Technology Waves in Cebu

The passion for Technology is the same as my passion in connecting to people.  So, the past few weeks had been very busy in sharing Technology to faculty, students and practitioners in Cebu.

I spoke about Technology Trends and what we need to do to prepare for it.  I told them that the Cloud Computing people had been waiting has actually been there for quite a while.  I touched on PaaS, SaaS, Mobility and Analytics and how technology has been helping taking the world around us take a different shape.  I also challenged their students to invest time to understand what's happening around them.  Lastly, of course I highlighted that there is career in Technology.

The Technology Wave is in Cebu!

Computer Science and IT students and Faculty of Cebu Institute of Technology -University doing the Technology Wave

Engineering students and Faculty of University of San Carlos doing the Technology Wave

and last July 23, 350+ students, faculty and IT practitioners of Cebu gather at the Waterfront Hotel to be part of  the Technology Wave

And there was press coverage for the final event.


Press coverage:
http://mytechisland.com/2012/07/accenture-marks-technology-month-in-july.html
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=832759&publicationSubCategoryId=108
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2012/07/23/software-can-solve-world-s-problems-233596

Waterfront Hotel Lahug Cebu City, Cebu

4 months ago, the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu City underwent a massive renovation.  So it looked something like this...

A few months after, the promise of a Grander lobby has been realized.  

The Waterfront Hotel and Casinos in Cebu City is one of the most popular hotels in the whole island.  Location is fantastic, less than 10minutes away from Ayala, 15 minutes away from SM, less than 20 minutes away from Downtown, and a literal 1-street cross away from IT Park.

Now with a grander lobby, can the Waterfront Hotel at Lahug challenge the more affluent hotels in the city? Let's break it down.

Facade, Lobby, Interior:   In 2008, I referred to the Waterfront Hotel as the Disneyland of all hotels in Cebu.  At night, the green and purple lights outline the palatial architecture of the building - imagine the palace in the animated movie Aladdin.  With the 2012 renovation, the Waterfront Hotel can challenge the Shangri-la Mactan and Imperial palace in terms of "regalness" of their Lobby.  I love when a promise of grandness from a hotel is realized.  So kudos to Waterfront for this.

Things to do:  Lots! There is a duty free store here, a decent gym, a nice pool, Uno - the buffet restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, an Italian restaurant, and a nice bar.  Plus not to mention the biggest casino in the whole of Cebu.   And the location of the hotel provides easy access to the major tourist, shopping and dining places.  Of course the hotel is in the city, so do not expect a beach here.  But everything else is here.  And I also fancy the bands that play at nights at the lobby.  Incredible voices from "upstairs"

Service: Hotel Service in Cebu is "above average" on the average.  And Waterfront is no exception.  I lived at the hotel for 34 days straight back in September.   And I really liked how polite the concierge was in reminding me that my company has not paid for my room yet =).  They do this very discretely.  But avoid the check-in rush hour.  And in Waterfront this is not 2pm, this is more of 5-7pm.  I think because many businessmen and office people fly to Cebu in the morning, go to work first and check-in after office hours.  The check-in queue could be incredibly long.

Rooms:  Ugh!  The downfall of Waterfront.  All irony start and end here.  For the grandness of their lobby, the shabbiness of their rooms.  I particularly despise their room carpets.  It is the same as the Days Inn Hotel carpet in Tagaytay.  To put it mildly - gross!   I just hope they also have plans of renovating their rooms.   Next to the carpet, they can start with the beddings and the curtains.  They probably inspired the invention of different off-white colors like ecrue, mother-of-pearl...you know those that are supposed to be white but are not.  Next would be 100% renovation of their bathrooms.  This I can compare to airport restroom marble counters.  The money that they may have saved years ago will cost them a fortune to renovate.  Sorry, replace.  There is simply no hope to renovate the black and mildewed counters.

Price:  Very reasonable, probably the best 'value for money' hotel in the City of Cebu, especially with corporate rates.   They charge almost 50% less than Marriott and even Radisson.  So if you like spending more time outside your room, then definitely consider staying at Waterfront Hotel.

