Apple to show off new iPhone March 17

Maybe I could mislead you with the title, but the thing is that the iPhone's operating system is the one that's gonna be shown in a media event to be held on March 17. I'm just gonna put the general term iPhone in here just in case Apple does pull off a "one more thing" even without their cult leader Steve Jobs.

Last year, Apple also held a March event for iPhone developers showing off the capabilities of the then-unreleased iPhone 2.0 software development kit.

What would you like to see in this new work-in-progress? Personally, I'd like the iPhone to gain some actual credibility as a real phone: SMS Forwarding, for one. And how about some copy and paste as well? Make sure you don't charge iPod touch owners again, Apple (or at least the iPod touch owners who have upgraded to version 2.0)!

There'd probably be an even longer laundry list, especially for current owners of the much ballyhooed device.

Windows is annoying- with pictures!

DISCLAIMER: This is not gonna be a Vista bashing post since I've since downgraded from XP and will only be able to collect screenshots from that OS, nor is it a Mac patronizing post. Even if I didn't have a Mac right now, I'd still be bound to do something like this anyway. Without further ado, here are some annoying screenshots that you'll agree on with me.

1) Automatic Updates

Look familiar? Yeah it's that thing that pops up when the Windows has finished downloading your updates. Gee, if only we could say "Not Now" like in Mac.

You're probably saying, there's the Restart Later button! What are you complaining about? Well, let's just say that this dialog box is like a roach. You kill it, but it doesn't stay dead at all. In fact, no matter how many times you kill it, it'll simply come back to pester you. That's how this dialog box works. It's stupid. If I want to "Restart Later", I'll do my own damn business and Restart- not imply that you should come back to me every 5 minutes!

I'm on Windows XP SP3, and yet Microsoft still doesn't want to make this go away or put a "Not Now" button.

The only cure? Disable automatic updates from the Control Panel. But why bother when updating your software is only crucial? You may not admit it, but you know you're gonna be lazy if someone advised you to update your computer.

2) Printer Job DeletionI don't know if it varies from printer to printer, but from my experiences with different printers, deleting a print job is simply hard unless the printer is actually turned off. Look at that print job above. It says deleting, but in reality it's not deleting, it just stays there.

So OK, the typical scenario. I print a job, but I forgot to turn the printer on. I turn it on, and it doesn't print. What do I do next? I delete the job and try again.

I highlight my job, and press the Delete button. This dialog box appears (pictured below), and I click Yes. What happens? The aforementioned scenario in the first paragraph.
So what do I do? I have to save my work, memorize the pages open in my browser, say "brb" to my Yahoo! Messenger friends, and Restart the computer. After restarting, then it prints.

The thing that can prevent this headache is to simply delete the job before turning on the printer. But whoops, too late, you have to learn lessons the hard way, kid.

3) Internet Explorer 7- in generalConsider the above picture a stolen shot.

So here's the thing: every time I open Internet Explorer 7, I find it bailing out on me when it has barely operated for 5 seconds. The best thing about it is that it opens, probably as fast, as Chrome, the only thing is that the latter actually works for more than 5 seconds!

Am I the only one who's experiencing this? It's not that big of a loss to me since I use either Firefox or Chrome, but it's still annoying!

4) Sheer stupidity
Take a good look at the picture. Notice anything different?

If you don't then I'll play the role of Captain Obvious: it doesn't look like a Firefox document, moron!

If you had the decency to declare a web page a Firefox document, at least make the effort to make it obvious to the n00bs out there. What? Does XP become nauseous when 2 browsers are present in a computer? Doesn't it accept that I have ignored Internet Explorer 7 forever and that I've set my default browser to Firefox, so it shoves the Internet Explorer icon to my face?

Whatever the case, you have to admit that this reeks of idiocy. Can't XP make up its mind?

Let's hope every one of these are gone not only in Vista, but in Windows 7.

