Village Idiot Savant

With the power of my brain I will control the computer!

2012-01-23T09:53:00.001+08:00

...or not.

Our brethren from Ateneo de Manila University came down last weekend to conduct a workshop on the research on affect computing, which means getting the computer to read the behavior of the user and having it react accordingly. One of the gadget that came with the research was the OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator. The NIA reads brainwaves and inputs those into the computer. Control is still coarse, but it works...after a fashion.

Much fun was had by all.

Thoughts on Speculative Fiction

2012-01-23T09:08:00.001+08:00

View more presentations from Dominique Cimafranca

Part of the talk that I gave at USEP a couple of weeks ago. This is an older version, so some things have changed a bit, but the content is largely the same.

Ateneo Student Elections

2012-01-20T09:58:00.001+08:00

Ateneo de Davao's SAMAHAN student government elections are ongoing. This year is the first time that they've computerized the process, thanks to the efforts of our students from the Computer Studies Division (sadly unacknowledged by the student body at large.)

Midmorning Musing

2012-01-20T09:53:00.001+08:00

Our aged newspaper delivery man takes a midmorning break.

At USEP

2012-01-13T23:08:00.003+08:00

This afternoon I gave a talk entitled "Myth Conceptions: Understanding Cultural Identity Through Fantasy." It's the continuing evolution of my thoughts on fantasy and speculative fiction as it relates to our Filipino-ness. At some point, I'll probably write it out as a paper. Real soon now.

Emily took this shot of me, which I quite like.

With USEP and Ateneo Students

2012-01-13T23:05:00.000+08:00

Some of Emily's photos of me at the event.

Speaking with some USEP students after the talk.

My charges from the Society of Ateneo Literature and English Majors. Yes, I am their club moderator, believe it or not.

USEP Students

2012-01-13T22:47:00.001+08:00

Some faces from the University of Southeastern Philippines. My talk this afternoon had an audience of some 200 students, all of them from AB Literature. It turns out that that wasn't even everyone, as there were another 200 to 300 students attending night school.

I like how I caught this girl, and just this girl, looking at my camera the moment I took the shot. She later led the national anthem.

A charming USEP student in her hijab.

Karlo David

2012-01-13T22:38:00.002+08:00

My student and friend, the very prolific writer Karlo David. Taken at my talk at University of Southeastern Philippines this afternoon.

Review: A Mother's Story

2012-01-10T06:40:00.000+08:00

Emily wanted to watch "A Mother's Story", and since she's been kind enough to go along with my sometimes odd choices, I agreed. From the title alone you already know it's going to be a maudlin-fest, but what the hey, Pokwang is an intriguing character, and I was impressed by her dramatic turn in 100 Days to Heaven. (To see Xyriel Manabat in action again was an added bonus.)

So did A Mother's Story redeem my views of mainstream Philippine cinema? In a word: no. It wasn't nearly as bad as some of the stinkers I've had to go through (Bong Revilla, I'm looking at you), but there were still plenty of cringe-worthy moments, and midway through the film, I found myself zoning out.

The main weakness of the film is the script. The story itself is paper thin: Medy (Pokwang) becomes an illegal alien in the United States in order to support her family. She works as a housekeeper but is a virtual prisoner of the couple she works for. She endures nonetheless because she has to send money home. She eventually escapes and returns home seven years later, but finds her son resentful and her husband with another woman. Paint by the numbers, one-two-three. Hijinks ensue.

The first half was bearable, and it was actually fun to see Medy cope with life in the States. That sequence is framed in Medy's conversation with a co-passenger (the excellent Jaime Fabregas). But just as she gets to the part explaining her travails, the plane lands and she leaves the co-passenger (and us) hanging.

The second half feels like a different movie altogether. The problem with the story is that the director / scriptwriter / producer went through great lengths to find a way to keep Medy in States for seven years, and to keep her there in the most dramatic way possible. We end up then with a caricature of the evil American masters which, given the structure of the movie, is never given much depth. And, of course, celebrity immigration lawyer Michael Garfinkel steps in to save the day.

Yes, you can groan now.

