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Earth Hour 2012 Photo Contest Mechanics

2012-03-30T19:22:00.002-07:00

Hold your camera and prepare to take your best shots as we go dark for one hour today as the Quezon City government in collaboration with Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department hold its Earth Hour 2012 Photo Contest. Read on to know the complete mechanics and prizes to look forward!

Quezon City Government

Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department

(QC-EPWMD)

EARTH HOUR 2012 PHOTO CONTEST

A. Contest Mechanics

1. All amateur and professional photography enthusiasts, ages 18 and above, and are bonafide residents of Quezon City may join the contest.

2. Photos must be taken in Quezon City during the Earth Hour Event on March 31, 2012 from 5pm onwards.

3. The photograph must depict the theme of the contest, “participation of people and communities” during Earth Hour, highlighting the spirit of environmental awareness and action.

4. There will be two (2) categories for the photo contest:

Category 1: People – Photographs featuring the “who” or the stakeholders of Earth Hour. These may include portraits, small groups, crowds and

the like.

Category 2: Places – Photographs focusing on “where” Earth Hour took place. These should give emphasis on the location or specific areas in Quezon City where Earth Hour was observed.

5. All entries must be in digital form and must be emailed at qcearthhour2012@gmail.com or qcearthhour2012@yahoo.com on or before 3 o’clock in the afternoon on April 10, 2012. Entries submitted beyond the deadline will automatically be disqualified. Each photographer can only submit one entry per category. For each entry, a pair of “before-and-after” shots^[1] must be submitted together with the following attachments:

a. Scanned copy of any legal document or valid ID that can guarantee that the participant is a bonafide resident of Quezon City (i.e. driver’s license, SSS ID, passport, etc.)

b. Completed contest registration form (forms are available at the EPWMD Office^[2] and QC barangay halls and may also be downloaded

(click to download entry form)

Photographs must bear the following filename format:

Name (space) Category (space) Before and Name (space) Category (space) After

e.g. JuanDelaCruz People Before

JuanDelaCruz People After

6. The Quezon City Government shall have no liability for delayed, corrupted or lost entries.

7. All entries must be an original material taken by the photographer and should not include watermarks, signatures, frames, date and/or time stamp or any other markings on the photo.

8. Digital manipulation is not allowed. Enhancements must be limited to basic post-processing such as adjustments of contrast, minimal color- balancing, sharpening, cropping, and dodging and burning.

9. Entries must be unpublished and exclusive to this contest within the duration of the photo contest. It must not have been submitted and should not be submitted as an entry in any other contest within a year after the contest.

10. The Quezon City Government respects the rights of the photographer and recognizes that the copyright of the photograph belongs to the photographer. Nonetheless, by participating in the contest, the photographer shares his/her copyright to the Quezon City Local Government within the duration of one year after the contest. The Quezon City Government will give appropriate credit whenever the photo is published and used by the Department for the purpose of information, advocacy, campaigns and promotions in all its future projects, whether print, online, or any other medium.

11. The QC Government has enjoined all QC stakeholders in the observance of Earth Hour, e.g., barangays, schools, government agencies, non-government organizations, malls, food chains, supermarkets and other establishments. It is the participant’s responsibility to obtain, prior to the actual shoot and consequently, submission of the photograph, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the photograph in the manner set forth in these Contest Mechanics without additional compensation.

12. QC EPWMD employees, contest judges and their relatives (up to the third degree) are prohibited to join the contest.

B. Selection of Winning Entries

1. From all the submitted entries, five (5) judges composed of photographers and Quezon City Government representatives shall select 10 entries per category or a total of 20 finalists. The judging process shall be audited by an authorized third party. The decision of the board of judges is final.

2. The 20 finalists shall be informed on or before 3 o’clock in the afternoon of April 12, 2012 through email and will be announced in the Quezon City Government website.

3. The selected finalists will be asked to submit hard copies/ printouts of their photographs in A4 size or 8.27”x11.69” on or before 3 o’clock in the afternoon of April 13, 2012.

4. The 20 finalists’ entries shall be put on display at the Quezon City Hall Main Lobby from April 16 to 20, 2012 as part of the week-long celebration of Earth Day.

5. Awarding of winners shall be during the flag raising ceremony on April 23, 2012.

6. The criteria for judging the photograph are as follows:

(40%) Thematic Relevance - Relevance of the photograph to the theme of the contest

(30%) Creativity and Originality - Style, technique and skill

(30%) Technical Excellence - Clarity and quality of photograph

_____

100%

7. The winning entries shall receive the following cash prizes:

ITEM	Category
ITEM	People	Places
1^st prize	9,000 + Certificate	9,000 + Certificate
2^nd prize	6,000 + Certificate	6,000 + Certificate
3^rd prize	3,000 + Certificate	3,000 + Certificate
Honorable Mention (7 per category)	1,000 + Certificate	1,000 + Certificate

8. Costs of photo developing, transportation/attendance to the event and other related expenses shall be shouldered by the participant.

[1] One photo before the switch off and another photo after the lights have been switched off for a total of two photos.

[2] EPWMD Office, 3F Quezon City Hall Annex Building, Diliman, Quezon City

Gary Valenciano Concert Series 2012: "On Higher Ground"

2012-03-30T06:39:00.002-07:00

Mr. Pure Energy, Gary Valenciano is set to take a higher ground this year for his concert series at Music Museum, Greenhills on several dates this coming April and May. Tickets are now available at major ticketing outlets and major partners.

Gary Valenciano opens the summer season with a series of 8 concerts at the Music Museum, marking his 29th anniversary in the industry and the 25th year of his company Manila Genesis Entertainment & Management, Inc. Stricken by Type 1 juvenile diabetes for 30 years now, this unmatched performer has been a shining beacon of inspiration in the country and he remains complication-free and still, on top of his game. Gary has consistently inspired his millions of fans through his craft as a singer, musician, songwriter, video producer, dancer, actor, musical arranger and a multi-awarded television host/performer for 9 years on the undisputed top-rating musical variety show, “ASAP.”

