www.webAward.org
Average Rating: 2.44 stars
PSP Go
Average Rating: 3.00 stars
Al Hoota Cave
Average Rating: 2.57 stars
Angels and Demons
by Dan Brown
Average Rating: 2.00 stars
www.webAward.org
Creating a website is not that easy (well, maybe for some of us who do not know the correct measures); there are certain things to take into consideration when building an impressive and appealing website. There are masses of website in the Internet which is popular in different ways, being popular means you tap into the electronic world of over 300 million homes and businesses.
Recognition, appreciation and acknowledgement, everyone loves this. I think it's a human nature to desire assertion on a job well done. Being known for the work we do gives us motivation to work harder and hopeful to be recognized again. That is one reason why there are some websites that gives recognition to those who have remarkable website designs. One such award program that is known in this area is the Web Marketing Association's WebAward competition. Since 1997 WebAwards set the standard of excellence for web site improvement and helped marketers enhance brand publicity.
The WebAwards is different from other award programs; each entry is viewed by the panel of experts who are volunteers that provide their services in their free time. The system for the judges to review the sites is unique in itself as well. You are given a set amount of sites to review. You get scoresheet and a description of what the contestants wants you to focus on. Participants receive both a great marketing opportunity if they win.
What really makes the WebAwards different from other Web site award programs is the precision of the program. The Web Marketing Association lets you know exactly what will be judged and your scores on each criterion like, Design, Content, Innovation, Technology, Interactivity, Copywriting and Ease of Use. Overall it is a very well run awards program.
>> Reviewed by: Ramon A. Mangampo Jr.
PSP Go
The PSP Go is the latest version of the PlayStation Portable handheld video game console manufactured by Sony. It was released on October 1, 2009 in America and Europe and on November 1 in Japan. One thing that you will notice when you buy a Go is the size, since they completely remove the UMD drive the depth and height are now smaller than PSP-2000 and PSP-3000. The analog stick is also smaller but it feels more durable and more resistance when moving around. The screen is a little bit smaller but more vibrant and brighter compared to other PSP models. The body of the PSP Go is glossy plastic seen in all previous models and a slider mechanism has been included to hide the controls, it's the first PSP that can fit comfortably in your pocket.
Since UMD slot has been removed, all games and multimedia can be accessed via a 16GB internal storage and expandable with a Memory Stick Micro (M2) card. Users can download software from Playstation store directly to their PSP Go using the built-in Wi-Fi or transfer data using their PC or Playstation 3 via USB. One thing about this model is that you can access multiple downloaded games without needing to keep extra case of UMDs at hand and you can pause and resume game states. It also adds Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity that makes it easy to connect wireless headsets, this model also has a built-in microphone for applications such as Skype.
The battery is no longer removable; Sony is now working on a proprietary port that works for charging, connecting to a PC via USB and outputting video. After charging the unit it manages to last about a day and a half doing some light gaming. Good thing Sony comes with the proper cable, but your old cables are now nearly in obsolescence. The PSP Go costs an astounding US$250 or 109.9 OMR here in Oman, maybe not too reasonable for others because the newest model of PS3 is only 160 OMR but still we are talking of portability and Sony is the best name for it. A lot of gamers put in their PSP wish list the existence of touch screen and a second analog stick but unfortunately these are the two things you won't be able to find in this model.
Overall, we'd say Sony has done some great work here and we're overwhelmed. We really do like the portable, but what's important in our decision is the hardware. If you can look at the details of other PSP models it's hard not to impress with the improvement they've done here.
>> Reviewed by: Ramon A. Mangampo Jr.
Al Hoota Cave
In times of holidays here in Oman, expatriates like us look for a place where we can spend our time to avoid boring times at home. One of the places here in Oman that I have visited is the Al Hoota Cave which is located at the foot of Jabal Shams, Tanuf Valley in Al Hamra district.
We had to call their office and reserve our slots prior to going there, and it took us almost a week to reserve. We were 15 Filipinos then, took a rented coaster, and enjoyed a 20-minute drive going to the cave. When we were there, we had to wait for nearly 15 minutes before our group can be accommodated as the visit to the cave is done per batch of limited number of people.
Unfortunately, the train is not working so we had to walk more or less one kilometer going to the cave's entrance. Though it was a rocky road, it was not tiring for us to walk as we were enjoying the mountain view and posing in front of cameras and videos brought by our group.
We were restricted to bring our cameras inside so we had to leave them at the guard. The cave is even more beautiful. We can also feel the cold breeze inside. A lot of tour guides were with us, and in several locations, asked us to stop for a while to listen to a five-minute English and Arabic talk about some things in the particular area we were in. That talk gave us several minutes to relax for a while, and free ourselves from the tiring moves before proceeding to the succeeding locations. While the tour guide explains in Arabic, we took the chance to look around, see and focus more on the beauty of the cave that we can not do while walking. We saw the lake with blind fishes at the last location. There is a Museum located at the second floor of the building outside the cave and a gift shop downstairs. A restaurant which serves variety of foods is also located in front of the building.
We stayed for less than two hours in the cave. And that brought knowledge, relaxation, and happiness as well. We enjoyed a lot and appreciated the beauty that nature brings.
>> Reviewed by: Donna Lyn Lopez
Angels and Demons
by Dan Brown
For some "men curiosity" I got interested reading and seeing some documentary movies about Dan Brown's work. I am a natural fanatics of paranormal and science fictions (such as alien sightings and other high-tech stuffs) stories like those of Dan Brown, Robert Ludlum,etc. and not to mention JK Rowling's Harry Potter.
I really like to read books about science fictions, so I got a chance to read this novel of Dan Brown's Angels and Demons (a sequel of DaVinci Code). I can't imagine reading this book gives me an idea about "anti-matter" (the fuel of USS Enterprise in Star Trek movie) really exists, I know CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) exists but it never crossed my mind that they really build this "biggest machine" to create this so-called "anti-matter" and other unimaginable technology. They call this machine as Large Hydron-Collider (HLC) or particle accelerator. This machine will accelerate two particles until it reaches the speed of light (300000 kilometers per second) and then that two particles will collide to each other and the result is anti-matter. CERN is not only the maker of the world's largest machine but it is also the birthplace of the WWW (World Wide Web) made by Tim Berners-Lee.
I haven't been to Rome or any part of Europe but this book gives me an idea of what Vatican City may look like and how beautiful are those churches. Those Churches was built by the famous and geniuses like Rafael Sante, Leonardo DaVinci and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Inside Vatican City's 60 foot High wall were composed of great structure ever built by the most renowned sculptures, designers and painters. Those structures are the place of men who serve God purpose and control the whole Catholic churches that feed those who are hungers around the world. But what really inside are mountains of documents which the Catholic Church secretly preserves for more than a century. Note that, not only those precious papers they've stored inside their vault but those documents from the most richest man to the most powerful company around the world. That is why they were protected by swiss mostly elite army with a high technology equipment and weapons that money can buy.
Conspiracy from inside the Vatican City's most secured and highly trained men were unthinkable. But somehow, those conspirators manage to get inside its walls.
At the end of adventurous, breath-taking chase of assassin with high intense of searching and cat and mouse chasing, Robert Langdon had manage to trace the lair of the illuminati.
>> Reviewed by: Jonathan Gonzales