What redeems the movie somewhat is Pokwang's spot-on comedic timing, which leads to the high points of the movie. Dramatic scenes take mildly funny (but not corny) turns without necessarily detracting from the gravity of the moment. I think that this film overall could have turned out much better if it toned down the drama-meter somewhat and gave those moments more chances to shine; the long scenes of exposition are, frankly, a drag. As it is, it feels like an extended episode of Maalala Mo Kaya.

But hey, that's mainstream Filipino movies for you.

Epiphanies

2012-01-08T12:54:00.000+08:00

Back in the time when I still traveled, I found myself in a business meeting in a small town outside of Nice in the South of France. The meeting lasted a few days, over which time I met colleagues from other parts of the world. That being my first (and so far, only) time in Europe, I decided to extend my stay for just one more day to see the sights that I could take in.

What can you do with just one extra day? If you're along the main train lines in Europe, plenty. I headed down to the station, took a look at the map, readied my coins, and journeyed as far as I could to both ends of the line. On one terminal point was Cannes, the same city famed for its movie festival; on the other end was the small Italian city of Ventimiglia. In between was the city of Nice and...wait for it...the principality of Monaco.

With not much time to plan, I just went wherever the train and my feet took me. In that one day, I covered ampitheaters, plazas, roadside cafes, restaurants, museums, and churches.

I don't think I had planned on covering the churches. When I set out, I had the idea that I could catch some movie stars in Cannes. The time I was there was also the time of the festival. But in my eagerness I went there first, early in the morning. Stars, it turn out, whether of the celestial or the fleeting, artificial sort, only come out at night. Somewhat disappointed, yes, but in its place I found the Notre Dame de Bon Voyage, where Napoleon Bonaparte passed by before his exile to Elba. I was just in time, so I attended Mass in that Church.

After that, the trip became a pilgrimage of sorts. I went to Nice and visited its cathedral. The churches in Nice have a map points out where all the other churches are. These became the focal points for my walking tour. I wanted to visit all fifteen, but the narrow window only permitted three. Unfortunately, I could not find the church in Monaco (though I did find the Casino Royale), but in Ventimiglia I hiked up a hill to a 13th century medieval cathedral.

On the train trip back to the hotel, I met an anthropologist named Kika. Two things struck me about her: one, she was tall and built like a supermodel (I first wondered if she was); and two, she was studying some strange African language (Swahili, I think). The latter became the starting point for our conversation. It turned out she had a doctorate and was heading next to Africa for research; on my part, I told her about the little country I was from and what I was doing there. We got to talking about the places we'd visited. I told her about my impromptu pilgrimage. She was skeptical but otherwise cordial and respectful, though she did raise her eyebrow when I said something about Magellan "discovering" the Philippines (and of course she was right, in many ways, and I have corrected my view on that part of history since. On that part I claim a defect in my education.)

"Why are you smiling?" she asked when I paused suddenly.

"Oh, I was just struck by a thought," I said. "About how strange and wonderful the link of events that's led me to being here."

And it was exactly that: at that moment, I had a sense of perspective. Here was Dom Cimafranca, a sudden tourist and an otherwise insignificant mote in the universe, and yet he took the route he did because of the inexorable forces of culture and history, driven by Faith, that traces its roots back to a 16th century Portuguese explorer and the decree of a Spanish king. From Portugal and Spain in Europe to Asia and the Philippines, and now, after a span of four hundred years, a small ember from that fire should break off and travel from the Philippines in Asia back to Europe, driven largely in part, yes, by commerce, but ending in a trip inspired by Faith. I had the sense that somehow I had completed a circle.

I told Kika as such. She smiled. I think she just thought I was weird. But she was polite about it.

I've never met Kika again, and I haven't gone back to Europe since (or should I say "yet"). But that trip remains strong in memory, and especially that moment of epiphany. Because it's not just the four hundred year circle between Asia and Europe, but the longer thread of Faith that extends all the way back to the old covenant and its fruition Palestine. It's an old story, and long one, but it's still going on.

And I'm part of it. As are you. As are we all.

First Friday Mass at San Pedro Church

2012-01-07T07:05:00.001+08:00

Yesterday after my consulting engagement, I decided to attend Mass at San Pedro Church instead of the Ateneo de Davao chapel. I was in for a pleasant surprise: though it was a weekday, the church was packed. Alright, it was a First Friday, to be sure, but still.... I felt very happy because, in a way, being part of this large community brought an affirmation of my faith.

