Notre Dame University Educational Tour in Informatics

Students from the Notre Dame University visited our school today at 2:00 pm. They were toured around the school by no less than Miss Abigail Mancelita, who became a tour guide for a day.

They then proceeded to Room A where the Course Consultants of the school gave tham a brief presentation about Informatics.

File-Sharing, Screensaver Programs Tagged 'Malicious'

A corporate-backed watchdog group that monitors software for deceptive and abusive practices on Wednesday named a widely used file-sharing program and three other applications as violators of its guidelines.

Kazaa, which its producer Sharman Networks claims is the most popular program for sharing files over the internet, "misleadingly advertises itself as spyware-free, does not completely remove all components during the uninstall process, interferes with computer use, and makes undisclosed modifications to other software," according to a report from the group StopBadware.org.

The group, started by researchers from Harvard and Oxford universities, also named a video download manager distributed by Movieland.com, a spyware removal program from SpyAxe.com and Waterfalls 3 by Screensaver.com.

"We chose four quite common applications to highlight, and we have found that in each instance the applications do things to violate the guidelines," said John Palfrey, a professor at harvard Law School. The report, the first to be released since StopBadware.org announced its formation in January, comes as critics say that spyware and other abusive software has emerged as a top scourge of Internet use.

More than 59 million people in the United States have computers with some form of software that hampers the machine's performance, transmits private user information, deceives the user about how the software behaves or violates other guidelines, according to StopBadware.org, citing research from Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Americans spend more than $1 billion (euro 820 million) a year fixing their computers and protecting their identities online, the group said, citing the same study. Kazaa and other programs distributed by Movieland.com, and Screensaver.com fail to disclose that they are bundled with additional software, according to Wednesday's report. They also modify other software already installed on the computer without warning, the group said.

Kazaa and two other programs are also hard to completely uninstall, StopBadware claimed. Officials from Sharman Networks and Freeze.com, the owner of Screensaver.com contested the report's findings. "We disagree with it," said Felicity Campbell, a spokeswoman for Sharman Networks. "We really don't have sinister desires to get into people's computers and stay there."

She said all Kazaa files are removed when a user uninstalls the program, contradicting a claim in the report. A glitch in Microsoft Corp.s' Windows operating system gives the appearance the programs are still installed, she said.

Richard Weber, president of Freeze.com, said his company's practices recently got a clean bill of health by a consultant from Chapell & Associates, which advises businesses on privacy and data collection policies. "StopBadware is trying to set a different boundary than what is common in the industry," Weber said.

Representatives from Movieland.com and SpyAxe.com didn't respond to e-mail and phone messages. StopBadware.org receives fundings from Google Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc. and Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group Ltd.

from Cebu Daily News, 23-March-2006

StopBadware reports at this link
Movieland.com
Kazaa.com
Screensaver.com
SpyAxe.com

Pangya Mall Tour

Pangya, an online game about golf is having a mall tour in SM City Cebu from March 10 up to March 12, 2006. They are giving away free Pangya installers and if you want to try this "free for life" game, you can, in their exhibit booth for about 15 to 30 minutes. Pangya is also having its "1 Hit Challenge" with over P1,000,000.00 in total prizes. For more info, check out their website at www.pangya.com.ph

As the saying goes, all work and no play makes Juan a dull boy... so enjoy Informatics students...


Pangya models to make your Pangya stay enjoyable...

Pangya screenshots from the website:

Integrating Your HR/Payroll Processes

In almost all business enterprises I have encountered, the first process to be automated is usually the payroll process. This is mainly because of payroll's repetitive processes, like time records, overtime/leave computations, printing of payslips, and generating the government reports.

Automating the payroll process is also a fairly simple task, even for first-time programmers. This applies for small organizations (less than 50 employees) that follow strightforward rules on payroll computations.

Complications happen though when organizations become larger. As organizations grow, processes become more complex. Different payroll rules and scenarios start to emerge for particular types of job. There will be issues like multiple work shifts or segregation of monthly, weekly, or daily employees with confidential pay slips.

More employees also mean more calls to the HR department seeking information about leave credits or loan status. This could disrupt work within the HR department.

It would then be best if employees can either do the inquiry on a self-service basis via their own workstations or a kiosk set up near their workplaces. What would even be better is for employees to be able to apply for leave, overtime or loans electronically.

Electronic and online applications eliminates the hassles of paper applications which are time consuming and are often lost within the approval process.

Integrated HR/Payroll systems also become essential when companies have multiple office locations. I have heard horror stories where payroll security is compromised as actual salaries are disbursed in remote offices. Integrating all payroll computation in one single location (usually in HQ) creates the most secure and best managed solution.

What can be done is to link the HR/Payroll system to the bank payment system. In this manner, companies can leverage the existing security and payment distribution system of the bank. Employees can then secure their salaries in any of the bank's ATMs.

As organizations grow larger, it enivetably becomes more complex. However, it does not mean that the organization should become less efficient. On the contrary, the organization's optimal size should provide it with the added strength to acquire the needed talent and tools to move the organization towards its goal in a fast and efficient manner.

Robert Cheng
(APPLIEDTECH) Cebu Daily News 09-March-2006

Seminar On Latest IT, Data Center Trends To Be Held In Cebu

A seminar on the latest data center trends in the information technology industry will be held in Cebu, according to a statement from the American Power Conversion (APC). APC is a leading global provider of high availability systems for network-critical physical infrastructure (NCPI). The company will present a macro view of where IT is heading in the Philippines.

Cebu, which is considered as an IT hub in the Visayas and Mindanao, is expected to benefit from the seminar since it will include both IT utilization as well as the digital Filipino's data center trends in corporate Philippines. Speakers for the free seminar, which will be held on March 9 at Cebu City Marriot Hotel, will discuss the emerging trends in data center infrastructure for enterprise as well as small and medium businesses.

Other topics included are network infrastructure applications for the data center; lowering data center total cost of ownership; remote sites and its importance to businesses; blade server adoption; and network infrastructure applications for the data center. APC will also present the latest of its cooling solutions for variou IT industries. The APC seminar will also provide solutions update on core and services products.

The company will highlight such products as the InfraStruXure Cooling Distribution Unit (CDU) and the Rack Air Containment System (RACS). These cooling solutions serve the needs of various IT industries, from wiring closets and computer rooms to data centers of all sizes. The company said these information is important in today's world where business cannot stop and downtime is measured in dollars.

Cebu Daily News, 08-March-2006

Computer Generated Zodiac Sign

Here are some computer generated pics of the Signs of the Zodiac...


Aries (March 21 - April 20)


Taurus (April 21 - May 20)


Gemini (May 21 - June 21)


Cancer (June 22 - July 22)


Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22)


Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22)


Libra (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22)


Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)


Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 20)


Capricorn (Dec. 21 - Jan. 19)


Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)


Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20)