D2

By Jerry Liao

Technews
Aftermath Of The MegaUpload Shutdown
New Generation System, Compact And Lightweight Camera Opens The Way For A New Style Of Interchangeable-Lens Digital Camera With High-Performance Electronic Viewfinder
lympus Imaging Corporation has announced the introduction of the OLYMPUS OM-D, a new generation system camera compliant with the Micro Four Thirds System standard, scheduled for release in late March 2012. RedDot Philippines, the exclusive national distributor of Olympus, will be debuting the OM-D on April 2012 in the Philippine market.

EVERY MONDAY February 13, 2012

New OLYMPUS OM-D

t the height of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) discussion, one of Internets largest file-sharing site MegaUpload.com was shutdown by the United States federal government. Megaupload.com allows individuals, including artists, to download, store and share over the Internet large content files, including text. Seven people were charged for running a $500 million worldwide piracy ring that trafficked in copyrighted movies, books and music. The seven were charged with five counts of racketeering, copyright infringement and conspiracy to commit copyright infringement. If convicted, the seven could be jailed for up to 20 years. According to prosecutors, MegaUpload founder Kim Dotcom (Schmitz) made 27 million from MegaUpload in 2010. During the raid, authorities were able to seized 25 cars mainly top-of-the range Mercedes, including Maseratis, a vintage pink Cadillac and a 300,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom. With the MegaUpload.com shutdown, the discussion over anti-piracy heats up. Theres no question, piracy is not to be tolerated. Copyrights and intellectual properties should be protected and lawful owners should be properly compensated. But where do we put the line between piracy and freedom on the internet means of distributing content online? For some upcoming artists, software developers and for some independent film makers, uploading their materials on the web is a great way for them to be known, an affordable way to promote their work and to some, a way to earn some revenue. But for established artists and big movie companies, having their content uploaded without proper authorization and license is considered piracy. For MegaUpload users in par-

ticular, no doubt there are pirated contents on its servers, but there are legitimate contents as well. When the site was shutdown and the servers confiscated, what happens to the legal contents uploaded by users? Will they be charged as well or should they suffer just because others use the site for piracy? In the area of technology, digital lockers like MegaUpload.com will start to think twice before offering such service for they might suffer the same fate as MegaUpload. Which reminds me, whats the difference between the technology used by digital lockers to the technology offered by companies who are advocates of cloud computing where users can upload their content up on the cloud for backup purposes? Will the MegaUpload.com shutdown help solve the piracy problem? I sincerely doubt it. You can expect peer-to-peer networks which allow sharing of files among consumer computers usage to rise. You can be assured that peerto-peer systems like BitTorrent and PirateBay will gain more activity after the MegaUpload shutdown. Another concern I have is the digital protest we are seeing after the SOPA / PIPA and the MegaUpload.com shutdown. Online companies suddenly shutdown their sites in protest of SOPA / PIPA. Hackers started hacking websites again to show their protest to the actions taken for most of them, the action is a way to suppress internet freedom and innovation. Are we seeing the new age of cyberwar taking place? I just remembered what the late Steve Jobs said when he stood his grounds when he was told to increase the fee of .99 cents per music. Steve said No to the price increase because according to him, once people cannot afford to buy legitimate music, they will resort to piracy. I am logging off. Stay cool and God Bless!

Main Features 1. Compact, lightweight body in the tradition of the famous OM Series: Made of magnesium alloy and enhanced with the same dust-/ splash-proof capability already proven with the E-5 camera 2. 16.05-megapixel new Live MOS Sensor and TruePic VI image processing engine for high image quality and high sensitivity 3. Electronic viewfinder with high image quality and high functionality that enables real-time checking of various shooting conditions 4. Worlds first 5-axis image stabilization to compensate for camera shake of any kind during both still photo and movie shooting 5. Worlds fastest FAST AF autofocusing system plus 3D tracking for improved moving object tracking performance Among interchangeable lens digital cameras on the market. The time from the moment the OLYMPUS OM-D combined with the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ that is set to a focal length of 35mm (70mm: 35mm camera equivalent) and focused at the infinite position starts autofocusing on a subject at a distance of 1 meter until it focuses on it and starts exposure. According to Olympuss in-house test condi-

tions. Forty years ago, in 1972, Olympus introduced the world to one of the most revolutionary cameras ever devised the OLYMPUS M-1. Smaller and lighter by far than any other contemporary 35mm SLR camera, this camera was the first in a series that would become one of the most beloved lines of cameras in the world. Renamed the OLYMPUS OM-1 in 1973, this unique and innovative camera gave its name to the OM Series of system SLR cameras, evolving and maturing over the years through the OM-2 and OM10, culminating with the OM-3Ti in 1994. Throughout this period, the OM Series maintained the compact size, light weight and originality that had made it a legend among camera buffs the world over. The just-announced new generation system camera, the OLYMPUS OM-D, picks up where the original OM series left off. Like the popular PEN Series models, the OLYMPUS OM-D features a compact, lightweight design thats fully compliant with the Micro Four Thirds System standard. But whereas the PEN Series inherited the convenience, simplicity, and high image quality offered by the PEN Series in the film age, the OLYMPUS OM-D has inherited the tradition of a true

