EmberData

Putting interest on education through games

fiShBoN3 — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:42:10 +0000

It has been a long predicament of the academe, the issue on how to make education more interesting to students. This is especially true when it comes to Math, Science, and English subjects (in our country). Students reject the very sound of these subjects. However, these subjects form the core of Information Technology Education (ITE) courses. A student must have an average academic performance so that he/she can survive any ITE course be it Computer Science, Information Technology, or Information Systems. One of the solutions being suggested is to put the lessons in a form of games. Students can play online but still learn something. But these games are still quite boring compared to RPGs. One of the many games introduced in our country is the board game called “Damath“. It’s a form of checker game but the difference is that the pieces have their corresponding numbers, and the board has different mathematical symbols. Whenever a piece gets “eaten”, the player is required to compute the result of the mathematical operation indicated by the symbol of the destination of the piece. Still, this game will be of interest to those with average and above average mental capabilities.

Through my daily surfing to the Internet, I came across this concept of teaching basketball through another form of game: BINGO. By playing BINGO, you will be able to orient yourself with the different concepts in basketball. The image below is a sample bingo card:

What if we can teach Math, Science, and English in this manner? Would it be advantageous or not?

Opening a Lenovo Battery

fiShBoN3 — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:07:37 +0000

After the tragic death of the battery of my Lenovo 3000 G410 laptop, I decided to explore on it. It’s already dead anyway and having it fixed is almost as expensive as buying a new one. To see the internals, click here.

Lenovo 3000 G410 Battery Died

fiShBoN3 — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:51:31 +0000

Last night, my Len0vo 3000 G410’s battery died. It just won’t charge anymore. It’s more than a year already since I bought the laptop. Well, I guess I’m to be blamed by this because of my abusive use of the electronic device. I never removed the battery from the unit. Many times it just stuck there with the power cord on direct AC. There were also instances when I just left the laptop powered on overnight for some downloads. I guess these reasons are enough to kill the battery.

However, I got this weird thing going with ants. I partially blamed them. It may seem stupid but it did happen. I don’t know about this phenomenon but ants seemed to be attacking electronics in our house. Prior to the deterioration of the battery of my laptop, these ants attacked my laptop. After which, the laptop won’t last for an hour (before this, the laptop can last up to 2 1/2 hours on battery). The ants were small. I don’t know what size of ant is the average as there are many types of ants. This one in particular has a red body with a black butt. It’s as tiny as sand. Before attacking my laptop, they already attacked the florescent light switches, and ate a portion of the wall from which these switches hung. They’re not termites, and I only see them occasionally. I googled it up and most of the results say that it’s a raspberry ant. At first even I thought it was silly that ants would eat electronic devices, but then there really are such ants. I’ll be careful next time when I see one.

5 Useful Tools in Software Engineering

fiShBoN3 — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:02:29 +0000

Here are 5 useful tools that I have used in building software. The list is not specific to any language but may be useful to you as a software engineer. It is also not arranged in sequence as in importance or any kind. Here is the list:

1. TeamViewer – This is free for personal use. This is very useful when you are asking assistance from another software engineer or any consultant with regards to something that might need actual demonstration. TeamViewer allows two computers to share the same screen. This makes tutorial easier. http://www.teamviewer.com/download/index.aspx

2. Notepad++ – In the absence of your favorite Software Development IDE, ordinary text editors may not be too helpful for you. Notepad++ provides syntax highlighting and supports many programming languages including C++ and PHP. http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/download.php

3. Hamachi – Sometimes, you will need to simulate a Local Area Network (LAN) to test the connectivity of your program. However, not all the times you are together with your team in one place at the same time. If distance is a hindrance to testing, then use a Virtual Private Network tool like Hamachi. You can test your web server or database server as if you and your team is connected via Local Area Network. http://hamachi.en.softonic.com/download

4. GitHub - It is usually troublesome for a team to have different copies of the same project. This setting provides bigger possibility of inconsistent files among team members. GitHub is a fast, efficient, distributed version control and central repository system which is ideal for the collaborative development of software. You don’t need to worry about having your own server for your files. Let GitHub do that for you. http://github.com/

5. Facebook - We sometimes need to contact our team members through voice and video. Sometimes we use messaging tools such as Yahoo Messenger or Skype. However, we cannot deny the fact that we too sometimes hide from our team due to some inexcusable reasons. Well, no matter how we hide, we often end up social networking sites to relieve our stress. Facebook is one of the top social networking sites (if not number one), where you can find almost anyone you know. Use it wisely. http://facebook.com

Johnny Depp is Dead!

fiShBoN3 — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:37:25 +0000

I was searching for news and updates over the Internet and I was surprised with this news: Johnny Depp is Dead! Whoah! Is it true? I can’t believe the news so I went on looking for proof. I couldn’t find one. I couldn’t believe the news because he recently had a movie Alice in Wonderland. Apparently, this was all from celebrity death rumors. Johnny Depp is NOT dead. You can read the stories from the following URLs:

http://www.angelfire.com/ab7/cnn_espn0808/hugecase.html

http://purpleslinky.com/jokes/actor-johnny-depp-found-dead-in-his-paris-home/

http://godfatherofgreenbay.xanga.com/697568825/johnny-depp-dead-at-age-45/

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/johnnydepp.asp

http://www.showbizgossips.com/johnny-depp-died-in-car-crash/4157

Iron Man 2 Trailer

fiShBoN3 — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:05:54 +0000

Marvel.com now has released the first trailer of Iron Man 2. This time, his encounter is with Whiplash.

