It seems that in US, Sony is planning to release a 40GB model of PS3 this Christmas at a price of 400$. It is expected that Sony will announce major plans for the Playstation 3 at Tokyo Game Show 2007. And it’s 7 days to go!
Related link: Sony may roll out $400 40 GB Playstation 3
Just posting an article which was around in the internet for a while. One of the member is my cousin Sheila Baticulon (the team is brilliant!).
Filipino scientists develop inexpensive body monitoring device
By Helen Flores
Thursday, August 30, 2007A group of young Filipino scientists has developed an inexpensive device that will monitor the various bodily functions of patients who have undergone surgery.
Behind the Axel activity monitor system, which has the features of an ordinary wristwatch, are Allan Estrella, Sheila Marie Baticulon and Sheryll Anne Joson of the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
The device consists of the Axel monitor worn by the patient, the Axel reader that downloads the data logged by the monitor to the computer, and the Axel viewer that allows the viewing and analysis of the data.
Estrella, who presented the device at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza recently, said the activity monitor, also known as the actigraph, is not new as it is now a widely accepted device for patient monitoring, especially in the United States.
He said they wanted to develop an affordable actigraph that would help in the rehabilitation of patients, especially those who had undergone heart surgery.
Actigraphs measure body movements and sleep behavior and pattern by assessing the acceleration of the body part where the activity monitor is worn. The activity monitor is usually composed of an accelerator, filter, memory, and timer.
Estrella said the device would cost around P8,000 once it is commercialized. It is run by three triple-A batteries.
The Department of Health said heart disease is one of the 10 leading causes of deaths among Filipinos.
Based from 2003 data, it said 67,696 per 100,000 die of heart ailments.
Estrella, meanwhile, said based on latest data from the Philippine Hearth Center more than 1,000 patients undergo open-heart surgery every year.
Estrella graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. Electronics and Communications Engineering degree.
He was one of the awardees of the 2007 Magsaysay Young Engineers/Technologists Competition Program, given by the National Academy of Science and Technology of the Department of Science and Technology.
Related links:
The PlayStation 3 has now opened a site for backward compatibility checking of PS and PS2 titles. Just enter the game title here at PlayStation Support site. Here’s a sample result of Final Fantasy VII title check:
Final Fantasy VII
Publisher: Sony Computer EntertainmentProduct No: SCUS-94163
Description: On Disc 1, when the first battle begins at the Mako Reactor, a flashing black square appears around the user’s character’s pointer.
Just added a mini-game at the side bar of my site. This is a code snippet from Square-Enix Japan’s member’s area 
which you can copy and paste into your own blog. I guess I have another reason to stick for a while in my blog... hee hee... To play the game, click on the pink ellipse button (which translates as Start)... A bird on top of stick will appear that is held over your palm. This should be controlled by dragging the mouse pointer on it. The objective of the game is to balance the bird on top of the stick while gathering points from falling apples. Careful not to make the bird fall from the stick. Or else game over.
Btw, Chocobo is waiting at the bottom! I have to find out what Chocobo is doing there..
I just came across this blog widget from Tokyo Game Show site (please see the sidebar). Isn’t it nice? Hehe... Anyway, just click the badge to access the site! At the time of this writing, 14 days to go... TGS here we come!
Later this month, my friends and I are heading to Tokyo to attend the Tokyo Game Show 2007 (TGS2007). We already made reservation for our trip from Kyoto-Tokyo. Now, what’s with the subject? I am actually deciding whether to purchase PS3 in US or here in Japan. A friend of mine seems to be going for the US PS3 for the 80GB model. Upon digging more info about the US version of 80GB model, I found out that the “Emotion Engine” chip is no longer available from this version on. For those who might not be familiar with this chip, it is part of the PS2’s hardware and is the core CPU for playing PS2 game titles.
So what’s the drawback? Well according to some who are having discussions here at TG-Daily, they are currently concerned with the PS3 80GB not being backward compatible for other game titles in PS2. As the new model including the Europe versions are now using software emulation technology instead of the previous PS2 chip hardware itself. So depending of the PS2 games, there might be a chance that it might run differently (or possibly fail?). To other sites I’ve read, Sony seems to be focusing instead on newer titles, however SCEA also assures that even if the Emotion Engine chip has been removed, the software solution they have would resolve the backward compatibility.