While I'm wary of triumphalism, I think our Catholic faith, in its uniquely Filipino flavor, is what will ultimately make us endure and prosper. No adversity, whether personal, national, or global, can take away the joy that stems from this faith. And this is the message that we have to offer to the world.

Random thoughts

2012-01-06T06:16:00.001+08:00

If you've been following my blog, it should be obvious by now what I'm trying to do: I've been posting daily, if possible first thing in the morning. How long this project will last I don't know, but I'll try to keep it going for as long as I can. I haven't done much writing in the past year, and I really want to get back into the writing groove, never mind the genre. I'm still experimenting with various modes, but the point is to churn out the words.

In the news today: landslide in Compostela Valley kills 25, and there may be more dead as they unearth the site. The rains from the previous month may have loosened the soil, possibly aggravating damage caused by mining. Most of the dead are miners and their families who make their homes in makeshift shanties near the mountain. Blame is sure to fly soon, but as with many other things Pinoy, it will go back to the question of why people were living there in the first place. The area had been evacuated once before precisely for the same reason.

To be honest, I'd hate to be a government official in areas such as these. In my information security classes, I tell my students that "responsibility without authority equals scapegoat", meaning if someone gives you a job, but not the necessary powers to do it, then you're sure to fail. When it comes to dealing with large numbers of people, there's really very little that government can do. They might try to enforce safety measures, but they're going to see plenty of resistance from cause-oriented groups. When the inevitable tragedy strikes, they go back to government seeking aid.

In other news: the Arroyo telenovela continues. Now she has a rift with her main hatchetman in Congress, Edcel Lagman. Or is it the other way around? With these pols, I can never really tell. One thing's for sure: Arroyo sure has a way of alienating her friends.

Eight hours, and worn out

2012-01-05T20:32:00.001+08:00

I'm very tired right now, so please let me whine a little. You see, my working day started at eight in the morning, for which I gave an hour-long lecture class. After that, I rushed off to a client for whom I was doing consulting work, where I held another two hour class. Back to school for Mass, then a quick lunch, and another hour-long lecture starting at half-past one, followed by another hour-and-a-half of laboratory work. Another lecture at four o'clock, and another laboratory class at six.

All in all, I spent eight hours teaching today. Except...except...I finished around nine in the evening last night, so I don't think I've really quite fully recovered.

I'm tired.

Crackers

2012-01-04T07:10:00.000+08:00

So it seems that the smoke residue from the firecrackers in Metro Manila last New Years Day was so thick that a plane had to divert its landing from NAIA to Clark. When it gets to be that bad, you just have to see that something is wrong; but why can't we see it?

I've never quite understood the Filipino fetish behind firecrackers. In my younger days, I'd throw a stick or two, but I never got the thrill. Dad wanted to start that New Year tradition in our household with a moderate amount of pyrotechnics. That plan got nipped in the bud when our neighbors on either side brought out arsenals enough to kick off World War III. After that, well, Dad reasoned that we'd just ride along with their racket. All the evil spirits would have been scared out of the neighborhood from the noise both houses made.

Ah, yes, the evil spirit business. The Filipino firecracker tradition ostensibly traces its roots back to the Chinese influence. But as with all things Chinese, the firecrackers were meant to be a token symbol, not a deadly ritual. If anything, I suspect the "tradition" would have been a ploy to sell one more item during the holidays. Somewhere along the way, the one-upmanship crept in, and Juan just had to have a bigger bang than Pedro.

That arms race to stupid has brought us monstrosities like "Goodbye, Philippines", a giant triangle with a side as long as a man's forearm. "Goodbye, Philippines" featured prominently in TV broadcasts in the week leading to New Year, but can anyone doubt that "Goodbye, Universe" would be bigger? But the dubious honor for the largest firecracker this year goes to something called "Ampatuan." You can understand why media didn't pick on that story. Talk about evil spirits.

Every year, the government spends hundreds of thousands of pesos campaigning against the use of firecrackers, and about just as much treating the dunderheads who went and used them anyway. Lost digits and limbs aside, firecrackers pose poisoning and pulmonary hazards. Firecrackers are also at the center of many fires. Deaths revolving around firecrackers last year included a young boy who got caught in a blast while delivering a box of "Goodbye, Philippines" with his father.