Imitation Gadgets

fiShBoN3 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:46:33 +0000

I happened to be downtown when I went to a place that we call China town. It was quite a while when I last visited the place. As expected, I got surprised and amazed. Gadgets with very known brands were sold. What’s surprising then? Well, it was sold at a far lesser price than what you see normally. A blackberry is sold at P5,300.00 only! I got really curious and went up to see for myself. I asked the sales lady if I can try it. It looked like a blackberry. It was also packed with features. What’s amazing is that it’s only at that place where you can see a DUAL-SIM blackberry. It also has a TV built into it! It has wifi, bluetooth, and many more. What’s not surprising is the warranty period. They only had one week warranty. Well, it was worth the visit. Sometimes we buy these kinds of gadgets just for prestige. China town is just the right place to get some. The only questionable thing there is the quality. If showing off is the goal, then China town merchandise will fit your need lolz.

A cheaper blackberry

fiShBoN3 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:55:52 +0000

This is quite late but I want to share it anyway. I read from Inquirer (October 26, 2009) that BlackBerry introduced its new smartphone — the BlackBerry Curve 8520. What interests me is that they released it at a cheaper price, way lower than the usual P35,000.00. Guess what? It’s P14,995! Let’s take a look at its features (visit their website for more info):

Available Features

2.0MP Digital Camera
Video Camera Capabilities
Supports BlackBerry App World™
256MB Flash Memory
Wi-Fi® enabled
BlackBerry® Maps
Built-in GPS capabilities*
3G network access*
Bluetooth® enabled
Multimedia Player
Wireless Email
Organizer
Browser
Phone
SMS/MMS

Display

Clear, high-resolution display
Transmissive TFT LCD
320×240 pixel screen
Displays over 65,000 colors

Camera & Video Recording

2.0 MP camera
Fixed Focus
No Flash
5X digital zoom
Video Camera Recording:
Normal Mode (320×240 pixel), MMS Mode (176×144 pixel)

Battery & Battery Life

Battery: 1150 mAh removable/rechargeable cryptographic Lithium cell
Talk Time: 4.5 hours (approx)
Standby Time: 17 days/408 hours (approx)

BlackBerry Maps and GPS

Includes BlackBerry Maps

Data Input & Navigation

35 key backlit QWERTY keyboard
Dedicated Keys: Send/Power, End, Mute, VAD (User customizable), Camera (User customizable), 2 x volume/Zoom
Media Keys: Forward, Back, Play
Trackpad – Located on the front face of device, ESC key to the right, Menu to the left.

Media Player

Video format support: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV9
Audio format support: MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCELP EVRC, AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA9, Windows Media 10 Standard/Professional

Ringtones & Notifications

Tone, vibrate, on-screen or LED indicator
Notification options are user configurable
32 Polyphonic Ringtones – MIDI, MP3

Bluetooth

Bluetooth Curve 8520: Bluetooth® v2.0
Bluetooth Curve 8530: Bluetooth® v2.1
Headset Profile (HSP), Handset Profile (HFP)
Address Book Integration using AT commands and using OBEX (Object Push)
Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP), Dial-Up Networking (DUN)
Bluetooth Stereo (A2DP / AVRCP), Serial Port Profile (SPP)
Secure Simple Pairing (SSP)

Wi-Fi

802.11b/g enabled
Wi-Fi® Alliance Certifications: WPA/WPA2 Personal and Enterprise, WMM
WMM Power Save planned
Cisco CCX Certification planned
Wi-Fi access to BlackBerry® Enterprise Server
Wi-Fi access to BlackBerry® Internet Service
Direct IP web browsing over Wi-Fi

Wireless Networks

Quad-Band: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz GSM/GPRS networks
Quad-Band: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz EDGE networks

Voice Input and Output

Integrated speaker and microphone
Hands-free headset capable
Bluetooth headset capable
Integrated Hands-Free Speakerphone

Data Input & Navigation

35 key backlit QWERTY keyboard
Dedicated Keys: Send/Power, End, Mute, VAD (User customizable), Camera (User customizable), 2 x volume/Zoom
Media Keys: Forward, Back, Play
Trackpad – Located on the front face of device, ESC key to the right, Menu to the left.