After visiting typhoon victims in Cagayan De Oro and Iligan for UNICEF, Gary V jumpstarted the year with a new segment on “ASAP 2012” entitled “With Love: Gary V” – a spin-off of his platinum CD under Star Records and his much-talked about television special which aired seven times on ABS-CBN and MYX in 2011 and twice on The Filipino Channel. The segment features Gary as he showcases stories of love, forgiveness, redemption, and faith while he sings songs that celebrate the beauty and goodness of humanity. “With Love Gary Valenciano,” the CD compiles the soap opera and movie theme songs which he performed and recorded for ABS-CBN and Star Cinema. Just this March, Gary, together with the ASAP team, flew to Cagayan De Oro to shoot a video with a courageous flood victim for his segment. All these efforts let led to “On Higher Ground,” a fundraiser for UNICEF and the Shining Light Foundation, two faithful partners dear to Gary V, who has been National Ambassador for UNICEF for 14 years now.

In his stellar career, one of Gary’s most celebrated corporate relationships was with Coca-Cola with whom he had a contract for over ten years. Two years ago, he was tapped to launch their refreshing product, Real Leaf, and this year was invited again to record “Tuloy Ang Happiness” the 100th Year official anthem of Coca-Cola with Sarah Geronimo and Someday Dream, with powerful appearances at the Gala Night at Makati Shangrila as well as the “Concert Ng Bayan” at SM MOA last March 26.

Concert Ng Bayan 2012 at SM MOA

The country is excited for Gary’s much awaited return to the silver screen via an upcoming movie under Straight Shooters Media entitled “I Do Bidoo Bidoo” which he will star in together with Zsa Zsa Padilla, Eugene Domingo, Sam Concepcion, and Ogie Alcasid. He has appeared in 13 films for Regal Films, Seiko Films, Viva Films, and Star Cinema.

For his concert series at Music Museum, fans can look forward to witnessing Gary V in his best element as he performs his greatest hits as well as some of today’s hottest chart-toppers, party anthems, and homegrown favorites. Fans can also expect groundbreaking and pioneering technology and excellent audio-visuals through their corporate partners Videosonic and Soundcheck.

“I’m very excited and at the same time a bit nervous because we have come up with new routines and a lot of surprises for this series,” says Gary. “I am particularly excited for our opening production number. It will be awesome. I really hope it works the way I envisioned it.” Gary V will be performing with two world-class musicians, Awit Awards 2008 Best Female/Best New Female Singer Julianne and Juan Miguel Salvador, formerly of Rage Band and now the musical director of Authority, which represented the country in the 2005 Global Battle of the Bands in London.

“Gary V: On Higher Ground” happens at Music Museum on April 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, and 27; and May 9 and 10. The show will be for the benefit of UNICEF and Shining Light Foundation. The show is supported by ABS-CBN, MYX, Smart, Soundcheck, Videosonic, Gold’s Gym, Aficionado, Coca Cola, Goldilocks, Lee, Universal Records, Star Records, Studio V, Essensuals Toni & Guy, Fernando’s, with media partners: Radio High 105.9, Crossover 105.1, Monster Radio RX 93.1, Tambayan, Magic 89.9, DZMM 630, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, Business World, People’s Journal and People’s Tonight.

“Gary V: On Higher Ground” will be directed by Gary and son Paolo Valenciano with Musical Direction by Mon Faustino. Tickets are priced at Php 3,500.00, 2,500.00, 1,500.00, 1,000.00, and 500.00.

For tickets contact Ticketworld (891-9999), Music Museum (721-6726; 721-0635), and Manila Genesis (706-2170 to 71; 0915-4975225; 0908-8871397).

Earth Hour 2012 : Philippines to Lead the World Switch-Off!

2012-03-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

"More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour 2011 alone, sending a powerful message for action on climate change. It also ushered in a new era with members going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action for the planet. Without a doubt, it’s shown how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause " - www.earthhour.org

Earth Hour Photo Contest

Philippines, being the first Southeast Asian country that gave full support on Earth Hour's global campaign and even rewarded for topping Earth Hour’s global town and city participation levels for three straight years, will participate once again this year.

This year's earth hour campaign dubbed "I Will, You Will" is a social contract that connects individuals and groups to dare one another in both doing 'something' for the benefit of the environment. It is a pledge that by doing one's challenge, another should also do the same and therefore both parties shall be involved in taking action to reach the common goal which is "Do something to save our environment and our planet as a whole."

An "I Will, You Will" pledge in WWF Philippines (Click to enlarge)

Earth Hour campaign mainly focuses on switching off the lights and other non-essential electrical devices for one hour - this year, it will start from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM - to save energy that our planet is supposed to consume. This way, people around the world will become aware and act in saving energy to prevent, if not completely stop, climate change.

Way back in 2009 when the Philippines started switching off lights in major cities and some towns and municipalities in different provinces and since then, the Philippines became the major participant of the global campaign in terms of number of towns and cities that participated the event.

Now on its 5^th year, the Philippines is about to take yet another leap for campaigning this global awareness to save our mother earth by having a nationwide participation and lead the world in switching off the lights!

In Luzon, Makati City will be the central hub for switching off of lights. At exactly 6:30 PM, an earth-themed parade by Caracol and Bailes de Luces dance troupe will start from Makati Fire Station (Ayala Ave) to Ayala Tower One where a program, to be hosted by Rovilson Fernandez, WWF Philippines National Ambassador, will spur the main event. Earth Hour founder, Andy Ridley, himself will be present in the event to lead in the global switch-off. Different performances including El Gamma Penumbra and Brigada are expected give glows to the event.

Cebu City will be the central gathering place for switching off lights in Visayas. The Sinulog Dancers will lead the festive-like street parade starting from Fuente Osmeña Circle at exactly 5:30 PM and onwards. a candle-lighting ceremony and biodegradable sky lanterns will highlight the switching off event.

