Facebook has been the favorite social platform of many. It connects people from different parts of the world. Heck, I found my elementary classmates in facebook. I even found someone back then whom I always have a crush on my kindergarten days whom I want to know what or where she is already or how is doing.

But these could go end cause there could be someone who will get into the social media game – Google. Yep, according to some news, Google has plans to compete with Facebook and they will call it Google Me.

Kevin Rose, of Digg fame, got the speculation rolling Sunday with a tweet that Google was working on a social service called Google Me that would compete with Facebook, perhaps Google’s biggest rival for attention on the Internet. On Tuesday, former Facebook executive and Quora founder Adam D’Angelo took things a little further by declaring on Quora that “this is not a rumor. This is a real project. There are a large number of people working on it. I am completely confident about this.” [CNet]

Now, I am psyched! I have to check this out when it will be online. I’ve been looking for other great place after Facebook disappointed me on their new image quality format (which looks really crap). I just hope Google Me will deliver this great. Besides, the photos they have in picasaweb is great. And maybe they will link Google Me and PicasaWeb. Now that’s spectacular!

So, are you still staying with Facebook after Google launches Me?

P.S. It looks like Google Me has a movie too which probably could give you an idea how Google plans to do or something like an idea where Google is going with this social media war. But…isn’t facebook has a movie too?

Competition is everywhere. Whether in sports, entertainment, or work, laging may kasamang competition. Hindi siguro natin maiiwasan ang magkaroon ng ganyan. Lalo na kung ang isa ay hayok sa ganyang scenario. Where that individual acts that there’s no tomorrow and everything he [or she] does must be on his [or her] advantage. Dahil siguro parang mamatay na siya kung lilipas ang isang araw na hindi niya maramdaman sa sarili niya na nangunguna siya sa lahat ng bagay.

Is competition good or bad? Well, I say both. That’s the two edge of the blade.

The first edge brings fruitful results. This brings to what you can call a win-win situation. Where each individual gains. Where each party felt good in the end. Neither felt down nor felt minuscule on their abilities or skills. This should be the ideal edge an individual should aim. Unless that individual is too damn proud and despicably self-centered and opted the other side of the blade.

The other edge breeds crap, individualism, egoistic kind of individual. A kind of individual where everyone should listen to what he [or she] says. Where everything that comes out from him [or her] is gold. Where he [or she] feels the need to get to the top in any way possible – even it means to put someone else down to being a piece of crap.

Wala naman talaga masama makipag-compete eh. Just make sure na isinasaalang-alang mo din ang tingin o nararamdaman ng iba. Na alam mong hindi sa lahat ng panahon tama ka. Na hindi lahat ng ginagawa mo ay ang nararapat gawin. Na hindi lang ikaw ang tao sa mundo. Na hindi ka Presidente na lahat ng sasabihin mo ay tama at naayon na dapat sundin ng nakararami. Na may ibang tao din na may opinion. Na hindi sa lahat ng larangan magaling ka. Na hindi lahat ng ideya ay nadiskubre mo at lahat ng ginawa o ginagawa mo ay galing sa sarili mong kukote.

Each and everyone is different. Yes, I know. But does that mean that we have to compete with each and everyone just to have a place in this freakin’ society? Do we need to let everyone know na saksakan ka ng galing? Na sukdulan ka ng kaalaman? Is it hard for you not to compete? Is it hard to accept that there are some things that you don’t know and you need others to help you? Is it impossible to accept that someone else’s idea is much better that what you have taught? Is it that hard to give or share ideas [or what you know] to someone else and don’t think of your advantage for a while?

I am not saying I am exempted to everything I am saying here. I am very open din naman kung sasabihin mo sa akin kung isa sa mga iyan ay ginawa o ginagawa ko o kaya naman hindi ko nagagawa. That I am willing to look back my actions and correct it if necessary. Wala naman kasi akong pakialam sa pakikipagpataasan eh. The important thing is, I am doing what I am suppose to do and be good at it with or without the approval of someone else. I am willing and not afraid to share what I know and be blunt to tell you what I don’t know.

