IT News: Lightbulbs Could Replace Wi-Fi Hotspots

"Imagine if your computer, iPhone, TV, radio and thermostat could all communicate with you when you walked in a room just by flipping the wall light switch and without the usual cluster of wires." That is according to Boston University Engineering Professor Thomas Little.

Boston University's College of Engineering is launching a program, under a National Science Foundation grant, to develop the next generation of wireless communications technology based on visible light instead of radio waves. Researchers expect to piggyback data communications capabilities on low-power light emitting diodes, or LEDs, to create "Smart Lighting" that would be faster and more secure than current network technology.

This initiative aims to develop an optical communication technology that would make an LED light the equivalent of a Wi-Fi access point. Read full Article.


This undergoing research efforts of the Boston University Engineering Dept. will try to develop a new innovation when it comes to telecommunications industry. According also to Prof. Little, "This is a unique opportunity to create a transcendent technology that not only enables energy efficient lighting, but also creates the next generation of secure wireless communications. As we switch from incandescent and compact florescent lighting to LEDs in the coming years, we can simultaneously build a faster and more secure communications infrastructure at a modest cost along with new and unexpected applications."

This research is still on-going and if implemented, will create a new generation of wireless networking. This also goes to show that in this world, nothing is constant except change specially in the ICT field where technology becomes obsolete even before it is implemented.

Microsoft: Bad things happen to Firms that uses Unlicensed Windows

This article was based on the study conducted by the Harrison Group Inc.

Microsoft Corp., in a company report yesterday cited that companies using unlicensed copy of Windows are more likely to experience system failure and lost of data.

According to the research, which was conducted by the Harrison Group Inc. but paid for by Microsoft, midsize companies -- those with more than 24 PCs and fewer than 500 -- were 43% more likely to have had a critical system failure lasting more than 24 hours if they used unlicensed Windows.

Those businesses were also 28% more likely to lose customer data and 73% more likely to lose their own data than companies exclusively using licensed copies of Microsoft's software.

This is one way for the Microsoft Corp. to combat the problem of piracy all across the globe. This action will serve as a threat to every companies not only in the Philippines where the rate of piracy is very high but also to all companies around the world to use only genuine Microsoft Products.

Let's help reduce piracy. Piracy will kill our future.

University of Southeastern Philippines FOSS Campaign

The Institute of Computing students of the University of Southeastern Philippines are on a big mission, and that is to encourage not only their fellow USEPians but also to all Filipinos to use Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS). As part of our FOSS advocacy, one of our colleague in the person of Thomas Tangian constructed a logo in order to solidify our campaign to encourage both the industry and the academe to use FOSS rather than proprietary software.

The campaign was the initiative of some of our professors namely Engr. Val A. Quimno who is also a FOSS advocate here in Davao city and also the Dean of the Institute of Computing department of USEP, and Dr. Randy S. Gamboa, one of the best professor not only in USEP but all over region XI.

The way I see it, the main reason on why was that FOSS is an alien for the majority in this country is that the national government has lacking support and the initiative promoting FOSS in the country. Another reason is that because of preference. Majority of schools here in the Philippines both on the secondary level and in college level are using and promoting that they are using proprietary products. The government should have a strong partnership together with the academe to promote FOSS to schools here in the Philippines.

"Free to Use", "Free to Distribute". Please Let Us Support Free and Open - Source Softwares.

Reserch Topics Derived from SONA

Automated study of Land Conversion in the Philippines

Main problem in which the country is facing right now is the high price of rice. This is because the supply os very low and the demand is very high. There are numerous reasons on why the country is experiencing rice shortage such as calamities like typhoons and el- nino. But there are also reasons in which man made and can be studied and it is what we call " land conversion" in which rice fields are converted to crop land or banana plantation to earn more money.


The study will be a simulation model of the farms (by region) in which we can visually see the effects of land conversion to rice production. The model could be a good tool on showing the effects both positive and negative when land conversion is done in huge hectares. It is very helpful to all concerns such as the government and farmers in their decision making.

Software Development and Production Training for public high school Students

According to Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's State of the Nation Address, there will be a need for IT professionals and software developers in the next couple of years. Software development (aside from outsourcing and call center) will be the in demand profession in the future locally, nationally and internationally.


Objectives of the Proposal:


1. Provide students more knowledge on what are the latest trend and development in the world of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
2. train students the best techniques and skills needed for software development.
3. prepare students to be a good IT professional as early as possible
4. Furnish the talent of young filipinos to become globally competitive when it comes to software development.
5 prepares the country to become the source of the best IT manpower in the world.


According also to Dr. Randy S. Gamboa, there is no need to take a 4 yr. BSCS and BSIT degree courses to produce a good quality softwares. Even a highschool student can learn all the needed skills, training and techniques and can have all the needed resources to produce top of the line softwares. We can start training students as early as their highschool.


