JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

TOKYO—Over the past few years, as many people rushed to trade in their old phones for smartphones, Japan’s philanderers have remained faithful to one particular brand: Fujitsu Ltd.’s older “F-Series” phones, which feature some attractive stealth privacy features.

The aging flip-phone—nicknamed the “uwaki keitai” or “infidelity phone”—owes its enduring popularity to customers who don’t believe newer smartphones are as discreet at hiding their illicit romances.

Read Japan’s Philanderers Stay Faithful to Their “Infidelity Phones” in WSJ

Here comes your Wi-Fe! If we spot someone with this flip-phone we’ll just assume he’s a cheater.

The first true portable computer was the Osborne 1 “luggable”, which weighed about 20 pounds and could fit under the passenger seat of a commercial plane.

Our laptop weighs 3 pounds and is cat-approved.

COMDDAP 2012: From radical technology to gadgets we can’t live without
Philippine Star, 11 Nov 2012

In 1984, a group of computer distributors and resellers joined a privately-organized exhibition of computer equipment in Manila. It was a disappointing experience: not a lot of people came to the show, probably because the organizer was charging an exorbitant fee of 50 pesos “to discourage usyosero”. The participating companies decided that they could put on a much better exhibition themselves. In fact they could form a trade association that would not only do expositions, but also work with IT providers and users, the government, and the private sector to make computers affordable and available to the masses.

Affordability was a big issue at the time. IBM had launched the first personal computer in 1981, setting the industry standard, but equipment prices were prohibitive. A Radio Shack 8-inch hard disk that had all of 5 megabytes of memory cost USD1,500. (5MB was huge because the memory of a regular PC was 16kb.)
(more…)

There was some speculation at Boing Boing over whether this letter to The Ethicist in the New York Times was related to the affair that led to the ouster of CIA chief David Petraeus. The NYT says it isn’t.

MY WIFE’S LOVER

My wife is having an affair with a government executive. His role is to manage a project whose progress is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership. (This might seem hyperbolic, but it is not an exaggeration.) I have met with him on several occasions, and he has been gracious. (I doubt if he is aware of my knowledge.) I have watched the affair intensify over the last year, and I have also benefited from his generosity. He is engaged in work that I am passionate about and is absolutely the right person for the job. I strongly feel that exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort. My issue: Should I acknowledge this affair and finally force closure? Should I suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project I feel must succeed? Should I be “true to my heart” and walk away from the entire miserable situation and put the episode behind me? NAME WITHHELD

Read the reply from The Ethicist at NYT Magazine.

Outed by Gmail: CIA Director David Petraeus Resigns Over Extramarital Affair (WSJ)

Meanwhile, NYT’s top emailed article is How to Devise Passwords That Drive Hackers Away.

The letter-writer is
A. Very civilized.
B. A masochist.
C. Something else.

P.S. Petraeus = Peaches.

George Orwell called it. Eric Blair, you’re a prophet. Penguin anniversary edition cover design by gray318.

It was fitting that as the 40th anniversary of the declaration of martial law drew near, the hot topic on social networks, blogs and traditional media in the Philippines was the end of freedom of expression.

Read The Cybercrime Law: The Return of the Thought Police, our column at InterAksyon.com.

Our column Emotional Weather Report, Pet Life edition appears in the Philippine Star most Saturdays.

“You’ll be back…with my Friskies. How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t like Whiskas. Friskies! Friskies!”

At Google’s mysterious X laboratory, known to us as Larry and Sergei’s world domination headquarters, scientists connected 16,000 computer processors to try and simulate a human brain.

A minuscule portion of it, the researchers pointed out, as the human brain has a million times more connections—than their network. Repeat: your brain has more synapses and neurons than a network with one billion connections. Essentially, scientists are using vast computer networks to figure out what goes on inside a single human brain. (You really are an underachiever.)
(more…)

Mike Alcazaren wrote a letter to the management of SM IMAX and posted it on their FB wall. They have not responded and they took down the post on their wall.

The Management
SM Cinema

Paying customer,
Miguel G. Alcazaren