Main switching off of lights will be held on SM Davao in Mindanao. At 6:30 PM, a tribal-themed parade will carry on around the mall. WWF Philippines National Ambassador, Marc Nelson will host the event which will also be further highlighted by whooping performance from black-light and fire dancers.

From major cities mentioned, switching off events are likewise expected to be well-organized in different provinces, municipalities and towns all over the country. Major supporters from local governments, schools and universities and corporations will make earth hour event in the Philippines a great success.

15 Slides For A Better 'one Policy, one Google Experience' Understanding

2012-03-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

By this time, you (and me) as Google products users are already under the implementation of Google's new privacy policy - One Policy, one Google experience! And also by now, it's a matter of understanding that we will be able to realize how this new privacy policy could bring change and convenience in terms of our daily web experience with Google. The change could not actually guarantee to give us the expectation we want but maybe along the way, we will realize that this change now really matters especially to you and your interests on the web. Or in another perspective this change could also be significant to Google especially in bringing the best search results to us as customers.

It's actually a "Take it or leave it" situation now. If you don't like the new privacy policy of Google, then you are advised to cancel your accounts on their products. That's foolish but that's the only way!

So to give you better understanding of these privacy policies changes, read this 15-slide presentation below courtesy of Andrea Moro, a professional SEM and front end designer and I hope that by the end of the presentation you'll have a better understanding of the real intent behind this change.

One Policy, one Google Experience to Take Effect Tomorrow

2012-02-28T22:48:00.000-08:00

Starting tomorrow, March 1, 2012, the giant multinational internet and sofware company, Google will start implementing its revised privacy policy for a better, intuitive and one google experience.

(Click image to view in full size)

The revision allowed Google to remove about 60, product specific privacy policy statements and transformed it into one compact, simplified and more understandable privacy policy that applies to most of all products and services they offer. The new privacy policy includes explanation about (1) what information they collect and why they collect it (2) how Google use user's information and (3) the different choices Google offers including how to access and update user information.

In simple terms, the new privacy policy allows user to use only one account in enjoying most of the Google products. For instance, once a user is signed in to one Google product like a Gmail account, he/she is being automatically identified when he/she tries to access other google products like youtube, Google calendar, Google+ etc. Google also allows user to merge information he/she provided from one account to another so that he/she can only be treated as a single user across those products.

Most of all, Google promised that users still have options and control on all information they share on their products and the changes on their privacy policy is only to enhance the total experience of users on their products.

WMF and Telenor Partnership Allows Free Access to Wikipedia on Mobile

2012-02-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

Telenor, an international telecommunications company has partnered with Wikimedia Foundation to offer wikipedia mobile and other wikimedia sites access free of charge to telenor subscribers in Asia and Southeastern Europe.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia blog

In a press release published by Wikimedia, the partnership is said to target 135 million customers around the world whose primary means of accessing the web is through mobile device.

“The Wikimedia Foundation is working to remove barriers to free knowledge, and for most people around the world right now, cost and accessibility are the two biggest hurdles,” says Barry Newstead, Wikimedia Chief Global Development Officer. “We applaud Telenor for joining us to deliver free access to Wikipedia for their customers. Through this partnership, we move a step closer to providing the sum of all knowledge to everyone in the world.”

The implemention of the 3-year partnership will start immediately this year with the first markets lunching this second quarter.

There are, so far, seven signatory countries on the agreement including Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Montenegro, and Serbia but more partners are expected to join by the end of the year.

Pope Benedict XVI to Join Twitter

2012-02-27T23:22:00.001-08:00

Pope Benedict XVI will join the micro blogging and social networking site Twitter to communicate and reach more catholics, as announced by a Vatican official although there is no date revealed yet as to when the account will be activated and officially start tweeting.

Image Courtesy of The Guardian

Head of the Vatican's pontifical council for social communications, Father Claudio Maria Celli said that Pope's tweets can be reformulated, redistributed, relaunched and disseminated. Moreover, the Father said, "In this sense it is like the gospel, a small mustard seed that once scattered grows into bushes where birds can rest."

The Vatican is not actually new to using the internet in reaching its people and spreading the gospels of God. It may be remembered that the first Pope has launched a YouTube channel in 2009 and encouraged priests around the world to also engage in blogging and use social media sites in communicating with congregants along with the existing means of communication.

Pope followers though should expect that not all tweets to be published will always come from the Pope himself but all tweets will undergo his approval.

Update: I searched Pope Benedict XVI on twitter and here are the results:

Android@Mobile World Congress: It’s all about the ecosystem. - Official Google Mobile Blog

2012-02-27T17:03:00.000-08:00

Android@Mobile World Congress: It’s all about the ecosystem. - Official Google Mobile Blog

Each and every day, we are humbled by the trajectory of Android and our partners.

With a year-on-year growth rate of more than 250%, 850,000 new Android devices are activated each day, jetting the total number of Android devices around the world past 300 million. These numbers are a testament to the break-neck speed of innovation that defines the Android ecosystem.

Last year at Mobile World Congress (MWC), we announced that there were more than 150,000 apps in Android Market. That number tripled to more than 450,000 apps today, with over one billion app downloads happening every month. Think about the astonishing number of songs Shazam’ed, places Qype’ed and foursquare mayorships! To celebrate the hard work and success of our developer community, we’ve built special “app pods” into our Android stand at MWC. Many of these featured apps demonstrate the latest Android innovations, such as Android Beam, which lets you share content like web pages, videos, directions, and apps—just by touching two Android phones back to back.

The Android Stand on the eve of Mobile World Congress 2012

If you walk around the Android stand, it’s also evident that our hardware partners are thriving. There are 100+ devices on display at the conveyor belt bar, which is just a small portion of the 800+ Android devices that have launched to date. And what better sign of innovation than the Bling Bot—powered by the Android ADK—which can bedazzle your Galaxy Nexus backplate with perfect precision.

