PIPA, SOPA, and what they mean for the future of the Internet

Two pieces of legislation are currently making its way in the US House of Representatives and the Senate. The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and the Personal Information Protection Act, or PIPA, will potentially change the way users exchange and facilitate information in the Internet.

The SOPA and PIPA will work together to oblige internet service providers to block websites that posts or links to copyrighted content. Search engines like Google and Yahoo! likewise cannot display results from websites that violate the proposed law.

Pottermore to continue the legacy of Harry Potter?

The release of last Harry Potter movie was, for many people, the end of a 10-year journey that started with the first Harry Potter movie. Its worldwide screening was a milestone in itself–breaking record sales, spawning thousands of joyful and sentimental tweets, and getting some of the best reviews for a Harry Potter film yet.

But now that the Harry Potter movie series is officially over (or is it?), fans and perennial viewers are asking themselves: what’s next?

Google Shuts Down Google Health and PowerMeter

Google has decided to pull the plug on its two products, Google Health and Google PowerMeter. When Google Health was announced, its goal was to consolidate people’s personal health information and allow them to integrate it with other health domains, such as Drugs.com, DiabetesHealth, and American Heart Association among many others. The service allows such information to be available not only to the user but also to his friends, relatives, and even doctors.

iMessage in iOS 5: The End of Paid SMS?

Apple recently announced the release of the iOS at WWDC. Touted as the most advanced mobile operating system, the iOS 5 has more than 200 new features. From brand new features like the Notification Center and the iMessage to updated ones like the Safari browser and the Photos app, the iOS 5 will give Apple fans with an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch 3rd and 4th generations, the iPad and the iPad 2 something to look forward to this coming fall.

Did you miss the Billboard Awards?

There’s no use crying over spilled milk. If you missed the Billboard Awards for whatever reason (such as you falling asleep or being totally ignorant that there’s such a thing as the Billboard Awards!), Billboard wants to assure that you can catch up. Thanks to the the social media accounts of Billboard.com in full swing, you can experience the Awards as completely and richly as if you were in the event itself.

Facebook Spams and Scams, and What You Can Do About It

Like most evils in the world, Facebook spam exists because we allow it to. Although Facebook’s taking spam-generating accounts and posts seriously, you have to be responsible as well and stop being an accidental agent of Facebook spam.

Believe me, this is a lot more difficult than it sounds, and assuming that you’re two steps ahead of these sneaky scams might be the biggest mistake you’ll make. After all, behind these spams and scams are hackers whose preoccupation is to create ingenious ways of breaching Facebook’s admittedly flawed security system. I learned this the hard way myself, after being blindly lured into clicking a link on iPhone 5.

News Sites Get their Traffic from Google, Facebook

Have you ever wondered where news sites get their traffic from?

It’s no big secret that journalism has taken a radical turn with the dawn of digital news. Until recently though, the statistics on how news sites are gaining readership compared to the more traditional newspapers hasn’t been clear. But with figures from Nielsen, the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence has conducted a research on the behavior of visitors of news sites.

The Informed Filipino Voter: A Myth or Reality?

With the national elections less than three months away from today, you just know I’m going to HAVE to blog about it at some point in time.

In the same class that made me start this blog, we were asked our opinions on whether or not the Internet would change the way the Philippine election is wired.

Freelance Writing for a Dirt Cheap Price?

One thing I regularly do when I’m online is to check different websites where freelance writing services are bought and sold. If you’ve been in the freelance writing market as long as I have, then you probably know the sites I’m talking about–www.odesk.com, www.elance.com, www.getafreelancer.com and so much more.

Rogue and Manila Collegian: How Print Media is Engaging New Media

One of the strongest messages that resonate in today’s new media age is this: print is dead. After all, the most basic function of print—to provide information to its receiver—is undermined by new media.

Credits to threeminds.organic.com

The Internet doesn’t just hand over information from senders; it also allows receivers to send their own messages as well. But you already know that: if you’re reading this, then you’re experiencing it. You’re a receiver and sender of messages in the Internet yourself!