Expression lang

I have heard young men and women talk to each other in different places - the mall, inside the jeep, inside the school, at the canteen, and so many other places. One thing I noticed is a lot of them curse. They curse a lot, say bad words no matter what mood they are in. They curse when they're happy - "S--t! I won the contest!", when disappointed - "Ta-----! Di ko nakita crush ko ngayon!", when excited - "S--! Ganda ng bag!" and especially when angry or even just a little irritated. I even see ladies flash the finger to their friends. About 2 years ago, I sent two students to the Student Affairs Office because they placed bad words in the presentations I required them to do. When I confronted one of the students, he did not even know what he did wrong! There are ladies and gentlemen who are dressed so nicely in their uniforms but when you hear them talk, they're full of unpalatable words. One morning in a jeep, on my way to school with my two kids, three very pretty girls, very sosyal, were talking loudly and every sentence they speak were laced with p------- or s--- or f--- words. I was so tempted to cover my children's ears but it was impossible to do so I told my kids, loud enough so the girls can hear me, "Mga anak, huwag nyong tutularan yung mga salita nila ha! Hindi magandang pakinggan di ba? Mga masasamang salita kasi mga yun!" My kids answered, equally loud, "Opo!" The girls stopped talking.

What happened here? Do their parents know how dirty mouthed their kids have become? Or do these kids only curse when in the company of friends? Do they think that saying bad words make them "cool"? I talked to one teenager one time after I heard her saying the s--- word when I gave her grades. I looked at her grade and realized that it is relatively high. So I asked her why she needed to curse. She answered me that it was just an expression. She said she doesn't mean anything by it. What exactly are they expressing? Feelings that are likened to bowel movement? What's alarming is they say these things subconsciously. This means they are never corrected so it comes out automatically whatever and however they are feeling.

Some young men I talked to said that although they say bad words themselves, they find it a turn off when they hear young women cursing. I told them that its the same with young women, they think men who curse are cads. But the point is, young men and women today have gotten used to coarse languages. They do not mind anymore if they hear bad words spoken by friends. They now think its normal. But its not.

Whatever happened to washing one's mouth with soap when an older person hears you speak a bad word?

SPINNING YOUR OWN WEB

The internet has become a part of daily life for most of us. Some people cannot start the day without checking their e-mails first even before drinking coffee. Some friends check the weather through the internet instead of listening to Bombo Radio. My grandparents took names of saints from catholic calendars to name my mother and her siblings but today, pregnant women look for names in the internet for their soon-to-be-born babies instead of using the calendar. Students search the internet when given assignments by their instructors. In fact, when my kindergarten daughter had an assignment to cut out pictures of animals with their young, she searched for pictures from the internet and printed them out. No magazine or book was massacred. A friend wanted to bake a chocolate cake in her newly acquired oven but she doesn’t know how. She searched for recipes in the internet and was able to bake a chocolate cake, an angel cake and a delicious meatloaf. The internet isn’t called the information superhighway for nothing.
The internet or world wide web is composed of web sites. Each web site or homesite is composed of several pages called web pages. These are where we read and view information and get resources from the web site. One can read and access documents, view images, watch animation and video, listen to music, talk to someone and hear his voice, and view and download programs, as long as you have the hardware and software to do these things. Each website has its own web address or Uniform Resource Locator or URL. These are global addresses for documents or resources which can be accessed anywhere in the world. Saint Louis University for example, has a web address of www.slu.edu.ph. When one opens this site there are other web pages linked to this page. Each link is a web page.
The essence of web sites is sharing information with other people around the world. With web sites, we can advertise, publicize, share, communicate and brag about any information we have. Web sites are not just for large corporations and business establishments. One can make his own personal website. Although you can say that when you make your own website, you will be putting your own information out to the public. Usman Latif in his article at techuser.net, said that a personal website is not about putting private information online. It is about making available information/opinions that a person finds interesting, and in the process indirectly documenting his/her interests, opinions, skills, and personality. He also said money can be made from a personal webpage but almost always indirectly. A good personal website creates demand for a person's services. A resume is one or two pages of text. A website can be any number of pages of text and graphics.
A personal website doesn’t only allow you to share your information to other people but it is also a way to collect information from them. A cousin married in the US so her relatives in the Philippines and Australia never had the chance to get to know her husband. But through his personal web site we were able to get to know him through his pictures and articles. He also collected everyone’s e-mail addresses and phone numbers so he was able to communicate with all of us through emails, text messages and phone calls.
Some computer applications subjects offered in the university require students to make their own websites. They learn Hypertext Markup Language or HTML, First Page and a little JavaScript and make their web pages using these tools. They are required to post personal pictures, documents and programs that they made, into their site. A lot of students create very good sites but there are some who create mediocre ones just to comply with the requirement. For them the importance of the project just never sank in.
You will need a little practice when creating your own web page. But once you start with it, you will find that it’s a lot of fun. Students in Comp3 in the Engineering and IT3c in Commerce said they enjoy the subject because of web page development. What to put in your web site? Go crazy. You can publish a story you wrote, show picture galleries of your children, share reviews of movies you’ve seen, articles about your hobbies, share pictures and reviews of your last travel, and many others.
Here are some tips in creating your personal web page: First, get a free web space. When creating a personal web page it pays to get a free space. There are a lot of sites that host web sites for free. The following are some popular free web hosts:

