Christmas :-)

Christmas+greetings by ronjieaquino, a GoAnimate.com video e-card
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[quote them] Life

A quote from one of the great ones (in his own right) in our lifetime:

When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money.

That's a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.

Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again.

You can watch him say it, directly in this YouTube video.

Some of the greatest tech companies...

...have come up with products with names that reflect the four main elements of nature: Earth, Air (Wind), Fire, and Aqua (Water). That's Google, Apple, Amazon, and Apple. But obviously I'm bending the rules here. MSI has a netbook line called the MSI Wind but they're not really one of the greatest tech companies. And what about Facebook and Intel and Microsoft, and so on?

Anyways, in Chinese beliefs, metal (Chrome?) and wood are also part of the elements of nature, whereas air or wind is not. Which tech company will use Wood or Timber or Lumber or a similar term in a product name and will it be from one of the greatest tech companies of all time?

Climate Change is Real

Let's group scientists into two. A and B.

Group A, a long time ago, said "Climate change is coming and it is because of humans!"

Group B said "That is not true! You guys did something wrong! You are stupid!"

So Group B went to do a study of their own.

And now, Group B folks are saying "Climate change is coming and it is because of humans."

Anyway, read this article entitled "Climate Change Skeptics Eat Crow" on Gizmodo UK.

All this reminds me of this other story. Not related, but well it just came to mind.

Group D uses the innovations of Group C, without any license to do so.

Group C goes to court for Group D's copycat behaviour.

Group D whines, "Group C's choice to go to the courts hinders innovation."

I have one thing to say to the Group B and Group D people: "Duh."

[quote me] The 3 T's of blogging

Think first.
Type second.
Talk last.

I say this because I saw this Pinoy invention blogged about somewhere, and some stupid, seemingly Filipino citizens were quick to comment, "A Pinoy invented that? No way! They're selling those things in China!"

Hey people. So if they are selling them in China, does that mean they invented it in China?

They're selling iPhones and whatever else in China. They're selling McDonald's hamburgers and so on in China. Were those invented in China?

Anyways, I didn't like that some people were quick to find something that could invalidate that one positive Pinoy thing, when they could have first tried to validate it. But what happened was that their own "proof" that was meant to invalidate the Pinoy claim to the invention was itself invalid!

Google Search has already been invented, people, in case you haven't heard. Oh but yeah, you need to know how to use it properly. That's difficult.

Anyway. These type-first people are the very voices that continuously tell us and treat us like we're not good enough, essentially becoming our very obstacles to growth. If you ask me, I would deport them right away. Nevermind if they are actually Filipino citizens. Put them somewhere very far from our consciousness.

* * *

Wait a minute. Talk third? It has always worked for me, when seeing some illogical or baseless argument being posted on forums and what not and I feel really compelled to react, to type and compose and re-type my response very carefully, reading it always at least one more time before I post. It helps to play around with what you have composed because that "written" word when published will be there forever, more or less. Say something differently, and its meaning could be very far off from your original intent.

It also pays to check your spelling and grammar because some low-lifes will invalidate your argument just because they find something superficially wrong, and then you might not get your point across to some people who really need to hear you. So yeah, type second and "talk" (i.e. transmit your message) last.

Lastly, I sometimes do not post my message anymore when I think it will only cause more harm than good, e.g. when people you are addressing are the type who can never understand and will just continue to think "I'm right, you're wrong." "Talk never" also works.

[quote me] I make the product, not you. Vote with your $$$.

If I make a product, I make the decisions as to the features of that product. Not you. Not anyone else.

There are many ways I can decide on whether or not a feature gets into my product or not. It could be based on what is available. It could be based on what I think is best for you. In the end, it's MY decision. Not yours. Not anyone else's.

[did you know?] The First Internet

The internet's invention is credited to Tim Berners Lee. Sorry, it's not Al Gore. But did you know that the first web server was hosted on a NeXT computer - i.e. a machine whose design and production has Steve Jobs responsible for. NeXT computers were basically one of the first high-end workstation computers, i.e. a capable but easily accessible server (whereas previously you probably had to look to IBM for large systems of those kinds of things). The computer also used the NeXTSTEP "object-oriented" computer operating system that became the foundation of later Apple products, i.e. Mac OS X and eventually iOS and any OS that are derivatives of such. Just another one of the simple impacts of the man in black (turtleneck).

