Epson Philippines unveils the state-of- the-art S-Series Signage Printers at the Graphic Expo 2016

The most creative and talented professionals in the country all gathered together in the recent Graphic Expo 2016 inside the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City from June 2 to 4, 2016. Over 100 corporate exhibitors showcased the latest innovations in different fields including printing and imaging in the three-day event.

With Epson Philippines as one of the major sponsors of the Graphic Expo 2016, the event unveiled the newest S-Series signage printers, as well as a showcase of Epson’s latest products.

The Epson SureColor TM S-Series printers are Epson’s latest high-performance roll-to- roll eco-solvent signage printers with new technological advancements. Its extensive features include the high-performance PrecisionCore TFP printhead that delivers output quality at high speed, a new Print Mode that improves image quality by reducing visible banding, and an auto media adjustment system that ensures great ease on every task.

In addition to showcasing Epson’s latest products in action through the live demonstration, Epson also explained the benefits of owning an Epson S-Series signage printer through product talks held during the event. “We’re definitely happy to be a part of the Graphic Expo 2016 because we believe this event is truly an avenue where long-time entrepreneurs, artists, aspiring business owners, and even technology aficionados all come together,” shared Pamela Albar, head of Epson Philippines Corporation’s Commercial & Industrial Printers business. 

“All our S-Series signage printers are able to withstand the most demanding tasks and in the long run, also allow business owners to lower overhead costs. Customers not only get quality Epson products but also experience Epson’s brand of customer service with every purchase,” added Ms. Albar.

Along with the newly-launched S-series printer, other Epson products were also showcased during the Graphic Expo 2016. Photography aficionados were particularly amazed by the capabilities and highly-detailed output of the SC-P7000, while retail enthusiasts were impressed by the efficiency and speed of the SC-F9270 textile printer.

The new S-Series signage printers that were presented during the Graphic Expo 2016 are now available in the Philippines. The SC-S40670 retails for Php910,000.00, while the SC-S60670 is priced at Php1,220,000.00, and the SC-S80670 is Php1,330,000.00.

Bounty Fresh brings #DiskarteNaMayArte to the Asia Digital Marketing Expo 2015

Bounty Fresh will bring #DiskarteNaMayArte to the Asia Digital Marketing Expo at the SMX Aura, on July 26, 2015. The campaign aims to celebrate the Bounty Fresh Moms out there who always find creative and resourceful ways to make homemaking extra special for their loved ones. 

Why #DiskarteNaMayArte? 

Being a Bounty Fresh Mom is not just about providing for the house needs, it’s about providing the best experience for the family. According to Joan Caccam, Assistant Manager, being a Bounty Fresh Mom is not just about being a “wais mom”, who makes the budget fit. Being a Bounty Fresh mom is about being creative and resourceful to make everything extra special. This entails creativity, turning good chicken recipes to great chicken recipes. It’s about being resourceful, finding ways to turn the regular and ordinary things at home into something that will bring extra delight to the family. 

Hacking life one diskarte tip at a time

Acknowledging the power of social media in informing people of the campaign, Bounty Fresh launched the campaign on their Facebook page with an album containing different tips on how to put #DiskarteNaMayArte into the daily household chores. There are tips about the family, home, finances and personal well-being.

To access the #DiskarteNaMayArte tips, you may visit Bounty Fresh’s Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/bountyfreshchicken

My Boarding Pass to Planet Mars

NASA's newest spacecraft, Orion, will be launching into space for the first time in December 2014, on a flight that will take it farther than any spacecraft built to carry humans has gone in more than 40 years and through temperatures twice as hot as molten lava to put its critical systems to the test.

Why talk about world Englishes, rather than standard English?

In this period of globalization, many variations of Englishes sprouted like mushrooms. English being the choice language for international business, it is important to take note that more and more people are attempting to learn and understand the language vis-a-vis their native dialect.