In Summary for Waterfront Hotel Lahug Cebu City:
Location:  9/10 stars
Things to do: 10/10 stars
Room: 2/10 stars
Service: 8/10 stars (I wish they had flat iron and ironing board in every room like Marriott)
Price: 9/10 stars

Learning and Challenging the Mind

Last Month, family went to San Franciso and decided to spend a few hours at the Exploratorium   Museum of Science, Art and Human Perception.  We ended up staying and exploring for a good 4 hours!

I heard Manila also has a Science Museum in Taguig.  Great!

Math Equations That Changed the World

Mathematics is a foundation of technology.  Any new cellphone, gadget, or practically any scientific discovery was inspired by Mathematics. Yahoo published a list of the most important Math equations courtesy of Professor Stewart of the University of Warwick. Here they are:

According to Prof. Stewart, the following 17 equations have changed the world: 
Pythagoras's Theorem, Logarithms, Calculus, Newton's Law of Gravity, The Square Root of Minus One, Euler's formula for Polyhedra, Normal Distribution, Wave Equation, Fourier Transform, Navier-Stokes Equation, Maxwell's Equations, Second Law of Thermodynamics, Relativity, Schrödinger equation, Information Theory, Chaos Theory and Black Scholes Equation.

Math Equations that changed the world:

1. Pythagoras's Theorem:  





In any right triangle, the area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares whose sides are the two legs (the two sides that meet at a right angle).


2. Logarithms





The logarithm of a number is the exponent by which another fixed value, the base, has to be raised to produce that number. 


3.  Calculus





4.  Newton's Law of Gravity

Every point mass attracts every single other point mass by a force pointing along the line intersecting both points. The force is proportional to the product of the two masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them:

where:

• F is the force between the masses,
• G is the gravitational constant,
• m₁ is the first mass,
• m₂ is the second mass, and
• r is the distance between the centers of the masses.

5. The Square Root of Minus One


 i² = −1


The imaginary unit is sometimes written √−1 in advanced mathematics contexts (as well as in less advanced popular texts). However, great care needs to be taken when manipulating formulas involving radicals. The notation is reserved either for the principal square root function, which is only defined for real x ≥ 0, or for the principal branch of the complex square root function


6. Euler's formula for Polyhedra


Realized that Euler has a brilliant, brilliant mind.  So any of his formulas could end up on the list.  So the list was not talking about this formula: 



but rather this formula below.This is also called Euler's Polyhedron formula. Where V refers to vertices, E to Edges and F for Faces.  One of the more people-accessible formulas from Euler.





7.  Normal Distribution




Looks very complex, but this is one of the more practical in the list. Mathematicians call this the Gaussian function or the probability density function.  To everyone else,this is the formula for the Bell Curve.


8. Wave Equation




 the wave equation concerns a time variable t, one or more spatial variables x₁, x₂, …, x_n, and a scalar function u = u (x₁, x₂, …, x_n; t), whose values could model the height of a wave







9. Fourier Transform





Expresses a mathematical function of time as a function of frequency, known as its frequency spectrum.  More common in Physics or Engineering but of course a mathematics construct just like most of them.




10. Navier-Stokes Equation

Navier–Stokes equations (general)

where v is the flow velocity, ρ is the fluid density, p is the pressure,  is the (deviatoric) stress tensor, and f represents body forces (per unit volume) acting on the fluid and ∇ is the del operator. This is a statement of the conservation of momentum in a fluid and it is an application of Newton's second law to a continuum; in fact this equation is applicable to any non-relativistic continuum and is known as the Cauchy momentum equation.


11. Maxwell's Equations


could refer to several ground-breaking equations, as Maxwell is considered to be the godfather of Electromagnetism.  The more popular one would be a derivation of Maxwell's concepts, more popularly known as Gauss's Law:

12. Second Law of Thermodynamics

A change in the entropy (dS) of a system is the infinitesimal transfer of heat (δQ) to a closed system driving a reversible process, divided by the equilibrium temperature (T) of the system.^[1]

The first law of thermodynamics provides the basic definition of thermodynamic energy, also called internal energy, associated with all thermodynamic systems, but unknown in mechanics, and states the rule of conservation of energy in nature.

