* * *

“NSPC 2009: Notes From Naga City“, published here on February 25, 2009; “NSPC 2010: The Tagum Invasion“, published here on February 28, 2010.

I have been a campus journalist since the fifth grade in elementary. Ever since I started I have been a feature writer, and thankfully I’ve won several awards in that category, including two at the national level.

In UP Diliman I will be a student of the Department of Journalism of the College of Mass Communication, working under the tutelage of some of the Philippines’ brightest minds in journalism. For someone who has regarded himself as a “budding journalist” for so long, it’s a great honor to be studying at the CMC.

I often think about how lucky I am to be able to pursue my life’s interest. Opportunities like these don’t come to many people, nor do they come often. I will try my best not to make fortune regret knocking on my door.

©2010 Deantastic!. All Rights Reserved.

* * *

“Moryo-Moryo: A Ray Of Hope“, a project I took on along with four of my Junior year classmates that focused on the plight of children who lived near our city’s dumpsite. Despite my deplorable HTML and CSS skills, the project won Best In Community Impact for Smart Schools’ first Doon Po Sa Amin Learning Challenge.

Perhaps the most iconic and enduring symbol of the University of the Philippines is the Oblation—a naked man with arms outstretched, offering himself in service to his country. No less than this attitude of self-sacrifice is expected of all UP students.

The Oblation made me think about when I decided to take on the Moryo-Moryo project. The prospect of winning a cash prize enticed me, of course, but much more than that I welcomed the opportunity to help a worthy cause. Every time we visited the school, we got to see the children whose eyes sparkled with hope despite their dire situation. That really hit me in two ways: it reminded me of how lucky I was to have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a house to come home to everyday, and inspired me to do everything I could to help. I cannot justify with words the fulfilling satisfaction I felt in telling the story of Moryo-Moryo, in working for a cause bigger than me.

It feels good to be part of a community that cares so much about service to country at a time when the Philippines is so overridden by greed and selfishness, in city streets and in corridors of power. I hope I prove myself worthy of the tradition of service to country that UP fosters.

©2010 Deantastic!. All Rights Reserved.

* * *

“Regretting Section One [RANTING/BITCHING]“, published here on July 4, 2008.

When I was a first year high school student, I was part of Section One of the Special Science Curriculum of Agusan National High School. The Special Science Curriculum, or “Science High” as it’s colloquially called, is the most advanced curriculum ANHS offers. To qualify for it, incoming freshmen must pass a rigorous testing process (admittedly, it was easier then compared to now, but it was hard to get through nonetheless). Being in Section One of Science High, therefore, means being part of the crèmè de la crèmè of the school.

Needless to say it was an honor for me, a so-so student who had never gone to public school before, to make it. I felt proud.

At the end of freshman year, I found out that my dismal grades meant that I would probably be demoted to a lower section of Science High. So as a sophomore, I bade goodbye to the glow of Section One and said hello to Section Three. At first, I felt awkward, ashamed even. I had fallen from grace. As the year wore on, however, I found myself having the time of my life in Section Three, feeling no pressure and being able to enjoy high school as a high school student should.

When I qualified for reinstatement to Section One as a Junior student, I hesitantly accepted. Barely a month into the school year, not having recovered from the euphoria of Sophomore year, I wrote the above post, lamenting the seriousness of Section One and wishing for a return to simpler times.

I thought of this as I was preparing for UP and all the pressure it will give me. Admission into UP was one of my biggest dreams, and now that it has come true, I wonder if I should have been careful what I wished for. I know, of course, that for its notoriously rigorous environment, UP is an almost-absolute guarantee of future success for its student. Pressure, they say, forms diamonds after all. But I think it would be more apt to think of UP as a trial by fire for me. If I’m really made of gold, I will come out shining brighter than ever; if I turn out to be anything less than is expected of me, I’m screwed.

It was easy for me to whine about the pressure that comes with being part of the cream of the crop as a high school student, but I resolve to look at the pressure that comes with being a student of the country’s premiere university in a different light. I know it will be anything but easy, and I can’t say I’m confident about my chances, but I’m more than willing to have a go at it.

This is it. Pressure na. Kaya ko ‘to!

©2010 Deantastic!. All Rights Reserved.