Movies Opening This Week (Week 5)

Only one movie this week, and it's sci-fi for once.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The trailer is interesting, but I have a bad feeling that it'll get critically panned though. It's about an alien who is in the form of a human played by Keanu Reeves and it's most probably something that involves the choice of life for self, or death for the Earth. Anyway, it's a remake so if ever I go watch this, my expectations will be lowered. The only other thing I know about the movie is that it updates a few themes from the original movie, which tackled the Cold War.

Stuff I Missed in my iPhone 3G Review

I forgot to mention the iPhone 3G's Bluetooth features, which are extremely limited. How, you say? Well, typically you are able to transfer files from cellphone to cellphone via Bluetooth. Here? Definitely not. The only use for Bluetooth is for the hands-free Bluetooth headsets. Yes, it can still pair with another phone/computer with Bluetooth, but what can you do while a mobile phone or computer is paired? Nothing except being able to unpair. It can't at least be the receiving end of the file you want to send, so, yes, if I want to send my dad's iPhone some kind of music file, it's a lost cause.

However, I've updated the firmware of my dad's iPhone 3G (to the latest 2.1), and you know what? Many performance and call quirks we experienced are virtually non-existent now. Back-up times in iTunes are dramatically speedier, and so is application installation. Now we don't have to wait 20 minutes for back-up to finish!

Plus, the iPhone is responsive after hanging up from a call. The screen is actually supposed to detect your face so it will black out when calling. You know, avoid accidental button pushing via your cheeks, and it now works excellently. When your face gets out of the screen after calling (or when you want to hang up), everything will appear as it should. It's actually a nice touch now that I know why the screen wouldn't show up unless it wanted to before updating.

Speaking of calling, the signal we get around here has significantly improved. Back then, 3G was next to impossible to get. Now, reception is very strong.

Apps are generally more stable, and so is Safari. The screen, while already snappy and responsive, is impossibly even more zippy! 2.1 is the update to get, even though yes, there's still no video recording, no copy and paste, no MMS and no SMS forwarding, but if you already love your iPhone 3G or iPod touch even before this update, you'll love it even more after updating.

Now if only it wasn't such a beast. (230+ MB download?!)

My rating for the iPhone 3G still won't change, so I stand by my 7.5 rating. I actually wanted to decrease the score by 0.5 because of the limited Bluetooth functionality, but the update straightened other things out, so you can say that they, like protons and neutrons, cancel each other.

Why the ID Stickers cost 200 pesos

Remember yesterday (or a few days ago, depending on your section) when CKSC requested all of us to surrender our ID's so they can update it. I thought it would be like last year when they would take a really long time to update our ID's, but for free. No, this time it was darn quick, and that's because they put on a sticker. By now, you'd think that this kind of thing would be free and the money used for them would probably be taken from our tuition fees, more specifically the Miscellaneous fees. But no, they charge us an extra 200 pesos! Now, this post is here to investigate why.

Theory 1: Special Labeler
Eons ago, my sister wanted a top-of-the-line Dynamo labeler. The unit was colored green, and the "bala" (labeling plastic whatever thingy) was silver. When she started typing out our names and stuck them to our books, it was pretty much the only thing we needed to put names on our books. No more printing, no more cutting, everything streamlined- not to mention really beautiful!

But days later, it actually broke down and my mom ended up scolding us. I forgot for what reason it broke, but that was it, it was broken.

So my first theory on this is that the people down there may have used a new kind of special labelers that can print Chinese. Why not? I mean, technology has gone so far when comparing to the tech years ago, so no, it's probably not a farfetched theory, nor is it also farfetched to say that the labelers they too were using broke down in a matter of a few minutes.

Theory 2: The Labeling Plastic thingy
Maybe it could also be the plastic thing that the labels are printed on. Look at it, it's got a plastic covering, and it's really, really hard to remove (without destroying it) unless you put enough into it.

And hey, with top-of-the-line Chinese writing labelers come top-of-the-line expensive plastic stuff. You can't go wrong with that combination!

