Photobomb no more. Get it Removed~!

There's a new worthwhile photography application for the Android OS. It's called Remove by Scalado. The Scalado team designed the Remove app to remove virtually any stranger that comes in to your photo. Where is it useful? In public places, in tourist spots. Taking pictures there are virtually difficult because of the many people around, and sometimes, some even want to 'photobomb' and ruin the moment. With Remove, you can take them out of your final photo.

How does it work, you might ask? Well, the app takes multiple pictures and allows you to specifically take out the moving elements [people, or other objects]. The only tricky thing here is that it requires you to be steady with the camera and to hold it a bit longer than you normally would. It's a good, if not great proof of concept when perfected.

Scalado would be introducing this app to the Mobile World Congress this upcoming February 27, 2012. I personally can't wait to see this app in the Market.

There's a video in Yahoo for it, which demonstrates how it works.

Source link: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big-abc-news/combat-photobombers-everywhere-173623034.html

Parting... part n

Another one of the people I've grown close to spent their final day at the office today. This was a complete shocker to me as I didn't know about it until a few hours until her logout. I don't know, maybe I'm just a bit sentimental, but in what seemed like a blur, it was done. Another person moving on with her life, and me heartbroken. 

No, it's not that way. It never was. It's just that during my entire stay at work, I've grown so much and been so close to the past five and a half years and it always is difficult for me to see people go. That's the heartbreak part. From teammates, to close friends, it always stings when someone goes. 

For what would seem to be the last time, I walked with them, sharing thoughts and stories, and seeing her take her ride. It felt so normal for her... maybe, just another day. But there I was, pondering as to why it seemed normal for everyone but me.

Tomorrow, another longtime friend would be ending her tenure. She's been there longer than me, and she's made her choice to move on with her life and take her talents closer to home. I'll be at home during her last goodbyes. Such a pity I couldn't be there. I wish I could've been there at least, but that's how it goes, I guess.

If it's time for me to go, I wonder if someone would think of me the same way I think about my closest friends. Would someone miss me, look for me, try to keep in touch with me if I'm the one leaving?

Fields and fields of opinion

Sometimes I wonder if I'm being just confident or if I am bordering on arrogance. At times, I'm just shy and quiet, but I see that part of the change instilled in me by being part of support is that I have to get along with a lot of other people and in turn, has turned me into someone a bit outgoing. I ponder if I rub people the wrong way, which is inevitable I guess, but makes me think about it nonetheless.

the SOPA and PIPA double entendre

One of the biggest things that I've taken for granted [and I'm sure a lot of people have] is how easily information is made available to us. One click through Google, and a lot of information is within our fingertips, all at the expense of a good internet connection.

However, just today, Google and Wikipedia have, in their own way, showed their hand with regards to two pending U.S. bills being proposed. The Stop Online Piracy Act, and the Protect Intelectual Property Act, are being pushed by the U.S. Senate with noble intents, to put things kindly, but would negatively impact the ease of access to information enjoyed by millions, if not billions around the world.

What are these two bills, anyway? Let's go one by one.

The Stop Online Piracy Act:

The Protect Intellectual Property Act:

It has the noblest of aims, which is to protect US Intellectual property from being stolen and being used for interests that would negatively impact the U.S. However, it encompasses more than that. Inevitably, these bills would heavily restrict the information made available to consumers [regular people]. If it aims for free speech and innovation, then it definitely is conflicted. You can read about the potential repercussions of the bills here.

This reminds me of how the Chinese government moderates the internet traffic, sites and usage of their users. Is Big Brother far behind? 

Do take note that while these are United States bills, it would affect everyone, even those not on US soil, as the regulation pertains to the Internet itself. So, it would be best to be educated as early as now. 

See Google and the Wikimedia foundation's response to these pieces of legislation:

 

I miss writing.

It has been months upon months since I last wrote anything not work related and/or stress induced. It seems that my work has swallowed every bit of free time that I have for the past year or so. I've gone week after week of handling agents either as an L2 or a Team Manager. It's the first time I've contemplated about where all the time has gone to, where everyone else has gone to, and why I'm still here in the same job I've had for the past 5 and a half years.