http://www.itagz.com
http://www.geocities.com
http://www.angelfire.com
http://www.bravehost.com
http://www.freewebs.com

Next, design your web page. There are software that will guide you step by step in the creation of your web page. All you do is choose the color scheme, the background, the pictures, the outline and it will create the web page for you. In the web host site itself, you have the option to choose their wizard which will tell you instructions on how to build your site. In geocities.com for example, they have the PageBuilder, where you could create your site by selecting and dropping items of your choice on the page. In www.itagz.com, all you do is upload a picture at the prompt, type your title, type your text, it will ask you to type a password and your email and it creates your web page instantly. Very easy.
But if you feel you want to customize, learn HTML and write your own program. Or use web design software like, Firstpage, MSFrontpage, Dreamweaver, etc.
Then, upload files to your web host. All pictures, documents, videos, etc. that you will include in your website has to be uploaded to your host site. In geocities.com select upload file and it will instruct you how to do it.
Lastly, go public! Tell your friends and family about your web site, email everyone your URL and start sharing. Of course you will have to edit your site time and again.
Very soon, personal web sites will become very common. Just like having your own phone number and email address, later your very own web site URL. But for now, let’s start creating them first.

FORUM Tambay

“…the young man knows the rules but the old man knows the exceptions… “, is a quote I have taken from the signature of one member of a local internet forum. There are other interesting signatures, quotes from great men and women, some are excerpts from songs, some with photos of themselves, others of logos, or animated clips. I have learned a lot in the forums I joined. For example, I now know the meaning of EXIF regarding digital photography. I have read very good advice on how to bring up teenagers. I now know the procedure to make “balut”, and lots of other things I wanted to learn more of.
An Internet forum is an application in the web where a group of people can hold discussions and post user generated content. Other terms for this application is web forums, message boards, discussion boards, (electronic) discussion groups, discussion forums, bulletin boards. Forums or fora and boards may refer to the entire community or to a specific sub-forum dealing with a particular theme. Most fora deal with a distinct subject, for example, tsikot.com’s forum is about cars, PCARRD’s message board deals about agriculture, movieforumz.com discusses and rates movies, pitbulls-empire.com talk about pitbulls, etc. But within the forum, members may discuss an array of topics out of the main subject. Some fora have threads like “Anything under the sun”, “Out-of-topic Boards” or “Other things”, where members can discuss out of topic (OT) things. Messages within these sub-forums are then displayed either in chronological order or as individual discussions known as threads.
In a forum, a virtual community is developed when it has regular users or members. They follow a hierarchy corresponding to how many messages a user has posted. The more messages a member posts, the faster the promotion of rank in the forum. A new member may be called a newbie, and depending on the posts will go up to higher levels. For example, in www.baguiocityonline.com’s Dap-ay Forum, one starts out as Dap-ay Newcomer, then Dap-ay Passerby, then Dap-ay Regular, Dap-ay Tambay, Dap-ay Elder and then Lord of the Dap-ay. There are moderators, who supervise particular topics. They watch members’ posts whether they are going out of line and give corresponding sanctions such as banning the member or closing threads. There are also super moderators who supervise moderators. And at the top of the line are the administrators, who have the ability to edit, change, move or erase posts or threads, promote people to higher ranks.
A forum member can choose his own username and avatar. An avatar is an icon that will represent a user’s identity or personality. It can be his photograph, or a 2-D or 3-D graphic picture, maybe still or animated. A lot of usernames are created in accordance to the forum main topic. Example, in PCARRD Forum, someone uses the handle “maisfarmer” when posting messages under the “Corn Farming” topic, in tsikot.com forums, someone has the name “Ladyrider“, another one is “Pajerokid”.
Forums discuss an array of topics. You can read current events, political issues, weather reports, road situations, love and relationships, movie trends, the bestselling books, where to find the cheapest sweaters, formula for duck feed, and so much more. There are also dedicated forum threads where you can post advertisements. One can find the best deals in threads like these. Members are even given discounts. Some threads are for LFI or Looking For Items posts where members can advise you where to find items you are looking for.
Forums do not choose age, color, gender or profession. Anybody can join and be part of one or more virtual communities with members that share your interests. You can be yourself, or you can hide your identity. You can give advice or take some. You can earn friends or enemies. You can be whatever you want. So what are we waiting for? Tambay tayo sa forum!