Why don’t we get along and just have the good edge of the blade? Why don’t we set aside how we look good in the eyes of someone else and rather concentrate how can we be excellent in what we do. Why don’t we compete in a way that we all benefit from it? Besides, we are in the same environment and want the same goal are we not?

There are two kinds of people: Those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group because there is less competition there. -Indira Gandhi

Now, another has joined the party – Texas Instruments (TI).

Yep, TI will be going to release a tablet named Blaze. Now, with that name we expect it to be fast and packed with cool and amazing features. And looking at the below list of features made my jaw dropped and burned my geek and techie desire inside me.

I want one!

Core Logic
OMAP4430 1GHz application and multimedia processor IC
TWL6030 Phoenix power management IC
TWL6040 Phoenix audio IC
CDC3S04 clock driver IC

Memory
1 GB lpDDR2
32 GB eMMC v4.41

Display
10.4” XGA (1024 x 768) LCD
One (1) standard v1.1a DisplayPort connector
External pico DLP Projector Support
HDMI

User Interface
Projected Capacitance Touch (PCT) sensor
Multi-touch capable touch screen controller
Three (3) tri-color status LEDs used as backlight for “OS” buttons
Two (2) unbalanced mass vibration motors

Buttons and Switches
One (1) recessed, externally operable reset button
One (1) power on/off button
Three (3) front screen “OS” buttons
One (1) “lock” switch
One (1) battery mode switch

Serial Interfaces
One (1) HS USB OTG
Two (2) HS USB host ports

Removable Media
One (1) full size 8-bit SD/MMC external connector
One (1) full size SD/MMC internal connector
One (1) SIM card for modem support

Audio
One (1) 3.5 mm stereo headset jack for audio output and MIC input
Two (2) 1W RMS speakers
Four (4) digital microphones

Expansion
One (1) COM connector for connectivity modules
One (1) full miniPCIe connector for modem modules

Connectivity
WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) via WL1283 COM7 module
BT via WL1283 COM7 module
GPS via WL1283 COM7 module
FM TX/RX via WL1283 COM7 module
Modem (Wide Area Network) Support
LTE modem support via standard miniPCIe module
3G modem support via standard miniPCIe module
To clarify, only one modem can be used at any given moment

Sensors
3-axis accelerometer
3-axis gyro
Temperature sensor
Ambient light sensor
Proximity sensor
Pressure (barometric) sensor
Digital compass

External Camera modules (optional)
5MP AF camera modules mounted externally on tablet frame
The camera module(s) will be connected to the Blaze via standard HDMI cables
Each OMAP4430 CSI-2 camera interface will have a dedicated HDMI-style connector

Mechanical
The mechanical envelope, is 10.48″ (266.094 mm) x 8.28″ (210.294 mm) x 1.14″ (29 mm)
The frame of Blaze Tablet is aluminum
The frame of the Blaze Tablet will be grooved to allow for external camera module and pico DLP projector attachment
The attachment system will provide flexibility to the pointing angles of the external camera modules and pico DLP projector

Power
Support for USB power
One (1) standard 5V input for wall power
4100 mAHr single-cell LiON Battery

Debug
One (1) 802.3 (wired) Ethernet port (RJ-45 connector)
One (1) MIPI Test and Debug connector
One (1) USB connector which has serial (UART) data
Optional debug LEDs

WOW! Now, that’s a high-end techie device! (The pico projector got me). Blaze will be released this August. Oh, and by the way, this is for developers only. So, to all developers out there, this device is for you so start breaking a lot of piggy banks you’ve been hiding.

What do you think of this device? Hit the comments.

(Hmmm…I wonder how many will I break?)

[SlashGear]

In fact, the encryption is so amazing that even FBI – yep, FBI of the United States – can’t break the encryption even they took years to do so.

The FBI has admitted defeat in attempts to break the open source encryption used to secure hard drives seized by Brazilian police during a 2008 investigation.

The Bureau had been called in by the Brazilian authorities after the country’s own National Institute of Criminology (INC) had been unable to crack the passphrases used to secure the drives by suspect banker, Daniel Dantas.