We’re just getting started at Mobile World Congress, so keep checking android.com/mwc and the +Androiz page on Google+ for updates.

Infographic: The Sad State Of Social Media Privacy

2012-02-26T23:05:00.000-08:00

Aside from allowing people to connect from one another, building a safe, robust community over the web, another big responsibilty of social media providers is to give users barrier against outside parties that may be benefited of the information they share.

This is where the Privacy Policy comes in. Privacy policy is a statement or a legal document that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses and manages a customer or client's data. Personal information can be anything that can be used to identify an individual, not limited to but including; name, address, date of birth, marital status, contact information, ID issue and expiry date, financial records, credit information, medical history, where you travel, and intentions to acquire goods and services. (Wikipedia - Privacy Policy). Every website that collect information from users is required to declare privacy policies for the very purpose of letting the users know what particular information they collect and for what purpose these information are intended to be used.

Sadly, having these privacy policies taking in effect are "easier said than done" because of the factors like (1) users have lack of control over their privacy, (2) government's implementation of laws regarding user privacy are not really strong enough to protect the users and (3) most of the users just don't know the importance of privacy policy.

The MDG's recenlty published infographic shows these factors that took social media privacy into the most sad state. Right click the image below and select view image to view in full size.

Infographic by MDG Advertising

Spammers and Malwares Find new Targets Through Facebook for Android Mobile App

2012-02-25T20:25:00.001-08:00

Today as I browse on youtube, like I used to do most of the time, I happen to encounter an unexpected notice that disallow me to share or post videos to my facebook profile. The notice says:

Until now I keep wondering how it happened until I read one of the headlines on my Google News and Weather app regarding the mobile malware spreading over targeting Android OS users through Facebook app!

This is alarming in a way that the youtube as well as facebook apps are now prone to malware and spams and although I am planning to report this to legal authorities, there are no assurance that my phone would be back to safe and normal.

I hope that this post may serve as a note or a lesson to everyone who are also active in video sharing and posting status frequently on youtube and facebook.

posted from Bloggeroid

Google Docs for Android Updates Released!

2012-02-22T22:39:00.000-08:00

There are new and improved ways to increase overall productivity over your documents on-the-go as Google Docs developers released its updates on Google Docs for Android today, available now in the Android Market.

Major updates include the enhanced user-interface which now allow users to pinch to zoom and focus on a specific paragraph or see the whole document at a glance and the added rich text formatting so users can do things like creating a quick bullet list, adding color to documents, or just bold something important.

Google Docs for android now also support the collaborative environment functionality, Google Docs users only experience on desktop browsers before which let every user editing a particular document see updates in real time as others type on their computers, tablets and phones.

Here are the complete functionalites added in Google Docs' latest version

Create, view and edit Google documents with new Android editor
Rich text formatting (bold, italics, underline, font color, background color)
Layout tools (bulleted lists, numbered lists, indentation)
Real-time collaboration - see edits from others in seconds
Cursor presence and highlighting

Google Docs for Android require version 2.1 and up to run.

Practical Tips to Secure Your Android Device

2012-02-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

Mobile Malware has been very alarming since that last quarter of 2011 and the number of 'unconcious' victims continue to rise towards the beginning of 2012. These malwares such as RuFraud and DroidDreamLight, two most popular malware variants, invade users’ privacy by stealing personal and other kinds of confidential information.

McAfee Labs comparative report about the number of victims of mobile malware attacks- Q2 2011

Before you become the next victim of mobile malware attacks, it is necessary that you know these things you can do to dramatically reduce, if not completely iliminate, the risk of malware infections on your Android phone:

Use the official Android Market instead of third-party app stores or websites, especially now that Bouncer is used to monitor for malware. If you want to help ensure that you only install apps from Android Market, you can turn off the ability to install apps from unknown sources in by going to Settings and then to the Security menu (in Android 4.0 or later) or the Applications menu (in earlier versions of Android).
Research apps before downloading: Check the publisher and app reviews.
Pay attention to app permissions during the installation and check the market listing or developer for an explanation of any suspicious permissions.
Install an antivirus/security app.
Be wary of phishing scams and malware via the Web browser or SMS messages.
Be cautious if you root your device and keep an eye out for the Superuser prompts that are displayed when an app requests root permissions. Rooting allows you to use some powerful apps and even enhanced security functionality, but at the same time increases potential damage from infections.
To protect your Android device against local attacks -- a thief or snooper -- enable lock screen security (or, if you're one of the lucky few who already have Ice Cream Sandwich, you can test out the new Face Unlock feature.)
Finally, to prevent any malicious apps from sending messages to a number that will automatically charge your account, see if your wireless carrier can block the ability to sign up for premium SMS subscriptions.

A Must Have Tools for Your Windows PC (Part 1)

2012-02-21T02:09:00.000-08:00

The secret to a healthy PC lifestyle is to use reliable, efficient and user-friendly utilities for your personal computer and there's no one that could provide that but you as the user and a responsible owner. As I browse through the list of utilities that I could use for my PC, I narrowed down to these free tools below which you could also use for your windows PC.

1. Autoruns (download)

An easy-to-use utility that allows you monitor programs that are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.

Start using this and you might be surprised of how many executables are launched automatically everytime you run your PC.

Autorun for Windows

2. Auslogics Duplicate File Finder (download)

You might haven't noticed it but one of the main reasons why you consumed a lot of disk space is because of duplicate files scattered "everywhere" in your pc. keeping these copycats are definitely a waste of valuable disk space and adds annoyance to you as a user. Auslogics Duplicate File Finder is powerful enough to help you save up to 50% of your disk space. This tool removes useless duplicate files stored on your PC by finding identical pictures, documents and any other files and compare them not only by names, but by their content and allows you to delete duplicates found thus significantly increase free space on your disk.

Auslogics Duplicate File Finder also helps you organize your media collections and reduces time needed to defragment your hard drive so as to maximize your file collection.

