Nothing Special

2010-02-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

what truly matters is...

..not just knowing

you were born

into this world

but realizing

your reason for being.

..not just obtaining

the highest education

but being

wiser

in God's wisdom

...not just having

healthy children

but raising them

as God-fearing

individuals

..not just knowing

what you want

but stopping

when it runs counter

to what God wants

..not just buiding

a great house

but living

in God's peace

and loving embrace

..not just knowing

how far you've gone

in the race

but making it

to the finish line.

Reflection: COMDDAP 2009

2009-07-08T03:27:00.000-07:00

The Computer Manufacturers Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines (COMDDAP) held their annual event in Davao this year at Apo View Hotel last July 2-4, 2009. I was not able to read the information about COMDDAP Expo in the forum so I have no idea about it until my ex-classmate asked me if I will be going to attend the said exhibit because she was on the way there. Luckily I was able to witness the latest in information technology’s fast-phase development.

COMDDAP is an association of the country's top information technology businesses. COMDDAP was created with the primary objective of promoting the sustainable development of the country's information technology industry through voluntary collaboration of its member companies. The associations objectives are: promote the use of information technology and elevate its standards in the Philippines; make computers affordable and available to the masses; provide and create opportunities for users to develop themselves to their fullest potentials; supply the market with quality products at reasonable prices with good after-sales support; to work closely with the government, the private sector, and international entities in promoting the use of information technology; provide a forum of discussion on matters relating to the computer industry; and foster and cultivate harmony, cordiality and camaraderie among the members so that they can work together as one for the benefit of the industry. Its primary objective is to promote the sustainable development of the of the country's information technology industry through voluntary collaboration of its member companies. It is the goal of COMDDAP to be able to provide its members general views and updates from different sectors - private and government, and highly regarded individuals to further uplift the morale and knowledge of its organization.

The vision of promoting and elevating the standards of Information technology (IT) in the Philippines fueled a group of prominent computer companies to form the Computer Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines or COMDDAP. Its initial member-companies represent the world's leading makers and providers of computer products, solutions and peripherals.

COMDDAP holds regular exhibits, more popularly known as the COMDDAP EXPO, which has become a consistent crowd drawer and has in itself set new records in terms of the quality of the exhibit area, of its exhibitors, visitors, and venues. The annual COMDDAP endeavor encourages its participants to launch their products and services, as well as hold seminars with a variety of topics in the areas of technology, trends, applications, and information management.

Indeed, COMDDAP has gone a long way from a mere assemblage of premier IT companies and enthusiasts. With the support and enthusiasm of its member-companies, COMDDAP expects and looks forward to accomplishing more worthwhile projects in the future as COMDDAP is committed to the stable growth of the Philippine computer industry.

During the COMDDAP Davao 2009, the first speaker at the event was Celmer L. Santos for ERIC Dealer Management System (DMS). He introduced the Dealer Management System (DMS) as an end - to - end software solution for automotive sales, parts and service businesses. We found out that ERIC Dealer Management System (DMS) covers the full range of dealer activities from marketing to sales and services. Aside from core business operations, Dealer Management System (DMS) includes a full ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and completely automates and integrates back office operations all the way to financial reporting. He presented us the core functionalities of their system and showed the details of it. With ERIC Dealer Management System (DMS), you can have full visibility over all operations, achieve total control over your dealership business, schedule prospects for test drives and follow an appointment, monitor and increase sales, delight customers with gentle reminders for appointments, manage vehicle inventory, deliver impeccable service, control parts and consumables cost, monitor and correctly implement warranty for parts and service and report your financial bottom line. He also explained to us that the system can also be used not only for automotives but also in any parts and service businesses as well. I observed how detail oriented and organize their software (based on Mr. Santos’ presentation) which fit and completely automates and integrates back office operations.

The second speaker of the event was Mr. Leonardo Zap, the Market Development Manager for HP Thin Clients. He discussed the different models of HP Thin Clients and the value proposition for using the HP Thin Clients. He said that the HP Thin Clients has several features and advantages when use compared to desktop computers. The Hp Thin Clients has an improvised security, easier administration and manageability, improved power efficiency, and lower total cost of ownership. He also presented some applications that can run on HP Thin Clients. The HP Thin Clients can run well virtually on all types of applications it can run applications from stand-alone, to client-server, to web-based. The machine can run embedded Operating System such as Linux or Windows. One of its unique features is that it does not have any moving parts like the hard drive and fan but still it is more capable of performing most of the normal functions of a personal computer. Because the HP thin Client does not have movable parts, the machine can run on a lower power and more robust and can boot faster. Heavy lifting for processor or disk intensive applications can be done on the server. thin clients have a much longer lifespan than standard computers and use significantly less power. Lower maintenance costs are another benefit as software application updates, virus scanning and patches can be executed on the server. Deployment costs are also reduced as thin clients can be remotely configured and do not need to be set up individually. Break-fix simply requires replacing the thin client.

The students who attend the event have now a better appreciation of new, innovative and better value solutions available on the market. We are now aware of the latest of information technology’s fast phase development in trends, applications and information management from the world’s leading makers and providers of computer products, solution and peripherals. Of course this would not have been possible without the help of COMDDAP.

Evaluation of The New Enrollment System

2009-07-01T20:36:00.001-07:00

I have nothing against the present enrollment system, as a matter of fact I am happy and I do appreciate that the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) administration decided to tap in-house resources for the university needs instead of outsourcing. I do not know exactly the reason why the administration decided to change the old enrollment system but one thing is for sure, that the university has benefited a lot with the present enrollment system. I have many opinions and point of view why I think the university decided to turn in-housing. As I mention in the last assignment, I think that the primary reason why the administration decided to tapped in-house resources is to save the operational cost because I heard that the system is quiet expensive. Maybe the amounts save from the budget allotted for outsourced system will be invested in much more important needs (like constructing the USeP Institute of Computing building) of the university which can be beneficial for the students as well the university’s administration. I also think that finally the administration has finally recognized the relevance of the skills of highly profiled faculties of the Institute of Computing. The university has the qualified skills to provide its needs for today and in the future as well. And beside, the USeP employees may have a better understanding of the university’s faculty and students needs. We have special needs that only in-house resources can attend. In this way also, disadvantages in outsourcing can be lessen. Improper or poor communication between the vendor and the university can be diminished. Communication gap can lead to project failures to meet our needs and requirements. Also, the university can develop our own system that is more cheap since in-house have deep subject-matter expertise. Although the Institute of Computing students has slightly affected because of pulling two of the IC faculty, the overall result is going to be what is expected.

I have research about the disadvantages of outsourcing a business process. I found out that in outsourcing a business process, you tend to voluminous the managerial control. This is because it is harder to manage outsourcing service provider compared to managing one’s own employees. Another disadvantage is that outsourcing can also prove to be a threat to the security and confidentiality of issues of a company. If your company is outsourcing business process such as payroll, confidential information such as salary will be known to the outsourcing service provider. Therefore one must be very careful in choosing which business process to outsource and which one not. Outsourcing may also result into the possible loss of flexibility in reacting to changing business conditions, lack of internal and external customer focus and sharing cost savings. Loss of internally generated talent is yet another problem associated with the outsourcing as it may hamper the growth of an employee by depriving him from the experience he would have gained by handling the business issue himself then by passing it over to some other external party. There is lot of reasons why some preferred outsourcing but there are also a lot of disadvantages and this I think what the administration had just realized.

We can assure that technically, on the side of technical people the new enrollment system work faster and processes better compared with the old enrollment system. We are sure that the data and the information provided and produced by the present enrollment system is secure and accurate (I am confident about it. The developers’ profiles alone will prove it.). Engr. Michael Angelo Z. Cagape and Dr. Tamara Cher Rogers Mercado were the persons behind the new and improved enrollment system. They were chosen by the administration and have been in the university for a long period of time. They have been teaching and sharing with us their expertise in different field of computing. They have a wide knowledge in database, system analysis and design and etc. They were also at the same time (if I am not mistaken) were able to demonstrate their proficiency and capability in the information technology industry itself. The numerous systems and applications they developed will proved how knowledgeable they are in computing. Thus, it only proves that they obtained their highest and superior reputation technically.

Thus, we don’t have to worry about technical matters because the developers were capable to handle possible problems that may occur in the future of our enrollment system. If I were tapped by the university president to evaluate the new environment system implemented in this semester, I will weigh and consider the things that I have research regarding the advantages of outsourcing first. Focusing on core activities is first thing to be considered because in the rapid growth periods, the faculty operations of the univesity will expand also. This expansion may start to consume resources (human and financial) at the expense of the core activities that have made the university successful. Outsourcing those activities will allow refocusing on those university activities that are important without sacrificing quality or service in the office (in our case is pulling of the two instrutors of the Institute of Computing). Second is the cost and efficiency savings. The office or faculty functions that are complicated in nature, but the size of the university is preventing the administration from performing it at a consistent and reasonable, is another advantage of outsourcing. During the first semester, a lot of freshmen will enter the institute, since we lack faculty members, pulling people from the institute can add the burden to the students. Third is reducing overhead costs of performing a particular office or faculty function are extremely high. Consider outsourcing those functions which can be moved easily. Fourth is the operational control. Operations whose costs are running out of control must be considered for outsourcing. The different departments of the university that may have evolved over time into uncontrolled and poorly managed areas are prime motivators for outsourcing. In addition, an outsourcing company can bring better management skills to the university than what would otherwise be available. An information technology department or the institute of computing in our case that has too many projects, not enough people and a budget that far exceeds their contribution to the university. A contracted outsourcing agreement will force the adminstration to prioritize their requests and bring control back to that area. Another is the staffing flexibility. Outsourcing will allow operations that have seasonal or cyclical demands to bring in additional resources when you need them and release them when you’re done. The sixth is continuity and risk management. Giving the developers the duty to handle this operation will add uncertainty and inconsistency to the operations. Outsourcing will provided a level of continuity to the university while reducing the risk that a substandard level of operation would bring to the university. Developing internal staff at a large project needs to be undertaken that requires skills that the faculty’s time may not be enough. On-site outsourcing of the project will bring people with the skills you need into the university. The new staff can be the solution whenever the developers were not available and they can also acquire the new set of skills from our developers.

Being a student in this prestigious university for almost six years now, I observed that the new enrollment system has a little impact on the student’s side (being a USePian as never been easy). Every time I recall my first year of college life, I could always think how hard it is studying here (with the high standard of education of course). Part of the experience and agony is during enrollment period. Falling in a very long line has caused so much hassle for those like me living in a faraway province.

The new enrollment system may have numerous benefits and advantages technically but for me as a student, I think that the new system’s procedure has a very slight difference compared from the old enrollment system. In my own opinion, I believed that more than anything else, the admin should find ways to help lessen the burden of the students in this university. I suggest that it would be better if they will also find ways to simplify the process and procedure and not just change the software system alone. Although it is too early to judge the new system, I believed that they should consider these factors. I believed that the newly implemented system will still undergo several revisions because the developers were only given a very limited period of time to implement the said system.

Every enrollment period, a student should seek his or her adviser to be advised regarding what she/ or he may take. The adviser also will determine if she or he is still qualified to enroll in a particular department or will be advised to shift a course or worst shift to another school. The adviser will be basing his or her decision on the grades in the evaluation sheet or on the handbook of the student. After that the student will now know and will be advised what and how many subjects he or she can take. The adviser will now issue a Pre Registration Form (PRF) and the student can now fill it up. After completing the Pre Registration Form (PRF), he or she will give it back to the adviser to let him or she signed. The adviser will evaluate it and if he or she finds out that there is no problem, the adviser can now finally signed it. Now, the student will pass the Pre Registration Form (PRF) to the encoder to encode all the subjects and the schedule written there. The system can determine if there is a conflict with regards with the schedule of a particular student. The encoder will ask the student if she or he is a scholar and if he or she is a scholar, the encoder will ask for the blue card to see if the student is still a qualified grantee. After the encoding process, the student can now proceed to the finance department. If she or he is not a scholar, she or he will pay to the cashier. After paying for the particular amount, the cashier will issue that particular student the receipt. On the other hand, if the student is a scholar, she or he will proceed to the book keeper. The book keeper will stamp the Certificate of Registration (COR). The student will go to the registrar to be considered as officially enrolled. The registrar will stamp the Certificate of Registration (COR). The student can now proceed to the library to validate its library card. The whole enrollment process will usually takes two to three days to complete.

With this semester, I observed that the only difference is that you will submit the Certificate of Registration (COR) to the book keeper or to the cashier and only the receipt or the blue card will be presented to the registrar. Before, you will go to the particular window assigned in a particular department but now, you can process it in any window. After presenting your receipt or the blue card if you are a scholar, the registrar will give the student’s copy as a proof that that particular student is now officially enrolled.

I suggest and I was thinking that it would be better if the university will have a Student Evaluation Record System and Scholarship Validation System that will be integrated with the present enrollment system.

STUDENT EVALUATION RECORD SYSTEM

One of the most time consuming process in enrolling is during evaluation. There are cases that the adviser will refuse to advice you because you do not have grade from your past subjects enrolled because your past instructors was not able to summit the grades to the registrar and they can no longer be found. Sometimes, your record is misplaced so you have to wait until they can retrieve it. So I was thinking that when we have a student evaluation record system that will automate advising, it will be better. This system will have dynamic features intended for the convenience of the adviser and to the student as well. All of the student’s record that includes the subjects enrolled and the corresponding grade and units will be stored in the system. The adviser can retrieve and view all these records to guide him or her in evaluating a particular student. The system can generate all of the needed information that the adviser may need. The system will give the subject and the corresponding schedule offered in a semester. The information that will be generated by the system will be based on the current record of that particular student. The adviser will based his or her decision on the information that will be generated by the system. No need to worry conflicting schedules because the system will take care of it. If there will be no problem, the adviser can print out a copy for the student.

SCHOLARSHIP VALIDATION SYSTEM

Another time consuming part of enrolling is during renewing scholarship. Every end of the semester, a particular scholar should renew their scholarship to be qualified as a scholarship grantee for the next semester.

Since large numbers of the University of Southereastern Philippines population are scholars, I am thinking that it will also be better if there is a system interconnected with the scholarship sponsors.

