Recently I passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 2. Without going into the specifics of this very difficult exam, let me just say that I almost jumped up and hugged the next person beside me when I found out. But I was in Compostela Valley that time, and I didn’t want to create a spectacle. In short, possessing a Level 2 certification in Nihongo is not a small matter.

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During last Tuesday’s Techno Kapehan at DTI-XI, we had guests over from the Philippine National IT Standards Foundation (PhilNITS) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and they brought with them some very encouraging news. I shall write in more detail about the program that they’re putting together with DTI, but in a nutshell, the PhilNITS IT engineers’ exams is coming back to Davao!

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Yesterday was the 2nd Techno Kapehan session (I wasn’t there for the first, but I’m sure to be there for the succeeding ones), sponsored by the Department of Trade & Industry - Region XI. Patterned after the media’s long-standing tradition of powwows, at the IT industry’s, the "bigwigs" — as host Arriel Nengasca termed it — get together to discuss the current events, issues and plans. Media people were there, as well. If I’m not mistaken, from Sunshine TV.

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Is it due to age that I’m talking about “memory” in two consecutive blog posts? No, it’s my long experience in Internet-delivered virus infections, hard disk crashes, what have you…. I’m sure everyone who’s been online long enough can relate to this.

In an effort to protect my data from harm, I’ve gone through several solutions: from freeware to shareware to expensive software, all in an effort to prevent malware. Now, just how do you evaluate anti-virus software?

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It seems that the older you get, the fonder you grow towards reminiscing them good ol’ days. Last Friday, with my good friends Rodney and Christian, we welcomed back an old friend, Roel Hernandez. Although, he was in town for only a short while. We spent virtually the whole night recalling past events in Davao’s colorful IT history.

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Last Saturday, I gave a talk on the Davao Region ICT Cluster to a group of MBA students at the University of Mindanao. The event was a symposium on industry clustering, and government representatives from the Department of Trade & Industry - Region XI gave separate presentations on regional development strategies and creating competitive advantage.

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SMS communication — or "texting" — has reportedly laid waste to our English spelling abilities. E-mail is said to have bastardized traditional letter-writing formats. And now, blogging? No, there’s nothing that blogging has done to our communication skills. But, I saw this article on the Web that’s dishing out how-to’s on blog-writing. Most of it was OK, but there was one piece of advice there that I just couldn’t stomach: that one should write using bullet points!

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After years of being the only medical transcription company in Davao, SSP Transcriptions is now joined by a handful of other MT outfits operating in the city. In another type of business, this might be viewed as the entry of competition; but not for the MT sector. The more, the merrier!

SSP is a member of the Association of Solution Integrators in Davao (ASID). This association, however, is focused mainly on software development, so I remember many times when SSP seemed out of place during meetings and events, despite the fact that this member was one of the most active.

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Today MTC Academy - Davao, which was inaugurated only last 18 August 2006, launched its Basic Medical Transcription Course for high school students, starting with batch 2007. This program will offer training in MT for 18 months, which is equivalent to 3 semesters. The beauty of this is that, should the trainee decide to pursue a college degree, his units from the MTC will be credited, according to Wit Holganza, MTC Academy - Davao’s president and school administrator. An excerpt from the press release reads as follows:

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The best thing about Davao is that, when the pressures of work get too much to handle, it’s so easy to find a spot for a breather. Or sometimes a bit more than just that…. Last night I went out with a few good friends and colleagues, to a newly-opened coffee shop in one of the city’s busiest haunts. The place is called Bruegger’s Café, which branch opened only last month. •••Read on»