the parser blog

Parser Still Lives!

2016-08-07T15:21:00.003+08:00

It's year 2016, The UP Parser still kicks ass, and I'm here to announce that we have moved to a new website!

Check it here!

Menard Ysrael Cruz
Editor-in-Chief 2016-2017

yay imma parsed one :)

1st UP PWW A Success

2008-07-27T17:51:00.012+08:00

1 Building

4 Panelists Philip Kimpo Jr.(blue) * Ia Lucero(green) * Jonel Uy(blue stripes) * Cai Abbass (2nd from left)

11 Fellows and Participants

Camarao, Crystal Beatrice * Contreras, Paul Vincent * Gian Paolo Samson * Kam, Kathleen * Lacandazo, Apryll * Olive Ruth A. Dag * Tan, Ava Marie * Tiojanco, Jase Nathaniel G. * Edrosa, Loraine * Hirano, Misato * Mantaring, Rafael

Lots of Pictures

More @

http://joneluy.multiply.com/photos/album/66/Parser_Writing_Workshop_08_1.0

http://upparser.multiply.com/photos/album/3/UP_Parser_Writing_Workshop_08_1.0

Pics - 2nd Parser Alumni-Staff Meet

2008-07-13T23:29:00.003+08:00

Parser Writing Workshop Update

2008-07-08T14:29:00.006+08:00

Detail of the articles to be submitted for the workshop are as follows:

Please submit your articles on or before July 18 at WritingWorkshop@upparser.com (Please append "[Writing Workshop]" in the email subject).

Details of the required articles:
========================================================
News writing:

Write a short news article about any

1) DCS event, or
2) event held within the new CS building. Examples: CS freshman orientation, contest, CS alumni homecoming, new facility, professorial lecture.

Unpublished articles aren't required; you can recycle old news articles, if you have any.

By short, I mean no longer than 1 MS Word/Open Office page.
However, please don't submit articles that are very very short, such as those with less than 6 sentences. Please use standard font types and sizes.

Pseudonyms and real names are both accepted. Please indicate if you're a Parser staffer.

Feature writing:

Write a short feature article about any DCS-related topic. Examples: CS event, CS teacher, CS student org, new CS subject.

Unpublished articles aren't required; you can recycle old feature articles, if you have any.

By short, I mean no longer than 1 MS Word/Open Office page.

However, please don't submit articles that are very very short, such as those with less than 12 sentences. Please use standard font types and sizes.

Pseudonyms and real names are both accepted. Please indicate if you're a Parser staffer.
=====================================================

Panelists
Phillip Kimpo Jr. (Head Panelist)
Ia Lucero
Jonel Uy
Cai Abbass

UP Parser Writing Workshop 2008 1.0

2008-07-06T14:55:00.015+08:00

The UP Parser Writing Workshop 2008
1.0: News and Feature Writing

The first-ever writing workshop for UP Parser staffers (and more) is going to be held on July 23, 2008 @ the New CS Building / College of Engineering Library Building / now also known as UP Alumni Engineers Centennial Hall (parang Hall of Justice =) )

For article submition requirements, please see this "Parser Writing Workshop Update" post above.

It starts at 5:30pm and ends at 8pm. This is organized by the Parser Alumni group in cooperation with the current staff heads.

Please register HERE

It is open to the public but due to limited space depending on the room to be reserved priority is given to registrants who are Parser Staff, CS Students, Engineering Students, and UP students, in that order. Parser Alumni are also welcome.

This workshop will focus on News and Feature Writing; other topics will be considered for future workshops.

Programme

5:30-5:40 Introduction / UP Parser History
5:40-6:00 Qualities of a Leader (by Jonel Uy)
6:00-6:45 News Writing Workshop (led by Phillip Kimpo Jr.)
6:45-7:30 Features Writing Workshop (led by Phillip Kimpo Jr.)
7:30-7:45 Open Forum

About the Panelists

Phillip Kimpo Jr.
Head Panelist

Phillip served as The UP Parser's Editor-in-Chief for the academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06, helping resurrect the then-dead publication. During his term, Parser emerged as the foremost publication in the College of Engineering, releasing seven issues with more or less a total circulation of 3000 copies, many of which were in full color and tabloid size. During this time, Parser's signature line was permanently etched in DCS history: We don't just write programs; we write.