[quote me] finger pointing is bad journalism

FU to those of you who whined that Steve Jobs didn't do enough philanthropic work, blah blah blah, contrasting him to people like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or Mark Zuckerberg, who, guess what, DO NOT HAVE TO BATTLE CANCER WHILE DOING THEIR BEST AT WHAT THEY ARE HERE ON EARTH FOR; you who have nothing better to do but to point fingers at others whereas you have nothing to show for yourself. To me, you have killed the man. FU! Unlike you who only have pageviews, ad clicks, and paychecks in mind, he might actually have thought to give to charity when he's not around anymore, so that he will have amassed as much as he can so he has the most to give (which I think is a personal decision), but probably more so that he will not need to hear the praises and accolades that people like you would otherwise want for yourself while you're alive. FU!

[quote them] Are you an A-type or a B-type leader?

Guy Kawasaki, former Apple marketing employee, now author and venture capitalist, talked about what kind of an executive Steve Jobs was while he guested on the CNET Reporter's Roundtable podcast (paraphrased):

"A-type people hire A-type people. B-type people hire C-type people."

Apple went on to become the most valuable company in the world, sharing the honor with Exxon. Digest that.

On the 7th day

7 days now since Steve Jobs' passing. While many mourned, many are also dumbfounded as to why many mourned his death. I would like to give props to the man, but there's just too many things to say. That's why when I heard the news, I only had an article title, but not a main body. I was speechless. Sad.

My own story went like this. October 6th morning, Japan time, I went to the university a little bit earlier than usual because I had a  9:30am class. I had my breakfast as usual, but I was probably running a little late. Ideally I would leave my apartment no less than 15 minutes before 9:30am to have ample time for whatever else I needed to do. Anyway, as I left, my wife started getting on her Facebook fix for the day. I was probably just 2 minutes into my bicycle ride to the university when she gave me a call. My first thought was I had probably left something - my lunch for the day or my umbrella or my raincoat or something else - and then she broke the news. Steve Jobs passed away.

My first reaction was like, "No way!" I got to the office maybe 5 minutes early. The first thing I did was check - on my iPhone, nonetheless - if the story is true. I am subscribed via RSS feeds to a number of Apple-related news/gossip websites and after seeing similar headlines from two or three, only then that I accepted the truth. The first thing I did then was blog about it. But I didn't really know what to say. It was sad. So I said nothing. Life must go on.

Anyways. When Steve Jobs resigned from Apple back in August, 8 months into his 3rd medical leave (which was this time, an indefinite one), I should have seen it coming. But then I would have eroded my mind with too much negative emotions then. I had a ton of hope that his passing is far from happening. Not this soon. After all, in his 2005 Stanford commencement address, he said he was still looking forward to decades ahead. It was wishful thinking on my part, looking back. I thought though that he made the best move for himself, for his family, and for Apple; just be the Apple chairman. No need to be CEO. Tim Cook is very much capable. But as chairman, he can still do plenty of things. We can still expect even more awesome products. We can still expect to see him make those keynote presentations now legendarily called "SteveNotes." He might have ended his full-time reign at Apple, to better take care of himself and his health, but there would still be one more thing. I really thought there would still be one more thing. I could never be more wrong.

Guy Kawasaki argued that Disneyland is still a very fun, very enjoyable place for most visitors, young and old alike, and meanwhile Walt Disney himself has not been around for a very long time already. This could be one scenario for Apple, considering that Steve Jobs has ingrained his DNA into this very first baby of his, particularly thru Apple University, an in-house executive learning school. You know what, I'm just really hoping for more insanely great products.

Of course, coincidentally, Steve waited until after the October 4th announcement of the iPhone 4S concluded. There was a lot of unmet expectations speculations about the iPhone 4S, mostly from non-Apple fans, as if Apple never released the iPhone 3GS which was a minimal upgrade of the iPhone 3G, although some reports say that Jobs himself was pleased. And so he went. Anyway, as I appended in my blog article about the iPhone 4S announcement, what "one little thing" that people did not notice from the iPhone 4S announcement was the announcement of the iPhone 3GS being free and the iPhone 4 being only $99 under 2-year contracts. The 3GS is still a very capable smartphone and a price tag of free would get a whole lot more people into the iPhone ecosystem. The iPhone 4 is like - you know, it still wows me up to this day. It is just beautiful. And it becomes everything that I need it to be. It's no wonder the iPhone 4S still looks like the iPhone 4. As of today though, pre-orders of the iPhone 4S have sold out. I don't think it's people intentionally doing it for Steve. It's just Siri and that new camera are on another level compared to most similar products even though people might not admit it. Overall though, it's nice to see Apple-haters who are respectful enough to pay respect to the man. I respect them, too. Unfortunately, there are also the disrespectful ones. You know who you are. You don't deserve any respect from me, or from anyone.

