Andre related a conversation he had with councilors Leo Avila and Peter Laviña in which the two gentlemen asked him how the city government can save on electricity (not just to save money but, more importantly, to reduce its carbon footprint). Andre said he gave one very simple suggestion: turn off the city government’s computers for one hour during lunchtime. It’s an obvious solution that no one really thinks about; we are either ignorant or just too lazy to shut down our computers when we are not using them. Part of the reason is that there is the mistaken notion that turning a computer off and on repeatedly would damage it.

“As an IT professional,” Andre told reporters covering last week’s Club 888 Forum, “I can tell you that the only thing that can possibly get damaged when you turn a computer off and on repeatedly is the power button.” Nothing in a computer’s hardware and software suffers when it gets turned off and on in frequent intervals. And even if there were, the benefits in terms of power savings (and lower carbon footprint) more than make up for them. Computers use an average of 160 watts of electricity per hour; multiply this by the number of computers at City Hall and at the City Council building (which could easily run in the hundreds) and you’ve got a whopping Davao Light bill on computers alone. Turning them off for one hour will certainly save the city a significant amount and reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

Andre and I had coffee a few days after the Club 888 Forum and he talked at length about the other projects and thrusts the chamber is engaged in. The most significant is its partnership with IBM and ICT Davao in the advocacy of addressing the needs of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) through innovation and technology. The three groups are launching the SME Center (located at the DCCCII office) to expose SMEs to information technology as a business enabler. The center will also serve as the heard of the Davao City SME Center as it extends IBM’s aim of making a substantial contribution to SMEs, particularly in cities like Davao where IBM’s “geo-expansion” initiatives are concentrated.

Under the partnership, IBM is making available to DCCCII a Blade Server (inclusive of peripherals and enablement kit) worth P1.4 million. ICT Davao, for its part, commits itself to promoting and marketing the SME Center as a training and advocacy tool for Davao SMEs, as well as access to the SME Toolkit and other open source tools. It will also manage and oversee the maintenance of the desktop computers and other IT peripherals.

“This is the new thrust of the chamber,” Andre told me. “We reevaluated how we were selling the ICT industry, and we realized that we were seeing the other industries as just clients. ICT should be an enabler. It is not just another car on the road but a flyover that gives industries a shortcut to growth.” To be continuedRandom Posts:

• That ‘punching incident’
• Julianne
• Training
• Magic
• The non-gig

                          

Google, of course, denies this, saying its servers generate only 0.2 gram of CO2 per search. Regardless, it cannot be denied that the IT industry as a whole has a large carbon footprint (defined as “the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event or product”) generated from manufacturing, transport, sales, actual use, and, finally, disposal. Most of these aspects are beyond the control of the average user, but there are a few steps we can take to minimize the environmental impact of our computer use. This is one of the new thrusts of the IT committee of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII), and its IT figurehead (or “ghost in the machine,” as he describes himself now) Andre Fournier, spent some time with me to explain it.

Andre was the ICT (information and communication technology) committee chair of the DCCCII for some time and as such was among the major reasons there are so many call centers in Davao City now. He has done much to promote the ICT industry, and now, on an unofficial basis, he is heading DCCCII’s move towards making ICT an integral part of businesses themselves. These days the talk is no longer about technology per se but about how these technologies can benefit farmers, store owners, manufacturers, resort owners — everyone that has a stake in business. The thrust is on sustainability, and this involves making ICT environment-friendly.

LCD (left) vs CRT (right)

The first program is the phase-out of CRT (cathode ray tube) computer monitors — you know, those large-bodied monitors — by 2011. More than a hundred years old as a technology (it was invented in 1897), CRTs have been in use for decades and still account for much of the television sets and computer monitors in developing countries like the Philippines. One of the reasons they are so prevalent here is that first world countries dump them here — donating old computers that, while still useful, also put a strain on our resources when we use them. CRTs are notoriously power-hungry, eating up to 80 watts while more modern LCD (liquid crystal display) screens consume 35 watts –less than half.

