On 23 June 2007, Blank Space & Foto Baryo will feature the collaborative work of students and teachers in a photography exhibit entitled, “Natural Lang” at the Blank Space Gallery in Paranaque. This is the climax of an intensive five-month workshop conducted by Emily Schiffer, a Fulbright scholar and New York native. Inspired by a one-day Polaroid workshop organized by Fernando Afable in February 2006, Emily came to the Philippines to facilitate six different photography workshops in six weeks. It was the young students of one class that stood out: smart, eager, and articulate, they produced stunning images for a beginner class. The way they saw their subjects and photographed them was exactly what she and Fernando hoped for – they saw beauty in unimaginable places.
The students come from different communities in the Paranaque area, one of which is the Tropical Palace community. Once a luxury resort, the Tropical Palace was razed by fire in the late 70s. Until its rehabilitation five years ago, the area was a den for crime and drugs. The church was instrumental in the transformation of the area to a safe and peaceful community. It serves as a strong spiritual guide and community center to the families living there. Health classes and parenting workshops facilitate growth and development, while an education fund ensures the futures of young residents. Passion and a strong sense of community now characterize Tropical Palace, and this change is most evident in the children. Emily was awarded a Fulbright scholarship that enabled her to return to the Philippines and mentor the group of youth leaders. Tropical Palace was selected as the project site. Five months of intensive photography classes guided the students through basic and advanced photography, and through them, a deeper appreciation of life at Tropical Palace.
“Natural Lang” celebrates the honesty of introspections and interactions at Tropical Palace. The project captures the natural ability of children to embrace love, fear, pain, and joy, unimpeded by mental and emotional boundaries that adults set. It also parallels the experiences of the students as they learned photography and immersed themselves within the community, that the audience may share their clarity of vision. “For us, the images are not about poverty; that would be superficial,” shares Emily. “They’re about these children as individuals. We hope that people will appreciate the complexity of their situation, and the elements that come into play in their lives.” The dynamics between all participants provided the project its wings. The quality of interaction allowed a natural and intimate engagement in community life. Young children constantly surrounded and played with the artists and students as they photographed. Residents proudly display black-and-white prints on the walls of their homes. They have also become comfortable enough to acknowledge their emotions in the presence of the group. The teacher-student relationship evolved to co-photographer/colleague, as the group shared experiences and perspectives with one another. The entire spectrum of vision is captured by the project, with each participant contributing his or her unique set of values and level of understanding. Students who consider Tropical Palace home provided insiders’ perspectives, while the others were encouraged to invest five months of time and effort to gain trust and acceptance from the community.
Further, Emily’s view is defined by her connection with her students, and shaped by her growing awareness of the culture as a foreigner. The students’ perspectives are influenced by their character, as by individual backgrounds. The variety of perspectives featured in the exhibit – individual in their nuances yet singular in vision – is the strength of the project. It is the long-term vision of the Foto Baryo Paranaque Project, however, that further distinguishes it from the other endeavors of the school. In preparation for her departure, Emily has mentored her students to assume her role as teacher to future students in the community. The group hopes that the images produced by this set of students and the students after them will enable the school to track the effects of the program on the community. Without a doubt, the celebration of renewed perspective has empowered the students to create art and forge better futures for themselves and others.
“Natural Lang” will run from 16 June to 11 August 2007 at the Blank Space Gallery, 0431 Quirino Ave. Paranaque.
A couple of years back, some engineering students from UC Santa Clara were bored and decided to decorate their building with a tribute to Super Mario Bros. -- done in Post-Its.
Now, a new batch of students have made a sequel of sorts, and have come up with a more elaborate tribute to Donkey Kong, complete with giant monkey, damsel in distress, barrels, girders, and Mario -- again, all done in Post-Its.
Ok, I admit, I have a soft spot for these incredibly geeky things that people do with their spare time.
By now, most people have heard of the Nintendo Wii, which comes with the Wii Sports game that includes a simple bowling game. LEGO Mindstorms, on the other hand, is a toy line from LEGO that is targetted at teenagers and young adults. Basically, it allows you to make simple robots using LEGO bricks, some motors, and software to program your robot with. It has a good following around the world, especially with burgeoning robotic enthusiasts.
So some guy recently gets a Nintendo Wii, and being a Mindstorms builder, decides to make a Wii Bowling robot. He gets it to automatically bowl a perfect game...
The US Postal Service and Lucasfilm are planning to commemorate the 30th anniversary of "Star Wars" with a bunch of special promotions.
The first will be these special R2D2 mailboxes that will be deployed in several cities. It will be a teaser for the stamps that will be released soon after.