Say Cheese! : Digital Photography

About 10 years ago, photography was a very expensive hobby. You have to buy the camera, buy film, and for every film, you have to get it developed. You don’t get many pictures out of a roll, which means there is a constant need for purchasing more film. Photo albums were popular gift items for any occasion and were the only photo storage most popularly used.

When I was in high school, one of my hobbies was photography as influenced by my brother Raffy Torres, now a film professional in the US. I first started using an Olympus camera which takes 2 pictures for every shot of a 35mm film. A roll of 36 shots film becomes 72. When I was in 2nd year high school, my father realized my interest in photography, maybe because I was always bugging my brother, he bought me a Yashika FX3 zoom camera which I used until I was in college. I never enjoyed the hobby because film was expensive considering my meager high school allowance I couldn’t afford film much less the cost of developing the film.

Today, my daughter who is in preschool has an interest in photography. Using the digital camera attached to a cellphone, she takes photographs of anything and everything that catches her interest. I never worry of expenses because all we do is download what she took into the computer where she can view the pictures and discard whatever she deems not to her liking. We print one or two which we think deserves printing. The rest stay in the computer’s My Pictures folder.

Today, in the advent of digital cameras, there are a lot more options with regards to photography storage. Photo printing is still expensive but at least now with digital photography, we can select the pictures that we want to print. Digital photography is now very popular. A lot of cellphones are now equipped with digital cameras, anybody, even children, can take pictures anytime. In fact, it is more difficult to find film cameras today than digital. Digital cameras are getting less expensive thus becoming more affordable. There are small ones, large ones, low or high megapixel quality and of different colors.
If you just canvass around, you will find a digital camera out there to suit your taste and your needs.

A friend of mine, Jon Hornbuckle, a British ornithologist and a professional photographer, uses a digital camera to take pictures of wild birds. He takes loads of pictures about a subject and later on selects the best one. His pictures, which he has taken with his digital camera, have been published in several books on wild birds all over the world and in a lot of sites in the internet.

In the registrar’s office of Saint Louis University, Mr. Gilbert Sibayan uses a digital camera to take photographs of students who apply for their transcript of records. The photographs are integrated in their transcript of records when printed. This is very convenient with regards to authentication of TORs since the student’s picture is already in the document. Mr. Sibayan keeps the pictures in the registrar’s database so that the students’ information are highlighted by their photographs.

All major events in the university are covered with photographic and movie documentation by the MIS of Saint Louis University. They use digital still and video cameras to do this. In this case, all events are documented and stored in computers at the MIS so that whenever anybody needs a picture or a video clip of an event they can be requested from Engr. Angel Peralta, the director of MIS.

In the computer applications department of the CICS, the faculty members who teach Comp1, Computer Concepts, integrate photo editing in their instructions. Students get photographed by the instructor with a digital camera or they bring photo files with them, and they edit their pictures. You will be surprised how creative a lot of students are in editing their pictures. Photo and video editing is one of the specialties of Mr. Jonathan Ramirez, Mr. Ronald Ali Mangaliag and Mr. Randy Domantay, faculty members of the Computer Applications Department, and GPC of CICS, respectively. They may be approached for consultation regarding digital photography and editing.
What is the difference between a digital camera and the standard film camera? Let us take into account the film first. In the standard camera, you have to load film into the camera, hoping it won’t get exposed to light. Once the film was inserted, you had to wind it through each picture you took. Then, when the whole roll has been used, you had to take it out to be developed then wait for the pictures to develop. For professional photographers, who have their own dark rooms, the paper and chemicals used to develop films are expensive. When they’re done some of the pictures do not look good and we wish they have never been printed.
In contrast, in digital photography, you are not using film but a memory card that will eventually be read by a computer. Most digital cameras have digital displays known as LCD’s (Liquid Crystal Display). The LCD can show you the picture within seconds of it being taken. If we don’t like how it looks, we can immediately take another shot and another and another.
It is actually more cost effective to use digital photography. The cost of purchasing the film and the cost of developing the film are expensive. With digital photography, the costs are lessened. The camera’s internal memory and a memory card can be used many times over. Once the images are downloaded onto a computer, there is more room for pictures. Memory cards can hold many pictures at once as well depending on the capacity. On top of that, the only expense involves getting pictures printed, purchasing additional memory card and the batteries that are used in the camera. But you may not print your pictures, instead save them in CD’s, flash drives or in the computer hard drive. As for the batteries, purchase a battery charger as well as rechargeable batteries to avoid the high cost of buying disposable ones.
The next time we go for an outing, we do not worry anymore whether there are shops where we could purchase films. Or if our film is enough to cover the event. We can now use digital cameras and all we should worry about is the subject of our photography and whether we will be able to record that rare and memorable moment.