Disparity in diction, intonation, pronunciation, sentence construction, and idiomatic expressions make one nation's Englishes different from another nation's Englishes. Sometimes, English is being mixed with the local language, like in the case of Tag-Lish (a portmanteau of Tagalog and English), which is widely spoken in some parts of the Philippines. 

Even in the worldwide web, the Netizens seem to have adopted some sort of techno-English when discussing online. The third sex or LGT (Lesbian, Gay, and Transvestite) community has also their own English gay lingo. Moreover, the technical jargons by various professions, like the legalese, bureaucratese, and the likes, could not be discounted.

In short, English is no longer for Americans and Britons, but it is already spoken by almost everybody. Although we may be speaking with the same language, yet the chances of miscommunication and misunderstanding are still there.

Cultural understanding and semiotics must be taken into consideration in order to comprehend one's Englishes. Knowing the people and their way of life and traditions are just some effective ways to be able to relate to them.

Indeed, standard English has gone a long way through the years. It has branched out into several forms. Thus, it's about time to recognize its derivatives and acknowledge its variance and modification.

Coursera - Writing II: Rhetorical Composing

The Ohio State University

Forum Discussion: Why talk about world Englishes, rather than Standard English?

By Ludwig Ritchel A. Kalambacal
27 April 2013

Paging the Postmaster General of PHLPost!

 

We are already in the age of digital technology, touch-enabled gadgets, and wireless connectivity, but your post office is still far behind. Mr. Postmaster General, it's a pity to see your hard-working employees who are still employing the tedious process of manually recording transactions in the log book. Why don't you fully-computerize your department?

I went to the Manila Post Office earlier this afternoon to verify the package that was sent to me by my uncle from the US. It has been over three weeks now and I haven't received the package yet; thus, I decided to visit your main office. 

I asked for some instructions to a lady employee manning the entrance gate. I told her where to verify my package delivery. She seemed to have a bad hair day that afternoon as manifested by the tone of her voice; nonetheless, I just ignored the attitude and proceeded with my inquiry. In fairness, she gave me the correct window to go through to check my delivery.

Thus, I went downstairs and proceeded to Window 131 as instructed. I approached a stout lady manning the window and told her that I want to verify a package delivery. I told her I have the tracking number with me in my possession. When I told her the tracking number, she told me that there is no record of such because certain tracking numbers—like in my case started with LC—can't be traced. I was told that such delivery is treated like an ordinary mail. The stout lady said that the package will go directly to the post man and not to their department.

So, I asked her if there is a way to verify my item. Because i told them that if it is proven that my package had arrived already, then I could be able to check with the postman in our area. She just said "wait", then she went to a room. Having no idea what I would be waiting for, I talked to the other lady manning Window 131. She is a thin lady. She apologized for the inconvenience and she shouted to the fat lady if she already found the log book for December. The stout lady went back to her station with the log book of about two inches thick. She told me to just look for the record of my package. 

The  apologetic thin lady told me to please bear with them because they have no computers and they are undermanned due to the recent "rationalization" in their department. Having no recourse, I proceeded to sift through the pages.

Whoa! I've finished examining the whole log book but I found no trace of my delivery. I was told by the thin lady that it could probably be in "one of the bags", but they can't help me look for the bag where my package belongs because there is no supervisor to counter-check, plus no one will be left manning the front line.

The thin lady told me if I want to expedite the search she told me to call the Pasay Post Office which is where the main segregation center of mails and packages delivered via airmail is located. She told me to get from them the "bag number" and the "date of dispatch". Also she gave me a tip not to mention LC when I provide the tracking number, just mention directly the numbers in the tracking number plus the place of origin like in my case US. She said that mentioning LC as in my case seems like a plague and no one in the post office will be willing to assist me for that matter. Once I get those information, I could go back to them and they could easily trace the package.  WTF!

On second thought, I understand the dire situation of those employees. Hence, as much as I want to loose my temper I'd rather keep my patience.  I just told myself that for as long as my package won't get lost that would be good enough to warrant my trust and confidence to the very institution that is the source of my other passion, i.e., philatelic collection. 

