the parser blog

1st UP PWW A Success

2008-07-27T17:51:00.012+08:00

1 Building

4 Panelists Philip Kimpo Jr.(blue) * Ia Lucero(green) * Jonel Uy(blue stripes) * Cai Abbass (2nd from left)

11 Fellows and Participants

Camarao, Crystal Beatrice * Contreras, Paul Vincent * Gian Paolo Samson * Kam, Kathleen * Lacandazo, Apryll * Olive Ruth A. Dag * Tan, Ava Marie * Tiojanco, Jase Nathaniel G. * Edrosa, Loraine * Hirano, Misato * Mantaring, Rafael

Lots of Pictures

More @

http://joneluy.multiply.com/photos/album/66/Parser_Writing_Workshop_08_1.0

http://upparser.multiply.com/photos/album/3/UP_Parser_Writing_Workshop_08_1.0

Pics - 2nd Parser Alumni-Staff Meet

2008-07-13T23:29:00.003+08:00

Parser Writing Workshop Update

2008-07-08T14:29:00.006+08:00

Detail of the articles to be submitted for the workshop are as follows:

Please submit your articles on or before July 18 at WritingWorkshop@upparser.com (Please append "[Writing Workshop]" in the email subject).

Details of the required articles:
========================================================
News writing:

Write a short news article about any

1) DCS event, or
2) event held within the new CS building. Examples: CS freshman orientation, contest, CS alumni homecoming, new facility, professorial lecture.

Unpublished articles aren't required; you can recycle old news articles, if you have any.

By short, I mean no longer than 1 MS Word/Open Office page.
However, please don't submit articles that are very very short, such as those with less than 6 sentences. Please use standard font types and sizes.

Pseudonyms and real names are both accepted. Please indicate if you're a Parser staffer.

Feature writing:

Write a short feature article about any DCS-related topic. Examples: CS event, CS teacher, CS student org, new CS subject.

Unpublished articles aren't required; you can recycle old feature articles, if you have any.

By short, I mean no longer than 1 MS Word/Open Office page.

However, please don't submit articles that are very very short, such as those with less than 12 sentences. Please use standard font types and sizes.

Pseudonyms and real names are both accepted. Please indicate if you're a Parser staffer.
=====================================================

Panelists
Phillip Kimpo Jr. (Head Panelist)
Ia Lucero
Jonel Uy
Cai Abbass

UP Parser Writing Workshop 2008 1.0

2008-07-06T14:55:00.015+08:00

The UP Parser Writing Workshop 2008
1.0: News and Feature Writing

The first-ever writing workshop for UP Parser staffers (and more) is going to be held on July 23, 2008 @ the New CS Building / College of Engineering Library Building / now also known as UP Alumni Engineers Centennial Hall (parang Hall of Justice =) )

For article submition requirements, please see this "Parser Writing Workshop Update" post above.

It starts at 5:30pm and ends at 8pm. This is organized by the Parser Alumni group in cooperation with the current staff heads.

Please register HERE

It is open to the public but due to limited space depending on the room to be reserved priority is given to registrants who are Parser Staff, CS Students, Engineering Students, and UP students, in that order. Parser Alumni are also welcome.

This workshop will focus on News and Feature Writing; other topics will be considered for future workshops.

Programme

5:30-5:40 Introduction / UP Parser History
5:40-6:00 Qualities of a Leader (by Jonel Uy)
6:00-6:45 News Writing Workshop (led by Phillip Kimpo Jr.)
6:45-7:30 Features Writing Workshop (led by Phillip Kimpo Jr.)
7:30-7:45 Open Forum

About the Panelists

Phillip Kimpo Jr.
Head Panelist

Phillip served as The UP Parser's Editor-in-Chief for the academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06, helping resurrect the then-dead publication. During his term, Parser emerged as the foremost publication in the College of Engineering, releasing seven issues with more or less a total circulation of 3000 copies, many of which were in full color and tabloid size. During this time, Parser's signature line was permanently etched in DCS history: We don't just write programs; we write.

Phillip graduated from the Department of Computer Science in 2006, and was cited as an Outstanding Representative by the UP Alliance of Computer Science Students (UP CS Network). He currently works as a freelance writer, editor, and website manager.

Phillip is a member of LIRA (Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo), an organization of poets writing in Filipino under the aegis of National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario (a.k.a. Rio Alma). He is a founding member of KATAS (Kalipunan ng mga Taga-Sining para sa Lipunan). He was a Fellow for the 9th UST National Writers' Workshop and the 2007 LIRA Poetry Clinic. He serves as a staffer for the Bulawan Online literary journal.

In his high school and grade school days, Phillip won 1st place in newswriting in the national, NCR, and Quezon City levels of schools press conferences.

Phillip is currently finishing his first book of personal essays, Corsair of Cordillera Street. Visit him at phillip.kimpo.ph.

Ia Lucero

Adelaida Sophia Marie Lucero, or "Ia" for short is an accomplished web designer, editor, and freelance writer. She graduated cum laude from the Department of Computer Science in 2006.

Ia served as The UP Parser's Associate Editor for the academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06, and was more than an integral part in the publication's "resurrection years." She was also cited as an Outstanding Student Representative by the UP Alliance of Computer Science Students (UP CS Network).

Ia is one of the Philippines' emerging web designers, having crafted masterpieces for Praise Music Philippines, Bradford Shoes, and around a dozen sites for the UK-based Splashpress Media network.

Ia is the web designer and a staffer of the Bulawan Online literary journal. One of her WordPress themes won runner-up honors in a recent international design contest. Her personal and portfolio site, Stellify.net was a Finalist for Best Technology Blog in the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards.

In high school, Ia represented the National Capital Region in the National Schools Press Conference, having won 2nd in copyreading in the regional level.

Aside from web designing, she currently manages, edits, and writes for several of Splashpress Media's and Toronto-based Enthropia Inc.'s major websites.

Jonel Uy

Jonel is the co-founder of The UP Parser back in 1999. He also served as its Associate Editor and Business Manager among others. He worked with different software companies in the IT industry until 2007. He is now into freelance web & software development/consulting. He does this while juggling a lot of things like stock trading, starting a business, surfing, blogging (travel, food, photo), and helping out in giving Parser another push. =)

Cai Abbass

(Profile to follow)

Parser Alumni-Current Staff Meet

2008-07-06T14:37:00.006+08:00

All Parser alumni and current staff are invited to this year's Parser Alumni-Current Staff Meet.

This informal gathering of students, former students, and still-feeling students will be held on July 12, 2008, Saturday, at Jollibee Trinoma Activity Center. The location was chosen most convenient as it is 1 jeepney ride away from UP and MRTeable (unless you've got wheels), for the current staff and the alumni, respectively.

Please do register HERE. See you!

Check out the UP Parser Website!

2007-06-13T15:02:00.000+08:00

For anyone interested in the old issues of The UP Parser, you can find them at the website.

Old issues (in PDF)*
http://upparser.com/_backissues

Old website (One of several. Tweety calls it the McDo layout!)
http://upparser.com/_archive/2005-02/

Old parser CS4CS (College Survival for CS Students) presentation (around 10 mb)
http://upparser.com/_archive/parser.swf

*The latest issue (as of writing) has also been uploaded.

Dogs

2007-05-06T19:54:00.001+08:00

How to Control Emotions

2007-04-20T14:18:00.000+08:00

This would give you guides on how to control your emotions towards your better-half, friends, officemates and all the people around you, especially your "boss " . The rules of practicing " ugaling langit, ugaling kaaya-aya" :

#1 Ang naunang magalit ang may karapatang magalit. Pag naunahan ka na ng galit niya, tumahimik ka na lang muna.

#2 Walang taong nag-aaway mag-isa. Pag hindi kayo sumagot o pumatol, titigil din daw ang taong nakikipag- away sa inyo.

#3 Ang taong galit, 'bingi.' If someone is angry, wala raw pinakikinggan, so, don't try to explain and fight back. Hindi ka niya iintindihin dahil wala siyang naririnig kundi ang sarili nya.

#4 Ang taong galit, 'abnoy.' Ayon sa pastor, Biblical daw ito? because the Lord said when He was crucified, "Father, patawarin mo sila dahil hindi nila alam ang kanilang ginagawa." Modern term for these kinds of people are abnoys, so you better not get angry para huwag kang matawag na abnoy.

You should also know and realize that the persons who make your day bad are jewel s, because you need them for you to mature. Hangga't andyan daw sila at kinaiinisan mo, ibig sabihin, immature ka pa. God will not take away those people; it's for you to take away your bad feelings towards them. You'll know na mature ka na pag dumating 'yung time na hindi ka na naiinis sa mga taong ito because you have learned to accept them and to have patience with them.

#5 Finally, the best part of this is to tell yourself na, because of this person, "I will grow mature," and that DAHIL SA CONTRIBUTION NIYA SA MATURITY MO, KUKUNIN DIN SYA NI LORD. .

The UP Parser Online

2007-03-01T13:46:00.000+08:00

The latest issue for the UP Parser is finally online. Visit UPParser.com now!

Google Stuff

2007-02-06T02:15:00.000+08:00

Whoa! It's really been a while since someone last posted here! Anyway, some Google stuff

Codesearch - For coders like us

Mentalplex - For psychic users. Actually, one of Google's April Fool's trick.

Barebones - For those who really just want to search, abhorring ads and bandwidth-consuming stuff

Gulp! - More intelligent, less thirsty

Pigeon Rank - Google reveals the technology behind PageRank

Copernicus Center - An unorthodox job opportunity at Google

Romance - One of Google's more lame April Fool's pranks

Google Moon - The lunar counterpart of Google Maps/Google Earth. Zoom up close for a shocking proof of what any self-respecting Grade 1 student knows.

Ewmew - one of Google's various mods, Elmer Fudd's Google Search. Also available, Bork, Hacker, Piglatin and Klingon (Trekkies, unite!) No, they don't have Elvenspeak or Encan. Haha, asa! Avisala!