I heard so much complaints of how hard for the students to renew their scholarships (which is worth for the scholarship). I observed that scholars spend so much time in falling in lines waiting to be entertained.

I think that it will be better if there will be a computerized system wherein the sponsor can automatically set the status of a scholar after she or he can submit all the requirements for renewal. In this way, the book keeper will just refer to the system to view if a particular student is a qualified scholar and there will be no need for a scholar to fall in line just to get the renewal form. If their will be a system like this, renewing and validating will not be a problem anymore.

Maybe as the newly implemented enrollment system undergoes revisions the scenario will be like this:

A student will seek an advice from his or her adviser. The adviser will just refer to the Student Evaluation Record System. The adviser will enter the id number or the name of that particular student. All the grades of that particular student can be viewed and retrieve in the system. The system can then automatically generate the subject he or she can enroll on that semester together with the corresponding schedule. The systems will summarize the total amount to be settled by the student. The adviser can print the copy for the student so the student need no longer for the encoder because the system automatically did it. The students can now proceed to the cashier to pay his or her account. If she or he is a scholar, the bookkeeper will check in the Scholarship Validation System to see if the student is qualified scholar. If just in case there is a problem, that the time that the student will present his or her validation card (blue card) as a proof. After this, the student will proceed to the registrar to be officially enrolled then the last is to validate the library card.

I was also thinking that maybe in the near future, the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) can offer an online enrollment system in which students from the province will no longer fall in line to avoid penalty. Maybe soon, University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) will have online enrollment that will also offer online checking of grades, curriculum finder, calendar, evaluation of subjects, evaluation of professor, sending message to professor, create your profile, and it will have a feature like friendster wherein you can view your classmates and add friends to your list can even make testimonials. Prior to the online enrollment there will be pre-enrollment favorable to blockers wherein you do not have to do anything on actual enrollment you only have to verify the grades and pay tuition at any bank, cash, cashiers and managers check and creditcards.

I know that the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) is always late in terms of this innovation but I can see that the administration and the faculty are trying hard to cope up with the trend.

Assignment 1

2009-06-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

What do you think is/are the reasons why the university decided to tapped in-house resources, was it a good decision?

The early years of my college life as I can remember was very difficult for me. Aside from the teething troubles in adjusting the new independent life, the new teaching method seems to be the greatest challenge of my college life. Since I don’t have any background of programming, I really found hard in dealing this subject. That is why before, every time we were asked to do a very difficult machine problems, I have always in mind that maybe in our future projects we will be developing systems that is intended for the university application. I thought that the existing systems implemented in the university was made and developed by the Institute of Computing graduates that is why I was really surprised to know that the admin has been implementing and using systems that were outsourced. I believed that even the student in IC has already the capability of developing of such systems if given ample time, how much more with the faculty? Why seek the help of outside when the university’s human resources capability is more than enough?

“Outsourcing occurs when a company purchases products or services from an outside supplier, rather than performing the same work within its own facilities, in order to cut costs. The decision to outsource is a major strategic one for most companies, since it involves weighing the potential cost savings against the consequences of a loss in control over the product or service. Some common examples of outsourcing include manufacturing of components, computer programming services, tax compliance and other accounting functions, training administration, customer service, transportation of products, benefits and compensation planning, payroll, and other human resource functions. A relatively new trend in outsourcing is employee leasing, in which specialized vendors recruit, hire, train, and pay their clients' employees, as well as arrange health care coverage and other benefits”,( http://www.answers.com/topic/outsourcing)

I have read articles why a company decides to outsource. The article mentioned that successful outsourcing requires a strong understanding of the organization's capabilities and future direction. The article cite William R. King’s explanation in Information Systems Management, "decisions regarding outsourcing significant functions are among the most strategic that can be made by an organization, because they address the basic organizational choice of the functions for which internal expertise is developed and nurtured and those for which such expertise is purchased. These are basic decisions regarding organizational design." I have learned that outsourcing has several advantages. In outsourcing, the company can cut cost or can have a better control over outsourced function. Another reason why companies prefer outsourcing is to minimize the changeability in staffing. Its purpose is to lessen the workload of their employees. In a newbie company, they need to eliminate distractions and focus themselves on their core competencies. Outsourcing can free the entrepreneur from monotonous and time-consuming tasks. Morale is often-overlooked but can have a very notable benefit that can be gained in outsourcing relationship. Lack of internal expertise can result in poor attitudes and ultimately poor performance. Although there are numerous advantages of outsourcing, there are still many companies preferring in housing. Accommodating the special needs of users is just one reason why companies continue to develop their own applications.

Well, I think the primary reason why the administration decided to tapped in-house resources is to save the operational cost because I heard that the system is quiet expensive. Maybe the amounts save from the budget allotted for outsourced system will be invested in much more important needs (like constructing the USeP Institute of Computing building) of the university which can be beneficial for the students as well the university’s administration. I also think that finally the administration has finally recognized the relevance of the skills of highly profiled faculties of the Institute of Computing. The university has the qualified skills to provide its needs for today and in the future as well. And beside, the USeP employees may have a better understanding of the university’s faculty and students needs. We have special needs that only in-house resources can attend. In this way also, disadvantages in outsourcing can be lessen. Improper or poor communication between the vendor and the university can be diminished. Communication gap can lead to project failures to meet our needs and requirements. Also, the university can develop our own system that is more cheap since in-house have deep subject-matter expertise. Although the Institute of Computing students has slightly affected because of pulling two of the IC faculty but the overall result is going to be what is expected.

With the above mentioned facts, I guess the administration made a wise decision to finally patronize our own; although I cannot say that the overall system is successful since it is too early to conclude. Utilized the resources we have. I am sure that we are certainly aware of the recession, so maybe the USeP officials has find ways to at least lessen its impact in the university. The administration must continually handle wisely the challenges in the present situation of our economy especially that the quality of the academe’s performance is largely affected by how well the administration handles these certain challenges. Although in today’s technology, most companies recognize many advantages of buying software applications outside rather than developing them in-house, the University of Southeastern Philippines should give chance in-housing since custom built applications are still very much important in the university. The policies, procedural methodologies, and accomplishments should be regularly measured to not only justify the existence of the department, but also provide adequate pressures and performance incentives. The University of Southeastern Philippines should stop trying to avoid in-house software development. Packaged apps don't work right out of the box, and relying on them alone gets you mediocrity at best. To break away from the pack, extend applications with custom code.

The benefits of making the most of in-house resources will hopefully allow the University of Southeastern Philippines to continually implement innovative and pioneering programs and project vital in the achievement of its endeavors.

Reflection: Consultation

2009-03-24T19:45:00.001-07:00

Data flow diagram of USEP's enrollment system
After several days and nights of brainstorming, our group has come with the idea of proposing an automated service tutorial done online. At first, we are having a second thought but later on, because of several encouragements from the group and the fact that we are running out of time we decided to pursue it.
Concerning consultation with sir, we have been to several struggles (he almost breaks our heart into the tiniest pieces) but it is all worthwhile… and I think I am starting to discover my potentials being a systems analyst someday..hehe..

Data Flow Diagram

2009-03-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

Create a Data flow diagram of USEP's enrollment system

Activity Diagram

2009-03-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

Using the same narrative as refelcted in your assignment 4, develop an activity diagram and a fully developed description for a use case.

Assignent 4: technology is the biggest contributor to climate change?

2009-02-26T23:05:00.000-08:00

"When the life of people is unmoral, and their relations are not based on love, but on egoism, then all technical improvements, the increase of man's power over nature, steam, electricity, the telegraph, every machine, gunpowder, and dynamite, produce the impression of dangerous toys placed in the hands of children."—the diary of Leo Tolstoy (1828 - 1910)

"We know the science, we see the threat, and we know the time for action is now."
— Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), commenting on global warming
Technology is turned out to be a very important part of our every day living. The technology which is according to many authors came from the personal experience and the details of the techniques on how to manipulate them was developed by humans. These skills and turned it into what it is to date over many generations. The progression of the technology is seen in almost every aspect of our daily life. Just as what I said (based on my answer in our first assignment) we are using the technology because of many reasons in fact too many to mention. Among these reasons are the following: it makes our life easier by helping us in accomplishing our daily activities faster and accurately. I have read several articles about the benefits of technology and come up this idea: that technology is the artificial enhancement of human power. It makes us stronger and smarter. Because of the computers and many other gadgets of today (Internet is the best example) we can have the information in just a single click. The information that can be used in many helpful ways is at the hand of many people. Aside from the fact that we are obviously having the advantages of the technology, there are many who believes that technology is of no use and consider technology telling that it only makes things worse. Since the technology is considered to be the biggest contributor to climate change the following information could help us address this global problem.

As long as there will be people, they said that there will still be humans. As I mentioned above, the technology made us stronger and smarter, on the other hand many authors and demented community is finding out that the technology has now the opposite effect. Many inventions has terrified and paralyzed its creators and the benefits of our machines have caused social confusion and economic stagnation. At this present time, the technology as a great challenge. A challenge that needs to be solved before it is too late - climate change. Climate change is considered to be the greatest social, economic and environmental threat of this century. The earth is heating up. Manifestations of this trend are: heat waves and periods of usually warm weather, ocean warming, sea-level rise and coastal flow flooding, glaciers melting, arctic and Antarctic warming. The large changes brought by the climate change will have a big effect on plant and animals. These are because of people who don’t mind how big and serious the damage if they will continue to cut down deforests.
“Climate change is one of the most complexes, multifaceted and serious threats the world faces. The response to this threat is fundamentally linked to pressing concerns of sustainable development and global fairness; of economy, poverty reduction and society; and of the world we want to hand down to our children.” - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Like our own body, the earth’s atmosphere cools and warms but there are certain gases in the atmosphere that can trap and hold the heat in the atmosphere and influence the temperature globally.
Global warming is the most recent political issue of the day, and it now becoming even more pressing over the coming years or more.
The root cause of climate change is the carbon dioxide. Because human discovered organic matters from dead plants and animals that transformed into oil, coal and natural gas, the industry becomes rapidly growing because of the power it brought to the industry. According to studies, combusted carbon dioxide from fossil fuel is said to be a “great” contributor of the warming effect. During the first civilization varies about one degree Celsius and is predicted to rise between two to 4 degrees over the next century. The transformation is continually rising over the past years because of various reasons. The social harm, economic and environmental problem posed a very big challenge to the technology since it is the primary reason for this problem.
“Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human activities since 1750 and now far exceed pre-industrial values….”
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis: Summary for Policymakers), February 2007;www.ipcc.ch
Climate change has a very big impact globally. Losses from natural disasters are doubling every year and economic losses are estimated to reach about 1.5 billion. 2005 Conference of Scientific Experts (http://www.stabilisation2005.com/) said that the temperature increased may trigger the melting of the Greenland ice cap. Developing countries are likely to be the most affected which may lead to complication in problems relating to the reducing chances of access to drinking water, which will negatively affect the health of those that are living in poverty.
“The impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed – the poorest countries and people will suffer earliest and most. And if and when the damages appear it will be too late to reverse the process. Thus we are forced to look a long way ahead.”
Stern Review Report on the economics of climate change, HM Treasury, UK Government, 2006, www.hmtreasury.gov.uk
“The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: climate change presents very serious global risks, and it demands an urgent global response”
Stern Review Report on the economics of climate change, HM Treasury, UK Government.
“Human induced climate change – which results from increased ‘greenhouse’ gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere – is the greatest social, economic and environmental threat of this century. It’s a problem mankind has caused mainly through our rapid exploitation of fossil fuels, and it’s a problem we need to solve with our collective intelligence, creativity, and humanity.”

Climate in Earth is changing; this is according to scientific experts. Climate change is commonly known as global warming. There are many causes of global warming but the primary sources of this are vehicles, power plants, industrial processes and deforestation. The gases that are being emitted from the vehicles and other sources are being trap in the atmosphere. As these gases build up, you can think of this as a big blanket covering the Earth causing over-heating the planet and threatening our health, our economy and our environment. Also, burning of fossil fuels to power our homes create global warming pollution. Even us can tell and observe that the world is becoming hotter and hotter. Study shows that the world has now become warmer and warmer. This, according to research will continue if emissions of heat trapping gases continue to increase. The Earth’s ecosystem is at risk because the changing of the climate is changing the intensity and frequency of storms, droughts and fire, raising the level of the oceans and melting of the glaciers. Because of it, it is very frightening because human communities are at risk. There is much evidence that there are dangers posed by global warming.

According to the scientists, the major reduction of carbon dioxide emission is needed to calm down global warming and to soothe the economic, social and environmental system. This is the primary step to lessen the percentage of global warming but new studies found out that no matter how we control the emissions of green house gases, climate globally change inevitably due to the ocean’s slow response to warming. According to studies, even if we can minimize the present level of green house, the temperature and sea levels will continue rising in the coming century or more because of the delay response of the ocean to the atmospheric temperatures.
"The feeling is that if things are getting bad, you hit the stop button. But even if you do, the climate continues to change," says Gerald Meehl, a climatologist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado.
As I said and as all we know, the technology has opened us the door for many opportunities but we cannot deny that the result of changing the world are often complicated and unpredictable. They can include unexpected benefits, unexpected often complicated and unpredictable.
Though for me the technology and human will come to its end (and it is very near), we should at least help doing acts that can help in dealing and possibly get rid with the climate change problem. In my own little way, having this capacity as an IT student I can contribute to this great technology challenge by learning how to live back to the basic. What I mean is trying to minimize the use of technology that can cause a drastic change in climate. We should try to reduce using energy and personal emission of greenhouse gases. At home we can try frequently replacing light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs. Aside from the fact that it can last longer, we can also use less energy meaning less pollution. Another is by avoiding leaving the water running. It is always good to turn off the faucet when we are not actually using it. In other countries especially during winter season when most of the time they are using hot water. It is a big help if they should hand in hand cooperate in saving water to help reduce using energy. Soaping in bath, brushing your teeth, washing your hands or by doing some kitchen work like washing the dishes and many others. In our daily routine, we can actually help like taking a bath by doing shorter showers. Regularly cleaning air conditioner and other ventilating equipment every month or two not only maximize the system’s performance but also minimizes energy. Replacing old appliances like old refrigerators with newer energy sufficient models can also help reduce the carbon dioxide emissions. Locally buying produced food and merchandise, you can also help reduce carbon emission because the energy required to transport products can be lessen if more and more people will buy products within their community. Developing this kind of habit is good especially for future possible complications like food crisis and peak oil. By buying paper products that use recycled paper, the yearly percentage of carbon being emitted can also be cut because more virgin trees can be saved. Based on the studies, the third greatest contributor global warming emissions is the paper industry. Through recycling and good waste management, we can help a lot in saving the world. Reducing the garbage will also reduce the carbon dioxide emissions. Recycling is one of the best ways to join many advocacies that promotes recycling examples of these are reusing the plastic bags or paper bags. Let us support recycling by helping avoiding the use materials made from virgin materials. Let us recycle at home, at school and support programs related in recycling. I think we can use the energy that is available and harmless to the environment like using the wind power, solar energy, the energy from the oceans, combining heat and power, super-efficient homes, electric cars and many others. We can use the wind to produce energy but of course we know that it cannot blow constantly, we should to store the energy we generate for the future use. I have quoted from the site of grinningplanet.com (2008) the following information which I think is important global warning solutions: when cleaning around the yard, using reel-style mower is much preferred than power mower to reduce carbon dioxide emissions; using manual machines is good because aside that we are using it exerting less effort we can still have fun and at the same time exercise; planting trees and woody shrubs is another tip because they suck up carbon dioxide and also produce clean air to breath.

