Microsoft MSN, Idea Stealer?

A blogpost from: http://blog.plurk.com/

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Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but blatant theft of code, design, and UI elements is just not cool, especially when the infringing party is the biggest software company in the world. Yes, we’re talking about Microsoft.

Here’s the short of what we think has happened:

• Microsoft China officially launched its own microblogging service, MSN Juku/Hompy/Mclub, some time in November, 2009.
• The service’s design and UI is by and large an EXACT copy of Plurk’s innovative left-right timeline scrolling navigation system. (see screen captures below)
• Some 80% of the client and product codebase appears to be stolen directly from Plurk! (see read more).
• Plurk was never approached nor collaborated in any capacity with MS on this service.
• As a young startup, we’re stunned, shocked, and unsure what to do next and need your support and suggestions.

We were first tipped off by high profile bloggers and Taiwanese users of our community that Microsoft had just launched a new Chinese microblogging service that looked eerily similar to Plurk. Needless to say we were absolutely shocked and outraged when we first saw with our own eyes the cosmetic similarities Microsoft’s new offering had with Plurk. From the filter tabs, emoticons, qualifier/verb placement, Karma scoring system, media support, new user walkthroughs to pretty much everything else that gives Plurk its trademark appeal, Microsoft China’s offering ripped off our service. See for yourself: (Microsoft MClub on top, Plurk on bottom).

Read more here.

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Oh no, gayahan kung gayahan ang nangyari. Sana nagdevelop nalang sila on their own or better kung mas hinigitan nalang nila what plurk has started. Nagmodify lang sila sa ibang aspects like konti sa design and mas nilakihan yung space for the message, and the rest are all Plurk's. Hay. I agree na "Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery", right AKI?

iJoystick

PlayStation Controller for iPod touch.

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The iPod touch (and technically the iPhone as well) may well be "the funnest iPod ever," but it can also be the most awkward device to hold for prolonged gaming sessions, nor have previous attempts made things any better. The iHandstick might just do the job -- while we can't credit them for originality, this hollow cousin of the Playstation controller may satisfy owners of iPod touch 2G / 3G and iPhone 3G / 3GS. Remember, it should give a similar grip enjoyed by millions of Playstation gamers over the last 15 years. The only doubt left is whether our thumbs can easily reach the virtual buttons on the screen. Wanna give this a shot? $16.99 plus shipping and it's all yours.

Source: USBfever

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This is so cool. Even though di ako mahilig sa gaming, gusto ko rin ng ganyan. Already added on my Christmas Wishlist. LOL

USB Plug

Don't freak out or anything. But all that time you spent building a DIY in-wall USB charger may have been for naught. Of course, you've gained a useful learning experience and potentially gotten a lesson in the dangers of electricity, but you could have simply ordered this TruPower UCS outlet from FastMac, which packs the same two USB charging ports as the DIY outlet, along with two standard power outlets for your other power-hungry devices. Best of all, it only costs the same ten bucks that the DIY option would have set you back, but it looks like it won't start shipping until sometime early next year.

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This is good for USB-charged mp3 players and for iPods narin. No need to buy iPod charger na medyo pricey kasi hindi included sa package (Apple please take note of that) LOL.

Every Filipino is a Hero.

2009 was a challenging year for all of us, Filipino, still a part of global recession, corruption, high crime rate, poverty, terrorism and a lot more.

Recently, another challenge measured the strength and faith of the Filipinos. The typhoon Ondoy, Pepeng, Ramil, Santi, etc. Typhoons are very common to the Philippines as a matter of fact; we are expecting almost twice a dozen every year. But these typhoons were different, really different. Why?

The amount of rain brought about by the typhoon Ondoy in that particular day is equivalent to almost a month of raining; imagine if the rain won’t stop for at least 3 days?

I won’t mention the damages caused by the typhoon anymore; instead I wanted to focus on its impact to us.

As I’ve observed the condition of the country via television, I must say that it was very heartbreaking. But one line is very prominent on every survivor, and I quote, “Nakakalungkot yung nangyari, ang daming namatay, yung mga gamit namin at bahay nalubog, pero hayaan na natin yun, ang mahalaga buhay kami magkakasama ng pamilya ko”. That line really made me smile and I remembered this line I once said to my mother, “Mommy, talagang walang mahirap o mayaman basta kalikasan na ang gumanti, pero ngayon natin nare-realize na balewala lang ang material na bagay, kasi pwedeng mawala yung sa isang saglit lang”.

My second observation is about the undying spirit of the Filipinos, wherein despite the tough times, we can still smile and continue with our lives. As I recalled, there was a scene from the news, wherein a man is passing through the flood, a reporter asked him about his condition and he answered, “Kayang kaya ng mga Pilipino yan, malalagpasan natin yan!” uttering it repeatedly. That simple phrase made our fellow Filipinos somehow revive their hopes. Also, as I’ve watched the special coverage of Ondoy victims on GMA 7, I smiled watching people taking pictures of the host Richard Gutierrez, despite their condition.