1up.com recently posted a couple of interesting articles about one of the sessions in the Game Developer's Conference ongoing in San Francisco. The session was given by the main producer, Keiichi Yano, of "Elite Beat Agents", one of the more popular Nintendo DS games to be released this year.
In the session, Yano explains how a popular rhythm-based game in Japan named "Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan!" evolved into a "Elite Beat Agents". The challenge: to change a game full of Japanese quirkyness about male cheerleaders who encourage regular people to complete their difficult tasks by using play mechanics similar to Dance Dance Revolution -- to something more engaging to the Western palate.
Needless to say, they almost bit off more than they can chew. Read on how "Ouendan!" almost became a weird Village People clone...
The hosts and crew of British car show "Top Gear" have a field trip through the state of Alabama. They decide to makes things more exciting by painting colorful slogans on their cars that would surely entice a reaction from the locals.
The result: further proof that there are still rednecks that are really rednecky.
Another Internet gem I stumbled upon. Greg Patillo is a street performer in New York who specializes in mixing beat boxing and flute playing. 'Nuff said.
Check out his renditions of the Super Mario theme, Sesame Street theme, and a funky mix of Inspector Gadget/Axel F.
With all the hype of the new video game consoles that have come out over the past year, it's easy to forget that what matters most are the games, not the hardware.
Video games have been around for over 30 years, and a number of genres have evolved over time. One of the first video game genres established was the shooter. The concept and gameplay is simple -- you are a lone hero that has to destroy multiple targets, all the while avoiding being destroyed yourself. The earliest example of this (that I can think of) is the classic "Space Invaders".
A few years after "Space Invaders", another other classic game, "Phoenix", introduced a new concept that was become a staple in the genre -- the end of stage "Boss" that you had to defeat to progress to the next level.
From those humble beginnings, and over 30 years of evolution, with these tried and tested gameplay mechanics, a Japanese company has released a game called "Mushihimesama Futari" (don't worry, I have a hard time pronouncing that, too) for the Playstation 2. It's claim to fame: the hardest video game "Bosses" ever! You need a combination of lightning relexes and a savant-like ability to recognize patterns to defeat these bosses.
If you're a movie buff and a Star Wars fan, but can't afford to have a Death Star Home Theater, this is a more affordable alternative. And just as geeky.
Recently unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, the R2D2 Mobile Entertainment System is made by Nikko Home Electronics. It features:
a projector for screens up to 80" big
built-in DVD system
a dock for your iPod to listen to music and project video
lights & sounds of R2D2 so it seems like the droid is really in the room
fully motorized so you can move it from room to room
a Millenium Falcon remote control
Star Wars fans, get your geek on now!
Check out a couple of write-ups about it here and here.
The Nintendo Wii has been out for almost a couple of months, and it's an early success for Nintendo. The Wii was a best-seller during the Christmas season, had a lot of positive stories from the mainstream media, and just general good word-of-mouth. So it's no surprise that the Wii would be a subject for the many fan-made videos on the Internet...
Yesterday saw the release of a funny (and a bit racy) video that explores the intersection between video gaming and the mating ritual...
Microsoft recently released a game called "Gears of War" for the Xbox 360, and is currently the best-selling game in its line up, selling over 1M copies in a little over a month.
To promote the dark and gritty game, Microsoft created a commercial with visuals from the game with a cover of the Tears for Fears hit, "Mad World" playing in the background.
Ever since the commercial came out, the sales of that version of "Mad World" in the iTunes music store shot up, introducing a new generation of angsty teenagers to New Wave music.
Ok, so probably 90% of those who've seen the commercial or purchased the song don't know who Tears for Fears is. But you never know, maybe Americans will now know Tears for Fears beyond "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".
In a related (yet quirky) note, some people were inspired to use the same "Gears of War" commercial footage with different music. The best 80's homage has to be the one set to the theme song of "The Neverending Story"...
I love the web and all the weird things people do when they're bored. A group of guys cruisin' for McDonald's decide to spice up the drive through experience by ordering hip-hop style.
The lyrics...
I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce Don't be frontin' son no seeds on a bun We be up in this drive thru Order for two I gots a craving for a number nine like my shoe We need some chicken up in here In this dizzle For rizzle my nizzle Extra salt on the frizzle Dr. Pepper my brother Another for your mother Double double super size And don't forget the FRIES...
Imagine someone doing this in a local McDonald's branch...
Those 2 bored geeks at EepyBird.com still have too much time on their hands.
Not wanting to rest their laurels on their "live" performance of the mentos/diet coke explosion synchronized to music, the EepyBird guys have upped the ante.
This time, they pondered if the mentos/diet coke reaction could also induce a domino effect. Too brilliant for words...
Undoubtedly came out on cable tv. Undoubtedly from New Jersey.
A costume store from New Jersey released a commercial in time for Halloween. They specialize in Girls' costumes.
