Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Pac-Man on Google wasted 4.8 million hours
It might not sound like a lot on first glance, but the 36 extra seconds that the average Google.com visitor spent there last Friday playing Pac-Man adds up to a massive 4.8 million of wasted hours.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Facebook must stop tricking its users, says Danah Boyd
Danah Boyd, the researcher who accused Google and Facebook of failing users on privacy earlier this year, has called on Facebook to embrace “radical transparency”. In a post on her blog at the weekend, Boyd recalled the reaction to her speech at the South By Southwest conference in Texas:
“After my talk, I received numerous emails from folks at Google, including the PM in charge of Buzz. The tenor was consistent, effectively: ‘we f—– up, we’re trying to fix it, please help us.’ What startled me was the radio silence from Facebook…”
Boyd joins a growing number of technology experts who are criticising Facebook’s approach to privacy. Her argument is particularly powerful since she takes the time to gather data about these things.
“Youth are actually much more concerned about exposure than adults these days. Why? Probably because they get it. And it’s why they’re using fake names and trying to go on the DL (down-low).
“A while back, I was talking with a teenage girl about her privacy settings and noticed that she had made lots of content available to friends-of-friends. I asked her if she made her content available to her mother. She responded with, ‘of course not!’ I had noticed that she had listed her aunt as a friend of hers and so I surfed with her to her aunt’s page and pointed out that her mother was a friend of her aunt, thus a friend-of-a-friend. She was horrified. It had never dawned on her that her mother might be included in that grouping.”
This kind of confusion is understandable given the complexity of Facebook’s privacy settings. Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s vice president for public policy, told the New York Times last week that Facebook can’t win – it is criticised for not allowing enough control if the privacy settings are simple and it is criticised for being too confusing when it allow more granular control.
However, Boyd says Facebook can do more:
“If Facebook wanted radical transparency, they could communicate to users every single person and entity who can see their content. They could notify then when the content is accessed by a partner. They could show them who all is included in ‘friends-of-friends’ (or at least a number of people). They hide behind lists because people’s abstractions allow them to share more. When people think ‘friends-of-friends’ they don’t think about all of the types of people that their friends might link to; they think of the people that their friends would bring to a dinner party if they were to host it. When they think of everyone, they think of individual people who might have an interest in them, not 3rd party services who want to monetize or redistribute their data. Users have no sense of how their data is being used and Facebook is not radically transparent about what that data is used for. Quite the opposite. Convolution works. It keeps the press out.”
Boyd closes by emphasising the importance of choice for Facebook users:
“The battle that is underway is not a battle over the future of privacy and publicity. It’s a battle over choice and informed consent. It’s unfolding because people are being duped, tricked, coerced, and confused into doing things where they don’t understand the consequences. Facebook keeps saying that it gives users choices, but that is completely unfair. It gives users the illusion of choice and hides the details away from them ‘for their own good.’”
However, Facebook is closing in on 500 million users. It might calculate that it can afford to annoy a few of them in order to get what it wants. source: Telegraph
“After my talk, I received numerous emails from folks at Google, including the PM in charge of Buzz. The tenor was consistent, effectively: ‘we f—– up, we’re trying to fix it, please help us.’ What startled me was the radio silence from Facebook…”
Boyd joins a growing number of technology experts who are criticising Facebook’s approach to privacy. Her argument is particularly powerful since she takes the time to gather data about these things.
“Youth are actually much more concerned about exposure than adults these days. Why? Probably because they get it. And it’s why they’re using fake names and trying to go on the DL (down-low).
“A while back, I was talking with a teenage girl about her privacy settings and noticed that she had made lots of content available to friends-of-friends. I asked her if she made her content available to her mother. She responded with, ‘of course not!’ I had noticed that she had listed her aunt as a friend of hers and so I surfed with her to her aunt’s page and pointed out that her mother was a friend of her aunt, thus a friend-of-a-friend. She was horrified. It had never dawned on her that her mother might be included in that grouping.”
This kind of confusion is understandable given the complexity of Facebook’s privacy settings. Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s vice president for public policy, told the New York Times last week that Facebook can’t win – it is criticised for not allowing enough control if the privacy settings are simple and it is criticised for being too confusing when it allow more granular control.
However, Boyd says Facebook can do more:
“If Facebook wanted radical transparency, they could communicate to users every single person and entity who can see their content. They could notify then when the content is accessed by a partner. They could show them who all is included in ‘friends-of-friends’ (or at least a number of people). They hide behind lists because people’s abstractions allow them to share more. When people think ‘friends-of-friends’ they don’t think about all of the types of people that their friends might link to; they think of the people that their friends would bring to a dinner party if they were to host it. When they think of everyone, they think of individual people who might have an interest in them, not 3rd party services who want to monetize or redistribute their data. Users have no sense of how their data is being used and Facebook is not radically transparent about what that data is used for. Quite the opposite. Convolution works. It keeps the press out.”
Boyd closes by emphasising the importance of choice for Facebook users:
“The battle that is underway is not a battle over the future of privacy and publicity. It’s a battle over choice and informed consent. It’s unfolding because people are being duped, tricked, coerced, and confused into doing things where they don’t understand the consequences. Facebook keeps saying that it gives users choices, but that is completely unfair. It gives users the illusion of choice and hides the details away from them ‘for their own good.’”
However, Facebook is closing in on 500 million users. It might calculate that it can afford to annoy a few of them in order to get what it wants. source: Telegraph
Megan Fox wants to hurt whoever took her nude picture
Megan Fox might be known — in part — for being a sex symbol, but don’t even think about snapping an unauthorized photo of her in any state of undress.
