Author: ericabulaclac

LET’S TALK IT APP.

A discussion on common and popular mobile applications

Let’s talk about mobile apps. To be specific, three apps in particular: Youtube, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), and Spotify.

YOUTUBE

We all know what Youtube is. It is perhaps the most popular video streaming and sharing application and website. Here, not only can you stream videos, you can also make your own channel and post and share your own videos. When your videos also get a lot of views, you can monetize your videos by placing advertisements at the start or between the videos.

But why do I like using the app so much?

My mini-addiction for the app started only recently. With nothing to do in the long four months of summer, I was left to do nothing but watch videos online. Here, I discovered and fell in love with the LA dancers and their channels.

Specifically, I got addicted to watching Sean Lew and Kaycee Rice dance videos. They have individual channels and they also have a channel for the both of them. These videos not only entertained me during the summer, they also made me want to dance for fun as well.

MOBILE LEGENDS: BANG BANG

“One game? One game?”

I often hear my friends asking that during school. It seems like everyone has caught the ML fever. Almost every young person plays or has at least tried playing the popular Mobile Legends: Bang Bang gaming application. It is often referred to as ML by the persons closest to me. Modelled closely to the desktop gaming app, League of Legends, the mobile app became a hit almost immediately, especially in the Philippines and a lot of Asian countries.

MLBB is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game where your player (hero) has the goal of defeating opponents to get to their towers (turrets)and destroy them so they can win the game. Of course, points go to the heroes for every kill and assist they make and these points decrease for the number of deaths as well.

Although I only just started joining in the bandwagon, I also really find it enjoyable because of its exciting interface and the stories behind each character.

I was first shocked when I heard that the characters or the heroes in the game actually have background stories and that, for me, seals the deal.

So far, the heroes I have already tried are Eudora, Tigreal, and Nana. So far, I prefer playing Nana than the rest. Now, I am excited to try others so I can find my favorite hero.

spotify

“Click the banner to learn more!”

I always get tired when I hear that phrase because it means that another advertisement was played in between the songs I was listening to. But even so, the free version application of Spotify is still very useful for everyday music-listening.

Containing seemingly unlimited playlists, Spotify gives you a platform for audio streaming that matches your mood and need.

For me, Spotify has already become part of my lifestyle because I would find myself listening to my early morning playlist when I get ready for school, or when I listen to calming music while I study, and even when I hype myself up for Christmas Season by listening to my Christmas playlist.

summary

There are so many other mobile applications out there, suiting whatever want, need, and desire that we may have. I personally am open to exploring other apps, but so far, these applications are the ones I click the most number of times everyday.

Think first before using the public charging stations.

More often than not, we get frustrated whenever our mobile phones get low in battery. There are some moments, though, where it is no longer just a matter of inconvenience. In desperate times, we resort to charging at public charging stations or kiosks. But is it really safe?

Although they seem like a very helpful venture, public charging stations can pose some alarming risks as well. Juice Jacking can occur within a minute of charging. This is “when a hacker steals data from or transfers malware to the device via a USB cable at a charging station” (Public USB Charging Stations — Safe or Not?). If your phone contains some private information, then make sure that you think about charging at public kiosks a bit more before doing it. Of course, there are ways to prevent this from happening, like placing a passcode on your phone (locking your phone) and using a power-only USB cable so that syncing with another device cannot happen. However, in today’s context where the once impossible things are suddenly made possible, it is probably much safer to use a power bank to charge instead of using public charging stations.

In my personal case, I bring a power bank with me whenever I feel that the events of the day may drain my battery drastically so that I would not need to use public charging stations. Although I would like to admit that this is because I am so knowledgeable about such information, it is actually because I have actually done something quite stupid in the past that made me rethink about plugging whatever I find into my phone.

Story time

A few years ago, my sister and I went around a mall to search for phone cases. I don’t exactly remember why I was holding onto my sister’s phone, but as we were passing through a phone accessory store’s isles, I saw a little mini fan that had a port compatible with my sister’s phone. Obviously, you needed to insert the fan into the phone’s charging port so it would work.

It was just lying there among a bunch of others, and like the curious person I am, I picked one up and plugged it into my sister’s phone. It worked, of course. The fan was turning and I was satisfied. I remember removing it in less than five seconds.

