Friendster or Facebook?

When was the last time you viewed and updated your profile on Facebook, Friendster, LinkedIn, or MySpace?

Probably, a few minutes after you started working? Or before you finished your first cup of coffee for the day?


Yes, you are probably connected! — To your friends from high school and college. To your relatives and family inside and outside the Philippines. And even to total strangers with the same interests, beliefs, and lifestyles. Through social networking sites (SNS) this connection is made wider, easier, and faster. And best of all, these sites come with free space for photos, blogs, videos and music.

Remember classmates.com? Launched in 1995, this was one of the first social networking sites. This website (http://www.classmates.com) helped users locate and connect with classmates around the US.

Xanga, another popular SNS started in 1999. It begun as a site for sharing book and music reviews. Now, it has an estimated 40 million users called Xangans. I started my Xanga site in 2004 when I was still in Vietnam, blogging mostly about life and work in a foreign country. Xanga allowed me to connect to other Filipinos living outside the country.

According to Universal McCann’s Wave2 Global Research (March 2007), 194 million people around the globe manage a profile in a social networking site. There are hundreds of social networking sites that include Bebo, Facebook, Friendster, Hi5, LinkedIn, MySpace, Tagged, TakingITGlobal, etc.

Bebo? That simply means, “Blog early, blog often?”

Have you heard of sosyalan.com? This is Pinoy-centric networking site launched in June 2007. After its first six months, it recorded 50,000 users. “Now, it reaches 200,000 Filipinos worldwide,” according to Tom Pestano, its founder. He added that his site is focused on the 4Fs of social networking: flame, fun, friendship, family.

For more about social networking, click on my April column in the Manila Times published last Monday, 07 April 2008.

What is Second Life?

In 1982, Disney produced a movie called Tron. Jeff Bridges played the role of Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer who digitized and thrown into a virtual world controlled by MCP (an artificial intelligence based-master control program). In this virtual world, Flynn meets several virtual characters like Tron (played by Bruce Boxleitner). They go through several challenges until they defeat MCP.

Tron was one of the first movies to extensively use computer graphics. Its nearly 20 minutes of animation has been considered a breakthrough in filmmaking technology. I believe Tron gave the world a preview of a virtual world.

Today, one of these virtual worlds is called “Second Life.” Opened in 2003 by Linden Labs, this is the virtual world of nearly 9 million inhabitants (and counting). It is a vast digital continent where residents live and create their own virtual experiences. They build their own homes using Linden dollars and create their own professional and personal opportunities.

“Second Life has evolved into an alternate world with its own economy. Second Lifers can login as whoever they want to be, be whatever they want to be, and do whatever they want to do inside this “alternative reality,” said Philip Tiongson, strategic planning and consultancy director of UM Consulting, the marketing communications consultancy division of Universal McCann.

Users are called "Residents" who create their own avatars that makes them interact with other users. They can socialize and participate in group activities. And like what my friend, Philip said, do whatever they want to do in this “alternative reality.”

If your into business, there is Second Life's virtual currency. It is called the Linden Dollar. One can exchange it for real currency. Thus many brands are present in Second Life offering various products and services.

At the end of March 2008, approximately 13 million accounts were registered, but you can be sure many are inactive accounts or other users have multiple accounts. Like, I do have two Friendster accounts.

Like any business, Second Life does have competitors, which I shall blog about soon.

For more about Second Life, please click on my Manila Times column, "Marketing IT," published last September 2007.

Challenges of Connectivity

Problems can arise given the increasing number of Wi-Fi access points especially in high-density areas like condominiums or office buildings. An excessive number of access points result in “Wi-Fi Pollution.” This can prevent access and interfere with the use of other access points. Devices like security cameras, Bluetooth devices and even cordless phones and microwave ovens can also cause additional interference. In fact, several years ago, we had a dilemma with the 2.4GHz band radio spectrum utilized by the 802.11 Wi-Fi standard as the frequency is used (until now) by Meralco in Metro Manila.

Wireless networks use radio signals that makes them vulnerable. They don’t have the same physical boundaries or structure like cables that wired networks use. And these signals don’t end at your door. They can reach your neighbor across the street or the room above you where a hacker who can access your passwords and can get into your computer through your own wireless router. (In the case of Meralco, interfere with their communications equipment.)

Or you enter a free “poisoned hotspot” set up by identity thieves for the purpose of “sniffing” data sent by different users. This abuse can be avoided by the use of VPN or Virtual Private Network.

Just remember that air space is free and all our text messages and emails travel through this air space, so don't be surprised if there is technology that can "grab" it while it travels.

Better be safe and secured, than sorry.

You can click on "Are you secured" or
read the complete column in the Manila Times at
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/feb/04

Origins of GPS

GPS stands for Global Positioning System, the world’s first man-made satellite navigation system. It was launched in 1978 by the US Department of Defense. During the cold war, GPS was used primarily for military purposes.

After the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down in 1983, President Ronald Reagan issued a directive making GPS available for free for civilian use, specially, for the aviation industry.

By 1996, President Clinton authorized Selective Availability phased out in NAVSTAR (Navigation Satellite Timing and Ranging), the official US government name for GPS. Selective Availability was used to limit GPS accuracy for civilian users. With Selective Availability out, civilians can now achieve 10 to 15 meters accuracy, compared to the previously available 100-meter accuracy. This is a major win for the manufacturers and marketers of GPS devices.

By the way, there is no set-up charges or subscription fees to use GPS! A GPS device receives signals and information transmitted by 24 satellites. They are arranged in their orbits that allow a GPS device to receive at least 4 signals at any given time. They are then turned into more user-friendly calculations in terms of latitude/longitude or location on a map, and then displayed on to the device.

My first experience with a hand-held Garmin GPS was last January, when my cousin, Ben Velez, lend me his unit while Cecile and I were going around the Big Apple. Yes, it was helpful and help get us to shopping places. Yes, technology works!

Photos courtesy of Google Images.

Please check my whole column (Meet Magellan) at
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/jan/07

Commander Data

Final Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Last assignment: Second Officer/Science Officer, U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E
Full Name: Data
Date of birth:
Feb. 2, 2338
Place of birth:
Omicron Theta science colony
Parents: Created by Dr. Noonien Soong and Dr. Juliana O'Donnell Soong Tainer
Education: Starfleet Academy, 2341-45
Marital status: Single
Children: One, deceased
Quarters: Formerly, Enterprise-D: Deck 2/Room 3653
Date of death: 2379
Place of death: Destroyed with Reman ship Scimitar in line of duty
Service Awards: Starfleet Command Decoration for Valor; Starfleet Command Decoration for Gallantry; Medal of Honor, with Clusters; Legion of Honor; The Starcross

If you are a Trekkie like me, then you would know Commander Data, played by Brent Spinner in the TV series “Star Trek, The New Generation.”

Commander Data is an android that knows almost everything that is stored in his own “data center.” According to Wikipedia, his storage capacity is reportedly at 93,132,257.5 gigabytes, while his processing speed is at “60 trillion operations per second” or 60 teraflops!

Can you imagine if instead of data centers, businessmen would have Commander Data by their side during meetings, storing, processing and pulsing information at unimaginable speed?

Read more about "Working with Commander Data" in the Manila Times.

Click on Commander Data or
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/mar/03/yehey/techtimes