Vanity Street Markers

   I'm a regular commuter. Every morning, I play tag with buses and FX taxies. I seldom drive to work. As I traverse the stretch of Commonwealth Ave. in Quezon City, I never fail to notice the throngs of other commuters, billboards, etc. But the ones that make me want to vomit are the vanity street markers. These "Welcome" signs are practically littered with the names of politicians. With all their names in every side, you have to sort out the name of the street or barangay that the marker is intended to identify. Reminds me of my favorite word-search game.

   In one "Welcome" sign near Nissan Commonwealth, there's the huge name of this "Honorable". Makes me think if the place is really welcoming visitors or this honorable. The size of the text bearing his name is bigger than that of the Barangay. What a way to flaunt his vanity.

   On the other hand, whenever I travel somewhere way down south, I pass by this public school. As I look at the name of the school, this vanity signage obstructs my view and attention. It states "Honorable-type of Building." The size of this text is bigger than the name of the school! This politician is not an architect nor has ever contributed in the development of Philippine architecture. The only time I see the names of architects in a building is during its construction. One thing is for sure, this vanity signage will always be the star no matter what the season may be.

   If vanity car plates can be regulated, I wish there will also be an ordinance banning or at least regulating the construction of vanity street markers. Names of policians should not appear in these markers. Their names cheapen the marker and destroy the sanctity of the place. It's just a my wishful thinking. No politician will surely propose that ordinance unless he/she is an idealist neophyte. Reminds me of the saying (something like), "theft is not a crime among thieves."

Why fix when it isn't broken?

   It's easy to demoralize people. Abuse your authority; lie with expediency; do the opposite of what you say; and when caught, point to your nearest downline; and the list can go on.

   Managing people is not the same as putting a painting in a wall. I mean install it upside down, criticize it to your heart's content, or just put it in storage. You won't hear any complain. But when it involves a person's space and convenience, it's completely another story especially when logic is defied.

   Why juggle personal spaces when there's so many idle spaces to be improved. Why destroy those that are already built when many broken things are in need of immediate repair. Why demoralize people when they just need hope and inspiration.

  Ahhh... But why fix when it isn't broken? There's another demoralizing factor and it's very simple... CAPRICE!

Returning to Mobile Computing

   It was more than a decade ago when I had my first laptop computer, a Compaq with a Pentium 150mhz CPU. Fast forward to the present. Whenever I go to cyberzones or techno hubs of malls (my techno therapy), I can't fail to notice the dizzying array of laptops, notebooks, and netbooks. Since I am satisfied with my desktop PCs at home and at the office, I never imagine that I would be going back to mobile computing. While wifi is free in SM malls, I only manage to go online via my wife's Nokia E72. However, I can't fully access all the web features as the cell phone is only optimize for "mobile" browsing.

   My return to mobile computing was made possible when my uncle, an aircraft mechanic in Shanghai, China, said via Yahoo Messenger that he would be buying one mobile computer for me. I know it's expensive and I suggested that any Chinese/Taiwanese brand netbook would do. But knowing my uncle's preference for brand and quality, he decided to buy a Sony Vaio M (VPC125JC). As I was elated by his magnanimous gesture, I quickly researched on the Internet more information about this product.

   I've learned that Sony Vaio M is a follow up of the W series (netbook). It sports the new processor Intel N470 (1.83ghz) based on the Pine Trail platform, 1GB of RAM, 10.1" widescreen, Intel GMA 3150, wifi-N, 250GB hard drive, and Windows 7 OS. My uncle had the OS upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate from Windows 7 Home Basic. It doesn't have a built-in optical drive.

    The first thing I did when I got my hands on the Vaio M is install the free MS Security Essentials antivirus. As expected, installation was a breeze because of the legitimate OS. I connected it to the internet through my Belkin N1 Vision. I gave it a break in by checking my yahoo mail, viewing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" (my favorite) in YouTube, and downloading a free utility program.

   Armed with a basic knowledge on netbooks, I am afraid that the 1GB RAM would be a bottleneck especially since the OS is Win 7 Ultimate. I initially thought that RAM could be upgraded but a brief phone call with a Sony Center-Ermita technician revealed the impossibility. RAM is soldered directly to the motherboard and worse, there is even no additional so-dimm slot for upgrade. I quickly looked at the bottom of the unit and I saw that only the battery could be removed. The manuals are practically useless for me because they are written in Chinese. I still have to verify with Sony Service Center if they will honor the international warranty. On the software side, I disable gadgets and aero to save valuable RAM. I also keep startup programs down to minimum.

   Nevertheless, I have no problems so far with my Vaio M. After all why would I use it for processor-heavy stuff like video editing, database management, etc. Netbooks are for "lite" computing. Simple as it may be, I am able to browse multiple websites, view youtube videos, and even stream media (.mp3 and .avi) files from my desktop PC via TVersity software. I even wrote this blog with it.

   I know there's still more to discover about my Vaio M and those are reserved for another blog.