We filipinos are very resourceful, we can always maximize on the limited resources that we have. Our talent is not limited on what we have but on what we can do. That's according to 2 gentlemen from the IBM. Lack of resources will never be a hindrance for filipinos.

Pros and Cons of Free Text Messaging in the Philippines

In her recent SONA, the president mentioned the possibility of free text messaging in the country. During the time of her SONA, the cost of a text message was .50 cents. A study must be conducted to determine what are the positive and negative issues that need to be considered for this proposal to materialized. Although free text is very good for consumers but both sides must also be taken part to avoid bias.

Objectives of the Study:
- To determine the Pros and Cons of Free Texting to :

1. network providers
2. subscribers (of any type and level)
3. companies(both commercial and government)
4. The quality of services provided to the providers.

Publishing a research in Top-Tier Organizations

ACM and IEEE are two of the most popular and the most influencial organizations in the industry right now specifically in the field of engineering and information technology in general. These organizations conduct researches which are very relevant to the readers. Journals, papers and researches that are found in their websites are sure to be informative, reliable and relevant. Readers has a guarantee that what they read are reliable since it is well evaluated by such an expert. I think anyone can or have their work published on such prestige and well renounce organizations provided that you follow on the criteria which they establish. I have read some journals and researches and based on my observations, some of their criteria are as follows:

1. Relevance factor - is the journal or the research serves a major role in providing a new dimension in learning? Not only relevant to the readers but also the journal or the research also related to the context in which organiozation's are expert with.

2. Reliability factor - is the author of the research really has a knowledge on the topic he/she is researching? It is important also to know whether the author has a knowledge on what he/she is doing. Addon to the reliability factor, does the work is based on previous works or articles which are from reliable sources? It is also important to know that the theories and information are based from facts.

3. Uniqueness factor - does the paper has not been published before? or is the paper is not copied from the work of others? The organization must review the work very carefully to avoid issues like plagiarism. They must also inspect proper referencing styles.

4. Presentation factor - does the paper well presented to be easily understood by its readers? Or the paper/journal's topic is well organized for its readers.Seeing your work published in these organizations website means that you are a good researcher and your work is well recognize by everybody.

I think this should be the goal of anyone, to see their work published in ACM,IEEE and many more.

How Research are Evaluated?

It is very important for a work to be evaluated in order to determine if that work has served a particular purpose. Especially research paper, it should be evaluated thoroughy since it serves as a foundation of new knowledge in a specific field. Evaluating a research whether it is good or bad will play a major role in the development of the new learnings and also to determine its reliability and relevance.According to Todd Litman, "Good research reflects a sincere desire to determine what is overall true, based on all available information, as opposed to bad research that starts with a conclusion and identifies supporting factoids (individual facts taken out of context)."[1]. This means that a good research is conducted to prove that a certain phenomena is true or false but we need available information in order for us to support our findings. This is one characteristics of a good research.

For me, I can say that a research is good if it can solve a particular problem either global, national or local problem, or maybe discover a new dimension in the field in which it is conducted, discovery that will shock all. The research is important if it is being used by everybody in the society to solve a problem. In short, a research is good if it is relevant and can others can benefit from it. A research is also good if it possesses uniqueness. Unique in a sense that it is not conducted before. Although there are some researches already conducted that are topic related, the research should not be the same with the previous researches. A research is good if it is unbiased. A research should present its findings based on the results and the researcher must not manipulate data. And last, a research is good if it can provide consice and reliable resources to verify that the theories and ideas presented in the research were based on previous researches conducted prior to the work. These will make the research more reliable and also to prove that the researcher is doing some readings and has a lot of knowledge of the topic and not just pretending.

How Research are Evaluated?

I think these are the criteria for evaluating a research:

1. relevance - The research should answer the question "What is the purpose of conducting the research?"

2.uniqueness - "Is the research not conducted before?"

3. presentation (grammar etc.)- "Is the research presented well for readers to understand?"

reference:

[1] http://www.vtpi.org/resqual.pdf

RP university partners with US company to offer computer subjects

This news article is courtesy of

Good news for all colleges and universities and also for the students who are taking up computer courses such as Computer Science and Information Technology.

The local office of Massachusetts-based EMC Corporation has picked De La Salle University’s (DLSU) College of Computer Science to be its first domestic alliance partner for its global EMC Academic Alliance program. Read full article.

With this partnership, there will be a very good orientation for every students on what the real world really needs. There will be an assurance that what we learn from school is what the industry needs. Maybe years from now it will be all over the Philippines because there are still misconceptions on what are the qualities of being an IT/CS student.

This will mark another milestone of Philippines-America partnership.