Anyways. Sad, sad, sad. Steve Jobs is the third game changer who I really admired but who has already passed on, Kurt Cobain and FrancisM being the other two. I should stop admiring people, but you know, I would strive to be a game changer myself. Until then, I should stay hungry, stay foolish.

Steve Jobs has passed away

[thoughts] Here we go again.

I felt compelled to talk about Apple's new product launch earlier today (or yesterday, depending on where you're at). Here's the gist. iPhone 4 was announced in June of last year, and 4 months after, the rumor mills for an iPhone 5 started grinding. There were rumors that Apple might release an iPhone 4S instead, similar on the outside as the current iPhone 4 but slightly upgraded on the inside. And rumors of all sorts of new internal and external features for a possible new iPhone 5. And then rumors of two new iPhones, a 5 and a 4S, coming out at the same time surfaced. There were also rumors surrounding the iPod Touch, which usually gets an upgrade around this time of the year. And the death of the iPod Classic. And so on and so forth. Ladies and gentlemen, there won't ever be an iPhone 5 anymore. The next new iPhone will be called an iPhone 6. Or the iPhone Seis. Or probably, just the iPhone, followed by a "(mid-2012 model)" in smaller fonts.

[quote me] A smartphone is not a phone! (You got it wrong, again!)

One guy started to complain about why people appear to be racing to build the fastest bullet trains or the tallest buildings or the longest bridges. He said that during his time, around 40 years ago, cars didn't have power doors and windows, power steering, GPS navigation systems, or air-conditioning even. He said that, "Now, I only want a cellphone; something that can enable him to make phone calls, send messages, and check the clock and the date. Just 4 features! I don't even need a camera."

[who is ronjie?] you were not listening; [quote me] on advanced degrees

One of the things I hate so much is how, when I make a presentation wherein I explain how "1+1=2," at the end of my presentation in the Q&A portion, I get asked the question "so, what is 1+1?"  Or, "you should try to find the answer to 1+1."

[quote me] A UP bachelor's degree is an advanced degree...

...and yes, we feel a bit of superiority but we usually hide it because we're smart enough to know that relationships are just as important as degrees.

I thought this so, because some people who don't have UP degrees try to justify themselves saying, "You may have a degree from UP, but I am better than you," in the same way that people who don't have advanced degrees also say, "You may have an advanced degree, but I am better than you."

Come to think about it, maybe I hate these statements and the attitudes that borne them because they're anti-relationship. This is not the UP way. The UP way would be not saying those things directly to people; instead we'll tell another fellow UP grad "That was just stupid. Obviously not from UP." Of course, that is if indeed those actions of theirs are stupid and those people not from UP.

[did you know?] Indian giver

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_giver

[did you know?] Are you a Cafe au Lait or a Cafe Latte person?

I probably first encountered the term latte upon the advent of a certain "coffee drink restaurant" called Starbucks, ca. 1998, in Manila. Probably not because of that "coffee drink restaurant" per se, but nonetheless that was one event I can associate with our eyes being opened back then to coffee other than Nescafe and Folgers and some other instant coffee brands from the US that balikbayans brought back home. Of course at that time, coffee shops like The Coffee Beanery from the Cravings Group helped Starbuko to somewhat co-educate us as well.

[did you know?] Upo in English

I'm talking about the vegetable, the one which we usually sauté (yung kadalasang ginigisa natin) or that we can use as substitute for green papaya or sayote in a tinola dish.

You will never believe this.

You will never, ever, ever believe this.

It is...

[did you know?] Catch-22

I know many of you know this already, but for the benefit of those who don't, Wikipedia (as of 8 Sept 2011) defines a Catch-22 as:

"...a logical paradox arising from a situation in which an individual needs something that can only be acquired by not being in that very situation; therefore, the acquisition of this thing becomes logically impossible. Catch-22s are often spoken with regard to rules, regulations, procedures, or situations in which one has knowledge of being or becoming a victim but has no control over it occurring (i.e. heads you win, tails I lose, output is the input...)"

Additionally, it was mentioned that "Catch-22" was coined by Joseph Heller in his novel entitled "Catch-22."

