Are you a Filipino Scientist?

If yes,  how would you like to inspire young Filipinos to be
a scientist like you?

Share your experience as a scientist and why you love science through the Mind Museum – the pioneering world-class science museum in the Philippines to be built in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig on 2011.
A node on the life of a Filipino Scientist will be featured in the Philippine Science Hall, a 200-square meter hall that will showcase the contributions of Filipinos, groups and individuals in science and technology.   Just answer the following and those who would submit their answered questionnaires
would indicate that they are interested to inspire others by sharing how
science has touched their lives:
1. What is that you love about science?
2. When and what made you realize that you wanted to do science?
3. What made you choose your current field to be your life’s work?
4. What adventures did you encounter in this field?
5. What would you say is your major contribution in this field? Why?
6. What is its impact and how is it utilized in the Philippines or elsewhere in
the world?
7. Who are supporting your ideas and projects now?
8. What kind of support do you need to develop this more?
9. What other projects are you working on right now?
10. What would you want kids who are interested to do science to know about
your field?
11. What advice would you give kids about being interested in science?

Please email your reply on or before June 30, 2009 to:

Carol Tobias-Pobre
Exhibit Manager
The Mind Museum
Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc.
www.themindmuseum.org

Download it free, if you really need it!

“If you love someone, set him/her free,” so goes a saying. But being free is not only applicable in love but also in information technology. Free software programs can be easily downloaded over the Internet in a flash. But the term “free” doesn’t always mean free. Free software programs are computer programs that you can download and never pay for it.

Why do we have programmers and companies who offer freeware? Here are some reasons:

1. Early-stage product commercialization (Personal and educational use versions)
– Software that are not for commercial or professional use have lesserfunctionalities. Hence, these are less-powerful compared to the commercial or licensed version.

2. Humanitarian or promotion purposes
– Software of this kind that have its full functionalities and with no restrictions. As a hobbyist, some people develop software for humanitarian reasons. On the other hand, big companies make and donate software for humanitarian reasons but also as promotional materials for the company. (e.g. McDonalds made an educational puzzle game program that illustrates the picture of their meal products)

In computer lingo, to be in particular, free software may be classified as:
1. Trialware vs. Shareware – these are software programs that can be played for limited number of usage or trial-period (e.g. 15-day or 30 times number of usage). Usually, some of the programs’ functionalities are disabled to attract the user to buy the full version. Shareware is an old term that is not applicable nowadays because of the misnomer that “sharing” which may connote that it is right to obtain the software then share it to others. It is not the same as buying a single licensed copy of the software, and then, installing it to several machines or PCs.

2. Freeware – software programs that have its full or basic functionalties that you don’t have to pay for. (e.g. PDF Readers, Image viewers like Irfanview, Anti-virus programs)

3. Open Source program – Unlike trialwares, this type of free software have no restrictions and the source codes of the program are ready for customization. It is a software that can be legally modified by the user for his or her own purposes and it does not have a copyright and ownership or license restrictions. Linux Operating System, MySQL database and OpenOffice suite are some examples of this free software.

4. Other Freeware software – these are software which may be similar from abovementioned but the user may not be aware of the main behavior of the software after installation. It may be fully functional but sometimes it may be harmful, for example, the PC-system configuration may be altered without owner’s informed consent. As a word of advice, do not download it if you are uncertain of the source. (e.g. PC games that has advertising-supported software (adware or malware). On the other hand, old software may be free because of re-engineering. IBM’s Lotus symphony version 1.2 was released in November 2008 after making some arrangements with Openoffice.org suite groups to use their open source software for development. To date, Openoffice version 3 has the ability to open document files formatted from MS-Office Word version 2007.

There are a lot of downloadable software from the Internet, but I think you must be careful in handling these programs. Just ask yourself if really need to have that software in order for you to be secured.

Below are some sites for you to browse on. Again, think twice.

http://www.downloads.com
http://www.filehippo.com
http://www.freeware4pc.com

2008 Philippine World Space Week

S&T MEDIA ADVISORY

Attention: EDITORS,REPORTERS,PHOTOGRAPHERS
—————————————
We would like to invite you to the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Philippine World Space Week with the theme: “Exploring the Universe” on October 6, 2008, 9:00 AM at the UP NISMED Auditorium, Diliman Quezon City.   The Opening Program will feature a lecture on the operation of the Water Rocket after which the competition will proceed.  Your presence is cordially requested.  For inquiries, please contact Ms. Angelli Cortez at Tel. No: (+632) 8371925 or 0918-9384972 or Mr. Mark Ivan C. Roblas @ 0917-8044213.

Water Rocket Competition at UP-NISMED (10/16/08)

7 Secret of Success

7 Secrets of Success, That I Found In My Room:

1. Roof said: “Aim High.”
2. Fan said: “Be Cool.”
3. Clock said: “Every Second Is Precious.”
4. Mirror said: “Reflect Before You Act.”
5. Window said: “See the World.”
6. Calendar said: “Be Up to Date.”
7. Door said: “Push Hard To Achieve Your Goals.”

*Courtesy of Ma’am Ou.remy(PUP).

The Right Course for Me

If I could turn back time again and go back in High School days, then, I would ask my parents how would I become an archaeologist. I’m just an average student during that time who really love adventure movies and had the passion of watching the bushman of “The Gods must be Crazy” movie series. Unluckily, these was no National Geography Channel twenty years ago, but the 80’s is not just the time of adventure movies, …opss I almost forgot the famous “Indiana Jones”, but also the era of “nuke wars” wherein many countries were highlighted like USA and the USSR for nuclear power supremacy. I like an adventurous profession like an archaeologist, because you will travel a lot.

But, nothing is regretful why I did not took before a course related to archaeology. Because, I realized later that it is an expensive course. I was raised in the province of Nueva Vizcaya and most people’s mindset is to have a course that is in-demand in working abroad. During that time, there was a demand for male nurses inside and outside the country. I should be a nurse today, but it’s a blessing-in-disguise that I enrolled in a computer course in 1989. It was the time when I mastered the Mario Brothers game using Nintendo’s family computer unit. Also, the year when my mom accompanied my grandma abroad and stay there for more than six months. So, it was a shift of mind why I’m in the IT field today.

Did you choose the right course for you?

I’m just an average student before who don’t really have many course options in life, maybe because my parents do not have more financial capital to send me to college. I just believed that I’m lucky to have college education but if we were rich before, I would be an archaeologist nowadays. Yet, I’m happy now because I do not dig fossils like an archaeologist does, instead I search problem solutions using computers online. If only Internet was there twenty years ago, I could easily browse a website and explain to my parents what course is right for me. I suggest this site www.sei.dost.gov.ph/stcareers or choose from the following course categories that will suite to certain specific jobs:

BIOLOGY, wINDUSTRIAL ARTS, MATH, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, COMPUTING STUDIES

I love my work as an IT project leader in the government. Aside from being a programmer, I developed my artistic skills not just computer design graphics but also T-shirt printing using silkscreen. Sometimes, I become a teacher or mentor to those on-the-job training students I accept every year. To date, I earned a lot of friends in other government agencies just using e-mail communication, and opportunities is just around the corner. The advantage of IT-inclined professional from others in doing business is the use of different communication modes for business. But thanks to blogging technology, where I can upload articles to this site (thru wordpress.com) without hosting fees. Aside from my main job, I keep my site updated in order to have more interaction with my friends, OJT students or business colleagues. As an advise to every student, I can say that the roads to success is not always choosing the right course for you, but it’s how the student handles the opportunity given to him like college education. It does not say that if you did not choose the right course, you will not succeed in life.