If firecrackers (and the monstrous proportions they've attained in the Philippines) are so dangerous, it seems that the only logical recourse is to ban them altogether. But of course, that's never going to happen because (all together now): "what will happen to the livelihoods of all the people who make firecrackers?"

And despite all the warnings, why do many Pinoys insist on lighting up? I suppose its for the same reason that we build houses on sandbars in a flood-prone river, or slip into Iraq for work despite travel bans, or carry that package "from a friend" into China. Because we're invincible. We're...

No firecracker injuries were reported in Davao, which has a ban on the sale and use of firecrackers.

Can we please get back to two weeks ago?

2012-01-03T20:50:00.002+08:00

So after the long and luscious break, I've had my first taste of work today. Feh. Don't like.

I thought I'd go into the week feeling energized and refreshed, and when I went in the morning, I was. It was good to see my colleagues and students again, what with the chirpy "Happy New Years!" But as the day wore on, so did my zest.

The computer in the classroom lost its network connection, and that threw my lecture plans askew. I gave what I thought would be a simple lab exercise to my students, and roughly three-quarters of them struggled without much headway. And now, I realize that I may have bitten off more than I can chew as far as commitments go...

But please don't mind me. I've just come from a two-week vacation. If ever there was a case of the Monday blues (on a Tuesday, no less), this has got to be it.

Expanding my brain

2012-01-03T07:11:00.001+08:00

Probably for the same reason that I stopped craving for processed meats and started developing a taste for fruits and vegetables, I've lost my appetite for comics, movies, and television series. It used to be that I'd, er, procure my entertainment fare religiously on a weekly basis: Chuck, Doctor Who, Numb3rs.... Nowadays I just don't have the patience for them anymore. If I'm intrigued by some story line, I'd much rather read the plot from summaries on Wikipedia. The same goes for fiction novels.

These days, my entertainment is mixed in with education. Most times, it happens when I'm in the car or out for a walk. I listen to netcasts and lectures. Here's a list of what's been on my playlist recently:

In Our Time from BBC4, hosted by Melvyn Bragg. Each week, Bragg and some very erudite guests gather to discuss topics on culture, history, philosophy, religion, and science. Topics are diverse, but always engaging, even if the British tones are rather dry. What amazes me is how much they're able to cover in 45 minutes, and exactly 45 minutes!
The Tolkien Professor, lectures and discussions by Dr. Corey Olsen, a professor of Medieval literature from the University of Washington. Dr. Olsen started out with an analysis of The Hobbit, which I quite liked, and now features recordings of his classes on other topics. It's rekindled my interest in fantasy literature by giving me new insights into its history and framework. Dr. Olsen is a really lively speaker.
Youtube EDU, with lectures and presentations from all over. It's through Youtube EDU that I found other great series like Justice with Michael Sandel. Other worthwhile channels are MIT, University of Michigan, and Chemical and Engineering News.

One More Day...

2012-01-02T09:02:00.000+08:00

Unlike other sad sacks who must troop back to work today, I, as an underpaid and underappreciated teacher get...one more day of vacation. School doesn't start till tomorrow, and even then, I'll probably be going on low gear for a while. Not that I'll be doing nothing: there's lessons for the week to put together and contracts for a small project to draw up. No sweat de-dah! The entire break hasn't exactly been unproductive either: I've computed the grades and I've almost got my book under wraps.

For all the times that I look back with some regret at leaving my corporate job, I have to remember that what I'm getting back in return is the gift of time. I don't stress as much as I did before. These are things that don't sit well with neck ties, customer calls, and sales quotas.

And you know what the best part is? Because I've front-loaded all my teaching load in the first two semesters of the year, I get the summer off. Yep, two whole months of a break like this. Beat that, suckah!

Playing with (Kindle) Fire

2012-01-01T15:09:00.002+08:00

My sister and I each ordered a Kindle Fire two months ago. As it came by way of an aunt coming in from the States, I only got hold of mine yesterday. What's to do on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day? Why, rooting it, of course.

