by admin | Dec 20, 2013 | Cloud Computing
In recent years, cloud computing has become a buzzword and proponents are saying that huge business benefits can be derived from cloud computing. But what is cloud computing really? Most users would be surprised if they are told they have been using cloud computing since they started using Gmail, Facebook, Twitter and many other popular websites. Due to the scale of computing power required by these websites, it makes sense to organize servers to act as if they are one machine. This way, any hardware that break down can be taken offline, then replaced without disrupting service. Then out of this one huge “server”, virtual servers or even desktops can be created which then can act as individual computers. These virtual servers can then be configured to have any resource size. For example, from the server farm, one can create a virtual server with 256MB RAM and 4 CPUs and other with 4GB RAM and 8 CPUs. These virtual servers can be created and taken down...
by Jovie Cabais | Dec 8, 2013 | Tech Updates
More than two weeks of unstable power or none at all crippled Bohol’s business environment very severely. Tourism should have been very brisk already at this time of the year. Consumers should have been buying lots of Christmas celebration related goods. Parties should have started already. Instead, we have stores closing earlier than usual and resorts making up promos to attract as many guests, if any arrive. After the October 15 earthquake, the tourism industry suffered because of a lot of cancellations. But it might have only been a temporary setback if power wasn’t knocked out after typhoon Yolanda which did not damage Bohol significantly. With the electrical service being totally out in major tourism areas, travel agencies have no choice but to suggest to guests to go elsewhere. Because we are not sure when electricity would be back to normal, service providers would either have to prepare to spend for fuel for their generators in order to meet their commitments with their customers, or shut down for a while. Others may have to shut down permanently, unfortunately. Yolanda reminded us that we should not assume electricity from outside the province is always available. Bohol must have its own capability to generate enough electricity at least to keep the city and major tourism and industrial sites running. The choice for Bohol would be renewable energy sources. At the household level, off-grid solar energy systems would be a practical option. If we could buy these systems in volume, we could drive the cost down. If these systems could be tax exempt and duty free, costs can easily drop by at...
by Jovie Cabais | Dec 7, 2013 | Tech Updates
After so many “leaks” of the features of the upcoming Galaxy S4, Samsung fans finally got a glimpse of the latest iteration of the Galaxy S series of smart phones. The upgraded features did not disappoint most reviewers. The case and location of the home button of the S4 looks very similar to the S3 but the S4 is lighter and thinner. It also has a larger battery capacity at 2600mAH vs 2100mAH on the older unit providing the extra juice for its slightly larger 5” 1080pixel screen and 8-core CPU (some markets may only have 4-core CPUs). Yes, that’s 8 microprocessors on this smartphone. Your regular desktop computer most likely will have less CPU cores. A 13 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel camera on the front and the camera software allows you to use both cameras simultaneously. That might come in handy if you pretend to take pictures of something in front of you but you are also taking a picture of someone behind you. I like the addition of an infrared blaster which means you can use the S4 as a remote control for your TV, DVD and even your aircon. This may just be the reason why I’ll get an S4 over an iPhone 5 when I upgrade my lowly but quite reliable Galaxy S mini at the end of the telco contract. Pretty handy if I only reach for the S4 instead of three or more remote controls when I’m too sleepy to remember which is the power button on each remote. There’s a ton of software upgrades on the...
by Jovie Cabais | Nov 17, 2013 | Tech Updates
written by : by Jerome J. Auza Super Typhoon Yolanda was probably the strongest typhoon to ever make landfall in recorded history and yet we thought we were ready for it. Yolanda flattened Tacloban City and many other cities and towns along its path. We thanked God it spared Bohol otherwise it would have been a double disaster for us. But us in Bohol were caught off guard, not by the typhoon itself, but by its impact: total blackout in most areas of the province. The damaged transmission facilities of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines will take several months to repair. A temporary solution to connect Bohol to the grid will take several weeks. All these assuming there are no delays. As an IT services company, Auza.Net need to continue its operations and we have to resort to using generators at the cost of Php1000 per day. This is enough only to run our computers and the network and everyone has to contend with the heat and humidity. A resort in Panglao is spending Php14,000 per day on generators and unfortunately they have to close for the mean time. It doesn’t take much brains to conclude that the power situation would have a domino effect on Bohol’s economy. Bohol doesn’t even have enough electrical generating capacity to run Tagbilaran City. Next to no electrical service is no water supply in areas dependent on electrical pumps. Drinking water producers have closed shop also, except those who have access to a water source and have generators. But they are selling their product at a higher price due to the...
by Jovie Cabais | Oct 30, 2013 | Tech Updates
During the course of our web surfing, we found out that one of the main concerns of iPhone 4S users is how to maintain battery life for longer, especially since Apple hasn’t achieved significant improvements in this area with the new model yet. So, we searched again and found out from a certain website that Technology commentator Dan Warne has a few suggestions and steps in order to achieve the maximum life of your iPhone 4S battery, we’ve also added some from other sources: 1. Disable unnecessary connections: turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you are not using them. 2. Disable 3G: switching back to a 2G or GSM network saves a lot of power with the obvious sacrifice that web browsing becomes much slower. 3. Adjust screen brightness: the default settings are useful outdoors on bright sunny days, otherwise a dimmed screen light will improve battery life significantly. 4. Adjust Notification settings: iPhones have “Push” technology that allows your phone to stay connected to the internet all the time in order to receive emails and notifications and to deliver them instantly. This could be convenient but is exhausting for the battery. The technology writer suggests selecting the “Manually” option, under the “Fetch” section, which means the phone will only download for email when you actually open the email app and check for email. 5. Drain your batteries and then charge them until full. Avoid charging while the battery is half empty and at the same time, avoid overcharging. 6. If none of this helps your iPhone’s endurance, then you might consider a third party battery pack. Source:...
