the babel machine

Life as a Catalyst at JoeyAlarilla.com

2009-03-21T14:27:00.002+08:00

Please go to my new personal blog at JoeyAlarilla.com

Thanks!

i'm moving

2006-03-12T19:20:00.002+08:00

Goodbye, Blogger. It was fun while it lasted.

Hello, WordPress. It's Erwin Oliva's fault.

Check out The Babel Machine at http://babelmachine.wordpress.com.

Open source, woo-hoo!

got game? we do

2006-03-10T12:28:00.000+08:00

GAME! is here!

Swiped this image of the cover from Jayvee Fernandez's blog. I'll talk a lot more about GAME!, the new, homegrown gaming magazine from Hinge Inquirer Publications, in the next few days, but Jayvee has summed it up quite nicely in his post.

Here's an excerpt:

There were many people involved with the creation of the second local gaming title (the first is Games Master) in the Philippines. But it is also important to note that this is the first all-Filipino gaming magazine. This means that content isn’t syndicated from abroad (unlike Games Master that syndicates some of its content from the West).
Going back to the people involved, there are many many many of them who labored hard, enduring sleepless nights to get this thing conceptualized, laid-out, flattened, CMYK-ed, and printed. There’s Mitch, Aiza, Adel, Poch, Topper, and Joey to name a few, as well as the writers - I apologize if I forget to name all - Karl, Kiven, Ryu, Raphy, Jones, Karen … there’s just so many, I’m overwhelmed at the amount of support you’ve all given.

Read the rest of Jayvee's post.

I'm really excited about the birth of this new gaming magazine, and I truly believe this will be the start of something big. This is a great time to be a gamer.

Nothing I can say, however, will be more eloquent than the mag itself, so grab a copy. It should be available in racks over the next few days -- the mag arrived from the printers just last night -- and, guess what, this mag only costs 80 pesos.

See it. Believe.

inq7 offers rss and gaming gets its due

2006-03-09T10:12:00.000+08:00

Check out my INQ7 Infotech @Play column piece.

Here's an excerpt:

WHILE browsing the INQ7.net site, you might be pleasantly surprised -- or puzzled -- to find these letters in orange strategically located in the Breaking News box and other sections: XML/RSS.
What this means is that, after a few months of beta testing, INQ7 has now officially launched its RSS service, offering feeds for the Breaking News; Top Stories; Nation; Metro; Regions; Opinion and Editorial; Entertainment; Infotech and Sports sections, as well as the following special reports: The Pacquiao Files, ULTRA Stampede, Leyte Landslide, Edsa 20, The Good News and State of Emergency.

Read the full story.

does whatever a(n ultimate) spider can...

2006-03-08T19:18:00.000+08:00

Check out my Ultimate Spider-Man review that came out in US-based zine PopMatters.com.

Here's an excerpt:

Once upon a time, lots of kids read comic books.
I know, that's hard to believe in these days when the comic book industry still hasn't really recovered from the crash largely brought about by the excesses of the '90s. And kids are more likely to be playing video games on- or offline, than shelling out money for actual comic books. Which is ironic, considering that the non-comic-book-reading man on the street is likely to dismiss comics as "just for kids", when works such as Neil Gaiman's Sandman series and Alan Moore's Watchmen -- one of the all-time 100 best novels (written in the English language, from 1923 up to the present) according to Time magazine -- prove that comics can be a medium for great literature, rather than a genre.

Read the full story.

busy days ahead

2006-03-07T16:33:00.000+08:00

February was a really busy month (see one of the reasons for this) for me, but now it looks that I’ll be even busier in the next few months, apart from the stuff I’m doing for INQ7.net (More multimedia? New sections? Revamped sites? All of the above?).

For one, I’m working on my first book. Inquirer Publications Inc. has signed me up to write a book on e-business, which was commissioned by the Philippine Internet Commerce Society. I’m really excited over this because it’s my first book, plus I came up with a framework and approach for the book that I hope we can pull off -- after all, the execution of whatever idea you have also depends on time and budget constraints. Hope you’ll buy a copy, heh.