The Kindle Fire generated a lot of hype when it was announced. Because of its low price-point, the industry rags dubbed it an "Apple killer." After playing with it for a couple of hours, I don't think that moniker is warranted. It's nifty, yes, and it's cheap, definitely, but it's way too limited in functionality to compete in the same space as the iPad (which, in my humble opinion, is also limited.) As shipped, it's really nothing more than an additional channel for media sales for Amazon.

The downsides, easily: no Bluetooth, no camera, no external media slots. I don't mind so much that it doesn't have a camera, but Bluetooth would have been nice so I can hook it up with a keyboard, and an SD card for would have been great for viewing photos. The real showstopper, though, was that the lack of access to the Android Market; instead, the stock Kindle Fire only gives you the Amazon App Store.

So I spent the wee hours of the New Year figuring out how to load Cyanogen Mod 7 on the Kindle Fire. When I got down to it, the process was straightforward, if somewhat nail-bitin'. CM7 is a community-developed Android ROM based on Gingerbread, and some pretty smart folks have gotten it to run on the Kindle Fire. The problem was wading through the web sites and forums for the proper instructions.

In the end, the two main resources were these threads on the Kindle Fire Utility and installing CM7 for Kindle Fire. The steps I took:

Download and install the Android Debug Bridge.
Download Kindle Fire Utility, as described in Vashypooh's post. The KFU only runs on Windows, though, so I had to switch operating systems
Run the driver installation script included with the KFU. This will download the driver images, and then install it on the system.
Connect the Kindle Fire to my PC via USB cable. The Kindle automatically mounts the USB storage, so I had to unmount it each time.
Run the KFU. The KFU will ultimately install the TeamWin Recovery Project onto the Kindle Fire.
From TWRP, which now becomes the boot loader for the Kindle Fire, install the Android image as referred to in the CM7 Kindle Fire post. Just copy the update-wipeall.zip file into the root directory of the Kindle Fire, then install it from TWRP.
From TWRP, also install the Google Apps image, also as pointed to in the CM7 Kindle Fire post.

The Wedding Photo

2011-12-31T14:35:00.002+08:00

I like taking photographs of photographers in action. Them, of all the possible subjects, are so engrossed in what they're doing they're oblivious to me. So much the better for candid shots.

This shot was from a wedding yesterday. Weddings seem to be more plentiful in December than in May or June, contrary to conventional wisdom; there are plenty of reasons why. I wish I had more time to compose, but all I had on me was my prime lens, so I had to head back all the way to catch the entire group. Still, it was a fun to take.

Because resolutions are so blah

2011-12-31T12:13:00.000+08:00

As I imagine like almost everyone else, I used to make New Year Resolutions. And, as I imagine like almost everyone else, I didn't live up to them. But I still kept making them anyway, up until a a few years ago. Resolutions by themselves just aren't effective. So instead I now draw up projects I want to complete and habits I want to gain or drop.

Projects are time-limited goals with specific and measurable steps. They work so much better than resolutions because: 1) you know where you're headed; 2) you map out how to get there; 3) you know where you are based on your map; and 4) you'll know when you've arrived. Planning projects for the year also gives you perspective on the things you want to accomplish. Some will be short-term, i.e., doable in a few months, and some will be long-term, i.e., may take the better part of a year, or even extend into the following year. You'll know beforehand what your year will look like. A good way of tracking projects is through the Getting Things Done system by David Allen.

Habits are actions you repeat so often that they become second nature to you. Of course, there are good habits and there are bad habits. Good habits you want to develop; bad habits you want to drop. They sound more like the traditional resolutions, but the difference is they are measurable. I've read somewhere that it takes 21 repetitions to establish a habit. To measure how far along you are, you can use chains of repetition. Consecutive days of doing something constitutes a chain. This is an idea I picked up from the Habit Streak app for Android.

Between habits and projects, I actually think that habits are harder. It's more challenging to do something small and almost trivial every day than it is to spend a few hours at one time on a major task. For myself, I've broken down the habits into five major categories: physical, spiritual, creative, financial, and professional.

And one last thing. Whether you think in terms of resolutions, projects, or habits, it's important to remember that these are things to aim for through the coming year, not some instantaneous change that must occur when January 1st comes around. Write them down and refer to them often and regularly throughout the year. Have major checkpoints, perhaps quarterly, to see where you are. Remember: your real project is you.