Brazilian reports state that two programs were used to encrypt the drives, one of which was the popular and widely-used free open source program TrueCrypt. Experts in both countries apparently spent months trying to discover the passphrases using a dictionary attack, a technique that involves trying out large numbers of possible character combinations until the correct sequence is found.

Now, I’m definitely keep using TrueCrypt!

More of the story in Techworld.com – FBI hackers fail to crack TrueCrypt.

Well, for some time I am using the lastpass extension from lastpass.com and for quite some time, I am loving it. The first thing I wanted to know is how secure is it? How safe my passwords to them? Well, I did some checking and a bit of research, as well as reading some user reviews and some forum discussions. Then I came to a decision to go and try it.

Here are some of the major things I found and love which I look for on a password manager:

Cross-platform

Lastpass is cross-platform. Meaning you can use it on different browsers. Whether you are using IE, Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Safari, etc, they have it for you. Heck, they even have some mobile apps for the iPhone and blackberry.

Ease of Use

Lastpass is very easy to use. You just need to fill out the necessary username/password of your account and it automatically fill in or login to the page. They even have some sort of auto fill in for forms like what Roboform does.

They also have a portable app called Lastpass pocket, where just like keepass, you can download your encrypted password database and view your passwords even though you don’t have any internet.

You can also import from a wide variety of password manager which some of them are firefox password manager, keepass, one password, and many more.

Moreover, they also have password generator, too. Cool!

Security

This is the feature I am very sensitive of. Well, you’re talking about your passwords. Your key to all your gates through your online life. So this is very crucial.

I spent many times reading some topics in forums regarding lastpass and from what I found is that it looks like lastpass doesn’t keep your passwords or any information about your sensitive data. What they do is that when you enter your desired master password they will hash it along with your username with an AES-256 encryption and they do it locally. They don’t do it in their end. So, what they only get is gibberish random characters so even lastpass developers don’t know what is your username and password is. Now that, I think, is secure.

So, that’s it. My quick review about lastpass. And from some time that I am using it, it looks like I will be staying with this one (sorry keepass).

How about you? What’s your password manager? Why don’t you try this one? This, I recommend.

Update:

The great security guru – Steve Gibson – from grc.com, did a full review on lastpass. And from his review, it seems he trusts lastpass. Now knowing how Steve is with security, I guess I am really staying with lastpass and if I have some money I’ll get the $1/month premium ‘coz I think is very reasonable.

Here’s the transcript from Steve’s website about his review.

The new version of the well know browser, for its high quality both in security and customization, looks cool and even more snappier from previous versions. Below are some of my first impression on the new version.

Looks thinner and added new UI features

I am fond of minimalist designs so as soon as I saw the new UI firefox 4, I was amazed with how it looked. Although it still has the same components – menu bar, tabs, navigation buttons, address bar, and the search bar, the new look is stunning. I like how they made it thinner to get more screen space.

And on to that note of getting more screen space, it looks like the firefox team puts a new way of displaying the menu. After you get the menu bar removed, you will see a new Firefox bar at the left most part of the tab bar and there you can access the menu. Also, aside from this, you will get a bookmark button right beside the search bar which I think is cool. And the pie looking thing beside the web page name is new as well.

Another thing I noticed on the new UI, is that you can now re-size any textbox to your desired size just by dragging while holding your left mouse button. This I believe is new compared to previous versions of firefox. Well, I am not surprised with this feat since I first saw this used in Chrome but this is new to firefox.

Speed

Well I didn’t ran any speed test with this new version of firefox but it just feels faster. Loading of web pages loads much faster which I am only seeing in Chrome. But, hey, I am not saying it is faster than chrome. Unless someone runs a speed test and shows me that this new version of firefox is faster than Chrome, I am still putting my money on Chrome when we are talking about speed.

Well, that’s my first impression about firefox 4 and it looks promising. Probably, I will get back to firefox but not now I guess. I still like the speed and minimalist look of Chrome.

