Google yourself

Do you google yourself? I do. This practice may seem narcissistic, though I just want to know what pops up when others google me. Sometime ago, when I google my name, some events/seminars that I have been part of show up. But two years ago my name wrongly appeared in a news item about raps filed against some NGO. And ever since I realized some elementary school classmates search for me in their attempts to reconnect with former batchmates, I wanted 'better' Google results for me.

A Google study says that people search for themselves because of their curiousity about what other people see when they search for their name.  But the problem is we don't have any control over the search results.
To give people a bit more control over search results, Google introduced a feature it calls a "Google profile," which users can create. Once users create a Google profile, their name, job and location (photo is optional) appears in a box on the first page of the search results for their name. Next to the thumbnail info, there's a link to a full Google profile page that resembles a Facebook page.

Google maybe jealous of the inroads made by Facebook. It fears it will suffer the same decline experience by e-Bay because of Facebook. By giving users a some control over the results that appear on a search for their name, Google hopes to take on Facebook and MySpace.

The Google profile lets you set up a personalized page on which you can include links to your blog, photos, videos, and personal website. You can include a brief bio, list your current interests, places you've lived and schools you've attended. There's also a space where you can list your "superpower", a curious attempt to be cute.

Unlike Facebook there is no feature that lets you "friend" another user. There is a "Send a message" where others with a Gmail account can send you e-mail without knowing your e-mail address. It's tight integration with Google maps enables your profile to locate you on a map, approximately.

Google says the more information you add to your profile, the higher your page is likely to be ranked on a Google search for your name and associated keywords, such as the name of your hometown, your job title or where you work or go to school. So I think my elementary school mates can find me easier on Google now and the I hope the results about the syndicated estafa raps filed against a client will be deep down in the results pages.

There may be a downside to this, however. The more richly detailed your Google profile is, the more Google knows about you. Already, Google has my photos, email, videos, blog, etc. What happens when Google suddenly goes down? It is possible, could be a problem when that happens. But I'll ponder about that later. So go and create your own profile. Meanwhile my Google profile is here.

Sex video scandal: who has the means, motive, opportunity?

As fans of TV crime dramas like CSI and Cold Case, some people have their own conclusions on who the guilty parties are in the current sex video scandal that grips the nation. The victims here are the women who were filmed without their consent. Efforts to portray the one who setup the hidden camera also as a victim just wouldn't fly. It all started with him. Remember that the crime here is not him being seduced by the women, nor them offering him drugs. The crimes are the videotaping and the subsequent release to the Internet.

The crime of unauthorized videotaping is solved with the admission by the culprit. The crime of uploading to the Internet can be solved by following the methods of our TV crime drama detectives, my armchair detective friends say. First who has the means? With today's Internet tools, anybody can easily upload anything to the Internet. Who then had access to the videos? The one who made them, of course. But he had them for a while. Some videos were two years old. Why didn't he upload them then? He always has the opportunity, I suppose, but he doesn't have a motive, so far.

Who else then have access to the videos? Pamela Anderson's and the other notorious sex scandals were stolen. The videos (and computers) in question now were not reported stolen. They were retrieved by the doctor-lover of the lover-doctor. Ahh, so she had the videos. Means? Didn't I tell you it's easy to upload anything to the Internet, much more so if you have techie-friends. Opportunity? May I remind you that between the retrieval last December up to the release, was 5 months of planning and opportunity.

Motive? Imagine this dialog:

Witch Doctor: You two (four?) timing snake, how could you betray me? After the Php300k allowance and car and European trips?
Hidden Komeraman: They drugged me. But forget that, I will make you happy. Besides, I have a video of us too.
Witch Doctor: Ohh, please don't leak it. I don't want to be a model for prunes. Besides, you're the only one who can make me happy. I forgive you. I'll deal with them in my own way!
Hidden Komeraman: I know you can't resist me.

So what happens next? The lady doctor changed her lawyer. From a pock-marked brilliant trial lawyer to a TV-friendly-faced brilliant academician lawyer. Preparing for the media in the long haul? If there was also a video with the lady doctor, why wasn't it leaked like the others? If there was also a video with a comedienne, why wasn't it leaked, too? Because they can control what leaks, and the comedienne supposedly enjoys the protection of really big people. Then they contrive a story of retrieving the computer and asking others to delete the videos. Introducing other people in the scenario affords the couple reasonable doubt. Then divert the story by alleging drug use to the victim. This wouldn't fly either because that would imply drug use in the other videos including the one with the lady doctor. So they try to make the doctor look hapless and pitiable by dousing him with water. Meanwhile the lady doctor flees. Even if others regard flight as guilt.

With all the obfuscation and media machinations, the public will get tired of this whole show. But the victims remain victims. People can imagine the lady doctor having the last laugh - 'I told you when a guy already has a girlfriend, don't go in there and try to have sex with him.'. Then the doctor makes love to a prune. Hahahaha.

Hopeless PAG-ASA III

Another blog pointed out PAG-ASA's kapalpakan last year. He made a sensible suggestion for the PAG-ASA to compare its weather forecast first with U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and other countries’ weather forecast such as Japan, Taiwan or Hong Kong before announcing it in public. Or better yet, just tune in to the other weather bureaus. Our weather agency has the knack of declaring public storm signals and the lack of storms to justify the warnings.

Related to the hot Monday and Tuesday last week, PAG-ASA forecasted the hot weather that has plagued Metro Manila and nearby areas to go on for one to two more weeks before the rains come in. It said this is due to the ridge of a high-pressure area across Luzon. "So far, our forecasting shows this hot weather may persist for one to two weeks more," a spokesman said on radio.

But the weather was not listening. Metro Manila experienced a very heavy downpour this afternoon. Flash floods and heavy traffic await the payday crowd, just because the rains was not tuned in to PAG-ASA.

While we're not looking

On January 30, this cute administration gushed over what it called a better-than-expected economic growth as gleaned from its own official statistics. The government’s economic managers claimed the results were  "respectable" compared to its Asian peers. The 4th quarter growth of 4.5% exceeded official estimates of 3.6-4.4%, pulling up the full-year result to 4.6% where the target range was 4.1-4.8%.

But wait, while we were not looking, the government has revised downward the economic expansion it proudly screamed, with officials saying they "overestimated" economic numbers. Now they say the gross domestic product in the 4th quarter was only at 2.9%, from 4.5% that they originally announced. Because of this downward revision, growth in 2008 was ony at 3.8%, much lower than 4.6% growth originally reported.

They trumpeted the 4.5% in the headlines. Expect the lower 2.9% to be buried deep inside the business pages. I wonder how they will spin it.

Hopeless PAG-ASA II

Two and a half weeks after declaring that the rainy season is here and still without not a drop of rain, the two hottest days of the year came in succession last Monday and Tuesday to further burn PAG-ASA's reputation. Perhaps reeling from heat stroke, the PAG-ASA boldly proclaimed that Wednesday will be the hottest. Wtf!@#$%^&*() PAG-ASA making another prediction?

The weather gods must be angry. They must be punishing the PAG-ASA because Wednesday was cloudy and in fact it rained in Metro Manila. They were enough to cool Metro Manila and again make PAG-ASA terribly wrong. PAG-ASA = FAIL! Utterly hopeless.