Davao Lights

2011-12-31T09:56:00.001+08:00

Nighttime Davao as seen from the top floor of the Apo View Hotel. Directly below is of the People's Park area, where they're currently having a bazaar. Most prominent is Casa Leticia on the left, all lit up with Christmas lights.

Why I must blog (and what I must blog about)

2011-12-30T05:51:00.002+08:00

Today I received a comment on an old blog post. It reads:

Sir, this is Earnest Hope Tinambacan (the one who played Don Quixote) reading again your review while remembering Prof. Evelyn Aldecoa. I wasn't able to stop my tears from falling reading this and reminiscing those days with Ma'am Evelyn. She passed away yesterday, and I still can't believe it.

Thank you very much sir for having saved the memories for us, the cast and crew.

It blew my mind that the article, a review of a Silliman production of Man of La Mancha, which I wrote six -- six! -- years ago should still touch someone deeply. I am likewise touched.

Truth be told, I've been thinking about ending this blog. I started it in October of 2004. It's over seven years old now (and 2,419 blog posts). It's had a long run, but I'm not quite sure where the readers are anymore. Off arguing politics, or regurgitating inane memes, or scheming SEO tactics, I suppose. Plus there's my workload and shifting interests: I think you can see the trend based on the posts this year (and the absence thereof).

But this message from the past...well, it gives me a bit of hope and a reason for going on. It's a record of the community that I live and move in. It may not matter much now, but in the long run, who knows? I'm writing history.

Thank you for the nice review. This is Sheila Pabalate-Omaguing who played the role of Aldonza/Dulcinea. I memory of Ma'm Evelyn Aldecoa, I really thank her for giving us the chance to play and believing in our talents. Man of La Mancha was my first and last musical play. That was my dream come true that at least I can play once in my life and thru her it became a reality. Thanks Ma'm Evelyn! Godspeed and we will surely miss you.

Lantern

2011-12-29T00:19:00.003+08:00

Well before we got married, I was helping Emily with her cake deliveries. It's opened a whole new world for me, one that slipped my notice before. Emily does mostly children's parties, anniversaries, and, of course, weddings. Me? Involved with weddings? Who would have thought?

As husband, my primary duty is to drive my wife to and from engagements -- if I'm available. It's a far cry from the things I used to do before, but I relish it because I find it, well, relaxing. I don't have to think too much, and that leaves my mind free to wander. I also get to meet people who aren't my customers or students. And most of all, it's fascinating to peek at what goes on behind the scenes, how coordinators and decorators transform pasteboard and glitter to something that, for the span of an hour, looks something like out of a fairy tale.

And that leads me to this lantern ball I took a shot of earlier. This is one of the many decorations adorning the nuptial tableau. I liked how strange it looked, especially in black and white. It's really just paper and wire, but in the right hands, it looks something magical.

Dad

2011-12-27T22:28:00.000+08:00

Here's a shot of the man who brought me up, and who passes his gadgets on to me (mostly brand new), including this camera I'm using to take his picture: my Dad.

42

2011-12-27T17:03:00.002+08:00

Some facts about the number forty-two:

Forty-two is a pronic number, meaning that it is a number that is a product of two consecutive integers. In this case, 6 and 7.

Forty-two is an abundant number, meaning that the sum of its divisors -- 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 14, 21, and 42, totalling 96 -- is more than the sum of twice the number.

Forty-two is also a sphenic number, a positive integer which is the product of three primes, in this case, 2, 3, and 7.

On top of all that, forty-two is also a primary pseudoperfect number, a Catalan number, a pentedecagonal number, a Stormer number and a meandric number.

An interesting thought experiment:

In 1966, mathematician Paul Cooper theorized that the fastest, most efficient way to travel across continents would be to bore a straight hollow tube directly through the Earth, connecting a set of antipodes, evacuate it (remove the air), and then just fall through. The time for such a journey works out to be 42 minutes.

Lewis Carroll worked out something similar, but without computations. Forty-two features prominently in many of Carroll's works.

In Japanese culture, though, 42 is considered unlucky.

And, of course, it is The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Writer Douglas Adams, however, calls it a joke.

The answer to this is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. Binary representations, base thirteen, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought '42 will do' I typed it out. End of story.

And finally: I am 42 years old today.