Caught in the Web 2007

2007-01-30T16:25:00.000+08:00

Caught in the Web 2007

caught in the threads of the information age

The same information can be delivered in many different ways.
But the value added to the information varies on how it is presented.

This is Caught in the Web 2007: Spinning The Web With Our Fingers.

The event aims to educate people on many ways static information can be brought into the digital information space and be appreciated by the consumers through rich digital designs and layout.

from the vision and conceptualization … to the materialization of ideas

This event is a web interface design competition for high-school and college undergraduate students. Through this competition, students from all over the country can show how to be creative in giving life to dull information.

Professional web developers and graphics designers are not allowed to join the competition.

This event is sponsored by the University of the Philippines Association of Computer Science Majors (UP CURSOR) and is held as part of the CS Week, an annual celebration of the founding of the UP Department of Computer Science. We as an organization believe not only in educating Computer Science students with regard to their chosen course but concern ourselves with a student’s holistic development; thus, events such as these were born from the passion of its members.

This event is also sponsored by the UP Engineering Web Team (UP EWT) and Azeus Systems.

We invite you to share these passions and to move with us towards our ideal.

For more information, visit http://caught.upcursor.org.

UP ACM Wins Back-to-Back Chapter Excellence Awards

2006-08-21T02:01:00.000+08:00

The Association for Computing Machinery - UP Student Chapter has won the 2005-2006 ACM Chapter Excellence Award for Outstanding Community Service! This makes UP ACM, the Philippines' first and only ACM student chapter, a three-time winner.

Iba talaga ang galing ng Peyups at ng Pinoy. Head over to Crimson Crux for the full story. Congrats, UP Diliman DCS!

Why Friendster Profile Layouts Suck

2006-04-29T11:40:00.000+08:00

Actually, the article Is 'Ghetto' a Design Choice? discusses MySpace, but it's pretty much the same thing, except for the phenomenon that more Americans are on MySpace, and more Filipinos are on Friendster.

Here's the theory:

"My best guess is that it follows the eBay design model. My theory is that eBay was a success due to its crappy design because it gave it that flea market feel and when you went there you felt like you getting a deal. Go to Tiffany & Co. and you don't get the feeling that you are getting a bargain because you shouldn't.

What's the point I was making? Not sure, but the design sucks them in. In a way it also causes a bit of lock-in. Once you learn the interface that is time invested that you don't want to lose. That's why many people will never leave MovableType because they understand how it works inside and out."

Well, yea. For view-layer buffs like moi, it's one of the things I care for the most. Maybe you caught me doing a shoutout on Friendster a few weeks back, screaming something like Bakit ang papangit ng mga layout ng mga profiles ng mga tao dito?!

In a similar sense, the idea can be drawn out further to how 'bad' looks good (easiest case - William Hung!). And in slightly the same vein, one can infer that either people look beyond the crappiness and go for content — or people simply have no taste whatsoever.

But while in some part of the world this is the heated discussion, are these 'Spacers or that 'Sters even paying attention? Probably not. Having their profile page as a virtual playground for their freedom of expression is a great thing, yes. It's not the primary reason they're hooked (a hint!) on these social networking sites though.

This guy's comment on the post puts it plainly and simply:

"Because it's a hookup site."

Bravo.

The UP Parser Editorial Exam

2006-03-01T12:39:00.000+08:00

Friday, March 3. 8:30-11:30AM. MH 233A, Melchor Hall, UP Diliman

Bring pen and bluebook.

Available positions:

Editor-in-Chief (required one year tenure in Parser)
Associate Editor
Section Editors (News, Features, Tech, Opinion, Literary)
Graphics Head

Layout Head Screening:

Submit your portfolio thru email (upparser@yahoo.com) or hand-in, on or before the editorial exam.

You fail!

2006-02-03T02:23:00.000+08:00

Fancy this. I was working on our thesis project when I stumbled upon this link:

http://www.youfail.org/

Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that my overly simplistic mind was easily amused.

the parser 99-05 eyeball!

2005-11-29T09:49:00.000+08:00

From L-R: Jonel Uy (Assoc Ed. '99), Maru Velas (EIC '99), Phillip Kimpo Jr. (EIC '04-'05), Sophia Lucero (Assoc Ed. '04-'05), Geo Lubaton (Managing Ed. '05), Mai Sibayan (Head Artist '04-'05), Jonas Roque (Tech Ed. '05), Carlos Lasa (News Ed. '05) (Courtesy of Maru Velas, more photos at Flickr for convenient viewing.)

A spankin' good time at Superbowl, Megastrip last November 19, 2005. Great food, great conversations (that stretched on for three hours!). A bundle of Parser '99 memorabilia turned over to the present staff (they had credit-card-like membership cards back then!), and informal plans for the paper were laid out. Don't worry, you'll find out about them soon enough.

Trivia: The three proposed names for the DCS Student Publication were: Pointers, Linked Lists, and Parser. I think they chose the best one, didn't they?

Go Parser!

Attn: Mobile Game Developers!

2005-11-23T19:00:00.000+08:00

Ever wanted to create your own mobile phone game? Or itching to get known and rewarded for your mad game development skills?

Then drop by the Mobigame 2005 Seminar to be held this Friday at UP Diliman. Mobigame is a mobile game development competition and training sponsored by MMOG Philippines and DLSU. Get to ask the questions which matter, get the facts straight about this unique test of talents. Hear from the personalities behind the competition. And of course, freebies await!

Mobigame 2005 Seminar
10am - 12noon
Friday, November 25, 2005
Engineering Theater, Melchor Hall
University of the Philippines Diliman

This leg of the Mobigame 2005 school tour is proudly hosted by the Philippines' one and only award-winning Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) chapter, UP ACM.

UPDATE (11/24/05): Competition mechanics can be found here.

Internet Marketing

2005-11-09T14:30:00.000+08:00

Stores Online, a big company in the US gave an Internet Marketing Seminar yesterday at the Hyatt hotel and casino in Ermita from 9am - 6:30pm. It was very informative and I learned a lot of things about marketing and the net (yes, there are MORE things to learn about the net - kung kala mo alam mo na lahat, pwes, nagkakamali ka. bwahahahahaha :p). Basically, we sat there all day listening to different lectures which were quite interesting - one of the speakers was very effective and entertaining but the other was quite boring so i needed to take down notes to prevent me from dozing off especially in the afternoon session. But even though my taking down notes was a ploy to avoid snoozing, the notes i took, as i went through it, can really come in handy.

The internet changes everyday - it can be a solution to any problem since it provides a lot of information and enables you to use many strategies.
it is not what you sell that matters, what matters is HOW you sell it.
It is true that knowledge is power, but one needs ACTION to actually make things happen.
The best selling product on the net is information; the most powerful word in internet marketing is the word "FREE".
One must know how to think outside the box and take risks.
Utilize the many powerful tools/strategies in the internet to earn more: mirror sites, use-net groups, vertical portals, LINK POPULARITY, geo targeting, affiliate programs, reverse search and keyword analysis tools, etc...
Do not market dissimilar products in one site.
Aim to have a high conversion rate: number of site visitors -> buyers.
Focus on what pays you most.
Money is not an issue... unless you make it one.
Pay rather than get paid.
Get traffic to your site! Get links!
Success follows when people come first. [an alternative to the maxim "the customer is always right". hahaha]
The internet business is only in its infancy, now is the best time to start and invest.

There are 3 steps to become wealthy:

Eventually, you will need to quit your job.
Create residual/passive income.
Create multiple streams of income.

But of course, the seminar would not have been free if they were not to advertise and solicit. Ah, business. They offered a special one day package especially for the participants yesterday - they lowered their price from about Php200,000 to Php104,000 for 3 websites. That includes of course access to Stores Online and a wide range of tools to help you, the building and publishing of your site (with a [dot]com domain name), a links4trade package which advertises your site, and an ECI Credit card processing package.

pretty good deal if you think about it. but did we avail of it?

nah. mahal parin. that's a pretty big investment which requires a lot of time to think over. siguro someday, but not now - besides, we got a free organizer and binder with a lot of helpful stuff, pwede na rin. hehehe ;)

do you have a job?

J - just

O - over

B - broke

well, classes resume in about 18 hours (at least for me. haha). see you guys around. :p

Help Out! edited!

2005-11-05T22:31:00.000+08:00

Link post!

Congratulations Geo!
Geomar Lubaton is The 2006 BPI-DOS Science Awardee!
CONGRATULATIONS! We're proud of you!

An Online MMS Phone User Survey
Hope you can take the time out to answer this survey.
We'd greatly appreciate it, thank you very much!

"View the list of seminfinalist!"
Head-shaking blunder at the Philippine Webbies, right at the front page!
They've taken it down now. Oh well.

Free .be Top-Level Domains until January 2006
You can register up to 10 domain names per person until January 2006. This post says it's part of a promo for the Belgium registry.

The Typographic Dating Game and The Dialog Box from Hell
Remember Arial vs. Helvetica (The Game)?
Don't ever code a dialog box without a Cancel button.
Both from firasd.org.

November is National Novel Writing Month
Scramble to write a 50,000 word novel within the month of November. Who knows? Dean Alfar's NaNoWriMo novel, Salamanca, won a 2005 Palanca.

Sembreak's just about over!
Classes have begun! Good luck to everyone.

Attitude Problems?

2005-11-05T00:04:00.000+08:00

Nobody is perfect in this world. And no matter how good a person can be, he or she can still have an attitude problem. But don't let his imperfection prevent you from being his friend. Try to discover some of the attitude problems in the world and learn how to deal with it.

The Recognition-freak Problem

You can easily spot a person with this kind of problem. He is hardworking, very competitive, and always craving for attention. But the problem with this kind of person is that whenever he succeeds on something, he will definitely let the whole world know about it. Not that it's really bad, but it is somewhat annoying. This person will constantly remind you how good he is, specially if he thinks you're not really amazed by his greatness, and will not stop until he hears you admit that he really is a great person.