Less than five seconds was all it took for it to completely destroy my sister’s phone.

Her phone still worked while we were in the mall. It started to show signs of malfunction when we got home in the evening. The next morning, it was already dead. We went to so many repair shops after that, but all said that that little fan managed to burn through the phone’s inner components, making it unusable and incurable.

Since then, I would think twice about plugging whatever I find into my (and other’s) phone, even if it was a product from a well-known store.

what can we do about it?

When it comes to public charging stations, security can be a big problem. Just having a public venue for data syncing is like giving hackers ideas for information phishing. Although government-hired technicians and engineers can check on them regularly, only so much can be done, and this is hardly a matter of national security that is at the top of the country’s list. Instead, warning signs may be used instead. Simple placards are mostly inexpensive and can go a long way. Prevention is most effective if the persons involved actually know what they are protected from.

Aside from that, public charging stations can also have wireless designs to prevent juice jacking. This, however, may cost a lot more money.

Truth be told, there are hardly any public and free charging stations in the Philippines. Most charging stations are found in airports, vehicles, and private institutions (convenience stores like 7-11, fast food chains, etc.). Hence, we can only suggest so much yet in the end, it will all boil down to the decisions of the institutions and organizations involved.

summary

All in all, public charging kiosks are still very useful and helpful in itself. But just like how there is dark when there is light, they pose some risks as well. Here, the judgement lies on the user on whether he or she would charge his phone in those stations. In order to prevent exploitation on these public stations, warning signs on them could be a huge help. Switching from cable to wireless could also prevent juice jackings from occurring.

So in the end, it is up to you. Will you go ahead and charge your phone in a public kiosk, and run off with a full battery? Or, at the sight of a public charging station, will you charge on and run away in the opposite direction?

WINTER OLYMPICS: FIGURE SKATING

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REFERENCES:

https://www.olympic.org/pyeongchang-2018/figure-skating

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The human spirit must prevail over technology.

— Albert Einstein

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Every day, all we do is check our phones, communicate by chat, and make friends by social media. Technology has suddenly taken over a huge part of our daily lives. People are suddenly defined by the kind of phones that they have. Performance in school suddenly relies heavily on the internet. It has come to a point where not being up-to-date on and familiar with recent technologies affect you as a person greatly.

I, too, admit that I could not live as efficiently and comfortably as I normally could without the technologies I have been relying on.

So, how exactly is technology important for me, and how has it affected my life? All I have to do is recall all the things I usually do in a single day.

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hour zero

The beginning of the beginning

My day starts when it still has not started. Basically: me, on my bed, still asleep. The cold morning air is gentle and my blankets are soft. What disturbs this little moment of heaven is the sound of the alarm clock from my phone. I would groan and crawl around to find it and hopefully destroy turn it off.

After waking up, I would then start to get ready for my day. I would do the usual morning procedures like taking a bath and all those other things. Just before I leave, there are rare cases when I would actually have breakfast to eat. In those cases, I would heat it up using the microwave, and head off to school.

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commuting time

traffic? terrific.

Saying that commuting to school is hard is an understatement, especially if you have to pass through the busy traffic in the Diversion Road. It’s not only the slow traffic that bugs you, though. You need to first hail and get on the right jeepney. Just waiting for it to pass by is tiring, and often, I would play with my phone just to keep me occupied (of course, while being attentive of the passing jeeps and the likely phone snatchers).

When I do get on the jeep, I would then have to sit around for a long time. Sometimes, when I feel like it, I would put on my headphones, connect it to my smart phone, and just crank up some lively tunes. On some other moments, I would decide to recheck my Facebook account and my Messenger if I missed something in class, just to be sure. Most of the time though, I would just be chatting with my friends, reacting on some cat videos, or just browsing through the net.

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classes, classes.

Don’t be late!

When I get to school, the first thing I do is check the time. For that, I would use my phone. And because I’m highly forgetful, I would always recheck my schedule (because even in the third week, I still don’t quite memorize it yet). That, too, is found in the screenshots folder on the photos of my phone.