For this reason, DCCCII is spearheading a program to rid the city of CRTs in two years’ time, primarily through the internet cafés. Since there is an Internet Café Accreditation Board in the city, it would be just a matter of requiring net cafés to replace their monitors with LCDs before their licenses would be renewed. The chamber will also launch an info campaign urging users to replace their CRTs with LCDs, harping on the fact that the prices of LCDs are getting lower and lower. Couple that with the fact that users can ultimately recoup their expense with the savings in their power bills and you’ve got a winning combination. DCCCII will collect old CRT monitors and then fan them out to be reused, recycled, or (as a last resort) discarded in an environment-friendly way. As Andre said, it would be no use to make a show of collecting the monitors if they will simply get dumped in the landfill or thrown in the river. To be continuedRandom Posts:

• Hofner progress
• IT's carbon footprint (2)
• Julianne
• Picture-pretty
• What others say about me

                          

At any rate, I also have some experience in this area, and today I thought I’d share some tips on how to make the pictures you upload to your Facebook account, blog, or any other website a whole lot better — even if your camera is only a point-and-shoot or even one that is attached to a cell phone. And I’m going to try doing it without being too technical, so if you’re a photo buff, cut me some slack here, OK? I’m talking to those who don’t know megabytes from megapixels, or aperture from shutter speed.

There’s a whole generation of shutterbugs out there who are taking advantage of the latest in digital technology, and it’s important for them to know how to maximize their point-and-shoot cameras. See, there is this mistaken notion that only single lens reflex cameras with enormous megapixel counts can take good pictures; this is a load of nonsense, and I will try to show you that even point-and-shoots can take breathtaking photos.

So how do you maximize your point-and-shoot? Here are a few tips, and remember that these address only the most common problems I see in pictures uploaded in social networking sites, blogs, and other such websites (note: clicking on the pictures will take you to my Flickr site):

1) Follow the rule of thirds. Originally, the rule of thirds meant that a subject either has to fill one-third or two-thirds of the frame either horizontally or vertically. In practical terms, all this means is that you should not place your subject right in the center of the shot. Imagine your frame being divided into by three lines horizontally and vertically; now place your subject/s either on the intersections or on the lines themselves. This gives the picture more energy and tension, and it makes for a more interesting photo overall.

This image was cropped from the one at right. I wanted a simpler, more focused photo so I "sacrificed" my wife to achieve it

2) Keep it simple. Avoid clutter in the background and foreground, making sure that there are as few elements there as possible so that the viewer can focus on your subject. This can be a simple matter of moving yourself or your camera around your subject to find the most uncluttered angle, or, if that fails, moving the subject around to achieve the same.

3) Crop. If you botched these first two tips, don’t worry, it’s easy to fix it. One of the secrets of the pros is cropping, and this is easily done by image software like Photoshop (which practically everyone has in his or her computer, if you know what I mean). Take out elements that you feel are unnecessary or add unruliness to the picture, until you are left with one that is uncluttered.

4) Take lots of shots. Time was when photographers had to make each shot count because of film cost, but today’s digital technology allows you to keep on shooting like there’s no tomorrow. Keep those that you like and delete those you don’t. This is actually the secret of the pros, who often take hundreds of shots but display only a handful of them for the world to see. As John Courtis wrote in his book Bluff Your Way in Photography (Ravette Books), “Professionals, unless they are wedding photographers, have one great advantage over the amateur, which is seldom recognized or indeed mentioned. They hide or destroy the majority of their work.”

For this portrait of my wife, I stood back about 10 feet and zoomed in.

5) Don’t get too close. One of the most common mistakes I see in pictures posted on Facebook and other social networking sites is the distortion of faces because the snapshooter got too close and personal in order to get a nice portrait. Zoom lenses at wide angle setting can exaggerate perspective, which means when you point it too close to a face, the nose will seem closer while the rest of the face will seem to go farther, making for a not-so-flattering picture. For close-up portraits, move back and zoom in to the subject; this will give you a more natural look. To be continuedRandom Posts:

• Coffee talk with Mar Roxas
• Out of the loop
• Neo: Proudly Pinoy
• 20 years in Davao
• Jambayan!!!

                          

Neo laptops used to have a bad reputation, that of being “madaling masira” and unable to handle the rigors of daily use over a period of time. It also didn’t help that the company chose to label its line of laptops “Basic,” which many consumers probably took to mean they were not up to par with the more advanced models of other computer makers (even though “Basic” in the Neo sense does not mean “offering or consisting in the minimum required without elaboration or luxury” as the dictionary defines it). Deservedly or not, Neo was not the brand one would give when asked for recommendations on what computer to buy; in a world ruled by Dell, HP, Toshiba, and other big players, Neo was, well, a newbie, with all the attendant negative characteristics one would attribute to a neophyte.

