Star ng Pasko (The ABS-CBN Christmas Station ID)

Transforming your iPhone into a Security Camera

Many of those who are using the popular iPhone from Apple is not aware that there is a new application in the market called the IP Camera that works perfectly as a security device. Most users are aware that through the iPhone, one can view Webcams across the globe by connecting to the internet. However, the IP Camera allows you to do much much more than just viewing other Webcams.

With Wi-Fi connection available, one can use the IP Camera to take pictures using your iPhone (within a period of every 12 to 15 seconds) and upload the photos onto a Web site which is easily accessible from any other laptop using the same network. All you have to do is insert the local HTTP address given to you, and the IP Camera will not stop running until you manually close it. Archiving seems to be a problem though, as it does not keep a record of which photos are taken most recently or details similar to that. It is also not possible to change the photo taking frequency, something that may be a drawback for some users as a 15 second gap is deemed too short a period.

With this application, you now have your very own secret monitoring camera!

Link:http://ibtimes.com.au/articles/20091012/iphone-apple.htm

OFW ‘abused’ after mistaken Facebook post on Ondoy

A controversial statement allegedly made by a Filipina overseas worker in Dubai that mocked Filipino victims of tropical storm Ondoy sparked negative reactions among many Pinoys here and abroad.

Jacque Bermejo has been the target of hate threads from Filipinos after someone used her identity to post a very offensive statement against Pinoys affected by the onslaught of tropical storm Ondoy on social networking site, Facebook.

“buti n lng am hir in dubai! maybe so many sinners bak der! so yeah deserving wat hapend (sic),” the comment read.

The said statement generated more than 1,000 responses from Filipino Facebook users.

The comments included hate messages, accusations and threats from fellow Filipinos.

A user named “Ondoy” posted on September 28, 2009: “Hambalusin na yan!”

Anonymous said: “don’t worry dadalaw tayo sa burol ni jacq bermejo. titingnan natin kung talagang patay siya! (sic)”

Jay-ar said: “meron ba kaung pix ng taong yan? baka kasi makasalubong ko sya mabigyan lang ng mag asawang bitch slap! grrrr…!! (sic)"

Srub09 commented: “sana sya na lng ang inanud ng baha!!porke nakapunta na ng ibang bansa.kung sino na makapagsalita…sipain ko yang mukha mo! (sic)”

Pusa said: “naloka ako sa mga comments sa kanya sa multiply… kasi naman in times like this we should all unite and do our best to help and we don’t need negative thoughts. (sic)”

Alyssa stated: “she’s pathetic and lacks good moral. dummy.(sic)”

Several new accounts on Facebook were also created under her name by irate users.

‘A Victim Too’

However, in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau, the person behind the controversial name maintained her innocence.

Bermejo denied posting the insulting remarks on Facebook. The marketing executive is saddened by the comments she receives from fellow Filipinos for something she says she did not do.

“Pero naman kung ako siguro ang nakakita sa post na yun, mag iisip naman ako na, bakit naman niya gagawin iyan. Bakit niya ilalagay ang picture niya? Bakit niya ilalagay ang real identity niya? Parang bine-bait niya sarili niya na, ‘Ok, kill me’,” said Bermejo.

She explained that someone hacked her Facebook account and manipulated its contents two years ago. This prompted her to deactivate her account.

Furthermore, she brought the incident to the Dubai Police who advised her to just open another account.

She also revealed that accounts under her name in other social networking sites like Multiply and Friendster were not hers.

The hacker continued to manipulate the said sites often posting negative comments against her friends.

The last post that insulted people affected by the typhoon alarmed her. She said that after the post, many people started issuing threatening statements against her.

“Pero after this, itong post na ito, unang-unang ginawa ko kagabi umalis ako sa bahay ko. Doon ako natulog sa bahay ng mga kapatid ko kasi natatakot ako,” she said.

Her close friends could not help but feel sorry for what happened to her. They said their friend is clearly an innocent victim. They also appealed to fellow Filipinos to put an end to the issue.
“Gusto ko naman ma-clear yung (name) niya dahil hindi naman ganun si Jacque. And, kung sino ang gumawa nun, he is, something talaga is wrong sa kanya, dapat sana stop na yung mga ganung things eh,” said her friend “Mel”.

‘Official Statement’

A Facebook user posted Bermejo’s alleged official statement dated September 29, 2009 in the hopes of clearing her name.

She said that an unidentified source created the accounts using her name, her personal details, and pictures.

“Because of these incidents, I reported such abuses and sent my credentials to the administrators of such sites, particularly Facebook. I have been abused and am still being abused online in social networking websites such as Facebook, Friendster, Multiply etc,” Bermejo’s statement said.

Her friends called her up and informed her about the cruel “shoutout” on the Facebook account and the numerous comments from other users.

“These malicious statement(s) which are posted under account names Jacque or Jackie are not of my doing. It is unfortunate that such statements were maliciously attributed to me and I do sympathize and understand the adverse and somehow verbally violent reaction that has been elicited by such insensitive statements or posts. Rest assured, I have taken every legal step that can be done in this regard,” the statement added

“I am devastated and shocked at the extent my character, my personal information and private space have been violated,” she stated.

Bermejo has taken legal steps to address the problem. She sought the help of the Philippine Consulate in Dubai and the National Bureau of Immigration to identify the motive and person behind the moves to discredit her.

Mermaid found on Lulu Island, Abu Dhabi

Mermaid found on Lulu Island, Abu Dhabi...

Transformers' shape-shifts into noise, nonsense

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A joyless cacophony, an insistent and seemingly endless onslaught, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," director Michael Bay's follow-up to the 2007 smash "Transformers" plays more like a parody of a Bay movie.

