It has been almost a year since my last post, but I’m back. Quite a bit has happened in the past year, but one of the biggest things is captured in the image below.

Image by Carlos Creencia.
7.7.11

I’ve got a strange relationship with security. I get along with the guards I’m in contact with pretty often – those in the village I live in and those the places I frequent. Back when I had a desk job, I got along with the guards there too.

For the most part though, I’m not fond of them. They insist on searching my car, looking in my bag, frisking me, and basically slowing me down when I enter the establishments they supposedly protect. What they’re looking for, I have no idea – and I bet they don’t know either. On top of this, they prevent me from taking photographs and give me nasty looks just because I have a nice camera – helping perpetuate the myth that photographers are terrorists.  In short, (and I’m sure others share the sentiment) they make my life difficult.

You see, I’m not a fan of half-baked security measures: the cursory wand waving and bag “inspection” at mall entrances, the obligatory glance inside the trunk at parking lots, and other useless displays that do next to nothing to protect us.  Bruce Schneier has a term for these displays: Security theater.  The term, according to Wikipedia, “describes security countermeasures intended to provide the feeling of improved security while doing little or nothing to actually improve security.”

Before I go on, I want to explain what got me thinking about security in the first place.  A live grenade was found in my alma mater. A former colleague then posted about it, saying that “the sad truth, though, is that campus security (the way it is in most schools anyway) is incredibly porous: nobody checks bags at the gate nor inspects vehicles entering the campus.”  This, of course, led to me leaving a comment about security theater and writing my own post on the topic.

Now, I don’t know exactly how I feel about the topic – specifically, the topic of security at UA&P.

Continue reading ‘Security Theater’

A few months back, I wrote about the things I carry every day, and some of the reasons I carry them.  Back then, my pockets housed a multi-tool, a pair of lights, a whistle, and my keys.  Today, my pockets are a little more full – with the exception of the bracelet, all the stuff below was in my pockets earlier.

Keep in mind that this stuff is in my pockets.  I also have a bag that I almost always have with me, and that contains quite a few other things.  Why do I carry these things around?  Let me paste an excerpt from my previous post:

I’m a geek, I’m (or I was) a scout, and I’m a MacGyver fan.  If you get it already, you can skip the next three paragraphs.  If you don’t, then let me explain.

I’m a geek. I’m a photography geek, trivia geek, light & lighting geek, and tech geek, among other (geeky) things.  In this specific case though, I’m a gadget geek.  I like gadgets, gizmos, doodads, thingamajigs, and watchamacallits.  I like taking things apart to figure out how they work, and putting them back together again (or at least trying).  I like toys, and these toys happen to be quite useful.

I’m a scout. The Scout Motto is “Be Prepared,” and carrying these things is definitely a step in that direction.  What am I preparing for?  I’m obviously not prepared for a doomsday scenario, an alien attack, or a zombie infestation, but I’m definitely prepared for most little emergencies I’m likely to encounter.  If I need to look for something under a bed or a desk, or open up a computer, or do a quick repair on one of my light stands, I’m probably covered.  At the very least, I already have some tools immediately at my disposal.

I’m a MacGyver fan. If you don’t know who MacGyver is, I’m not going to try and explain.  Instead, I suggest you check out this Wikipedia entry on MacGyver.

You can click on the image to get notes on the items I carry, but in case you don’t want to click through, here’s a brief rundown:

two (2) flashlights (one in my pocket + one on my keychain), keys, multi-tool, knife, whistle, paracord bracelet, lighter, pepper spray

Of all the items I carry, the only thing that I really consider a weapon is the pepper spray.  Everything else is a tool, though some of the items could see use in a self-defense situation.  Besides, the best self-defense tool, in my opinion, is your brain, and the best techniques are awareness and avoidance – be aware of your surroundings, and avoid potentially dangerous situations.  This train of thought, however, is best reserved for another post (or even another site), so that’s all I’ll say about self-defense.

Getting back on topic, the items I carry are tools that help me tackle everyday emergencies or other situations.  Like I said, I’m a scout, and I like to be prepared.  There’s a saying that “it’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.”  For a lot of everyday urban situations, I’m probably covered.