  

Robust Philippine currency threatens business process outsourcing industry

Outsourcing to the Philippines is now said to be 30% more expensive than India and China, according to Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP). But what is ironic is that the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, which contributes much to the domestic economy, actually helped drive up the peso's value. The combination of an appreciating peso and a depreciating Indian rupee had provided India with a meaningful cost advantage. Ditto the steady Chinese yuan.

A survey of BPAP members on the impact of the strengthening peso revealed the following:

• about 46.7% of respondents said it had been more difficult to hit their respective revenue targets;
• about 40% of respondents said they had lost some business to other destinations;
• about 40% of respondents said they had canceled expansion plans.

Southeast Asia has become a preferred destination for global portfolio investors in which case their investment inflows result in increased demand for the local currency.

Aside from the BPO industry, exporters are also hit hard by a robust peso since they make less money in peso terms for every dollar they earn.

In a related development, some property experts are encouraging property developers to look beyond the BPO industry. Global consultancy firm Urban Land Institute, for one, advises property players to find new growth areas. One suggestion is to consider developing “middle office” hubs for financial institutions.

Front office usually refers to sales and marketing, and the back office covers administrative and support services, where call centers and BPOs usually come in. But middle office, on the other hand, refers to the segment within a bank or financial services firm that takes care of risk management, calculates profits and losses, and handles the information technology platform using the resources of front and back offices. Hence, the business of assigning middle office tasks to a third party is known as “knowledge process outsourcing” (KPO).

System Mechanic: A computer essential

System Mechanic by Iolo is the best tune-up application in the market today. It is actually consisted of a bundle of software designed to help you maintain the peak performance and speed of your computer. A perfect complement to any anti-virus software! While your anti-virus software protects your computer from viruses and other external harmful files, System Mechanic, on the other hand, takes care of the internal concerns of your computer by cleaning up those so-called "idle" and "dirty" files, fixing registry flaws, repairing hard drive errors, and optimizing internet connection speed. Truly, a computer must-have!

You may also see my review about System Mechanic by clicking on the following web links:

http://is.gd/yYBxb5/

http://is.gd/hEXmeL/

 

Smart Communications Inc. is not communicating smartly

I had my first billing dispute filed last Oct. 2. The complaint was all about erroneous data charges in my September account statement. I was told by the customer service representative over the phone that the turn-around time would be 15 days—within 15 days I would be able to get a case resolution.

Came November and no feedback yet from Smart Communications Inc. Instead, another billing error was reflected in my October account statement. Again, I filed another dispute over the phone. I was given another 15-day turn-around time on top of the initial turn-around time I had with the first case, even if that the issue was somewhat related and interconnected with each other.  

Came December and nary a resolution. But what was disappointing was that instead of resolving my issues, the case seemed like getting worse and worse as it drags along. True enough, I filed another dispute this December against the exorbitant data costs that was charged in my November account statement. 

I went personally to the nearest Smart Wireless Center to lodge the complaint. I talked to an "unempathic" customer service representative and was told to put in writing my complaints. I was told that it is okay to email the complaint letter. 

I composed a complaint letter and emailed her and her manager. But I never got any reply—just a simple "acknowledged" or "copy" would do. As such, I compelled myself to personally visit the said Smart Wireless Center to inquire and follow up my cases. 

The lady customer service representative whom I CC'ed in the email told me that she received it. But she was quick to tell me that she was on her day off that time when she received my email; thus, she wasn't able to reply. What a silly alibi, isn't it? But what disappointed me all the more was that I was told this time that the turn-around time would be three to four weeks!

Another "smart ass" communications.

In terms of billing: Smart Communications Inc. is not smart at all

I received a text message on Nov. 20, 2012 that as of the said date my data usage amounted to Php1,108.98. It was quite surprising because I was charged by Smart Communications Inc. of data charges even though, for some reasons, I didn't have any network access at all. In fact, I already informed the telecoms firm about it.