We could reduce the rate at which we add the carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by burning less coal, oil, and natural gas. We could adapt the ever changing temperature by changing agriculture and other human activities.

1. The two biggest sources of global warming problem are the cars and power plants. Today, more and more people are investing in transportation for them to reach their destination faster that is why, the emission of carbon dioxide a year increases vastly causing more pollution. The air pollution caused by the carbon dioxide emission from cars are collected in the atmosphere and is shut in heat from the sun causing the world to warm up. Many automobile companies are inventing more high tech vehicles for them to attract more customers and people making it difficult to cut the problem of air pollution. Also, since we are in the high tech era, it is very obvious that more and more industries are on the increase and the effect, more and more are becoming dependent on the power plant. Because of this reason many organization aiming to help the environment is finding many ways to find solutions to this problems. There is a good news according to research. We don’t have to wait for industrial, mechanical and scientific solutions to reduce the impact of these big offenders. Actually, solutions exists now to let us trim down the dependence on power plants and use of unpolluted transportation options. All we have to do is to start using and practicing them (I already mention some of it above). Here are 12 simple ways to save energy from AOL.com:
1. Change Five Lights
Replace your five most frequently used lights or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the Energy Star and you’ll use less energy, which means less pollution from power plants.

2. Heat and Cool smartly
Changing air filters annually, having your system checked annually and useing a programmable thermostat are all easy things you can do.

3. Put the Freeze on Inefficient Appliances
Get rid of old, energy inefficient appliances and replace with newer energy-efficient models.

4. Reduce and Recycle
Reducing your garbage by 25 percent will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,000 pounds per year. Recycle aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic, cardboard and newspapers can reduce your home's carbon dioxide emissions by 850 pounds per year.

5. Don't Give Energy Away
If you caulk and weather-strip around doors and windows to plug up leaks you can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,700 pounds per year.

6. Take the Green Way
Leave your car at home two days a week (walk, bike, take public transit or telecommute) and you can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds per year.

7. Buy Products That Have Earned the Energy Star
Over 40 different kind of products now carry the Energy Star -- the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency -- including lighting, home electronics, heating and cooling equipment and appliances. With Energy Star products you can save 30 percent on your energy bills (about $450 a year). For information on high efficiency appliances and other products, visit the Energy Star Web site (www.energystar.gov).

8. Slow the Flow
When purchasing a new vehicle, consider finding a car that gets more miles to the gallon than your current vehicle, and match the vehicle to your needs. The potential carbon dioxide reduction for a car that gets 32 miles per gallon is 5,600 pounds per year. To get more information about finding and buying a fuel-efficient car visit AOL Autos.

9. Make the Right Move
If you spend hours on the road every day to get to work you could save some significant time and money by moving closer to work and reducing your commute. The carbon dioxide emissions you save are icing on the cake.

10. Be a Turnoff
Turn off your TV, video player, stereo and computer when you aren't using them. Turn off your lights when you don't need them and you start saving within a minute or two. Prevent "phantom" energy losses by plugging these devices into a power strip and turning the power strip off when the devices are not in use.

11. Trim Your Load
When you do drive, keep your car tuned up and its tires properly inflated to save on fuel costs as well as reducing carbon dioxide emissions. A tune-up could boost your miles per gallon anywhere from four to 40 percent; a new air filter could get you 10 percent more miles per gallon. Take your roof rack off your car when you aren't using it for more savings.

12. Keep Your Water Heater Cozy
For a water heater more than five years old, wrapping it in an insulating jacket will result in a 1,000 pounds per year reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Keep your water heater thermostat no higher than 120 degrees F and you can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 550 pounds per year.

It may seem that there is no hope for the climate change and the green house effect and the temperature of the world will continue to rise, we should in our own little ways help in preserving the earth. For me technology and human will come up in the end – maybe sooner than we suspect.

"The feeling is that if things are getting bad, you hit the stop button. But even if you do, the climate continues to change," says Gerald Meehl, a climatologist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado.
By working now to minimize the heat trapping emissions of gases, we can reduce the degree of global warming and climate change. We should be more aware in adjusting and approaches to cope with the changing of the climate together with using and practicing the ways in cutting it down. Big and small changes can add up to make a real difference in the fight against global warming.
Sources:
[1] http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2008/01/article_0001.html
[2] http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7161
[3]http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/richard_tyler/blog/2008/06/06/a_5050_chance_that_climate_change_will_destroy_civilisation_this_century
[4] http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/chap3.htm
[5] http://www.ourcivilisation.com/signs/chap7.htm
[6] http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/page.cfm?tagID=135

Design Characteristics that Affect Customer Experience Using Organization Web Site

2009-02-26T22:59:00.000-08:00

It is undeniably obvious how the technology influenced the way we are living now. It has brought us numerous improvements and advantages that is why some would even say that they can not leave without it.

We all know that business is very important part of our society, and this is one of the several reasons why we should be thankful to live in this era witnessing and experiencing how the technology transform the activity that fuels the development.

The development of the Internet and E commerce has made a significant impact to us. In the real world where development is propelled by business activities, the Internet has developed into a world where business activities have become a very common but important event.

The intensification of hasty internet connectivity and millions of individuals that are engaging in businesses online e commerce in different part of the globe at any given moment has opened the doors for many to reach customers everywhere. Here, big and small businesses have equal opportunities because they can appear to be equal.

An e commerce web site offers enormous potential benefits to businesses whatever their size. The e commerce web site is the market place for e merchant and e buyers to meet. It is very important to know the basics and details on how to gain customers and potential sales even if you do not see them face to face. How can you make them feel comfortable as if they are shopping in the real world? Just like in the physical world, careful study and critical decision making is important in order to gain and make sure to guarantee a high yield e commerce site. If you are able to manage and design your e commerce web site, your business will surely rocket in the virtual world. So what is the benefit in having a good and e commerce web site to a business? According to an article that I have read, the following are some it:
1.) Access to a global market – as I mention above, the Internet allows businesses to access the variety of markets to gain potential customers around the world.

2.) Cutting out the middleman – now, businesses can save up to third part because they can sell directly to its end users

3.) A level playing field – here, even a small business can equal the big conglomerate in the virtual world. A newbie in a small business can show itself to be as professional and credible as its larger competitors

4.) 24-hour business – because you are in the virtual world, a business owner can accept payments online, through a web site. You are always open for business to customers even if your office is closed.

5.) Greater customer satisfaction – if manage well, it can be a powerful tool to build loyalty to customer. A web site can let the customer buy, look through, inquire, and follow its order because it is now traceable.

6.) Reduced marketing costs – you can reduced the cost and expenses in marketing through treating customers well with of course your strategy in keeping you ahead over you competitors.

7.) Better customer information – you can observe and get your needed information in building your strategic plan because you can look at closely with the details and buying habits of your customer every time they enter your site.

8.) Streamlined business processes – increasingly companies are integrating their business processes. Orders come in to their website, card details are processed, goods dispatched and stock re-ordered seamlessly, dramatically reducing the cost of each sale.

Upon knowing how an e commerce web site can help your business, it is surely worth spending your time reading this article. If you want to develop and venture online business some they, read the following information. What are the things you need to consider in designing your web site? From the articles that I have read, these are the following information:

According to some expert, no matter how significant or relevant your site is if it is very slow to download chances are your potential client might not stick around. In this very fast evolving world, people do not have a minute to waste. In this world where almost all people are in a hurry, the following can help your web site not slow up:

1.) Limit use of flash
During our Multi-media class, our teacher mention that in our present time, flash is no longer in the trend. Though flash is a typical example of style and definitely has a place in professional web design, it can cause the speed of your site to slow down. Besides, most of your potential visitors don’t have the correct flash player. Also, it can affect your search engine optimization efforts since it is not accessible in the search engines.

2.) Compress your images

Pictures and other images can attract your visitor and can affect the looks of your site. You should realize that it also occupy so much space when you create web design. It is recommended that you should compress your image or picture before putting it in your web. In this way you can reduce the size of your image by up to half of its original size.

3.) Clean up your code

You should be careful in cleaning up your code even if you are using HTML code because even the extra space and unclose tag can affect and can add the size of your file.

4.) Use thumbnails
Small pictures and images can be helpful in the design technique for e commerce web site.

5.) Switch to CSS

The most preferable code that most of the web designers are using now is the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). You can organize your code and can also save download time.

6.) Reduce server requests

Having different element of your web site from different server can reduce the loading time.

7.) Pay attention to page size
According to some professional web designer, the ideal page size is around 30KB. You should observe and keep in mind that big page size can slow response time.

Those are just some basic tips in designing your business web site. Since the aim of most business site is to give the best service to its clients, it is important to create and design the site that can attract and entice your potential customer. Many are looking for more advanced shopping cart features in order to them feel that they are like shopping in the real world. Here are some tips for your cart features that can help bring out the confidence and encourage sales:
1.) Payment Options

Since most of the visitors of online stores are using digital cash, your shopping card software must be able to process digital cash transactions. You should also consider not only those that are using credit card but also offer options such as PayPall®, Google® Checkout, checks, and/or money orders allows more people to feel comfortable checking out on your site.

2.) Site Search & Browse

Your visitors may need for a fast service. So there is a need for online stores to allow their customer to search for whatever product they may be interested with. In this way, they can navigate to categories to see its corresponding price, brand and etc. it is important to include a search feature on your site.

3.) Product Reviews

Testimonials of customers are important and can gain a potential impact on your sale. It is a way to encourage other visitor to try what others have experienced.

4.) Wish List/Registry
It is important in order to allow customers to save item online and return to it later. It is important to give additional features that can help your customer feel that they have a freedom in what they want.

5.) Real-Time Inventory

Keeping a careful monitoring on the available stock is important to make your customer aware that what they can see on the screen is accurate. In short, real time inventory management is important.

6.) Express Checkout
The check out process must be simple as possible making them feel comfortable not like in the physical store that you need to stand in the counter waiting for there turn to be entertained.

7.) Order Tracking

It is important to allow customers to track their order so that they may not be waiting in vain if there is something wrong.

8.) Special Offers

Having some new ways to encourage and entice customers is important just like in the physical store. You can give them special offers to gain their loyalty.

9.) Website Security

You should build an e commerce site with built-in SSL data encryption because security is very important in this kind of business. When you display SSL Certificate, customers feel confident that their personal information is protected.

Additional information aside from the above stated:

1. It is also important that when users misspell the product they want to search, you should be able to recognize it just like Google and other search engines and find some substitute in it. It is very important to inform your customer that they misspelled because the tendency is, they would leave your site and you will lose potential sale.

2. Providing user-friendly forms is recommended which encourage customers to fill in the forms. If you present form with large quantity of boxes, the tendency is that they will leave your site without completing the form.

3. A concise email follow up is important to make your customer aware of the confirmation. Make sure that it is in the form that your customer will not be annoyed by minimizing page that is full of advertisement. The recommended length is only one page containing only the information that your customer require.

4. Make sure that your shopping cart is designed to handle crashes so that when the costumer return to the shopping cart after he crashes happen, he or she can find it still intact.

5. The speed of the internet connection today is very fast changing. Quick download time is important; though broadband now is rapidly increasing there are still countries that were not reached by it. So better to designed it using HTML to reduce the download times.

6. Also, make sure that the image reflects the brand of your product placement. Correct branding is important and clean inviting look of your site clearly defined the reputation of it.

It is important to choose advanced cart features that help you sell and succeed online business. According to an article, e commerce shopping carts are just like engines that keep online stores running smoothly. As a merchant, you have to make sure that you will provide the needed information for your customer. It must make sure that the information is complete, clear and correct. It should be keep in mind that unlike the physical store that have real people to solve your customers problem just like maintaining the displays and many others. The web sites needs to provide quality information to satisfy customer needs. Remember that virtual stores don’t have real people to assist there needs and queries. It is critical to make certain that the information you provide and displayed is clear, concise and provide accurate up to date information. Anything lacking and less will make your sales decline. Providing them their needed and updated information (though it is very time consuming for the company), this will demonstrate that your have a great commitment to customer service. Another thing that you have to consider is the delivery times. There are those companies that overstate and exaggerate their delivery times. Though almost every body is in a hurry and customer may want it the soonest possible, you have to consider that we are in different geographic and demographic areas. You must address the issues regarding delivery times that suit you and your customer. You must inform her or him in advance how much cost that will be added to the original price though delivery time now is not a big issue anymore.