Computer in my Purse

A student met his algebra instructor at the mall and asked if he could see his grades. The instructor told him his class record is in his computer. The student asked if he could go to his office in school so he could see it. The instructor told him, “oh no, you just sit on the bench and wait.” He opened his bag, brought out his notebook computer, switched it on, opened the file and showed the student his grade. Talk about convenient.
Mr. Ramos, a faculty of the university, was at the canteen drinking coffee when his phone rang. It was a text message email alert indicating a new message in his email. He went up to the 3rd floor of the building where a wifi antenna is located. He brought out his notebook computer, switched it on, logged in into the internet, and checked his email. The email was from a book author who sent him an electronic copy of a book he needed in his classes. Mr. Ramos then proceeded to download the book and emailed the author thanking him for his generosity. A fitting example of the advantages of technology.
We see more and more of them everyday. We see people carrying them in suitcase-like bags, in backpacks, in carry-alls, and even in purses. They come in different colors, sizes and shapes. There are notebooks with wide screens, notebooks with built in cameras, and there are those with built in wireless adapters. With portability in mind, they are getting smaller and thinner. And economically, they are becoming less expensive. Whatever types of notebook there are, they’re here. Gone were the days when only wealthy businessmen can afford a laptop or notebook computer.
The notebook computer has become a very useful tool for faculty and students alike. Its portability enables the user to bring it anywhere. It has become a personal tool just like any mobile phone. It is useful to instructors because they can make notes, lesson plans, presentations and compute grades anywhere they are. They can even use their notebooks as presentation and demo tools by connecting them to large screen televisions and multimedia projectors. Some faculty members show educational movies played through the cd or dvd rom of their notebooks.
The faculty members of Saint Louis University have now embraced this technology. Users of notebook computers in the faculty are increasing steadily. In the College of Computing and Information Sciences, since it is directly related to their field, there are at least 15 users of notebook or laptop computers. In the IT and CAD departments, almost a three-fourths of the population of the faculty own a notebook computer. In fact, in the Computer Applications Department, the faculty members were encouraged to bring their notebooks because when their classes reach 50, there are no demo units available so they use their own notebook computers. In the College of Engineering, an average of 4 faculty members per department have notebook computers and bring them to class. Even in non-IT related departments like Social Sciences of the College of Human Sciences, there are at least 3 faculty members who own notebooks and use them in their classes.
It is a very convenient tool for researchers. They can bring it when they are on field and encode data real time. They can use it for statistical computations, encoding and formatting their paper, and use it as internet research tool.
The notebook computer is excellent when traveling. For some travelers email is critical in communications. Email is easy once there is a connection. They can write and keep their calendar on their computer, do video phone with friends (CUSeeMe), and even prepare lectures, presentations, advertising and flyer layouts when needed. When taking pictures with their digital cameras, they can store what they have taken in their laptop to free memory in their cameras. In that way, they can take more pictures of their travels and it would be easier to share with travel mates, or family and friends at home.
If you watched the movie “Legally Blond”, you may have seen that in the movie, each student has his own laptop, bring them in class and take notes with them. It was shown that it was a requirement in class. This scenario is not farfetched because in time, students may be using their notebook computers as ordinary school device like paper and pencil. Our students are aware of this convenience. When you pass by the 3rd floor Diego Silang lobby, it is not strange to see 3 or 4 students with their notebook computers open. Of course, for students, the notebook is an all purpose gadget. They can play audio and mp3 music, play computer games, watch movies, communicate through the internet, use it as scheduler or organizer, use it for research and of course, to keep loads and loads of class notes.
There is an endless litany of advantageous and good things we can do with the notebook computer. My point is that the technology is here. We cannot stop it. It is becoming as popular as the mobile phone that maybe in the future everyone in the academe will be toting one. My hope is that the confusion about the regulation of the laptop or notebook computer in Saint Louis University be cleared so that everyone will not be in fear of bringing and working with their notebooks in school lest they be denied entry into the campus if they do not have permits. My contention is if bringing notebooks to school need permits then we might as well require permits for bringing in cellphones.
Below is a list of things to consider and to promote and ensure comfort when using laptop or notebook computers. The following was taken from the website: http://www.tifaq.com/articles/laptop_guidelines-aug99-griffin&kahan.html:
Notebook/Laptop Typing Guidelines
· Set up the notebook/laptop keyboard, much like you would your regular keyboard. Elbows should be level with or slightly higher than the keyboard (elbows at approximately 90 degrees, wrists level, upper arms hanging as vertically as possible)
· Try using a chair that does not have arm rests so that you will have room to move your arms.
· If you have the option to plug in your regular keyboard and monitor to your lap top, do so.
· If not, avoid resting on the wrist rest areas WHILE typing. Try using whole hand and arm movements to navigate around the keys.
· If you are unfamiliar with your keyboard, try watching your hands at first to learn where all the keys are placed. Some of them may have been rearranged.
· As the touch on notebooks/laptops are often lighter, and the key bed is shallow, be especially careful not to pound on the keys.
· If your laptop has a glide point that is difficult to move, try plugging in an external mouse, and / or try using key commands instead.
· When looking down at the screen, be careful not to bend your neck and head forward to see. Try tucking in your chin to look down, keeping your head and neck more or less balanced over the spine.
Guidelines for using notebooks "on the go"
· When traveling, make sure to set your self up as ergonomically as possible. If you are in a hotel, conference room, or any other facility, don’t settle for resting your laptop on a desk, table, counter, or surface that is high or far from reach. Your options include:
o Using a pillow, pad or even folded towels, to raise your chair high enough so that your elbows are level or slightly higher than the keyboard (elbows at approximately 90 degrees).
o Asking if the hotel has a docking station for notebooks. If not, ask if there are computer workstations for desktops (many hotels are computer user friendly) and plug into their keyboard and monitor.
· If you can’t find a surface low enough, or a chair high enough, then your lap is always an option.
o Sit so that your knees and hips are level. This will allow the notebook to rest comfortably on your lap.
o Again, be careful with your neck. Look down at the screen by tucking your chin in as opposed to bending your entire neck down, as this can cause strain and fatigue to the neck and shoulder area.
o Try using a chair that does not have armrests to give you room to move your arms.
· If you elect to place your computer on the food tray, and it is too high to achieve comfort, try raising your seat height by folding one or two blankets under you. If that doesn’t work, you may be best off using your lap.
· Notebooks come in different weights. For heavy ones, you should avoid carrying them with a handle. Try carrying them on your shoulder and use a bag with a padded shoulder strap.
· Pace yourself. Take frequent breaks. Stand up and stretch. If you feel any strains or pains, stop what you are doing and experiment with different positions. The same rules of healthy computer use apply to notebooks as well as desktops.
While I am writing this I am at the east side of Melvin Jones, here at Burnham Park, typing away while watching my children play soccer, sitting on a blanket with a picnic basket at my side. If I don’t have a notebook, I would be waiting to get home to write this article in my PC and would have lost some of my thoughts in the process. Kudos to my working buddy, my remarkable notebook computer!