Just recently when I decided to give a 2-kyuu (Japanese Level 2) profiency test another try. My colleague and I sent our application last weekend, and I’m now preparing (sort of!) for the exam, and hopefully (yes, with some effort) to pass the test. I know I have to study hard for this one, meaning to say, skipping meals, sleeping late, and shutting my room with 9 locks on it. OK, I think that’s a bit of exaggeration :D. Well, what I really have in mind is to keep at least 1-2 hour of study time everyday. Take some sample test over the weekends and see my progress. I guess I’m a bit free with listening practice as my current working environment is in Japanese. I just really need to be home early atleast around 8PM, so I could have enough time to study at night. The only things that might be a hurdle on my preparation are overtime work (which can be lessen), self-motivation and discipline (this last two points I really need to help my self).
For reviewing I picked-up few materials which I think would be useful during my review:
a. UNICOM Preparatory L2
b. KANZEN MASTER KANJI
c. KANZEN MASTER GRAMMAR
d. SAMPLE TESTS
KUMON Correspondence Course (which I started a while ago, now I’m on level JI) is helping me on reviewing other lessons I previously taken when I’m still studying at KAI Tokyo and also some few new lessons.
And by the way, let me introduce SuperMEMO which is now installed on my CLIE, so I could organize my flashcards, as well as not to worry on which Kanji I should flash more as it is handled already by SuperMEMO software. I am creating my own database by Excel in tab delimited format, converted later to SuperMemo database using its bundled utility which I can say fairly easy to use.
Somehow I am bit excited and challenged for this year’s test. And by the way the deadline for application is on September 11 so don’t be late!!!
And just few minutes before this special day ends... another year added... a year filled with surprises, challenges and memorable events. Family and friends who keep on sending me funny messages and greetings which I’ll always cherish.
Thank you for remembering as it makes my day really special! The day when God gives me a miracle, a gift. HE is really the reason why I am celebrating my birthday today.
It was a happy happy birthday! 
Just an update on SIAM SHADE’s upcoming concert. Ticket info below:
When: November 18, 2007
Where: Tokyo, Budoukan opens at 4PM and starts at 5PM
Ticket price: 6,300 (for early birds, including tax)/6,800 (including tax)
Selling of tickets will be from Oct. 10, 2007 at: E+, Lawson Ticket,Ticket PIA, CN PlayGuide, e-ticket
Got to get some reservations! Btw, thank you for the readers who dropped some comments to some of my posts. Let’s ROCK!
Yes! SIAM SHADE is back... for one night! One of my favorite bands when I was still in Philippines, and up until now! I could still remember the first time I came here in Japan really wishing to see them perform live! Unfortunately it was March 10, 2002 (a few months ago before I came here! Awww...) when the JROCK band decided to have there last concert at Tokyo, JAPAN Budoukan Stadium before they parted ways. I was so SAD... but not for long...
Surprising news actually came when SIAM SHADE’s chief manager NAKAMURA Shinichi passed away last April 2007. The group then decided to honor it’s manager for a one-night concert that will be held at Tokyo, JAPAN Budoukan on November 18th, 2007. The concert would be themed as “心からROCK” (Kokoro kara ROCK), which means “Rock from the Heart” or “Heart of Rock”.
Official news came from DAITA, SIAM SHADE’s lead guitarist and one of my guitar influence. I tried to translate one of his blog entry here:
NAKAMURA Shinichi, a man who loved SIAM SHADE more than anyone else and the group’s chief manager who passed away last April 25, 2007 at the age of 49. He doesn’t give up to the very last minute as we witnessed him dwelling with his sickness. The only thing we (SIAM SHADE) can do is to honor no other than “Shinichi ISM”, ROCKing sincerely from our hearts, which continues to live...
From there, it has been decided by SIAM SHADE’s each member with their burning desire to re-form the group that parted ways 5 years-ago for one challenging night to LOVE and ROCK LIVE at Tokyo, JAPAN Budoukan Stadium.
Sunday, November 18, 2007 Tokyo, JAPAN, Nippon Budoukan
We wanted to dedicate this supreme performance on stage to him. This is each member’s desire. One more time, let us encounter it at Tokyo, JAPAN Budoukan.
July, 2007
SIAM SHADE
HIDEKI KAZUMA DAITA NATIN JUNJI
And I would not miss this event! PROMISE!!! 約束を守る！
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