Ever since I joined Plurk, it has become a daily, nigh, hourly routine to check if there are new plurks and responses. I start some, I join some. Conversations, which I personally call threads, that is. And now that Plurk lets you customize the Plurk page/timeline, it makes it even harder to make myself not check my Plurk.

This is basically the challenge every developer will be facing if they decide to develop a desktop client for Plurk. Twhirl was a hit because Twitter’s interface, well, let’s face it, it sucks. The level of interactivity of Twitter’s site can not compare to Plurk’s. So the question is, what should be in Plurk’s desktop client?

Form and Function
First, it should be lightweight, and the installation should leave a very, very small footprint. Less than half a meg would be great. But of course, this would limit the features that will go in on this app.

What should be seen by the user must be things that are really, really, really necessary. Plurk’s mobile interface is a good start. And start there, I shall.

Aside from what is currently shown on the mobile interface, I guess it would be helpful to know how many characters are left when I start typing my usual non-sensical banter. So a character counter should be included.

A dropdown menu of emoticons would surely be a great addition, but not required, as some people would have already memorized the code to execute the emoticon.

For vanity’s sake, let’s include karma stats and if it went up or down by how much as of the last update.

I don’t really give a damn about the qualifiers, but it helps reduce the number of words as it doesn’t count against the 140 character limit. I’d say it’s optional, but if it’s going to be put in the desktop client, it should support other languages besides English.

It would also be nice to have the ability to edit or delete your own plurk, mute or unmute threads, control your friends list and cliques, and manage alerts. And a way to add friends and visit the Interesting Plurkers section would be great.

I’ve been monkeying around and testing Plurk It and Plurkair. So far, both have used the mobile interface and didn’t add any notable features. Another thing they have in common is AIR.

Unless these features are incorporated, I don’t see any reason to not visit my Plurk page. There’s Mozilla Prism anyway that allows me to use web apps as a desktop app. The new question is, will twhirl step up to the plate and develop support for Plurk with all the bells and whistles?

It has been a few months since I built a new desktop PC, and with this new PC I decided to use newer techonologies, like a PCI Express video card instead of AGP, DDR2 RAM sticks instead of DDR, dual core processor instead of the old single core, and a high capacity SATA drive instead of IDE.

What I didn’t replace was the operating system (OS) as it still serves me well and good. Ashamed to admit it, I’m still using Windows XP, not Ubuntu, OSx86 or Kalyway, or some obscure, new age OS. I am ashamed of using Windows XP, but I’m proud to say I’m not using Vista. At least, not yet. I stuck with XP because of the programs and applications I needed to use for work. If, and when, some entity or being or corporation decides to make something similar to Adobe CS3 that will run natively in Linux, expect me to be one of the first people to renounce Microsoft products. It’s Open Source all the way or nothing at all. Also, I’m too cheap to buy a Mac.

Everything was humming along quite fine, but one day, my wife restarted the PC and she gets this error that says the system folder is corrupted. She panicked and told me immediately that she didn’t do anything with the PC and that it just happened. I then proceeded to investigate the problem and decided it was best to run the diagnostic utility CHKDSK to find out if some of the system files were corrupted and just needed to be fixed. After about an hour of waiting for CHKDSK to finish, it reported that errors were found and fixed. I found this odd since the SATA drive where the OS was installed was just nearly a month old. I thought it weird to get bad clusters/sectors on the hard drive this early. After I rebooted, everything was peachy again.

Then all sorts of weird stuff started to happen. I always get an error saying some application was impossible to turn off every time I shut down the PC. Bittorrent got cranky when downloading something while Google Desktop was running, which made me turn off Google Desktop every time I started Bittorrent. And some of the video files won’t display properly when being played when it used to play smoothly before. After a few weeks, new issues started popping up.

While all this was going on, my IDE hard drive remained silently as a blank drive inside my PC. Then a few days ago, I decided to install my operating system on the IDE and made it my primary boot device. I noticed a difference in XP’s performance in the sense that it’s more stable. Speed difference was not noticeable. I didn’t get any errors shutting down, and Bittorrent is doing fine, although I still haven’t reinstalled Google Desktop yet, so it remains to be seen.

But here’s the thing: the IDE drive where I installed my operating system is more than three years old. THREE YEARS. And I still haven’t seen a “Windows cannot boot because C:\Windows\System32 is corrupted” kind of error on booting. I never had to recover data or fix errors on the IDE drive.