After five days on Nov. 25, 2012, I received another text from Smart Communications Inc. informing of my billing for the period of November 2012. This time, it was not only surprising but shocking as well to learn that the total amount of my bill reached Php11,288.14. How could that be?

I immediately called the Smart Hotline and complained about the exorbitant and erroneous billing amount that was charged in my account. I even asked the lady customer service representative—whom I spoke with on that juncture—that if she was on my shoes would she be paying the bill. To which she replied a resounding "no". So there.

As of this writing, there is no resolution yet and the case status is still in limbo. That's what you call a "smart ass" service—plain and simple!
  

Dell launches new generation of laptops

Dell officially launches its expansive collection of new laptops in the Philippines, which consists of the Inspiron R series, the Latitude E-Family laptops, the Vostro 3000 series, and the XPS 15z laptop. These new generation of laptops are designed to meet the mounting demands of small and medium enterprise (SME) clients, large enterprise customers, and stylish individual consumers for more enhanced aesthetic and functional features.

Grab a copy of Archikonst magazine (Iss. No. 52: Sep-Nov 2011) for further reading. You may also visit this blog site for more information: http://www.vintersections.com/2011/07/dell-and-intel-launches-new-laptops.html

Techie bigwigs settled for a buck each

What do you think is the common denominator among Steve Jobs, Jerry Yang, Larry Page and Sergey Brin?

Aside from being founders and top executives of their respective IT companies, these techie moguls have each received the same amount of meager salary last year.

Steve Job is Apple Inc.'s founder and CEO. Ditto with Jerry Yang, who found Yahoo Inc. and served as its CEO until 2008. On the other hand, Larry Page and Sergey Brin are Google Inc.'s co- founders and leading executives.

All of them were paid just US$1 salary each in 2008 by their respective companies.

A harrowing experience

I don't who's to blame; but, I am very, very disappointed at this point in time. Imagine it took me several attempts and more than an hour to upload a 79KB jpeg file. So what more if I'm going to upload more than a thousand kilobyte bmp file? That would be a disaster!

True enough, as of this writing, I haven't uploaded the file yet after two hours of relentlessly trying. I don't know which has the problem: Is it Blogger? Firefox browser? My internet service provider Smart Communications? Internet servers? Or maybe my "low-tech" notebook PC.

Almost all "alibis" have been given to me, such as "Address Not Found", "Connection Failed", "Network / System Failure", "Server Reset", "Offline Mode", etc.

Thus, to whom it may concern, please fix the problem!

Future workplace trends

A premier outplacement consulting firm in the United States, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, have looked into the future to forecast what you can expect from the corporate world in the years to come. Some forward-looking and relatively new notions have been enumerated here. Curious? Read on to find out how and where you work today may be different than tomorrow.

1. Four-Day Workweeks

The rising costs of fuel and other commodities are driving some companies to allow their employees the opportunity to perform all their tasks in a fewer days (well,that would mean more weekends, yahoo!). As per observation by the outplacement firm, about 23% of companies are now offering a condensed workweek, typically consisting of four 10-hour days. With the latest productivity-enhancing tools, this scheme would work well as some employees are able to get their work done in a shorter period.

2. Shape Up or Pay Up

As more and more people are becoming health-conscious, the likely trend in the future is that expect employers to take serious interest in their employees health and well-being though mandatory corporate wellness programs. As the outplacement firm predicts, office equipment such as Steelcase's WalkStations, which allow workers to walk on treadmills while at their computers, will catch on worldwide. Moreso, expect health-oriented company policies to be introduced that will penalized unhealthy behaviors of employees. In fact, few companies in the United States have adopted such policies that requires employees who allow health risks, such as tobacco use, obesity or high cholesterol, to go unchecked will pay more for their company health insurance.

3. Company-Sponsored Degree Program

The outplacement firm believes that large corporations will begin to create their own degree programs with precise coursework centered around their company culture and goals, eliminating the need for extensive on-the-job training, and saving both the company and the employees thousands of dollars.