Auslogics Duplicate File Finder

3. Process Explorer (download)

Unlock your curiosity about the origin of all of those svchost.exe programs running on your machine and know everything about CPU cycles, memory usage, and I/O using this pwerful executable program. Process Explorer lets you view information about handles and DLLs that are open and all processes as well as sub-processes that are currently running.

Make this your first choice for easy tracking down DLL-version problems or handling memory leaks, and providing yourself insights into the way Windows and applications work.

Process Explorer (1st Window)

Process Explorer (2nd Window)

4. 7-Zip (download exe) or (download msi)

7-zip is an open source file archiver that can read and write several other archive formats seamlessly and with ease. With one right click compress large files with ratio that is 2-10 % better than the ratio provided by PKZip and WinZip.

Other key features of 7-Zip include

High compression ratio in 7z format with LZMA and LZMA2 compression
Strong AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats
Self-extracting capability for 7z format
Integration with Windows Shell
Powerful File Manager
Powerful command line version
Plugin for FAR Manager
Localizations for 79 languages

Supported Formats:

Packing / unpacking: 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM
Unpacking only: ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DEB, DMG, FAT, HFS, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MBR, MSI, NSIS, NTFS, RAR, RPM, SquashFS, UDF, VHD, WIM, XAR and Z.

5. Recuva (download)

Pronounced as "recover", Recuva is another powerful file recovery tool that lets you undelete files on your PC or even portable device such as a flash drive. It's fast, thorough, and most importantly, it's free!

The secret behind the concept of this recovery tool is that when you remove files in the Recycle Bin, the files aren’t actually destroyed but rather, the space they occupy is earmarked for new data. Undelete routines scan the flotsam and jetsam and put the pieces back together. As long as you haven’t added new data to a drive, undelete (almost) always works; and even if you’ve added some data, there’s a good chance you can get most of the deleted stuff back.

Recuva

Check out for the part two of this post to be published later! Just try first the awesomeness of the utilities above and start making your PC healthy!

Happy 5th Birthday, Nuffnang!

2012-02-20T20:58:00.000-08:00

"A simple celebration, a gathering of friends; here is wishing you great happiness, a joy that never ends.." is what I want to say from the bottom of my heart to Nuffnang as they turn 5 years of giving exemplary blog advertising in the country.

As a newbie in blogging, Nuffnang has become my first partner in blog advertising. Moreover, I have been inspired by this company in terms of putting interest in blogging and to treat blogging not just a business but a passion. It is also through them that allows me travel another avenue to explore my skills and meet a lot of bloggers along the way because more than an advertising company, I love Nuffnang for being a network of bloggers.

I wish Nuffnang continues to bring their objective to more bloggers and inspire more people out there, especially the younger generation.

That's it and now it's time for PARTY!!!

Nuffnang wants to celebrate their 5th year of successful blog advertising with Pinoy bloggers out there by conducting an event which will be hapenning on the following details below:

When: February 27, 2012

Time: 8 PM – 12 MN

Where: Borough, The Podium Mall, 12 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City

Dress code: BLUE!

The said event was made possible by the following sponsors:

You can also visit HERE for more information.

Hope to see you there ^_^

Tell What SULIT Means for you and win iPhone 4S or 3K Gift Certificate

2012-01-24T05:03:00.000-08:00

With the prosperous new year ahead, and as a way to celebrate their 5th year anniversary, SULIT.com.ph is giving away 2 iPhone 4S and 3 thousand SM gift certificates in their third and fourth week of their promo "Tell us what Sulit means for you!"

When I first read about it on their facebook page, I never had a second thought not to join because aside from the fact that joining online promos is one of my hobbies, SULIT.com.ph has been on of the most user-friendly, trustworthy online trading site in the Philippines where you can advertise, sell and buy almost all kinds of products and services such as real estate, cars and automotives, business and earning opportunities and even jobs and many others.

The promo is so simple. As the title suggests, you have to describe in your own creative words what does SULIT means for you! Example is given for you below:

S-uperb products
U-ncompromised transactions
L-inked products to like
I-ntimate place to sell &
T-errific customers

See here for the complete mechanics & list of winners

The first requirement is that you must have SULIT account and have posted an advertisement in a shop under your account. If you already have done this you can proceed to the next procedure below.

When you're done thinking of the best words that can describe SULIT, you need to share them in three social networking sites. Following the format as described on the given link above, you have to post it publicly on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Also note that you have to be connected with SULIT in those three accounts so that you can link back to their account or else your entry will be void.

Next step is to submit those post links to them by using the form in the link given. And that's it! You successfully submitted one entry. You can send as many as entries you can for more chances of winning!

Although joining the promo can be tedious and will somehow push you to the limits of thinking WHAT SULIT MEANS FOR YOU, the price is all worth it!

They are already in their second week of the promo and it's never too late to win!

Anonymous Retaliates, Attacks US Government Sites After Megaupload Shutdown

2012-01-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

Have you been aware of the famous group of hackers called Anonymous? Now they're back once again and they're making noise in the web - but for the good (I suppose) as they claim responsible for the attacks on US government sites today.

Related: Wikipedia Blackout

Just one of the anonymous' logo

The group has been recently expressing their outrage after Megaupload.com site has been shutdown and owners were arrested including founder Kim Dotcomand and three other Megaupload executives. The move is also to support the protest against Stop Online Piracy Act or widely known as SOPA. Their tweet reads:

"Megaupload was taken down w/out SOPA being law. Now imagine what will happen if it passes. The Internet as we know it will end. FIGHT BACK."

Megaupload is a file-sharing service that allow users upload files and share it through a given URL after the file has been successfully uploaded.

It may be remembered that many sites around the web have taken action against SOPA such as Wikipedia, Google, Yahoo and Reddit. Now, Anonymous attempts to show us what would the web will be after SOPA has been put into law.

Anonymous, via their twitter account asserted that they're the one responsible for attacks affecting sites for the DOJ, RIAA, Universal Music, the U.S. Copyright Office, Broadcast Music Inc. and the Motion Picture Association of America. They said the FBI website was on its target list, although that site remained operational midday on the West Coast.