While some professors allow the usage of phones, some don’t. In the first case, I would usually keep my phone where I could just easily take hold of it so I could search for things while the lecture is going on. Sometimes, the lesson itself requires the usage of phones during different activities. There are moments too when laptops are needed for presentations and other class activities, so those are used as well.

Aside from that, communication about the occurrences in school is really important, and most of the time it is done through Messenger group chats and Facebook group posts. Being connected to the internet during class and during vacant time can really help you out, especially when you want to be informed about a certain rally to be conducted, sudden organization activities, and even on whether a class will be suspended or not. Hence, being informed really does come from being online sometimes.

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the last hour

before i sleep

After school, I would travel back home and reminisce about the day. Sometimes, I would immediately check on my school work and do my assignments. Most of the time, I would procrastinate and watch Youtube videos or read some e-books and comics online. After leisure time, I would properly do group works by being on social media, and studying by reading PDFs and searching stuff online.

After all that, though, I would then recall my family and text them or even call them just so I could feel comforted by them amidst all the pressures I am experiencing after getting into a new school and environment. After all, in times of need, it is not so bad to depend on the love and care of others.

Finally, just as the clock sets upon the final hour of the day, I would stretch my tired hands out to find my phone, set the alarm up again, and await an incoming new day.

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After all of this, I conclude that even in the most little things, technology has affected my life, and I would not be me without it. Others say that technology could be dangerous, and it really could be. But all that sets the limit to it is the user of the technology itself: me. All the responsibility lies on myself, and because it is up to me, I would use technology in a way that would make me a better person, for myself and for others.

After all, it does not matter whether the world changes and evolves just as how the hours of time change. I, too, will live with it and change with it.

A brief explanation of what this blog is about.

If you’re new to this blog, welcome! (Well, truth be told, I’m new to this, too.)

My name is Erica Mary Gillian Bulaclac, a freshman in the University of the Philippines, and I am the maker of this blog.

You might be wondering why the blog is called, “La Bitacora de Bulaclac”, and my answer to that is quite simple: “Bulaclac’s Blog” simply sounds better in its Spanish form. Also, my surname looks like a Spanish version of the Filipino word, “Bulaklak”, which means “flower”, with the k’s being changed into c’s.

Anyhow, what comes next must be an answer to why I chose Jalal ad-Din Rumi’s quote as an opening in the front page of my blog. It was actually because I was binge watching some Netflix movies during the summer. At some point, I was searching for some award-winning animated movies and picked one that particularly interested me. The movie was entitled, “The Breadwinner”. Just from the movie description, I was intrigued. It was about an Afghan girl named Parvana who, upon having her father wrongly arrested, had to dress up as a boy to take care of her family (who, at that time, were made up of women and a very young brother). Afghanistan under the Taliban rule was cruel to women, children, and the poor. Women simply cannot go walking around alone, even under broad daylight, and even if they had covered every single inch of their bodies. The women should only be kept inside unseen by others, do the household chores, care for the young, and look after their husbands. All things that have to do with interacting with other men would have to be left to the men of the household, and this included shopping in the market for food and daily supplies. So, when Parvana and her family suddenly lost the only capable man in the household, they were left with the option of cutting Parvana’s hair so they could live longer or starving to death while waiting for their untrustworthy relatives. So as the movie went on, I really did feel all sorts of emotions from joy to sadness to wonder. All of this roller-coaster of emotions was then directed into the final words of the movie, which was taken from Rumi’s quote, “Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that makes the flower grow, not thunder.”

At that moment, I was simply awestruck by the beauty of both the movie and the quote. It made me see that even in such an oppressive world, where it seems like all a person can do to be heard is to scream out loud, there are still those who hold the wisdom of understanding that there is no point to thunderous outcries if there are meaningless content; there can rarely be any response to an issue when all there is are jumbles of chaotic complaints. The movie and the quote taught me that there is a greater power in intelligence than in brute strength. And yes, perhaps it applies to some local cases, as well. Maybe, just maybe, a single well-written and well-exposed paper can be better than a dozen rallies; a simple diplomatic talk can be better than speeches that were made in a feverish state.

I do not disagree with the way things are being done right now, but I could not help but think that there might be other ways to make the flower grow.