Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

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Catholic Church goes for online resources

by xarki, on Tue, Nov 22 2011 | 2 Comments

courtesy of pinoy ofw.comBroadcasting “Masses” in National TV was one way for the Catholic Church in the Philippines to extend its arms to encompass more people. It aims to reach every Catholic who is incapable of attending the regular Sunday mass for some apparent reason. Disability, serious illness and cultural location are among the few.

 

I do watch one every early Sunday morning (if circumstances allows me) just to get ahead of the liturgical context for that day. Yup! I am one devout Catholic! I’ve been serving the Church since I was a kid (12 years old, almost a teenager) as a choir member. Honestly, some priests do not deliver their sermons as clearly as we would like them to.

 

The Church has preferred to make use of the media (TV broadcasting) to gain more followers and further make Catholics acquainted with their church’s spiritual activities like any other religious sects are currently doing on TV.

 

The social media network in the online community as we know can span more areas and bring about more people faster than the telly which is the reason for the church to utilize it.

 

Bishop ‘Chito’ (Luis Antonio) Tagle’s “The Word Exposed” was one worth mentioning. The show’s unique way of tackling the contents of the Sunday scriptures makes it easier for us Catholics to fully understand the message in between these biblical passages. Though it was originally released on National TV, the video archives that were shared on different online channels (YouTube and Facebook) made it a great way for the congregation to uplift their religious beliefs anytime and anywhere around the globe.

 

The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (also known as the Quiapo church) has introduced the online streaming of its regular Masses which was officially announced on November 13, 2011. This step was taken by the parish after receiving several requests from Quiapo faithful (who wants to hear but were not able to do so because of their current predicament).

 

“Catholics still have to go to Mass in their churches,” said Msgr. Jose Clemente Ignacio. “We are just offering this for those who can’t go to Mass due to their condition,” he added. (Source: inquirer.net)

 

As for me, these resources can be used to nourish our faith but not as a substitute to the obligation of attending a live Mass every Sunday in our churches.

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The Digital Bird Flu

by xarki, on Fri, Nov 11 2011 | 1 Comment

I had the chance to attend my eldest son’s school intramurals a few weeks ago. Everyone knows that the intramurals has always been a part of the school calendar specially here in our country. Engaging students to participate and play a sport of their choice is one way to bring fun and learning together. To do one’s best, understand team work and build sportsmanship at a very young age.

 

My eldest is still in pre-school and I had no idea that even pre-schoolers have the chance to play during the intramurals like all other students do. I can’t remember if I had the same privilege back then.

 

One thing that caught my attention was the prizes that were given for the winners of every game that they play. All of the rewards have something to do with this very iconic game we as we all know as the “Angry Birds.”

 

What is in this game that made a lot of people become addicted to it? Is it their moody yet colorful and cuddly look or is it the challenge and excitement it presents while playing the game?

 

I don’t think these kids have any knowledge about the game itself. Even my son hasn’t played this game on our PC or even on the a hand-held console. All I know is that their cuteness have sparked worldwide admiration.

 

The game that was initially released for Apple’s iPhone became viral that it was made available by its developers to different platforms, devices and consoles.

 

The game is fairly simple. You need to topple down the defenses built by the pigs (who was according to the story has stolen these birds’ eggs), killing them in the process in order to finish a certain level. You are to use these furious birds of varying sizes and features from each level which are placed in a slingshot to break the bad pigs defenses.

 

Aside from the game reaching to different digital equipments, it has become an icon that even retail merchandise has adopted these furry little creatures for advertising purposes. Bags, clothing, school items, cakes and pastries and everything that you can think of can be seen having pictures of this gaming icon.

 

I do wish that pac-man was also fully advertised when I was at a young age.

 

So, have you also been inflicted with this bird’s flu?

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Coming close to a Malaria cure

by xarki, on Thu, Oct 20 2011 | No Comments

Malaria is one of the death-causing illnesses in the world and has killed as many as 780,000 people around the globe in 2009 based on World Health Organization (WHO) data.

 

Several protective measures against malaria have been assimilated yet these are not enough.

 

Insecticide treated bed nets and fumigation may have decreased the chances of contracting the disease yet people are waiting for a specific cure.