A Must Try Domain Name Free Services

2012-01-19T05:55:00.000-08:00

As the domain name continues to create a huge impact to the lives of most people, domain name now becomes a commodity. Many people today often look for some domain name services and companies that will help them in their domain name needs. And also many of them look for some of the companies that offer domain name free services for their great benefits.

So speaking of the domain name free services, since I know that there is already a great number of people who wish to find domain name frees services on the web, I have here a few of the notable online sites that cater to a number of domain name frees services like free domain forwarding, free registration, and much more. If you are interested to know those sites on the web, then I would like you to read on.

http://V3.com

V3.com is among the hundred sites on the web that provide domain name frees services to the domain name consumers. As a great company, they offer domain name registrations at cost to show how their wide scope of web services can aid the domain name consumers in creating a unique and successful internet presence. Also, regardless of whether you have technical knowledge or not, this domain name free services site really make everything easy to select the services that suit the domain name consumers needs and that they assured to make it trouble-free in creating the consumers web services. In terms of their provided domain name free services, it is noted that when you register for a domain name in their site, you have the opportunity to get domain name free services like free domain forwarding, free name server changes, free change or ownership, free customer support, free account updates, and domain name free locking

FreeDomain.co.nr

Have you found any of the .co.nr domain name free services? If not yet, then this site is one of the best. Their offered domain name free services includes free domain name and sub-domain, free URL redirection, free URL cloaking and masking, and path forwarding. Essentially, this company was then developed to give domain name free services including free domain names and sub-domains of .co.nr domain names to those who wish to own a cool and free domain name that looks like a real paid domain name. Aside from that their domain name free services also include the basic free domain, premium domain, free VIP domains, compare packages, free web hosting, and Whois service. And lastly, they have supporting tools and solutions for every domain name consumers' needs. In fact you can access the web site with the use of their domain name free service no matter where it is hosted.

http://MyDomain.com

MyDomain.com is another great site for domain name frees services that are designed to work with any domain name regardless of where it is registered. With their services, you can definitely manage all your from just a single account. Also with their domain name frees services, you have the chance to forward your domain names to any web site and to an existing email account, and they also have free DNS management services. Also, you have the opportunity to create multiple sub-domains and most importantly, you can get a domain name free account and get started as soon as possible.

With a lot of domain name free services out there, sometimes, it's a headache to choose which is highly preferable or the best one! I myself have been hardly thinking if godaddy can really do provide the needs for a professional website. Maybe in the next few months or sooner, I would be able to get my own domain name already and I hope I could get the best and reliable domain name service.

18 Reasons why you Should Volunteer Your Time

2012-01-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

We know that volunteering a portion of our time is something we should do. There are reminders all around us that our help is needed. Other people will significantly benefit from any time we contribute. But that is not the only reason to volunteer.

Have you thought about the benefits you will get from volunteering? If you consider the many benefits you will receive, you will be asking yourself why you aren't more involved with helping a cause. Consider these 18 reasons to volunteer some of your time:

1. To make new friends
2. To build personal and profesional contacts
3. To build your self-esteem and self-confidence
4. To develop new job skills
5. To make a difference in the world
6. To increase personal satisfaction
7. To add experience to your resume
8. To develop people skills
9. To develop communication skills
10. To do something as a family
11. To explore career possibilities
12. To feel needed and appreciated
13. To share your skills with others
14. To be challenged
15. To do something different
16. To earn academic credit
17. To improve your health
18. To have fun!

You will get more out of your volunteer experience than you put into it. Don't hesitate to identify and donate some of your time to a worthy volunteer opportunity. You will be glad you did.

Wikipedia To Turn Black In Protest Against SOPA And PIPA

2012-01-17T05:16:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia, one of the largest open-source encyclopedia or technically, a KMS (Knowledge Management System) and its community has decided to black out the English version of the site worldwide for 24 hours (less than 21 hours to go by the time of this writing) in protest against Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA).

A leaderboard banner in the wikipedia.org site

It's the first time that the site will be stepped out to go for a public protest against two house bills and the decision was not easily raised. In the official statement released by Wikimedia, Sue Gardner, Executive Director of Wikimedia Foundation said the decision wasn't made by himself but by the Wikipedians who have participated in a consensus decision-making who eventually joined together to encourage greater public support and actions in response to these bills.

The public statement, signed by User:NuclearWarfare, User:Risker and User:Billinghurst writes:

It is the opinion of the English Wikipedia community that both of these bills, if passed, would be devastating to the free and open web.

Over the course of the past 72 hours, over 1800 Wikipedians have joined together to discuss proposed actions that the community might wish to take against SOPA and PIPA. This is by far the largest level of participation in a community discussion ever seen on Wikipedia, which illustrates the level of concern that Wikipedians feel about this proposed legislation. The overwhelming majority of participants support community action to encourage greater public action in response to these two bills. Of the proposals considered by Wikipedians, those that would result in a “blackout” of the English Wikipedia, in concert with similar blackouts on other websites opposed to SOPA and PIPA, received the strongest support.

On careful review of this discussion, the closing administrators note the broad-based support for action from Wikipedians around the world, not just from within the United States. The primary objection to a global blackout came from those who preferred that the blackout be limited to readers from the United States, with the rest of the world seeing a simple banner notice instead. We also noted that roughly 55% of those supporting a blackout preferred that it be a global one, with many pointing to concerns about similar legislation in other nations.

SOPA and PIPA are proposed house bills in the United States that if implemented, expands U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeited goods.

Other sites, legislators, and prominent personalities that opposed SOPA are Reddit, Google, Yahoo and Internet pioneer Vint Cerf.

'From Hobbyist To Tehcnopreneur' Free Webinar

2012-01-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

Learning session in the DigitalFilipino Start Up 100 Project - Digital Entrepreneur Program continues with their third FREE webinar happening on January 11, 2012 from 8 pm to 9:30 pm.