To deal with this kind of person, you should at least praise him once in a while. After all, everybody needs a little recognition. But don't overdo it, unless you are his loyal fan. If he's really following you around telling you all about his greatness, just try to listen and find the right time to change the topic. For example, you can talk about things that the two of you are interested in, or maybe you can play some sports. After all he is competitive. That'll keep him busy.

The Amazona Problem

Not that I'm sexist, but this type of problem usually exists in a girl. Why? I don't know. Maybe because of their monthly period or maybe it is in their genes. But anyway, a person with this problem usually has a very strong personality – intelligent, mataray, and independent. If you ask her a nice simple question, she will answer blatantly and the word “Duh!” is usually coined with it. If you find yourself in a debate with this person, then good luck! This person doesn't accept defeat and she will drown you with her very fast and very articulate words. To top it all off, her sentences all end with and exclamation point.

Now to deal with this person, just talk to her in a calm normal voice. Do not raise your voice, do not be sarcastic, and do not make fun of her (because she can be physically brutal too!). Just be patient. After all, she can be a really good ally.

The Freeloader Problem

This is the typical stud. He is very sporty, a playboy, usually filthy rich, very nice to everyone, but laxly. Please don't be fooled by his amicable and angelic nature, because this person will use you like how he uses his housemaid. He will ask you to do things for him, he will copy your notes, and he will call you early in the morning asking you to teach him the lessons he slept in your class.

In group activities, this person groups himself with a very reliable hardworking person – an easy victim for him is a recognition-freak. And when it's time to work, you can hear a lot of excuses from this person. He will let his group mates do the dirty work while he enjoys the luxuries of life – good food, Playstation 2, flirting with his girlfriend on the phone, shoot some hoops, etc.

The only way to deal with this person is to avoid teaming up with him. He is a good friend but a very bad groupmate.

Reklamador Problem

A reklamador is really a hardworking person, it's just that he complains a lot while working. Come to think of it, he can be a GC (Grade Conscious) too. You can usually see this type of person talking to his teacher after an exam, begging him to discard the exam or begging for bonus points and complaining that the exam was really really hard even though the teacher really taught the lesson very well and even gave an example similar to that in the exam. You can also hear him complain how his class was poorly handled, how bad the food tastes, how dirty the place is, and all that. He just keeps on complaining without regard on how other people might feel.

Due to his reklamador nature, he usually finds a way to make his complain-full life by finding a complain-free life. For example, he usually enrolls in an easy-uno-class where the workload is light and where the teacher gives an uno easily.

To deal with this kind of person, just be patient and listen to him whine – even though you're not really listening at all. Or maybe you can explain him the other side of the coin. But remember to be tactful and polite.

The Melodramatic Problem

If you see someone punching the wall or burning his hands with a lighter, and if you hear someone saying things like 'There is a void in my heart' and 'My life is nothing without her' then that person has the melodramatic problem. Sad to say, but this person usually is heartbroken. But this problem is not always associated with love affairs. Basically, this type of person treats life so seriously that he feels so depressed whenever something bad happens to him. It is sometimes so annoying to hear him tell the same story again and again. And It is really annoying when he is your group mate and he brings his problem to your work. He will become less productive, less helpful, and he could even endanger your whole project. But be alarmed, people like him are usually suicidal.

As I mentioned, this person can be suicidal. So handle with care. He is very sensitive and it will only make things worse if you offend him. So be gentle, be nice, and try to listen to his story. But after that, try cheering him up. Share your own sad stories and how you recover from your sad state. Teach him how to be strong and let him know that he still have a good future in store for him.

Einstein is a Parser Reader!

2005-11-03T01:10:00.000+08:00

Wala ka sa lolo namin!

Maybe you've seen this before, maybe not -- but what the heck, a little endorsement didn't hurt anyone!

gamer chicks*

2005-10-29T21:53:00.000+08:00

*Tech-flavored gender bias sensibility.

A recent ACM TechNews e-newsletter cites Facade as an atypical indie game taking advantage of the latest advances in internet bandwidth and artificial intelligence to produce "more complex characters and plots than the typical videogame fight if kicked."

In this free PC game, you find yourself spending an evening with married couple Grace and Trip and soon get "entangled in the high-conflict unraveling of their marriage." Quite like a one-act telenovela that unfolds — depending on what you type in.

To build Facade, the co-inventors have tried to push the boundaries of both gaming and AI, creating emotionally expressive characters who display several different kinds of behavior at once. They've incorporated what they call a "drama manager" to guide the story intelligently based on moment-to-moment interaction among the protagonists and the player, while a "parser" is supposed to understand a wide range of conversational English, sifting out interruptions and distractions.

-- A Female Sensibility, Newsweek International

Facade is said to have earned 150,000 downloads since July. It's not, however, the most attractive-looking or reliable game mentionable. But it uses the same ingredients Will Wright needed to make The Sims a large hit. Notably, it had a 50 percent female gaming crowd.

The independent game possibly pushed further than The Sims, focusing on the intense drama contained in a single scene. The next wave for higher gaming engine intelligence? Massive Multiplayer Online Games that let you socialize. Beyond your usual hackenslash parties, a world based on the human condition, the need for money, food, shelter, love.

Does this mean pleasing the female taste in gaming requires a lot more intelligence and maturity? And the embracing of more complex and unpredictable patterns that computer scientists dream of conquering?

Charlotte Suyvenberg, director of global communications for Xbox: "Women gamers are very social, very strategic—they like to work together to solve problems. Most designers stereotype a gamer as a guy who sits ina dorm room or office or basement and plays by himself... But as design and development mature, there are a lot more opportunities to make games more social."

Virginia McArthur, Sims producer: "I hate stereotypes, but they're usually male, and they like to create chaos."

Chris Crawford, design guru: "The algorithms at the heart of a first-person shooter are relatively simple. But algorithms for real human emotions are more complex and conditional-"subjunctive", as he puts it: not "if X then Y," but "if X then Y, or Z, or many other possibilities." (Lisp programming! Non-deterministic finite automata!)

Ankarino Lara, director of GameSpot.com. "Female gaming is the last frontier; 2006 is going to be a milestone year."

It's not too hard to say yes.

Can it at least be said that the trend of developing a more complex gaming experience have first come out in games that girls tend to like better, in a higher percentage? Yes, and what does this say about the bias of the gaming industry against women? Or, to be even more gender-sensitive, how this industry regrettably stereotypes males?

It's about time the gaming industry grows up enough, grows confident enough to stop "freezing out half the potential market." Gaming is so big that it cannot possibly be just another one of the boy's toys.

3 UP Teams Make It To TMTC Finals

2005-10-27T21:59:00.000+08:00

Congratulations to the three UP DCS teams that participated in the 2005 Trend Micro Tech Challenge! They are 3 of 10 teams from all over the Philippines that made it to the final leg of the competition. Everything's back to zero when they meet again in the 3-day camp-in final round at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Ortigas Center, Quezon City on November 22-24, the finalists will compete for the One Million Peso grand prize and the title of 2005 Trend Micro Tech Challenge Champion.

100 Million Downloads of Firefox!

2005-10-26T15:21:00.000+08:00

In case you haven't read this article (from Ia's email):

Firefox Surpasses 100 Million Downloads!

October 19, 2005, (Mountain View, CA). The Mozilla Corp. extends 100 million "Thank you's" to Firefox community members for reigniting innovation on the Web. As the browser's first anniversary approaches this November, Firefox adoption numbers have exceeded expectations with more than 100 million downloads since Firefox's introduction in 2004.

Firefox's download success is a direct result of the collaborative efforts of thousands of contributors worldwide. Their work developing and fine-tuning the Firefox browser ensures the best Web experience available. Volunteer extension developers further enrich Firefox's capabilities by enabling users to customize and enhance their browser and truly take back the Web.

Mozilla also congratulates the members of the Spread Firefox community for their success in reigniting the Web by driving the popularity of the browser. Their global grassroots efforts have set a new standard for software marketing and played a significant role in helping Firefox to achieve this amazing milestone. Stay tuned as the Spread Firefox community launches an even more innovative campaign for the upcoming Firefox 1.5 release later this Fall.

What are you waiting for? Get Firefox now! :D

[Originally posted in Crimson Crux.]

when's the next issh?

2005-10-23T11:08:00.000+08:00

Hey, parser pips! Wazzup? Just got invited. Woohoo!

Next of all, Kimps! Diba tinanong mo kung pwede ako gumawa ng article (about the freshie experience churvanessness)? Well, I'm just wondering... Kelan yung next issue? Para masimulan ko na yung artikuloooo...

Oh my gosh! Puro para kayo English. My gosh, I'm so like panira, as in. Hanggang conio lang kaya ko!:)) pasensya na. Kaya rin naman mag-English kapag article na.

Well... wala lang. Igiban ng tubig. :))

up to here na lang, my dudes and dudettes! holler at me na lang.

YM: ysoloap
E-mail: paolo.sy@gmail.com
Website: http://pipoy.burdenlife.com/ or http://www.paoloc.tk/

oh my gosh.. gotta gr na, a'ight?

fish! \/^_^

The Three Towers

2005-10-23T01:54:00.000+08:00

[Preqrequisite: CS 32.]
[Proposal: Include geekiness such as this in the Tech section of Parser.]

Here's a very relevant mobile game I found: The Three Towers. Haven't downloaded it, I just came across it, but it obviously is the Towers of Hanoi problem transformed into a game. The objective of THP is to transfer every disc to the third pole in the same order / stack by following only these two rules: only one disc may be moved at a time, and no disc may be placed on top of a smaller disc.

Above: THP as illustrated in the Wikipedia. Below: Screencap of the game product.
Please tell me how the word "dominoes" showed up in the description.

Beyond a seemingly brain-wracking challenge are shards of Computer Science that may or may not be dear to us anymore. In any case, the sidestory (also told to us in CS 32) might be more interesting especially for the uninitiated:

There is a legend about a Buddhist monastery at Hanoi which contains a large room with three time-worn posts in it surrounded by 64 golden discs. Monks, acting out the command of an ancient prophecy, have been moving these disks, in accordance with the rules of the puzzle, once every day since the monastery was founded over a thousand years ago. They are said to believe that when the last move of the puzzle is completed, the world will end in a clap of thunder. Fortunately, they are nowhere even close to being done...
...If the legend were true, and if the monks were able to move discs at a rate of 1 per second using the smallest number of moves, it would take the monks 2⁶⁴ - 1 seconds or roughly 585 billion years. The universe is currently about 13.7 billion years old.

