Kobe Canning A Century

The Engineer Syndrome, VISTA, Microsoft and Google

After reading one Dvorak article suggesting that Google should make its own O.S. and begging Microsoft to focus on its core business, the O.S, business, here comes MICROSOFT getting a new face. Yes, Microsoft bought a slice of Facebook to beef up its advertising business. Clearly, Microsoft engineers and chiefs don't read Dvorak much.

But see, Dvorak has some valid points. I own a VISTA machine but sometimes, I want to revert back to XP. I just feel something isn't quite right with the VISTA. Little things really. Also, he mentioned something about the "ENGINEER SYNDROME," I think I am afflicted with that one too.

The "ENGINERE SYNDROME" as defined by him...

Engineers' syndrome. The only difference is that Microsoft, once a software company, keeps entering businesses in which it has little or no expertise. Microsoft may be suffering from engineers' syndrome, something you run into all the time. This is quite amusing, even to engineers, who see it occurring in other engineers but never see it in themselves.

The idea is that once you learn engineering disciplines, you project them onto endeavors other than engineering, since everything you ever do in life is actually some sort of engineering. While there is some modicum of truth to this notion, it's the leap of faith that pushes the idea into the absurd. What happens with engineers' syndrome is this: You start believing that since you're an excellent engineer in one specialty, then you're a friggin' genius in everything you do, because it's all the same, really.

This becomes most obvious—and ludicrous—when engineers decide that they can develop, design, and orchestrate an advertising campaign. Hey, it's a form of engineering, no? If you work with some of the big agencies in and around Silicon Valley, you'll hear great stories about what a nightmare working with engineering companies can be, because of the meddling of engineers.

His article here. He says MSOFT is afflicted with the "Engineer Syndrome". Instead of focusing on OS and fixing bugs, the software company still want to contain Google in the advertising turf.

Exhibit no. 554, Microsoft doled out $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in social network site, Facebook.com. (Dammit, as per Yahoo.com report, Facebook is valued 15B US dollars) Some are saying that Microsoft overpaid but I read somewhere that Social Network sites visitors are ad friendly people. Meaning, compared to portal or news sites visitors, social sites visitors are more likely to click on an ad and actually buy stuff. And I believe it so. So, quarter billion dollars to seal a partnership with Facebook.com is worth it. I think Microsoft did the right thing.

As for the VISTA, they did not.

War Is Over, Merry Christmas

My Honda problem is now over. They agreed to give the minimal demand that I asked. The amount, I'll just give to a foundation we'll soon pick. My claim wasn't all about me getting paid but for people to learn from this. I already signed an affidavit to bury the story and so the war is over.

Glorietta Explosion: At The Center Of It (Almost!)

Hanging around Glorietta Makati around 12:30 noon today. The missions: Send our office laptop for repair at Compu Serve, buy kitchen organizer (a gift), score t-shirts and to eat lunch.

We parked at Park Square 2 (as I always do) and walk our way to Park Square 1 along a dining strip. Geeesh, Compuserve charges P2000 for a simple soldering job on our Fujitsu Laptop. Decided to pull out the last minute and will just ask a friend if he can do the trick.

And so after checking out the gadgets and computer shops at Park Square 1, next up was to dine. Three choices: Max's, Pizza Hut and where it never fails to satisfy us, Luk Yuen across Park Square 2. Because Pizza Hut was at PS1, we decided to eat at Pizza Hut.

Midway through the lunch, we saw people running and are all in panic modes. Little did we know, explosion rocked Glorietta. I heard nothing but from accounts of people who were in the area, it was one hell of an explosion. Earthquake they thought. Glasses too of nearby shops were shattered.


Had we altered our decisions/itinerary, we could have landed at Luk Yuen or inside Glorietta/Landmark around the time of the bombing. From the looks of the indie photo shots I received via email, even 50 to 70 meters away from the center of the explosion, it wasn't safe.

I still can’t go over this. Not counting the car and road mishaps, this is the closest I have been in one disaster. Thanking GOD we’re alive. I can’t imagine the grief and agony that the families of victims are (will be) going through right now. Senseless losses.