This may jump from one topic to another for no reason or so, but please bear with it. These are things that come at a moment's notice in my head, and I just want to get them off and have them written down before they fade once again to obscurity. 

What was 2011 to me? At work, it was what it was for a call center environment. It was a mix of heartbreak and triumph, stories of so many crammed into one. The pressure to perform at the highest of levels on a regular basis and to be expected of greatness, even at times when one is broken, or is unprepared. I don't know. It only occured to me during my Christmas post that I've gone through ten different teams, and three different roles during this year alone, which to some may be more than their entire stay at a company. I've of course handled agents as an L2, my calling card for the past 2 and a half years or so, mixed in by a couple of months handling a team as a Team Manager, and last but not the least, a week as a trainer sometime last October. I feel like I've been the utility guy being called in to plug holes wherever needed. I could not complain, though, as it has been a growing experience for me to go through the various roles that I've been called upon. It's just that I'm filled with heartbreak every time I have to move, just as I am on the verge of settling in, getting comfortable, and feeling at home. I've been here for 5+ years but this year has been tougher for me than most in terms of dealing with changes. 

Personally, I'm okay. I have a good relationship with my dad. I still live in a messy house where shoes, slippers, clothes and the like are everywhere and only me and my dad know how to decipher the mess. I've been incident free in the sense that I've not been involved in a crime, or have not been witness to any. I haven't been robbed, mugged, kidnapped, side swiped, snatched upon, or any of that for this year. I'm thankful that, despite the seeming prevalence of these incidents, I've been safe for the entire year. 

On a friend level, it sure seems like I've lost a lot while gaining/re-establishing ties with new people. I am sorry for not keeping in touch with everyone, and I hope that no one feels left out because of me. I have just been consumed with everything else, and the neverending deadlines that seemingly have been imposed on what needs to be done. I've built great friendships only to lose traction once they are out of my immediate vicinity. This is one of the things I am sorry for, not only because I've lost track of everyone but because I feel like I've let everyone down. I hope to resolve it and make the time for the best of friends who've been with me for a long time. I have a lot of making up to do, but the year is still early. 

As far as relationships go, it's been two years and 7 months that I've had a girlfriend. It has been a lot of fun, though its not all rainbows and green lights. There has been a lot of challenges, with time, with understanding each other and a lot of other things, but as with anything, adjustments are necessary to make things work. My family absolutely loves her, and almost everyone has given their nod of approval towards her. It was the first time I've travelled with her to her hometown during her week-long vacation last May. It was eventful, and I'm glad to finally meet her family. It was, for me, something that I can take away from the entire year of experiences. 

What's in store for 2012? I don't know really, but I resolve to return two of my previous hobbies: reading and writing. I intend to read more again, something that brought me to various cities while sitting down, and opened me to more possibilities. I intend to write more in my blog again. I'm not sure why I've gone away from these stress/tension relieving activities that I used to love so much. Other than that, I'll just have to fly along and go where my feet take me and make the most of whatever's in front of me.

Business... /?

At work, a few days ago. I received an email from someone asking me to clarify statements I've made about him to another colleague. Just for the uninitiated, I was told that this "guy", agent from another floor was emailing and trying to get close with agent B, who's from our operations area. I gave a friendly reminder of this guy's reputation, aptly backed up by one of this "guy's" friends. Now, he's crying that it's all business.

I didn't mince words and replied straight to the point on what I said, how I said and how his friend also reacted in agreement to what I said. I didn't get another reply. I managed to bump into this guy without any incident in the elevator. Amazing. He can't say a word to me because he knows I'm right.

As it turns out, it's partly business, but partly personal. I mean, who asks people they want to do business with if they can accompany them home? Or to be constantly emailing, random items that DOES NOT RELATE TO THE BABY BACK BULLSHIT EXCUSE THAT HE'S USING WHICH IS... BUSINESS. Would this guy do the same to another random "guy" or "girl" who does not have the same physical traits as this girl Agent B? I think not. It has happened before. He knows it, the world around us knows it, and he's upset he's being called out on it.

No names are left here, but people can put two and two together.

The Evolution in Flash Drive pricing

Way, way back when I was in college, I wrote about a 64GB flash drive being made available. At the time, it seemed like a world of portable storage, but the price made it prohibitive. How prohibitive, you might ask? It's more expensive than a computer, that's for sure. Check that post [which goes back about 5 years here.