Allure magazine interviewed Fox and told her about a blurry topless picture of her that was taken on a cell phone. The image was leaked while she was filming her new independent movie “Passion Play,” in which she plays a circus-sideshow performer who has bird wings.
“If I knew who took this picture, I would personally cause them harm — physical harm,” Fox told Allure. “I’m not a f---ing reality-TV star that’s courting the paparazzi and wants my f---ing picture taken all the time. I’m at my job and I’m trying to play a character and I’m trying to be serious, and this is the sh-- that’s happening to me. It makes me furious.”
Other things that make Fox’s dislikes list include industry events and compliments.
As for industry events, Fox said, “Everyone blows sunshine up everyone else’s ass.” Which brings her to that thing about compliments: “I hate receiving compliments; I hate being told I’m talented or people think I’m going to be a movie star. I always feel that it’s forced and fake.” source: MSNBC
Allure magazine interviewed Fox and told her about a blurry topless picture of her that was taken on a cell phone. The image was leaked while she was filming her new independent movie “Passion Play,” in which she plays a circus-sideshow performer who has bird wings.
“If I knew who took this picture, I would personally cause them harm — physical harm,” Fox told Allure. “I’m not a f---ing reality-TV star that’s courting the paparazzi and wants my f---ing picture taken all the time. I’m at my job and I’m trying to play a character and I’m trying to be serious, and this is the sh-- that’s happening to me. It makes me furious.”
Other things that make Fox’s dislikes list include industry events and compliments.
As for industry events, Fox said, “Everyone blows sunshine up everyone else’s ass.” Which brings her to that thing about compliments: “I hate receiving compliments; I hate being told I’m talented or people think I’m going to be a movie star. I always feel that it’s forced and fake.” source: MSNBC
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Noynoy, Binay keep leads in latest PPCRV tally
Updated as of 05/12/2010 10:00 AM
Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay have maintained their lead in the latest tally released by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), which represents votes transmitted by 67,681 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines.
Aquino kept a wide margin of 4,883,215 over his closest rival, former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada, who has refused to concede to the senator.
Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, meanwhile, remains closely behind Binay. Binay only has a total of 798,999 lead over the senator.
Nacionalista Party's Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. was the first presidential candidate to concede to Aquino. He was followed by John Carlos de los Reyes, Sen. Richard Gordon and Gilbert Teodoro.
Results of the latest PPCRV tally as of 5:15 a.m.:
For president
Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III - 13,419,501
former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada - 8,536,286
Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar - 4,851,188
Gilberto Teodoro Jr. - 3,583,710
Eddie Villanueve - 999,906
Sen. Richard Gordon - 454,986
Nicanor Perlas - 47,740
Jamby Madrigal - 40,998
John Carlos "JC" de los Reyes - 39,039
For vice president,
Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay - 13,115,669
Sen. Manual "Mar"Roxas - 12,316,670
Sen. Loren Legarda - 3,683,419
Bayani Fernando - 913,465
Edu Manzano - 688,756
Perfecto Yasay - 322,637
Jay Sonza - 56,203
Dominador Chipeco - 46,287
For senators
Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. - 17,303,512
Jinggoy Estrada - 16,923,007
Miriam Defensor Santiago - 15,473,883
Franklin Drilon - 14,179,561
Juan Ponce Enrile - 13,992,593
Pia Cayetano - 12,245,640
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. - 11,785,333
Ralph Recto - 11,074,245
Vicente "Tito" Sotto III - 10,620,224
Serge Osmeña - 10,409,943
Lito Lapid - 9,760,497
Teofisto "TG" Guingona III - 9,212,023
Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel - 8,185,058
Ruffy Biazon - 7,723,857
Joey de Venecia - 7,456,531
Partial proclamation
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Lucenito Tagle said the poll body can already make a partial proclamation for senators.
Tagle said they can already proclaim the first 10 leading senatorial candidates in the Comelec's partial count as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.
He, however, said they have decided to wait for all the PCOS machines' transmittal before making the proclamation, which he said, may happen Thursday or Friday.
Tagle said the 4 p.m. Tuesday tally of the Comelec came from at least 87% of all the PCOS machines for the country's first-ever nationwide automated elections
Aquino kept a wide margin of 4,883,215 over his closest rival, former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada, who has refused to concede to the senator.
Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, meanwhile, remains closely behind Binay. Binay only has a total of 798,999 lead over the senator.
Nacionalista Party's Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. was the first presidential candidate to concede to Aquino. He was followed by John Carlos de los Reyes, Sen. Richard Gordon and Gilbert Teodoro.
Results of the latest PPCRV tally as of 5:15 a.m.:
For president
Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III - 13,419,501
former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada - 8,536,286
Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar - 4,851,188
Gilberto Teodoro Jr. - 3,583,710
Eddie Villanueve - 999,906
Sen. Richard Gordon - 454,986
Nicanor Perlas - 47,740
Jamby Madrigal - 40,998
John Carlos "JC" de los Reyes - 39,039
For vice president,
Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay - 13,115,669
Sen. Manual "Mar"Roxas - 12,316,670
Sen. Loren Legarda - 3,683,419
Bayani Fernando - 913,465
Edu Manzano - 688,756
Perfecto Yasay - 322,637
Jay Sonza - 56,203
Dominador Chipeco - 46,287
For senators
Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. - 17,303,512
Jinggoy Estrada - 16,923,007
Miriam Defensor Santiago - 15,473,883
Franklin Drilon - 14,179,561
Juan Ponce Enrile - 13,992,593
Pia Cayetano - 12,245,640
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. - 11,785,333
Ralph Recto - 11,074,245
Vicente "Tito" Sotto III - 10,620,224
Serge Osmeña - 10,409,943
Lito Lapid - 9,760,497
Teofisto "TG" Guingona III - 9,212,023
Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel - 8,185,058
Ruffy Biazon - 7,723,857
Joey de Venecia - 7,456,531
Partial proclamation
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Lucenito Tagle said the poll body can already make a partial proclamation for senators.