Related: DigitalFilipino E-Commerce Summit 2012

The topic "From Hobbyist to Technopreneur" with club member and mentor Wilson Chua of Future Gen International Pte Ltd. is packed with discussions that are designed to help entrepreneurs and those business enthusiast learn trends and qualities to become successful in the field.

Agenda to be discussed include:

Lessons learned in making the decision from hobbyist to technopreneur;
Lessons learned as a Mozcom franchisee;
Lessons learned in running a staffing business - Integrity Staffing;
Lessons learned in running a BPO / contact center in Pangasinan - Farmout;
Lessons learned in current business: Bitstop, BNS, Future Gen International PTE Ltd;
What characterizes an entrepreneur?;
Advice to college students and yuppies wanting to become technopreneurs;
How can I prepare to become an entrepreneur / technopreneur?;
What to watch out for in running a start up? and;
Suggested resources

System requirements for PC-based attendees

Windows® OS: 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server (Required)
Macintosh®-based attendees: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer (Required)

To join the webinar, just fill up this FORM. You will receive an email confirmation and the link that you can click to join the actual session.

Who Are The Most Active Social Networkers?

2012-01-08T17:20:00.000-08:00

The picture you've just seen above already gives you hint to answer the title of this article. That's right! Women are nonetheless the most active social networkers as of today!

On a latest study reported, females ages 18-34 years old are the most engaged in social networking and which make up the majority of visitors to social networks and blogs. Aged 35-49 are also avid visitors: 4 percent are more likely than average to visit social networks and blogs than they do in any other site and 27 percent of these sites’ audience. The next paragraphs will get you into details about them.

Related: The Rise Of Mobile Social Media Use

These women are likely came from New England as the report suggests, with an average of 102 unique women who visit social networking sites and blogs. Not so far behind are women from South Atlantic and East South Central both has the same figure of average of 101 visitors who are also active in social networking. Women from Pacific and both of East and West North Central though are the third visitors likely to land on the sites mentioned.

As mentioned earlier, these active women who engage a lot in social networking are between ages 18-34 years old which has an average of 108 visitors. They are educated, highly reputable women as the study indicates that these women has attained a bachelor's degree or even post graduate degree. There is no report on what particular field these women are into but I would like to think that they are involved in either SEO, content management, technical support or BPO or even testers.

In terms of ethnicity, Asian/Pacific Islander women are the most active social networkers. About 103 in average of social networking and blog sites visitors are Asian while an average of 102 are either American Indian or Alaska Native. White and Hispanic women are also active with an average of 101 and 100 unique visitors respectively.

Indeed, women conquers social networking! To show this, here is a picture showing how women are active and even influential to both men and women online. Britney Spears is the most circled people in Google+ only followed by four other powerful and popular men despite the fact that the current percentage of gender who use Google+ is 69.0% men and 29.8% women.

The Rise Of Mobile Social Media Use

2012-01-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

Year 2011 has been dominating for smartphones and tablets. In fact, more than half of all mobile phone sales are occupied by smartphones already. It is the year where consumers sought and realized that the use of these devices can bring yet another effective and convenient way of computing.

Powerful mobile OS (Operating Systems), highly interactive and useful applications, increased phone memory and the ever-powered storage over the cloud which allowed users flexibility to access files wherever, whenever! These are only among of a hundred reasons why smartphones and tablets are overtaking feature phones.

Related: Top Social Networking And Blogging Sites Of 2011

MOBILE SOCIAL MEDIA USE IS ON THE RISE

Whether it is a feature phone or a smartphone, the ability to access social media is a commonly used feature among mobile owners. About 43 percent of users access the web through mobile device such as mobile phones, iPad, e-reader and handheld music player. In the figure below, the 97 percent for computer use only suggests that still, computer is the most convenient way to use and access social media contents.


How do consumers access social media (Source:Nielsen)

SMARTPHONE FEATURES AND HOW USERS HAVE VALUED THEM

With wide capability ranging from the basics of making and receiving calls to checking out different places nearby down to mobile payment transactions and updating social status and news feeds plus the practicality of use over other devices, smartphones continue to be the most preferred gadget. The next figure below lists down the features commonly available in a smartphone device and how these features have valued by users.

While downloading and playing music is the most available feature for smartphones and global positioning system (GPS) is the most valued feature, applications for social networking has been the second available and most valued feature.

How does social networking compare to other features consumers have on
their phones? And what features do they value most?

MOST USED APPS FOR SMARTPHONE USERS

The on-the-rise popularity of smartphones and tablets which allow users install a wide variety of applications also made it possible for mobile social networking apps to be the third most downloaded app and used by smartphone owners. The most popular app for social networking across all operating system is Facebook while Twitter is the number five most used app on Blackberry and Windows mobile operating systems.

Gaming apps (the most popular of which include Angry birds, Fruit Ninja and Tiny Tower) are still the most downloaded and used applications for smartphones While Weather applications are also highly in demand. Other categories for the most downloaded and used applications by smartphones users include music (Google Music is the most popular) , news, entertainment, banking/finance and dining/restaurant.

Top 10 Categories of Apps Used by Smartphones Owners Who Downloaded Apps

USERS WHO ENGAGED IN MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING

As teeny as thirteen (13) and eldest as fifty five and over (55+) years of age have installed apps for mobile social networking. The most highly downloaded app of which is Facebook followed by twitter with LinkedIn, a site preferrable for professionals, as the least most downloaded app. Ages twenty five to thirty four (25 - 34) have the highest percentage of social networking app users.

Percentage of Social Networking App Users by Age

Top Social Networks & Blogs Of 2011

2012-01-03T01:53:00.000-08:00

Social media use has become the most popular activity online and the popularity continues to grow as users who register in different social media platforms such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more keep rising. The Nielsen social media report for 2011 lays down the most popular and visited brands with snapshots of the current social media landscape and audiences particular in the U.S. and other major markets.