The funny thing is that just last week, I was also invited to be part of another book project -- this time to write one of the chapters. And no, this book won’t be technology-related.

Plus I’m cooking up another project with the help of friends and fellow journalists. It’s still too early to give details, but let’s just say I believe in the second coming of dotcoms -- but with a twist.

I’ve also been invited by PICS to be one of the guest speakers at the ICT Business Forum that will be held on March 21 at the Ayala Hall, Makati Sports Club in Makati City as part of the 12th Philippine Internet Anniversary celebration. I was invited, in my capacity as founding president of the Asian Gaming Journalists Association and co-editor of hackenslash, to talk about how online gaming can drive the growth of e-commerce in the Philippines. Hmm, didn’t I just write a column about that, heh.

Proving that when it rains, it pours, Luli Arroyo also invited me to be a guest speaker at the MindShare session on March 15 at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City. MindShare is a joint project of the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development (of which Luli is the director for Operations), AIM, and the Philippine Venture Capital Investment Group.

Luli asked if I could talk about the latest trends in online gaming. You bet I said yes.

It’s gratifying to see that, slowly but surely, we are starting to take gaming more seriously in this country. It’s not a fad, people.

itjournoasia features inq7 @ 5

2006-03-01T13:43:00.000+08:00

ITJournoAsia.com, the trade site for the region's tech journalists, IT companies and PR firms, featured the INQ7 @ 5 anniversary site in their Media News section.

Since ITJournoAsia.com is a password-protected, subscription-only site, I'm reprinting their article here:

Media News
INQ7 looks ahead as it turns 5
By Tan Lili
28/02/2006 11:49:55 AM

While most publications celebrate their birthdays by commemorating the milestones they have achieved, INQ7 hopes to engage its readers on its 5th anniversary by integrating tools to gradually evolve and embrace the Web 2.0 revolution.

To accomplish its hopes, the INQ7 team created a special anniversary website where text, audio and video converged. The project was spearheaded by Joey Alarilla, co-editor of gaming site Hackenslash.net and Infotech columnist at online title INQ7.

“I really wanted the site to showcase the multimedia services that we're offering or will soon be deploying throughout the growing INQ7 network,” said Alarilla.

“The site has an integrated WordPress blog, which we're using to post not only our articles and musings, but, more important, stories and comments from our readers.”

The homepage of the website shows a world map and you can enter the sections – Stories, Videos, Blog, Podcasts and Greetings – when you click on different continents.

Alarilla said one of his postings looked into the future of online journalism and how INQ7 will stay ahead of the curve.

“My post at the start of our blog explains what we're trying to achieve and what we see as the direction for online journalism: to make online publications more relevant to the needs of a new generation of Internet users; integrate online tools such as blogs and podcasts into the news process; and encourage more active participation and user-generated content from readers, but without getting too enamored with the technology.

“We have to embrace change without forgetting the basics of good journalism - the important thing is to tell good stories and provide quality service, whichever medium you may deploy or whatever gadget readers might use to access your content.”

In his blog, Alarilla quoted INQ7’s executive editor, Leo Magno, to talk about both the Old Media and the New Media.

Magno said: “There’s nowhere else to go but forward. I think we have to redefine what the real meaning of media is. You have a billion people online on the Internet and all of them [represent] a potential audience for your website. And you don’t consider that mass media? I don’t know what is.

“There used to be a time a decade ago or more when online newspapers weren’t considered yet really as a medium, as part of traditional media, but I think the distinction is now blurring between New Media and Old Media. It’s only guys like us who’ve been in media for the longest time who refer to it as Old and New Media. But the younger generation who grew up with this kind of medium does not consider it new.”

Like Alarilla, Magno also felt that good journalism should not be neglected even as a surge of new online applications emerge.