Moral of the story? Not necessary, I think. But could "See? Games are an integral part of Computer Science!" count, though?

mp4, anyone?

2005-10-16T20:19:00.000+08:00

Move over, iPod, the new face of portable audio/video players has arrived.

Yet to be available in the market, the new mp4 player has a wide range of features partnered with a very affordable price.

So what exactly is an mp4 player? Is it any different than a regular mp3 player? Yes, the mp4 player is very much different than a regular mp3 player. It supports a wide range of file formats and has a plethora of features - definitely much more than your regular mp3 player. How come?

An mp4 (MPEG-4), I borrow the definition from wikipedia, is a file format owned by the Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) which allows multiplexing of multiple video and audio streams in one file, variable frame and bit rates, subtitles and still images. Although not as widely used as mp3s (MPEG Audio Layer 3), mp4s are of higher quality and can store media types defined by MPEG and other media types as well. Simply put, compared to an mp3 file, which is only an audio file, an mp4 file can be a video file with subtitles, an audio file, or a picture file. It is like adding another layer to the mp3 file - that layer, being the so-called "video layer". Therefore, to have an mp4 file is to have a DVD quality movie compressed to fit in a CD-R or a CD quality song streamed into your mobile phone while traveling. Sounds too good to be true? Well, kinda.

That's why we now have the mp4 player. To revolutionize the media playing industry. Who says you can't watch a DVD movie while waiting in line for enrollment?

Not bigger than your palm, the mp4 player has a full color LCD where you can watch your videos, select your music files, view your pictures, or read your Harry Potter 6 eBook. Put side by side to an iPod shuffle which does not have an LCD, plays only audio files, and costs about Php6,000 (512Mb), hey, the mp4 player which only costs Php4,000 for a 512 is definitely a better buy, if not the best. The mp4 player also has a touch screen to navigate easily and pleasantly through the menu and through your files. It has an FM radio player, a voice recorder, and a phonebook; it comes in silver, black, blue and red and with capacities of 128Mb, 256Mb, 512Mb, and 1G – all with dual audio output. It can be connected to your PC through a USB cable connector for file transfer and for charging; and it also comes with an adaptor (also for charging), earphones, a CD containing software which may be used to convert files to .mp4, and a user manual just in case you get lost in playing your files.

Very small and lightweight, who would've guessed it can do so much?

Finally: Parser Showtime!

2005-09-18T12:03:00.000+08:00

Away* no longer!

We apologize for the delay (with circumstances beyond our control), but our beloved Parser — this time an 800-copy, 16-page, colored, free-KHAN-CD issue — was finally released last Thursday, September 15, 2005.

Visit the online version right now! Want a PDF copy? Email us or holler at the cbox at once!

Away From Komputer

2005-08-30T23:43:00.000+08:00

Anong program ang tumatakbo sa PC mo kapag AFK ka?

a. Benevolent Cleanup apps - maintenance tasks like the occassional defrag or viruscan. Ha! Kelangan pa ba 'yan? 'di ba kung may problema, backup, reformat, reinstall lang? XD

b. Download Manager (DAP) - downloading porn, movies, porn, games, porn, music, porn and more porn, tsaka kung ano mang kailangan mong file sa UVLE na most probably, for CS subjects dahil ang mga GE teachers mo ay pulos ignorante at Yahoo! groups lang ang kayang gamitin. (Yikes, no offense meant, Ma'am Chris, Sir Feria and other CS teachers! Oh well, di naman sila GE teachers e XD)

c. Torrent Manager (Bittorrent) - same as the download manager, pero dito, tina-tyaga mo ang 360 to 480 hours ng download ng latest Naruto or Bleach episode, o 'yung latest release ng Silver Chaos dahil every minute counts for every byte leeched, lalo na kapag naka-dialup ka lang at every now and then ay inaangat ng nanay mo 'yung phone tapos busy naman pala 'yung tinatawagan nya na malamang naka-dialup din at nagtatawagan ang mga nanay 'nyo in vain.

d. Music app (Winamp, Musicmatch, MS Media Player) - at max volume, para naririnig mo wherever in the house you are. Tapos sinasabayan mo rin ng kanta ung kantista at ng sipol o hum 'yung instrumental para rinig din ng neighbors ang talent mo, wherever in the neighhborhood they are. Kung very talented ka, i-multifrequency mo na rin ang vocal chords mo para makanta mo na rin ang second at third voice, all at the same time.

e. Program updates - updating Windows, your Antivirus, your PC Games, patches and more patches. For some odd reason, you find the word "patches" extremely arousing... your interest and believe that having the latest patch makes you look sexier when flirting with that strange stranger sa GE class mo. You know? 'yung black-masked, light-sabre wielding back-caped guy na mukhang may respiratory problems.

f. Bot/Clicker - naglelevelup ang character mo sa Ragna o 'yung base mo sa KoC. O naghahanap ka ng 100 Dokaebi horns. O feel mo lang maki-sawsaw sa GH.

g. Movies/Screensavers - meron kang asteeg na Flash o Movie File at gusto mong tumigil at mapanganga lahat ng dadaan sa harap ng PC mo. O kaya 'yung fish tank mo sa Insaniquarium. Or the latest Happy tree Friends episode, kung meron man. O 'yung asteeg na program na tuwing may gagalaw ng mouse o keyboard mo ay sisigaw thru the speakers ng, "Help! Rape! Heeelp!" unless i-input mo 'yung password. Yes, dearie, meron nito.

h. Spoof Programs - meron sa Linux nito, 'yung kunyari may ginagawa pero wala naman. May sunud-sunod na progres bars na umaabot ng 100% pero wala naman talagang kinukumpleto. I'm not sure pero Capuccino 'ata ung prog name. Or something to do with coffee. Java perhaps? XD

i. Nero - nagbubura ng RW disk na ginawa mo munang "floppy" disk dahil kulang pa pambili mo ng flash drive.

j. 'yung thesis mo - ang simpleng gcc na nagco-compile ng modified kernel ay inaabot ng walong basong tubig, tatlong tasang kape, limang basong juice, dalawang cans ng Sprite Ice, isang Happy Meal, isang sad meal, 3 large packs ng Tostillas o Taquitos, isang large tube ng pringles, isang quickie, isang spank-me-quickie, isang not-so-quickie, at kalahating cheese turon. 'yun ay kung walang error na lumabas the moment na iniwan mo ang PC mo.

k. "Spyware" (sndrec? No, Audacity, MusicMatch, etc.) - Paranoid ka at gusto mong malaman kung paano ka pinag-uusapan ng mga tao sa likod mo na nagkataong nasa harap ng mic ng PC mo. O kaya stalker ka at gusto mong ma-confirm na may mga bloke nga ng tawas sa kilikili ng crush mo, isang major asset para sa 'yo. Isama mo na rin dito kung ano mang webcam program meron ka, lalo na kung gusto mong hulihin 'yung kumag na nagpapahid ng kulangot nya sa spacebar ng keyboard mo.

l. Wala - mayaman ka at wala kang paki kahit walang ginagawa PC mo kung AFK ka.

Hehe, dagdag nyo na lang po kung meron pa kayong ibang progs tuwing AFK kayo. (For the uninitiated, AFK means Away From Keyboard). Share nyo rin kung alin ung pinatatakbo nyong progs at bakit.

Perl-Python-PHP Knowledge Sharing Session

2005-08-16T20:45:00.000+08:00

http://p3.upacm.org

The Association for Computing Machinery - UP Student Chapter (UP ACM), in collaboration with the UP Linux Users' Group (UnPLUG) and UP Computer Center, will hold a FREE Perl-Python-PHP tutorial.

When:
24 August 2005, 12:00pm - 6:00pm
PHP, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Python, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Perl, 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Where: 1st floor UP Computer Center

Course Outline

* Language Basics
o overview
o variables
o operators
o loop control
o conditionals
o data structures/types
o functions/procedures/methods

* HTML Forms
o overview
o POST and GET
o form creation
o form processing

* File Interaction
o open/close operations
o reading/writing
o permissions

Only 20 slots are available. Registration is on a first-come first-serve basis.

For reservations, please contact:
Ardee Aram ardee.aram@gmail.com
Waldemar Bautista waldemarbautista@gmail.com

or go to

http://p3.upacm.org

CS Jacket Fitting Round 2: August 20

2005-08-15T16:11:00.000+08:00

What the image says. Get your CS Jacket now!

Installing Love

2005-08-08T19:06:00.000+08:00

Tech Support: Yes, ... how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through
the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready
to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think
I'm ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart.
Have you located your Heart?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other
programs running now. Is it okay to install Love
while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running?

Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-
Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right
now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually
erase Past Hurt from your current operating
system. It may remain in your permanent memory
but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love
will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a
module of its own called High Self-Esteem.
However, you have to completely turn off Grudge
and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love
from being properly installed. Can you turn those
off?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can
you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start
menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many
times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment
have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing
itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have
only the base program. You need to begin
connecting to other Hearts in order to get the
upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already.
It says, "Error - Program does not run on external
components ." What should I do?

Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love
program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but
has not yet been run on your Heart. In non
technical terms, it simply means you have to Love
yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then
click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize
Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart"
directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting
files and begin patching faulty programming. Also,
you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all
directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make
sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with
new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and
Peace and Contentment are copying themselves
all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes
awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the
proper time. So Love is installed and running. One
more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware.
Be sure to give it and its various modules to
everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with
others and return some cool modules back to you.

Customer: Thank you, God.