I searched for reviews and comparisons between IDE and SATA and it seems SATA has the upper hand. This is because it is slowly becoming the new standard as motherboard manufacturers opt to use the space-saving interface that is SATA, instead of IDE. SATA is also very convenient and easy to install, has a higher bus speed capacity, and is hot-swappable, meaning the PC doesn’t have to be shut down to replace the hard drive. One thing I think SATA lacks is the stability and reliability at high speeds. The faster you go, the more the steering wheel will wobble. Ok, that was a mouthful.

Anyway, although SATA will clearly be the new standard and IDE’s days are numbered, I will still stick with IDE and recommend it to be used as the OS drive, for now. When the SATA drive manufacturers get their act together to make SATA drives that have reliable clusters and more stable at higher speeds, only then would I recommend SATA drives.

So again, for now, stick with IDE.

Reconstruction of Gormful is (almost) finished. The design is greatly inspired by Just watch the Sky. Minimalism will always be in.

Finally, the long wait is over. WordPress Theme developers can now upload their themes in the newly refurbished theme repository under the Extend umbrella. Knock yourself out, kids.

It’s been a while since I last asked this question to myself, where I contemplate if I should stay with a company or not. It’s been a long time, too, that I’ve been working for this company, almost as long as one of my previous employments. I may surpass my tenure from before with my tenure here, but I wonder, why am I even staying here?

Long story short, Bills. Short story long, I have no idea why, but I would like to think about it in the meantime.

The people around me, although I don’t work with some of them directly, are a hoot to work with. The office is bearable, thanks to these guys. The pay is not as good as it only covers *some* bills. Stretching the paycheck has become an artform for some. I’m still wrestling with my wallet as it sometimes isn’t agreeable. HMO coverage is mediocre at best, as it also dents the paycheck quite substantially, IF there is one. Future employees (read: fresh grads) should prepare themselves to be disappointed. Aside from the fact that they will not get what they want, they should also start embracing the principle that the world doesn’t owe them anything, much less the companies they will eventually work for.

As for the workload, I can’t complain. Some of the times, I am neck-deep in tasks and duties. Most of the time, it is smooth-sailing and quite enjoyable. This is the reason why I was able to take on a second job. However, the time I spend with my family became scarce. It’s not really recommended to work two jobs when you’re just starting a family.

The pay-grade has changed. So should your lifestyle.

This is probably what makes living so hard. The more you get, the more drastic your lifestyle will change. If it doesn’t, then you’re one of the lucky few who can. Examples of lifestyle changes would be taking a cab instead of using public transportation, subscribing to a post-paid mobile plan from using no mobile phone at all, buying more expensive branded apparel instead of buying cheaper brands, and pursuing a very expensive hobby like photography, sailing, etc. Most of the people I know changed their lifestyle so much after getting promoted that they get quite a shock when they realize how much they are paying to maintain it. I know I did. Can they, or we, change back to the way it was? It’s an uphill battle that most would just roll with the punches until they’re dead.

So in effect, everything you have ever done, everything you will ever do, and everything you will ever think about doing is all for naught. Not even for yourself. Those who were able to pursue their expensive hobbies and still able to smile after doing so are called contented. Those who cringe should think about going back to their old, simpler lifestyles.

Why am I staying here again? Bills.

What’s your excuse for staying?

The registration for WordCamp Philippines 2008 is now open. Signup to attend the Philippines’ most awaited blogging event of the year.

Would we be better off without a government?
Left and right, one will hear the groans, gripes, complaints, and cries about how unaffordable the cost of living is. Taxes and interest rates go up while the wages stay still. One would wonder how anyone could still afford to support themselves, let alone raise a family. Are taxes really helping the country, or is it just another proverbial nail in the coffin? An individual’s debt may or may not break someone’s back, but if left uncheck, one will surely be overwhelmed and would rather go to jail than pay up. And please, don’t get me started with traffic and the rising fuel prices.

Is there such a thing as too much tax?
Withholding taxes and EVAT may be the prominent taxes the private sector may be all too familiar with. 30% of an individual’s salary goes to the government and what do they get in return? Condescension and annoyance from government employees who are thick-skinned, dim-witted, and too high up in their own pedestals to notice that without the public, they wouldn’t be where they are. That’s what they get. Not to mention the endless hours of waiting in line only to be spat on and belittled by the aforementioned scum.