Phillip graduated from the Department of Computer Science in 2006, and was cited as an Outstanding Representative by the UP Alliance of Computer Science Students (UP CS Network). He currently works as a freelance writer, editor, and website manager.

Phillip is a member of LIRA (Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo), an organization of poets writing in Filipino under the aegis of National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario (a.k.a. Rio Alma). He is a founding member of KATAS (Kalipunan ng mga Taga-Sining para sa Lipunan). He was a Fellow for the 9th UST National Writers' Workshop and the 2007 LIRA Poetry Clinic. He serves as a staffer for the Bulawan Online literary journal.

In his high school and grade school days, Phillip won 1st place in newswriting in the national, NCR, and Quezon City levels of schools press conferences.

Phillip is currently finishing his first book of personal essays, Corsair of Cordillera Street. Visit him at phillip.kimpo.ph.

Ia Lucero

Adelaida Sophia Marie Lucero, or "Ia" for short is an accomplished web designer, editor, and freelance writer. She graduated cum laude from the Department of Computer Science in 2006.

Ia served as The UP Parser's Associate Editor for the academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06, and was more than an integral part in the publication's "resurrection years." She was also cited as an Outstanding Student Representative by the UP Alliance of Computer Science Students (UP CS Network).

Ia is one of the Philippines' emerging web designers, having crafted masterpieces for Praise Music Philippines, Bradford Shoes, and around a dozen sites for the UK-based Splashpress Media network.

Ia is the web designer and a staffer of the Bulawan Online literary journal. One of her WordPress themes won runner-up honors in a recent international design contest. Her personal and portfolio site, Stellify.net was a Finalist for Best Technology Blog in the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards.

In high school, Ia represented the National Capital Region in the National Schools Press Conference, having won 2nd in copyreading in the regional level.

Aside from web designing, she currently manages, edits, and writes for several of Splashpress Media's and Toronto-based Enthropia Inc.'s major websites.

Jonel Uy

Jonel is the co-founder of The UP Parser back in 1999. He also served as its Associate Editor and Business Manager among others. He worked with different software companies in the IT industry until 2007. He is now into freelance web & software development/consulting. He does this while juggling a lot of things like stock trading, starting a business, surfing, blogging (travel, food, photo), and helping out in giving Parser another push. =)

Cai Abbass

(Profile to follow)

Parser Alumni-Current Staff Meet

2008-07-06T14:37:00.006+08:00

All Parser alumni and current staff are invited to this year's Parser Alumni-Current Staff Meet.

This informal gathering of students, former students, and still-feeling students will be held on July 12, 2008, Saturday, at Jollibee Trinoma Activity Center. The location was chosen most convenient as it is 1 jeepney ride away from UP and MRTeable (unless you've got wheels), for the current staff and the alumni, respectively.

Please do register HERE. See you!

Check out the UP Parser Website!

2007-06-13T15:02:00.000+08:00

For anyone interested in the old issues of The UP Parser, you can find them at the website.

Old issues (in PDF)*
http://upparser.com/_backissues

Old website (One of several. Tweety calls it the McDo layout!)
http://upparser.com/_archive/2005-02/

Old parser CS4CS (College Survival for CS Students) presentation (around 10 mb)
http://upparser.com/_archive/parser.swf

*The latest issue (as of writing) has also been uploaded.

Dogs

2007-05-06T19:54:00.001+08:00

How to Control Emotions

2007-04-20T14:18:00.000+08:00

This would give you guides on how to control your emotions towards your better-half, friends, officemates and all the people around you, especially your "boss " . The rules of practicing " ugaling langit, ugaling kaaya-aya" :

#1 Ang naunang magalit ang may karapatang magalit. Pag naunahan ka na ng galit niya, tumahimik ka na lang muna.

#2 Walang taong nag-aaway mag-isa. Pag hindi kayo sumagot o pumatol, titigil din daw ang taong nakikipag- away sa inyo.

#3 Ang taong galit, 'bingi.' If someone is angry, wala raw pinakikinggan, so, don't try to explain and fight back. Hindi ka niya iintindihin dahil wala siyang naririnig kundi ang sarili nya.

