ A: hot
♫ B: loves people and sex
♫ C: good kisser
♫ D: can kick ur butt
♫ E: has gorgeous eyes
♫ F: loves people wild and crazy adore
♫ you
♫ G: very outgoing
♫ H: stick to one
♫ I: is really sweet
♫ J: is very sexual
♫ K: crazy
♫ L: very good kisser
♫ M: Makes dating fun
♫ N: loves to laugh and smile
♫ O: has one of the best personalities
♫ ever
♫ P: popular with all types of people
♫ Q: a hypocrite
♫ R: funny
♫ S: makes people laugh
♫ T: smile to die for
♫ U: is loved by everyone
♫ V: not judgmental
♫ W: very broad minded
♫ X: never let people tell you what to
do
♫ Y: is loved by everyone
♫ Z: can be funny and dumb at times

Well, I don't know why 'A' appeared twice..accidental?joke..hehe
You'll be the one to attest if my name does really fit me.Try this with yours too.

METHOD and METHODOLOGY

I referred to Encarta dictionary for a clearer definition, method means way of doing something: a way of doing something or carrying something out, especially according to a plan while methodology means organizing system: the methods or organizing principles underlying a particular art, science, or other area of study After having a deeper thinking about the two terms, I can say that method is under or falls under methodology since they seem to be just the same. And method has appeared to be in a more organize mode in methodology.

Reviewing articles of classmates on various research topics

With this assignment, I chose to review the work of Ms. Regina Abadilla. The research works or articles she had presented were indeed interesting and all of which are very relevant and beneficial to all concerned. The very article from Ms. Abadilla’s posts that I have chosen is about the: Studying and Treating Schizophrenia Using Virtual Reality: A New Paradigm.From what I have understood in the post, the article is about introducing a new way in treating a mental disorder which is a very serious matter to have one. ‘Schizophrenia, it is a psychotic disorders characterized by distortions of reality and disturbances of thought and language and withdrawal from social contact.’ I am very glad that Computer Science research has shed some light and paid attention to the many of the serious mental illnesses anyone could have. According to the article posted, through Virtual Reality, it would likely bring more chances to treat a schizophrenic with its features and significant factors employed with it. I could define Virtual Reality just basing from my own perception, that it is an imaginary or false reality that is just man-made to develop a new dimension no one can encounter in the real world. So I think, with the Virtual Reality approach be given to help those mentally disabled out there, it will be possible to lessen the percentage of mental disorders our world is experiencing right now. Health is a very important matter we should always consider of importance.

IT Graduates for Call Center Agents?

The purpose of this research topic is to investigate the skill shortages in the IT profession and would hopefully draw out the primary reasons or factors that brought about this dilemma especially here in our country. To think that there is a large percentage of undergraduates of the IT or Computer Science field but only about 10 percent have been formally awarded of such degree (James H. Morris and Peter Lee), that is such an alarming situation. According to the Philippine Research Education and Government Information Network (PREGINET), an ICT research project of the government, ‘when it comes to IT Technical manpower for the industry, there are not enough qualified entrants. And new graduates are said to be of less skills’. Philippines have a great demand for ICT human resource, but how can we meet these needs if we only have those less skilled graduates that are unlikely for hiring. Our country is not alone in this crisis with regards to the emerging shortage of IT professional. The escalating demand for such profession has been insufficiently met by the supply in employment (Department of Labor, New Zealand, 2005). I think that this is a really critical issue that needs to have actions done as soon as possible.

I myself is not yet sure where to go after I graduate wherein I could apply the things I’ve learned in my course, maybe for one of the reasons that I am not that skilled enough to accept a job as a System Analyst for example. The title enough gives me the nosebleed. This kind of attitude tends to answer why most of the IT graduates sought other jobs than become an IT professional. And I think I share this problem with the other students and even post graduates of the same field. With this research topic, these are some of the things that I would hopefully find answers for:

• Why there is staggering number of IT or CS students but only small percentage really makes it to the real world as an equipped professional?

• Does the IT curriculum/education in our country have a vital contribution to this? Or level of training needs?

• What are the other factors that could have a more contribution that results to the failure of satisfying the demand with the supply of IT professionals?

• Employment rate of IT professionals has grown rapidly for the past years but why it has dropped so?

• What are the most misconceptions about IT professions and how do they contribute to the problem in hand?

With the factors elicited in the future, it would hopefully be a way to find the appropriate solutions why there is an IT professional shortage in our country and also elevate and enhance the level of the ICT facilities and knowledge we have compared to other countries.

Is educational nosebleeding worth it?

A student like me has worked hard since the day I entered school until now that I'm in my fourth year college. I have done lots of sacrifices, couldn't list it all in just one page, to be a good student and that's because I wanted to be responsible and that's the only gift I can give back to my parents. I never really wanted to be behind on subjects, got a 'ok-na' exam results and never a failing grade. Because if I do so, I would really feel so irresponsible and dwell blaming myself.