Hi, I’m Dean. I don’t know if you remember, but we “met” in a souvenir stall in Tagum City National High School. I was wearing a red-and-yellow Caraga shirt and an unbelievably stupid face, and you were wearing a simple shirt, a nice pair of shorts, and one of the sweetest smiles I’ve ever seen.

I was waiting for my shirt to get printed and you were looking at the designs they had put on display on one side of the booth. I vaguely remember  us stealing sidelong glances at one another, but that could have been just me. At any rate, there I was, standing stupidly, secretly admiring your presence, while you leisurely looked for a shirt design you liked.

Then you made the exclamation that made me squeal on the inside: “Uy, yun oh, cute ‘yun!” (or something to that effect) while pointing to a design. Right after you said that you looked sheepishly at me, giggling to reveal that smile and those dimples that made me melt. I don’t know if you were making pacute or if you’re just that adorable by nature.

All I could say in reply was, “ok lang ‘yan, ate *giggle*.” I barely even got the words to leave my lips, and I highly doubt that you heard what I said. The reply might have been obfuscated by the corny laugh and the one hell of a f—face I said it with.

We didn’t speak any further, and soon you moved to the other end of the stall—whether to look for more shirt designs or to escape from my weirdness, I’m not sure. I wanted to make conversation so I could get your phone number (or at least your name so I could add you up on Facebook). I even moved to your end of the stall, pretending to sift through the piles of shirts on the table while thinking of ways to start talking to you. I wanted to strike up a chat, but you seemed too busy and I was too shy.

Before I cold utter a word, you got the shirt you wanted, haggled all you could, and left the stall and my life as quickly as you came—possibly forever.

I spent the rest of the night thinking about you, about the brief exchange of giggles in the stall, about how I was too shy to say a word, about what would have happened had I been brave enough to try to strike up a conversation. I spent the wee hours of the next morning writing this, forgoing sleep I needed much for the homeward journey I made a few hours later.

I learned many things from my NSPC 2010 experience, the chief of which I learned from you: the window of opportunity can stay open for as briefly as a few seconds, and if that window isn’t seized, many what ifs can come to mind, which is bad since life isn’t supposed to be lived in regret and thinking “what if?”

I know the chances of you reading this are slimmer than Heidi Klum, but I’m a guy who’s grown accustomed to hoping against hope, so here goes:

If you are the girl who stood next to a silly-looking guy in a brightly colored CARAGA shirt in a souvenir stall in Tagum City National High School on the night of February 25, 2010, and if you made a remark to the effect of what was described in the fourth paragraph of this piece, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get in touch via Facebook or by using this page. Please please please. I really want to be friends. =)

With warm regards,

(sgd) Dean.

©2010 Deantastic!. All Rights Reserved.

See, the Kho-Halili video is a non-issue. The Senate is in no position to thumb its nose in this mess. Halili’s already filed cases with the proper government agencies. The Senate does not need to hold hearings on it. How simpler can one put it?

And don’t give me any of that “in aid of legislation” shit, either. Bong, I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how your “anong nararamdaman mo ngayon? (How do you feel right now?)”, “alam mo ba kung ilang buhay ang sinira mo? (Do you know how many lives you’ve destroyed?)”, and “anong camera at software ang ginamit mo? (What camera and software did you use?)” questions would aid you or your colleagues in lawmaking. This, to me, was your attempt to paint Kho as the evil criminal, Katrina as the damsel in distress, and yourself as the Captain Barbel, the knight in shining armor. I’m not sure why you’re pandering to women’s rights groups so much (my guess is that you’re trying to gain the trust (and thus the votes) of a sizeable demographic). What I am sure of is that what you’re doing is absolute jack shit and is unbecoming of a supposedly “honorable” senator such as yourself.

I don’t know if you realize this, Senators Madrigal, Estrada and Revilla, but while you make chismis (gossip) in your airconditioned conference room in the Senate, people are starving to death in the streets. Workers are losing jobs. Government officials are robbing the shit out of our nation’s coffers. Our children aren’t getting the proper education guaranteed them by the Constitution. In short, THERE’S A WHOLE SHITLOAD OF THINGS MORE PRESSING, MORE IMPORTANT, MORE RELEVANT THAN A PLASTIC SURGEON AND A YOUNG ACTRESS’S INTIMATE MOMENTS CAUGHT ON CAMERA.