ICT Roadshow 2005

2005-08-08T17:35:00.000+08:00

ICT ROADSHOW 2005
UP Diliman
College of Engineering (Melchor Hall), 3rd Floor, August 9-11 2005

presented by:

PC Buyer's Guide
UP Diliman Department of Computer Science (DCS)
UP Parser, Official Student Publication of the DCS
UP Association of Computer Science Majors (UP CURSOR)
CS Representatives 05-06
Association for Computing Machinery - UP Student Chapter (UP ACM)
UP Linux Users' Group (UnPLUG)

Three days jampacked with Exhibits and Symposia on exciting ICT Trends
and Technologies!
Freebies to be claimed, and prizes to be won!

ICT Roadshow
Main Event
August 10, 2005

7:30 AM to 8:30 AM Registration*
8:30 AM to 9:00 AM Opening Ceremonies (Invocation and
National Anthem)
9:00 AM to 9:45 AM Government Initiatives on CICT (Dondi
Mapa, CICT Commissioner)
9:45 AM to 10:00 AM New Gadgets 1 (Epson)
10:00 AM to 10:30 AM Open Source (TBA) / Talk (Dr. Jaime
Caro, UP AVP for Development)
10:30 AM to 11:00 AM Piracy (TBA)
11:00 AM to 11:15 AM New Gadgets 2 (Redwood)
11:15 AM to 11:45 AM New Cellphones and 3G Services (TBA)
11:45 AM TO 12:00 AM New Gadgets 3 (Microdata)

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Break

1:00 PM to 1:30 PM Broadband Intenet Access/VoIP (Richard Dequiña)
1:30 PM to 1:45 PM New Gadgets 4 (TBA)
1:45 PM to 2:15 PM E-commerce/Blogging Trends and Issues
(Janette Torral, Executive Director, DigitalFilipino)
2:15 PM to 2:30 PM New Gadgets 5 (TBA)
2:30 PM to 3:00 PM How to Get Hired as an IT Professional
(Roselyn Santos)
3:00 PM to 3:15 PM New Gadgets 6 (TBA)
3:15 PM to 4:00 PM Call Centers (Selwyn Alojipan)

*registration is open all day

For inquiries, contact Phillip (09172779456, pykimpo@gmail.com), Geo
(09154017953, gclubaton@gmail.com), or Ia (09202974104,
sofimi@gmail.com)

Arial vs. Helvetica (The Game)

2005-07-26T00:51:00.000+08:00

You cannot get any geekier than playing a neverending flash game where two lookalike fonts hit each other, character by character!

http://www.engagestudio.com/helvetica/

First, a lesson in Typeface history. Sometimes, it's nice to be sensitive about these things. (Or is this way too specialized for anyone else?)

"Helvetica was developed by the Haas Foundry of Switzerland in the 1950s. Microsoft distributed a typeface called Arial, a very similar typeface, that comes bundled with every desktop computer.

Thus Arial has now overtaken Helvetica as the standard font in practically everything done by those who don't know better.

Take the role of Helvetica, and let Arial know we don't need its type around here."

It's addicting, I tell you. If only the upcoming print version of Parser (it's coming! just you wait!) would make way for a game review of it.

2005-07-11T18:09:00.000+08:00

Get your CS Firefox ID Lace at the CS Department for only 30 Pesos! Hurry!

Happy Parser Day!

2005-07-08T22:05:00.000+08:00

To all staffers of The UP Parser, the College of Engineering's first and foremost department-based publication, HAPPY PARSER DAY!

For the uninformed, the same day last year (July 8, 2004), Parser was awakened from slumber. A bold, new staff was assembled, and the paper began with the most meager of resources. One year and four successful issues later, Parser has set the standard for what an Eng'g student publication should be.

Let the Department celebrate every Eighth of July as Parser Rebirth Day!

From our private e-group, here are little snippets of Parser staffers' loyalty:

From Jeric -- ITO ANG ORIG, at HINDI PAYAYANIG...UP PARSER! ROCK HARD!

From Jonas -- PILIT NA PINAPANTAYAN ngunit HINDI MAPANTAYAN...PAWANG KATOTOHANAN LAMANG...ANG UNA at NANGUNGUNA...UP PARSER!

Well said, guys! Looking forward to another year of campus journalism and computer science brilliance.

GO PARSER!

The @rte Movement

2005-07-06T20:03:00.000+08:00

The UP Association of Computer Science Majors (UP CURSOR) presents The @rte Movement: Art and Technology United, part of its 22nd anniversary celebration this August 26 to September 2. Talks, demos, exhibits, all free of charge, and @rte Attack!, a digital art and photography contest to boot (7K + Wacom Graphire tablet or Microtek scanner for the first prize baby!).

Click on the image to view the details, or visit the site. Don't you just love those colors?

View Grades Online! (UP Diliman)

2005-07-06T10:53:00.000+08:00

The Computerized Registration System Online of UP Diliman now offers a service to view one's own grades. Wonderful! Congratulations to this wonderful member of the CS Network. Whee.

https://crs.upd.edu.ph/studentviewgrades

Take note:

1. This is NOT AN OFFICIAL LIST OF YOUR GRADES. This is only to allow you to view your grades online. You may print an UNOFFICIAL copy.

2. If you need an official list of your grades, you may request for your True Copy of Grades (TCG) from the Office of the College Secretary of your home college or official Transcript of Records (TOR) from the Office of the University Registrar (OUR).

For any corrections, please follow the following steps :

1. Proceed to the Records Section of the OUR, with proof of the correction you wish to make.

2. After verification with the Records Section, proceed to the EDP Section to have the correction made. EDP can be found at the 2nd floor of the NCTS Building beside the College of Engineering.

* Pwede nang i-tie up ang CHESTER sa CRS! Wahahaha!

Fox you!

2005-07-05T15:48:00.000+08:00

Bright and blazing with intensity, the Firefoxes of Computer Science are raring to set the College on fire. CS Firefoxes — fiery, foxy, and feverishly eager to excel.

Fox you!

No, that's not a ripoff of the original browser logo; we're just plain inspired by it.

The Making*

2005-07-01T00:11:00.000+08:00

On this site will rise the Engineering Library and Computer Science Building. It's found on Velasquez St., right across NIGS. Yes, it's that imposing structure we'd like to nickname Mt. Olympus. Or Helm's Deep, for the fanatic.

Browse around. Maybe you'd like to donate to the CS Chair or to one of the laboratories. :) Construction might be done as early as November, or as late as the Summer of next year. Either way, it's the next footprint in the path of DCS history.

* Developed by our very own staffer Mai Sibayan, who is also part of the Engineering Webteam.
** I found the old DCS website!

UP Team to Compete in ImagineCup 2005 World Finals

2005-06-14T22:13:00.000+08:00

A post long overdue. Immediately after UP ACM's Chapter Excellence Awards comes another milestone in the DCS. Two breaking stories, back-to-back, in two days.

The second: out of three finalists in the ImagineCup 2005 Philippine Finals, two came from UP Diliman. iSchool (UPTeam1), the second runner-up, is an UVLê-inspired web app. Vulcan (UPTeam2), the first-placer, is a "customizable web service based on Stanley Milgram's Six Degrees of Separation theory."

UPTeam1 is made up of Tweety Dario, Jeff Quiambao, Egay Sto. Domingo, and Aimee Villaraza while UPTeam2 consists of Krissy Baylon, Jeric Cantos, Rhea Lucas, and Kaye Roxas. Creators of Vulcan will represent the Philippines this coming July 27 to August 1 in Yokohama, Japan. And once more, Sir TJ Vergel de Dios will be there as coach.

Congratulations to the two teams, especially to Parser staffers Tweety and Jeric!

More details are in Sir TJ's post in the WuzzUP Blog. (WuzzUP is the faculty newsletter of the DCS, and has been a vital information source for Parser ever since.)

The academic year has just begun and already we've got lots to celebrate about. Talk about first week funk!

UP ACM Bags Student Chapter Excellence Awards

2005-06-08T15:12:00.000+08:00

Out of seven hundred-fifty chapters world wide, the Association for Computing Machinery University of the Philippines Student Chapter (UP ACM) won two awards in the 2004-2005 ACM Student Chapter Excellence Awards.

Another milestone in DCS history. More at the UP ACM Blog and Slip of the Pen. (UPDATE: This news has been posted in inq7.net!) Bravo! ^_^

Adobe® Creative Suite® 2 Philippine Roadshow!*

2005-05-29T02:54:00.000+08:00

The Adobe Creative Suite 2 Roadshow coming to Manila! Event and registration details found here. According to them it's free (the sked and topics are in those links too).

Date and Venue:
Thursday 14 Jul 2005 09:00 - 17:00
Onstage
2nd Floor, Greenbelt 1 Ayala Center,
Paseo de Roxas, Legaspi Village,
Makati City, Philippines

I really want to go.

* Via Quel and Google =P

Columnist in the House

2005-05-23T02:06:00.000+08:00

void sideNote(String FLT) {

Update on FLT? The magic of the blogosphere's self-correcting nature demonstrated this instant. Abe reports on the developments here and there, while Roy Choco posts what the UP Math Department has to say.

EDIT: Alecks Pabico's post in the PCIJ Blog outshines the rest. (He was a speaker in the recent iBlog summit, BTW) He shows us what a journalist ought to do in verifying facts.

Aw, sayang. I had half-hoped there would be a flurry on this. That would have been such fun to watch. Math crumbling before your very eyes.

Enough dreaming. Let's move on;

}

void sideNote2() {

Farewell to you, dear Louis Leithold.
Rest in peace, esteemed George Dantzig.

}

public static void main(String[] unnecessaryArgs) {

Here's the must read. part A biweekly column on Mac and Linux in the Manila Bulletin starting this June, by no less than Prof. Rommel Feria, Director of the UP Computer Center, and one of the senior DCS Faculty.

The first one's out already. It introduces the reader to the world of Open source — something that must be done a lot more often these days.

Watch out for an interview with Sir Rommel in the upcoming issue of The UP Parser! Soon;

}

No, I do not wish to code again. I'm just suddenly fond of those curly braces.

The UP Parser's Fourth Issue. Online.

2005-05-11T15:55:00.000+08:00

I am pleased to announced that as of May 10, 2005, UP Parser Online has finally found a home (it's been to, like, five different hosts already). More importantly, though, the web version of the latest issue is now up!