One time when I'm on my way home after a very tiring day from school, riding a taxi (joke lang,jeep lang bitaw), I thought to myself , is this all worth it? Do i really get to reap equally what I have been working hard for for my education? I mean, is education really the ONLY way to gain success and live a contented life?

What made me think so, is that there are lots of people I know that really didn't have a degree and didn't even made it to high school who are living luxuriously right now or living a good life abroad. What about celebrities? For example, Avril Lavigne, Kanye West and a lot like them, they are actually high school drop-outs. But look at them, its as if the world is theirs for the taking. The world loves them and the only problem they probably have right now is how to spend all their gains.

Recent graduates for the the past five or six years has experienced the unemployment crisis and I feel sorry for them that they have really worked hard but get no job at all. Especially those who are craving to graduate as early as they can just to be employed and earn for a living. Another thing is, most students nowadays prefer to chose a course instead of the ones they really are interested because the course they reall like would take longer time for them to finish than the courses they chose just to graduate early. Some even decides to quit school to have a job or even go abroad and mostly, it ends up they have actually been successful. I also heard once that the youths nowadays prefer to get a job and earn than finish their studies.

I admit that I feel scared sometimes that all of this wouldn't pay off. I wouldn't get to give my parents the good things we never had. This isn't totally a negative approach for you to think studying is just a waste of time. But hey, I still think the only thing that i could give my parents that would certainly make them happy..is a diploma. The things I've learned since I entered school will be the most treasure I will have for as long as I live. No one can take it, no one can steal it and it will always be with you. Educated persons are well appreciated in this society. And I will never haste myself to quit school and get a job to earn money. I salute those students who are working multiple times harder than anyone else to balance study and at the same time earn for a living. God is in your side.

key factors for publishing research in top-tier journals

Among the top-tier journals are the ACM, i3E and CSP. The following mentioned, offer to publish different and good research or serve as a repository for best research and could also be available for everyone. From my observations, the factors that would essentially be included to consider a research as a 'publishable' one in such top-tier journals are: it must be of good topic (concerns a big number of audience and interesting), well-developed (proper methods are used and different guidelines in research are followed), research are of high quality, and most especially doesn't support plagiarism.Others could add up or attest my observations for this topic. Thank you!

What do you think is the role of research topic in deciding your future career?

In my own perception, the role of a research topic for my future career would be very relevant. Just trying very hard to conceive a research topic already hones my thinking and narrows it down to specific things that are of my interests and should necessarily be associated to my field. The research topic that I’ll be focusing on will help me center my thoughts and apply all the knowledge I have into it and would absolutely shape me to be a better IT person. The things that I would be encountering in forming my research proposal and all the activities incorporated with it, I know, will help me out pick my future career.

The plastics..

They're everywhere.Especially in schools..Elementary,HIGH SCHOOL and getting better in college. Have you seen the 'mean girls' movie? They are better defined in there.Here are some of 'the plastics strategies' to be a more 'plastic' one based on my own observations:

1. Look into her eyes when she smiles at you..you'll know if it's sincere or not.

2. They'll never fail to complement you just out of the blue..again, see to it if it's sincerely done.

3. They'll hug you as if you're the closest friends on earth but on the next day, she'll ignore you as if you've never met.

4. Plastics are usually obvious when they need something from you. Maybe during exams, there's something she wants to borrow or anything she'll benefit.

5. They'll pretend to be close to you, but at your back, stabbing is lurking.

6.They'll tell you nice things when you'r around but when you're away, expect tomorrow that people around will have a new perception about you.

7. They are the godesses of insecurity.

8. They will always find a way you'll never be on top of them.

9. They'll even get to your boyfriend (especially when they like him).

10. They would want to have everything you want, even better than you have.

The new SITS Logo

The SITS Logo Designing Contest has finally been concluded and the rightful logo has been chosen. On July 23, 2008, Thursday, our respected dean, Engr. Quimno Val has laided his satisfaction for the appropriate logo. The talented IT student who designed the winning entry is MR. ERIC IBASCO, 4th year IT student.

In behalf of the whole SITS organization, I would like to thank the students who have exerted their efforts for the competition namely: Mr. Thomas Tangian, Mr. Jalil Paniam-baan, Mr. Ronic Winmar Concepcion and also to those who have tried to join but didn't have the chance to pass their entries. And also give our congatulations to EKER!

Please don't hesitate to exert and show your talents to the world. There is more to winning the contest than just getting a tangible prize (or free shirt). It's the way you are to be recognized for your talent and skills and how you shared it to the world. Remember, 'our name is our virtue' (J. Mraz).

How do we know if a piece of research work is good or not?