Having the needed technology doesn’t give you an assurance that you will succeed in your business. The above mentioned are just some of many suggestion to be taken in to consideration on how you manage virtual business, the important is, you are ready to handle and deal with uncertainties.

sources:
http://www.networksolutions.com/e-commerce/guide/ecommerce-shopping-cart.jsp
http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/solutions/customer_relations/article.php/3390731
http://www.stevearun.com/124/ar-001ar-ogwu-promoting-customer-sales-and-loyalty-through-web-design/
http://knol.google.com/k/steve-winnington/creating-effective-ecommerce-sites/mf86h2ycq1jd/2#
http://www.networksolutions.com/custom-website-packages/guide/web-site-design.jsp

Trust: Important aspect of successful electronic commerce

2009-02-26T22:56:00.000-08:00

“In the past five years, 1 in 4 Americans was a victim of identity theft making it America's fastest growing crime. Identity theft statistics indicate that this crime costs the government, businesses, and citizens of America billions of dollars each year.” – whitcanyon.com

“Arizona had the dubious distinction of being the very worst place in America for identity theft. The rampant fraud affected almost 300,000 residents last year. The financial damages totaled $147 million. Why did this happen? An investigation has been opened to answer that question. Called 'Identity Theft 911', this study wants to know why 25% of Arizona residents have fallen prey to identity theft in the past six years. Some possible reasons include lack of government action, the increasing market for methamphetamines, and illegal or fraudulent employment.” – (Weiss, 2008)

According to the Javelin Strategy and Research’s new report, identity fraud rates increased for the first time in the five years (2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report: Identity Fraud on the Rise but Consumer Costs Plummet as Protectionist increase, 2009)

These are few of the many reasons why many people still prefer shopping traditionally though the virtual world offer a much convenient way. Though the Internet has opened and skyrocketed the opportunities for business entrepreneur, it is not a guarantee that you will be successful in whatever you may want to venture online.

The information above is the concerns of online shoppers when making online purchases. According to an article citing TNS Research (2006), 87% of online shoppers are concerned about credit card fraud; 85% of online shoppers are concerned about identity theft; 83% of online shoppers are concerned about sharing personal information; and 77% of online shoppers are concerned about spyware.

Based on these facts, we can conclude that building trust in e commerce is essential. Trust is the key element of commerce in both traditional and innovative model. The latter needs much work and effort than its traditional counterpart because it solely relies on trust being created and maintained with the help of the digital devices and services.

These are the following information and ways I have research to convey trust on the Internet:

• Since many people are concern of entering information and confidential data across the Internet, digital certificate is the effect for ensuring e commerce security. Having a digital certificate in your web site makes online shoppers feel secure because it is a sign that you, the certificate owner is legitimate and is able to protect the sensitive data of your customers. You can only have a digital certificate after the certificate authority have thoroughly checked your company. Customers who see your post logo will trust you because they will know that your web site undergoes a thorough test and inspection process and that their personal data submitted will be encrypted.

• Many people are hesitant in doing shopping online because they do not know what the online merchant will do with their personal data because they may think that their information will be sold to email spammers and telemarketers. With this, e commerce companies can show that they take privacy seriously by displaying a seal that tells customers that the company practices a good privacy policy.

• An e commerce company must not only take care of security issues and assure other privacy issues but also prove that they deliver promises. A company must make sure that they are reliable by making sure that they provide an excellent service level.

• You should also provide a way to contact your business to know their concerns also.

• Putting testimonials from your customers is an effective way to gain your visitor’s trust. In this way, they will know what kind of product and service you have.

• You also need to let your visitors know how will you use their personal information and how are you going store it.

• A very popular and for good reasoning is the money back guarantee. It is a way to show that you do not have anything to hide and you are confident in your product or service.

• Providing a sample or trial of your product or service is also a wonderful way to gain visitor’s trust.

• It is also advantage if you have endorsements from another well known and respected organization(s) or person(s) that will help you prove your claims.

• According to John S. Rhodes article, the three primary factors about trust from a survey are: good content, simple design, and few grammatical errors.

• Well-written content is crucial in gaining trust. It is said that a trusted web site is driven by content other than design driven. Also the decorative graphics, animations and other “ornamentals” don’t seem to facilitate the development of trust.

• Grammatical errors have a tendency to cause a user to drive back and discourage them to bookmark. Well organizing and updating your web site frequently can improve trust to users especially if you provide them with the well-run materials. Many users easily trust those web sites that are easy to access and easy to search. Freshness of your content is also a great factor because fresh material is easier to trust than old materials.

• According to survey, people are inclined to trust web sites that are more usable.

• It is important that your web site is well designed and provide a user friendly environment that makes sure your visitors comfortable in the first time they visit your site. First impression is very important. You cannot convince your visitors face to face so it is important to have a good interface.

• In should be taken seriously that small things can quickly turn users off making their trust drop such as spelling errors.

• Even a minor grammatical error can deter a sale because a decrease in usability leads to decrease in trust. The risk that people may go elsewhere is high when there is a usability error.

• Make sure that your web content is audience appropriate and user driven. It is important to create the content first before the design. To ensure that there is no error, repeatedly test the content and design with users.

• Having a simple web site is important. It is advisable to make sure that your web site is as simple as possible using minimum colors and graphics. Organize the content effectively and be consistent from page to page.

• Aside from grammatical errors, beware of factual errors. Do not say something that is not true and don’t fabricate information.

• Give credit where credit is due. Provide links to sources and references.

• Updating frequently is important. Informing users of the last update is usually done at the bottom of the page in the footer area.

• Minimize the use of graphics. When using graphics be sure that they are appealing. Graphics should generally provide extremely useful information or they should present an idea not easily expressed with words.

• Be sure that there are no dead links on your site.

• Be sure that user email (especially user feedback) is responded to as fast as possible. An increase in response time is inversely proportional to trust. Also, be sure to utilize the power of your .sig file.

If you are serious about selling on the world wide web and being successful, your number one priority must be gaining your visitor’s trust. Without trust you won’t sale much and that’s really being optimistic. How do visitors know that they can trust a web site enough to buy? In this article I’ll show how to gain the trust of your visitors.

The first impression can be everything. Studies have shown that visitors can determine almost immediately whether they can trust you or not. Making it essential that you have good, clean and professional looking web design. The web design should be easy to the eye and easy to navigate. It should also load fast and require nothing to download in order for it to be viewed, such as flash and Java.

Provide your visitors a way for them to contact your business. Many visitors will look for this information, some don’t even realize they do. If you don’t provide it you are sure to lose sales. They need to know this information, just in case they need help or want to return the product or want to make a comment. You need to provide a mailing address, phone number and email address/contact form.

Secure Sockets Layer certificate is also important part of gaining your visitor’s trust. Secure Socket Layer is a protocol that sends encrypted data over the Internet. Secure Sockets Layer certificate shows that all information being transmitted on your web site will be passed on securely and is protected. Some people will not even think about buying from a web site that don’t at least offer this as an option.

Testimonials can be a wonderful way to gain your visitor’s trust in your product or service. Testimonials show that people that have bought from you are pleased with your product or service. Also, never make up testimonials, this can hurt you more then it helps because it’s not too hard for you to be caught in the act. This may lead people to believe that all your testimonials are fake and that you can’t be trusted.

Internet surfers are ever more looking at the privacy statement on web sites because of the fear of personal information getting into the wrong hands. You need to let your visitors know exactly how you will be using their information you collect and how you’ll be storing it. Visitors need to know if their information will be sold or shared with any third party and if you sale or shared the information with any third party, what information will you give out?

Also what security measures will you take to protect the information you have collected and how can they change or delete any of their information? It’s also a good idea to get your privacy statement certificate by an organization that’s well known and trusted. Most of these organizations make sure your privacy statement is fair to the internet surfers.

Money back guarantees are becoming very popular and for good reason, they show that you are confident in your product or service and that you have nothing to hide. It removes all risk to your customers and makes them much more likely to buy from you. Further more, remember to honor all refund requests in a timely manner without fighting with them. Just suck it up and give them the refund.

Provide a sample or trial of your product or service. This will allow your potential customers to test out the product or service before making any commitment. Some potential customers may have never got the product or service from you before because of the fear that it wasn’t what they really wanted and needed. Just like offering the money back guarantees, this too will show that you are confident in your product or service and that you have nothing to hide.

Today, according to study getting endorsements from another well known and respected organization(s) or person(s) will help prove your claims. The integrity and expertise of the person or organization endorsing your service or product also plays a role. Someone that’s consider an expert about one of your service’s or product’s subject would be better then someone that don’t know much or anything about it.

Though business owners are giving their best in protecting their customers, it should always be remembered that hackers and other people having bad intentions are also doing their best in using the power of technology in achieving what they want. Therefore, it is also important that every individual must do their part in protecting their identity. The following are just some suggestions to protect your self against identity thieves: every individual must be aware the business they are dealing with; ensure you are shopping at a secure Web site; beware of phishing e-mails that appear to be from trusted businesses; review privacy and security policies of the companies you do business with; do not use personal information for passwords; be proactive in protecting your security by keeping antivirus and firewall software updated; be aware that international security and privacy standards may be different; and check your credit report regularly.

In many cases, identity theft victims haven't done anything wrong, except place their trust in people who abuse or neglect it. Do your part to protect your identity by enrolling in a credit monitoring service. Use online banking to keep real-time tabs on purchases made with your accounts. If you notice anything odd, contact your credit card company immediately. Many of them have measures in place to keep identity theft damage to a minimum.

As the technology is evolving, it should always be remembered that thieves are also coping with this changes just like what is said by Judy Lin, the executive vice president and general manager of VeriSign, "With the increase in both the frequency and sophistication of malicious online activities such as phishing and identity theft, a fresh approach is needed to protect consumers as they conduct business online.”

Sources:
[1] http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/the-worst-identity-theft-scams-of-the-year-435665.html
[2] http://www.whitecanyon.com/identity-theft-statistics.php
[3] http://www.spamlaws.com/credit-fraud-stats.html *
[4] http://www.samport.com/news/press-release-online-fraud-hits-christmas-shopping *
[5] http://www.en8848.com.cn/Article/Ecommerce/Ecommerce/11747.html

Role of internet in enabling an organisation to obtain competitive advantage through B2B e-commerce

2009-02-26T22:29:00.000-08:00

The Internet has blow up into the world of opportunities and chances for the business entrepreneur. The Internet has brought us quicker communication with and allows us to access into specific market places we want. Through the use of email, putting resources of business at our reach (because today, it is now in our finger tips) and giving us a broad basis of knowledge and education, the Internet has created a very productive atmosphere for ecommerce and small business. The development of high speed internet connectivity and millions of individuals as well as businesses online engaging in online commerce all over the world at any given moment has opened the doors to reach customers everywhere. At the present, we can now see customers purchasing stock online, purchasing shoes online, purchasing prescription drugs online and many more. The Internet today is truly the hottest trend in doing business entrepreneur. The changing of strategy of modern business is progressively becoming more and more reliant upon online transactions. In the present day, doing business to business ecommerce (also called b2b ecommerce) has turn out to be a key feature for the marketing sales or strategy in many companies doing online commerce planning. It is widely believed to promise a radical change in the way that firms trade with one another. Business to business ecommerce applications are being promoted as tools that will enable producer firms in developing countries to reduce their cost substantially, thereby easing their access to global market. Gaining knowledge about this great potential market place is very significant for the ecommerce business as a technique to increase Internet sales.

Business to business ecommerce involves two or more merchants doing business with one another on the Internet. These merchants need to be online as businesses to be considered as doing business to business ecommerce. In our time, these merchants are doing and using the World Wide Web in they’re business to spread out and increase. The Internet provides an open global network and access to this network is relatively cheap. Internet based business to business e commerce help producers obtain better information on global markets and give them direct access to new customers.

There are many marketing benefits and advantages when doing business to business ecommerce. In doing a business, these are the following common activities: Finding customers through sales and marketing; Obtain quotations, negotiate price, specifications and contracts; R&D. Product (or service) development; Sell to retail and wholesale customers and through distributors; Inventory control including disposal of distressed inventory and demand intelligence; Qualifying customers to prevent rogue transactions; Procurement of raw materials, components and supplies; Optimizing business through negotiations with suppliers, distributors and customers; Manage IT Resources; Invoicing; Strategic planning; Project management; Managing finance, cash, debt and investments; Manage Human Resources (Staff); Manage Property; Manufacturing or performing services; and Warehousing.

Today that transactions are done online, so I have research some of the negotiations online to understand and appreciate how the Internet technologies enable the organization to obtain competitive advantages through this kind of ecommerce. Here are the following:

• Initiated through requests or offers; Buyers want something, sellers have something to offer
• Sellers respond to buyers by offering products or services at a suggested price
• Buyers respond to sellers by offering a price for specific products or services
• Buying and selling can be via open or secret processes and may be for a fixed time
• Specifications can be negotiated instead of or as well as price

There are also many features of business to business marketplace portals and these are the following: Registration of suppliers (or buyers in a demand marketplace); Suppliers offer products or services; Suppliers provide additional details to allow buyers to select (qualify) potential suppliers; Portal may provide additional checks to enable further qualification of its suppliers: credit, references, research; Portal offers mechanism for searching suppliers; May include public or secret forms of offer (bids, prices, estimates); Marketplace may hold deposits or payment on behalf of the buyer (escrow) until the seller releases goods or meets a delivery milestone; May support contractual elements of transactions providing audit trail for purchase orders and invoicing; May aggregate demand from multiple buyers; Relationships may be short term or the basis for on-going trade; Portals may charge fees to buyers or suppliers or a percentage of contracts negotiated; and Marketplaces may be created independently or within existing industry relationships.

Aside from the list that I have mention above, there are also ways in generating new ways in communication channels for on going relationships and these are the following: ordering; invoicing; shared planning, product development and problem solving; reducing errors in communication; enabling just in time, JIT, ordering or shipping and moving warehousing costs to your suppliers; enabling distributors and customers to your marketing for you; and making it harder for your competitors to work with your suppliers.

The following are some of it:

1. It reduces costs – ordering and searching for raw materials online significantly reduces the costs of purchasing them. Many businesses prefer the “virtual” world that offers online sales of parts and materials. According to them, a company using the Internet sellers that supply this parts or supplies function can reduce the cost to one third.

2. It improves the marketing and sale of parts, materials, or products – doing ‘window shopping’ for parts, materials or resale products becomes tremendously easy so many buyers for companies and online merchants are on the Internet. You can get and compare the information about prices, features, delivery procedures and other useful information easily so you can guarantee that you have and get the best on what you need at the lowest possible price by means of internet commerce.
3. High efficiency – today, orders costing millions or even billions can be performed at the click of a button by the use of an Internet commerce software program in a matter of seconds which is formerly done over months.