It's quite a special issue, actually, because it was released in celebration of the Department's 20th CS Week and its 24th year of existence in the College of Engineering.

A PDF version of the tabloid-sized newspaper is also available for download there. We certainly hope that you will drop by, and possibly leave a note too.

Remember, we are open to contributions by members of the CS Department. We are also looking for new staffers this coming semester. (Want to advertise with us? That's equally wonderful as well!) Our email's on the sidebar. And you can always get in touch with our staffers.

Mabuhay kayo, mga ka-Parsers! I can't wait for the next staff meeting, and for the next issue to come out.

Parse you!

Yes, Virginia, this blog came after UP Parser Online. :)

Fermat's Last Theorem False

2005-05-09T12:27:00.000+08:00

Mr. Escultura, a UP Math prof, says the proof of Fermat's last theorem is false. A bit too geeky even for my taste, as I am no fan of Mathematics. But it's quite possibly earth-shaking. And don't you just love it when something like that comes from your own backyard? (For me that's quite literal, even.)

He took the position that the failure to resolve the problem for over 360 years reveals the inadequacy and defects of foundations, number theory and the real number system. He undertook a thorough critique-rectification of these fields and found, among others, that the real number system in basic algebra, the foundation of mathematics, is defective. Specifically, two of its axioms (the trichotomy and completeness axioms, for those who took basic algebra in high school and college) are false.

Now just what do you do when you learn that the trichotomy axiom is false? Jump up, stand on your chair, and silence your algebra teacher with the fact that what we have held true for so long holds no ground anymore? ("And to back that up, I have links you can check out at my website! Mike Abundo dot Blogspot dot com!" --Sorry. I can't get enough of that.)

I guess I am too amused that Math is not as pure and unbreakable as we all have deemed it to be.

Times have changed. It's a lot like how blogging has treated the news, or any other knowledge being passed around: no matter how age-old or seemingly authoritative, it will always be subject to correction when it needs to be corrected. It is the task of the blogosphere to verify what gets around, and correct any errors that appear.

Hopefully it won't take as long as 360 years before we get the truths we need.

iBlog Summit a Blast!

2005-05-08T19:45:00.000+08:00

Any blogger who missed last Saturday's iBlog summit should feel unfortunate. Not only did they pass up on the bragging rights of having attended the Philippines' FIRST blogging summit, they also missed the following:

*Scintillating, entertaining, and informative talks by the famous Sassy Lawyer and five-time Palanca winner Dean Alfar
*Free food
*Proof of taking part in history -- an iBlog t-shirt (well...we did pay for it)
*Free i.ph domains and blogs (worth $15!)
*And so much more!

Rawr. So when's the 2nd iBlog summit? I can't wait.

---

{
P.S. (edit by Ia) — Want to see pics? Check out Atty. JJ Disini's and John Lao's galleries! Try (and I do mean it) to spot us in the group pic. Quote of the day? "Hi, I'm Mike Abundo from Mike Abundo dot Blogspot dot com... (insert question here)" ^_^
}

People of the Year

2005-05-06T20:13:00.000+08:00

What a convenient time to run into this.

Blogging is a phenomenon that's been around for how many years now, but is it about time for this? Steve Rubel thinks so. Hypergene made the above image for him.

And iblog is tomorrow, guys!

Realize, further, that Parser has taken journalism into the next level, with the spirit of a true pioneer. Into yet another medium that's fast, free, and funky.

Dude, this is so damn cool. Don't you think?

(Er, enough with the tone and its alliterations already.)

Complete the sentence: Bloggers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your _____! (Can't think of any right now.)

Stalker.

2005-05-05T13:30:00.000+08:00

This one's popular at forum posters' signatures. Shows just how vulnerable we all are. Want a signature like this? Visit Danasoft.com.

It's not grammatically-correct Tagalog; but hey, at least they have an option for it!

As Expected

2005-04-30T18:33:00.000+08:00

Snipped from an email. I don't know if this is true, but hey, it's expected:

This statistics is a result of the study conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Commission on Higher Education(CHED), based on the average passing in the BOARD EXAMINATIONS OF ALL COURSES of all universities and colleges in the Philippines.

This study is concluded every 10 years. The following is the result of the first study from
1992 to 2001. Eleven schools come from Luzon, two from the Visayas and seven from Mindanao.

1. University of the Philippines (Diliman Campus / Luzon)
2. University of the Philippines (Los Banos Campus / Luzon)
3. University of the Philippines (Manila Campus / Luzon)
4. Silliman University (Dumaguete City / Visayas)
5. Ateneo de Davao University (Davao / Mindanao)
6. Ateneo de Manila University (Manila / Luzon)
7. University of Sto. Tomas (Manila / Luzon)
8. Mindanao State University (Iligan Institute of Tech / Mindanao)
9. Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (Manila / Luzon)
10. Saint Louis University (Baguio City / Luzon)
11. University of San Carlos (Cebu City / Visayas)
12. Xavier University (Cagayan de Oro / Mindanao)
13. Mindanao State University (Main / Mindanao)
14. Urios College (Butuan City / Mindanao)
15. Polytechnic University of the Philippines(Manila / Luzon)
16. De La Salle University (Manila / Luzon)
17. Mapua Institute of Technology (Manila / Luzon)
18. Adamson University (Manila / Luzon)
19. Central Mindanao University (Bukidnon / Mindanao)
20. University of Southern Philippines (Davao / Mindanao)

Bloggers Ahoy!

2005-04-25T22:25:00.000+08:00

This is it people. The first blogging summit right in our backyard.

The first iblog Summit will be held on May 7, 2005, 9AM - 5PM at the NISMED, UP Diliman. Attendance is FREE but online registration is required.

The recent trip to a gaming summit was a great start. How 'bout we take this next step?

Photoshop Tutorials. April 22.

2005-04-17T11:30:00.000+08:00

View the details at the UP ACM Blog. Be there!

Flash Tutorials Tomorrow! April 13!

2005-04-12T17:19:00.000+08:00

(Posted at the ACM and Parser blogs)

Association for Computing Machinery UP Student Chapter (UP ACM)
and the
UP Association for Computer Science Majors (UP CURSOR)

present

Macromedia Flash Tutorials
April 13, 2005
Melchor Hall 209

9-12 AM Session: UP ACM & UP CURSOR Members
1-4 PM Session: Open to everyone

FREE OF CHARGE!

Be ready with a CD if you want a copy of Macromedia Flash MX (Trial Version) and several tutorials.

Please contact Jeric (09173801141) with your name and contact details, and if you want a CD burned.

Watch out for the upcoming Adobe Photoshop tutorial too!

Just thought you'd wanna know

2005-04-09T01:58:00.000+08:00

Mozilla Firefox 1.0.2 is now available for download. Among other features, Firefox 1.0.2 addresses a problem concerning GIF images. Simply put, a carefully crafted GIF file could execute malicious code when viewed in older versions. (Gee, I never thought that was possible. Then again, there was the case of encrypted messages in JPEGs. Oh well) The increasing popularity of Firefox has made it a probable target for some future attacks.

More informtion on Firefox 1.0.2 and downloads can be found at the Mozilla website.

(A/N: With the exception of text in parentheses, all other parts of this post are paraphrased from a newspaper supplement dated April 4, 2005)

I dream of seeing everything

2005-04-05T08:15:00.000+08:00

Try riding a jeepney at night. One that whizzes past barren fields or unlit buildings. One that has a glaring lightbulb by your eyes. As you gaze out, no shadows or silhouettes are discernible. It's pitch-black.

You are so close to that harsh, yellowish-white light that nothing else can be seen. Because there is light, you see nothing.

Maybe it's the same with being blind. When you're in love, they say you see nothing else but his perfections. When you're bent on a cause, they say you see nothing else but the kindest of intentions.

Because there is light, you see nothing.

What is it that you see?

How Strong is Your Password?

2005-04-02T22:34:00.000+08:00

ANNOUNCEMENT FIRST:
Parser, we'll have another work day this Monday. We hope to see as many people as possible to get the job done faster.

Sa lahat ng tumulong noong Friday, APRIL FOOL! Este, maraming salamat.

So, why the title? While reformatting and reinstalling the OS at MH 215, we had to set a password for all the root accounts. Sir TJ surfed over to this site, SecurityStats.Com, that measures how effective your password is. General tips include using a difficult-to-remember string of special characters, upper-and-lowercase letters, and numbers.

What are the chances you'll guess the password for MH 215? It's H4X0R-speak for something really, really related to Parser. ;) A l33tspeak form of the name of one of the most prominent figures in Computer Science came as a second choice.

Of course, it was the bias that chose ********* over ********. Tee-hee.

Edit:

It's not the password anymore. Too bad. We're still working there, though. And as one of the few remaining tasks, we have to find a version of Fedora Core 2 that's stable with VirtualPC. This came up as the top result:

Basically only change the memory allocation and install in text mode. Do not run the GUI, download/configure/install kernel-2.6.7 from kernel.org

The full details on the bug was also mentioned here. Now I'm no Linux expert so I just skimmed the page in the meantime. Hopefully, an SP1 fix for VirtualPC should do the job, according to comment #35. *shrug*

But, we have reason to rejoice. DCSF (c/o Ma'am Becca) has given us the check for the work we've been doing — and have yet to complete, awww — at 215. Yay!

Myth

2005-03-26T23:46:00.000+08:00

Hey guys, just wanna ask y'all something.