From my own readings from different sources, these are the things that may determine whether a piece of research work is good or not:

· If it is unique – a research should not just like be the previous studies
· If research is not only for self- enlightenment but would also benefit others.
· Background of the study is properly justified
· Would greatly add to the body of knowledge
· Has valid and reliable data collection
· Doesn’t prove its findings to be final but open for refutation.
· Research procedure should be sufficiently detailed to allow others to repeat the research for further advancements
· Describes flaws, if there is any, and delivers the true findings as it really is
· Greater confidence in research is warranted if the researcher is an experienced or has background in good research.

Sources:
www.yahooanswers.com
www.askjeeves.com

Where should research topics be usually addressed?

As an IT student, I think that the usual research topics that should be address is about improving education, on how it is delivered to every individual that it may inculcate in them effectively I believe that education is indeed important for every one of us. And more specifically, it should benefit the less fortunate that has been very unprivileged to attend schools or even get primary education. Second is about health, health hazard is totally widespread and we don’t really want to get sick and spend money on medical emergencies especially on a financial crisis. As technology evolves, health risks are doing the same. So it would be really good to produce something that could help our community live so healthy and long. There are really many areas which a computer science research is particularly on. Most that I’ve read is about improvement of learning in some countries, protection of computer system from certain risks, producing new stat e-of-the-art technology that could improve man’s living. Also, I would like to add up about which I think is also important, is how to increase employment rates in the Philippines. Education is really essential, but we all need something that we could apply everything of it into. Right?

SITS Logo Designing Contest

Guidelines:

1. Should highly symbolize the organizational objectives and motto.

2.Be very creative and unique at the same time simple.

3.Submit it in a jpeg/gif and raw(psd,svg,fla) format

4.Size: 800x600 and 320x240 px.

5.Produce a softcopy and hardcopy upon submission.

6. Softcopy should be in 800x600 and 320x240 sizes.

7. Produce a hardcopy in a short size bondpaper/A4 and layout as shown in the figure.

Logo size: 800x600

8.Print it in a grayscale, half-tones, and color modes.

9.Use only web-standard colors.

10.Entries will be accepted until July 11, 2008.

11.Contestants should be a bonafide SITS member.

12.The entries shall be voted by the IT Faculties and students.

13.The winning entry will get a prize of: 1GB FLASH DISK.

14.Results will be posed a week later.

Organizational Objectives

§ To foster harmonious relationship among the members in the Institute of Computing with the ideals of creating a school environment conducive to the pursuit of knowledge.

§ It shall encourage the establishment of an academic community whereby students commit themselves to serious works and studies.

§ The organization upholds the pursuit of knowledge designed to develop the student’s awareness and competence in the field of Information Technology.
§ To enhance each member’s educational, civic, and social life through relevant programs and activities.

To inculcate to the minds of the Information Technology students refined habit of thought and dignity of actions necessary for creating a disciplined and morally upright environment.

Every Information Technology student member assumes a responsibility towards the organization.

Organizational Motto

“To open the atmosphere of effective information system”

State of Computer Science Research and its Varieties

Computer Science Research will or could be the very basis of future technological development. The Computer Science Research has touched every single inch of areas they could peer on and apply the corresponding studies and projects they could think of. As what I have read or skimmed from articles through the internet, computer science is all around and in fact has done many great thing to improve lifestyles of men here on earth. The air is becoming so technologically influenced that even you couldn’t avoid the craze it has brought.
Although Computer Science research may have seen to be the “core-foundation” for tomorrow’s basis for development, it is facing certain problems that are oblivious to a person like me who is blinded by the impact it has brought. According to the article published by James H. Morris and Peter Lee, computer science has been thought of as a way of getting rich that’s why many students has enrolled in this field. These are some wrong goals perceived of the computer science which has resulted to computer science degree percentage drop down. Also, the government has over-funded the life science research because computer increases our intelligence, not our life span. I half agree with that, it is because computer science could really go a long way in inventing something that could really improve the way we live. Maybe in the future, computer science research could be one of the ways to grasp immortality. From the article of Morris and Lee, computer science has posed questions that are hard to think through but has impact. These questions are the following:
What is the nature of intelligence, and can we reproduce it in a machine? To explore outer space we must create intelligent robots.
How can we ensure the reliability and security of systems more complex than humans have ever created?
What is the nature of human cognition, and how can this allow us to design machines that help us make sense out of petabytes of unstructured data?
What are the consequences of computation on devices operating at molecular scale, exploiting quantum physical effects?
Even I could really say that some of those questions mentioned are hard to understand but there are some that I could say, really makes sense. Expanded computer Science research will reach great heights and could bring mankind to timeless convenience.
The variety of topics which the Computer Science Research has already been inclined and will be leading off to the next generation (as I’ve read from the certain articles from IBM Almacen Research Center and other sites) are the following:
Information-based computing
User productivity
Healthcare IT
Theoretical foundations of computer science
Robotics