Issues

Issues I found so far is sudden  loss of my cursor and some buttons un-clickable. I have to refresh the page or close the whole browser to get it back. Aside from this, so far so good.

So, what do you think about the new Firefox 4?

Oh well, I just have to remember them all and find the fire within me to blog them all.

Since I was little, every birthday namin, my Father sees to it na may handa kami. Kahit konti basta may handa. Konting pansit, tinapay, isang litrong coke, cake, at ice cream. Tama na iyan para sa akin. But as years passed by, sometimes it gets you. You will feel the “is-there-anything-different” feeling because you used to experience this in a long time. So, I guess something different would not hurt.

I am not saying kailangan engrande ang handaan. Kailangan magarbo. Kailangan madami ipapakain o papakainin. It’s just that, I want something new. Something different. Gusto ko naman bago. I don’t know what is it. Sus, kelangan ko pa bang isipin ‘to? Ako na nga nagbi-birthday kelangan ko pang mag-isip? Hindi ba dapat relax lang? Hehe.

Since child, I haven’t received a single gift that I liked. Don’t get me wrong. I do get some gifts every birthday I had pero mabibilang lang sa daliri ang nagreregalo sa akin. How many? Two. First, my wife and second, my mother.

Again, I am not saying na dapat may regalo ako but it would be nice to have one. Naahh. I’m just kidding. Okay lang na wala. Hehe. Like Erwin once said, “That’s just a nice to have feature….”

On to the wishes. I just have simple wishes. First, I wish for good health for me and my family especially to my kids. Second, success to every endeavors I wish to achieve for me to be able to more provide for my family. Lalo na ngayon, nagsisilakihan na ang mga anak ko. My eldest will go to school soon and I have to prepare for that. And most of all, I pray for many blessings for my family.

To all who greeted me (including facebook, friendster, and other social sites, hehe), thank you for remembering my birthday!

Hmmm…next birthday, ano kaya gagawin ko?

Photo by Christopher Verdier

As soon as I played the game, I instantly was overwhelmed with the storyline, gameplay, and animations. And so that was the time I started to follow the game’s franchise. From PCs, the game went to consoles such as PlayStation PS1-3. Now, they made a movie out of it.

As soon as I heard that Prince of Persia will be shown on the big screen, I was so eager to see it. You see, every gamer, whether on PC or on any console games, dreams of having one of his favorite games shown to the big screen. And I am one of them.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Last night, me and my wife saw the movie. I was so excited to watch it but after the movie ended, all I was left to say were…”Yun lang?! Hindi ko man lang naramdaman na ‘yun yung matagal ko ng nilalaro. ‘Yun lang?! Ampangit naman!”.

I was disappointed. Disappointed for the fact that the movie lacks intensity. Lacks powerful introduction voice-over. Lacks storyline. Lacks powerful fight scenes. Lacks intensive actions. And most of all, it lacks the acrobatic finesse which the game introduced. The wall climb, the wall run, the pole swinging. Though seen in some of the scenes , these weren’t shown magnificently. Kulang na kulang.

Another is the time travel when the dagger of time was pressed. Although they have artistically shown how the Prince controlled time, they haven’t shown the true power of the dagger as well as its usefulness to the Prince. They should’ve shown more action scenes using the dagger. Something like the Prince used the dagger to go back in time and save his ass after accidentally fell from the cliff. The only dagger scene I liked in the movie is when they were attacked by snakes. That’s all. Kung meron mang iba pa eh wala na sa pelikula yun. At malamang hindi na Prince of Persia pinapanood ko.

In any case, all I can say about the movie is just OK. Not a WOW! Not even a “astig-uulitin-ko-ulit-panonoorin-ito” kind of feeling.

So, is it a must see in a big screen or not? I must say, it’s NOT.  I don’t mind just watching this in a small screen. ‘Coz it’s just not that good. Probably because it’s a Disney movie? I don’t know. Basta ako…hindi ako na-satisfy.

Even when you download apps, you can now see a progress bar. Also, after you have done downloading, Installous will now install your app automatically. The download history shows great improvement as well. It now shows the apps’ icons.

Below are some screenshots.