He got a free iPhone! And you can too!

Very clever guy. And he shares how he did it in this article.

His name is Dave and I'm soooooo crushing on him right now.

Charis listened.

I've always had them in my playlist but up until a few days ago, I haven't really heard them.
-------------------------

Last Sunday night when 'Kabayan' was pouring over Baguio, I found myself stuck in my room playing Bejeweled 2 on my PDA. Having no other form of entertainment I decided to play mp3s on the device randomly selecting the closing theme of the movie 'The Untouchables' (a copy of which is posted in my music section). The idea was to let the music drone in the background while playing the game as I've done so often in the past.

Maybe it was because there was really nothing much else to do; perhaps it was because the music was written by one of moviedom's greatest composers; or simply that I was in a highly emotional state, but for some reason, even at the first few strains of the score, I was compelled to stop playing the game, put the device down, stare at the ceiling and just lay there.

While it may have been said a million times over in a million different ways, it just blows my mind how truly gifted artists can string such beautiful sounds together - music that moves you so much so that at the end of the score you were misty-eyed and couldn't tell why.

And so in that chilly, dimly lit room and for the first time in a long, long while, I listened again to music.

Consider Design

When people first hear the word "design", very often the first thing that comes to mind is fashion, graphics, or advertising.

Hardly anyone ever thinks of business as design (unless of course your line of business has something to do with graphics or web design).

But here's what I propose: A business, regardless of what industry or line it is, needs to consider design seriously. And I'm not just talking about creating a fancy logo and letterhead. I'm referring to the over-all "look" and image your business will have to your market.

Many people often think that the most influence design has in a business is only as far as a product or company logo is concerned. What they don't realize that any representation of a business NEEDS design. By any, I mean EVERYTHING that stands for your business: from store fronts to employee uniforms, from billing invoices to telephone greetings, from brochures to bulleting boards.

Now you may probably be thinking,
"So why is that so important?"

The answer to that lies in another question
"How much do you value being distinct in the market?"

If you plan on being "just another supplier / provider of so-and-so gadgets", then by all means, DON'T consider design seriously. After all, your goal is to be just like everyone else.

But if you truly believe that you can stand out from the rest. Then you need to take the necessary measures in order to achieve that. Make your message seen and heard by giving thought into everything that stands for your business. It may take time and resources, but as it is with any business venture, it's an investment that will reap gains in the future.

-----------------------------
Pitik-Bulag, Inc. is a creatives consultancy that has special consultancy programs for start-ups and established enterprises. Being business-oriented ourselves, we understand your need and can partner with you in helping work design to your advantage.

Whattakoinkidoink!

The ratio of the observed frequency of double crossings-over to the expected frequency, where the expected frequency is calculated by assuming that the two crossing-over events occur independently of each other.

the same value of the denoted intension in the actual world-time.

Say whut?
---------------------------

1 Message received.
"Hi ma'am! Di raw pwede si Michelle 2nyt. May hahabulin daw cya n project. Some othr tym na lang rw ds wk."

Options.
Reply.

"Okidoki."

Send.

But I'm already here.

You could use the walk.

Tama.

Down the long strip that runs outside the mall.
A hundred nameless faces per 50 meters. Easy.

And then. There was one. Perpendicular to your path.
You're heading east.
Him south.

Walks right past. Crosses the street.
Completely oblivious.

Call stiffled.
Why bother?
But what were the odds of that happening?
The moment's too rare to pass up.
Call, you idiot.

10 rings.
You're about to hang up, when he picks up.

"Are you at SM?"
"Yah. Where are you."
"I can see you from across the street."
"Hold on, i'm coming over."

End call.

"Wanna grab something to eat?"
"We don't have to."
"But what are the odds of this happening?"
"Guess you're right."
"Coffee then."

A few meters.

"So what brings you here?"
"I got stood up. You?"
"Thought I'd look something up at some store."
"Cool."
"Yeah."
"What were the odds..."
"You already said that."
"oh yeah. sorry."






"It is kinda cool."
"Yeah it is."

------------------------------------------------------------

occurs when unexpected parallels can be drawn from two or more events. In the popular sense it is used to describe events (or, more accurately, combinations of two or more events) which are of low probability.

Coco Jello!!!

So what if I'm sooooo like 5 minutes ago? I'll still say it.

I've discovered Nata de Coco.



Of course you can argue that the thing has been in packaged existence for more than a decade now. But until recently, I haven't really paid attention to it.

So much so, that it has led me to Google the thing. And here's what I came up with:

1. According to the Dept. of Science and Technology, we owe our chewy coco dessert to this man: Mr. Teodula Afrika of that really, really old school along Espana, Manila.
(As an aside, the makapuno, a less resilient relative of our coco companion, was developed in the 1970s by a Dr. Guzman who called her creation a "mutant coconut". Bet you won't look at your halo-halo the same way again, will yah?)

2. Apparently, as it is with cheese, Yakult, beer and vinegar, nata de coco traces its beginnings from little microscopic animals we call bacteria. Now if only the more complex organisms like homo sapiens could just be as useful...

3. Other than dessert, nata de coco has been found to have some non-food applications:

- bacterial media
(made from bacteria, so it's home sweet home, i guess.)

- wound dressing
(here's an idea: dress your wound AND have dessert! --- yummmm...)

- acoustic diaphragm for audio products
(if your mp3s start to sound coco, now you know. Hey that rhymes! Ain't I soooo clever??!?!)

- cloth
(Hungry? Eat your shirt.)

- computer chips
(Coco computers! what will they think of next?!)

- candles
(They make everything into candles. I mean, I won't be surprised if they made them out of used bubble gum. Eww.. that's just gross - even for me...)




That said, I enjoy my coco jello with a twist of calamansi.

If I ever get around to doing it, I was thinking of getting shaved ice, sweetened pandan syrup and topping it off with a generous helping of nata de coco cubes.

Then I'd give it some awfully original name like
"nata de coco over shaved ice and pandan syrup".

Think it'll work? If you get to do this before I do, let me know.