Through that havoc, I realized that Filipinos are considered as unnoticed and born heroes. From the ones who fought for our Independence up to those unmentioned. This calamity presented different types of heroes: The patented heroes people who offered their own lives just to save more; People who volunteered and shared their time to distribute help; People who donated cash, food and supplies; People who donated not only material needs but, their support and encouragement; and most importantly those heroes that despite their conditions even managed to help through the most powerful way that they can give – prayers.

I would also want to honor and highly acknowledge the show “Eat Bulaga” for their segment “EB Heroes”, wherein they give credits to those ordinary heroes in different sectors of the community. Heroes whose only mission is to help others, excluding their own benefits and as well as their own status in life.

Lastly is Efren Peñaflorida, is recently renowned 2009 CNN Hero. He is the one responsible for the pushcart classes in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership. According to CNN, almost 2.75 million votes were cast during the seven-week online voting; however, they did not indicate how many votes Peñaflorida got.

Through this I believe that every Filipino is a HERO – in our own ways.

Dual Screen Laptop

Remember IBM's ThinkPad 701 with the butterfly keyboard? This isn't it, it's better... conceptually anyway. Instead of two halves of a keyboard magically jigsawing themselves together, Kohjinsha achieves a similar result with its DZ-series using a pair of 10.1-inch TFT displays with 1,024 x 600 pixel resolution (each) packed into an otherwise svelte 1.02 x 8.26 x 0.74~1.65 inches / 4.09 pounds (1.84 kg) portable. Best of all it's on sale now for ¥95,800 (about $1,110) with a Linux pre-load -- add another ¥5,000 (about $58) for 32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium. For that you get a 1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo with RS780MN chipset and ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 3x USB, a 3-in-1 card reader, 1.3 megapixel webcam, 1GB memory (expandable to 4GB), and 160GB 5,4000 hard disk with claimed 4.5-hours "max" of battery power (1.1V, 5200mAh) -- likely far less in real-world usage. Ships worldwide ($60ish for US or €50ish for European delivery) in 3 weeks if you order today. Video of the sliding action after the break from our hands-on session back at the CEATEC show in Japan.

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This one is perfect for HD movies. The only thing is that the border between the two screens are quite thick, anyways the overall idea was quite impressive. Let's watch up for further reviews.

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http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/27/kohjinshas-dual-sceen-dz-series-laptop-now-for-sale/

Reposted

Because it's the 7th Anniversary of QUAKERZ today (Nov. 14, 2009), I would like to repost this very creative blog post from a genius.

Hope you will like this as much as I do :]

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ALAMAT NG PIZZA

Quakerz, alam nyo ba na may blind items ako tungkol sa inyo? Sabihin na lamang natin na dadaanin natin ang walang kuwentang kuwentong ito sa pamamagitan ng simili.

Habang may binabasa akong babasahin ay may naisip ako. Para kakong gusto ko ng pizza. Ung Lynn’s lang ha para mura. Anyway, ang isang barkada pala ay parang pizza na binubuo ng iba’t-ibang sahog, sangkap, in other words, toppings. Alam ba ninyo kung ano naisip ko? Mukha pala tayong pizza. Hidi physically ha. Mentally. Utak pizza tayo. Joke. Symbolically lang pala. Basta. Diba sa pizza ibaiba lasa nung mga toppings. Pero magkagayun man, nagiging malasa pa rin ung pitsa kahit na ibaiba lasa nung mga sahog nito. Parang tayo diba? Ibaiba man ang mga hilig sa buhay, ibaiba man ang mga layuning makatao, di man magkakatulad ang ating mga interests, nagiging napakasaya at powerful pa rin naman tayo kahit na di tayo samasama. Basta. Corny noh? Ewan. Eto na ung blind items thru the toppings in a special pizza.

Pinya- Sino itong pinya ng quakerz? Bakit pinya? Kasi ung pinya di ba parang napakaasim? Eun. The first time you see a pineapple chunk in a pizza, your initial reaction may be “eeew” or something like that. Pero, pag nakain na, matamis pala. It balances the holistic taste of the pizza. Siya, parang ganun. Parang sour kasi siguro e napakabusy. I mean busy talaga. Pero he/she still remains sweet kahit anu pa man. Napakasweet pa rin especially when he/she’s with us. E ayun. Lavia pinya. Fave fruit q un e.

Cheese- Sino naman kaya itong cheese ng quak? We all know that cheese is one of our most favorite food products. Everyone loves cheese. Di ba? Parang siya. Loved by everybody. Though love naman talaga natin ang 1t 1 diba? Pero just like cheese na nakapagpapasakit ng tiyan pag lactose-intolerant ka, he/she naman can also make your stomach ache through the punchlines and jokes na binibigay nya. Givaway na ata.