4. No inventory worries – since the transactions are given online and goes directly to an e commerce server, all the needed information of having some verification of the needed material or product and its transportation is clearly traceable. Today, easy delivery proof is very easy because of the Internet e commerce functionality.

5. Supplying business to business e commerce is a great way to help businesses save money, effort and time. It is very ideal for those companies that are very demanding in deadlines.

6. Maximize company profit and reduce turnover time greatly.

7. Outsourcing the unprofitable parts of your business.

8. Speeding up your product development activities – reducing time to market

9. Improved business and market intelligence. Understanding your market better than your competitors.

10. Cloning your business in further market – according to many studies and researches, there are many successful establishments and companies doing traditional businesses experiencing difficulties in translating their reputation to the virtual podium the web offers.

11. Improving the speed of communication – as mention above, the Internet has provided a cheaper and faster way of communication in both the merchants and the potential customers.

12. Facilitating communication between your customers and suppliers – with the aid of the Internet, both parties (may it be situated in different part of the globe) can communicate and exchange though and concerns in real time.

13. Reducing wastage through additional sales channels – the waste can be reduce because in virtual world, you can have unlimited customers viewing your web site which possibly means more sales.

14. Improved ability to experiment and learn – you can test and study every customer visiting your web site. Example placing security logo in different areas of the page was discovered to affect the sales. Many examiners believed that testing is the key to success. They said that without it, you can’t be certain what impact the alterations you make have on conversion.

15. Higher customer retention rates.

16. Lower customer acquisition costs.

17. Reduced cost can be passed on in favorable pricing.

According to different studies and research conducted about this new e commerce application, they found out that e commerce opens new and cheaper access to global markets for producer firms. It strengthens the existing relationships between the manufacturers and global bargain hunters. It also reinforces existing power relations.

Though there are many benefits in doing businesses in the virtual world, we cannot deny the fact that it has also negative effects like in one study conducted which resulted that the developing country producers aren’t benefiting the business to business e commerce. According to them “..the use of the Web was being limited by inadequate and costly domestic telecommunication infrastructures and slow connection speeds. The use of Web-based applications might increase as ICT costs decline, but the costs of dealing with new suppliers and customers will continue to be high. Most of the B2B e-commerce activities of developing country exporters are not dependent on very sophisticated ICT requirements. However, cost-effective and reliable access to telecommunication and Internet services is required.”

However, though there are some drawbacks and inconvenience, the overall outcome of the online business to business e commerce is truly a success in the field of technology and business.

sources:
http://www.jonathanbriggs.com/other/b2b-e-commerce-lecture,390,AR.html
http://www.onlinecommercepro.com/business_to_business_ecommerce.shtml
http://www2.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/MS.2008.136

My SDLC in Life

2009-02-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

Developing software is far different in dealing the uncertainties in life. Unlike with the software, in real life, you do not know what lies ahead so if I were to choose between predictive and adoptive, I chose adaptive approach.

Realize my potential

Getting to know myself can help me in identifying my bad and ugly side. Thinking about the past experiences like the failures and accomplishments I had, can help me in discovering who I am and what does and doesn't work for me.

Learn

My failures and mistakes in the past can help me in moving forward and make better decisions from the lessons I learned.

Dream

Being honest on what I want in life by allowing my mind to dream and think big can motivate me in reaching my goal.

Never Give Up

To reach my dreams, I have to persevere.

To keep striving even when it becomes challenging.

Take action and succeed!

Many of us work hard to achieve our objectives in life in order to enjoy a comfortable and happy life in the future. While we continue to decide on what appropriate approaches we would like to use(whether adaptive or predictive) and other "how-to" in succeeding and prospering in life, the Lord God gives us this simple instruction - obey Him:

"My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring your prosperity."(Prov.3:1-2, New International Version)

in addition to obedience, God commands us to be humble and have fear in Him:

"Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life."(Prov. 22:4)

if we possess these qualities, the Lord promises us wealth, honor, and prosperity in this life.

worthy?

2009-02-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

Is it really worth? My answer is definitely YES. As far as the knowledge I learned from this prestigious university is concerned, our proposed system truly deserves...

That’s what I thought the first time I heard the question. I recall my past subjects and the learning from the inputs of our instructors and in my own opinion; I could say it’s not enough. From this thought, I realized that sir is right. Its time to try another challenge in life. In my own experience, I am always playing safe but still did not make it. Maybe taking risk can help me (and the rest of us...) in developing and discovering our hidden talents...

Anyway, we have been to many struggles in arriving this proposal. Supposedly we will be basing our proposal on the Legacy Company. Everything was final until the company withdraws in the last minute. With no other choice, we were forced to decide that Barangay System be our last resort. We also take into consideration the time allotted in completing this subject and were not brave enough to try another one.

E-Commerce to Satisfy the Demands both Gov. and Consumers

2009-01-26T22:49:00.000-08:00

We all know that the technology has lead, help and influenced us in every aspect of our life. It is very evident that we are now very dependent on the technology. In this new era, the technology has helped us in very fascinating way.

Million of years ago, when the population of human in earth is very little, there wants also are few and simple. As man advances his scale of intelligence, his wants also increases. Early people are limited to his natural way of life or the basic necessity such as food, clothing and shelter but as time goes by his desires increases not only the comforts and convenience but even the luxuries. Human never ends its wants and he is never satisfied so the demand of supply arises and realized mighty occupation over the nature and attains advances in the scale of his intelligence and high degree of improvement in character. One of the method or process by which human or peoples at diverse time supply their needs is commerce. There is no educated or civilized community generate all the supply or the things which it consumed. Part or portion of its basic needs are supplied and interchanged by other communities or districts. Sharing and exchanging supplies to satisfy its needs and demands is the start of commerce. It is very impossible to produce the needed products of people in one nation because abundant product or plant may not be abundant in other area. The continuous growth of the population and the growth of their needs is the start of the commerce and business as well.

One of the seen major components in the society of today is business. It is believed to be the activity that fuels the development in the humanity.

The communication process that relays information about a business entity to interested users is accounting. According to Wikipedia.org (2008), accounting “is the system of recording, verifying, and reporting of the value of assets, liabilities, income, and expenses in the books of account to which debit and credit entries are chronologically posted to record charges in value.

As I mentioned above, accounting starts when the demands and needs of people grow and it all started back in the earliest days of human agriculture and civilization. Accounting is a communication process that relays information about a business entity to interested users. Being the language of business, accounting must be as important in business as in society. The growth and strength of a business entity cannot be monitored properly without accounting, just as the development and stability of society cannot be pushed without business activities. As we are heading to the modern world, the area of responsibilities covered of accounting becomes complex and complicated. The development of Internet and E-commerce has made a significant impact on accounting, a development that makes more important role of accounting in business and society.

But just like in the world where development is propelled by business activities, the internet has developed into a world where business activities have become very common but important events. Buying and selling of goods and services from and to anywhere in the world can now be conducted through the internet. This phenomenon is what we call e-commerce.

Business, therefore, has moved into the Internet. Being the language of business, accounting has to adapt and still work to be the universal language of business even in the internet. This is the direction that adds to the challenge on the works of accountant.

As the business is becoming more complicated because of the emergence of Internet that is continually growing and evolving, the challenges that are being address to the government are also growing. "No single force embodies our electronic transformation more than the evolving medium known as the Internet. Internet technology is having a profound effect on the global trade in services," according to a White House paper in 1997 quoted in one article in answers.com (2008).

Just like in the traditional business, electronic commerce consists of buyers and sellers of a particular product and services over electronic systems such as Internet and other involving computer networks. The emergence of internet has brought a significant lift to the amount of trade conducted electronically. Fund transfer, supply chain management, internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collections are some of the variety of innovations in commerce.

Digitized processes are leading productivity since in gains productivity in processes that are less expensive, less time consuming, and more useful.Though it is convenient to use the technology in doing business, there are still many people that are in doubt of their security in doing business online and the risk in doing it in the digital or virtual world. It is true that using the advances in technology is very advantageous for the reason that almost everything is just one click away; there are still drawbacks in which your tough decisions is needed. Since the ecommerce, there is an entirely emerging new set of principles in commerce. There are drastic changes brought to us by technology in the electronic commerce and one of the issues related to electronic commerce is piracy. It is undeniably true that the technology enables us to use services for free (like software) without protecting against piracy. This is only one of the issues that are related to the new digital world of business that needs to have a solution in order to ensure security and privacy. Also, today the meaning of competitor and industry are changing. The emerging principles of electronic commerce are the following: first, is that the physical world is giving way to a place where information is abundant and face to face is limited; second, technology is giving things away for free; third, the meaning of competitor and industry are changing (your current and future customers and suppliers may be your future competitors); fourth, industries are blending and changing, and affiliation agreements allow for the creation of entire product cycles without the ownership of inventory or production facilities; and lastly, pricing models are changing.

It is advantageous to use the available technology that is in the market to put up your own business but there are many risks that need to be dealt. Just like in any phenomenon that resulted with the help of the technology, electronic commerce has also dangers and weaknesses. In one article that I read mentioned that in doing business on the web, legal matters are the first thing to consider. There are risks in almost everything and business is no exception. Risk in doing business is worth when you think that you can make huge revenue. Legal issues are very important to consider when starting a business on the web. The security weaknesses of the electronic commerce like the security intrusions, viruses and other drawbacks like inability to provide services because of some certain instances like attacks and the likes are the continuous struggle evolving technologies.

Piracy is one of the issues that set different challenges. Major threat to individual freedom in facilitating business activities and provide services. Solutions to many problems relating to electronic commerce are not “straightforward”. Because of the vast number of problems related to electronic commerce, government has come up laws that will protect us privacy and security of people to face the challenges and formulate solutions relating electronic commerce problems. The field of electronic commerce governs commercial electronic transactions, primarily those executed through the internet, drafting electronic contracts and user agreement is necessary. There are many laws aiming to facilitate domestic and international dealings, transactions, agreements, arrangements, contracts and exchanges and storage information through utilizing electronic, optical and similar medium, modem instrumentality and technology to recognize the authenticity and reliability of electronic documents related to such activities and to promote the universal use of electronic transaction in the government and general public. These are the following lists of legal services for the components of electronic commerce law: Legal and corporate framework and safeguard for business models; Drafting electronic contracts and user agreements; Internet Jurisdiction; Digital Signatures; Copyright infringement; online publishing; Electronic retailing (e-tailing); Online & email related defamation; Software licenses and various other technology-related agreements; Online content licensing; Privacy and data control issues in a changing legal environment; Liability risks in dealing with third party information; E-Commercial intellectual property basics: copyright, DMCA; Property rights beyond intellectual property: the right to control and protect one’s own computer and online system; Laws validating electronic transactions; Online contract formation; Attribution: identifying the parties; Domain names and their control; Website and online jurisdiction issues; Terms of service: access contracts, online site or service agreements and application service providers; Linking; Liability for informational content; Consumer law issues in e-commerce; E-Mails and evidence in e-commercial contexts; Structuring the analysis of tax issues in the e-commerce context.

In the Southeast Asia, the Philippines become only the third country with legislation to promote and protect transactions. The electronic commerce law addresses the significant legal challenges facing Filipinos who wish to participate in this wealth-creating global phenomenon. According to Philippine Internet Commerce Society, the Philippine Electronic Commerce Act (R.A. 8792) has given many benefits to many Filipinos who wants to venture in the new digital world of business. “First, it gives validity and legal recognition to electronic documents, electronic signatures and electronic transactions. Second, it facilitates the admission of electronic documents and electronic signature as evidence in cases of disputes. Third, it outlaws and penalizes unauthorized access to information and interference in communications systems (i.e., hacking, introduction of viruses and the like). Finally, it calls upon government to formulate and institute programs that are not only supportive of e-commerce but would actually get the government online. Many questions will be raised especially in the first months of the law’s implementation. This is an initial attempt to provide some answers to questions regarding to how the law was intended to mean. This will discuss many, not all, provisions of the law that we feel is the most important for the private as well as public sectors”.

Philippine Electronic Commerce Act recognizes the need for policies and programs to develop human resources for the information age. It also recognizes the need to organize and deploy national information infrastructure.

Section 3 recognizes the authenticity and reliability of electronic data messages, as well as to promote the universal use of electronic transactions. Section 4 apply that any kind of electronic data message or electronic message or electronic document used in commercial and non-commercial activities. Under also in this law, information shall not be denied validity or enforceability solely on the ground that is in the form of an electronic data message or that is merely incorporated by reference in that electronic message. There are many coverage of this law that in one way or another has protected us against potential violence and risk linking to electronic commerce.

The government is keeping it self up to date with the current events and trends to provide sound legal solutions to the future of electronic commerce and business conditions. That is why her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has signed a new law that will “establish a central authority responsible for compiling data from financial institutions, facilitate easier verification of a borrower’s creditworthiness. The newly approved Credit Information System Law (CISA) or Republic Act (RA) 9510, is created to provide information on the credit standing of persons and corporations. This law is believed to give electronic commerce a much needed shot in the arm for this market to finally take off in the country. “Tolentino noted that the industry group had pushed strongly for the approval of the CISA as early as last year, when it held a "networking night" during its national congress to raise awareness of the need to enact a law to create a database for credit information. The event featured Amado Tetangco, governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)--central bank of the Philippines--as the speaker because the proposed law then stipulated that the BSP should be the lead agency to enforce and implement the law”.

The government needs to be updated on the current events of technology and anticipate the future of electronic commerce and other internet and technology business conditions.

Sources:
[1] http://www.itecc.gov.ph/
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_commerce
[3]http://www.ecommerce-journal.com/news/12041_ebay_becomes_a_leading_marketplace_in_phillipines
[4] http://www.answers.com/topic/electronic-commerce
[5] http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62047922,00.htm

Assignment 3

2008-12-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

The most momentous event that I can think of is the World War II. Its not that I love conflict but the important innovations in technology it caused. According to an article, it was the largest and the bloodiest armed battle in the history. It has extended the entire world and tangled more countries than any other war to date. The war ruins the life of millions of civilians rigorously because of numerous and massive slaughtering than any pervious conflict existed. It is indeed a very terrifying and frightening time of history wherein bombing, massacre and mass killing of millions of civilians are every where.