Maybe it's not exactly the same, but one interpretation of mine for a Catch-22 is this popular expression by one of the most important figures to come out of the 1990's, Bart Simpson:

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't."

Yeah, come to think about it, it's not the same. What the heck.

[quote them] Molly Wood on Yahoo!

No, I'm not talking about Molly Wood, the adult film actress. :-D This is from Molly Wood, the CNET Senior Editor, while she was talking about Yahoo! after its board recently fired CEO Carol Bartz, in "Buzz Out Loud," a CNET podcast:

"Once you get the stink on, it's pretty hard to get it off."

How true. In so many ways. How true.

Sad. But true.

On my part, I feel sad to see what has become of Yahoo! since its early beginnings 16 years or so ago when it was the very first website I ever visited. That was a big "whoa!" moment, seeing the Yahoo! website on our then brand new computer. I remember that day quite clearly.

[thoughts] [prustrations] Catch-22?

Peyups -- i.e. UP. UP naming mahal. (The UP that we love.) There is an on-going internal effort there to help "UP to regain its role as a top university in the Asia-Pacific region." Take note the word "regain." Here are my thoughts on the matter.

[who is ronjie.com?] Visited Countries

Just updating... :-D  Wait for me, Australia, Africa, and South America! (And everywhere else in between.)

[who is ronjie.com] My Lakbayan Grade is now C+!

As of Feb 2010, actually!

[reactions+reflections] [thoughts] Old wine drinkers

Today I was surprised to see that a quote like this is actually in the Book of Luke (5:39):

"And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is good enough.'"

[who is ronjie.com?] The RONJIE.COM Web

The RONJIE.COM web, at least, according to Mozilla Firefox is in this link. This is what it came up with after I wasted spent time answering some 20 questions.

http://mzl.la/nxDjf9

I guess you should try to waste time answer it as well and find "web stuff" we have in common. Or with some other important person in your life. Like both my wife and I have smartphones, Statue of Liberty souvenirs, and friendship bands in there, among others. Okay. Yeah, don't worry. I don't get it, too. Oh and, don't ask me questions about it, please. :-D

[who is ronjie.com?] My name is RON.

My real given name is Ronwaldo Emmanuel. My dad wanted me to become Emmanuel Jr., but my mom didn't want a Junior, so they agreed that my dad would decide on my first given name and to use Emmanuel only as a second name, but that my mom would decide on my nickname. My dad decided to name me after Ronwaldo Reyes, a.k.a. Fernando Poe, Jr., the late famous Filipino actor admired by millions and more recently presidential candidate who lost against former president Gloria Arroyo. My mother then decided on "Ronjie" as nickname, to put a dash of her own name into mine as well, her nickname back then being "Mojie."

[who is ronjie?] defining moment #2

I was in college, in my senior year, and I started taking one of these required courses that everyone seemed to hate. There was a "terror" teacher who gave you one of three marks: just-passing, do-more-work, or absolutely-failed. I was challenged.

In one of the homeworks/assignments given to us, we were asked to derive an equation. Loving math since a kid, I played around with what was given, and finally came up with the solution. As is usual custom in college, we'd usually look at each other's work. Or actually, I was probably one of a very few who did try to answer the home exercises, and so my classmates asked to see what I did.

[quote me] [tech] Google+ [sigh]

I love Google. The feeling ain't mutual - it's one of only maybe three technology companies that I am endeared to, but meanwhile I'm only one of probably a billion users that mean the world to them. If I were earning US$ and had access to Wall Street, I'd have invested in Google and two other companies years ago. But I'm not, I can't afford, and so I'll stick to ALI and SMDC. :D

[quote them] The Man in the Arena

A speech by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

[prustrations] Smartphone = PDA+Phone?

Can how you use/see a smartphone tell how smart you really are?

Philippine Passport holder?

Iwasan mong pumunta sa Indonesia. Pati sa Bali ha. Kung hindi, paghandaan mo na lang ang mga hindi kanais-nais na karanasan.

Ito ang pangunahing naging babasahin ko tungkol dito: http://www.chyngreyes.com/2011/06/my-traumatic-experience-as-alleged-drug.html

Narinig ko tungkol don mula dito: http://chuvaness.livejournal.com/1125376.html

At ito pa isang dokyumentaryo tungkol sa Indonesia na ginawa ng walang iba kung hindi ang National Geographic mismo, pero mga Pinoy ang gamit nila na artista para gampanan ang mga Indonesian na roles: http://chuvaness.livejournal.com/1125846.html

[quote me] The bigger they are...