system SLR from the OM Series. The OLYMPUS OM-D is designed for serious camera buffs who want to make full use of interchangeable lenses and shoot photographic masterpieces by looking into the viewfinder, without having to worry about the weather or environmental conditions. Sand, sun, sleet, or snow, the OLYMPUS OM-D is a camera thats ready to go. From the outside, this camera looks very much like you would expect an SLR to look, yet like the original OM series, its compact body exudes a feeling of compressed power, while its magnesium-alloy cabinet provides a solid, reliable casing with maximum rigidity. The top of the camera is also made of magnesium alloy, while the bottom is made of aluminum, reinforcing the sense of quality and durability. In addition to its rugged design and high reliability, this camera emphasizes the feeling of traditional quality and classic good looks that will make camera buffs eager to own and possess it. The body employs shields extensively and has a dust-/splash-proof construction capable of standing up to the rigors of the toughest environments including heavy rain and blowing sand. When the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ lens is used, the body and lens form an integrated dust- and splash-proof unit that is extremely reliable.

Social Media Tools

Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare these three social media sites are flying high in colors for having so many users day after day. Whether youre mad for Twitter, cautious with Facebook or addicted to Foursquare, these sites can help in one way or another. Generatus (http://generatus.com) Lets face it. Not everyone is witty and creative enough to come up with a one liner that can spike up curiosity from its readers. Fret not because this website generates random ideas that will definitely give your next status update a second read. Top Twitter Trends (www.toptwittertrends.com) Want to be in the know of whats trending worldwide and immediately see the feed of tweets coming in? The Top Twitter Trends site shows the top 10 most popular Twitterhashtags in the world in real-time. Visiting the sitemaysolve your curiosity to know what people are actually tweeting, which makes the hashtag trend. TweetMeme (www.tweetmeme.com) The hottest links of Twitter all posted in one website. These are actually the stories people are currently sharing and linking to. Topics are divided into categories, which makes it easier to browse and retweet. By being active on this website, you would seem to always be updated of everything. When Will I Be Mayor (www.whenwillibemayor.com) For Foursquare users who are so much into fulfilling their virtual dream to be a mayor of a certain venue, this website can help you make it into a reality. The site basically searches for your Foursquare history to find out how many more times you need to check-in before getting that coveted Mayorship. Unofficial Facebook Blog (http://fbknol.com) Tired reading your networks status updates, links, and photos? Head on to this website to get to know more about the developments on latest Facebook features. It also has a good mix of how-to guides, tips on how to enable and disable certain configurations. Sick Facebook (http://sickfacebook.com) If youre sick and tired of Facebook, the SickFacebook site will be your best friend. It keeps a number of anti-Facebook blog posts, which talk about all the negative and annoying things about Zuckerbergs creation. Hootsuite (www.hootsuite.com) A great way to manage multiple social media sites in one. The advantage of using Hootsuite is that you no longer have to open several browser tabs or download a number of applications in order to log in and keep yourself updated with notifications. It also allows the scheduling of messages (i.e. tweets and Facebook posts). (Glenn Ong)

Logitech Touch Mouse M600 Mouse: Swipe And Scroll Minus Buttons
The Logitech Touch Mouse M600 lets you do your navigating via a touch surface instead of buttons. The peripheral is outfitted with the companys Flow Scroll software that touts a similar feel to scrolling on your touchscreen smartphone of choice. From wherever your fingers contact the top of the mouse, you can scroll and swipe in order to keep powering through those Photoshop files. The M600 works just as well for lefties once click areas are reconfigured with Logitechs SetPoint software.

John Allyza Marie

Sakura Samurai: Art Of The Sword

hen so many sword fighting games result into button mashing, Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword favors precision and split-second timing. The game becomes unique because of it's inclusion of honor and swordsmanship. The story starts out with an evil force kidnaps the land's princess and you, as the great samurai, must display your awesomeness. A mysterious water sprite gives helps you by giving your sword the power of the cherry blossom, which doesn't sound that cool until you use it to turn your blade into a flurry of razorsharp insta-death for opponents. On the battlefield, your face off against foes in a tight third-person perspective that makes combat feel more personal. When you're surrounded by an assortment of enemy archers, spear-wielding grunts, ka-

tana-toting samurai, bomb-throwing ninjas, and more, you automatically lock on to face whichever foe is currently attacking. They're nice enough to take turns, rather than charge in all at once, but you can dodge or block attacks and then counter with rapid strikes Sakura Samurai does a good job of switching up enemy types, their

attack patterns, and their toughness. Precision points also encourage you to hone your skill. Dodging attacks at the last second earns you precision points you can trade in for additional coins, though taking damage resets the count to zero. It's a well-implemented risk-versus-reward system that adds more depth to combat.