Tagle said they can already proclaim the first 10 leading senatorial candidates in the Comelec's partial count as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.
He, however, said they have decided to wait for all the PCOS machines' transmittal before making the proclamation, which he said, may happen Thursday or Friday.
Tagle said the 4 p.m. Tuesday tally of the Comelec came from at least 87% of all the PCOS machines for the country's first-ever nationwide automated elections
Monday, May 10, 2010
Noynoy's girlfriend proclaimed Valenzuela councilor
Updated as of 05/11/2010 11:34 AM
A winning couple?
Shalani Soledad, Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's girlfriend, has been proclaimed as councilor of Valenzuela City's 2nd district.
A radio dzMM report said Soledad topped the race for councilor in her district.
Aquino has also been leading by a wide margin in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) partial count for the presidential race.
As of 9:39 a.m., Aquino already had 12,587,406 votes followed by former president Joseph Estrada.
On third place was Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. with 4,477,209.
Meanwhile, the local election office has also proclaimed Sherwin Gatchalian as winner in Valenzuala's mayoralty race.
The winning vice-mayor was Eric Martinez. -- Report from Dennis Datu, radio dzMM
A winning couple?
Shalani Soledad, Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's girlfriend, has been proclaimed as councilor of Valenzuela City's 2nd district.
A radio dzMM report said Soledad topped the race for councilor in her district.
Aquino has also been leading by a wide margin in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) partial count for the presidential race.
As of 9:39 a.m., Aquino already had 12,587,406 votes followed by former president Joseph Estrada.
On third place was Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. with 4,477,209.
Meanwhile, the local election office has also proclaimed Sherwin Gatchalian as winner in Valenzuala's mayoralty race.
The winning vice-mayor was Eric Martinez. -- Report from Dennis Datu, radio dzMM
Villar concedes to Aquino
Updated as of 05/11/2010 11:22 AM
Nacionalista Party's (NP) Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. on Tuesday conceded to Liberal Party's Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.
"I congratulate Sen. Noynoy Aquino on his victory," Villar said in a press conference.
The NP candidate also offered to help Aquino if he wins the presidential race.
"The challenges our country face are enormous and we should work together," Villar said.
As of 11:00 a.m., the Commission on Elections (Comelec) partial and official count showed Aquino was leading by a wide margin over former president Joseph Estrada.
Aquino had 12,587,406 votes followed by Erap with 8,015,110 votes. Villar was on third with only 4,477,209 votes.
Nacionalista Party's (NP) Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. on Tuesday conceded to Liberal Party's Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.
"I congratulate Sen. Noynoy Aquino on his victory," Villar said in a press conference.
The NP candidate also offered to help Aquino if he wins the presidential race.
"The challenges our country face are enormous and we should work together," Villar said.
As of 11:00 a.m., the Commission on Elections (Comelec) partial and official count showed Aquino was leading by a wide margin over former president Joseph Estrada.
Aquino had 12,587,406 votes followed by Erap with 8,015,110 votes. Villar was on third with only 4,477,209 votes.
Noynoy, Binay continue to lead in Comelec count
Updated as of 05/11/2010 11:00 AM
Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay pulled away further in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) partial and unofficial tally for president and vice-president released on Tuesday morning. As of 6:15 a.m., Aquino had a nearly 4.5 million lead over former president Joseph Estrada while Binay had more than 800,000 lead over his closest rival, Mar Roxas.
Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said 30,431,735 votes cast or 78.55% of total votes cast on May 10 had been transmitted by the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines.
Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay pulled away further in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) partial and unofficial tally for president and vice-president released on Tuesday morning. As of 6:15 a.m., Aquino had a nearly 4.5 million lead over former president Joseph Estrada while Binay had more than 800,000 lead over his closest rival, Mar Roxas.
Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said 30,431,735 votes cast or 78.55% of total votes cast on May 10 had been transmitted by the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines.
The results as read by Comelec Chairman Jose Melo were:
Reelectionist senators Ramon Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada remained on top of the senatorial race, getting more than half of the total votes transmitted by the PCOS machines.
| VOTES FOR PRESIDENT (Comelec partial count as of 6:15 a.m.) | ||
| Benigno Aquino III | 12,233,002 | 40.19 % |
| Joseph Estrada | 7,749,597 | 25.46 % |
| Manuel Villar Jr. | 4,329,215 | 14.22 % |
| Gilbert Teodoro Jr | 3,243,688 | 10.65 % |
| Eddie Villanueva | 916,543 | 3.01 % |
| Richard Gordon | 431,954 | 1.41% |
| Nicanor Perlas | 42,205 | 0.13 % |
| Jamby Madrigal | 37,119 | 0.12 % |
| JC de los Reyes | 34,833 | 0.11 % |
| VOTES FOR VICE PRESIDENT (Comelec partial count as of 6:15 a.m.) | ||
| Jejomar Binay | 12,025,429 | 39.51% |
| Manuel Roxas II | 11,213,563 | 36.84 % |
| Loren Legarda | 3,259,963 | 10.71 % |
| Bayani Fernando | 847,100 | 2.78 % |
| Edu Manzano | 593,653 | 1.95 % |
| Perfecto Yasay | 295,558 | 0.97 % |
| Jay Sonsa | 50,722 | 0.16 % |
| Dominador Chipeco | 40,335 | 0.13 % |
Reelectionist senators Ramon Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada remained on top of the senatorial race, getting more than half of the total votes transmitted by the PCOS machines.