Crazy Baguio Drivers

I brought my daughter to school today and we rode a jeep. It was so annoying because the driver kept making sudden breaks and everybody gets thrown forward every time he breaks. Just yesterday, I rode in the same jeep but it was driven by a different driver and it was driven smoothly so I concluded that the driver this morning is where the problem lies. I asked myself, could this driver still learning how to drive? Then how come he is already driving a passenger jeepney, and in the process endangering the lives of 23 passengers including himself. Crazy driver!
To reach my daughter's school we had to walk from Abanao Street through Harrison Rd., cross infront of BPI, go up and pass by McDonald's, cross again infront of CID, go up Assumption Rd., and finally cross infront of gate 1 of Saint Louis School Center. We cross the street at least 3 times to finally reach the school. But I make it a point to cross only at pedestrian lanes (teaching by example and all that). But everytime we cross, its like playing patintero with vehicles. Lots of vehicles just zip by without stopping to let us cross. My fellow pedestrians, who are mostly students, make a full stop and wait till there are no more cars before we cross, instead of the other way around. We had no choice because the cars would not stop to let us cross the PEDESTRIAN LANE! Crazy drivers.
Trancoville jeepney drivers are the worst drivers in the whole Baguio City. Aurora Hill jeepney drivers are a close second. They pick up and drop passengers anywhere, on no loading-unloading zones, on pedestrian lanes, in the middle of the street. They drop passengers at the middle of street, even when one foot is still on the jeep, they accelerate and leave you jumping infront of incoming traffic. When they wait for passengers at loading zones, it takes them 30 minutes before they finally go. They even wait on pedestrian lanes so that pedestrians have to cross outside it because the jeep is blocking the lane. I had a shouting match once with an Aurora Hill jeepney (AYD 183) driver because his jeep is blocking the pedestrian lane infront of SLU main gate. I told him to move his jeep forward as it is blocking the lane. He got mad and shouted at me saying he is just earning his living. I shouted back saying I am not asking him to leave, just move as he is blocking the lane. As I left, he never moved his jeep, and he was still saying things which I didn't listen to anymore. A moment later, I regretted shouting back because I know it never even made any difference to the driver. Trancoville drivers do the same in front of SLU gate 3. They wait for passengers even when they know they are causing traffic. And while waiting for passengers, they continually toot their horns (classrooms are less than 20 meters from where they wait). Do they think tooting their horns would attract more passengers? Crazy drivers!
Two years ago, a government employee from the Commission on Audit hit our car while we were going right at the intersection of General Luna and Magsaysay Avenue. Her car was obviously going so fast because after the impact her car careened over 10 meters forward. Also, she admitted that she was in a hurry because she was bringing her daughter to school in La Trininad, Benguet and it was already past 7:00 am. Who would speed up in an intersection, with your kindergarten daughter in your car? Crazy drivers.
Then at the police station, the driver's husband, owner of Ka Luis car wash, tried to weed out money from us saying it was our fault. He was asking us to pay for his wife's car damages. He even produced a supposed witness to the accident. What!!! His wife hit our car and we will pay her??? Crazy Luis!