War is very terrifying yet it is the way that led for the innovation of more sophisticated gadgets and other knowledge that greatly influenced the present technology. Not to mention that until now we are still finding solutions to the destruction it has caused like the diseases and the damages. As I mentioned above that during war, people developed the weapon technology (which include the ship and other vehicles) which paved the way of developing new means of transportation. It was after World War II that the diesel engines came into widespread use. Although much of the areas that have been developed during war are in the weaponry technology, transportation and travel opportunities increased. The result of this is another fascinating result of the war that is the evolution of the charge cards or credit cards as the way of life improved after the World War II. Although credit cards exist as early as eighteenth century it was only after the World War II become popular. The trading industry of “civilian” has been temporarily closed (I am emphasizing the world civilian because it is believed that war exist because of business) because of the risk during war but restore its operation after the war ended.

Summary:
The World War II has led the evolution and the development of charged cards or credit cards due to the the improvement of lifestyle after the war.

read more

Innovating fo the Better

2008-12-08T23:53:00.000-08:00

Think about yourself worthy to be called as IT professional, what innovations/technologies would you introduce/contribute to improve the quality of life.

As of this time, I still do not know when will be the time that I will finally be called a professional IT. I still doubt my capability if I can make it till that time since my knowledge in this field is not yet enough to face the real world of IT.

Today, information technology has become very familiar and popular to us. It is because it influenced us greatly in the field of computing and technology. IT professionals developed and executed array of responsibilities and duties. It includes managing data, networking, developing and inventing new computer hardware and many others. It helps us in constructing, controlling, conversing and disseminating information in which as a whole helps us in a great way. These are the reasons that though I am having difficulties in this course, I still want to pursue it (aside from the fact that we are experiencing a critical economic crisis). I wanted to become part of this technology. I want to be one of those folks that develop and invent technology in making life much easier.

As an individual living in this world, I am aware the flaws that is caused by the technology. Though it helps us in a significant way, we can not deny that it has also caused drawbacks. As a concerned citizen, if I were to develop a new technology I would prefer that it would be in the field of re-engineering new computer hardware.

It is very obvious to us that we have come to be heavily relying on high-tech conveniences from cell phones to computers. Most of us now think that we cannot live without it…The technology are very fast evolving and more and more people are going with this flow. Because of low initial cost of new gadgets (though we are struggling in economic crisis) many can now afford to buy on what is hot in the market. The rapid technology innovation has caused so much destruction in this world rising problems around the globe.

I think most of us now are familiar with the word “high-tech trash” (since many mention it in this assignment). Let me give some additional information for the convenience of my readers.. hehe..

High-tech trash or what is popularly known as e-waste is the result of the facts that I mention above. Because gadgets too have its limited life span, time will come that it will no longer be useful to us. As a fact, people around the globe were throwing millions of quantity of high tech equipment a year. Though we are having problems with garbage, this new trash can not be treated as other ordinary trash because this kind of trash can tremendously harm our health. Countries around the world are having a landfill shortage and dealing with e-waste added tons of burdens to the government for a reason that it cannot be dispose easily. Many articles mention that this trash is usually dump or exported to the developing countries like China and India. When treated properly, it can be a source of secondary source of materials because it can be sold again. Also, there is gold and lead in it. But if it will not be treated properly, a big possibility that it can be the cause of the end of the 20th century. Author Chris Carroll (2008) mention in one article titled High-tech Trash that “future archaeologists will note at the tail of the end of 20th century, a new, noxious kind of clutter exploded across the landscape: the digital detritus that has come to be called as e-waste”.

It contains the following list of substances and element: americium, antimony, arsenic, barium, bismuth, boron, cobalt, europium, gallium, germanium, gold, indium, lithium, manganese, nickel, niobium, lithium, manganese, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, selenium, silver, tantalum, terbium and etc.

If electronic waste can be handled properly, it is a valuable source for derivative materials. Demand is strong but the risk is very dangerous. As mentioned above, the markets for electronics have expanded because of higher reuse and repair capabilities. Demand is so strong in China, India, Kenya and etc. Many developed countries transport their waste to developing countries because of lower environmental standards and working conditions.

Trends in disposing and recycling electronic waste was implemented but is banned in landfills.

According to an article, Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist and authority on managing on waste at Natural Resources Defense council that the list of substances above can cause many toxicological effects that extend from the damage of brain to diseases in kidney to mutations and cancer.

It is truly terrifying to know that it is the fastest growing element of waste stream world wide. One of these causes is that the fast changing and upgrading of companies and individuals feeling that they may need to replace their existing computers as soon as a new one is out of the market. Thinking that they need to improve more gadgets faster can make them more competitive can cause gigantic upgrades of electronic waste.

The old computers and other gadgets that we throw in the yard will hunt us later. It is very frightening to know that it is spreading all over the world. Knowing these facts is indeed a very alarming. Managing our own daily trash is very difficult. Solving the ordinary trash alone is very tough to control how much more with this upgraded trash?

I am very aware that IT has played a very important role in this current era where the technology is truly dominating. It helps in a numerous ways and as what I have said; it can also cause negative aspect. Many believe that major source of troubles and dilemma in this world is the technology .. if it is so, then I can also conclude that it can also get to the bottom of this problem (I am referring to electronic waste).

Introducing a modernize quality of hardware in the future is I think the best way to help and improve the quality of life of the people and for the betterment of the ecology. The problem of electronic waste is that it can not be decomposed therefore it could be better if the hardware composition will be re-engineered and re-designed into a new one. A modernize hardware that can be rotten is the answer to this phenomenal predicament. This new technology will revise all the components of hardware like the elements of computers, cell phones, PDA’s and the likes. It will be replaced with an organic computer. It can be decomposed and can be recycled. It may be made with proteins and other organic life since it has also acids (like amino acids) that may replace all the components of the hard wares. Many believe that one reason of massive electronic waste is due to a planned obsolescence, so maybe in the future when a customer bought a particular product, he or she will know when will those products will retire in its service in a specific date. Even if there will be a large number of electronic waste disposed every year or even everyday, it wont be a problem anymore. It would be better if we should use and consider our environment in dealing and solving a problem corresponding to the technology problems. Problems arising that links to the environment is I think can be work out if we will use natural resources in applying methods of solutions relating to this kind of problems. Maybe we should use methods and implementations back to basic.

I have read articles which I think is related to my idea and among the information I learned is that it is very possible to develop this kind of technology!! At present, many studies and projects are being done and develop in order for it to be acknowledged and realized.

This technology is what they call organic computing. According to Wikipedia.org, organic computing is “a form of biologically-inspired computing with organic properties”. It has emerged (according to this article) as a challenge for the vision of developing the future of information processing systems. It is based on the idea that will soon be surrounded with wide collected works of autonomous systems. As of today, there are a lot of studies and researches that are prioritizing this kind of technology in fact (according again to Wikipedia.org) that computer systems are already being undertaken and among the current research studies focused on areas like adapting, re configuration, emergence of new properties and self-organization. Another definition is that it is a research field that considers any specific issues can be tackled in scientific way. The idea and concepts of this study does not rely on the algorithmic division of labor but on the process of progression, advancement, and self-organization, adaptation, knowledge, instructing and goal orientation.

In the future, the basic components of computing systems and other tremendous capabilities of computing systems which contains with highly toxicological effects will be replaced with the organic materials. Since many and many problems arise related in the rapid growth of technology, adapting organic computing is inevitable because of the current condition of its environment. These new technology is very advantageous because it is adaptable, vigorous and is able to adapt the user’s needs.

If that time will come, the problem of electronic waste will come to its end. The traditional way of waste management can be applicable and can be used to all trashes that may be produced because electronic gadgets can be decomposed and can be disposed easily.

Since many research studies and projects are dedicated in this area, it is very possible that when the time comes that I will be a professional IT, who knows I will be one of those that will continue and make it to be available in the market. Knowing these facts, I am very much willing to join these studies in developing this kind of technology. I just hope that our government will support this kind of projects that is truly a benefit to each and every one of us. We should be aware and concerned of what is happening in our environment now. We know that a technology helps us in improving our life and is of great benefit to human. We are very enthusiastic in adapting new technologies but do not mind its negative effects. We should develop and help in finding solutions in any problems that will probably arise. In the mean time wherein this technologies (organic computing) are not yet fully develop, we can at least lessen the harm of electronic waste by minimizing the electronic trash we disposed.

Today, many organizations and advocacy are being organized goaling to lessen these predicament. They are very responsive with regards to movements aiming for the benefit of our mother earth. I really appreciate those that are very willing to help many environmental movements aiming to reduce and handle the downside of the new technology. I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to contribute innovation that can truly help mankind. At present, it may appear and sound too difficult for this to be realized but as long as we are aware and responsive to the current imperfection of the technology, these for sure could lead to evolution to the current innovation.

Sources:
[1]http://www.computerpoweruser.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles%2Farchive%2Fc0410%2F03c10%2F03c10.asp
[2] http://www.hindu.com/seta/2007/03/01/stories/2007030100161700.htm
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_computing
[4] http://www.organic-computing.org/whatis/index.html

A Scream for me to wake Up

2008-12-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

I don't know how to start this thought of mine..it is very difficult for me to write this because up to this time i know i am not doing what is supposed to. I have been doing some reflection but up to this time, i am still having a second thought. It was Saturday when I heard the homily of our professor and it was like a boomerang to me..it hit me..

That homily will serve as a scream for me to wake up because I think i am sound asleep for several years..Though I have my personal reasons..mga ka dramahan of course..,I should still consider my parents and siblings as a big part for me to finally change.

Afraid of the Future?

2008-12-03T01:42:00.000-08:00

After hearing the discussion on our subject Future Technology, i am very surprise to know where are we now in the area in technology. We are now in the future...Man discovered and invented what is unimaginable in the past. From the simple traditional way of life into techy, complicated lifestyle. Though the primary reason for man in continually creating new technology is for the good, no one can argue that this innovation also has "side-effects". It has drawback..harming the environment. I am wondering what will be the world in the future basing on the current situation. It is very obvious that we are experiencing worse situation. I am very much aware of what is happening now.. I admit that I'm a little bit worried. I just keep in mind that though we are in the high-tech era, I still have God backing me up.

Why use Technology Today?

2008-12-02T02:49:00.000-08:00

The progression of technology can be seen in almost every aspect of our daily life. We used technology for a number of reasons and among these are the following:Make our daily life activities easier; Help us in accomplishing task faster and accurately and enable us to be more productive.

We are greatly influenced by our environment and with our peers. The typical way of living is changing because of the fast evolving technology and we need to cope up with it so that we will not left behind. There are drastic changes of the technology because of the trend which greatly influenced the people and the technology needs to answer these needs. Also, new ideas and new discoveries lead to the continuous innovation of the technology.

Ultra-Modern Waste Management System

2008-12-02T00:21:00.000-08:00

As part of our subject Future Technology, we are required to propose a new technology which we think can help in the future. I come up with this proposal: a modern system that can minimize some of the environmental issues.

As the population is increasingly growing the volume of garbage it produces also doubled. There are many movements regarding waste disposal and this proposal will be the future of waste management. In the future garbage can will have a built-in sensor that when it reaches to a certain level it will light green,yellow or red. Waste Management agency such as CENRO will have a software that can monitor which trash can is aready full and is ready to be picked-up. Cost of traveling will be lessen since there is no need of getting out and checking every can every day.

Many areas around the world are alarmed and is finding alternatives in waste management. Since we are in the high-tech era, it is also expected to have a high tech trash and no one can argue that there is a big trouble in tech trash.

Also, since many people do not follow proper waste sorting, ultra-modern garbage container will segregate automatically biodegradable and non-bio garbage converting these garbage to decompose faster. It can contain relatively larger volume of garbage because it will compact its trash. When it is already full, it will light red sending signal to the waste management office for them to pick it up.

SONA of PGMA 2008

2008-08-01T01:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Speaker Nograles. Senate President Villar. Senators and Representatives. Vice President de Castro, President Ramos, Chief Justice Puno, members of the diplomatic corps, ladies and gentlemen:

I address you today at a crucial moment in world history.

Just a few months ago, we ended 2007 with the strongest economic growth in a generation. Inflation was low, the peso strong and a million new jobs were created. We were all looking to a better, brighter future.

Because tough choices were made, kumikilos na ang bayan sa wakas. Malapit na sana tayo sa pagbalanse ng budget. We were retiring debts in great amounts, reducing the drag on our country’s development, habang namumuhunan sa taong bayan.

Biglang-bigla, nabaligtad ang ekonomiya ng mundo. Ang pagtalon ng presyo ng langis at pagkain ay nagbunsod ng pandaigdigan krisis, the worst since the Great Depression and the end of World War II. Some blame speculators moving billions of dollars from subprime mortgages to commodities like fuel and food. Others point of the very real surge in demand as millions of Chinese and Indians move up to the middle class.

Whatever the reasons, we are on a roller coaster ride of oil price hikes, high food prices and looming economic recession in the US and other markets. Uncertainty has moved like a terrible tsunami around the globe, wiping away gains, erasing progress.

This is a complex time that defies simple and easy solutions. For starters, it is hard to identify villains, unlike in the 1997 financial crisis. Everyone seems to be a victim, rich countries and poor, though certainly some can take more punishment than others.

To address these global challenges, we must go on building and buttressing bridges to allies around the world: to bring in the rice to feed our people, investments to create jobs; and to keep the peace and maintain stability in our country and the rest of the world. Yet even as we reach out to those who need, and who may need us, we strive for greater self-reliance.

Because tough choices were made, the global crisis did not catch us helpless and unprepared. Through foresight, grit and political will, we built a shield around our country that has slowed down and somewhat softened the worst effects of the global crisis. We have the money to care for our people and pay for food when there are shortages; for fuel despite price spikes.

Neither we nor anyone else in the world expected this day to come so soon but we prepared for it. For the guts not to flinch in the face of tough choices, I thank God. For the wisdom to recognize how needed you are, I thank, you Congress. For footing the bill, I thank the taxpayers.

The result has been, on the one hand, ito ang nakasalba sa bayan; and, on the other, more unpopularity for myself in the opinion polls. Yet, even unfriendly polls show self-rated poverty down to its 20-year low in 2007.

My responsibility as President is to take care to solve the problems we are facing now and to provide a vision and direction for how our nation should advance in the future.