-oOo-

Last week, however, Neo sought to leave this bad rep behind by launching a new line of laptops that marry the power of traditional laptops and the convenience of netbooks — with a sleek form factor that gives them a razor sharp appearance to boot. In so doing, Neo also relaunched itself as a brand that its users can be proud of, one that can go head-to-head with the biggies and carve out a niche for itself. Of course, when Neo released its newest line of computers in Davao City last Friday (October 16, 2009), few of those in attendance were surprised that the company would launch ultra-thin laptops. After all, other companies have already launched their own sleek versions, and computers that are powerful yet easy to carry are no longer a novelty.

-oOo-

What caught everyone by surprise during the launch of the Edge line of laptops at The Apo View Hotel was the information that Neo is a Filipino company. That information literally made my jaw drop, especially since I and pioneering Davao blogger Oliver “Blogie” Robillo had been wondering aloud about Neo’s corporate identity just before the event started. According to Neo product manager JP Domingo, the Neo brand was launched in May 2003, with Neo notebooks being released later that year. Neo Manufacturing and Services was formally incorporated in January 2008 as a fully Filipino-owned company based in Pasig City, and the same year saw the birth of Neo’s targeted marketing strategy with the launch of its primary notebook product lines: the aforementioned Basic, the colorful Vivid, and the powerful Elan.

-oOo-

Domingo said Neo  sources its parts from the same suppliers that other “branded” computer manufacturers use, but since it is a Filipino company, it is able to sell its computers at much lower prices – without compromising quality. The latest Neo offering shows just how much “bang for buck” one can get these days: the Edge line features the latest advancements in mobile computing, making it feature-rich, powerful, and connected – with a form factor that rivals the convenience of the current crop of netbooks. According to the Neo website, the new Edge laptops “were carefully designed to strike an amazing balance between ultra-portability and performance.”

-oOo-

The Edge Z3240

The pioneering product in the Edge series is the Neo Edge Z3240, a full-featured but ultra-thin notebook that sports a 13.3” WXGA LCD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Utilizing an ultra-low voltage Pentium processor with 2 MB of L2 cache and 3 GB of system memory, it is ideal for both business and multimedia applications even on long trips because it has a longer battery life than standard-voltage notebooks. The hard drive size was limited to 120 GB in order to keep the notebook’s weight and thickness at a minimum. The Z3240 is complemented by connectivity options including USB 2.0 and HDMI. VGA, LAN, and additional USB ports are provided by the mini port replicator which is bundled free. It also provides wireless connectivity through Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and most notably 3G/HSDPA using a local 3G-enabled SIM card. Arguably the most notable feature of the Edge Z3240 is its ultra-thin design, sleek silver metal finish, and lightweight construction, tipping the scale at less than 1.5 kilos and thinner than 22 mm all throughout.

-oOo-

The Edge Z3265

Next in line is the Edge Z3265, which is sligtly thicker at 23 mm but still thinner than most netbooks. It has the same 13.3” LCD size and aspect ratio with the added bonus of HD resolution. Running on an ultra-low voltage Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB of L2 cache and 2 GB of system memory, the Edge Z3265 boasts of a much higher CPU class with dual core advantage to boot. The 320 GB SATA hard drive is also more than double the capacity of the previous model. It is complemented by connectivity options including USB 2.0 ports and HDMI for playing high definition video and audio content on compatible HD LCD screens. It also provides wireless connectivity through Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and 3G/HSDPA.

-oOo-

The Edge Z1280

And what computer company doesn’t make netbooks these days? Third in line is the Edge Z1280, which features a 10” widescreen LCD and weighs less than 1.4 kilo even with a 6-cell battery. Powered by Intel’s Atom N280 processor technology, which was designed with the Internet and low power consumption in mind, its performance is greatly enhanced by the free upgrade to 2GB of RAM and a jump to 320 GB hard disk space. Additional features such as a multi-format card reader, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth give more storage and wireless connectivity.

-oOo-

The Edge Z3240 is priced at P45,999 while the Edge Z3260 is at P49,999 — still a little steep for many buyers, but some will be enticed to buy them for the convenience of having something they can carry without breaking their shoulders or backs. The Z1280 is more attractively priced at P23,999 — about the average for netbooks in the Philippines, but this one has a whopping 320 GB of hard disk space while others top off at 120 GB or 160 GB. Domingo said the Edge line is not expected to ease out its Basic laptops, but the new products are seen to “heighten our brand image.” Like he said at the start of the press launch, the Neo brand itself was being relaunched, and what better way to do it than to introduce a line that, well, has a razor-sharp edge?Random Posts:

• Under pressure
• Singapore from above
• It’s here!
• Coffee talk with Mar Roxas
• Remember the Maguindanao Martyrs