#4 Ang taong galit, 'abnoy.' Ayon sa pastor, Biblical daw ito? because the Lord said when He was crucified, "Father, patawarin mo sila dahil hindi nila alam ang kanilang ginagawa." Modern term for these kinds of people are abnoys, so you better not get angry para huwag kang matawag na abnoy.

You should also know and realize that the persons who make your day bad are jewel s, because you need them for you to mature. Hangga't andyan daw sila at kinaiinisan mo, ibig sabihin, immature ka pa. God will not take away those people; it's for you to take away your bad feelings towards them. You'll know na mature ka na pag dumating 'yung time na hindi ka na naiinis sa mga taong ito because you have learned to accept them and to have patience with them.

#5 Finally, the best part of this is to tell yourself na, because of this person, "I will grow mature," and that DAHIL SA CONTRIBUTION NIYA SA MATURITY MO, KUKUNIN DIN SYA NI LORD. .

The UP Parser Online

2007-03-01T13:46:00.000+08:00

The latest issue for the UP Parser is finally online. Visit UPParser.com now!

Google Stuff

2007-02-06T02:15:00.000+08:00

Whoa! It's really been a while since someone last posted here! Anyway, some Google stuff

Codesearch - For coders like us

Mentalplex - For psychic users. Actually, one of Google's April Fool's trick.

Barebones - For those who really just want to search, abhorring ads and bandwidth-consuming stuff

Gulp! - More intelligent, less thirsty

Pigeon Rank - Google reveals the technology behind PageRank

Copernicus Center - An unorthodox job opportunity at Google

Romance - One of Google's more lame April Fool's pranks

Google Moon - The lunar counterpart of Google Maps/Google Earth. Zoom up close for a shocking proof of what any self-respecting Grade 1 student knows.

Ewmew - one of Google's various mods, Elmer Fudd's Google Search. Also available, Bork, Hacker, Piglatin and Klingon (Trekkies, unite!) No, they don't have Elvenspeak or Encan. Haha, asa! Avisala!

UP ACM Wins Back-to-Back Chapter Excellence Awards

2006-08-21T02:01:00.000+08:00

The Association for Computing Machinery - UP Student Chapter has won the 2005-2006 ACM Chapter Excellence Award for Outstanding Community Service! This makes UP ACM, the Philippines' first and only ACM student chapter, a three-time winner.

Iba talaga ang galing ng Peyups at ng Pinoy. Head over to Crimson Crux for the full story. Congrats, UP Diliman DCS!

Why Friendster Profile Layouts Suck

2006-04-29T11:40:00.000+08:00

Actually, the article Is 'Ghetto' a Design Choice? discusses MySpace, but it's pretty much the same thing, except for the phenomenon that more Americans are on MySpace, and more Filipinos are on Friendster.

Here's the theory:

"My best guess is that it follows the eBay design model. My theory is that eBay was a success due to its crappy design because it gave it that flea market feel and when you went there you felt like you getting a deal. Go to Tiffany & Co. and you don't get the feeling that you are getting a bargain because you shouldn't.

What's the point I was making? Not sure, but the design sucks them in. In a way it also causes a bit of lock-in. Once you learn the interface that is time invested that you don't want to lose. That's why many people will never leave MovableType because they understand how it works inside and out."

Well, yea. For view-layer buffs like moi, it's one of the things I care for the most. Maybe you caught me doing a shoutout on Friendster a few weeks back, screaming something like Bakit ang papangit ng mga layout ng mga profiles ng mga tao dito?!

In a similar sense, the idea can be drawn out further to how 'bad' looks good (easiest case - William Hung!). And in slightly the same vein, one can infer that either people look beyond the crappiness and go for content — or people simply have no taste whatsoever.

But while in some part of the world this is the heated discussion, are these 'Spacers or that 'Sters even paying attention? Probably not. Having their profile page as a virtual playground for their freedom of expression is a great thing, yes. It's not the primary reason they're hooked (a hint!) on these social networking sites though.

This guy's comment on the post puts it plainly and simply:

"Because it's a hookup site."

Bravo.

The UP Parser Editorial Exam

2006-03-01T12:39:00.000+08:00

Friday, March 3. 8:30-11:30AM. MH 233A, Melchor Hall, UP Diliman

Bring pen and bluebook.