The public’s mal-education is the most probable cause, with stupid parenting a close second, if there actually is a difference. The most probable solution is to PROPERLY EDUCATE THE MASSES. Who, then, is supposed to teach the public? Anyone who is credible enough to be believed in and followed should do it. That leaves every single politician out of the equation. What, then, should be taught? I would suggest The Golden Rule, but there’s just too many idiots who botch it up, rendering their own stupid “Golden Rule” so I’m proposing that we use the late, great George Carlin’s version of the Ten Commandments, in which he insists we only need two.

Thou shalt always be honest and faithful, especially to the provider of thy nookie.

Thou shalt try REAL HARD NOT to kill anyone, unless, of course they pray to a different invisible avenger than the one you pray to.

And he adds an optional third:

Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself.

With these commandments, I don’t think we would ever need a government. The fundamental purpose of a government is the maintenance of basic security and public order. The police force, the clerks and their supervisors, the congresspeople, the senators, the president, they are all expendable. I would rather live in anarchy and reap the fruits of my labors, 100% of them, rather than give some portion to someone who wouldn’t, couldn’t care less about my well-being and security. In a utopian world, we wouldn’t need armies, bureaucracy, and traffic. Everyone will live and let live. Selflessness is the key.

Fuck the Government
Years ago, there was this great inventor, a Filipino, who made it possible to make your vehicle run on tap water. A very remarkable invention, one that would make us, the Filipino people, and the Philippines, independent of oil companies, not to mention a cleaner and more breathable environment. Imagine travelling a thousand kilometers on a gallon of water. I waited eagerly for this invention to be put in production. What did the government do? The government asked for proof that this thing works. Yesterday. The car running on water was already televised and reported by various media companies, for crying out loud. It was televised and made public then, and it was televised and made public again yesterday. The government is still asking for proof? Only thing that comes in mind is the imagined outcry of politicians screaming and not wanting to say goodbye to oil companies’ grease money. Pun greatly intended. So what does the future hold for this poor genius? He will now begin to entertain offers from other countries interested in the technology, with one condition: that the country purchasing the technology will hire 200 Filipinos. Despite the government turning their back on him, he still thinks about his fellows. I salute you, Mr. Water-powered Vehicle Inventor. I don’t know your name, but I will never forget what you did.

Not Anarchy
It may seem that I’m advocating anarchy. I’m not. (Surprise!) I’m advocating selflessness and a greater sense of community. When there is no government, there is individuality. Live and let live. That’s all I’m saying. As for Social Networks, they fail for they don’t really promote a community, much less unity. Social Networks promote apps, invites, spam, and opportunities to exploit the public’s gullibility.

I’m wondering when all this interconnectedness will make us all united to reach one goal: Utopia.

By the way, in case you don’t know, trolls aren’t allowed, nor welcome, in Utopia.

The Internet has taught me web standards, PHP, MySQL, website administration, how to modify WordPress, etc. In other words, it has taught me a lot in terms of technical knowledge regarding websites. But what it actually taught me besides making myself more marketable in the field of web development is the knowledge I get when doing a research on a certain topic.

Take, for example, the Microsoft-Yahoo snorefest a few months ago. Microsoft was so sure Yahoo would give in. When they did not, Microsoft stepped back from the table. However, some Yahoo shareholders would like Microsoft to make a bid again and they, the shareholders, will make sure Yahoo’s board will be more agreeable. Fat chance of that happening. Microsoft was already shunned away. To keep themselves from being humiliated further, they would rather acquire Yahoo slices instead of the whole pie. As an aftermath, executives and staff alike decided to leave a sinking ship, if it really is sinking, and this is after they laid off a sizable amount of their workforce. Founders of Flickr left Yahoo, which made me wonder what will happen now to Flickr. Is the US economy really that bad that VPs and executives are leaving the company? Yahoo will have to be more agile to cope up with the scaling web.

I also noticed this in Plurk, not that there’s someone trying to takeover the company. After a month of plurking and being a member, it is only now that I understood why Plurk was created. It’s supposed to enlighten the user. The karma points that the user receives are merely that. I used to join in on the discussions and threads, but it seems to me that Plurk has become a popularity contest, something the creators never intended it to be. So now, I’d rather read and follow Plurkers that post links to sites, videos, and pictures, and would challenge myself to find those little golden bits of amusement to share to others. It makes catching up on 400+ new plurks worthwhile. More often than not, I am thinking about the answer to the question “what’s in it for me?” And if I don’t have anything worthwhile to say, I won’t say anything at all. This is the reason why my plurks are becoming very seldom.

So, what has the Internet taught you?