| VOTES FOR SENATOR (Comelec partial count as of 6:15 a.m.) | ||
| Ramon Revilla Jr. | 15,813,329 | |
| Jinggoy Estrada | 15,567,636 | |
| Miriam Defensor Santiago | 14,303,091 | |
| Franklin Drilon | 13,088, 779 | |
| Juan Ponce Enrile | 12,934,515 | |
| Pia Cayetano | 11,331,696 | |
| Ferdinand Marcos Jr. | 10,984,495 | |
| Ralph Recto | 10,208,616 | |
| Vicente Sotto III | 9,852,406 | |
| Sergio Osmeña III | 9,547,093 | |
| Lito Lapid | 8,916,136 | |
| Teofisto "TG" Guingona | 8,493,334 | |
| Risa Hontiveros | 7,592,116 | |
| Ruffy Biazon | 7,147,461 | |
| Jose de Venecia Jr. | 6,896,071 | |
| Gilbert Remulla | 6,227,571 | |
| Danilo Lim | 6,083,423 | |
| Sonia Roco | 5,587,412 | |
| Ariel Querubin | 5,441,247 | |
| Gwen Pimentel | 5,108,573 | |
| Nereus Acosta | 4,843,018 | |
| Alex Lacson | 4,247,512 | |
| Adel Tamano | 3,287,561 | |
| Liza Maza | 3,169,923 | |
Erap Junks Binay
The video shows that Erap did not vote for Binay, who is known to be his vice president running mate for 2010 Philippines Elections.
Aquino set for big win in presidential race
Updated as of 05/10/2010 11:49 PM
Benigno Aquino was on course Monday for a landslide win in the Philippine presidential race after an historic election that saw millions of Filipinos embrace his promise to fight endemic graft.
The senator's emphatic early lead in the vote count came after a tumultuous polling day in which 10 people were killed across the country, and technical glitches marred the introduction of an automated polling system.
Aquino, son of the Southeast Asian nation's most revered democracy heroes, established a huge lead over former president Joseph Estrada with 38.25 percent of the vote counted on Monday night, the election commission said.
Aquino had secured 40.44 percent of the votes counted, with Estrada on 25.76 percent and business titan Manny Villar in third place with 13.98 percent, Commission on Election chair Jose Melo told reporters.
Estrada enjoyed the most emphatic win in Philippine electoral history in 1998 when he received 39 percent of the vote.
Although the commission needed to count more votes before declaring a winner, the early trends reflected opinion polls carried out ahead of Monday's election that showed Aquino would swamp his rivals.
Aquino deftly tapped into popular sentiment for his parents by pledging a new style of clean government following nearly 10 years of rule under President Gloria Arroyo, whose reign has been tainted by allegations of massive graft.
"Corruption is the single biggest threat to our democracy," Aquino, a 50-year-old bachelor who has an economics degree, said on his official blog.
His mother, former president Corazon Aquino, led the "people power" revolution that overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
His father, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, was shot dead three years earlier as he attempted to return from US exile to lead the democracy movement against Marcos.
The bespectacled Aquino was a latecomer to the presidential race, declaring his candidacy only after his mother's death from cancer last August plunged the country into mourning and demonstrated the power of the family name.
About 75 percent of the 50 million eligible voters turned up at polling stations on Monday, reflecting Filipinos' deep commitment to democracy.
But violence that always plagues Philippine politics inevitably flared.
More than 17,000 positions were at stake -- from president down to municipal council seats -- and local politicians who are infamous for using their "private armies" to eliminate rivals or intimidate voters were out in force.
Ten people were killed on polling day, bringing the death toll from election-related violence over the past four months to at least 40, according to police statistics.
Two of the fatalities occurred as gunbattles raged in the flashpoint southern province of Maguindanao, where 57 people were killed in an election-linked massacre late last year.
Technological problems also emerged immediately after polls opened with some machines breaking down, and the election commission was forced to extend the voting period by one hour as long queues formed.
Nevertheless, the election commission and security chiefs insisted the country's first effort at automated polling had succeeded.
The elections "will go down in our nation's history as probably the most peaceful and orderly political exercise ever held in our land," national police director general Jesus Verzosa said.
Many colourful characters contested the elections, including world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, 31, who ran for a seat in the lower house.
Another candidate for the lower house was Imelda Marcos, 80, who gained global notoriety when thousands of her shoes were found in the presidential palace after her late husband overthrow in 1986.
Benigno Aquino was on course Monday for a landslide win in the Philippine presidential race after an historic election that saw millions of Filipinos embrace his promise to fight endemic graft.
The senator's emphatic early lead in the vote count came after a tumultuous polling day in which 10 people were killed across the country, and technical glitches marred the introduction of an automated polling system.
Aquino, son of the Southeast Asian nation's most revered democracy heroes, established a huge lead over former president Joseph Estrada with 38.25 percent of the vote counted on Monday night, the election commission said.
Aquino had secured 40.44 percent of the votes counted, with Estrada on 25.76 percent and business titan Manny Villar in third place with 13.98 percent, Commission on Election chair Jose Melo told reporters.
Estrada enjoyed the most emphatic win in Philippine electoral history in 1998 when he received 39 percent of the vote.
Although the commission needed to count more votes before declaring a winner, the early trends reflected opinion polls carried out ahead of Monday's election that showed Aquino would swamp his rivals.