 

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a British drug-making company, comes close to diminishing malaria- infected cases with their recent research on the Malaria vaccine. The experimental vaccine was given to children ages 5 -17 months old so they can have protection against clinical and severe malaria. The vaccine reduced the risk of children catching malaria by 56 percent (clinical) and 47 percent (severe) after three doses made to 6,000 test subjects.

 

Researchers and global health experts still state that the vaccine is still less effective compared to other common vaccines against polio and measles.

 

RTS,S or Mosquirix is not yet a total cure for eradicating the mosquito-bourne infection, rather it serves as a prevention tool but much more effective than other control measures available.

 

RTS,S works by enhancing the body’s immune response to prevent infection caused by a parasite that is injected through the blood stream via the mosquito’s saliva. It targets the liver, matures and travels back to the host’s bloodstream to attack the red blood cells thereby causing fever, body pains and death.

 

Side effects like fever and swelling of injection site that are common to vaccines are still present.

 

The company and its researches are still waiting for data regarding their experiment with 6-12 week-old babies. The vaccine may be available in the market by 2015 if things go well.

 

The vaccine may be available soon but the challenge is to make it cheaper for the public thus having a cost-effective measure according to health experts.

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PH Localized Youtube Channel launched

by xarki, on Sat, Oct 15 2011 | 2 Comments

The Philippines shares a huge amount of data in the internet and is one of the greatest contributors to streaming video content in Southeast Asia. The Filipino community has embraced the online sharing of multimedia content whether publicly or privately, making it easier for us to enjoy most loved videos that we recently watched on TV or a very cool advertisement that made a mark in Philippine TV.

 
My mom used to watch Korea-novelas on TV. She hated it when TV commercials eat up more of the air time of her favorite show. But when an alternate viewing channel made it possible for her to watch her favorite show, never did she watch TV again but instead turn-on her laptop and browse to Youtube’s website.

 
You-tube did not only create a medium for us to watch our favorite videos from, but it also provided access for people like me to share personal videos to my friends and relatives abroad. Establishing lightning fast information across borders thus making everyone updated to the current events.

 
Google has yet made another leap as they launched a localized version of their Youtube channel in our country. The online video service aims to aid us in viewing relevant video sources from the local community.

 
This is the first localized version of the multimedia service ever to be launched in Southeast Asia. Subsequent incorporation of the said endeavor may follow and be offered to other parts of the world.

 
Along with the launch were two presidential channels to serve as a quick link for the Pinoy viewers and to keep them updated via this new form of mass media – a brave move for our government to be able to keep up with technological development.

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Resolving a ‘no display’ PC problem

by xarki, on Thu, Oct 13 2011 | 2 Comments

There was one time that I repaired similar issues from different customers within a common vicinity. The problem was their Personal Computer (PC)s turn on (as seen from the led lights) but it seems the monitor does not display anything after a few seconds of pressing that power button.

 
Initially, everyone would think it is a display problem. So replacing your monitor will resolve the issue. But since replacing your display device would incur you so much cost, you’d rather end up setting it all aside and go out and rent a PC on one of these internet cafes.

 
Before you walk out of your room and buy a replacement for your supposedly dead monitor why not test it further and see the real problem? Replacing it will not assure a resolution whereas isolating the problem may reduce your repair costs.

 
The following are steps you can do on your own:

  1. Check your cables. Make sure that all the cables connecting your monitor to the power source and to your computer are properly connected or working in perfect condition. If you have a spare cable, have it replaced and see if it works out.
  2. Test your monitor. Verify that all indicator Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lights turn on. Almost all computer monitors have their own led lights for you to check if it does switch on.
  3. Have your system unit (CPU) checked for any loose hardware. Most of the time a loose hardware may cause your PC to halt as it starts. It is likely a feature installed in motherboards to prevent further damage to the rest of the system.
  4. Failing hardware. Sometimes a defective hardware (computer part) may be at fault. Have it checked by a qualified computer technician and have it replaced at the soonest possible time. At this point your memory card (RAM) or video card (graphics card) may already be failing. Take note to also check all cooling fans if they are still working smoothly.

 
Always remember, when in doubt, have a qualified person assess the problem so proper advice can be relayed to you.

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