“These are just enablers for what people really want to do. What they really want to do is voice out an opinion, or a complaint, or a reaction, or tell their story,” Magno was quoted as saying.

“We’re hearing a lot of buzzwords like citizen journalism, grassroots journalism. A lot of these new tools — we’re going to incorporate and use them more often… I wouldn’t call this journalism per se right now. It has a lot of maturing to do still, but it’s a good start. And the good ones — the good bloggers, the good podcasters — may partner with media.”

Online publication INQ7, launched on February 27, 2001, is a joint venture between the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper and the GMA Network broadcast company.

Alarilla can be contacted at joeyalarilla@gmail.com

inq7 is 5 today

2006-02-27T10:26:00.000+08:00

Happy 5th anniversary, INQ7.net.

cory on her way to marines hq

2006-02-26T20:35:00.000+08:00

Former president Corazon Aquino is now on her way to the Philippine Marines headquarters in Fort Bonifacio.

In a telephone interview with GMA-7 radio station dzBB, Aquino said she was on her way there with 20 to 25 people, including Teddy Boy Locsin, Butch Abad and Etta Rosales.

Asked why she was going to Fort Bonifacio, Aquino said she believes in "prayer power." "A lot of us need to be praying tonight," she said, for the peaceful resolution of this situation.

Aquino said she did not know if she would be allowed to enter Fort Bonifacio, since civilians are being driven away from the camp.

Read the INQ7.net Running Account.

civil society protecting querubin--tv

2006-02-26T18:32:00.000+08:00

Civil society protecting Querubin--TV

MAKATI--Members of civil society are protecting Marine Colonel Ariel Querubin, ANC television reports.

standoff at marine hq

2006-02-26T18:25:00.000+08:00

A standoff has developed between Colonel Ariel Querubin and the new Marine chief Brigadier General Nelson Allaga, GMA Network Flash Report says.

GMA Network footage shows several armored vehicles entering the Marine compound in Fort Bonifacio.

querubin calls for people power

2006-02-26T17:48:00.000+08:00

Querubin to public:
'Protect us from aggression'

By Joel Francis Guinto
INQ7.net

A MARINE Colonel implicated in the alleged thwarted plot to unseat President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called on the public on Sunday to come to Marine headquarters in Fort Bonifacio to "protect us from aggression."

"I will wait for the people to come here and protect us from aggression," Colonel Ariel Querubin told ANC television.

Querubin said he would be holed up at the Marine Corps headquarters to show support for his former commandant, Major General Renato Miranda, who was relieved upon his request on Sunday.

When asked about the alleged threats of aggression, Querubin said, "I don't know, but I expect that to happen."

Querubin also confirmed that he planned to join street protests last Friday and that he planned to bring along a "majority" of the 400-strong Marine officer corps.

The Marine colonel said he would join protests so that efforts to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo "will not turn bloody." He said Miranda tried to dissuade them from doing so.

"We were prevailed upon by General Miranda," he said.

The military had claimed that the street protests last Friday were meant to pressure Military Chief General Generoso Senga to withdraw support from Arroyo, who remains hounded by allegations of electoral fraud.

Another officer, Army Brigadier General Danilo Lim, has been placed under house arrest and relieved as commander of the First Scout Ranger Regiment also for allegedly pressuring Senga to turn against the President.

Querubin calls for ‘people power’
to support relieved Marines chief

By Alcuin Papa Inquirer

Marines Colonel Ariel Querubin on Sunday called for “people power” to protest the relief of Marine commandant Major General Renato Miranda.

Querubin, commander of a Marine brigade based in Lanao del Sur said his act was not a withdrawal of support from the chain of command but to show solidarity to Major General Miranda.

Querubin said he would be staying at the Chapel of the Marines Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio.

Miranda was relieved from his post early Sunday afternoon at his request for "personal reasons."