Aquino deftly tapped into popular sentiment for his parents by pledging a new style of clean government following nearly 10 years of rule under President Gloria Arroyo, whose reign has been tainted by allegations of massive graft.
"Corruption is the single biggest threat to our democracy," Aquino, a 50-year-old bachelor who has an economics degree, said on his official blog.
His mother, former president Corazon Aquino, led the "people power" revolution that overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
His father, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, was shot dead three years earlier as he attempted to return from US exile to lead the democracy movement against Marcos.
The bespectacled Aquino was a latecomer to the presidential race, declaring his candidacy only after his mother's death from cancer last August plunged the country into mourning and demonstrated the power of the family name.
About 75 percent of the 50 million eligible voters turned up at polling stations on Monday, reflecting Filipinos' deep commitment to democracy.
But violence that always plagues Philippine politics inevitably flared.
More than 17,000 positions were at stake -- from president down to municipal council seats -- and local politicians who are infamous for using their "private armies" to eliminate rivals or intimidate voters were out in force.
Ten people were killed on polling day, bringing the death toll from election-related violence over the past four months to at least 40, according to police statistics.
Two of the fatalities occurred as gunbattles raged in the flashpoint southern province of Maguindanao, where 57 people were killed in an election-linked massacre late last year.
Technological problems also emerged immediately after polls opened with some machines breaking down, and the election commission was forced to extend the voting period by one hour as long queues formed.
Nevertheless, the election commission and security chiefs insisted the country's first effort at automated polling had succeeded.
The elections "will go down in our nation's history as probably the most peaceful and orderly political exercise ever held in our land," national police director general Jesus Verzosa said.
Many colourful characters contested the elections, including world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, 31, who ran for a seat in the lower house.
Another candidate for the lower house was Imelda Marcos, 80, who gained global notoriety when thousands of her shoes were found in the presidential palace after her late husband overthrow in 1986.
Aquino, Binay lead in initial PPCRV tally
Liberal Party presidential candidate Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino vice-presidential bet Jejomar Binay are early leaders in the presidential and vice-presidential races, based on the partial and unofficial tallies of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) of the May 10 nationwide automated election.
The PPCRV said it has tallied more than 2 million votes as of 7:51 p.m. Monday.
Aquino led the presidential race with 111,191 votes, followed by Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino's Joseph Estrada with 85,756 votes, Nacionalista Party bet Manny Villar with 69,756, Lakas-Kampi CMD bet Gilbert Teodoro 35,909, Bro. Eddie Villanueva 9,809, Vetellano Acosta 2,011, Richard Gordon 1,303, Nicanor Perlas 491 and Jamby Madrigal 418 votes.
In the vice-presidential race, Binay led with 118,092 votes, followed by Mar Roxas 91,991, Loren Legarda 66,061, Edu Manzano 10,490, Bayani Fernando 5,575, Perfecto Yasay Jr. 2,602, Jun Chipeco 591, and Jay Sonza 513.
The PPCRV said it has tallied more than 2 million votes as of 7:51 p.m. Monday.
Aquino led the presidential race with 111,191 votes, followed by Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino's Joseph Estrada with 85,756 votes, Nacionalista Party bet Manny Villar with 69,756, Lakas-Kampi CMD bet Gilbert Teodoro 35,909, Bro. Eddie Villanueva 9,809, Vetellano Acosta 2,011, Richard Gordon 1,303, Nicanor Perlas 491 and Jamby Madrigal 418 votes.
In the vice-presidential race, Binay led with 118,092 votes, followed by Mar Roxas 91,991, Loren Legarda 66,061, Edu Manzano 10,490, Bayani Fernando 5,575, Perfecto Yasay Jr. 2,602, Jun Chipeco 591, and Jay Sonza 513.
Initial 2010 Philippines Election Results
As of 8:21 PM, here are the unofficial results released by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting - PPCRV,
Benigno AQUINO III (Liberal Party) - 179,020
Joseph ESTRADA (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino) - 136,295
Manuel VILLAR, Jr. (Nacionalista Party) - 102,271
Benigno AQUINO III (Liberal Party) - 179,020
Joseph ESTRADA (Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino) - 136,295
Manuel VILLAR, Jr. (Nacionalista Party) - 102,271
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Facebook Follows Foursquare, Checks in With McDonald's
AdAge is reporting that Facebook is expected to challenge popular startup Foursquare by offering location-based status updates for its users later this month. McDonald's is allegedly building an application with Facebook to allow users to check in at one of its restaurants and have a featured product appear in the post. What will be interesting to see is what effect Facebook's move has on services from Gowalla and Foursquare, which has grown to support more than 1 million users in just over a year. Foursquare has already inked check-in deals with Starbucks and others but the startup is vastly outgunned by the nearly 500 million Facebook users.
Of all the items on the rumor menu for Facebook's F8 developer conference last month, a location-based service was one dish that failed to materialize.
Perhaps it is just taking longer to cook. AdAge is reporting that the leading social network is expected to challenge popular startup Foursquare by offering location-based status updates for its users later this month.
What makes this interesting is the rumor that Facebook will offer check-ins with a side of McDonald's.
The fast food chain is allegedly building an application with Facebook to allow users to check in at one of its restaurants and have a featured product appear in the post, said AdAge, citing executives close to the deal.
Of all the items on the rumor menu for Facebook's F8 developer conference last month, a location-based service was one dish that failed to materialize.
Perhaps it is just taking longer to cook. AdAge is reporting that the leading social network is expected to challenge popular startup Foursquare by offering location-based status updates for its users later this month.
What makes this interesting is the rumor that Facebook will offer check-ins with a side of McDonald's.