...the heavier they get.

I say this because I have observed that confidence and body width-to-height ratio are somewhat proportional.  It was true to me, too - I became a more confident person at about the same time when my BMI was starting to knock at the doors of 25, i.e. the overweight door to obesity.

It is so true as well in public transportation systems.  I've seen large width-to-height guys occupying a wider portion of the seats in buses and so on, and yet they still have to stretch their thighs outward so they occupy even more space.  Is it because they don't want people near them because they know they smell?  Or have they just overtaken their self-confidence to the point of rudeness?  What's up with that!

But then, is society to blame as well?  Can you imagine a large guy who's as shy and as soft-hearted as a smaller, thinner man?  Weird, isn't it?  Are these XXXL guys just living up to the hype?  Or did the David and Goliath story created a reverse psychology effect on us?

Last point.  East Asians and Southeast Asians are generally shorter and thinner.  Caucasians are generally not.

[quote me] An anecdote

"I like this photo.  I look thin in this photo.  I'll make it my profile pic."
"I totally agree with you, you LOOK thin there."

Enough said.  If you're overweight, that is already a symptom of a health concern somewhere down the line.  It's now time for a cool change.

[quote me] You just don't get it...

...but you think you do.  You just don't get it and you never will.


"What's this about?," you might ask.

You just don't get it but you think you do.  You just don't get it and you never will.  :-D

[quote me] I'm not religious, I'm normal.

Society has sadly come to the point that being God-fearing and God-loving comes with labels such as "religious," "fanatic," "abnormal," "holy," and other things with seemingly negative connotations in society at large.  I am not as "religious" as some of those people you call "religious," but to me they are the normal people, they recognized the right path and they are on it, or at least trying their best to stay on it.  I can't throw a stone at them, even if they may have strayed once or twice or more.

On the other hand, people who label these good people as "religious" are those who are too proud and/or afraid to admit their wrongs and be humble enough to honestly say "I'm sorry" to God and to whoever else.  Why do they label? or judge?  I think they do that to justify their wrongdoings, to make themselves feel comfortable and think that they're doing just fine.  To spread the disease that plagues many societies: "being wrong is hot. being right is not."  These people who use the word "religious" in a wrong way to label good people are those who also disregard some successful people's religiosity.  Like one president is actually "religious" but because he's successful, they attribute their success to other things, not to God.

Sure, not all seemingly "religious" people are actually religious.  And sure, it is very tempting to point our fingers at them.  But when we do that--pointing fingers, labelling, judging, a.k.a. being God--I hope we know what we're doing.

Well, people, you're not hot.  You're not cool.  You're not normal.  But yeah, you think you're happy and doing just fine because you're not "religious."  Guess again.

[quote them] Oscar Wilde

Anne Hathaway, on the media's interest in her personal life, quotes Oscar Wilde:

[quote me] The question is...

Yes, we can.  We can achieve our dreams.  We can do a lot of things.  We can reach for the stars.

[quote me] journalists. sigh.

I *hate* it when a journalist just quotes and quotes and quotes one person or one source to come up with a news article.  They are practically not the author of that article anymore.  They should instead write the article as a co-author of the main content provider.  But no, of course they need the fame and the exposure. And eventually a promotion and a pay raise.  Welcome to Earth.

[did you know?] 3 more reasons to use Gmail

No, I don't get paid by Google for writing this article.

[quote them] Samuel Ullman on Youth

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

[quote me] don't just dream

Don't just dream.  Visualize.


Everyone has dreams.  But I've met some people who've never realized their dreams.  Why?  They didn't visualize.  They had dreams, and they stayed as dreams.  If not turned into a vision, a dream stays as a dream.  Without having a vision, dreamers stay in their dream state.  Visualizers, on the other hand, get up from their dream, walk towards their vision no matter how long or how hard it takes or how tempting it is to get back to dreaming, and finally become the successful people that they are.

I'm sure you have dreams.  What are they?

But the question is, do you have a vision?  Think about it.

[quote me] Unfortunately...

...a lot of people do not understand the difference between wedding and marriage.

How do I know?  People greeted me "best wishes on your wedding" after the wedding.  Duh.

But, so what?

They meant well.  And we thank them dearly for the wishes.

AND...

We are not native English speakers.  I really hope we all know that.