A hilarious video because it's obviously cheap, probably homemade, and it's like watching Tony Soprano hock sweatshop-made items, complete with a Bada-bing girl helping him out.
(If you recognize that pop culture reference, ang tanda mo na!)
There was a time when domino-effect displays were the rage. Every month, someone would put together an ever-increasingly complex display of dominoes crashing in myriad patterns. The press would cover each event to the point that it became passe.
Now, many years later, a student project continues the spirit of the domino-effect displays. As expected, the dominoes fall in complex patterns. But watch as he isn't constrained by the use of dominoes...
It's been a little over 24 hours, and the news has been spreading like
wildfire! Ok,
to give our side of the story...
My proposal to Chrissie had been in the works for a couple of months.
I was heading for the States for a vacation (an excuse to use up my
expiring Mabuhay Miles on PAL, really) -- traveling from San Francisco
to Washington D.C./Virginia to New York and back to San Francisco. I
decided that I would propose to Chrissie in New York. At that time,
all I had was the idea of doing it in Central Park.
I tried getting the engagement ring ready in time for my trip to the
States, but since I was having trouble getting Chrissie's exact finger
size (though Chooey -- Chrissie's older sister) tried her best to get
the best approximation), and our family jeweler was out of town, I
decided that we'd get the ring after the fact na lang. Instead I got
her a temporary ring -- but more on that later.
A week or so before my trip, I went to my brother's condo and hung out
with my sister-in-law Cres and some friends from San Antonio. The
topic of my trip came up, and I admitted that I was planning to propose
in New York. Sa sobrang kilig nila, they helped me brainstorm the
actual proposal gimmick. So here is the gist of it...
Back when Chrissie and I were in high school -- we liked each other,
but nothing happened (M.U. Baduy!) -- we went to the Asssumption fair,
and our friends had us captured in the marriage booth. Siyempre way
back then, kilig kaming dalawa. Chrissie actually kept the original
"marriage certificate" and ring all these years, though it's stored
somewhere in her boxes at home. Anyway, my proposal gimmick was to
replicate that marriage booth experience.
I emailed my brother Jj in New York and Ian Monsod in L.A. about the
gimmick. They both agree to help out, and bahala silang maghakot ng
tao para sa gimmick. A lot of church buddies are in the States now,
especially in the New York area, so perfect. Ian also makes plans to
fly to New York on the weekend of September 23-24. Here's an excerpt
from an email to Jj & Ian...
So for this caper, we'll need:
* - someone to act as a "priest"
* - a choir to sing -- can I request songs like "Here, There &
Everywhere" by the Beatles, "Sweet Reunion" by Kenny Loggins, "She" by
Robert Palmer, "The Promise" by When in Rome (seriously)
* - a simple booth -- probably a monobloc table with a cartolina
poster saying "AC Marriage Booth". But if we could decorate it with a
canopy, flowers, hearts, etc., so much the better.
* - "witnesses" who can throw rice after the "marriage"
* - someone to photograph the event, especially Chrissie's
reaction. If we can do video, so much the better.
Since I don't have the actual engagement ring yet, I bought a temporary
cubic zirconia ring (total value: $20 from Nordstrom... woohoo!) to use
for my proposal.
So flash forward to Sunday, September 24, 2006. Chrissie and I have
been in the States together for around 3 weeks, and are now in New
York. Chrissie's sister Cat is also in New York, but staying with a
friend.
After mass and Sunday brunch, we go to the Disney Store at around 3pm
with Jj & Cres to go shopping, but really it was to kill time while
people gathered in Central Park. A little change in plans -- Cres
finds a cute ring with the birthstone of December (Chrissie's birthday
is December 10) in the Disney Store. It looks MUCH cuter than the
Nordstrom one, so I buy it for $12! :)
Jj & Cres leave us to do their own "errands". I buy a little more
time by insisting we go to Best Buy. At around 3:45pm, we get a cab,
and head on to 105th St. & 5th Ave. I tell Chrissie we're going
there to look at the museums on Museum Mile and make pasyal in Central
Park. When we arrive, I lead Chrissie to the entrance of the
Conservatory Garden of Central Park.
I've never been there myself, so plans are made for me to look out for
a Chinese guy wearing black and carrying a red umbrella. It turns out
to be Garren, Jj's friend from culinary school. We follow Garren, but
Chrissie decides she needs to call her sister Cat who is leaving for
Virginia that evening for last minute bilins. We almost loose Garren
when we make a sudden turn and Chrissie sits on a bench to call Cat.
Luckily, Garren notices our change in direction, and backtracks.
Chrissie notices Garren, and starts thinking that he's a stalker.