The fast food chain is allegedly building an application with Facebook to allow users to check in at one of its restaurants and have a featured product appear in the post, said AdAge, citing executives close to the deal.
This deal would serve as its own advertising within an application. Indeed, AdAge said the app was negotiated as part of a "bigger media buy on Facebook, and McDonald's will be the first marketer to take advantage of the service."
The sky is the limit on pairing such timely and relevant ads with location. Moreover, the ad-within-the-app approach is looking promising, with companies such as Apple lending its weight to in-app ads with its impending iAd platform.
However, Facebook will have to be very careful about protecting user privacy with any location service The company is currently weathering privacy storms on multiple fronts.
The company launched social plugins and instant personalization at F8, sparking a protest from MoveOn.org. Facebook then suffered a flaw that exposed users' Facebook chat conversations.
That's not stopping other digital ad agencies looking to strike similar deals with Facebook, Digital marketing firm Context Optional CEO Karen Barenblat confirmed his team is working on Facebook location features for its retail clients.
What will be interesting to see is what effect Facebook's move has on services from Gowalla and Foursquare, which has grown to support more than 1 million users in just over a year.
Foursquare has already inked check-in deals with major brands PepsiCo, Starbucks, Bravo and MTV. For example, Foursquare users who check in at Starbucks locations will earn the "Barista badge" after five checkins.
However, the startup is vastly outgunned by the nearly 500 million Facebook users.
Social media experts say the pie is quite large enough to allow many companies to succeed, and Google, Twitter and a host of other Internet companies are already dabbling in location. The real winners may be who can learn the best advertisers to their sites, creating campaigns that draw in more users.
That's a win-win for a location provider such as Facebook and an advertiser such as McDonald's. McDonald's current slogan is "I'm Lovin' it." How long before Facebook users begin saying "I'm locatin it"?
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Five hidden dangers of Facebook (Q&A)
Facebook claims that it has 400 million users. But are they well-protected from prying eyes, scammers, and unwanted marketers?
Not according to Joan Goodchild, senior editor of CSO (Chief Security Officer) Online.
She says your privacy may be at far greater risk of being violated than you know, when you log onto the social-networking site, due to security gaffes or marketing efforts by the company.
Facebook came under fire this past week, when 15 privacy and consumer protection organizations filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, charging that the site, among other things, manipulates privacy settings to make users' personal information available for commercial use. Also, some Facebook users found their private chats accessible to everyone on their contact list--a major security breach that's left a lot of people wondering just how secure the site is.
In two words, asserts Goodchild: not very.
On "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," Goodchild spotlighted five dangers she says Facebook users expose themselves to, probably without being aware of them:
1. Your information is being shared with third parties
2. Privacy settings revert to a less safe default mode after each redesign
3. Facebook ads may contain malware
4. Your real friends unknowingly make you vulnerable
5. Scammers are creating fake profiles
Below is an edited transcript of the interview.
Is Facebook a secure platform to communicate with your friends?
Here's the thing: Facebook is one of the most popular sites in the world. Security holes are being found on a regular basis. It is not as inherently secure as people think it is, when they log on every day.
Certainly, there are growing pains. Facebook is considered a young company, and it has been around a few years now. It is continuing to figure this out. They are so young, they are still trying to figure out how they are going to make money. It is hard to compare this to others; we have never had this phenomenon before in the way [so many] people are communicating with each other--only e-mail comes close.
The potential for crime is real. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, victims of Internet-related crimes lost $559 million in 2009. That was up 110 percent from the previous year. If you're not careful using Facebook, you are looking at the potential for identity theft, or possibly even something like assault, if you share information with a dangerous person you think is actually a "friend." One British police agency recently reported that the number of crimes it has responded to in the last year involving Facebook climbed 346 percent. These are real threats.
Lately, it seems a week doesn't go by without some news about a Facebook-related security problem. Earlier this week, TechCrunch discovered a security hole that made it possible for users to read their friends' private chats. Facebook has since patched it, but who knows how long that flaw existed? Some speculate it may have been that way for years.
Last month, researchers at VeriSign's iDefense group discovered that a hacker was selling Facebook usernames and passwords in an underground hacker forum. It was estimated that he had about 1.5 million accounts--and was selling them for between $25 and $45.
And the site is constantly under attack from hackers trying to spam these 400 million users, or harvest their data, or run other scams. Certainly, there is a lot of criticism in the security community of Facebook's handling of security. Perhaps the most frustrating thing is that the company rarely responds to inquiries.
Do people really have privacy on Facebook?
No. There are all kinds of ways third parties can access information about you. For instance, you may not realize that, when you are playing the popular games on Facebook, such as FarmVille, or take those popular quizzes--every time you do that, you authorize an application to be downloaded to your profile that gives information to third parties about you that you have never signed off on.
Does Facebook share info about users with third parties through things such as Open Graph?
Open Graph is a new concept for Facebook, which unveiled it last month at its F8 conference. It actually is basically a way to share the information in your profile with all kinds of third parties, such as advertisers, so they can have a better idea of your interests and what you are discussing, so Facebook can--as portrayed--"make it a more personal experience."
The theory behind Open Graph--even if it has not implemented it--is its whole business model, isn't it?
That is the business model--Facebook is trying to get you to share as much information as possible so it can monetize it by sharing it with advertisers.
Isn't it in Facebook's best interest to get you to share as much info as possible?
It absolutely is. Facebook's mission is to get you to share as much information as it can so it can share it with advertisers. As it looks now, the more info you share, the more money it is going to make with advertisers.
Isn't there also a security problem every time it redesigns the site?