However, the concept of energy in the first law does not account for the observation that natural processes have a preferred direction of progress

13. Relativity


E = mc²


The two postulates of special relativity predict the equivalence of mass andenergy, as expressed in the mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc², where c is the speed of light in vacuum


14.  Schrödinger equation


Time-dependent Schrödinger equation (general)

where Ψ is the wave function of the quantum system, i is the imaginary unit, ħ is the reduced Planck constant, and  is the Hamiltonian operator, which characterizes the total energy of any given wavefunction and takes different forms depending on the situation.




15. Information Theory


There are so many formulas from the Information Theory, but the most common would be this: 


 


16. Chaos Theory 

where λ is the Lyapunov exponent. The rate of separation can be different for different orientations of the initial separation vector. Thus, there is a whole spectrum of Lyapunov exponents — the number of them is equal to the number of dimensions of the phase space. It is common to just refer to the largest one, i.e. to the Maximal Lyapunov exponent (MLE), because it determines the overall predictability of the system. A positive MLE is usually taken as an indication that the system is chaotic.

17. Black Scholes Equation




where W is Brownian motion. Note that W, and consequently its infinitesimal increment dW, represents the only source of uncertainty in the price history of the stock



The full yahoo article is in the link below:
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/17-maths-equations-that-changed-the-world.html;_ylt=AjJmzT_E5Dr.ZPoASLokzN71V8d_;_ylu=X3oDMTFqaTNjbzlmBG1pdANBcnRpY2xlIEJvZHkEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhQXJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTJyazB2ZzUyBGludGwDcGgEbGFuZwNlbi1waARwc3RhaWQDMDA5OWIxMzItNGUyZi0zOGIxLWI2YTctZThmMDQwNmFkZjQ4BHBzdGNhdANidXNpbmVzcwRwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=3?page=all

Cebu Boneless Lechon Belly

In the Philippines, each province and city claims they have the best lechon in the country.  Cebuanos and many non-Cebuanos alike are convinced that the best lechon is the Cebu Lechon.

At last night's episode of Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho, a new variety of the Cebu lechon has been focused on the limelight.  After the very famous CNT, Zubuchon, Ayer, and the Talisay lechon, here comes the Cebu Boneless Lechon Belly.

Right now, it is only available at the Parkmall in Mandaue, Cebu.  So we went last night fearing after the Jessica Soho feature, an avalanche of curious will add to the loyal lechon afficionados.  The line was long, but the regular Cebuanos simply stand in line for their turn.

The Cebu Boneless Lechon Belly was surprisingly not pricey.  It was sold at 115 pesos for 1/4 kilo for original, and 120 for the spicy variety.  Compared to Zubuchon or CNT which are priced at ~500/kilo, this is a really good deal.  They also have a budget meal with 100 grams of lechon belly for an affordable 60 pesos.

We ordered 1/4 of the original and 1/4 of the spicy. 

The Verdict:

Taste:  Definitely the best tasting lechon we have ever tried!   Very crispy skin but really tender meat.  Yes, to us, it is even better than Zubuchon or CNT.  Of course, it is 10x better than the regular lechon in Manila like Lydia'ss or Mila's.

The spicy variety had a good kick, but still preserved the lechon taste.  And actually helped reduce the "umay" (I've had enough) feeling.

Texture:  Too crispy maybe we then began to wonder if this was really roasted.  It felt that it was fried.

Price:  Jackpot! As this is almost 10% cheaper than the regular Cebu Lechons.  20% cheaper than the usual Manila lechon

Summary:  Exceptional taste.  Very good texture - crisp and tender combination that is really difficult to achieve in a lechon.  The only problem is that it is too greasy.  I wanted to eat more because the taste was simply fantastic.  But I cannot finish.  There was just oil all over.  So if you like your lechon sinfully delicious, then this definitely for you.  