Marocharim rightfully shames the apes in the monkey suits for the utter absurdity of this mess:

Shame on the Senate for scandalizing the people.  The outcry for better social services, the outrage against corruption, the outpouring of hatred against incompetence at the expense of empty stomachs and empty pockets, have been replaced by outcries, outrage, and an outpouring hatred for someone whose crime is a sex video.  Good Senators, the adultery, fornication, and pornography that really takes place here is not a fuzzy sex video.  Pardon my language, but what takes place is the violation of justice; and on this day, at the very least, your refusal to elevate the living conditions of the very people whom you must serve because you chose to investigate a man’s videotaped sexual escapades with other women.

So please, dear senators. Don’t try to pull this crap on us again. Get back to work. Stop kibitzing in other people’s business. We didn’t elect you to talk about sex tapes. We don’t pay you to meddle in showbusiness. Get off this issue and on to more pressing matters (like, say, the Book Blockade, which by the way you haven’t called  for a hearing about yet?). Stop screwing Juan dela Cruz over.

You have long since reduced the Senate to an incredulous, humiliating circus, and the carnival has overstayed its welcome.

***

Pardon the egregious prose. I hope it was tolerable enough to get my point across. -dean.

©2010 Deantastic!. All Rights Reserved.

This afternoon, I made the decision to close down Deantastic Tech, a blog about technology, the web and blogging, which I started barely a month ago. I thought it too heavy a burden, and I’m pretty sure that if I kept the blog, it wouldn’t be one of my top priorities once school begins. I will, however, continue to produce the Deantastic Tech Podcast, although I cannot say for certain how frequently the episodes might come.

I’ve also been leafing through my college entrance exam reviewers in preparation for the many entrance exams I will be taking later on in the year. So far, I’ve only finished answering MSA’s UPCAT reviewer. (The Science and Maths questions are a bitch to answer!)

***

Since the last time I blogged, Manny Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton in the second round of their much-awaited bout in Las Vegas. While some people are not in the least interested in the sweet science, I happen to be a bit of a boxing aficionado (thanks largely to my father). So as Pacquiao and Hatton traded blows (one of them trading more vigorously than the other), I watched intently. I screamed as Hatton attacked Pacquiao…with hugs, clinching and then punching him at close range in what I thought was a ghei maneuver. When Hatton fell in the middle of the first round and again at the end of that round, I screamed again, delighted at the prospect of seeing the Hitman stumble like a drunkard over and over until he could get up no longer.

And when, in the second round, Manny introduced the pompous Hitman to his second loss with a fierce left to the jaw, I—along with countless other Filipinos in the country and all over the world, I’m sure—jumped and screamed in ecstasy.

Call it brutality, call it inhumanity, call it whatever you will. At the end of the day, whether or not he intended to, Manny Pacquiao made us feel proud to say that we are Filipino, at least for one day, at least for one moment in time.

***

Martin Nievera sang the Philippine National Anthem during the Pacquiao fight. Now, I couldn’t sing if my life depended on it, but it doesn’t take a genius to spot what was wrong with Nievera’s rendition of Lupang Hinirang. The first stanza was sung slowly, the pause between it and the second stanza was prolonged, and Martin made banat on the last note a la Star Spangled Banner. That rendition was starkly different from what is taught in public schools and sung in government offices worldwide.

Republic Act 8491, Section 37 sez:

The rendition of the National Anthem, whether played or sung, shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe.

Either my preschool, elementary and high school teachers have a reckless neglect for our heraldic devices, or Martin sang the national anthem wrong.

Now, the same republic act requires us to sing the anthem “with fervor”, and I will admit that there have been a few times where I put my right palm to my chest and sang Lupang Hinirang without the ardor of a patriotic Filipino. But for Martin Nievera to blatantly ignore the rule when presenting the anthem in the world stage—even with the unauthorized use of a title card saying that the rendition was approved by the National Historical Institute—is annoying. Not blood-boiling, not infuriating, but annoying. Irritating. Especially considering the fact that artists who sang the Lupang Hinirang in Pacquiao’s past fights were in hot water for the very same mistake.