Every time Facebook redesigns the site, which [usually] happens a few times a year, it puts your privacy settings back to a default in which, essentially, all of your information is made public. It is up to you, the user, to check the privacy settings and decide what you want to share and what you don't want to share.
Facebook does not [necessarily] notify you of the changes, and your privacy settings are set back to a public default. Many times, you may find out through friends. Facebook is not alerting you to these changes; it is just letting you know the site has been redesigned.
Can your real friends on Facebook also can make you vulnerable?
Absolutely. Your security is only as good as your friend's security. If someone in your network of friends has a weak password, and his or her profile is hacked, he or she can now send you malware, for example.
There is a common scam called a 419 scam, in which someone hacks your profile and sends messages to your friends asking for money - claiming to be you--saying, "Hey, I was in London, I was mugged, please wire me money." People fall for it. People think their good friend needs help--and end up wiring money to Nigeria.
A lot of Web sites we use display banner ads, but do we have to be wary of them on Facebook?
Absolutely: Facebook has not been able to screen all of its ads. It hasn't done a great job of vetting which ads are safe and which are not. As a result, you may get an ad in your profile when you are browsing around one day that has malicious code in it. In fact, last month, there was an ad with malware that asked people to download antivirus software that was actually a virus.
Is too big a network of friends dangerous?
You know people with a lot of friends--500, 1,000 friends on Facebook? What is the likelihood they are all real? There was a study in 2008 that concluded that 40 percent of all Facebook profiles are fake. They have been set up by bots or impostors.
If you have 500 friends, it is likely there is a percentage of people you don't really know, and you are sharing a lot of information with them, such as when you are on vacation, your children's pictures, their names. Is this information you really want to put out there to people you don't even know?
This interview, "Five Hidden Dangers of Facebook," was originally published on CBSNews.com.
Not according to Joan Goodchild, senior editor of CSO (Chief Security Officer) Online.
She says your privacy may be at far greater risk of being violated than you know, when you log onto the social-networking site, due to security gaffes or marketing efforts by the company.
Facebook came under fire this past week, when 15 privacy and consumer protection organizations filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, charging that the site, among other things, manipulates privacy settings to make users' personal information available for commercial use. Also, some Facebook users found their private chats accessible to everyone on their contact list--a major security breach that's left a lot of people wondering just how secure the site is.
In two words, asserts Goodchild: not very.
On "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," Goodchild spotlighted five dangers she says Facebook users expose themselves to, probably without being aware of them:
1. Your information is being shared with third parties
2. Privacy settings revert to a less safe default mode after each redesign
3. Facebook ads may contain malware
4. Your real friends unknowingly make you vulnerable
5. Scammers are creating fake profiles
Below is an edited transcript of the interview.
Is Facebook a secure platform to communicate with your friends?
Here's the thing: Facebook is one of the most popular sites in the world. Security holes are being found on a regular basis. It is not as inherently secure as people think it is, when they log on every day.
Certainly, there are growing pains. Facebook is considered a young company, and it has been around a few years now. It is continuing to figure this out. They are so young, they are still trying to figure out how they are going to make money. It is hard to compare this to others; we have never had this phenomenon before in the way [so many] people are communicating with each other--only e-mail comes close.
The potential for crime is real. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, victims of Internet-related crimes lost $559 million in 2009. That was up 110 percent from the previous year. If you're not careful using Facebook, you are looking at the potential for identity theft, or possibly even something like assault, if you share information with a dangerous person you think is actually a "friend." One British police agency recently reported that the number of crimes it has responded to in the last year involving Facebook climbed 346 percent. These are real threats.
Lately, it seems a week doesn't go by without some news about a Facebook-related security problem. Earlier this week, TechCrunch discovered a security hole that made it possible for users to read their friends' private chats. Facebook has since patched it, but who knows how long that flaw existed? Some speculate it may have been that way for years.
Last month, researchers at VeriSign's iDefense group discovered that a hacker was selling Facebook usernames and passwords in an underground hacker forum. It was estimated that he had about 1.5 million accounts--and was selling them for between $25 and $45.
And the site is constantly under attack from hackers trying to spam these 400 million users, or harvest their data, or run other scams. Certainly, there is a lot of criticism in the security community of Facebook's handling of security. Perhaps the most frustrating thing is that the company rarely responds to inquiries.
Do people really have privacy on Facebook?
No. There are all kinds of ways third parties can access information about you. For instance, you may not realize that, when you are playing the popular games on Facebook, such as FarmVille, or take those popular quizzes--every time you do that, you authorize an application to be downloaded to your profile that gives information to third parties about you that you have never signed off on.
Does Facebook share info about users with third parties through things such as Open Graph?
Open Graph is a new concept for Facebook, which unveiled it last month at its F8 conference. It actually is basically a way to share the information in your profile with all kinds of third parties, such as advertisers, so they can have a better idea of your interests and what you are discussing, so Facebook can--as portrayed--"make it a more personal experience."
The theory behind Open Graph--even if it has not implemented it--is its whole business model, isn't it?
That is the business model--Facebook is trying to get you to share as much information as possible so it can monetize it by sharing it with advertisers.
Isn't it in Facebook's best interest to get you to share as much info as possible?
It absolutely is. Facebook's mission is to get you to share as much information as it can so it can share it with advertisers. As it looks now, the more info you share, the more money it is going to make with advertisers.
Isn't there also a security problem every time it redesigns the site?
Every time Facebook redesigns the site, which [usually] happens a few times a year, it puts your privacy settings back to a default in which, essentially, all of your information is made public. It is up to you, the user, to check the privacy settings and decide what you want to share and what you don't want to share.