Theory 3: The Labeling Plastic thingies are made of gold!
In the dark, there is a really distant shine to the ID sticker if you've got good eyesight. And maybe that's probably because these plastic things have a recessive gold gene!

Now, allow me to go all Biology on you.

1 pure plastic and 1 impure gold alloy mate.


See? There's a 50% chance that the things would have gold! And that's what Chiang Kai probably bought.

And how would they, you say?

Remember, gold is a conductor like copper. If they want to update our grade/section that gets displayed in the swiping process, then they'll need a conductor- and probably a microchip as well.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm really outraged at how they would charge 200 for a frickin sticker. But maybe these theories are pretty feasible enough to make me understand the reason behind it- not only inflation, but them!

P.S., If you take this post seriously, consider yourself f**ked.

Random Stuff! (OK, maybe not.)

Break the law! Get free $150 Bluetooth headset!
Oh yes, it's true!

In the US, there's a new law stating that one should drive and talk to a cellphone using hands-free headsets. Of course, not all people can afford one, so now Headsets.com will give you a free headset when you send documentation about your offense which you'll probably pay the police officer for.

Plantronics Discovery 925 is the headset, and it retails for a hundred and fifty bucks, saving you lots of money even after paying some 20 or 50 dollars for that ticket.

Wow, maybe I should talk without a hands-free headset in the United States in the dangerous freeways. Now I'm talking about serious swag! *nods head frantically and grins*

Macs get update
I've seen people complain about Mac OS X Leopard's unreliability on laptops, but hopefully this new update will keep all the problems away. It features updates on iCal, Safari and a bunch of bug fixes and security improvements (as if it wasn't secure enough... at least for me!).

Unlike iTunes
Rhapsody, Real's music store becomes a better place as it offers full song previews before you actually buy a track. Like iTunes, it also has a low price.

Of course, Real will probably get some issues with this, namely because people can just open Sound Recorder, set up some options and record the song. Yay! Free song from legal store! Now I'm seriously not gonna be caught now! (Not to mention that Real's RealPlayer is spyware!!!!)

Can't We All Just Have One?
Rumors have emerged saying that the iPhone 3G, when it ships, will be one shiny brick that needs to be activated in the carrier once it actually ships. Hmm..., I'm curious to see how this will go down over here. Globe will probably have all the software about... right now that'll allow access to actually make the iPhone function, but who knows if a torrent will emerge having the same software they use so we can use Smart or Sun.

Hell, if Apple's expecting any money from this thing, and they would, then they should just make it an open line and screw American cellphone business practices. To be frank, being tied to just one carrier is simply annoying if you have to give up years building up an address book with the other. Can't Apple just give us an open line like the rest of them?

A Wacked-Out Music Video (Game)!
The classic SNES game Super Mario World gets a music video that's pretty wack- and it's long too!


Well, that's all for now.

More II-1 DVD announcements

It's not a mandatory purchase, but if you want you can pay me P130 for the thing because I will buy the DVDs using the money you gave me at CD-R King. Yes, it's a bit expensive, but here's a breakdown of why it is in the first place:

Dual Layer DVDs (8.5GB) - These types of DVDs are only one-sided, so that means more content on one disc, however, the price is more than double a mere 5 peso 4.2GB DVD-R. (P50x2)

DVD Case - One DVD case in CD-R King (or according to its website) is 5 pesos. So right now, the subtotal is 105 pesos.

Labor - It's only 5 pesos for my hard work :D (As well as the other providers, namely, Sandra, Yna and Nuevo)

Teachers - Use common sense, people. Wouldn't it be rude to make singil to the teachers? After counting a bit, the sum you have to pay for the teachers is P20, because it's inconvenient to pay P19.25 and give change. Of course, the ones who won't be buying will still have to pay this 20 peso fee. Why? 20 pesos times 40 is 800 which is the sum of the DVDs + cases for the teachers. Now if one of you (who has no intention of buying) is reading this in outrage, why don't you go near every teacher and get him or her to pay that fee? I dare you.