That being said, I still want to add a few things to this kit.  I still want to add a Gerber Shard or some other pry-bar, as well as some form of ID that lists my blood type, allergies, emergency contact, and other information.  Heck, I’ve got a whole list of items I want on Amazon (and since it’s a wish list that other people can see, I’ve limited it to items under $100).

I know I probably carry around a lot more things than the average though, but it still goes back to being prepared.  Some items, I may never use – in fact, I hope I never need them.  Most of this stuff, however, is stuff I use (or at least play with) everyday.

Going back to the average Joe, I have to ask: what do you carry around everyday?  What’s in your pockets?  What’s in your bag?  Why do you carry that around?  Are you ready for your everyday emergencies?

I’d like to make a point on the differences between nerds,geeks, dweebs, and dorks.

A geek is somebody who is passionate about or very knowledgeable in a specific field, or even a myriad of topics.  That’s why you have movie geeks, computer geeks, and other kinds of geeks.  You can also have basketball geeks, knife geeks, and geeks on other topics that most people don’t always associate with geekiness.  I’ll say it again, a geek is somebody who is passionate about a certain subject.  In other words, a geek is a fan, an enthusiast, or an expert.  Some will even go so far as to say that geeks are obsessed about or consumed by a certain subject.

This, by the way, is my personal definition of geek.  I’m a self-proclaimed geek, and I will admit to occasionally acting like a nerd.

This brings us to definition of a nerd.  My old definition of “nerd” was a socially-inept individual.  I have since revised that opinion and added definitions for both “dweeb” and “dork.”  However, no words I can put together are going to explain it better than the following diagram.

Continue reading ‘Nerds, Geeks, Dorks, & Dweebs – What’s the Difference?’

The image above shows some of the things that I always have with me.  They’re not in the car, or in a bag that I may or may not bring with me, or in another room – they’re in my pockets, or if I’m at home, within arms reach or very close by.  In short, these are some of my EDC items.

What are these things, and why do I carry them around?

Continue reading ‘Every Day Carry’

With his recent demolition of Cotto, Manny Pacquiao has clearly proven that he belongs in the welterweight division.  Unfortunately, while this makes a meeting between Pacquiao and Mayweather the only fight that makes sense to any boxing fan, this also makes such an encounter highly unlikely.

Why?  Put simply, Mayweather has made it a habit to avoid fighting any of the top welterweight boxers.  Yes, he is arguably the best welterweight boxer around today, but “arguably” is the key word there because he hasn’t proven it in the ring against the top welterweight contenders.  He is ducking top competition – there really is no way around it.

Now Mayweather is saying fighting Pacquiao is a no-win fight for him.  Bullshit.

Pacquiao is the biggest draw in boxing today.  From a business standpoint, the only fight that makes sense for Mayweather is one against Pacquiao.  History that shown that he will choose a bigger payday over a quality opponent any day.  Pacquiao is the biggest payday for Money Mayweather today.

He says that beating Pacquiao proves nothing.  He says Pacquiao has been beaten and knocked out before.  So what?!?  He was beaten back when he was a one-trick pony who didn’t really know how to box.  He has grown, learned, and improved since then, and now he looks invincible.  Beating Pacquiao (if you actually dare to try) proves that you are the greatest.  The saying goes, to be the man, you have to beat the man.  Right now, Manny is the man, not Floyd.  Manny has taken on all comers and beaten them down.  Who has Floyd beat recently?

Yes, I know he beat Juan Manuel Marquez last September, but if you want to talk about proving something, that fight really doesn’t count.  JMM had to gain nine pounds to make the agreed weight.  There’s no way you bring your speed and power with you when you have to gain that much weight.  Sure, it’s possible to do that over the course of a few years, but in JMM’s case, the bulk was just excess baggage.  The Mayweather – Marquez bout was a sham – it was a fight between two of the best boxers today, but one of them was way out of shape.