4. Worldwide Recruitment

The expansion of the global economy will likely lead to a global talent pool where companies will aggressively pursue the best available workers, regardless of where they reside. In fact, corporations in Europe and Asia have already increased their efforts to recruit foreign talent. (Yet another reason to keep your passport current.)

5. Borderless Office

In order to maximize employee interaction and teamwork, many companies will eliminate the isolating cubicle and redesign their workspace to feature common areas, conference rooms, and tables, as opposed to individual desks. With the wireless technology, this concept would gain ground as employees can now work in different locations in the office with their laptops. Such would increase opportunities for telecommuting.

6. Working Offsite

The image of a hulking headquarters building will fade as fast as old newspapers in the years to come, according to the outplacement firm. In an effort to cut real-estate costs, become more eco-friendly, and attract the growing number of employees who want increased work-life balance, more and more companies will adopt a "work wherever you want, whenever you want" policy. Some companies are already embracing this forward-thinking notion, including AT&T, Best Buy, and Sun Microsystems, the latter of which estimates that it saved US$400-million in real estate costs over a six-year period. (But such concept have long been practiced in some marketing companies, investment houses and brokerage firms in the Philippines.)

7. Free Agency

The move to hiring temporary and contractual employees, freelancers and consultants is beneficial for both companies and workers, as stated by the outplacement firm. Companies will save money (e.i., overtimes, de minimis benefits, insurance premiums, retirement pays, etc.) and can add support on an as-needed basis, while free agents will enjoy flexibility in terms of time management and project assignment and higher earning potential. According to market research firm EPIC-MRA, about one-third of the United States workforce will be comprised of free agents by 2012. (This free agency concept has been a long-time practiced in the sporting world, but now expect white-collar workers to follow such lead.)

An Invitation to the World's Largest Blogging Tradeshow

The 2008 BlogWorld & New Media Expo will take place September 20-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the exclusive "Executive & Entrepreneur" conference beginning September 19th. This is the first and only industry-wide tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of blogging and new media.

It is where online influencers, leaders and innovators will be looking for resources including: Blog Publishing Software, Designers and Communities, Podcasting, Internet TV & Radio Services, Equipment and Networks, Social Media Technology and Communities, Badges, Widgets and Plug-ins, Computer Hardware, Software and Peripherals, RSS Services, Advertising Networks, Affiliate Programs, Mobile Blogging and Vlogging Technology and Devices, Broadband, Wi-Fi and ISP's and much more . . .

For more info, visit http://www.blogworldexpo.com.

Google celebrates 10th year with a dud!

Google hit double digits last Sept. 7. Although, the Internet king is still considered a baby in the corporate world, but its phenomenal growth makes its 10th birthday a milestone.

But Google's phenomenal growth wasn't part of a calculated plan. Back in 1998, Stanford alumni Larry Page and Sergey Brin just happened to take an interest in organizing information on the Internet, and they founded and worked on Google in a friend's garage in Menlo Park, California. Moreso, their first internet server was housed in Lego bricks. But who would thought that such a poor start-up is now a very rich venture?

Soon after Google started its very promising online career, its formula of combining web searches with advertising services made the company an Internet blockbuster. The number of web searches it handles nowadays has grown astronomically to 235-million searches a day as of July this year, according to estimates by research group comScore. No wonder, it turns web searches into cash to the tune of US$16.5-billion in annual revenues.

Since going public, the company has used its huge funds to acquire a slew of innovative stuffs like photo-sharing service Picasa, video site YouTube, and Google Earth mapping service. It also has ventured into some consumer services such as Gmail e-mail service and Orkut social networking site. Last year, the company's stock price shot past US$700 per share and has since fallen back to US$450 per share. Its market capital is currently at US$142-billion.

However, in spite of those several reasons to celebrate, the company says it has never partied on its birthday and doesn't plan to start now. So, better luck next time Google guys!

Social networking myths debunked

Based from industry estimates, two of the most popular English-language social networking sites have posted about 250-million combined visitors in June of this year – more than 132-million people visited Facebook and about 118-million landed on MySpace.