Available positions:

Editor-in-Chief (required one year tenure in Parser)
Associate Editor
Section Editors (News, Features, Tech, Opinion, Literary)
Graphics Head

Layout Head Screening:

Submit your portfolio thru email (upparser@yahoo.com) or hand-in, on or before the editorial exam.

You fail!

2006-02-03T02:23:00.000+08:00

Fancy this. I was working on our thesis project when I stumbled upon this link:

http://www.youfail.org/

Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that my overly simplistic mind was easily amused.

the parser 99-05 eyeball!

2005-11-29T09:49:00.000+08:00

From L-R: Jonel Uy (Assoc Ed. '99), Maru Velas (EIC '99), Phillip Kimpo Jr. (EIC '04-'05), Sophia Lucero (Assoc Ed. '04-'05), Geo Lubaton (Managing Ed. '05), Mai Sibayan (Head Artist '04-'05), Jonas Roque (Tech Ed. '05), Carlos Lasa (News Ed. '05) (Courtesy of Maru Velas, more photos at Flickr for convenient viewing.)

A spankin' good time at Superbowl, Megastrip last November 19, 2005. Great food, great conversations (that stretched on for three hours!). A bundle of Parser '99 memorabilia turned over to the present staff (they had credit-card-like membership cards back then!), and informal plans for the paper were laid out. Don't worry, you'll find out about them soon enough.

Trivia: The three proposed names for the DCS Student Publication were: Pointers, Linked Lists, and Parser. I think they chose the best one, didn't they?

Go Parser!

Attn: Mobile Game Developers!

2005-11-23T19:00:00.000+08:00

Ever wanted to create your own mobile phone game? Or itching to get known and rewarded for your mad game development skills?

Then drop by the Mobigame 2005 Seminar to be held this Friday at UP Diliman. Mobigame is a mobile game development competition and training sponsored by MMOG Philippines and DLSU. Get to ask the questions which matter, get the facts straight about this unique test of talents. Hear from the personalities behind the competition. And of course, freebies await!

Mobigame 2005 Seminar
10am - 12noon
Friday, November 25, 2005
Engineering Theater, Melchor Hall
University of the Philippines Diliman

This leg of the Mobigame 2005 school tour is proudly hosted by the Philippines' one and only award-winning Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) chapter, UP ACM.

UPDATE (11/24/05): Competition mechanics can be found here.

Internet Marketing

2005-11-09T14:30:00.000+08:00

Stores Online, a big company in the US gave an Internet Marketing Seminar yesterday at the Hyatt hotel and casino in Ermita from 9am - 6:30pm. It was very informative and I learned a lot of things about marketing and the net (yes, there are MORE things to learn about the net - kung kala mo alam mo na lahat, pwes, nagkakamali ka. bwahahahahaha :p). Basically, we sat there all day listening to different lectures which were quite interesting - one of the speakers was very effective and entertaining but the other was quite boring so i needed to take down notes to prevent me from dozing off especially in the afternoon session. But even though my taking down notes was a ploy to avoid snoozing, the notes i took, as i went through it, can really come in handy.

The internet changes everyday - it can be a solution to any problem since it provides a lot of information and enables you to use many strategies.
it is not what you sell that matters, what matters is HOW you sell it.
It is true that knowledge is power, but one needs ACTION to actually make things happen.
The best selling product on the net is information; the most powerful word in internet marketing is the word "FREE".
One must know how to think outside the box and take risks.
Utilize the many powerful tools/strategies in the internet to earn more: mirror sites, use-net groups, vertical portals, LINK POPULARITY, geo targeting, affiliate programs, reverse search and keyword analysis tools, etc...
Do not market dissimilar products in one site.
Aim to have a high conversion rate: number of site visitors -> buyers.
Focus on what pays you most.
Money is not an issue... unless you make it one.
Pay rather than get paid.
Get traffic to your site! Get links!
Success follows when people come first. [an alternative to the maxim "the customer is always right". hahaha]
The internet business is only in its infancy, now is the best time to start and invest.

There are 3 steps to become wealthy:

Eventually, you will need to quit your job.
Create residual/passive income.
Create multiple streams of income.