What I Got This Christmas

Its January and lots of people, especially kids, make their inventory of what they got on Christmas. They count the money ninongs, ninangs, uncles and aunts gave them to know how much they have accumulated during the holidays. They count how many clothes, perfumes, books, and Victoria's Secret items they received. They compare which is the most expensive, most interesting, or most rare.
I do the same too. I especially would this year because I received so much. Not much of material things but things that I think matter more. First, my eldest brother, Raffy, came home. It was a pleasant surprise because we rarely see him as he lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was such a comfort having him with us this holiday season. Mainly because one of my brothers, Bong, and his family went to Singapore and we really missed the annual Christmas and New Year's party with them. The kids and I really enjoyed the holiday because he was with us. Second, I received very lengthy phone calls from my parents, with my father asking about what we will cook during the holidays and my mother uncomplainingly listening to my ramblings about my marriage troubles and tactfully changing the topic to how cold has it gotten in Baguio City this year. Third, a good friend of mine, Vicky, had a successful operation and I am very glad that she is healing well. She has always been a busy body and I felt sad that she had to be in bed during the holidays but I take comfort of the fact that she wouldn't be harassed this year with endless orders of her famous mango cake. Fourth, I learned that no matter what, relatives would help you out, give you comfort when you need it, give you advice when you needed it most. We spent New Year's Day with Aunts Evelyn, Aida, Lourdes, and the Delim clan at Rock Quarry. It was great to be with people I have grown with again. Fifth, another good friend, Kit, came home from Michigan with her family for the holidays. Its been such a long time since we saw each other, seven years or more. Because of this, we had a reunion with friends. It was a very short reunion but it was loaded with remembered times together. Dion, Grace, Annie, Des, Kit and I bonded again after seven years. It ended with a promise to each other that we will not let another seven years go by without getting together again. Sixth, I was witness to a cousin's happiest moment. Eking got married before Christmas and it was such a good feeling to realize that I have been a part, however small, of his coming of age. I have seen him grow up into a responsible young man and now he will be starting his own family. Good luck and best wishes, Insan.
I received 2 christmas cards this year. One was from my auntie Naty who is in Butuan City in Mindanao. Several emotions hit me at the same time when I opened her card. One is happiness because she remembered me and my family this Christmas even when she just came from the hospital because of a sickness, bless her. Guilt because I never even took the time to call her during the holidays. Lonely because I really, really miss this sweet lady and that made me miss my mama and papa, too, who are in Las Vegas, Nevada. And gratitude that I am so lucky to have her as my aunt. The second card was from someone I haven't seen nor heard from for so long. This card made an impact to me because it was so unlike the first one. It looked like a campaign material like those you receive from candidates on Christmases before a major election. There was a picture of the whole family on the card and attached to it was a piece of paper listing the accomplishments of each member of the sender's family. Awards they received, famous people (is a Philippine ambassador famous?) they met, things the kid destroyed, etc. Who would do such thing if you weren't running for any political position? Nevertheless, I'm grateful that I received this because it made me appreciate more the thoughtfulness of my aunt Naty in sending me the simple but priceless card.
Those were the things I received this Christmas. Now who could ask for more?