You name it, it gets shot up, blown up or otherwise obliterated in a massive fiery ball, from suburban homes and cars to aircraft carriers and even an Egyptian pyramid. Along the way, our sense of sanity and humanity also get destroyed, as we feel as if we are being held captive by these walking, talking, shape-shifting robots — both the good guys and the bad.

The Autobots and Decepticons aren't the only ones assaulting us in their epic battle: Regular people are just as obnoxious — probably more so — with their nonstop yelling and yammering. Everyone is overcaffeinated, everyone screams their lines, perhaps so they can hear each other over the explosions and the thunderous score.

Who knows, and more importantly, who cares? It is impossible to become emotionally invested in the Transformers, cool-looking as they may be when the movie settles down for a rare moment (the work of the venerable Industrial Light & Magic), because it's impossible to tell who's doing what to whom. It's all one messy amalgamation of twisted steel and shattered glass, accompanied by generic crunching and shrieking sounds. The only robots with any discernible personality traits, aside from bravery or antagonism, are the Autobot twins, Mudflap and Skids. These are shockingly crass and unfortunate black stereotypes, jive-talking fools who can't read and bumble their way from one mishap to the next. They are Jar Jar Binks in car form.

After only an hour, it all feels boring and numbingly repetitive, and one glance and the watch tells you you've got another solid hour and a half to go.

What's that, you say? You want to know what the "Transformers" sequel is about? How quaint. Basically, it follows the further adventures of plucky, young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf, seriously straining his likability), who is yet again stuck in the middle of the eternal fight between the noble Autobots and the evil Decepticons.

The mythology is much more dense than that, though, as we learn from several self-serious, expository speeches delivered by Autobot leader Optimus Prime (voiced as always by Peter Cullen), Decepticon leader Megatron (Hugo Weaving) — oh yes, he's back — and the elderly Brit, Jetfire (Mark Ryan). Something about millennia of history and oppression, and capturing the energy of the sun. (Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman returned to write the script, along with Ehren Kruger, inspired by the Hasbro Transformer toys and the animated '80s TV show.)

Megan Fox is also back as Sam's impossibly hot girlfriend, Mikaela, with whom he hopes to maintain a long-distance relationship as he heads off to college. (The first time we see her, it's from behind in a pair a Daisy Duke shorts as she's bent over a motorcycle seat; this, and running across the desert while maintaining perfect lip gloss, are all she's asked to do.) Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson also provide eye candy as commanders of a secret team that works alongside the Autobots to hunt down any remaining Decepticons; this requires them to look hot in camouflage as they squint pensively into the sunset.

Laughs are unusual in this brawny endeavor, but if anyone gets them, it's John Turturro as a former secret agent who gets hauled back into the fray. You'll feel as if you've been dragged in, too.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," a DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material. Running time: 150 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G — General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3F_P0po5ZMVUnHtWG733Ki7p_WQD990H9800

Air France Crash Photos

The world saw the disappearance of an A330 Air Frane during its trans Atlantic flight between Rio to Paris .

Here are two shots taken inside the plane before it crashed.

The two photos attached were taken by one of the passengers before the aircraft crashed. This extraordinary photographer kept his cool, even in his last moments of life, to take these photos. The photos were retrieved from the camera's memory stick. You will never again see photos like this.
In the first photo, there is a gaping hole in the fuselage through which you can see the tailplane and a vertical fin of the aircraft.


In the second photo, one of the passengers is seen being sucked out of the gaping hole.

The photos were found in a digital Casio Z750, amidst the debris. Although the camera was destroyed, the Memory Stick was recovered. Investigating the serial number of the camera, the owner was identified as Paulo G. Muller, an actor of a theatre for children known in the outskirts of Porto Alegre .. It can be imagined that he was standing during the turbulence, he managed to take these photos, just seconds after the tail loss and the aircraft plunged. The structural stress probably ripped the engines away, diminishing the falling speed, protecting the electronic equipment but unfortunately not the victims. Paulo Muller leaves behind two daughters, Bruna and Beatriz.

Paris Hilton brings her reality show to Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Paris Hilton said she studied the culture of Dubai and promised the Middle East version of her reality show will steer clear of the drinking and the swearing it had in Los Angeles and London.

The remarks came as Hilton, 28, launched the Mideast edition of her "Paris Hilton's My New BFF" series in Dubai, a glitzy sheikdom in the United Arab Emirates. BFF stands for best friends forever.

"I wanted to know everything about this place first because I wanted to make sure everything was OK," the hotel heiress was quoted as saying by The National newspaper Thursday. "I just want to respect everyone here."

The fame-loving Hilton promised to dress conservatively and said her Dubai-based MTV series will be open to women only. There will be no finger pointing and laughing at anybody, the show's producers said.

"I expect to learn a lot here. It's a completely different world," Hilton also said.

Twenty-two contestants will try their best to become Hilton's new BFF in the 20 days she will spend in the Emirates. No air date has yet been set for the Mideast show.

When not filming her reality show, intended for broadcast throughout the Arab region, Hilton will explore the desert, go camel riding, get a henna tattoo and go skiing on Dubai's famed artificial ski slope inside a shopping mall.

The show's producer Michael Hirschorn said that the filming will last some three weeks, while the finale will be filmed in Los Angeles. The plan is to build "My New BFF" into a global franchise, with Hilton searching for BFFs around the world.

Hilton previously filmed two seasons in Los Angeles for MTV and one in London for British television.

Contestants were competing fiercely for the title in the U.K. and the U.S. versions of the show. They drank alcohol and used foul language and tactics to earn it — something producers said will not be allowed in Dubai.