I went to a tech store, Newegg.com who sell similar products from the same manufacturer and see the huge change in prices from then to now. See the current price of the same sized flash drive from the same manufacturer
here.

Now if only Solid State Drives start dropping in price soon, so that I can start affording them.

Vamos! Rafael Nadal wins his 6th French Open championship

Rafa Nadal has done it again! He has risen to the occasion and proved the doubters wrong once more. For the 6th time, he has won the French Open. With Novak Djokovic steamrolling through the competition and threatening to snatch away the number one ranking, Rafa came up big and won this Final.

The first set was tight with Roger coming up with an early lead 4-1, but Nadal managed to win 5 games in a row to steal away the first set at 7-5. The second set was more of the same, and it looked like he was on his way to his 6th slam in Paris, but Roger managed to win the third set. However, it is only a minor chink in the armor of Rafa as he dominated the fourth, winning it 6-1 and seeing him fall to the ground as the match was declared over.

With this win, Rafael Nadal remains in number one. Had he lost today, or had Novak Djokovic managed to beat the Fed, he would have been number one come Monday when the rankings get updated. Instead, Rafa would retain top billing in the men's rankings. It is an astounding record knowing that the top man in tennis has been either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal since February of 2004.

Winning this year's French Open championships has upped Nadal's record to 45-1 in this Grand Slam tournament.

GSP's next fight is set to be a barn burner

Coming from the official UFC site itself, Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz would be the next in line to challenge George St. Pierre's welterweight reign of terror. It is slated for UFC 137, which is set to take place on October 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

What was first to be thought as an impossibility due to Diaz' current standing as Strikeforce Welterweight champion, details have been ironed out which allowed him to be back in the Octagon. Diaz is seen by many as the one to challenge GSP's skills with his excellent combination of boxing and jiu-jitsu. But then again, could he really stop GSP's takedowns and ground and pound? We'll have 3+ months to debate on that.

At the very least, it shows that UFC and Dana White are committed to bringing the best fights possible on the table, which is a sharp contrast to what boxing has been having the past few years [or even the past decade, if you will].

Source: http://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-137-fight-card-updates

UFC 129 Main Event Scorecards: Which rounds did GSP lose?

One of the takeaways from the main event of UFC 129, was the fact that two of the three judges gave two rounds to welterweight challenger, Jake Shields. It has raised some questions to some as to how rounds are scored. Zuffa has officially released the judges' scorecards from that bout. This effectively ends George St. Piehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrre's run of consecutive rounds won at 33. Still, an amazing feat, but after watching the bout, I didn't really see how he could have lost those two rounds. But that's just me.

Scorecard's here:



Credit for the scorecard goes to MMAWeekly

Loser.

Weeks One and Seven are officially done for me. If the scales are right, I'm losing weight. That's a good sign for me, shouldn't it? I just am not feeling said weight loss. I still look fat and people are not acknowledging that indeed I'm losing weight [hello, I'm number two in one of the races].

One point that has constantly been drilled to my head is that I need to work out and go to the gym, and do these workouts. From Muay Thai, to Wrestling and Boxing, there has been no shortage of advice and sometimes criticism because of me opting to stick with jogging and slight dieting [I'll get into this later], rather than going turbo and doing all these things.

Firstly, I'm tired as heck by the time my shifts end everyday. Handling 20 people is tough, especially when more than 80% seem like needy kids in constant need of attention. Then again, that's the challenge of handling new hires. No complaints, except maybe when I'm really angry and tired [or maybe sometimes frustrated] at all these people calling out AT THE SAME TIME EVEN THOUGH ITS PRETTY CLEAR IM ATTENDING TO SOMEONE ELSE AT THE MOMENT! Whew, that was a relief. The day does not end there, because as soon as everyone's gone, I still have to do other things while waiting for ze girlfriend. I normally get home at around noontime everyday, and considering I have work in 10 hours or less during my workdays, working out is not an actual option right there.

