by admin | Nov 27, 2014 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
Typhoon Queenie packed heavy rain with moderate winds and plunged parts of Bohol, including Tagbilaran, into darkness as it moved through northern Mindanao and Eastern Visayas on November 26, 2014. Signal #1 was issued by PAGASA on the province since late morning Wednesday and Thursday, November 27.
The image from the Japan Meteorological Agency shows the path of typhoon Queenie and its location as of 11:00AM PHT (3:00AM UTC). It is forecast to pass through Palawan later today.
Reports of felled trees and electrical poles where reported in various parts of the province. There were also reports of flooding in many parts of the province. Power, however, was gradually restored by noontime on November 27 in Tagbilaran City.
Typhoon Queenie is heading out to Palawan and will be out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Friday afternoon.
Hundreds of ferry and boat passengers were stranded in various ports along the path of the typhoon since November 26. The Philippine Coast Guard is expected to give clearance to sea craft as soon as the typhoon signal #1 is lifted by PAGASA.
by admin | Nov 23, 2014 | Headlines
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao successfully defended his WBO Welterweight title vs. challenger Chris Algieri in a twelve round fight on November 23, 2014 at The Venetian in Macau. Pacquiao, who is also a Congressman of the Philippines representing Sarangani, his home province, clearly dominated the fight but Algieri was able to avoid being knocked out after getting the mandatory 8-counts six times.
Pacquiao knocks down Algieri first in the 2nd round but it looked like Algieri slipped but the referee considered it as a knockdown anyway. Algieri was knocked down again in round six three times, the first one he did a backroll afterwards which amused some spectators. Shortly after, he was knocked out again. Pacquiao lands a strong left hand in the middle and Algieri is down again.
In round 9, Pacquiao lands a good left hook to the head and Algieri gets a standing 8-count. And in round 10, Algieri gets knocked out again after Pacquiao lands a hard left to the head.
The crowd is standing and chanting “Manny, Manny, Manny” as Pacquiao tries to knock out Algieri throughout the remaining rounds. Algieri did a good job of avoiding the knock out even though Pacquiao’s punches were quite powerful and accurate.
Today was another day of jubilation for the Filipinos. The millions of Filipinos watching the fight throughout the Philippines are surely celebrating the victory. And as usual whenever Manny has a fight, the crime rate in the Philippines will drop to nearly zero for a day.
by admin | Nov 22, 2014 | Tech Talk
By: Jerome Auza
As a Linux enthusiast, I had tried to encourage people to use Linux for the very obvious cost benefits. Unfortunately, Microsoft Windows has been embedded in many computer user’s habits that most wouldn’t even think of looking at a Linux desktop because it is “hard” or “difficult”. Of course, hard or difficult is relevant to your willingness to try new things.
Encouraging the use of Linux was a matter of principle for me because there is a proliferation of improperly licensed Microsoft software and by using Linux instead, one can avoid engaging in software piracy.
I had a personal challenge since some of the jobs I perform require me to use the Microsoft Windows operating system. So I ended up using a MS Windows laptop as my primary computer then when doing software development or system administration of our remote Linux servers, I use an ssh client to connect. For a few years, I was on a desktop environment that wasn’t my preference.
Android emulator on Windows.
Then here comes Android on mobile devices. If you didn’t know yet, Android is using the Linux operating system. My wish from a decade ago that people should be using Linux has come true. People embraced Android on mobile phones and tablets. Android has become so popular that Microsoft changed its stance towards open source software (of course Apple’s iOS and MacOS X also played a part).
Microsoft recently announced that it has made its .Net software open source and will have support for .Net on Linux very soon. This is a welcome development for many Microsoft .Net developers who may now be able to support more options for the end-user environment.
On top of the .Net software being open sourced, Microsoft also released an Android emulator on Windows which is intended to support developers creating apps on the Android platform but are using the Microsoft development tools.
Microsoft has changed its attitude towards software. It now wants users to be able to use its software no matter what operating system is preferred by the user. While it remains to be seen how the whole thing plays out for Microsoft, I think the company made the right decision to embrace the open source community. It also made itself operating system agnostic which means they can continue to sell their software like the MS Office Productivity Suite no matter what device the user wants to use.