Computer games: boon or bane

Computer games have become a permanent and significant part of today’s youth. Even toddlers now learn how to play video games before learning how to read. Who among the older generation do not recognize the yellow chomping ghost sphere, Pac-Man? How many hours have we played Tetris on Saturdays, Sundays and on vacations? Who can forget Mario and Luigi, the Mario Brothers? How many high school students have not drawn the characters of Ragnarok or Final Fantasy in their notebooks? And how many encoders have played electronic solitaire to rest their tired hands from typing? How many hours have we played DXBall in our offices just to de-stress? We even have a channel in cable TV dedicated for computer games. Computer games are even in our mobile phones.

Concerns on gaming issues

My student asked my help to check the grades of her brother, a commerce student, whom she suspects of not attending class. I found out that he was not enrolled and actually hasn’t been for three semesters. She told me that her brother has been going out everyday, showing quizzes and grades, asking for allowances and school fees for the last two years. She found out that the brother is addicted to Ragnarok, and plays everyday in a computer shop until late at night. A cousin’s son, a brilliant BS Information Technology student, reaches very high job levels when playing Ragnarok and sells his skills to other players or trades it for different things.
He enjoys playing the game and at the same time earns money. Much to his mother’s lament, he dropped out of school. Educators in urban areas brand network gaming as among their top foes. The teachers said that most of the boys who miss class hang out in computer shops. For them, gaming is like a vice, they get hooked on computer games, and their allowances for school are spent there. They lose interest in school because of gaming and eventually drop out. Delia Rivera, a teacher in La Union, recalls that truant boys used to be out playing in the fields or swimming in the river, and would even attend class with wet pants. “Come the 1990s and now, boys are cutting classes and you find them in computer shops,” she says.
Anti-violence advocates and parent groups in the U.S. believe that the bloodshed in some video games triggers aggressive behavior in young people as proven by studies. Violent video games were blamed for such crimes as the 1999 massacre at the Columbine High School in Denver, USA where two students opened fire and killed 13 people. According to psychologists, Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D., and Karen E. Dill, Ph.D, violent video games may be more harmful than violent movies and television shows because of their interactive nature.
In Makati City, the City Council is set to approve an ordinance enacting the Makati Child and Youth Welfare Code.This code includes provisions regulating the exposure of children to violent video games. The authors of the code targeted violent video games because of their harmful effects on the intellectual, spiritual, social, and emotional growth of a child. Violent video games put kids in an active role of perpetrating violence. The ordinance classifies video games into nine categories, namely: (1) puzzle; (2) sports; (3) fighting/combat; (4) action; (5) racing; (6) adventure; (7) strategy; (8) simulator; and (9) space combat. Ratings are also provided for games, KF for kid-friendly. for non-violent video games; V for violent; and UV for ultra-violent. Ultra violent games are defined as those that contain profanity, bestiality, brutality, as well as pornographic animation, nudity, video carreras, and other forms of amusement exclusively for adults.The ordinance maintains that children below 14 years of age may play video games rated as KF (non-violent) under category sports, adventure, racing, flight simulator, and the like, in internet cafes and arcades. Those who are 15-18 years old may play less violent games under sports, action, racing, adventure, strategy, and flight simulator. The Code also restricts access of
minors to entertainment arcades and gaming places.

10 most violent video games

On November 28, 2005, the US Family Media Guide, an online parent and researcher group, presented list of the 10 most violent video games. Parents, family and friends should be guided in buying appropriate gaming titles. The list was made through an audit process where trained analysts capture and document instances of violence, profanity, substance abuse and sex through a database driven technology. The 10 most violent video games are: (1) Resident Evil 4; (2) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas; (3) God of War; (4) Narc; (5) Killer 7; (6) The Warriors; (7) 50 Cent: Bulletproof; (8) Crime Life: Gang Wars; (9)Condemned: Criminal Origins; and (10) True Crime: New York City.

Good benefits

Action packed computer games like Starcraft, Counterstrike. or Warcraft may sharpen your mind. Video games with high speed objects like car chases and the like, may improve visual skills of players because they keep better track of objects appearing simultaneously and process fast changing visual information more efficiently. Computer games can actually be educational, beneficial and helpful in children’s learning and development. Persons who play computer games have better vision compared to non-players. It improves cognitive thinking skills through maneuvering characters on screen. It stimulates a child’s imagination. Computer games also assist children “in improving hand-eye coordination and improve reflexes”, according to the Western State University study in Vancouver, Canada. The study said there is also evidence that computer games expand a child’s ability on spatial subjects. In the medical sector, games can be a diversion for children undergoing painful treatment. These could create distraction from pain and fear. Computer games can also help children with attention deficit disorders to gain social skills.