Many in this great hall live privileged lives and exert great influence in public affairs. I am accessible to you, but I spend time every day with the underprivileged and under represented who cannot get a grip on their lives in the daily, all-consuming struggle to make ends meet.

Nag-aalala ako para sa naka-aawang maybahay na pasan ang pananagutan para sa buong pamilya. Nag-aalala ako para sa magsasakang nasa unang hanay ng pambansang produksyon ng pagkain ngunit nagsisikap pakanin ang pamilya. I care for hardworking students soon to graduate and wanting to see hope of good job and a career prospect here at home.

Nag-aalala ako para sa 41-year old na padre de pamilya na di araw-araw ang trabaho, at nag-aabala sa asawa at tatlong anak, at dapat bigyan ng higit pang pagkakakitaan at dangal. I care for our teachers who gave the greatest gift we ever received – a good education – still trying to pass on the same gift to succeeding generations. I care for our OFWs, famed for their skill, integrity and untiring labor, who send home their pay as the only way to touch loved ones so far away. Nagpupugay ako ngayon sa kanilang mga karaniwang Pilipino.

My critics say this is fiction, along with other facts and figures I cite today. I call it heroism though they don’t need our praise. Each is already a hero to those who matter most, their families.

I said this is a global crisis where everyone is a victim. But only few can afford to avoid, or pay to delay, the worst effects.

Many more have nothing to protect them from the immediate blunt force trauma of the global crisis. Tulad ninyo, nag-aalala ako para sa kanila. Ito ang mga taong bayan na dapat samahan natin. Not only because of their sacrifices for our country but because they are our countrymen.

How do we solve these many complex challenges?

Sa kanilang kalagayan, the answer must be special care and attention in this great hour of need.

First, we must have a targeted strategy with set of precise prescriptions to ease the price challenges we are facing.

Second, food self-sufficiency; less energy dependence; greater self-reliance in our attitude as a people and in our posture as a nation.

Third, short-term relief cannot be at the expense of long term reforms. These reforms will benefit not just the next generation of Filipinos, but the next President as well.

Napakahalaga ang Value Added Tax sa pagharap sa mga hamong ito.

Itong programa ang sagot sa mga problemang namana natin.

Una, mabawasan ang ating mga utang and shore up our fiscal independence.

Pangalawa, higit na pamumuhunan para mamamayan at imprastraktura.

Pangatlo, sapat na pondo para sa mga programang pangmasa.

Thus, the infrastructure links programmed for the our poorest provinces like Northern Samar: Lao-ang-Lapinig-Arteche, right now ay maputik, San Isidro-Lope de Vega; the rehabilitation of Maharlika in Samar .

Take VAT away and you and I abdicate our responsibility as leaders and pull the rug from under our present and future progress, which may be compromised by the global crisis.

Lalong lumakas ang tiwala ng mga investor dahil sa VAT. Mula P56.50 kada dolyar, lumakas ang piso hanggang P40.20 bago bumalik sa P44 dahil sa mga pabigat ng pangdaigdigang ekonomiya. Kung alisin ang VAT, hihina ang kumpiyansa ng negosyo, lalong tataas ang interes, lalong bababa ang piso, lalong mamahal ang bilihin.

Kapag ibinasura ang VAT sa langis at kuryente, ang mas makikinabang ay ang mga may kaya na kumukonsumo ng 84% ng langis at 90% ng kuryente habang mas masasaktan ang mahihirap na mawawalan ng P80 billion para sa mga programang pinopondohan ngayon ng VAT. Take away VAT and we strip our people of the means to ride out the world food and energy crisis.

We have come too far and made too many sacrifices to turn back now on fiscal reforms. Leadership is not about doing the first easy thing that comes to mind; it is about doing what is necessary, however hard.

The government has persevered, without flip-flops, in its much-criticized but irreplaceable policies, including oil and power VAT and oil deregulation.

Patuloy na gagamitin ng pamahalaan ang lumalago nating yaman upang tulungan ang mga pamilyang naghihirap sa taas ng bilihin at hampas ng bagyo, habang nagpupundar upang sanggahan ang bayan sa mga krisis sa hinaharap.

Para sa mga namamasada at namamasahe sa dyip, sinusugpo natin ang kotong at colorum upang mapataas ang kita ng mga tsuper. Si Federico Alvarez kumikita ng P200 a day sa kaniyang rutang Cubao-Rosario. Tinaas ito ng anti-kotong, anti-colorum ngayon P500 na ang kita niya. Iyan ang paraan kung paano napananatili ang dagdag-pasahe sa piso lamang. Halaga lang ng isang text.

Texting is a way of life. I asked the telecoms to cut the cost of messages between networks. They responded. It is now down to 50 centavos.

Noong Hunyo, nagpalabas tayo ng apat na bilyong piso mula sa VAT sa langis—dalawang bilyong pambayad ng koryente ng apat na milyong mahihirap, isang bilyon para college scholarship o pautang sa 70,000 na estudyanteng maralita; kalahating bilyong pautang upang palitan ng mas matipid na LPG, CNG o biofuel ang motor ng libu-libong jeepney; at kalahating bilyong pampalit sa fluorescent sa mga pampublikong lugar.

Kung mapapalitan ng fluorescent ang lahat ng bumbilya, makatitipid tayo ng lampas P2 billion.

Sa sunod na katas ng VAT, may P1 billion na pambayad ng kuryente ng mahihirap; kalahating bilyon para sa matatandang di sakop ng SSS o GSIS; kalahating bilyong kapital para sa pamilya ng mga namamasada; kalahating bilyon upang mapataas ang kakayahan at equipment ng mga munting ospital sa mga lalawigan. At para sa mga kalamidad, angkop na halaga.

We released P1 billion for the victims of typhoon Frank. We support a supplemental Western Visayas calamity budget from VAT proceeds, as a tribute to the likes of Rodney Berdin, age 13, of Barangay Rombang, Belison, Antique, who saved his mother, brother and sister from the raging waters of Sibalom River .

Mula sa buwang ito, wala nang income tax ang sumusweldo ng P200,000 o mas mababa sa isang taon – P12 billion na bawas-buwis para sa maralita at middle class. Maraming salamat, Congress.

Ngayong may P32 na commercial rice, natugunan na natin ang problema sa pagkain sa kasalukuyan. Nagtagumpay tayo dahil sa pagtutulungan ng buong bayan sa pagsasaka, bantay-presyo at paghihigpit sa price manipulation, sa masipag na pamumuno ni Artie Yap.

Sa mga LGU at religious groups na tumutulong dalhin ang NFA rice sa mahihirap, maraming salamat sa inyo.

Dahil sa subsidy, NFA rice is among the region’s cheapest. While we can take some comfort that our situation is better than many other nations, there is no substitute for solving the problem of rice and fuel here at home. In doing so, let us be honest and clear eyed – there has been a fundamental shift in global economics. The price of food and fuel will likely remain high. Nothing will be easy; the government cannot solve these problems over night. But, we can work to ease the near-term pain while investing in long-term solutions.

Since 2001, new irrigation systems for 146,000 hectares, including Malmar in Maguindanao and North Cotabato, Lower Agusan, Casecnan and Aulo in Nueva Ecija, Abulog-Apayao in Cagayan and Apayao, Addalam in Quirino and Isabela, among others, and the restoration of old systems on another 980,000 hectares have increased our nation’s irrigated land to a historic 1.5 million hectares.

Edwin Bandila, 48 years old, of Ugalingan, Carmen, North Cotabato , cultivated one hectare and harvested 35 cavans. Thirteen years na ginawa iyong Malmar. In my first State of the Nation Address, sabi ko kung hindi matapos iyon sa Setyembre ay kakanselahin ko ang kontrata, papapasukin ko ang engineering brigade, natapos nila. With Malamar, now he cultivates five hectares and produces 97 cavans per hectare. Mabuhay, Edwin! VAT will complete the San Roque-Agno River project.

The Land Bank has quadrupled loans for farmers and fisherfolk. That is fact not fiction. Check it. For more effective credit utilization, I instructed DA to revitalize farmers cooperatives.

We are providing seeds at subsidized prices to help our farmers.

Incremental Malampaya national revenues of P4 billion will go to our rice self-sufficiency program.

Rice production since 2000 increased an average of 4.07% a year, twice the population growth rate. By promoting natural planning and female education, we have curbed population growth to 2.04% during our administration, down from the 2.36 in the 1990’s, when artificial birth control was pushed. Our campaign spreads awareness of responsible parenthood regarding birth spacing. Long years of pushing contraceptives made it synonymous to family planning. Therefore informed choice should mean letting more couples, who are mostly Catholics, know about natural family planning.

From 1978 to 1981, nag-export tayo ng bigas. Hindi tumagal. But let’s not be too hard on ourselves. Panahon pa ng Kastila bumibili na tayo ng bigas sa labas. While we may know how to grow rice well, topography doesn’t always cooperate.

Nature did not gift us with a mighty Mekong like Thailand and Vietnam , with their vast and naturally fertile plains. Nature instead put our islands ahead of our neighbours in the path of typhoons from the Pacific. So, we import 10% of the rice we consume.

To meet the challenge of today, we will feed our people now, not later, and help them get through these hard times. To meet the challenges of tomorrow, we must become more self-reliant, self-sufficient and independent, relying on ourselves more than on the world.

Now we come to the future of agrarian reform.

There are those who say it is a failure, that our rice importations prove it. There are those who say it is a success—if only because anything is better than nothing. Indeed, people are happier owning the land they work, no matter what the difficulties.

Sa SONA noong 2001, sinabi ko, bawat taon, mamamahagi tayo ng dalawang daang libong ektarya sa reporma sa lupa: 100,000 hectares of private farmland and 100,000 of public farmland, including ancestral domains. Di hamak mahigit sa target ang naipamahagi natin sa nakaraang pitong taon: 854,000 hectares of private farmland, 797,000 of public farmland, and Certificates of Ancestral Domain for 525,000 hectares. Including, over a 100,000 hectares for Bugkalots in Quirino, Aurora, and Nueva Vizcaya. After the release of their CADT, Rosario Camma, Bugkalot chieftain, and now mayor of Nagtipunan, helped his 15,000-member tribe develop irrigation, plant vegetables and corn and achieve food sufficiency. Mabuhay, Chief!

Agrarian reform should not merely subdivide misery, it must raise living standards. Ownership raises the farmer from his but productivity will keep him on his feet.

Sinimula ng aking ama ang land reform noong 1963. Upang mabuo ito, the extension of CARP with reforms is top priority. I will continue to do all I can for the rural as well as urban poor. Ayaw natin na paglaya ng tenant sa landlord, mapapasa-ilalim naman sa usurero. Former tenants must be empowered to become agribusinessmen by allowing their land to be used as collateral.

Dapat mapalaya ng reporma sa lupa ang magsasaka sa pagiging alipin sa iba. Dapat bigyan ang magsasaka ng dangal bilang taong malaya at di hawak ninuman. We must curb the recklessness that gives land without the means to make it productive and bites off more than beneficiaries can chew.

At the same time, I want the rackets out of agrarian reform: the threats to take and therefore undervalue land, the conspiracies to overvalue it.

Be with me on this. There must be a path where justice and progress converge. Let us find it before Christmas. Dapat nating linisin ang landas para sa mga ibig magpursige sa pagsasaka, taglay ang pananalig na ang lupa ay sasagip sa atin sa huli kung gamitin natin ito nang maayos.

Along with massive rice production, we are cutting costs through more efficient transport. For our farm-to-market roads, we released P6 billion in 2007.

On our nautical highways. RORO boats carried 33 million metric tons of cargo and 31 million passengers in 2007. We have built 39 RORO ports during our administration, 12 more are slated to start within the next two years. In 2003, we inaugurated the Western Nautical Highway from Batangas through Mindoro, Panay and Negros to Mindanao . This year we launched the Central Nautical Highway from Bicol mainland, through Masbate, Cebu, Bohol and Camiguin to Mindanao mainland. These developments strengthen our competitiveness.

Leading multinational company Nestle cut transport costs and offset higher milk prices abroad. Salamat, RORO. Transport costs have become so reasonable for bakeries like Gardenia, a loaf of its bread in Iloilo is priced the same as in Laguna and Manila . Salamat muli sa RORO.

To the many LGUs who have stopped collecting fees from cargo vehicles, maraming, maraming salamat.

We are repaving airports that are useful for agriculture, like Zamboanga City Airport .

Producing rice and moving it cheaper addresses the supply side of our rice needs. On the demand side, we are boosting the people’s buying power.

Ginagawa nating labor-intensive ang paggawa at pag-ayos ng kalsada at patubig. Noong SONA ng 2001, naglunsad tayo sa NCR ng patrabaho para sa 20,000 na out of school youth, na tinawag OYSTER. Ngayon, mahigit 20,000 ang ineempleyo ng OYSTER sa buong bansa. In disaster-stricken areas, we have a cash-for-work program.

In training, 7.74 million took technical and vocational courses over the last seven years, double the number in the previous 14 years. In 2007 alone, 1.7 million graduated. Among them are Jessica Barlomento now in Hanjin as supply officer, Shenve Catana, Marie Grace Comendador, and Marlyn Tusi, lady welders, congratulations.

In microfinance, loans have reached P102 billion or 30 times more than the P3 billion we started with in 2001, with a 98% repayment record, congratulations! Major lenders include the Land Bank with P69 billion, the Peoples’ Credit and Finance Corporation P8 billion, the National Livelihood Support Fund P3 billion, DBP P1 billion and the DSWD’s SEA-K P800 million. For partnering with us to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit, thank you, Go Negosyo and Joey Concepcion.

Upland development benefits farmers through agro-forestry initiatives. Rubber is especially strong in Zamboanga Sibugay and North Cotabato . Victoria Mindoro, 56 years old, used to earn P5,000 a month as farmer and factory worker. Now she owns 10 hectares in the Goodyear Agrarian Reform Community in Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay, she earns P10,000 a week. With one hectare, Pedro and Concordia Faviolas of Makilala, North Cotabato , they sent their six children to college, bought two more hectares, and earn P15,000 a month. Congratulations!

Jatropha estates are starting in 900 hectares in and around Tamlang Valley in Negros Oriental; 200 in CamSur; 300 in GenSan, 500 in Fort Magsaysay near the Cordero Dam and 700 in Samar , among others.