And if that breakdown was too long for you, here's an even shorter version:
100 pesos goes to the purchase of 2 8.5GB DVDs which have double the capacity of ordinary DVDs. 5 pesos goes to the DVD case, and another 5 for the Labor. 20 pesos is mandatory for the payment of teachers' copies, yes, EVERYONE WILL PAY. Including the ones WHO DON'T WANT TO BUY.

Just one thing:
Ahh, looking at all these videos... make me feel warm inside. This hasn't ever happened before, and maybe that's because this is the section I feel most attached to in a surprising way. I was always raving like, grabe parang ayaw ko matapos ang year na to, e ang mga tao rito kasi ang saya, or, Gago, mahal ko kaya ang II-1, when I talk to other people. Now... I feel like shit. But I thought, Little Orphan Annie always raved about tomorrow, and how things are better that way, which is maybe why people who raised their hand when Nuevo asked if tomorrow people will be acting like, wala lang, because maybe they feel that everything will be forgiven and forgotten. But then again, I also have a pessimistic side, which is why I think that this will not happen, and all that hope is futility and vanity. Still, this also made me reflect about why my part in making the class closer was, which was almost near to nothing. Yes, videos, so what? If people feel like going somewhere else, it's like the times we've had with the people who wanted to leave are... you know, parang going with the flow lang sila. And with that in mind, the videos, when I re-watch... feel so fake now. But as I said earlier, we've 2 days left to patch up and clean up our act, and this time, I'll try my best to help. Hopefully, you will too, reader (that is if you're a II-1 classmate as well).

Actually, I've considered cutting off this DVD thing, but still, as someone I was talking to said, this DVD will at some rate prove who are and aren't taking this thing seriously, or if they don't care. But it wouldn't be accurate, I feel, if people are forced to buy this. But as I said earlier, the purchase is not mandatory, only the teachers' fee.

Early "donations" include Michelle, Sandra, and... me. But I wouldn't blame the others, they may not have enough money for pamasahe or something, or maybe they just don't care and are expressing it because they don't want to be plastic (someone else said that to me. And no, I won't name anyone because it will definitely cause more turmoil.).

But then again, I am also to be blamed for the happening on Free Time because I was the one who told Nuevo to announce the DVD thing, and because he had the opportunity to announce something, he put the Last Day thing in too, though I kind of think that it was also a right move to also put the Last Day thing in so we can plan early.

SIGH....

Kinda feel better now though. Oh, and I'm gonna post a flyer pala tomorrow.

The Update
Thanks for bearing with my venting, and you'll be seeing the real deal tomorrow when I actually have time to put the stuff in (My mother's copying Enchanted DVD right now eh, baka bumagal.)

The II-1 DVD: What's up?

I've finished Sides A and B for Disc 1 now (assuming there are those types of CDs being sold...) and luckily, I've managed to put everything I've got in my computers. And you know what, there's more. The last day, L.E. selling, L.E. Interview (assuming people can even retrieve them) as well as a few other projects (remember the trailer?).

But anyway, I'm here to tell you what the heck are actually in the 2 sides, so here I go.

DISC 1: Side A
Though Side B is even more filled to the rim than Side A (I'm considering putting the L.E. Selling vids here since they seem so few, or maybe just the English Cooking slideshow), the side's got a lot of substantial stuff.
For the Teachers' Day menu, the videos are organized by teacher, and numbered (no descriptions... dahil medyo tinatamad ako, hehehe sorry. But maybe I'll change them anyway).

It's a bit scattered with the Mall of Asia part though, but I guess it'll be tolerable.


And there are two pages for the December 20 Party menus:DISC 1: Side B
It's simpler because the version the template came from was pretty primitive. However, the opening's pretty cool. But anyway, it definitely has a lot more content. And no, I won't be showing all menus because they look the same. No moving videos beside it, no nothing (which is probably why a lot more videos could be placed inside).


The following are Christmas, Exchange Gifts (hidden inside Christmas menu) and Primolympcks menus.



For now, this is the end of this update.