But of course, the seminar would not have been free if they were not to advertise and solicit. Ah, business. They offered a special one day package especially for the participants yesterday - they lowered their price from about Php200,000 to Php104,000 for 3 websites. That includes of course access to Stores Online and a wide range of tools to help you, the building and publishing of your site (with a [dot]com domain name), a links4trade package which advertises your site, and an ECI Credit card processing package.

pretty good deal if you think about it. but did we avail of it?

nah. mahal parin. that's a pretty big investment which requires a lot of time to think over. siguro someday, but not now - besides, we got a free organizer and binder with a lot of helpful stuff, pwede na rin. hehehe ;)

do you have a job?

J - just

O - over

B - broke

well, classes resume in about 18 hours (at least for me. haha). see you guys around. :p

Help Out! edited!

2005-11-05T22:31:00.000+08:00

Link post!

Congratulations Geo!
Geomar Lubaton is The 2006 BPI-DOS Science Awardee!
CONGRATULATIONS! We're proud of you!

An Online MMS Phone User Survey
Hope you can take the time out to answer this survey.
We'd greatly appreciate it, thank you very much!

"View the list of seminfinalist!"
Head-shaking blunder at the Philippine Webbies, right at the front page!
They've taken it down now. Oh well.

Free .be Top-Level Domains until January 2006
You can register up to 10 domain names per person until January 2006. This post says it's part of a promo for the Belgium registry.

The Typographic Dating Game and The Dialog Box from Hell
Remember Arial vs. Helvetica (The Game)?
Don't ever code a dialog box without a Cancel button.
Both from firasd.org.

November is National Novel Writing Month
Scramble to write a 50,000 word novel within the month of November. Who knows? Dean Alfar's NaNoWriMo novel, Salamanca, won a 2005 Palanca.

Sembreak's just about over!
Classes have begun! Good luck to everyone.

Attitude Problems?

2005-11-05T00:04:00.000+08:00

Nobody is perfect in this world. And no matter how good a person can be, he or she can still have an attitude problem. But don't let his imperfection prevent you from being his friend. Try to discover some of the attitude problems in the world and learn how to deal with it.

The Recognition-freak Problem

You can easily spot a person with this kind of problem. He is hardworking, very competitive, and always craving for attention. But the problem with this kind of person is that whenever he succeeds on something, he will definitely let the whole world know about it. Not that it's really bad, but it is somewhat annoying. This person will constantly remind you how good he is, specially if he thinks you're not really amazed by his greatness, and will not stop until he hears you admit that he really is a great person.

To deal with this kind of person, you should at least praise him once in a while. After all, everybody needs a little recognition. But don't overdo it, unless you are his loyal fan. If he's really following you around telling you all about his greatness, just try to listen and find the right time to change the topic. For example, you can talk about things that the two of you are interested in, or maybe you can play some sports. After all he is competitive. That'll keep him busy.

The Amazona Problem

Not that I'm sexist, but this type of problem usually exists in a girl. Why? I don't know. Maybe because of their monthly period or maybe it is in their genes. But anyway, a person with this problem usually has a very strong personality – intelligent, mataray, and independent. If you ask her a nice simple question, she will answer blatantly and the word “Duh!” is usually coined with it. If you find yourself in a debate with this person, then good luck! This person doesn't accept defeat and she will drown you with her very fast and very articulate words. To top it all off, her sentences all end with and exclamation point.

Now to deal with this person, just talk to her in a calm normal voice. Do not raise your voice, do not be sarcastic, and do not make fun of her (because she can be physically brutal too!). Just be patient. After all, she can be a really good ally.

The Freeloader Problem

This is the typical stud. He is very sporty, a playboy, usually filthy rich, very nice to everyone, but laxly. Please don't be fooled by his amicable and angelic nature, because this person will use you like how he uses his housemaid. He will ask you to do things for him, he will copy your notes, and he will call you early in the morning asking you to teach him the lessons he slept in your class.

In group activities, this person groups himself with a very reliable hardworking person – an easy victim for him is a recognition-freak. And when it's time to work, you can hear a lot of excuses from this person. He will let his group mates do the dirty work while he enjoys the luxuries of life – good food, Playstation 2, flirting with his girlfriend on the phone, shoot some hoops, etc.

The only way to deal with this person is to avoid teaming up with him. He is a good friend but a very bad groupmate.