In our 2006 SONA, our food baskets were identified as North Luzon and Mindanao .

The sad irony of Mindanao as food basket is that it has some of the highest hunger in our nation. It has large fields of high productivity, yet also six of our ten poorest provinces.

The prime reason is the endless Mindanao conflict. A comprehensive peace has eluded us for half a century. But last night, differences on the tough issue of ancestral domain were resolved. Yes, there are political dynamics among the people of Mindanao . Let us sort them out with the utmost sobriety, patience and restraint. I ask Congress to act on the legislative and political reforms that will lead to a just and lasting peace during our term of office.

The demands of decency and compassion urge dialogue. Better talk than fight, if nothing of sovereign value is anyway lost. Dialogue has achieved more than confrontation in many parts of the world. This was the message of the recent World Conference in Madrid organized by the King of Saudi Arabia, and the universal message of the Pope in Sydney .

Pope Benedict’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est reminds us: “There will always be situations of material need where help in the form of concrete love for neighbour is indispensable.”

Pinagsasama-sama natin ang mga programa ng DSWD, DOH, GSIS, SSS at iba pang lumalaban sa kahirapan sa isang National Social Welfare Program para proteksyonan ang pinaka-mahihirap mula sa pandaigdigang krisis, and to help those whose earnings are limited by illness, disability, loss of job, age and so on—through livelihood projects, microfinance, skills and technology transfer, emergency and temporary employment, pension funds, food aid and cash subsidies, child nutrition and adult health care, medical missions, salary loans, insurance, housing programs, educational and other savings schemes, and now cheaper medicine—Thanks to Congress.

The World Bank says that in Brazil , the income of the poorest 10% has grown 9% per year versus the 3% for the higher income levels due in large part to their family stipend program linking welfare checks to school attendance. We have introduced a similar program, Pantawid Pamilya.

Employers have funded the two increases in SSS benefits since 2005. Thank you, employers for paying the premiums.

GSIS pensions have been indexed to inflation and have increased every year since 2001. Its salary loan availments have increased from two months equivalent to 10 months, the highest of any system public or private—while repayments have been stretched out.

Pag-Ibig housing loans increased from P3.82 billion in 2001 to P22.6 billion in 2007. This year it experienced an 84% increase in the first four months alone. Super heating na. Dapat dagdagan ng GSIS at buksan muli ng SSS ang pautang sa pabahay. I ask Congress to pass a bill allowing SSS to do housing loans beyond the present 10% limitation.

Bago ako naging Pangulo, isa’t kalahating milyong maralita lamang ang may health insurance. Noong 2001, sabi natin, dadagdagan pa ng kalahating milyon. Sa taong iyon, mahigit isang milyon ang nabigyan natin. Ngayon, 65 milyong Pilipino na ang may health insurance, mahigit doble ng 2000, kasama ang labinlimang milyong maralita. Philhealth has paid P100 billion for hospitalization. The indigent beneficiaries largely come from West and Central Visayas, Central Luzon , and Ilocos. Patuloy nating palalawakin itong napaka-importanted programa, lalo na sa Tawi-Tawi, Zambo Norte, Maguindanao, Apayao, Dinagat, Lanao Sur, Northern Samar, Masbate , Abra and Misamis Occidental. Lalo na sa kanilang mga magsasaka at mangingisda.

In these provinces and in Agusan Sur, Kalinga, Surigao Sur and calamity-stricken areas, we will launch a massive school feeding program at P10 per child every school day.

Bukod sa libreng edukasyon sa elementarya at high school, nadoble ang pondo para sa mga college scholarships, while private high school scholarship funds from the government have quadrupled.

I have started reforming and clustering the programs of the DepEd, CHED and TESDA.

As with fiscal and food challenges, the global energy crunch demands better and more focused resource mobilization, conservation and management.

Government agencies are reducing their energy and fuel bills by 10%, emulating Texas Instruments and Philippine Stock Exchange who did it last year. Congratulations, Justice Vitug and Francis Lim.

To reduce power system losses, we count on government regulators and also on EPIRA amendments.

We are successful in increasing energy self-sufficiency—56%, the highest in our history. We promote natural gas and biofuel; geothermal fields, among the world’s largest; windmills like those in Ilocos and Batanes; and the solar cells lighting many communities in Mindanao. The new Galoc oil field can produce 17,000-22,000 barrels per day, 1/12 of our crude consumption.

The Renewable Energy Bill has passed the House. Thank you, Congressmen.

Our costly commodity imports like oil and rice should be offset by hard commodities exports like primary products, and soft ones like tourism and cyberservices, at which only India beats us.

Our P 350 million training partnership with the private sector should qualify 60,000 for call centers, medical transcription, animation and software development, which have a projected demand of one million workers generating $13 billion by 2010.

International finance agrees with our progress. Credit rating agencies have kept their positive or stable outlook on the country. Our world competitiveness ranking rose five notches. Congratulations to us.

We are sticking to, and widening, the fiscal reforms that have earned us their respect.

To our investors, thank you for your valuable role in our development. I invite you to invest not only in factories and services, but in profitable infrastructure, following the formula for the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

I ask business and civil society to continue to work for a socially equitable, economically viable balance of interests. Mining companies should ensure that host communities benefit substantively from their investments, and with no environmental damage from operations.

Our administration enacted the Solid Waste Management Act, Wildlife Act, Protection of Plant Varieties, Clean Water Act, Biofuels Act and various laws declaring protected areas.

For reforestation, for next year we have budgeted P2 billion. Not only do forests enhance the beauty of the land, they mitigate climate change, a key factor in increasing the frequency and intensity of typhoons and costing the country 0.5% of the GDP.

We have set up over 100 marine and fish sanctuaries since 2001. In the whaleshark sanctuary of Donsol, Sorsogon, Alan Amanse, 40-year-old college undergraduate and father of two, was earning P100 a day from fishing and driving a tricycle. Now as whaleshark-watching officer, he is earns P1,000 a day, ten times his former income.

For clean water, so important to health, there is P500 million this year and P1.5 billion for next year.

From just one sanitary landfill in 2001, we now have 21, with another 18 in the works.

We launched the Zero Basura Olympics to clear our communities of trash. Rather than more money, all that is needed is for each citizen to keep home and workplace clean, and for garbage officials to stop squabbling.

Our investments also include essential ways to strengthen our institutions of governance in order to fight the decades-old scourge of corruption. I will continue to fight this battle every single day. While others are happy with headlines through accusation without evidence and privilege speeches without accountability, we have allocated more than P3 billion – the largest anti-graft fund in our history – for real evidence gathering and vigorous prosecution.

From its dismal past record, the Ombudsman’s conviction rate has increased 500%. Lifestyle checks, never seriously implemented before our time, have led to the dismissal and/or criminal prosecution of dozens of corrupt officials.

I recently met with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US agency that provides grants to countries based on governance. They have commended our gains, contributed P1 billion to our fight against graft, and declared us eligible for more grants. Thank you!

Last September, we created the Procurement Transparency Group in the DBM and linked it with business, academe, and the Church, to deter or catch anomalies in government contracts.

On my instruction, the BIR and Customs established similar government-civil society tie-ups for information gathering and tax evasion and smuggling monitoring.

More advanced corruption practices require a commensurate advances in legislative responses. Colleagues in Congress, we need a more stringent Anti-Graft Act.

Sa pagmahal ng bilihin, hirap na ang mamimili – tapos, dadayain pa. Dapat itong mahinto. Hinihiling ko sa Kongreso na magpasa ng Consumer Bill of Rights laban sa price gouging, false advertising at iba pang gawain kontra sa mamimili.

I call on all our government workers at the national and local levels to be more responsive and accountable to the people. Panahon ito ng pagsubok. Kung saan kayang tumulong at dapat tumulong ang pamahalaan, we must be there with a helping hand. Where government can contribute nothing useful, stay away. Let’s be more helpful, more courteous, more quick.

Kaakibat ng ating mga adhikain ang tuloy na pagkalinga sa kapakanan ng bawat Pilipino. Iisa ang ating pangarap – maunlad at mapayapang lipunan, kung saan ang magandang kinabukasan ay hindi pangarap lamang, bagkus natutupad.

Sama-sama tayo sa tungkuling ito. May papel na gagampanan ang bawat mamamayan, negosyante, pinunong bayan at simbahan, sampu ng mga nasa lalawigan.

We are three branches but one government. We have our disagreements; we each have hopes, and ambitions that drive and divide us, be they personal, ethnic, religious and cultural. But we are one nation with one fate.

As your President, I care too much about this nation to let anyone stand in the way of our people’s wellbeing. Hindi ko papayagang humadlang ang sinuman sa pag-unlad at pagsagana ng taong bayan. I will let no one – and no one’s political plans – threaten our nation’s survival.

Our country and our people have never failed to be there for us. We must be there for them now.

Maraming salamat. Magandang hapon sa inyong lahat.

Assign 5: How do you know if a piece of research work is good or not? how are they evaluated?

2008-07-21T04:04:00.000-07:00

There are many considerations in deciding whether a research is good or not. Among these considerations are the following: worthwhile ness, coherence, competence, openness, ethics and credibility. You can also consider a research good when it is original. Original doesn’t mean never been done but rather result from old questions using new techniques. According to the author of an article, a research is good when you get the right answer and can explain the research process.

Sources:
http://www.nctm.org/publications/content.aspx?id=10164 http://www.aallnet.org/products/pub_llj_v98n04/2006-42.pdf

Assign 4: What do you think is the role of research topic in deciding your future career?

2008-07-21T04:03:00.000-07:00

Research as implied, is an activity of human that requires immense intellectual application on the subject matter to be dealt with. Through choosing a research topic, a student is more likely encouraged and is therefore motivated to get the gist of his interest in his specialization. This actually mirrors a student's potential on overlooking things and analyzing contemporary problems. This would encompass a student's capability and capacity on handling and treating certain phenomena.

As a CS/IT student of USEP, what research topics should usually be address?

2008-07-21T03:59:00.000-07:00

USEP is known for having a quality and high standard of education. Anyone who wishes to study in this university must have a good performance, based on their record during high school. Of course, they should also pass the entrance exam and interview for them to qualify to enroll in a particular course. During the first year orientation, Ma’am Madrona told us that IC is home of “intellectual giants”. So being a part of IC is a great pleasure.

Being a part of the university and being an IT student, if I will make a research, I want a study that is related to my course and to my co-student. Maybe a study why students here spend more than 4 years in finishing their course or maybe, a study to find out why and what are the factors that cause for taking the course more than the required year. I think this will help to produce a productive and responsible IT professional that will also produce an effective and productive research in the future.

Assignment 2

2008-07-09T02:17:00.000-07:00

Based on the article that I have read, Mexico now has remarkably improved the quality and quantity of its computer science research. That is why, according to the author, researchers in United States have been very interested in the methods used by Mexico in improving their scientific competence.

Despite all the constraints, funding for example has been one of the major problem, Mexico still do well. Before, they lack researchers but because of their strategy granting a student with a loan and would be entirely forgivable whenever he or she would returned to an academic career within Mexico, their researchers have been finally enough for their needed human resource. There were many problems they encountered before they finally make it and were able to reach their current status. Bernat says “Computer science is not a field that can be ignored.”

The following are the technical topics discussed in the article:
1. Theoretical artificial intelligence
2. Image Processing and Computer Vision
3. Programming languages and Methodologies
4. Distributed and Cooperative Computing
5. General IT consulting
6. Human Resources training
7. Direct Government Support

Reference: http://www.cra.org/CRN/articles/sept02/bernat.html

2008-06-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Report 1:

Medical Informatics: You're in Good Health

Humans are said to be imperfect. But for doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other medical professionals, they should be perfect in doing operations and medical treatment because life is at stake during this procedure.
Medical malpractices are not new to us. We heard and read lot of this in the media. This problem is being addressed to medical informatics, "it deals with the resources, devices, and methods required to optimize the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine. Health informatics tools include not only computers but also clinical guidelines, formal medical terminologies, and information and communication systems". As the information is widely available and the technology is constantly evolving there is always the pressure to keep up with the latest development especially if its a new guidelines that will affect decision making. Medical informatics can assist health care in many areas: improve the delivery of services like laboratory test results; eliminate the need for routine paperwork; provide easy access to information; use handheld devices that will assist the physician in tracking patient date; exchange information that compiles with standards of decision support systems in healthcare.Though, medical malpractices can't be avoided(because we are only humans), it can be lessen using high-tech facilities and computerized systems.

Reference: 1. "Medical Informatics: You're in Good Health." Bato Balani 2007-2008:4-52. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_informatics

Report 2:

Warning: ipod Can Be Used as a Tracking Device

You never know when a gadget will be used in a malicious manner. The high-tech gadgets that is very popular this time can be susceptible to evildoers. An example to this is the Nike+iPod sport kit. Wherein the iPod Nano is more than just a music player. This device can be plugged with a receiver which communicates with the sensor fitted in the left sole of a Nike shoe.Nike+iPod system is designed so that the user can monitor their workout status. The sensor detects the feet's movement of the user while he/she is walking or jogging. The distance walked, as well as pace , time and calories burned are all noted by the iPod. The data obtained can be uploaded to the Nike+iPod website. A research found that any compatible receiver within an 18-meter radius can detect the signal transmitted by the shoe's sensor.The product is very good but I agree with the author that Nike and Apple should consider recontructing or redesigning their product to insure user's privacy and security.

Reference:"Warning: ipod Can Be Used as a Tracking Device". Bato Balani 2007-2008:4-5

Report 3:

Think Before you Click

Internet is very powerful and websites have various features to help people. An example is that it helps long distance friends or relatives to keep in touch with each other, meet new people and the like. Friendsteris one of social networking sites that allows user to upload their videos, photos, and blogs, chat, and participate in discussions.But a research found that there are dangers to online social networking. One reason is that it allows user to put online whatever info he/she likes but take note that is not restricted to a particular geographic area. It can be seen worldwide.We should not give or post any information that will help somebody track us offline. Even in posting pictures. Though, Internet is of great help to us, it can also be a way for dishonest and predatory people to victimize us.

Reference:Josephine Ann A. Aparte."Think Before you Click". Bato Balani 2006-2007:4-5