There once was a peasant who lived all alone near a forest. Every morning, before the sun was up, he wakes up early to go to his fields. Every night, he would come home and sup all by himself. It was a boring life indeed. However, every Friday night, whenever he walks by the forest, he hears lively music the sort of which is played in festivals.
He decided to take a closer look, one night, and saw a nymph dancing about a clearing. Her gown moved and swayed with her arms in time to the music. He saw no one else except the dancer but he minded not. He was not perplexed about the source of the lights or the music. However, he was mesmerized by the beauty of the nymph that all mortal thoughts fled his mind. The performance lasted until daybreak, when the lights, the music and the dancer would slowly fade away. He then returned home, in awe.
Since that fateful night, he found himself in the forest every Friday night. Each week, he would be there, completely entranced by her beauty. Yet he could not bring himself to touch her as it was known the gods would strike down any nymph or mortal who exceeded the limits set for them. Each Friday evening, he found himself seated a few yards from her; each instance, he sat a little closer, that he may behold more of the immortal beauty.
The nymph knew of his presence but said nothing as she continued dancing.
One night, the peasant went too far. Quite unable to resist, he reached out a trmebling hand and felt the fleeting touch of her misty gown on her fingertips. The nymph:

a. paused, before resuming her dance, her feet trampling over the ashes of a thousand crumbling pieces of burnt peasant.
b. lured him into her world, where no immortal eye can see them, where none of the gods can judge them.
c. turned to look at him and smiled. She then continued dancing. Since that night, she was seen no more.
d. smiled, took his outstretched hand in hers and danced with him through the night. She renounced her immortality to be
with him.

Please select an ending and if it's alright with yah, explain why you chose it. Thaaanks!

Jason's Theory

2005-03-09T12:29:00.000+08:00

I remember a few weeks ago when Jason Masi told us his theory that when we sleep, our brain defrags. I gagged, although I actually used it when someone asked me why I always sleep in the afternoon. Answering Steve (Lee), I said, "kapag natutulog nagde-defrag ang utak. Sabi ng kaibigan ko e."

He then replied, "Kapag ako natutulog... nare-reformat."

"...ay hindi, naba-back-up pala."

:)

CSS!

2005-03-04T02:27:00.000+08:00

Another round of congratulations to the wonderful undergraduate projects presented at Rm. 209 this morning (March 3, 2005).

Tomorrow it's Quizzardry and the awarding ceremonies for all contest winners plus the Batch Top Tens. Sigh. CS Week is about to end, but not without the sportsfest on Saturday. ^^

I'm sorry, I just had to post this. We're getting too fond of cool links but they're not just clicks-to-pass-time. They're mind-boggling little thought experiments successfully demonstrated.

Stu Nicholls Cutting Edge CSS Demos

(Easy favorites would be these two puzzles: a maze and a shark crossing. But this art gallery is sheer genius.)

By golly, click them and be blown away. Who says CSS is just for formatting?

It doesn't stop.

2005-03-01T02:29:00.000+08:00

First off, congratulations to all the staffers for another successful release of Parser. Having been able to release it at the start of the CS Week was a pleasant treat and surprise.

I do hope you've noticed the change of view around here. I just thought of rejoicing in more ways than one so I made a quick layout overhaul last night. And as Mai said, just holler if you want an SD done. ^^

Anyway, here's another fine work of art and computer genius. It's very Dali-esque slash MC Escher-ly (they're favorite artists of mine):

The Zoomquilt: A Collaborative Art Project

The Zoomquilt (Home)

Oh, and check out the updated Parser Blogroll; I've added a number of links.

Go Parser!

SDs

2005-02-28T15:35:00.001+08:00

To those people who still want to have their SDs done, please post a comment below with a description of how you want your SD to look like. This will include accessories, colors of clothes, etc. Of course you have to be a member of UP Parser... kung may nagpapagawa na hindi Parser, may bayad. Hehe.

I'm also requiring a 1x1 ID picture for those who are not members of UP ACM.

Also it takes me a long time to draw because... I have to be inspired before I draw. Otherwise it's not going to look fun at all. :)

That, and... visit my site, make me happy.

Word from the streets

2005-02-23T00:02:00.000+08:00

Here are some lines I've encountered due to travel in public transport. Go figure the last two ones. ^_^

Misss. (emphasis on the hissing sound) Hindi mo ba alam ang dynamics ng jeep, misss?
-girl to friend na ayaw mag-abot ng bayad

Accidents don't kill; I do.
-bumper sticker

Ay, naku, hindi na ako sasakay ulit sa jeep na 'to!
-old woman harassing the driver and the passengers

Gay: I've always wondered how lesbians, uhm, enjoy.
Girl: That's why God invented fingers, and ten of them!
-overheard in an Ikot jeep

Nakita ko na ang mga babala; may masamang mangyayari sa bus na ito.
-overheard from cult leader in GenSan

anak, malapit na tayo sa bahay ... 'wag kang susuka sa ale.
-mother to child; the 'ale' immediately moved to another place

Ako ang dyos ng ika-limang mundo...
-intoxicated man on Ikot jeep

'ma, tandang sora, ha? tandang sora, 'ma. 'wag kang mag-over-the-bridge, 'ma.
-overanxious old woman, near Commonwealth flyover

*man pukes, gets embarassed, disembarks from jeepney*
uy, macaroni. tsaka chicken. sopas siguro yan dati...
-strong-willed girl pointing to the remains on the floor

M**, I have to confess... buntis ako.
-guy talking to girl friend

Non-conformists of the world, unite!
-notebook cover of a fellow passenger's, uhm, notebook

Bayad ho. Limang ikot.
-the only other passenger in the Ikot jeep

Don't honk if you can't read this.
-bumper sticker

Oh, I also found a nice link: http://www.trepanning.tv. Javascript tricks hilariously used and abused. Have fun!

University of the Philippines Decade

2005-02-20T17:37:00.000+08:00

From this site, I discovered that we, as the University of the Philippines should have been fully supported by the different government agency into organizing a grandeous UP Centennial celebration.

Fully support my ass!!!

Below is a copy of the Presidential Proclamation.

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

U.P. DECADE 1998-2008

MALACAÑANG

MANILA

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROCLAMATION NO. 1150

DECLARING THE PERIOD 1998-2008 AS "THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES DECADE" AND DIRECTING ALL CONCERNED GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND OFFICES TO EXTEND FULL COOPERATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES SYSTEM TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF ITS PROJECTS DURING THE SAID PERIOD.

WHEREAS, the University of the Philippines is the primary national resource for the education and training of outstanding men and women who have advanced the highest interest of the people by their invaluable contributions to the progress and welfare of the Filipino nation;

WHEREAS, in preparing itself for greater service to the nation towards the new millenium, the University has embarked upon a program of modernization as embodied in its Strategic Plan 2008;

WHEREAS, the modernization program of the University is scheduled to be launched this year, 1998, which marks the centennial of the Philippine Republic as well as the 90th year of the University, and thus this event assumes a double significance in the history of the Republic;

WHEREAS, 1998 is the start of the decade (1998-2008) which the University has scheduled as the start of the ten years of preparation for the centennial year of the University in 2008;

WHEREAS, this decade will be a landmark commemoration of the struggle for national independence as reflected in the achievements of the University as a community of Filipino scholars and will be a period of transition to a highly modernized center of learning of the new century;

WHEREAS, the projects and activities of the University to be undertaken during the said decade will generate tremendous positive impact on the long-term interests of the nation, and thus they deserve the support of both the public and private sectors of society;

NOW THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare the decade 1998-2008 as "University of the Philippines (U.P.) Decade."

All concerned government agencies and offices are hereby directed to extend full cooperation to the University in order to ensure the success of its undertakings within the said U.P. Decade.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 9th day of January in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-eight.

By the President

RUBEN D. TORRES

Executive Secretary

In the spirit of CS Week...

2005-02-20T17:12:00.000+08:00

...which is exactly one week from now, here's a nice read from UP ACM former Chair Harvey Viray:

Looking Back: The Humble Beginnings of Computer Science (CS) Week

I'm afraid a CS Week special won't see print in Parser's February issue — but hey, who know's what might happen in five days — so I hope you guys check that one out.

Then there's also this:

UP CURSOR's (Self-Proclaimed) Historian/Archivist/Whatever

for the Souvenir Program writers out there.

Great timing Harv! ^_~ Oh yeah, we hope Ms. Velas hears about us! Jonel Uy has a pretty good idea of how things are.

Wow, I'm getting pretty excited over the next ish release. Good luck sa ating lahat!

Icon Story

2005-02-02T19:21:00.000+08:00

(In the spirit of Link-posting...)

Stevenson says: "Alam kong CS kayo dahil pinagtatawanan nyo."

http://www.rio.com.br/animation/iconstory.htm

True. True. Enjoy!

Funny links on the net

2005-02-02T16:21:00.000+08:00

Imagine me staying late in the webteam with nothing to do but surf and check all the non-sense in the "Others" section in many internet forums.

http://www.milkandcookies.com/links/14339/
^ Some geeky musical guy did this. Amazing.

http://svt.se/hogafflahage/hogafflaHage_site/Kor/hestekor.swf
^ I wish I authored this flash page.

http://www.coopergriggs.com/flash/nf.html
^ An avenue for aggression. Kill 'em all!!!

http://www.yellowalien.net/images/coolasfuck.gif
^ Simplified attack cliches for anime and gaming fans.

It Felt Love.

2005-01-30T14:49:00.000+08:00

Something cool I wanted to share. Stumbled upon it sa deviantArt. Here's the link to the actual site: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/4652874/

Word on the Google Browser?

2005-01-27T15:38:00.000+08:00

(I suddenly remembered that tune from The King and I, "Happy Talk") This is techie-techie-techie-techie-talk:

Because Mai mentioned this to me just now, my curiosity fired up. After a few minutes of Googling, I hastily concluded that right now there is no sufficient evidence for it, especially with this eWeek article, and the 404 error message of this NYPost article. Sure, the FFx and Google logos look good together (see the link above), but that can be easily produced in Photoshop.

They had me on the edge of my seat for a second back there. I'll still be waiting for it though. The domain lookup information might be a sign of good things to come. Plus, people thought GMail was an April Fool's joke last year; summer's just around the corner.

(But first, The Second Semester must be reckoned with.)

Bacteria - the back door of the cafeteria

2005-01-27T01:40:00.000+08:00

I once read an funpage article which had the following definition for loop.

Loop - see Loop

Now momentarily free from evil teachers, I tried Googling for it. I didn't find it but I did find something else, much better than what I have read.