Martin’s take on his rendition:

“Well, it’s gonna be hard for me to apologize for something that I am not sorry for. I did not ask to do the anthem. Manny Pacquiao himself asked me to sing the national anthem.

“It was my honor to be blessed with this awesome responsibility and I have no one to apologize to because Manny asked me to sing this song.  Obviously, he wants me to sing it the way I would sing it. I didn’t change any of the notes. I did not make it R&B.”

Manny asked you to sing it so you don’t have to apologize to anybody. Case closed. Makes sense.

***

The Pacquiao bout also gave us a glimpse of the 2010 elections. As did the fight, next year’s campaign will feature savage people trading punches and low blows, doing ridiculous things to themselves and their opponents in order to gain a coveted title as well as the cheers of the people.

Politicians wasted no time in leveraging the fight to benefit their campaigns. Gilbert Teodoro—oh, wait, I’m sorry, I meant Ka Gibo—purchased some airtime, although his advert was reportedly booed in cinemas.  My local cable provider apparently sold advertising space during the bout, too, in the form of a news ticker sort of thing that displayed messages from people with familiar names. “Perseverance is the Key to Progress ,” (or something like that) read the message of one councilor. “Obey traffic rules and regulations,” read another. (That made me go WTF.)

***

Bite me.

The Ako Mismo Advocacy’s viral campaign certainly caught people’s attention, although I think the awesometastic dog tags were to blame.

At first glance, the message Ako Mismo attempts to get across is a noble one: pledge to do something to change the country and the world for the better.

But one cannot help but wonder if that is genuinely what Ako Mismo is for, or if the change-the-world-advocacy is merely a front for something less noble. After all, unregistered site visitors are greeted by a short flash presentation, are asked to cite their pledge (“Ako Mismo _______”), and are provided a registration form into which they can enter a truckload of personal information—name, age, gender, location, profession, even cell phone number.

When you’re urging people to pledge to do something for the betterment of their country, complicating the process isn’t very effective. And besides, I’m not entirely certain putting my advocacy to writing will make me strive harder to accomplish it.

The idea behind Ako Mismo is great. The implementation is another story altogether.

***

PHOTO CREDITS for the Pacquiao picture go to Flickr / coolmel.

©2010 Deantastic!. All Rights Reserved.

I’m probably getting ahead of myself—I still have ten more months of high school to plod through. I should be thinking about getting my head straight this school year, about clicking my mouse less and hitting the books more, about the frenzy and delirium of Senior Year.

But I’m worried sick about college.

You see, I’ve pretty much decided to take the career path of print and/or broadcast media. I’ve been dabbling in that field for no less than four years now, and I really feel that that is my strong suit.

While in the shower last night, I planned everything out. (aside: I seem to think best while in the shower.) I will go to school, graduate as promptly as I can, and then get a job in a local media firm (Inquirer? Summit Media? ABS-CBN?). After a few years, when I earn enough money and gain enough credentials, I will seek greener pastures (Newsweek? Time Magazine? The Economist? BBC? CNN’s Atlanta or London offices?) and work my way through the ranks.

Only one problem: The Philippine Daily Inquirer, ABS-CBN, Newsweek, Time Magazine, The Economist, BBC and CNN are all old world media outfits. These days, that means that they are effectively the dodo to media’s Mother Earth, the Anoop Desai to broadcast and print media’s American Idol. Newspapers are going to the dogs, all the blogs and websites proclaim, and with the ubiquity of Twitter and the Internet, news networks have found competition in the breaking news delivery market.

So although I am deeply inclined to become a broadcast/print mediaman, my greatest worry is that the market will die by the time I graduate, leaving me with a diploma but without money or a job.

But then again, one can argue that old world media will refuse to die out just like that—it will probably evolve to adapt to the changing times. At worst, they will probably go entirely Web-based. Maybe there will still be a position open then?

If the market shrinks to such a point that I’m financially better off going another way, I’m not closed to the idea of taking up law and working in that field. Lawyers never go out of style. Be it bliss or dissonance, concord or conflict, there will always be the lawyer to rob you of your money standing at the ready. Plus, the many courtroom scenes in movies I’ve watched over the years make the profession seem exciting and therefore enticing. Having the word “attorney” before your name doesn’t sound too cruddy, either.