Oh, by the way, I am now using a Mac laptop most of the time. I find it closer to Linux rather than Windows. After all these years, I realize that we should no longer play the Windows vs. Linux vs. MacOS game. The right thing to do now is to be flexible and work on any operating system and device available. And I think Microsoft wants to do that also.
by admin | Nov 22, 2014 | Local News / Bohol Balita, Tech Talk
TechTalks.PH Tagbilaran, in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, held a meetup with local entrepreneurs at Bohol Fab Lab at the Bohol Island State University on November 22, 2014. Jerome Auza of Auza.Net presented a learning session on “Getting Your Website Ready for Viral Fame” and Ms. Lai Biliran of Alturas Group of Companies discussed on an “Introduction to Entrepreneurship”.
Auza discussed on the requirements to make websites ready to receive high traffic when a product or content on the website becomes popular. He showed reports generated from backend analytics of some of Auza.Net’s high traffic websites. He also showed an example of the monitoring data and reports for a high traffic website during times when the content of a website becomes popular and goes viral. “Viral” is a tech lingo which means the content becomes exponentially popular on the Internet.
Biliran talked about the history of the Alturas Group of Companies which grew from a small sari-sari store to the largest employer in the province. From its humble beginnings, the group now is now into various industries such as aquaculture, feed mill, poultry, swine and other production and processing businesses. This is aside from the retail industry where the group has expanded to strategic points of presence in Bohol and Cebu.
Techtalks.PH Tagbilaran members, resource speakers and participants at the Fab Lab
During the round table discussion, the resource persons and the participants exchanged ideas on how the TechTalks.PH Tagbilaran group could help local entrepreneurs who are not necessarily in the technology sector. Future sessions could also include case studies featuring a local entrepreneur’s product and discussion on how information technology could make the product into a commercial success.
by admin | Nov 21, 2014 | Headlines, National News
Gov’t pours P775.5-M into more classrooms, facilities
The National Government continues to invest in basic education with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) releasing P775.5 million to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to cover the construction of classrooms in areas experiencing acute classroom shortage nationwide.
This is the fourth batch of funds released this year from the Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF), which had an allocation of P39 billion from the 2014 General Appropriations Act. Of the P775 million, P764.4 million is distributed across 16 regions while the remaining P11 million is allotted to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Secretary of Budget Florencio “Butch” Abad said, “Although we’ve closed the classroom gap based on our 2010 backlog target, we acknowledge that there is more work to be done. We’re rebuilding classrooms in the wake of recent calamities even as we take into account the rising number of students each year.”
Abad added, “The latest fund release will help address this shortage and improve basic facilities in our schools, especially in the ARMM. The funds will also go a long way to support development in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.”
The BEFF is used for the construction, rehabilitation, replacement, completion, and repair of school buildings in areas experiencing acute classroom shortage. It is also used for the construction of water and sanitation facilities, as well as the acquisition of school desks, furniture, and fixtures for the targeted public schools.
The government defines “areas experiencing acute classroom shortage” as areas where the classroom-to-students ratio is 50:1 or where classrooms are temporary in nature, are makeshift, or non-existent.
The top three regions with the highest allocations are the National Capital Region (NCR) with P124.6 million, followed closely by Northern Mindanao (Region X) with P104.7 million and Central Visayas (Region VII) with P70 million.
“These releases will ensure our schools are prepared and well-provided for, especially with the K to 12 program that requires the proper facilities and equipment. Education reform is one of the key priorities of the Aquino administration and this release will boost our commitment to the education of future generations,” the Secretary said.
Prior to the latest release, the DBM had channeled a total of 17.5 billion to the DPWH and the ARMM—P7.7 billion in May, P1.3 billion in June, and P7.7 billion in September—for this year. Of the amount released, P17.1 billion had been coursed through the DPWH while P433.8 million was allotted to the ARMM. (PIA-PCOO/DBM)