For those ravaged by the first wave of exams, a little candy for you.
http://www.textfiles.com/humor/terms.hum

It might be a bit 80's but it's still fun. Take my word for it, it gets better at the last part. Don't take it too seriously, though. You might get offended. Oh well.

Who the f*ck is Aquilon?

2005-01-22T01:57:00.000+08:00

I doubt this has much to do with CS but it is definitely related to writing. I just have a question bugging me and I would like to know the opinion of other people. Is it ethical to use allusions in literary writing?

Lemme elaborate. I think alluding to someone/something lessens the amount of readers who can understand your work. I remember reading The Divine Comedy and wondering, "Who the f*ck is this Aquilon?" when what he (Dante Alighieri, the author) really referred to was the North wind. In my (no, not humble) opinion, allusions can become a hindrance to effectively comprehending the thought supposed to be conveyed by the literary work.

On the other hand, allusions sometimes work better than just using "plain" words. Like metaphors, it can bring color and flavor to a piece. For a reader who has read the necessary literature or has encountered relevant phenomena, allusions can paint a much more vivid picture than that which does not allude.

So there. I would really like to use allusions in writing. However, I am also concerned the readers might not fully comprehend, as completely opposed to fully comprehend.

And I searched far and wide

2005-01-20T20:32:00.000+08:00

I dived through the deep seas,
searched the corners and edges of the world,
went through the thickest and wildest of the virgin forests,
rode the North Wind to humbly inquire the Powers That Be residing in the heavens,
The gust gently stroking my hair as I turn my head left right
up and down

And I knelt. I dropped my head. My sword clang as it slowly fell on my shield once proud.

I asked myself,

"WHERE ON EARTH IS IA'S WEBLOG?!?!?!?!?!"

I was here

2005-01-19T17:52:00.000+08:00

Or was I? What does "was" really mean? Or does "I" really have significance? If you trust your senses about what they say about the concept of time and self, surely your brain is as comfortable as Cipher in the Matrix 1, saying "ignorance is bliss". "Time" is but a concept, an illusion brought about by that constant change that can be detected by your senses, and these messages from your eyes, nose, ears, and skin is merged by your brain. This frame by frame and incremental change in stimuli is later interpreted by that organ in your head as "time".

And self? Even the greatest philosophers provide but the vaguest explaination of its "reality" and "tangibility". If the ship of the Argonauts, they argue, are incrementally replaced with new sail, hull, and other parts of the ship unknown to me for I am not a sailor, when would be the ship be a "new" ship? Is it still the "old" ship? When did the transformation happened? Same goes with "me". I was a grade school student, and several years from now I have shed hundred of tons of dead skin and hair cells, each piece of me constantly dying and regenerating. Am I still "me"? What is "me"? Is there a "core" to my "me-ness", the kind of concept the Christians call a "soul", the essence of an individual? If I changed every cell of myself and undergo a total personality change, "am" "I" "still" "me"? (pardon for the abuse of quotations, these four words are subject to further exploration and debate)

Close inspection of things, whatever it is, may it be love, God, ideas, among others is surely painful.

/*I believe it was minutes ago that I was eager to write something in this blog but I can't just figure out what to write*/

Parser and UP ACM

2005-01-16T18:03:00.000+08:00

Tooting our horn, among other things.

Last January 15, 2005 the first General Assembly for the Association for Computing Machinery - UP Student Chapter (the first and only Student Chapter in the country) was held at the Engineering Theater. A good part of it profiled the international organization and the local chapter, started in 2003. However, it was only now that things moved forward. At the very least, that's how we saw things. I'm pretty sure not very many people were aware of the founding of a Student Chapter here, or maybe even the existence of an ACM abroad.

Now let me get to the better part. Here's the list of the newly-elected officers that day (The formal turnover, I believe, will be conducted on February 1.):

Chair: Ardee Aram
Vice-Chair: Mai Sibayan
Secretary: Sophia Lucero
Treasurer: Jonas Roque
Special Projects Head: Phillip Kimpo Jr.
External Affairs Head: Jeric Cantos
Education Head: Riza Batista

Notice anything? Five out of the six undergradutes are Proudly Parser. And Jeric is mostly likely to be joining us soon. :)

Congratulations, everyone.

(Ang sarap piratahin ng slogan ng isang sikat na org... We Lead. No harm meant whatsoever though.)

EDIT!

For anyone who wants to join the Student Chapter (take note: this is different from the paid membership abroad), secure application forms at the Department of Computer Science, or get in touch with the people above, especially those in charge of Membership (Mai) and Records (Sophia). Be ready with a 1 x 1 ID picture, a copy of your Form5, and a semestral membership fee of fifty pesos.

Writing Techniques

2005-01-13T15:44:00.000+08:00

** Avoid alliteration. Always.
** Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
** Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)
** Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
** Contractions aren't necessary.
** Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
** One should never generalize. [--> my favorite ]
** Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
** Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
** Be more or less specific.
** One-word sentences? Eliminate.
** Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
** Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
** Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
** Who needs rhetorical questions?
** Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

Button/Blog Linky-doo (EDITED!)

2005-01-12T17:14:00.000+08:00

I don't like posting after myself, because this isn't my blog!

I'm pretty sure not too many can relate to this, but if you're a hardcore blogger/sitemaker you'll keep tabs on these things. Wait. *I* keep tabs on these things.

Here's the custom button maker for those tiny 80x15 buttons. It generates a PNG from the info you enter. The Kalsey Buttonmaker engine is fascinating.
Here's Taylor McKnight's site, buttons section. I got the Blogger button here. A whole lotta buttons to sift through though. I don't think *I* know a third of these sites.
Unfortunately, the CSS version for the these buttons is not that pretty. Try experimenting with another font.
If you want to do it manually, get the Silkscreen font used.
Help fight spambots with Spampoison! (It has a link button of the same tinyness.)

TMI? Nah.

Techniques

2005-01-06T01:37:00.000+08:00

Let's see.

...(One is to mention a famous site, or share URLs you've been going to.)

del.icio.us can keep you stuck surfing for hours. Just like endless streams of blog clicking. It's all about sharin' the love babeh.

...(Another is to comment on a familiar event in the hopes that everyone else will throw in their two cents.)

I just find it a bit odd that it's only now people (read: influential, hype-inducing media) have come to notice it as a "phenomenon," when it's been around for quite a while.

...(Another is to quote a post from somewhere as this'll get you listed in the trackbacks that everyone else sees.)

Everything you wanted to know about blogging but were afraid to ask by a certain Simon:

12. If you think this blogging caper is a path to fame and fortune, give up now.

22. The great thing about blogging is plagiarising is encouraged. That's why so many academics blog. The only trick is plagiarising needs to be accompanied by links back to the original...because links are the lifeblood of a blogger. So go ahead and steal.

35. Learn to insult creatively.

39. Blog is an ugly word but we're stuck with it.

50. Ignore all the conflicting advice you get, including this.

(Though of course you must give credit where it's due.)

...(Another is to cut-and-paste your last-song-syndrome, as though you've found such unique and inspired verses to describe how you feel at the moment. Or just to give a hint without claiming responsibility for drawing out the emotions you'd rather hide.)

When the light disappears
And when this world’s insincere
You’ll be safe here
When nobody hears you scream
I’ll scream with you
You’ll be safe here

You'll Be Safe Here / Rivermaya
"Spirits" Theme Song

Someone on the site from where I got this commented, "my four-year old baby love this song". Then I realized it was also a lullaby.

...(Another is to throw randomness in some list-type form, as you're perhaps too lazy to come up with a great lit piece on such short notice)

And I guess that's what I just did here. Not everything works for everyone, though. Not even experiments like these.

Fourth Issue Parser Meeting: A Survey

2005-01-04T23:32:00.000+08:00

Guys, the UP Parser is going to have its 4th Issue Meeting next week. However, the exact date I will leave to you (but not the time :p). Choose from one of the following:

MTh 4:30pm
TF 4:30pm
W 4:30pm

Drop a comment to this post, chat in the cbox, or text me for your answers. Of course, majority wins.

Welcome, welcome...

2005-01-03T17:56:00.000+08:00

...welcome into the new year 2005.

And welcome, all ye members of the ParserBlog!

We'd especially like to acknowledge the presence of Mr. Jonel Uy, of course. As you all know, he's one of our Parser99 Alumni.

We look forward to hearing from all of you. The more we try to define what goes in here, the more awkward the products of our thought processes will be. Rant, rave, reminisce. (It seems we have a lot to ask about the Parser of old. Word has it they had Constitution and By-Laws back then.) Post news and tech tidbits, teasers to your lit works, links you find interesting, anything goes! Share the love.

Ready? Daldal na! :)

Whee.

2005-01-02T21:27:00.000+08:00

What a way to convey emotion.

It's been a while since I've been on Blogger (Uh, circa 2001, for my dear G++). I've never really entertained thoughts of keeping tabs on myself online.

But group blogs are fun and so is Parser. "It's a clever big thing"—I refer to the paper, for those who haven't seen that line—is right. Doesn't it feel good to see all the wonderful things that has come of it?

May tanong si Byron (sa hindi nakakaalam, siya ang Editor-in-Chief ng Engineering Logscript): kelangan ko bang maoffend pag sinabihan akong "PARSE YOU!" o sasagot lang akong "PARSE YOU KA RIN!"?

Well...! ;) You've been parsed.

Binyagan ang Parser Pasiklab!

2005-01-02T19:04:00.000+08:00

Yahoo! Parser finally has a blog! Hope your Christmas was merry and your New Year happy!

We also hope you participate in this blog. It's not mandatory, but if you don't then just think how your fellow staffers would be missing on the wonderful (and silly) insights that you could've shared with 'em! (parang rip-off kay Ma'am Alaras yun a)

Check out the blogs/sites of our fellow staffers. If you want to be linked to The Parser Blog as well, just tell me or Ia, or post something in the chatterbox.

GO PARSER!

/*End edited post, Jan. 4, 2005*/

First post.

2004-12-30T03:57:00.000+08:00

It's coming. Watch out.