Secondly, I know myself. I cheat my diet quite a bit [hence the term slight dieting]. My first two weeks of diet were, to say the least, challenging. These days however, I give in to a lot of stuff, and it still shows I'm able to lose weight. I eat rice, though, admittedly, I try to stick to a specific amount. I still eat burgers when I feel like it. I mean, for all the stress I go through at work, it's my way of rewarding myself and pampering myself. Also, my girlfriend seems to feel a bit guilty watching me eat kamote, and all these vegetables without any rice, and she ends up wanting me to eat normally anyway. READ: I'm losing weight despite not having a full workout schedule AND not a strict diet. No diet pills here, too.

Lastly, it's a long way to the finish line. Why run when I can take things slowly at my pace, enjoy what I'm doing, and achieve similar results? I'm not mocking those who dedicate themselves to working out, because that's definitely something that works for them. It's just that, I don't want to have to constantly hear from folks that I'm not trying to do what is best for me in these types of things. I'll get there, but at my own pace. I'll work out when I feel like it, no forcing needed.

Days off are on the way. I hope to get something done productive in between.

Facebook Tip: How to block specific friends from reading a specific Facebook status update

Facebook, despite what you might be hearing around the Internet, actually has good privacy controls. You can control exactly who can see what on your profile.

One lesser-known feature, however, is that you can control who can read each and every one of your status updates. You've probably seen the padblock below the status update box, but if you click it, and then Customize, you can block specific people from reading your update!

Maybe you're not quite ready to unfriend someone, or perhaps you're simply trying to arrange a surprise birthday party for one of your friends -- either way, it's a great little feature.

Now, if only that feature is available for posts made in friends' pages, then it'd be nifty as well. Alas, we can't have it all.

Wowzers.

Just got feedback that I'm being a snob to my friends who I haven't been seeing in a little while. This is the first of many things that just suddenly came into my attention today.

I don't get to be with friends because of the time constraints of the job and the thought that schedules and days off never mesh already. I'm sorry if anyone is offended by me not being able to get in touch or reply to text messages, or meet up, or reply to email, or whatever mode of communication you're trying to get in touch with me. I'm sorry.

Swerved and Screwed Over from XPS

Hi, I'm AJ. TL Bebot's supposed-to-be-L2 then not anymore since I'm left in CBG Chat despite the announcement that I was already moving to XPS with her. I'm so royally pissed off with all these developments. Everything happened while I was on off and no one could provide me with a rationale as to why things happened except for "the powers that be".

I wasn't really looking forward to moving back to XPS, but I'm more accepting of the position now than when we were first sent there because 1.) I'm with TL Bebot, which makes the adjustment a little easier. 2.) I've already been with XPS, how much worse can it get than the first time? Now granting, I'm already listed and ready to go for XPS, when Hurrah! I get a text message from my TL that I'm not moving down with her, because I've been pulled back is beyond me. I called the boss [who I'm not sure, but probably made the decision] and mentioned that I have no choice. O rly? I went on dress down anyway because I didn't feel like complying. Yes, I'm cheap that way. I just got off the hook,

I got admonished [is that the term for nasermonan/napagsabihan] about my actions with endorsing the team on short notice and not to specific people because no one really looked after the team we left. I'm sorry, we were ON OFF AND I HAVE NO FREAKIN' IDEA AS TO WHO'S AROUND WHICH IS WHY I SENT THE EMAIL TO EVERYONE! I'm sorry, I was so steamed yesterday/early this morning. Read what I wrote and maybe it would be understood better.

I don't know. I feel so lost. It's as if I don't feel like working. I'm not sure, I felt a tad disappointed with the way things were handled. I'm still going to be in CBG Chat, which should make me happy, and under a TL I'm familiar with, but no, I am not happy.

I spoke to the team we'd be leaving behind, and apologized for the sudden changes and told them we really didn't have an idea that things would go down this way. If we knew, then we would have just let them sign their walking papers and bring them to XPS as well as they all wanted. Then again... "powers that be". I rest my case.

I couldn't dwell on these sad things, so, I'd rather just look forward and hope that things would turn out well moving forward. I'll miss being around TL Bebot. I spent over half this year with her in my first gig as an L2, and we get separated because of this? Take it away, Terence.

Terence: That's not cool!

Nuff said.

Recommended Reading: Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work

I just got my copy as a birthday gift from my bestest friend a couple of days ago. It is a very good read, as expected of Chicken soup books. I read it to keep me going despite the challenges of the job ahead. It keeps me motivated to do well despite some things that I consider to be unfair, and unprofessional in the workplace.