Facebook does not [necessarily] notify you of the changes, and your privacy settings are set back to a public default. Many times, you may find out through friends. Facebook is not alerting you to these changes; it is just letting you know the site has been redesigned.
Can your real friends on Facebook also can make you vulnerable?
Absolutely. Your security is only as good as your friend's security. If someone in your network of friends has a weak password, and his or her profile is hacked, he or she can now send you malware, for example.
There is a common scam called a 419 scam, in which someone hacks your profile and sends messages to your friends asking for money - claiming to be you--saying, "Hey, I was in London, I was mugged, please wire me money." People fall for it. People think their good friend needs help--and end up wiring money to Nigeria.
A lot of Web sites we use display banner ads, but do we have to be wary of them on Facebook?
Absolutely: Facebook has not been able to screen all of its ads. It hasn't done a great job of vetting which ads are safe and which are not. As a result, you may get an ad in your profile when you are browsing around one day that has malicious code in it. In fact, last month, there was an ad with malware that asked people to download antivirus software that was actually a virus.
Is too big a network of friends dangerous?
You know people with a lot of friends--500, 1,000 friends on Facebook? What is the likelihood they are all real? There was a study in 2008 that concluded that 40 percent of all Facebook profiles are fake. They have been set up by bots or impostors.
If you have 500 friends, it is likely there is a percentage of people you don't really know, and you are sharing a lot of information with them, such as when you are on vacation, your children's pictures, their names. Is this information you really want to put out there to people you don't even know?
This interview, "Five Hidden Dangers of Facebook," was originally published on CBSNews.com.
Apple Announces Ipad International Release Dates
Apple announced that its bestselling iPad will be available in nine international markets starting May 28, with preordering in those countries starting May 10. In July, the iPad will expand to still more countries, including Belgium and Hong Kong. Apple had previously announced delays in its international rollout due to sales that apparently exceeded the company’s supply pipeline and internal expectations. More than 1 million iPads have been sold since the device’s April 3 release.
Apple announced on May 7 that the iPad will be available May 28 in nine international markets: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The iPad’s early sales success in the United States had exceeded Apple’s supply pipeline, forcing the delay in the international rollout to late May.
A statement on Apple’s site indicated that iPad preorders for those nine markets would begin May 10, for both the WiFi-only and 3G-enabled versions of the device. The latter began selling in the United States April 30, and retails at a roughly $130 premium over the WiFi-only version.
July will see the iPad arrive in another round of countries, including Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore. Release dates and preordering for nine other countries are apparently in the works.
Since the iPad’s April 3 release in the United States, Apple executives have repeatedly indicated that demand for the device has outstripped internal expectations. “[We] will likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks as more people see and touch an iPad,” the company said in an April statement.
Total iPad sales topped 1 million units by the end of April. In addition, Apple indicated in its May 7 statement that some 12 million apps and 1.5 million ebooks had been downloaded by iPad owners. Those numbers contributed to Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall raising his calendar year 2010 revenue estimates for Apple from $57.9 billion to $62.6 billion: “Once again, we highlight our view that Apple remains the best technology company on the planet with numerous catalysts on the horizon—e.g., international iPhone ramp, iPad ramp, emerging recurring revenue stream, etc.—and no business model issues.”
Despite delays in the international rollout, the iPad has already attracted its share of attention in other countries, with Israel temporarily banning the device due to its WiFi capability allegedly being in noncompliance with the European wireless standards.
However, Israel later reversed its decision and returned iPads confiscated by customs. “Following the completion of intensive technical scrutiny, Israel Minister of Communications Moshe Kakhlon approved the import of [the] iPad to Israel,” the Israeli Communications Ministry wrote in a statement reprinted on Reuters. “Accordingly, the import of a single device per person will be permitted commencing Sunday, April 25.”
Apple announced on May 7 that the iPad will be available May 28 in nine international markets: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The iPad’s early sales success in the United States had exceeded Apple’s supply pipeline, forcing the delay in the international rollout to late May.
A statement on Apple’s site indicated that iPad preorders for those nine markets would begin May 10, for both the WiFi-only and 3G-enabled versions of the device. The latter began selling in the United States April 30, and retails at a roughly $130 premium over the WiFi-only version.
July will see the iPad arrive in another round of countries, including Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore. Release dates and preordering for nine other countries are apparently in the works.
Since the iPad’s April 3 release in the United States, Apple executives have repeatedly indicated that demand for the device has outstripped internal expectations. “[We] will likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks as more people see and touch an iPad,” the company said in an April statement.
Total iPad sales topped 1 million units by the end of April. In addition, Apple indicated in its May 7 statement that some 12 million apps and 1.5 million ebooks had been downloaded by iPad owners. Those numbers contributed to Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall raising his calendar year 2010 revenue estimates for Apple from $57.9 billion to $62.6 billion: “Once again, we highlight our view that Apple remains the best technology company on the planet with numerous catalysts on the horizon—e.g., international iPhone ramp, iPad ramp, emerging recurring revenue stream, etc.—and no business model issues.”
Despite delays in the international rollout, the iPad has already attracted its share of attention in other countries, with Israel temporarily banning the device due to its WiFi capability allegedly being in noncompliance with the European wireless standards.
However, Israel later reversed its decision and returned iPads confiscated by customs. “Following the completion of intensive technical scrutiny, Israel Minister of Communications Moshe Kakhlon approved the import of [the] iPad to Israel,” the Israeli Communications Ministry wrote in a statement reprinted on Reuters. “Accordingly, the import of a single device per person will be permitted commencing Sunday, April 25.”
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