Reklamador Problem

A reklamador is really a hardworking person, it's just that he complains a lot while working. Come to think of it, he can be a GC (Grade Conscious) too. You can usually see this type of person talking to his teacher after an exam, begging him to discard the exam or begging for bonus points and complaining that the exam was really really hard even though the teacher really taught the lesson very well and even gave an example similar to that in the exam. You can also hear him complain how his class was poorly handled, how bad the food tastes, how dirty the place is, and all that. He just keeps on complaining without regard on how other people might feel.

Due to his reklamador nature, he usually finds a way to make his complain-full life by finding a complain-free life. For example, he usually enrolls in an easy-uno-class where the workload is light and where the teacher gives an uno easily.

To deal with this kind of person, just be patient and listen to him whine – even though you're not really listening at all. Or maybe you can explain him the other side of the coin. But remember to be tactful and polite.

The Melodramatic Problem

If you see someone punching the wall or burning his hands with a lighter, and if you hear someone saying things like 'There is a void in my heart' and 'My life is nothing without her' then that person has the melodramatic problem. Sad to say, but this person usually is heartbroken. But this problem is not always associated with love affairs. Basically, this type of person treats life so seriously that he feels so depressed whenever something bad happens to him. It is sometimes so annoying to hear him tell the same story again and again. And It is really annoying when he is your group mate and he brings his problem to your work. He will become less productive, less helpful, and he could even endanger your whole project. But be alarmed, people like him are usually suicidal.

As I mentioned, this person can be suicidal. So handle with care. He is very sensitive and it will only make things worse if you offend him. So be gentle, be nice, and try to listen to his story. But after that, try cheering him up. Share your own sad stories and how you recover from your sad state. Teach him how to be strong and let him know that he still have a good future in store for him.

Einstein is a Parser Reader!

2005-11-03T01:10:00.000+08:00

Wala ka sa lolo namin!

Maybe you've seen this before, maybe not -- but what the heck, a little endorsement didn't hurt anyone!

gamer chicks*

2005-10-29T21:53:00.000+08:00

*Tech-flavored gender bias sensibility.

A recent ACM TechNews e-newsletter cites Facade as an atypical indie game taking advantage of the latest advances in internet bandwidth and artificial intelligence to produce "more complex characters and plots than the typical videogame fight if kicked."

In this free PC game, you find yourself spending an evening with married couple Grace and Trip and soon get "entangled in the high-conflict unraveling of their marriage." Quite like a one-act telenovela that unfolds — depending on what you type in.

To build Facade, the co-inventors have tried to push the boundaries of both gaming and AI, creating emotionally expressive characters who display several different kinds of behavior at once. They've incorporated what they call a "drama manager" to guide the story intelligently based on moment-to-moment interaction among the protagonists and the player, while a "parser" is supposed to understand a wide range of conversational English, sifting out interruptions and distractions.

-- A Female Sensibility, Newsweek International

Facade is said to have earned 150,000 downloads since July. It's not, however, the most attractive-looking or reliable game mentionable. But it uses the same ingredients Will Wright needed to make The Sims a large hit. Notably, it had a 50 percent female gaming crowd.

The independent game possibly pushed further than The Sims, focusing on the intense drama contained in a single scene. The next wave for higher gaming engine intelligence? Massive Multiplayer Online Games that let you socialize. Beyond your usual hackenslash parties, a world based on the human condition, the need for money, food, shelter, love.

Does this mean pleasing the female taste in gaming requires a lot more intelligence and maturity? And the embracing of more complex and unpredictable patterns that computer scientists dream of conquering?

Charlotte Suyvenberg, director of global communications for Xbox: "Women gamers are very social, very strategic—they like to work together to solve problems. Most designers stereotype a gamer as a guy who sits ina dorm room or office or basement and plays by himself... But as design and development mature, there are a lot more opportunities to make games more social."

Virginia McArthur, Sims producer: "I hate stereotypes, but they're usually male, and they like to create chaos."

Chris Crawford, design guru: "The algorithms at the heart of a first-person shooter are relatively simple. But algorithms for real human emotions are more complex and conditional-"subjunctive", as he puts it: not "if X then Y," but "if X then Y, or Z, or many other possibilities." (Lisp programming! Non-deterministic finite automata!)

