racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

Asus Philippines is running a raffle. Every purchase of an EeePC 701 gives you a chance to win a trip to HK Disneyland.

Get a chance to be one of eight (8) lucky families of four (4) vacationing in Hong Kong by simply purchasing an Eee PC 701 2g or 4g models between July 22 to August 15, 2008 and send the important details like name, address, signature, and contact information on a sheet of paper, along with a photocopy of the sales invoice, billing statement or delivery receipt and a cut out portion of the box where the serial number is indicated (Customers can only send in one entry per sales invoice, billing statement, or delivery receipt.100 models on one receipt, for example, is considered to be one entry). Place entries in an envelope and sending it to 14 United St., Bo. Kapitolyo, Pasig City, 1603 before the draw date of August 20, 2008.

More details on MyAsusEee.

If you pay for something, should you still see advertisements?

This is one question that has been looming on my mind since the first time I ranted out about advertisements on Sky Cable a couple of years back.

When you pay for a premium Flickr account, do you get ads? No? When I bought myself a Flickr Pro account, the promise was for ads to disappear unless it was absolutely necessary to display advertisements. And Yahoo!/Flickr made good on their promise.

What about SkyCable? No.

Take Nickelodeon, AXN, Cartoon network, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel. All of these channels that feature ads for their own shows during breaks now also feature ads for Sky, Home Cable, and affiliated companies like Sky Internet.

I mean I pay PhP 800 plus (~$16 +) per month for a Sky Cable Gold subscription, and I expect nothing but quality ad-free programming. But what do I get? Advertisements.

For the first Wikipedia entry I created from scratch: the profile of Erin J. Dean.

Actually I’ve been editing Wikipedia entries here and there (usually for the English stuff), but this is the first time I made one from scratch. I realized not all artists and art works (including TV shows, films, etc.) have their entries on Wikipedia. It sort of becomes a gauge of how well known one is, perhaps. The more popular artists have lengthier and more frequently-updated profiles.

As for Erin J. Dean, she is said to have retired from acting (at an early age) and pursued other interests, so it’s likely that not many remember her roles. You do know I’m a fan of children’s shows, and The Journey of Allen Strange is one of those series that I used to watch on Nickelodeon when I was younger (I think I was in college back then), right along with the Secret World of Alex Mack and other such shows (I think Spongebob Squarepants was just starting to gain popularit that time). Of course, these days, I’m more of a Disney fan (ask my kids!).

Feel free to edit.

Okay, so it’s been about television shows lately here on the J Spot. But you can’t blame me on this one. With two preschool-aged kids at home all we get to watch is Disney Channel. And Kim Possible is one of ‘em shows that we get to see daily. And somehow each show that my kids take interest in, I take time to research online about.

The Disney Channel Original Movie Kim Possible: So the Drama was supposed to be the series finale. The series had run for a full three seasons, and one speculation as to why Disney was initially planning to end it at that point was because the lead characters’ relationships had developed into something more than friendship and crime-fighting-partnership by the end of the movie. But Disney shows usually last four seasons before they pull the plug, so I guess it’s inevitable that they would have to continue it. After all, Kim Possible is a good show, enjoyed by kids and, umm, grown-ups alike (as evident with myself and the kids). This is one of those shows supposedly for kids, but with lots of reference to more mature topics. The quick wit and humor also appeal to adults.

Anyway, It was either that Disney retcon the series with the upcoming season so that Ron and Kim remained friends (and nothing more), or that they consider the movie canon, and let them pursue the relationship. It seems they’re going the relationship way.

This is suspected by some fans to be a type of maxim communicating the idea a strong friendship should first precede romance. According to the series’ directors, Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle, Kim and Ron will be dating in the upcoming fourth season. It is believed by some fans the addition of the element of romance will be a positive thing, while some others are opposed to it (they believe it may cause the show to jump the shark). Schooley and McCorkle have noted the potential risk, admitting that while Kim and Ron’s blossoming love has given them a chance to do something new with the characters, the relationship has to be handled delicately to avoid turning the series stale. – Wikipedia

Now that’s a good message, isn’t it?

Here’s a video of the ending part of So The Drama, in case you’re interested. The end credits features Could It Be, a song by Christy Carlson Romano (who voices Kim Possible).

Remember my recent post about a friend looking for a used car? Well, that “friend” is actually me. I had been car-hunting for most of the past two weeks and I finally found a great buy, and it was right under my nose!