Not surprisingly, Facebook topped the list among websites which users spend more time and web use in general with an average of 53.5 million minutes spent in a month followed by Yahoo! and the web giant Google. The complete figures for web brands with most number of minutes spent by users are shown below

Top 10 U.S. Web Brands by Total Minutes, in Billions, Home and Work (May 2011)

Facebook also tops in particular for the most visited social networking and blogs sites of 2011 outnumbering blogger with the same figure of 53.5 million minutes. The exact figures for particular social networking sites and blogs are shown below.


Top 5 U.S. Social Networks and Blogs Total minutes (000s), Home and Work (May 2011)

In terms of average number of unique visitors per month, Neilsen reported the table below showing the rank, website and the average number of unique visitors per month with Facebook still on the number 1 spot followed by blogger and twitter.com. Google+, The fastest growing social networking site also made in the top 8 spot with an average of eight thousand unique audience share per month.

Source: Nielsen Data from January – October 2011, Home and Work Computers. Ranked on average monthly unique audience.

The recent report released by Comscore.com also showed a relatively the same figures for leading social networking sites with facebook as the undisputed on the top rank followed by twitter and Linkedin.com.

With more than 800 million active users everyday, there is no doubt that Facebook leads in all the charts for being the most visited social networking site but we can also expect that other related sites can also be successful on their own in the near future.

And as social media and blog sites continue to comprehensively include a wide variety of audience, challenges also continue to be of great importance for traditional media, retailers, and advertisers to understand how different consumer segments use and share content through social media and blogs.

DigitalFilipino E-Commerce Summit 2012

2011-12-28T01:22:00.000-08:00

This article will serve as an invitation to readers who might be interested to participate in the coming E-Commerce Summit 2012 to be held on February 24, 2012 at The Peninsula Manila, corner of Ayala Avenue and Makati Avenue, Makati City from 9 am to 5 pm.

Related: 'From Hobbyist To Tehcnopreneur' Free Webinar

Hosted by DigitalFilipino Club, the annual event will cater conference programs with highly interactive sessions from experts in e-commerce players and industry practitioners.

Conference Programs included are:

E-Commerce, Search, Local, Mobile, Social Models and Trends for 2012

Gillian Muessig, Founding President of SEOMoz

State of E-Commerce in the Philippines

Jack Madrid, Founding President of E-Commerce Merchants Trade Association of the Philippines and General Manager of Multiply Philippines

State of Digital Marketing in the Philippines (Making Customers Buy)

Donald Lim, Managing Director, MRM Worldwide

PANEL: Using Local Payment Platforms and Financing Methods in 2012

Erick Kaludan, CEO of ShopInstallment

Other topics being considered in the agenda includes (to be updated as soon as the speakers for the event is confirmed):

The Filipino Online Shopper
Extending your presence to the mobile device (Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Phone)
Taking advantage of the 2nd Internet (new e-commerce opportunities with IPV6)
Where are the Customers? (how come we have low sales despite creating a useful website and social media presence?)
Getting your Start-Up Running and Attractive to Investors

DigitalFilipino Club members are entitled for a free conference pass provided that the participants shall be limited to:

Corporate members (3 representatives)
SME members (2 representative)
Individual members (can attend but slot is not transferable)
Additional club member and sponsor delegates are entitled to 15% discount.

Registration form for the said event is available HERE

Pinoy Meets Siri

2011-12-27T01:58:00.000-08:00

The advent of iPhone 4S in the Philippines has received an overwhelming acceptance and appreciation to many. Me myself have tried the gadget and I've been wowed by the handset especially when I tried to take that shot from it's 8MP camera - digicam can just be thrown away now and talk to Siri to search in the web and send a message. However not everything is really incredible especially when it comes to Siri. She cannot understand some of the words you say to her and she will lead you to ridiculous actions if not horrible!

Talking about Siri, I tried to search on the web about some of the useful tips or vids on how to get with her, so that one day when I got my own iPhone 4S (whew!), I won't lose my nerve talking to her and she will follow actions as instructed. Eventually this brought me to unexpected while some are totally ridiculous results. So I thought to post it here so that I have my own collection of Pinoy videos with Siri.

If you don't know Siri yet, she is the most 'intelligent' (so far) virtual assistant of iPhone (available on iPhone 4S only) that allows you to do things on your phone such as sending and reading text messages, calling, setting up a schedule, send emails, search on the web, setting up an alarm, unit conversion etc.

Here are some of the videos of Pinoy dealing with Siri.

SIMPLE INQUIRY USING SIRI - In this vid, the pinoy user is asking simple inquiries to Siri and Siri will try to search it on the web and immediately display the answer on the screen

SETTING UP A SCHEDULE, REMINDER AND NOTE USING SIRI - This video is showing how Siri would set you up on a schedule and properly put your appointments in order. She would even tell you if there are conflicting schedules and ask you some confirmations. Siri seems easily got the Pinoy user talking to her in this vid.

SIRI READS TAGALOG MESSAGE - This is quite hilarious as Siri reads tagalog words. What's in the message is actually the 'bahay kubo' lyrics.

Okay, moving away from the serious vids, I went to this really funny and trending video of Filipino version of Siri - Vangie. The crafting of this video is indeed impressive that it was even featured in a national news program in TV but this one is a total joke.

MEET VANGIE THE PINOY VERSION OF SIRI

VANGIE CHECKING THE LOCAL TRAFFIC CONDITION - A short clip of one of Vangie's feature - checking local traffic.

Going back, I found this video of ashleyslips and I was like, Woah, really? They are giving away an iPhone 4S?

GET A CHANCE TO HAVE SIRI BY WINNING IPHONE 4S - Yes! Globe Telecom is actually promoting their iPhone 4S offering and you have the chance to win iPhone 4S by joining this contest. watch this video of ashleyslips to know the mechanics and as she nosebleed when she asks Siri to define the word 'life'!

That's all for now, I wish I could add some more videos in this post later.