But before any more suspicious thoughts are made, we are led to a part
called the "Secret Garden" around the corner. Our first view, a
makeshift "altar" with the words Assumption College - New York Branch
Marriage Booth, and a guy with his back towards us. He turns, and it's
Martin Valdes. Suddenly, music fills the air as the other participants
in this gimmick pop up from their hiding places! They sing "The
Promise" by When in Rome -- yes, it's a baduy song, but it's an inside
joke -- people used to tease Chrissie and I with this song in high
school for some reason. It wasn't even our favorite song, but it stuck!
After singing the chorus, I drop the things I'm carrying, grab the box
with the Disney ring, then drop to one knee. I forget what mushy stuff
I say in my proposal -- my adrenalin is pumping furiously at this
point, so I'm hoping the video gets my spiel -- a crying Chrissie says
yes, and we kiss and hug. This time, everyone sings "The Promise", but
the nice romantic version. :)
Martin Valdes then acts as our mock priest and officiates our
"wedding". Mia Diego (who drove up from Philadelphia just to be part
of the gimmick) brought a tiara with a veil, a little flower bouquet,
bubbles for everyone to blow, and a couple of toy rings for our
"wedding". She also prepared a wedding basket rice and some confetti
to be thrown, but the Central Park authorities told us na bawal to
throw it because it's considered littering. Oh well. Robi Roman took
care of making the "marriage booth" out of a couple of balikbayan
boxes, a bedsheet, and pictures of Chrissie and I taken from
Yuloland.com. I prepared a couple of "Contracts of Engagement"
(complete with Assumption San Lorenzo logo) for us to sign, and for
everyone else to sign as "Witnesses"!
Our witnesses were: Jj & Cres Yulo, Cat Velayo, Ian Monsod,
Michelle, Yvette Fernandez & her mom, Ginger Roxas, Aileen Payumo,
Martin Valdes, Pilar Valdes, Garren, Robi Roman, James Bitanga, Mia
Diego, and Kim. (Louelle Soong, Toby Monsod and her friend Fr. Fritz
passed by for dinner later on.)
After the "wedding" and several photo op pictures around the garden, we
celebrated by eating in "Congee Village" in Chinatown. :)
Now comes the preparation for the wedding... No date set yet, but keep
January 2008 free... :)
If you're the type of person who is very praning about your valuables and/or privacy, don't watch the video below.
The "bump key" was highlighted a few months ago in a European news report, and was the first time for most of the general public to hear about it (me included). The "bump key" is the preferred lockpicking tool of burglars and ne'er-do-wells.
What makes the bump key a popular (and frankly, scary) tool isn't just how effective it is, but rather how easy it is to make, and what little skill is needed to use it. Almost anyone can easily use it, without any prior experience in lockpicking. The use of a bump key to illegaly bypass a lock is virtually undetectable -- hence the growing headache for police forces, and insurance companies, and average citizens.
"Improv Everywhere" is a group that specializes in pulling off pranks on a somewhat massive scale. The heads plan out the prank, ask for volunteers from the general public (fans travel from other states to be in on the joke), and video tape the entire thing.
Inspired by several Star Trek episodes on time travel, they decide to produce their own "temporal anomalies". The victim/venue: a local branch of Home Depot.
Gathering over 200 volunteers, they troop off to Home Depot. The first part of their prank is to appear to shop normally, then at a predetermined time, everyone proceeds to move in slow motion for 5 minutes, then return back to normal speed. The second part of their prank is for everyone to freeze in place for 5 minutes, then return back to normal speed, and discreetly leave the store.
It took some time for the Home Depot employees and innocent shoppers to notice that anything was amiss, and when they do, they're just stumped, not knowing what to do.
[Updated 08/25/2006] Another video clip added below.
The summer in the US is coming down to a close. Hence, the dearth of good movies that have been released the past few weeks in Manila. (In case your wondering, as of this writing, the only movies worth watching are "Click" [highly recommended] and "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" [but only if you're in a mababaw mood].)
So thank God for the Internet, and for the popularity of YouTube!
Enjoy a clip from the Stephen Colbert Report that shows his geek roots. A week or so ago, he did a bit in front of a green screen, doing a mock lightsaber fight. He then asked viewers to do their creative best with it. The results below...
And here's a Daily Show bit on the newly released "Snakes on a Plane". I have to give this movie credit for milking the most out of the media. The studio knows it has an incredibly weak premise, but their ace-in-the-hole is the leading man, Samuel L. Jackson! So SLJ has been doing the talk show route, promoting the hell out of it. His best appearances are on the Daily Show because he gets to curse as much as he wants, and just have fun! Enjoy the clip!
The 
It's been a little over 24 hours, and the news has been spreading like
wildfire! Ok,
to give our side of the story...