Read the INQ7.net Running Account.

marine chief relieved at his request

2006-02-26T17:39:00.000+08:00

Marine chief relieved at his request

By Joel Francis Guinto
INQ7.net

THE COMMANDANT of the battle-tested Philippine Marine Corps, Major General Renato Miranda, was granted relief from his post on Sunday due to "personal reasons," officials said.

Miranda personally asked for his relief during a meeting with his immediate superior, Navy Chief Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga, at Navy Headquarters along Roxas Boulevard in Manila Sunday afternoon, Navy spokesman Captain Geronimo Malabanan said.

Read the INQ7.net Running Account.

cory, cardinal rosales lead edsa rites

2006-02-25T12:50:00.000+08:00

Aquino, Bishop Rosales lead
prayer at EDSA Shrine

By Maila Ager
INQ7.net

ORTIGAS--Former president Corazon Aquino and Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales led a prayer at the EDSA Shrine in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the first People Power revolution that ended a 20-year dictatorship in the Philippines.

Read the INQ7.net Running Account.

rp ambassador to us says gov't to uphold rights

2006-02-25T12:29:00.000+08:00

Gov't will uphold human rights
despite emergency rule--envoy

WASHINGTON--The Philippines will uphold human rights and the rule of law despite emergency rule imposed in the Southeast Asian archipelago to quell an alleged coup bid, its Washington envoy said Friday.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday declared a "state of national emergency," invoking powers to use the military to quell a rebellion.

Read the INQ7.net Running Account.

sison condemns proclamation 1017

2006-02-25T12:26:00.000+08:00

Proclamation 1017, tyrannical act
of desperation--Sison

By Delfin T. Mallari Jr.
Southern Luzon Bureau
Inquirer

LUCENA CITY--The self-exiled founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines called as a "tyrannical act of desperation" President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Proclamation 1017 that declared a state of national emergency.

Read the INQ7.net Running Account.

ramos appalled by state of emergency

2006-02-25T12:17:00.000+08:00

'Appalled,' Ramos says of Arroyo’s
state of emergency

By Stella O. Gonzales
Inquirer

MAKATI CITY--Former president Fidel Ramos hit President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for declaring a state of national emergency.

Read the INQ7.net Running Account.

ocampo eludes arrest

2006-02-25T12:13:00.000+08:00

Ocampo eludes arrest

By Maila Ager
INQ7.net

QUEZON CITY--Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo eluded arrest at an opposition-sponsored forum at a hotel in Quezon City on Saturday, his lawyer said.

Read the INQ7.net Running Account.

bunye defends action vs tribune

2006-02-25T11:57:00.000+08:00

Bunye: Police had justification for Tribune entry

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQ7.net

MALACAÑANG--PRESS Secretary Ignacio Bunye on Saturday said he believes the police had justification for entering the editorial offices of pro-opposition broadsheet Daily Tribune at early dawn of Saturday.

Read the INQ7.net Running Account.

congressman beltran arrested in bulacan

2006-02-25T11:19:00.000+08:00

Congressman Beltran arrested in Bulacan

By Maila Ager
INQ7.net

ANAKPAWIS Representative Crispin Beltran was arrested by police Saturday, a lawmaker disclosed in a forum in Quezon City.

Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo said the Karapatan group informed him that Beltran was arrested in Bulacan, Bulacan province at past 10 a.m.

A text message sent by one of Beltran's staff to reporters said the congressman, along with a bodyguard, his wife, and two other companions, “were flagged down in Muzon, Bulacan by soldiers, led by a certain Major Corpuz.”

“They are being escorted now to [Camp] Crame for questioning by the CIDG [Criminal Investigation and Detection Group],” the staff said.

Read the INQ7.net Running Account for more updates on the state of emergency.

freedom of the press

2006-02-25T09:11:00.000+08:00

This is how the Arroyo administration is defending democracy:

1017: Veiled warning to some segments of media?

