"Net Gen Nonsense"

I'd like to refrain from taking sides. Nonetheless, some people are getting some good SEO-driven attention. See for yourself in this search result.

In praise of Social Networks

Big Blue seems to be officially riding the wave, in Asia - that is, especially when more and more people in this part of the world are seeing the viral nature of SNS (Think: Thriller video in a Cebu prison, or a jilted lover ranting over unpaid "cash advances"

Here's an excerpt from Inquirer.net

"PHUKET, Thailand--Social networks such as Facebook have not only revolutionized the way people communicate over the Web but are also seen as useful to businesses."

IBM's David Barnes tells us more in the video.

You Can Actually Autogenerate Blog Entries!?

aka "How to blog without really trying."

I was doing research on ePortfolios, so I ran a search of the keywords [Yuvienco Helen Barrett] hoping to see some linkback/trackback. Then I found this , a post from Iphigeniaolegfea’s Weblog. True enough, Yuvienco was there, along with some random words that appear to have been extracted from some pieces of work I've been doing. But nothing in Iphigeniaolegfea's post seemed to make human sense.

So there. Is that at all related to SEO? Don't ask me, but I'm not exactly endorsing "robotic blogging".

Coming to a car show near you

So what's on the announcement block lately? Ok, I am told that Honda launches VCM 643.

Then it got me wondering what kind of novelty it has to offer. After firing my handy dandy search engine, I discovered that a certain Rodiron620 had recently posted something about the history of VCM:

"Honda first introduced VCM back in 2003 when it was available on the JDM Honda Inspire. So the system now has 5 years of history and a lot of testing and real world mileage. As much as we want to call it new technology, it has been around the block as far as Honda is concerned. There is even a Wikipedia entry for Honda Variable Cylinder Management...."

"In addition to low fuel consumption, the VCM engine also reduces exhaust emissions, helping meet govt Ultra-Low Emissions and 2010 fuel consumption standards, making it eligible for preferential 'Green Tax' treatment. The engine achieves this by combining high-density catalytic converters located directly below each cylinder head for further improved exhaust gas processing at low engine temperatures with better air/fuel ratio control.

VCM continuously analyzes throttle opening, vehicle speed, engine speed, and gearing to determine that the car is cruising, and then idles the intake and exhaust valves of the three cylinders in the rear cylinder bank. With zero valve lift, the cylinders are sealed, and no fuel is injected. Pumping losses are thus reduced by as much as 65% and low fuel consumption is realized.

When operating in 3-cylinder mode, engine vibration is reduced by extrapolating vibration from the change in crankshaft rotation speed and sending the information to the 'active control' engine mount, which compresses/extends an actuator in same-phase, same-period motion to dampen the engine mount. Similarly, a speaker creates an opposite phase sound or 'active noise control', to provide a cancelling effect, for a quieter interior which leaves the driver unaware of changes in cylinder activation."

The stats below should give us another perspective.










Just don't know how it feels to the driver when activation/deactivation kicks in. Perhaps I could use a day to test drive a VCM 643-powered Honda? (Hint, hint.)

I didn't even know ...

you could annotate and add links to your YouTube videos.

"So check it out."



Thanks Tris for showing me the "first interactive video on YouTube." (Sorry, embed disabled)

Google Docs and Database

aka combining spreadsheet and forms

Perhaps this can help but...

it's rather ironic that claiming retirement benefits from the Philippine Social Security System(SSS) is anything but social.

Here's a colorful rant from a FIL-AM based in he USA trying to claim his pension benefits:

"I can't understand what really freak they want, lagay
ba? or paddrino. These are very simple matters why
they are trying to make it hard. How can they verify
the premiums of my previous companys for my sss
contribution. It will take them forever, maybe some of
them aren't existing anymore and how could they do
that its been 23 or 25 years that's rediculous!
The only company that might be able to give them maybe
the big ones but i am not sure if my name is still in
their files ... "

Now for what this is worth, I could perhaps hook this fellow up to someone who could be of assistance to him and anyone similarly situated. So, buddy, just shoot me an email at joel.yuvienco[at]gmail.com

I like ...

Marcus Miller's "Run for Cover" cover by KoYoungHwan

aka "Yesterday, David Cook was on the Top 10 most searched items on Yahoo".

Free online games help reinforce math and language skills

aka eSchoolNews showcases Arcademic Skill Builders.