We were only allowed to enter and pick up our parked car at Park Square 2 around 4pm as the area was cordoned off, sealed with a police line.

My useless personal pix below...

Departing Dicaprio

Mamamia, a film made in 2006, highly acclaimed (Oscar Best Picture 2007, but not Scorsese's best job), all-star cast…

…and I only saw last night. Err, the bloodshed ended past 1 a.m. That's how busy it has been these past months.

I am a fan of Dicaprio (not because of his teeny-titanic-movie but maybe because I get to see bits of Robert Deniro in him. Leonardo is a big fan of De Niro and it's no secret that he imitates Bobby D style) but his effort to become a toughie in The Departed fell short.

Three scenes stuck:

(1) He had this meeting/argument with Martin Sheen (Capt. Oliver Queenan) and Mark Wahlberg (Sean Dignam), the two were having a scuffle and Sheen was in the middle, Leonardo (William 'Billy' Costigan Jr.) had this fuckin grade school fighting stance. Comical. Check it out. Freeze the scene.

(2) At the rooftop scene when Leonardo DiCaprio held Matt Damon - Colin Sullivan (of the Bourne Identity series), it was like Brokeback Mountain all over again. He held Matt Damon like he's a lover. So soft man, so soft.


(3) After Leonardo Dicaprio was insulted with the "is it your period?" comment inside the bar (after ordering Cranberry Juice), he again had another awkward fighting stance, like drunken master type of position. His role was an academy graduate, I don't know where the hell he got that stance. Police school don’t teach hideous fight posture.

Among the leading players, Leonardo Dicaprio was the weak link in this film. Casting should have considered someone else for the role. Brad Pitt (the film producer) perfectly fits this role. Even the rapper turned quality actor Mark Wahlberg did better. Nice film still though. A lot of F-bombs in this film, a lot brain splashing too. My kind of film. Mob film. Gangster film. Mafia film. I like.

Thanks for reading my film review, sorry it came late. Just about a year late. Tune in next time, I'll review "Gone in the wind."

Seriously, I will play “Blood Diamond” right about now and see if Leonardo Dicaprio just had an off-night in “The Departed.”

Photo from Wiki too.

Honda Philippines, thank our Judicial System now

Say what you want about the US of A, but there are tons of things we need to emulate from them.

Did you get the Isiah Thomas Sexual Harassment (or Work Harassment) trial? This thing lasted only three freaking weeks and Ms. Anucha Browne Sanders, who accused Isaiah Thomas and the Madison Square Garden group of Sexual Harassment went home with 11.6 million dollars.

I repeat, that’s $11.6 millions.

I repeat, that’s $11.6 millions.

I repeat, that’s $11.6 millions.

Converting that to any currency of the world, even to that of Mercury’s currency which I guess is, “Mercurium”, that would still amount to something, ahm, shocking pay day. To my fellow Filipinos, I would gladly convert it for you. That amount is roughly equal to P520,000,000.00. That’s half a billion pesos. Even the alleged Neri-ZTE-NBN-Abalos kickback scam of P200M will not stack up to the “reward” that Ms. Sanders got. Even if you’ll live a rather superfluous lavish life, half a billion pesos is not easy to consume in a lifetime.

Tsk Tsk Tsk, Tangna talaga oh…

If Philippine judicial process was that quick, I have already sued HONDA PHILIPPINES by now. My story is, one of HONDA PHILIPPINES satellite services had some lapses in fixing (and later re-checking) my car. I was really thinking of suing HONDA Philippines. But who's in the right frame of mind will go out and sue HONDA Philippines eh sa bagal ng judicial system ng Pilipinas. That' just a waste of FUCKING MONEY and FUCKING TIME. As it is, eh just by following up the matter with HONDA PHILIPPINES customer service division and the satellite service, it is costing me a lot.

But still, I am not done with Honda Philippines. I am giving them 'til end of the week. If not, next week, see them somewhere else (and others too will see their palpak modus operandi) but definitely, not in Philippine Courts. No way. How about the Philippine Web???

And so Honda Philippines, you have an ally, thank the slow-pace Philippine Court system that's why you're spared of lawsuit.

The basketball version of this post is located here.

Honda update here.