I wish it were easy to tell where old world media is headed. Were the market much more stable—had Twitter not risen to fame! had Web 2.0 not come! If we were only still filling webpages with marquees, blinky text, and broken HTML markup and publishing them on the soon-to-be-defunct Geocities!—I would have way less to worry about. But since Twitter’s all the rage, since newspapers are losing readership to HuffPo and Slate, I have more than a bit to worry about.

The advice most people give me these days is not to worry about it, to take whatever course I prefer. Do what I love and the money will come. Maybe I should take that advice. Maybe I will.

Maybe I’m too young to not believe it’s going to be okay. It probably will be okay. I will probably end up doing something I love to do and making good money while I’m at it.

Fingers crossed. The future is bright with possibilities.

***

Props for the great photo above go to Demi Brooke.

©2010 Deantastic!. All Rights Reserved.

From 8:30 to 9:30 PM on the 28^th of March, 2009, while countless other people in the same time zone as me switched off their lights to show their support in the fight against Climate Change, most of the lights in my own home were brightly lit.

My parents were enjoying a healthful dinner.

My brother was, as always, glued to the computer screen, playing games.

I, on the other hand, had decided to shut off my laptop, turn off my study lamp, retreat to my bedroom, shut off the light, and listen to music on my iPhone.

That was my Earth Hour. Far from the pitch black of other people’s homes.

I know there were many people who did switch off their bedroom lights—maybe even the lights throughout their homes—last night, but in their daily lives neglect the issue of Global Warming.

I’m proud to say that I try my best to fight Climate Change every day in every little way I can.

I may not have turned off all of my house’s lights tonight, but I’m still crusading against Climate Change.

Still, to my children, and my children’s children, and to my grandchildren’s grandchildren, accept my apologies. On the night of March 28^th, 2009, between 8:30 and 9:30 PM, I lacked the guts to even make my entire house go pitch black. Switching off my lights for 3,600 seconds was all I had to do to prove that I cared for you, but I couldn’t do even that.

Accept my apologies, too, on behalf of the people who may have shut down every electronic device they had and dimmed or turned off all of their lights, but who still leave trash on the sidewalk and use smokebelching vehicles everyday.

*****

The point of all this rambling is this: 8:30 to 9:30 PM on March 28, 2009 was Earth Hour, when people were encouraged to dim or turn off their lights as their vote for Mother Earth.

RJ Marmol put it best: this wasn’t an effort to save electricity, it was an effort to save Mother Earth.

And the effort to save Mother Earth doesn’t comprise entirely of flipping your lights off for one hour on just one day of the year. The effort to save Mother Earth is an unending process that needs as much participation as it can get—not just for one night, but for every day of our lives.

If you participated in Earth Hour—whether you participated by cutting off power to your entire house or just by shutting down your workstation—you have my deepest gratitude. But please, let every hour of our lives be Earth Hour, and every day be a day for the Earth.

Pick up that piece of paper on the curb.

Don’t toss that plastic bag anywhere but a garbage bin.

Tell your friend to stop using that gas-guzzling, smoke-belching SUV of his.

Ask your office management to cut down on electricity costs.

Flipping off your light switch is a start, but it isn’t enough.

Think about it this way: when you turned off your lights during Earth Hour last night, you ignited your Climate Change fighting-engine. Don’t ever let that lose power.

*****

My house may not have gone pitch black on the night of March 28.

But because I care for the generations that will follow—because I know they’re counting on us to make their world livable—because I know that their lives will depend on what we do or don’t do today—I strive to make every hour of my life an hour for Earth.

I hope you do the same.

[Photo credits: Hyperscholar]

©2010 Deantastic!. All Rights Reserved.

Looking ahead to my trip to Naga City in February of 2009, I know it’s high time for another (hopefully better quality) digital camera. I mean, come on! It’s the Visayas, where scenic spots are just waiting to be visited and memorable moments captured. I’m waiting to propose a purchase to my dad (and hoping that he won’t turn it down).

The question now, of course, is which camera to purchase.

The first debate that popped up in my mind was whether I should get a regular Point and Shoot, or one of them fancier DSLRs.