Whether you are up for the grease or not, you still have to try this one of a kind lechon.   I have a feeling after all the hype and the features, prices will no longer be the same in a month's time.

Mantayupan Waterfalls in Barili, Cebu dries up

Pictures from the Mantayupan Falls not a full 2 months ago.  Interesting how Mother Nature can sometimes be a bitch. 

In one of the most devastating eco news this year, the once majestic Mantayupan Falls in Barili, Cebu has dried up.  A sinkhole has been found in Mantayupan last week.  A few days after, the Mantayupan Falls has completely dried up turning the once Tallest Waterfalls in Cebu as a sad-looking cliff.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/228773/sinkhole-drains-river-feeding-mantayupan-waterfalls

The Mantayupan Falls is a major source of livelihood in the whole community.  The water from the falls serve as irrigation to the predominantly farming community.  It also provides water to a good number of fish ponds around the area.

On July 16, the city government and the city has found a quick but temporary situation.  They diverted the water from another source to the falls.  So water now falls at Mantayupan.  For how long, that is the uncertain part.

The Mantayupan Falls aside from the source of livelihood is a popular tourist spot, mostly among the locals.  People swim on the body of water found at the foot of the falls.   Pictures of the falls used as backdrop is staple when one visits the area.

Movenpick Cebu will undergo Renovation

Movenpick Resorts and Hotel in Mactan is one of the most popular vacation destinations in Cebu.  The guests here are more international than say Shangri-la Mactan or Imperial Palace.  This is probably because of the Movenpick brand which is recognized in Europe.  So here you would see Koreans of course, and Japanese, Chinese but also Spanish, French and tourists from Mediterranean countries.

Formerly Hilton Hotel, Movenpick is shutting down its operations starting July 15 due to scheduled renovations.  It is scheduled to re-open in time for the Christmas season on December 15, 2012.

I have mixed feelings about Movenpick Hotel.  Hotel rooms are nice, but I feel that the lobby and the swimming area feels crowded.  I do not get a relaxing feeling whenever I am here.  Oddly, big as the area may be, one could get a feeling of too little personal space.  There are so many unnecessary decorations present and the layout did not seem to maximize the shape of the floor area.  You have a feeling of being cramped yet you see there is a vast space, I know it is ironic.  un-Zen.

There are so many things to be liked at Movenpick though.  This includes their eye-catching pink jeepneys, and their food.  So many will be quite happy about the renovations.

Good Luck Movenpick.

The god particle

This has to be one of the most ground-breaking discoveries in years!  BBC and CNN had the feature on its headline.  Inquirer had it in the Technology Section.


The discovery of the new subatomic particle "Higgs Boson" will pave the way for more convention-defying scientific breakthroughs in the future.  Up until the discovery, the particle is a theoretical particle.  And for years, scientists have worked hard on this.  Friends from TTA said the research had been long and tedious which is why they originally called it the "Goddamn particle".  But of course, they cannot publicly name it like that thus the God particle.


Why is the discovery important?  How important is it?
As per the Associated Press article, "Discovery of the particle is seen as as the key to our understanding of why matter has mass, which combines with gravity to give an object weight. The idea is much like gravity and Isaac Newton’s discovery of it: Gravity was there all the time before Newton explained it. But now scientists know what a boson is and can put that knowledge to further use."


As a big fan of science, I began to reflect on what it was like during the time of Newton and Galileo.  I could imagine the whole world thinking Newton was crazy when he was trying to explain the concept of gravity.  Galileo probably had it worse when he tried to explain that the center of the solar system is the sun, not Earth.  During that time decisions and facts - even scientific ones - are controlled by the church.  


Good thing that the discovery happened now, when information flows freely thru various media especially the internet.  So it would be more difficult to control.  


Let's join the scientific community in celebrating the discovery of the century.

http://technology.inquirer.net/13327/eureka-physicists-celebrate-evidence-of-particle