Well, it seems everyone is social networking. Or are they?

To find the answer to this myth, global market researcher Synovate has surveyed over 13,000 respondents in 17 markets across the globe to find out who's connected and who's not. The result is surprising as per Synovate's Consumer Insight Group.

In its main survey question: "Do you know what online social networking is?" Among the numerous global respondents surveyed, only 42% of them know what online social networking is, and the majority 58% don't know it. Thus, it turns out social networking is not taking over the world.

Likewise, about 26% of all the markets surveyed are members of social networking sites. The Netherlands is leading the pack with 49% membership level, followed by United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 46% and Canada at 44%. The US is only at fourth spot with about 40% membership level. Thus, it only means that social networking is not US-centric.

Below is the tally table showing the top three social networking sites per market respondent in terms of membership.

LinkedIn faces stiff competition

The business networking site LinkedIn, which was recently valued at US$1-billion, is currently facing tough competition from more sophisticated start-ups such as Talkbiznow to online networking giants like Facebook, which was valued at about US$15-billion.

Talkbiznow prides itself with its high-tech digital tools that the business world is craving, which includes the ability to hold "Webinars," or online video conferencing through the site, send instant messages, stores files on the site, post a blog, create a calendar and even "nudge" your contacts, similar to Facebook's "Poke" application.

Due to the stiffening competition in the marketplace, LinkedIn has injected US$53-million venture capital funds in June to address the growing demand for sites targeted specifically at business professionals.

In an inquiry made by Forbes.com to a LinkedIn executive about the company's reaction to Talkbiznow.com, the LinkedIn executive responded that:

"Competition is always good, but there is a distinct difference between social networking applications and LinkedIn. People come to LinkedIn because they want to exchange information and ideas, and make better business decisions. We have been able to build up a network of 26 million people worldwide."

As per the latest available data by LinkedIn, it revealed that its online network now has 26 million members, which it took them five years to achieved. They had a 100% growth in membership last year and a 361% growth in page views between April 2007 and April 2008, which means a 361% growth in usage.

Facebook or “fakebook”?

Some critics claim that the famous social networking site, Facebook, is itself a copycat. Since 2004, the founders of the similarly themed ConnectU have been launching legal actions at Facebook. They are claiming that Mark Zuckerberg, the 24-year-old billionaire CEO of Facebook, stole the idea and source code for a university-focused social network while working for ConnectU when he was still a student at Harvard University. In April 2008, there is an alleged settlement between Zuckerberg and ConnectU's founders under undisclosed terms. However, last June, ConnectU has said to have found a new "smoking gun" proof of Zuckerberg's thievery. Thus, ConnectU is planning of backing out of the settlement. [Hhmmm. A bluff of sort to up the ante, hah. – The Chronicler]

Carnapper-nabbing car

Police in some counties in the United States turn tables on car thieves by using decoys to nail their target.

When the unsuspecting carnapper forces open the door of an attractive car left in some strategic place by law enforcement, a spy camera starts working to film the action. At the same instance, an alarm goes off in the nearby police headquarters. Then, a global positioning system (GPS) device automatically starts monitoring the thief in the car.

Once the arresting team is in pace to make the arrest, they simply send an electronic command to halt the car. At the same the time, the door would lock, giving the carnapper no recourse but to stay inside the car until the arrival of the police.

Honda models, like the Civics and the Accords, and Toyota Camrys are mostly use as bait for these are the most popular items among car thieves in the United States, according to the data of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

After going around-the-world wide web, Google co-founder will now attempt going to outer space

New York Times reported last Wednesday (June 11) that Google co-founder Sergey Brin has booked a flight to space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for 2011.

The space journey was arranged by Virginia-based Space Adventures, and Brin had made a staggering US$5-million deposit for the future flight, the report said. Space Adventures has already sent five ultra-rich tourists into space.

When asked for statements, Brin was quoted as saying: "I am a big believer in the exploration and commercial development of the space frontier, and am looking forward to the posibility of going into space”.