"We're entering a period of censorship and intimidation never before seen since the 1970s and the 1980s," said Manuel L. Quezon III, a columnist of the Inquirer.

He was quoted saying this in the article Media fear censorship, intimidation.

So, are we journalists just being paranoid? Gee, maybe Tribune publisher Niñez Cacho-Olivarez is only being paranoid:

Cops enter Tribune office, get copies of mock-up issue

Inquirer columnist and UP professor Randy David, who led one of the rallies yesterday, was detained by cops and later released:

"We have so many ironies today, not least of which is the fact that in January 2001, we were on the same march on Edsa, and she (Ms Arroyo) was at the Edsa Shrine, waiting for us to give her the presidency. And now she's stopping us," said University of the Philippines professor and Inquirer columnist Randy David shortly before he was arrested by policemen in plainclothes.
David, along with Akbayan president Ronald Llamas and lawyer Argee Guevarra, was taken in a green Toyota Corolla sedan (plate number WJU-141) to Camp Karingal, according to Akbayan media officer Percy Sendaña.
The three were charged with illegal assembly and inciting to sedition, but were released early last night.

Not to worry, however, said National Telecommunications Commission chief Ronald Solis, who met with representatives of broadcast media yesterday after the proclamation of the state of emergency to ask for "balanced reporting."

Solis spoke to the Inquirer before meeting with representatives of various broadcast media.
He said fears of a government crackdown on the media were unfounded and described as "OA [overacting]" suspicions of eventual curtailment of press freedom.
He said circulars had already been distributed to broadcast media organizations in the past outlining what they could and could not do during periods of emergency.

Ay sori, sir, OA lang po pala kami.

state of the nation

2006-02-24T22:06:00.000+08:00

Everything's apparently quiet now, but here's what it was like for most of the day, courtesy of the INQ7.net Running Account.

arroyo declares state of emergency

2006-02-24T11:27:00.000+08:00

In a televised speech, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared a state of emergency.

no rallies?

2006-02-24T10:38:00.000+08:00

Police officials have warned that protesters who will join street rallies commemorating the 20th anniversary of Edsa 1 will face the threat of forced dispersal.

POLICE will not allow street protests in Metro Manila on Friday, an official said, after the military thwarted a plot to unseat President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

"All street rallies are not allowed today to prevent any breach of peace," Metro Manila police chief Director Vidal Querol said in a text message.

Read the rest of the INQ7 Breaking News item.

latest attempt vs arroyo administration

2006-02-24T08:20:00.000+08:00

Military says anti-Arroyo plot thwarted

In times of uncertainty, all we can really do is hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

As members of media, we always have to be careful to give the public the information they need, without inadvertently sowing panic or, in effect, creating the news. As you might expect, INQ7.net is taking all necessary steps to prepare for any contingency, to continue giving our readers, especially the many Filipinos overseas, the most up-to-date, accurate coverage of breaking news events.

I don't know how things will play out, just as I didn't know when I was doing the Running Account/What's Happening for INQ7's coverage of Edsa Dos how the story would end. All I know is that whatever happens, we'll be there to tell you about it.

Longtime INQ7.net readers know that when traffic from so many readers all over the world threatens to overwhelm the site when big events unfold or tension grips the country, we switch over to a streamlined news version.

The President is supposed to hold a press conference less than an hour from now. Our military claims the attempted withdrawal of support by some disgruntled officers has been thwarted.

Presidential chief of staff Mike Defensor has said in an interview with GMA-7 that no rallies will be held today, as the government will cancel all permits for rallies. Protesters, however, have said they will push through with massive demontrations to commemorate Edsa I and call for the ouster of Arroyo. And former president Cory Aquino is supposed to lead a march in Makati City at 3 p.m. today.

We keep talking about the spirit of Edsa. I just wish this would truly live in the hearts of Filipinos. I just wish we would see genuine change.

Let's just hope for the best. And pray.