"Arcademic Skill Builders is a nonprofit web site that features online educational games offering a new approach to learning basic math, language arts, vocabulary, and thinking skills."

More here.

Elevator pitch is dead?

Muhammad Saleem  says yes and introduces us to twitpitch. So say goodbye to  140 words and hello to 140 characters on twitter.com. More about twitpitch.

[via Javed Alam on his Facebook Status]

Thus Google gets more social

Associated Press reports that Google joins effort to make more Web sites more sociable.

"Google hopes its latest social tools will encourage people to
spend even more time online, giving the company more opportunities to
show the advertising that generates most of its profits."

Time to party? Don't ask me but I don't know who'll come home with a headache.

Can't wait to lay my hands/eyes

... on Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior,   Ori Brafman's second book which I'm told will be out in June.

8/10

aka how Blogged.com editors rated Ad Astra. That's about 94 percentile among technology blogs (17,331 so far). And I'm not even into SEO. Not that it has anything to do with that rating. I am told that "evaluation is based on the following criteria: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style."

Not bad considering that Wired and Techcrunch were rated a superb 10. Click here to see the current field of blogged.com-rated technology blogs.

Thanks Amy Liu.

Time to say goodbye, NOT.

So how do you make money off public domain material?

Voluminous may offer one answer.



[via boingboing.net]

Indeed, it's not the idea, it's what you do with it. Sounds like share the science, make money off the technology?

And if you're not comfortable with your CV

Product:

... you might need the services of a "bio-data" maker.

Wikipedia defines Résumé like so:

"A résumé, also known as a curriculum vitae (CV), American and British English respectively, is a document that contains a summary or listing of relevant job experience and education, usually for the purpose of obtaining an interview when seeking employment. Often the résumé or CV is the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker, and therefore a large amount of importance is often ascribed to it."

Place:

Online aka the World Wide Web

Price:

Pricing starts at $68.95 for entry level 0-2 years total work experience. Remember that it's a professional and executive resume writing service.

Promotion:

Resume Maker.

Process:

1. Complete the order form and choose your package.

2. Their team lead will get in contact with you to conduct an in depth one on one interview.

3. Receive your 1st draft.

4. Finalize your resume with the team lead.

Promise:

• An electronic copy of your professionally made resume
• A scannable version of your resume
• A cover letter personalized just for you
• A thank you letter after your first job interview
• Unlimited revisions for 30 days"

Obsolete skills and Web 2.0 resumes

In 1993, Seymour Papert wrote a premonitory piece about Knowledge Machines and how "reading will no longer be the unique primary access road to knowledge and learning, and it should therefore no longer be the dominant consideration in the design of School."

The argument continues:

"Demoting reading from its privileged position in the school curriculum is only one of many consequences of Knowledge Machines. A child who has grown up with the freedom to explore provided by such machines will not sit quietly through the standard curriculum dished out in most schools today. Already, children are made increasingly restive by the contrast between the slowness of School and the more exciting pace they experience in videogames and television. But the restiveness is only a pale precursor to what will come when they can freely enter virtual realities of animals in Africa or wars in ancient Greece."

Makes one wonder what skill set companies would be looking for in the 21st century workplace.

Fast forward to 2008: You must have heard of video resumes. And Web 2.0 job sites like jobfox.com promises to "have great companies pursue you" with features like tag clouds and mindmaps for your online CV.

Which brings me to this question: Does that mean it makes better sense to learn via YouTube videos?

Now Major Brands are into Social Networks too

Mashable reports that:

"When big brands decide something is hot, they will move in and attempt to copy it. Sometimes they actually succeed at their goals, and sometimes…well, let’s just say that results are less than spectacular."

More here.

Thanks to Mon Duremdes.

5 Challenges in Implementing Social Software in the Enterprise

Christy Pettey of Gartner reports:

"Based on extensive discussions and experiences with clients, Gartner has identified five major challenges that organizations face when pursuing social software applications as well as advice to help businesses respond to them:

1 -- Delivering Business Value

2 -- Overcoming Cultural Barriers

3 -- Ensuring Privacy

4 -- Governing Participant Behaviors

5 -- Managing Personal and Professional Time

"The severity of these five challenges will vary significantly from one organization to the next, as does their impact on decisions concerning whether, when and how to proceed with social software," Mr. Bradley said. "There are no absolutes, for each potential social application organization must balance the business benefits over the risks of overcoming these challenges."

[via Reuters]

It's more about people than about technology. Does it get any clearer than that?