Software Freedom Day 2009 will be at UIC

fiShBoN3 — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Home | Events | Workshops

DabaweGNU, Inc.

Software Freedom Day 2009

Celebrating Free/ Open Source Software in Davao!

Once again, DabaweGNU is joining the rest of the World in celebrating Software Freedom Day. This year the event will be celebrated on Saturday, September 19, 2009 from 1:00-5:00 PM. It will be held at the Auditorium of the University of Immaculate Conception in Bangkerohan. Various presentations on FOSS technology and issues will be presented by luminaries of the FOSS community in Davao. The Keynote Speaker will be Hon. Councilor Pete Lavina.

Presentations:

Keynote Speaker: Hon. Councilor Pete Lavina

Network Booting and Virtualization – Holden Hao
This will be a demo presentation. Holden will present the FOSS technologies that are currently deployed at the DabaweGNU laboratory. This includes network booting (no hard drives required!) and virtualization. The platform has proven to be an affordable and easy to manage setup for a computer laboratory. And Yes, the platform supports Windows too!

Free Software and Issue Advocacy – Victor Sapar
Vic Sapar, a well known advocate for the use of FOSS among NGO’s will be presenting his experiences in promoting FOSS to NGOs. He will tackle issues that hinder the mass adoption of FOSS and suggest ways to mitigate such problems.

Blogging in an Open Source World – Kevin Paquet
His talk in last years SFD 2008 was one of the memorable ones. He was still a high school student then. More mature and with more bullets this time, he will be presenting the latest updates and features of his favorite Blogging platform, WordPress.

Business Intelligence – Evamay dela Rosa
Computer applications and systems are often used to manage operations. Only a few are being used for business intelligence and decision making. Evamay will present the importance of business intelligence and available FOSS tools for its implementation.

IdeaCamp: Open Sourcing Ideas – Mark Maglana
IdeaCamp is an unconference of ideas initiated by Mark Magalana. In this presentation, Mark will talk about the rational of the project and share his experience in organizing an Ideacamp. He will also share best practices on how to setup your own ideacamps.

Laptops for Education: The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Project
Last Year, DabaweGNU won in the best event competition together with 2 other organizations. The prize was a pair of OLPC laptops. The educational theory and features of the OLPC will be presented during SFD 2009.

Lightning Talks
Lightning talks are mini presentations that are open to anyone who would like to share anything about FOSS philosophy, technology, community and issues. The participants to SFD 2009 is highly encouraged to share their knowledge and skills.

*** Giveways will be provided by SFD International, DabaweGNU and IBM Philippines ***

What Convention

When 09-19-2009 01:00 PM to
09-19-2009 05:00 PM

Where Auditorium, University of Immaculate Concenption, Bangkerohan, Davao City

Contact Name Diosanne Senor

Contact Email sane.dio@dabawegnu.org

Contact Phone +6382 227-5629

Add event to calendar vCal
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For updated information please visit our project page.

If you are not interested to receive announcements from DabaweGNU, please send an email to sane.dio @ dabawegnu.org with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject or body of your email.

Digital Filipino Club Bloggers Networking Event

fiShBoN3 — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:58:34 +0000

Earlier this evening, the Digital Filipino Club had its annual Bloggers Networking Event (which was also called Bloggers’ Fellowship) at the Grand Regal Hotel at Lanang. The event was still sponsored by PAGCOR and was still headed by Ms. Janet Toral. This was the second time I attended such event and it was pretty interesting. First, I saw Sir Loi of Philnits. He was invited by my former student Kieven. As expected, he was fascinated and was curious about many things. I’m glad he was invited to this event where he can witness the world of bloggers. The next interesting part is the number of participants from the University of the Immaculate Conception. I’m sure that ours is the largest number because two tables is not enough. The “UIC delegates” were composed of some faculty members, alumni/alumnae, and students. It’s funny also that most of us won freebies. One of us won a flash drive from the bingo game. Another progress was that I was able to talk to Mr. Blogie about a possible blogging venture for a client that I have — Kalinawan: The Ultimate Outdoor Destination. I’ve been promoting the resort and was in search for the best bloggers I could find. Honestly, I wouldn’t have attended the fellowship if it weren’t for this endeavour. I’m glad I did. Finally after the event, we gathered around to see the people playing poker. Well, I was told it was Lucky 9 and I don’t know how to play any of it. What made it interesting is that I saw one of my classmates in high school and the classmate of my sister. Apparently, they have been regular visitors at the hotel. They were very helpful in showing me around and helping me and my students win a round of Lucky 9 with just the free P300 coupons we got from the fellowship event. I think they have been doing that for a while — riding along bets on Lucky 9. They were quite good at it. The only unpleasant thing there was that there were some pickpockets who was able to pick on one of my colleagues. Well, it’s good that it was only the coupon and nothing really big was lost. Overall, I had a productive night and it was worth the decision of not going to a masters class that I’m currently enrolled.