Disgruntled - No Home Internet Access

I haven't had Internet access at home since Thursday.

ATT - SBC Global can't seem to fix the problem. Apparently, based on my calls with customer service, another carrier has taken over our line and ATT is saying it can't do anything about it unless we ask the other carrier to come off the line. But, the problem is we do not really know who or what that other carrier is nor do we have any contact info.

I also find it weird since we are subscribed to ATT, have never asked the company to deactivate our account, and have never missed any monthly bills/dues.

 

Which Direction is the Dancer Spinning?

Got this from Freakonomics blog: Which direction is this dancer spinning? If you think clockwise, the right side of your brain is supposedly dominant. If counter-clockwise, your left side of the brain is dominant (maybe at least at this time).


In my case, I could see the dancer spinning clockwise (to the right), except when I tend not to focus - in which case I see a counter-clockwise spin. If I focus again, it would go back to a clockwise direction. I asked some other people who could see it spinning both ways as well.

From the comments I've in the Freakonomics website about this, in which posters cited the direction they see the dancer spinning and their college major and/or professional background (I commented as well), even some people from highly-technical fields (e.g. engineering) could see a predominantly, if not exclusively, clockwise spin. Interesting.

 

House of Ravenclaw

Got this from Jamie: The Sorting Hat test on Facebook.

The application simulates the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter, which assigns the students to the different Houses in Hogwarts. According to it, I will be in the House of Ravenclaw.


Ravenclaw
This house values intelligence, knowledge and wit. Its animal is the eagle, not the raven as might be expected, and its colours are blue and bronze (though the movies have portrayed their colors as blue and grey). No Ravenclaw house ghost is directly mentioned in the books; however, the Harry Potter movies name her as the Grey Lady. The house was founded by Rowena Ravenclaw. According to Rowling, Ravenclaw corresponds roughly to the element of air. The Ravenclaw common room and dormitories are located in Ravenclaw Tower on the west side of the school.

Add a Hogwarts House Badge to your profile!

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Given the choice, I would want to be in Slytherin. But Ravenclaw is great.

 

Listening to Switchfoot

I've mostly been listening to Switchfoot music lately - thanks largely (and solely) to the influence of Steph.

My favorite songs are (in no particular order):

1. Yesterdays (from the album, "Oh! Gravity.")
2. On Fire (from the album, "The Beautiful Letdown")
3. Learning to Breathe (from the album, "Learning to Breathe")

 

DLSU Wins The UAAP Basketball Championship!

Yes!!! We're champions once again!

First, props to our Finals opponent, the UE Warriors for a great season - marked by an historic 14-0 sweep in the eliminations, earning an outright ticket to the finals - and for an awesome finals performance.

And of course, CONGRATS and thanks to the DLSU Archers for claiming the championship by, in turn, sweeping the Warriors 2-0 in the UAAP Finals.

The following is a nice article from Basketball Exchange:*

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DLSU 73, UE 64. Why They Are Champions
by Gary Mercado

The most compelling image I have of the game is that of Pocholo Villanueva with his hands on his knees, tears streaming from his cheeks, the pure ecstasy of victory shaking him like a leaf as he celebrated with his teammates.

And celebrate they should, as DLSU in my honest opinion, gave one of the most amazing, one of the most spectacular basketball performances I have ever seen, and I have seen quite a few.

I know I got it all wrong, predicting a UE win. But truth to tell, that’s the least of my worries. First, because I don’t think anyone could have possibly thought La Salle could pull it off, considering the level of ability of its opponent, the fact it was coming off a particularly draining set of games against ADMU, and finally that UE had weeks of idle time to prepare. That, along with the lack of ceiling (again), would be enough to make anyone with even a(n) iota of basketball opinion in them to vote against them.

Read full article here.

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See news articles about the championship here and here.

See photos here. And especially here from Vic Icasas.





*I initially stated that the article I referenced was written by a non-Lasallian. The author of the article himself has indicated to me that he is, in fact, from La Salle. I have since taken out my false and misinformed claim.

 

On the Desperate Housewives "Racial Slur"

ABC Studios has already apologized for the controversial joke made by Teri Hatcher's character in Desperate Housewives. As a little backgrounder, here's the scene that started this brouhaha:



In response to the doctor who suggested a medical checkup, Hatcher replies that she wants to check his diplomas first to "make sure they're not from some med school in the Philippines." This remark has sparked the ire of the the Filipino online community. An online petition demanding an apology from ABC and Desperate Housewives was started and, to date, it is close to 80,000 signatures-strong.

As a minor aside, I don't watch the show but I was intrigued with this controversy. And I understand that my position on this is seemingly, relatively unpopular (alright, shoot me). I'm not sure if it really is a "racial slur", maybe it is and maybe it isn't. But when I heard the line, it struck me as alluding to the "credibility issues" that the Philippine medical profession is experiencing. Let's admit, we have our problems about the fake diplomas in Recto, as well as last year's nursing exam controversy. We do not exactly have a squeaky-clean image. How else would the writer get his inspiration, albeit a poor one at that?

It was a joke, but not a funny one. But like most jokes, it has some grain of truth.

With the ABC apology, I think the issue is pretty much settled (unless it doesn't get accepted by the petitioners). So what am I hoping to see after this? I sure don't give a dime about politicians expressing their disgust over the show and proposing to ban it. The people already did the former (through that online petition) and can do something that will almost have the same effect as the latter (by choosing not to watch the show). Unfortunately, these are just what the politicians are doing: see here, here, and here.

Well, to some extent, demanding a formal apology is a legitimate course of action for the goverment if it so chooses. But I do think a proposal to ban the show is unnecessary.

However, I am a bit disappointed that no one in the government has stepped up and acknowledged that, despite how lofty the praises we accord ourselves, we have some credibility issues to iron out. What legitimate steps have we taken to recover from the aforementioned nursing fiasco that perhaps tarnished even the reputation of future graduates and examinees? And going beyond the medical profession, how about the fake diplomas being sold explicitly in the streets? Doesn't their presence alone conjure a negative signal to foreign institutions and create some doubts when they encounter Philippine diplomas? That's not even going to the issue of diploma mills and the overall state of higher education.

In the end, I'm a bit disappointed that, so far, those who have the voice and power are speaking only the words that we have already said and those that we wanted to hear. Not the words that we needed to hear.

 

America's Techiest Cities and Conventional IT Wisdom

From Computerworld:

America's techiest cities: Silicon Valley, followed by....

Conventional IT wisdom, according to Frank Hayes, which includes:

"The best technology doesn't always make a successful product. Then again, the best technology may not be what you need."

"Faster hardware doesn't solve business problems - unless the business problem is slow hardware."

"Functionality isn't the same as usefulness."

"A good idea is no match for a bad habit."