If one wonders why the series was ever called "Chicken Soup", here you go [credit goes to Wikipedia]:

The name "Chicken Soup" was chosen for this series because of the use of chicken soup as a home remedy for the sick.

Brock Lesnar is the UFC Heavyweight Champ

Yes, I did eat my humble pie after watching Randy Couture get beat in the second round last weekend. The underdog did not pull through this time, though for a certain time, he seemed like he had things going according to his plan, which is to keep Brock tied up in the corner. Turns out, there's more to that than just keeping that freak in the corner.

So, now what? Brock is the man, duplicating what Randy Couture did earlier in his career: win a championship by his fourth MMA fight. Randy did the same in 1997. It seems like a passing of the torch considering how everyone mentioned that Couture would be moving down again to Light Heavyweights and how much talent the Heavyweight division has right now which are very young. I'm not sure, but I'll bet that Brock vs. Couture 2 would come down the line sometime next year.

UFC 91 Prediction: Couture will beat Lesnar

As of right now, everyone who's into Mixed Martial Arts would be looking to see if former professional wrestler-turned-Mixed martial arts fighter Brock Lesnar would deliver and take UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture's Heavyweight Championship. Lesnar is considered as the favorite on this matchup due to his huge size and speed advantage, and the wrestling skills that are supposed to neutralize Randy Couture's equalizer. It comes with merit that Lesnar is a true freak of nature with regards to his amazing speed and strength. He dominated Heath Herring in his last fight, for crying out loud!

However, his opponent is someone who made a name at being the underdog. He seems to have, what, like a 90% win percentage as an underdog. He was the Heavyweight Champion and never lost before he left due to some contract disputes. He was never stripped of the title, too. Now that he's back, he's billed once again as an underdog. He's 45 years old and he's bound to lose these odds eventually, but critics have been saying that for 5 years and he's still winning. I won't really bet against Couture despite the huge disadvantage.

As Dana White himself mentioned during the preview for this fight, Randy Couture is a master tactician and can take advantage of the slightest mistakes of his opponents. Looking at Brock Lesnar, he has lost a fight to a veteran despite looking dominant. Remember Frank Mir? He became too aggressive, he forgot to defend himself and he lost via submission. That's one of the things he needs to address to ensure that he'd have a better chance of winning.

Thank You

To you.

I'd like to take this time to write this simple blog entry to thank you for making me feel as good as I've been for the past few months. I've gone to great lengths I hardly thought I'd ever go to with you. Thank you for making me feel super for all this time. It got me over a lot of the foolishness that I've gotten myself into and you taught me a lot of lessons in a way that only you could have.

I'm not sure what happened exactly, but it seems that you've moved on to other things and you really have gone your own way. We'd still see each other, but the feeling is no longer there. It's as if we agreed that we would no longer be the same, except that I wasn't told of anything.

I could get emotional here, and you know that I do have the tendency to do that, but I won't. I wouldn't make this into a rant and a cry-over-spilled-milk letter anymore. You did what you felt you had to do. I might never get the reason why you changed the way you treat me, and that is okay. I'll never claim to understand. I'll just say, it's what you wanted, apparently.

Thank you. For caring, for the love, for all the times you listened, and got me through the trying times. I no longer want to feel that I was left alone again, left in the air by what you suddenly did, but cold shoulder, getting cold feet, or what-not, I'm thankful for being close to me, for that super time I had when I'm with you. Thank you.

OMG~! Project PTC update

Well, after months of testing out if there is really a money making opportunity to be had online, here's the result:



Well, it ain't much, but I didn't spend anything for it, so I'll take it. My overall assessment of this paid-to-click industry would be for people who are damn popular and can get hoards of people to join as their referrals. If you have that capability, then you can earn a sizeable amount on a regular basis. Other than that, it takes way too long to earn enough credit to cashout. Like me, I didn't have any referrals and had to click away at advertisements till I reached the minimum.

So there. Just thought I'd share it.

Got Coffee?

Funny logo I found browsing around my normal reading places:



This should be cool in repackaging our local products for export. Haha.

Credit goes to Jessica Zafra over at her blog.