Ankarino Lara, director of GameSpot.com. "Female gaming is the last frontier; 2006 is going to be a milestone year."

It's not too hard to say yes.

Can it at least be said that the trend of developing a more complex gaming experience have first come out in games that girls tend to like better, in a higher percentage? Yes, and what does this say about the bias of the gaming industry against women? Or, to be even more gender-sensitive, how this industry regrettably stereotypes males?

It's about time the gaming industry grows up enough, grows confident enough to stop "freezing out half the potential market." Gaming is so big that it cannot possibly be just another one of the boy's toys.

100 Million Downloads of Firefox!

2005-10-26T15:21:00.000+08:00

In case you haven't read this article (from Ia's email):

Firefox Surpasses 100 Million Downloads!

October 19, 2005, (Mountain View, CA). The Mozilla Corp. extends 100 million "Thank you's" to Firefox community members for reigniting innovation on the Web. As the browser's first anniversary approaches this November, Firefox adoption numbers have exceeded expectations with more than 100 million downloads since Firefox's introduction in 2004.

Firefox's download success is a direct result of the collaborative efforts of thousands of contributors worldwide. Their work developing and fine-tuning the Firefox browser ensures the best Web experience available. Volunteer extension developers further enrich Firefox's capabilities by enabling users to customize and enhance their browser and truly take back the Web.

Mozilla also congratulates the members of the Spread Firefox community for their success in reigniting the Web by driving the popularity of the browser. Their global grassroots efforts have set a new standard for software marketing and played a significant role in helping Firefox to achieve this amazing milestone. Stay tuned as the Spread Firefox community launches an even more innovative campaign for the upcoming Firefox 1.5 release later this Fall.

What are you waiting for? Get Firefox now! :D

[Originally posted in Crimson Crux.]

when's the next issh?

2005-10-23T11:08:00.000+08:00

Hey, parser pips! Wazzup? Just got invited. Woohoo!

Next of all, Kimps! Diba tinanong mo kung pwede ako gumawa ng article (about the freshie experience churvanessness)? Well, I'm just wondering... Kelan yung next issue? Para masimulan ko na yung artikuloooo...

Oh my gosh! Puro para kayo English. My gosh, I'm so like panira, as in. Hanggang conio lang kaya ko!:)) pasensya na. Kaya rin naman mag-English kapag article na.

Well... wala lang. Igiban ng tubig. :))

up to here na lang, my dudes and dudettes! holler at me na lang.

YM: ysoloap
E-mail: paolo.sy@gmail.com
Website: http://pipoy.burdenlife.com/ or http://www.paoloc.tk/

oh my gosh.. gotta gr na, a'ight?

fish! \/^_^

The Three Towers

2005-10-23T01:54:00.000+08:00

[Preqrequisite: CS 32.]
[Proposal: Include geekiness such as this in the Tech section of Parser.]

Here's a very relevant mobile game I found: The Three Towers. Haven't downloaded it, I just came across it, but it obviously is the Towers of Hanoi problem transformed into a game. The objective of THP is to transfer every disc to the third pole in the same order / stack by following only these two rules: only one disc may be moved at a time, and no disc may be placed on top of a smaller disc.

Above: THP as illustrated in the Wikipedia. Below: Screencap of the game product.
Please tell me how the word "dominoes" showed up in the description.

Beyond a seemingly brain-wracking challenge are shards of Computer Science that may or may not be dear to us anymore. In any case, the sidestory (also told to us in CS 32) might be more interesting especially for the uninitiated:

There is a legend about a Buddhist monastery at Hanoi which contains a large room with three time-worn posts in it surrounded by 64 golden discs. Monks, acting out the command of an ancient prophecy, have been moving these disks, in accordance with the rules of the puzzle, once every day since the monastery was founded over a thousand years ago. They are said to believe that when the last move of the puzzle is completed, the world will end in a clap of thunder. Fortunately, they are nowhere even close to being done...
...If the legend were true, and if the monks were able to move discs at a rate of 1 per second using the smallest number of moves, it would take the monks 2⁶⁴ - 1 seconds or roughly 585 billion years. The universe is currently about 13.7 billion years old.

Moral of the story? Not necessary, I think. But could "See? Games are an integral part of Computer Science!" count, though?