Anchovy- in tagalog, dilis. Giveaway? We all know that dilis is 1 of the smallest fishes in the world. Just like him/her, may kaliitan syang tao. Pero kahit na di sya kasingtngkad ni yaoming, malakas pa rin ang presence nya. Parang anchovies, maalat at malakas ang lasa. Siya, maliit man, malakas naman ang presence at malaki ang naiaambag na lasa sa buong pizza ng quakerz. we lav dilis

Sili/Bellpepper-maanghang, majo matapang ang lasa. yung quakerz na ito e mejo maanghang ang dila. Mura ba naman nang mura. Hehe. Givaway ulit? Pero part talaga yun ng buhay db? Hehe. Gayunman, we still love our sili. Strong flavor ang naicocontribute nya sa group. Amoy sili pa talaga. Jowwk. Lavia

Onion-sino ito? Bakit onion? Kasi onion in a pizza, one of the main contributors of a great holistic flavor. Though konti lang angrequired in a pizza, very flavorful naman pag anjan xa. Parang sya, a little goes a long way. When he/she’s with us, parang well-rounded na ang lasa. With the onion’s deep purple color, gumaganda ang appearance ng pizza. More than just flvor, appetizing presentation pa. Parang xa, magimik pero nakakatuwa. We’re proud of him/her.

Mushrooms-eto obvius na. Engot na di makakakuha. 3 sila. Bakit mushroom? Button, honshimenji, saka portobello mushrooms in a pizza. So what? basta. Mushrooms do not contribute that much flavor di ba? Parang bland ang lasa. But whenverwe see mushroom in our food, we may conclude na very special, expensive at ibang level na yung food. Parang sila. Mejo bland kasi madalang makasama pero they still make our group very luxuriously special. We still love them.

Tomato sauce- this ingredient is one of the most pansinin in a pizza diba? Kitang kita mu kaagad yung rich red color nya. Napakaflavorful pa. Parang sya, malakas ang dating. Pansinin, standout. Pero tomato sauce does not only go with pizza. Pwede rin sa spaghetti, menudo, caldereta, etc. Siya, he/she mingles with many other groups. Understandable naman. Pero pag sa pizza mo inilagay ang tomato sauce, tiba-tiba na. Alin ba pinakamahal sa mga pagkaing ito? Xempre pizza. He/she is most special when he/she’s with us.

Crust-di masyaong pansinin ang crust. Minsan ganito siya. Pero ngayon, hindi na! Promise. Nauso na diba yung cheesy crust, ska cheesy pops. Ganitong klase xa ng crust. Very special. He/she may be an ordinary crust before pero ngayon, nag-evolve na siya into a very special and flavorful crust. Un!

Last but not the least,

Pepperoni- pinakaspecial sa lahat. I’m sure special din sya senyo. Napakabait nya e. Bida pa lagi. Hehe. Di ako un ha. Assume nyo na lang. Pero pride ng pizza ang main star nitong sahog diba? Hehe. Wala lang. Basta love natin si pepperoni. Lahat naman tayo pepperoni e. Gusto nyo italian sausage pa o beef. Basta we are all stars in our own special ways.

To everyone, napakahirap magtype kaya sana maapreciate nyu ung alamat ng pizza. Sana binasa nyo nang buo. Mabuhay ang quakerz pizza. Punta lang ako sa Lynn’s ha. Maka-order na nga. Geh paalam!

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A blog post from http://quakerz.co.nr

By Ramadan de Jesus

One Pure Heart

I want to share to you this very sad but inspiring story I've just read this afternoon.

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When 6-year-old Elena Desserich was diagnosed with brain cancer, she began hiding hundreds of little love notes around the house for her parents to find after she was gone. Here’s the story:

Just before her sixth birthday, Elena Desserich was diagnosed with brain cancer and given 135 days to live. She lived 255 days, passing away in 2007. After her death, Elena’s parents, Brooke and Keith, found hundreds of notes from Elena hidden around the house — in between CD cases, between bookshelves, in dresser drawers, in backpacks….

"It just felt like a little hug from her, like she was telling us she was looking over us"

Elena’s parents, Brooke and Keith Desserich, have now published these notes in a book called Notes Left Behind to fund a non-profit organization The Cure Starts Now dedicated to fighting pediatric brain cancer.

Elena left hundreds of notes like these:


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This story took the soft side in me, that despite of the child's battle for brain cancer, she expressed her love and gratitude to her parents even if she's gone. I really admired the child's act and felt bad for she left her parents too early (I know that she can be a great daughter someday).

I was sad on the story alone, but sadder because of the negative comments of people about this story, I didn't expect that kind of reaction from a sob story like this. People are too judgmental and cynical on reality but easily believed on premises.

Never mind those negative comments, I really believe in the story and barely say that those with a pure heart can only do what she did.

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Credits: http://neatorama.cachefly.net/notes-left-behind.htm