Going back to the video, Floyd harps on about how Manny kept avoiding the “do you want to fight Mayweather” question.  The simple explanation is a concept that Mayweather will probably never understand: real fighters don’t care who they fight.  Manny doesn’t answer the question because he simply leaves it up to to his trainers and promoter.  He doesn’t avoid fights – he simply fights whomever is put in front of him.

Mayweather seems to think that fighting Pacquiao is a no-win situation for him.  He couldn’t be further from the truth.  Fighting Pacquiao is the only situation that makes sense for him now.  If he wants to definitively prove his greatness, then beating Pacquiao will do so once and for all.  He can retire immediately afterwards, and nobody will ever doubt that he was the greatest boxer of his era.  Heck, it’ll most likely be his biggest payday too – even bigger than his fight with the Golden Boy.

On the other hand, avoiding a fight with Pacquiao will ensure that the ducking accusations will never die.  Yes, he will be seen as one of the best boxers in his time, but he will never be among the greatest of all time.  I know it’s a cliche, but you have to fight the great to be great – and Mayweather has simply refused to do that.  Avoiding Pacquiao will prove that he is afraid to put his unbeaten record on the line.

Mayweather thinks that fighting Pacquiao is a no-win situation.  I think otherwise.  I think not fighting Pacquiao is the no-win situation here.  Not fighting Pacquiao will taint his legacy and expose just how afraid he is of fighting elite competition.  Not fighting Pacquiao will show that he isn’t great at all, and he is, in fact, just a pretender.

Floyd Mayweather thinks that fighting Pacquiao is a no-win situation.  He is dead wrong.  Floyd Mayweather taking on Manny Pacquiao and beating him will prove just how great a fighter he is.  Then again, we’re talking about Manny Pacquiao here.  Floyd Mayweather taking on Manny Pacquiao and beating him – that’s just a fantasy.

I’m a grammar freak – anybody who knows me can attest to that.   My sister, who writes a blog called Grammar Pulis (yes, the spelling is intentional), will attest to that fact too.  No, I don’t claim to have perfect grammar – I’m sure, for example, that some of you can point out at least three errors in this post.  I do, however, try to make myself as clear as possible.

In order to make myself as clear as I can, one of things I do is make sure I spell things correctly.  Yes, you may find the odd typo in my writing, but I try to keep those to a minimum.  Heck, I’ve even activated the option to check spelling as I type on Firefox.

Of course, some forms of media make it slightly harder to be so particular.  Short Message Service (SMS), as the name implies, puts a limit on the number of characters sent in a single message.  Toss in the fact that you only have 8 keys to input 26 letters and one can almost forgive the atrocious spelling in SMS messages.

Continue reading ‘Pet Peeve: Txt Spk or Splng’

If you ever find yourself lucky enough to be at the Acuatico Beach Resort in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas, this is the view you get at dusk – pretty nice, isn’t it?  That’s the only image I’m posting of the place here, but I guarantee you – the place is lovely.

Continue reading ‘Acuatico’

Let’s make this clear immediately: I am not affiliated with Pedala in any official capacity. I am a customer of Pedala, and my contact with the Pedala is limited to scheduling pickups and deliveries for my packages. If you want to get in contact with Pedala, you may try the number in the image below (0920.698.7777) or the number that a helpful commenter, benedict b, suggested 0905.884.1783.

I stumbled across this post recently and I think it helps prove its title – that Manila isn’t as ugly as we probably think it is.  Thanks to the emergence of bike messengers (see the poster on the right), is now a little bit greener.  Yes, the air is still filled with smoke, but at least one business isn’t adding to the pollution.

How does it compare to another courier service in town?  Let’s break it down:

Based on the price listed at the bottom, Pedala is more cost-efficient – at least for deliveries within the metropolis.  How about out-of-town deliveries?  Come on – you don’t really expect somebody to deliver a package out of town on only pedal power, do you?

How about speed?  There’s no way a bike beats motorized vehicles, right?  According the the (forwarded) email message posted by ManilaRat, you can get same day delivery.  I don’t think any other courier service around these parts boasts of that speed.

Right now I wish I had a package that needs to be delivered, but I don’t.  I’m sure I will soon – maybe I can try these guys out.  How about you, need anything delivered?