On one hand, point-and-shoots are much cheaper than DSLRs, although in recent years the price gap has closed. They require less technical know-how to operate, and are in general much less of a pain in the hiney. However, the photos they take are often grainy and noisy, and you can fiddle with your shot less with a P&S than with a DSLR.

On the other hand, DSLRs take wicked photos. You have more control over your picture, and with the proper photography knowledge, your images come out looking more professional. Sadly, DSLRs often burn bigger holes in your pocket and require more TLC than point-and-shoot cameras.

Okay, so I can’t exactly say that I can work an SLR like a pro. I have already tried using a classmate’s film SLR, and basic operation seems fairly simple—you just turn the lens one way or the other to adjust zoom and focus. I’ll have to try to learn the technicals, like ISO and other settings, through online resources, but it’s not like I’ll be taking pictures for a living, so whatever.

If I get a point-and-shoot, things get even easier. I just, uhm, point… and shoot. But then again, issues of image quality and lack of control come to mind… and so does the fact that I’ve been drooling over DSLRs forever.

While I try to figure out which one would give me more bang for my buck (I hope you’ll help me out by sharing your thoughts in the comments), let me show you some of the cameras I’m looking at (both DSLRs and P&Ss).

Canon Rebel XS

Meet the XS, baby brother and cheaper alternative to the EOS Rebel XSi. Sporting 10.1 megapixels, a CMOS sensor, optical stabilization, minimum shutter speed of 30 seconds, and ISO settings from 100 to 1600 as well as auto, CNET says it’s “a good entry-level dSLR, but only its photo quality stands out among the competition”. It costs less than Php30,000 on Amazon (shipping’s free, w00t), but there are only five left in stock.

Pentax K200D

Pentax isn’t exactly the most popular brand when it comes to cameras (it used to be in a much earlier time, I reckon), but when you’re a panhandling, amateur photographer like me, you’ll take anything that’s just a bit more than OK. Enter the K200D. 10.2 megapixels, CCD, same ISO as the Rebel XS sans auto, an entire slew of shooting programs to choose from, and much more. The downside? CNET editors seem disappointed in the K200D’s inaccurate colors and tendency to underexpose images. While it does cost around $29,000—Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens included, shipping free—the lack of vividness in its photos makes me wonder whether or not it’ll leave out the natural color of the Visayas.

Nikon D40x

I realized I couldn’t do away with a Nikon on this list. CNET touts this as a “very nice first dSLR”, despite further admonishing more experienced photographers to get the D80 instead. Its 10.2 megapixel CCD sensor, ISO 100-1600, ISO auto, and more-than-OK 1/4,000 sec. maximum shutter speed sound mighty delicious, although its lack of automatic sensor cleaning is a bit of a turn-off. With a Zoom-Nikkor lens and $14.95 shipping fee, the D40x costs Php33,000—slightly more expensive than my first two options, but still relatively cheap compared to the more packed models out there.

Sony Cybershot DSC-T700

Now, onto the P&S cameras. The CNET Holiday Gift Guide 2008 is chock-full of ‘em, although I’m looking only in the $100-$500 range. First up, the Cybershot DSC-T700, which got a four-star rating from CNET editors. With an ISO of up to 3200, 10.1 megapixel Super HAD CCD optical sensor, shooting programs and special effects aplenty, and the renowned Super Steady Shot, this touch-screen camera sounds like the perfect point and shoot. The only downsides CNET sees in the cam are the touch screen (“not for everyone”, they allege) and “soft images” (whatever that means). Average users seem to be less satisfied with it, giving it three stars out of a possible maximum of five. Sony.com.ph tells me that the DSC-T700′s SRP is Php31,000—just a few thousand pesos below a decent DSLR’s.

Canon PowerShot A590 IS

Canon makes some awesome cameras, and this one is apparently no exception. The A590 gives you an 8-megapixel CCD optical sensor, 4x digital zoom, minimum shutter speed of 15 seconds, and much more. It’s got some neat shooting programs too. Sounds like something that’s right up my alley… if only I could find price listings on the Canon Philippines website.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5

I was skimming through the CNET page for this, and my eyes stopped when I read: “Optical zoom: 10 x”… oh, snap. That’s more than that of the DSLRs I listed! While the megazoom might be tempting, I know it’s not everything. (If I really wanted to take a picture of something up close, I’d walk right up to it.) It’s got a 9.1 megapixel, CCD optical sensor, an additional 4 x digital zoom, a plethora of shooting programs, and a minimum of one minute shutter speed, too. Apparently this thing isn’t out yet, as CNET has no price listings. Let’s hope it’s available in stores by year’s end.