by Jovie Cabais | Oct 27, 2013 | Tech Updates
The earthquake that hit Bohol on October 15, 2013 damaged a lot of infrastructure cutting off access to several towns and created a humanitarian crisis. Food and water immediately run out. Electricity and water services cut off and restoration is almost impossible with roads and bridges damaged. Private citizens, NGOs, friends, relatives and volunteers immediately organized relief goods delivery operations. Small scale initially and later on growing into a constant stream of relief goods for the earthquake victims. Facebook pages that invite people to join the relief efforts, donate goods or volunteer in delivering the relief goods. People all over the world donated money, resources or goods and updates to the situation of the towns and victims were detailed in these Facebook pages. Useful as these Facebook pages were during the relief goods delivery operations, these were not coordinated and unified. Because of the difficulty in accessing the affected towns, a coordinated effort would have made the delivery efforts more efficient and perhaps faster. But just the same, these relief efforts are commendable and the citizens of Bohol, especially in the most affected towns, owe their thanks to everyone who joined in the relief efforts. Boholanos showed they are one in this effort of helping the victims of the earthquake....
by Jovie Cabais | Oct 27, 2013 | Tech Updates
The venue of the 6th National ICT Confederation of the Philippines Summit has been changed to Cebu City after the Bohol Information and Communications Technology Council decided that Bohol will postpone its sponsorship of the national summit after the province was severely hit by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake on October 15, 2013. Bohol Province in cooperation with the Bohol Information and Communications Technology Council was supposed to host the summit on November 28-29, 2013. The local council felt that the situation in the province may not conducive to such a large event and recommended to Governor Edgar B. Chatto in a meeting at the Governor’s mansion on October 17, 2013 that Bohol should host the national summit next year instead. NICP President Ms. Wit Holganza was informed by the council immediately after the meeting and the NICP board decided to hold this year’s summit in Cebu City on November 29, 2013. ...
by Jovie Cabais | Oct 23, 2013 | Tech Updates
There is a saying that, too much of something is bad enough. Is the rush of Android super smart phones really a good thing? The speed in which Android devices are hitting the market nowadays is a testament to the strength of Google’s mobile platform. However, it also leads to a lot of headaches for consumers who are currently overwhelmed by the unending line of smartphones all competing for attention. And if you think the makers of these phones are smiling, think again. Handset manufacturers don’t like the pace either. They spend millions of dollars of research and development on a hot new device, only to lose the spotlight after a few days (or, in the case of the Droid Razr, a few hours). “This sort of churn bothers both consumers and OEMs, for whom such a cycle is costly and, arguably, wasteful,” said Roger Kay, an analyst for Endpoint Technologies. You might remember that in the past, there were only about 3 “good” phones to choose from, and the other two usually don’t come any closer to “the one”, and that the only difficult choice to make was regarding your budget. Those were the times when window shopping for mobile phones was a pleasant experience compared to the confusion today’s smartphones bring. The rate at which these new super smartphones are emerging is dizzying. That run of phones doesn’t even include the wave of devices hitting the market with the other major carriers. People often hold off purchasing new phones so they can see what’s coming ahead; with such a steady flow of new products, they may end...
by Jovie Cabais | Oct 6, 2013 | Tech Updates
Kumon (K of C) center chief instructor, Dr. Elva Evasco-Auza, led the awarding ceremonies of its students who were included in the Advanced Student Honor Roll (ASHR) for May 2013 and August 2013 on October 4, 2013 at 3PM at the K of C Recreation Center. The awardees were given medals corresponding to how advanced they are for their grade level or age. Bronze awardees are six months ahead of their school level, while silver awardees are two years ahead while gold awardees are at least three years ahead. The center had awardees for both the Math and Reading programs. The reading program was recently introduced in center and already produced advanced students. level (May 2013 and August 2013) to Jeorgieann Suaffield (center) who is currently 5 years ahead of her school level in Mathematics. Jorgieanne’s father is on the right. The center had recently moved into a bigger room at the K of C Recreation Center so the blessing of the center was also done on the same day. Also, the Auza family celebrated in advance of a few days, the birthday Dr. Auza’s oldest son, Jeremiah....
by Jovie Cabais | Oct 6, 2013 | Tech Updates
Once upon a time, the telegram service was one of the most high-tech telecommunication services you can get. Imagine being able to send messages hundreds of kilometers away across many islands in just a few days when there was no Internet, no mobile phones and in many areas, no telephone. But with the current technologies available nowadays, messages, not only text but pictures and even videos can be sent in seconds across the globe. Obviously, the telegram service has become obsolete and the government has decided to shut it down. So, the last telegram message was sent across the Philippines to mark its end on September 20, 2013. here are many anecdotes associated with the telegram service, especially that the cost depended on the number of words sent. Frequent users have devised methods of putting together some words as one word so that the cost could be lesser. Or creating cryptic acronyms so that a long sentence becomes just one word. Do you have a story about the telegram service? Make sure to remember it. Maybe write it down somewhere. We can’t make anymore of them, at least in the Philippines. ...