Parents’ role

Parents should minimize the effects of video games. Parents need to know the content of the games that we let our children play. We should also set house rules, i.e. no video games during schooldays; they can play during weekends only when schoolwork or house chores are done, etc. Emphasize the difference between the game and reality. Get more involved with your children’s leisure time. The best thing to do is to play with them.

Computer Technology for the Blind

The computer is meant for the sighted. The latest computers are multimedia, meaning it involves participation of almost all the senses of a human being, particularly visual and audio senses. Graphic pictures shown in all dimensions may be created and shown in the computer, in still or animated form, in different kaleidoscope of colors. Even the simplest document may be smartened with effects such as different styles of characters or fonts, different text colors, embellished with borders, photos and cliparts. These may be presented like a newsletter, a sign, an advertisement, a movie or a storyboard. The computer is indeed a multipurpose machine since they may be used in business tasks and double up as a recreation apparatus such as a video game machine, a CD audio player, a VCD player for watching movies, and in some cases may be used as a television media. These things are pleasing to the eyes. Needless to say, these tasks require the sense of sight.
Today, the blind are being educated so that they could live independently and get a job. They are now learning how to earn and not just be given. The blind are being taught skills that would help them get jobs. Not just the traditional jobs like being a musician or a masseuse. Some blind persons have talents and abilities that can be used to do more than that. They can be taught other skills. One skill that is becoming essential to all is computer operation. Almost all offices have computers or use them in their operations. This is a skill which the blind should learn if they are to work in an office or in a place of work where they do tasks where computers are being utilized.
The blind are very good touch typists. But how many offices nowadays make use of the typewriter in their offices? Most workplaces now utilize word processors in place of typewriters. It is then a must for the visually impaired typist to learn how to operate the computer in order for him/her to uphold his/her job.
How do we make the blind appreciate the computer? Five years ago, we can say that technology is unkind to the blind. Multimedia computers, modern movies, mobile phones with multimedia capabilities, digital cameras, were all created for the sighted. One very popular technology nowadays is text messaging. How do we send text messages to the blind? Today however, there are innovators who create and develop technology with the visually impaired in mind. This is called adaptive technology. Adaptive technology are a range of specialized equipment, hardware and software applications designed or modified to meet the needs of blind. With these, we are able to expand technology to allow teaching the blind a much easier undertaking.
In the Philippines, there are organizations such as Resources for the Blind, Inc., that organize computer literacy programs for the blind. Locally, we have Project Luke, a non-government organization that conducts summer camp for blind high school and elementary students and give them trainings including computer literacy.
In Saint Louis University, blind students are integrated in regular classes including computer subjects. For the blind students, a special software, JAWS is being used to be able to teach them computer topics in parallel with regular students. During computer operation, the students use head phones so they can hear the screen reader without disturbing their classmates.
For the sighted, it is easy. One can play games, see three dimensional figures, watch and edit movies, morph pictures, etc. Things the computer can do which amazes the sighted. The only other way we can make the blind appreciate the computer is through their hearing. The computer can record and playback different kinds of sounds. Bird songs, roaring beasts, all kinds of music, volcano erupting, running horse, all sorts of sounds. Music is one of the blinds’ passions. With a computer, you could differentiate the classifications of music in one medium. One can also let them hear how different musical instruments would sound. One can compare the sound that an oboe, a saxophone, or a flute would make. These things they appreciate. Games involving the hearing may also be played such as guessing what kind of bird or animal makes the sound, and the like.
With the kind of computers nowadays, it is a challenge to train the blind how to operate the computer, much less to appreciate it. One would need special software just to teach them how to type. Typing and memorizing the keyboard is just one thing, what appears on the screen is another. How would one describe the cursor or the blinking character to a person who has never seen one? Indeed, when the blind starts to learn how to use the computer, they would have to work three times harder than one who is sighted. Computer programs such as JAWS is one software that makes computer operation for the blind easier. What it does is to read all texts appearing on the screen. It is compatible with word processors such that it reads back all characters, words and sentences being typed on the keyboard. It would be good if all computers accessible to the blind would install this software. The setback is the high cost of the software. A package for this software would cost thousands of pesos. Only a few institutions can afford the cost of these software.
The cost is not just the setback. A lot of the talkback software were developed abroad. So when one types Filipino words it reads them back erroneously in wrong pronunciation and intonation. For one who relies on hearing, this is really very difficult in checking if the words one typed is correct or not. I wonder if some of our talented Filipino programmers could develop such programs for the blind rather than making destructive viruses?
“We are capable of working with the sighted, playing with the sighted, and living with the sighted; and we are capable of doing it on terms of complete equality. Likewise, the sighted are capable of doing the same with us--and for the most part, I think they want to. What we need is not confrontation but understanding, an understanding that runs both ways. This means an ongoing process of communication and public education.”