I’m also looking at one or two video recorders, but I don’t think the folks will get me one if I asked.

Help me choose!

I know there are more than a few digital photography buffs out there willing to spend some time churning out specs and stats and giving their opinions as to which camera I should get. Help me choose a digital camera by giving your say in the comments below. I’d really appreciate it. I’ll also probably be posting updates, additions, and subtractions to the Hitlist above as time goes on. As that really lanky German model says, one day you’re in, the next day you’re out. Let the search for my next top digicam begin.

©2010 Deantastic!. All Rights Reserved.

Looking back, I’m thankful I chose to dual-boot. Why? There are just some programs that work a-okay in Windows but refuse to in Linux. And these aren’t programs of secondary importance, either. These are stuff I use frequently and cannot live without. Sure, there might be Linux-compatible programs to replace these, but nothing beats the quality of the real thing.

iTunes

Yes. I run iTunes. It’s painfully slow, but I need it for my iPod and iPhone. It’s the easiest way to sync my music, video, podcasts, photos, etc. into the music player extraordinaire without wrecking it. I’ve tried Amarok (a popular Linux music player) to do that for me, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to restore my iPod because the system kept on shuffling my album art.

I’ve been reading stuff on the Internet and apparently, most people have no problem at all with their iPods and Ubuntu, so I guess my case is pretty unique. It’s also a petty annoyance when you think about it, but it still irritates me a lot and diminishes my music-listening experience. As Linux’s popularity grows, I’m fairly certain Apple will come out with a Linux version of iTunes, hopefully sooner rather than later.

DOES IT WORK WITH WINE: From what I’ve read online, iTunes refuses to run using Wine, which makes it all the more difficult for me to switch. WINE, by the way, is an acronym for “Windows Emulator”. It’s a program that allows you to install for-Windows programs on your Linux machine.

Photoshop

Photoshop is love. I’ve been tinkering with Adobe’s renowned photo editing software ever since I got hold of a digital camera. It allows me to touch up my photos seamlessly, remove zits from my mug shots, and even create my own campaign paraphernalia.

Mock campaign poster for moi, created on Photoshop CS3.

It’s this kind of quality that I find difficult to achieve on Linux’s answer to Photoshop, GIMP. GIMP, which stands for the GNU Image Manipulation Program, comes with a vanilla Ubuntu install, and has been described by many as having features “similar” to that of Photoshop. Personally, I can’t say they’re even remotely alike. GIMP also has more restrictions and is less versatile than Photoshop. I know of people who’ve created works of art using the relatively rudimentary photo manipulation software, but for a newbie like me, Photoshop is still the way to go.

DOES IT WORK WITH WINE: Photoshop CS2 is listed as one of the programs that work swell with Wine on this list on the software’s official website.

MS Office Suite 2007

While OpenOffice might be sufficient enough for most people, I honestly believe it still lacks a lot of the features Microsoft Office has provided throughout the years. I love Microsoft Excel and the many complex functions it can execute in the blink of an eye; Word and its several (not to mention deantastic) formatting options; the fancy animations on PowerPoint; the ease of creating a brochure in Publisher.

OpenOffice.org simply lacks the versatility and functionality I find appealing in MS Office, and while I do believe that the fact that OpenOffice is open-source means that it has a lot of potential, I’ll have to stick with Office until that day comes when it trumps Microsoft’s offering in the office suite market.

DOES IT WORK WITH WINE: See this page; it seems to work fairly well, although some users are reporting a few bugs. This is normal, of course, considering that you’re running a Microsoft product on a Linux install.

Conclusion

Look, don’t get me wrong—I have none but a few qualms about Ubuntu. Over all, it’s a pretty OS, and its *nix-ness is definitely a plus. It’s just that the three programs I’ve mentioned above are critical to my computing environment. They’re stuff I just can’t live (or at least compute) without. Only when they get stable, workable Linux versions will I even consider moving to Linux.

©2010 Deantastic!. All Rights Reserved.