Category Archives: Social Media

Commentary: The Irrelevance Of (Paid) Fan Votes In Competitions.

In the wacky world of international competitions, the introduction of fan votes to determine semi-finalists or medal contenders has us all scratching our heads.

Take beauty pageants, for instance, where we crown a “Miss Photogenic” or “Top Favorite” with the precision of a rigged slot machine. Forget about talent, poise, or intellect – it’s all about who can wrangle the most credit card votes. No wonder the Philippines consistently dominates, with a fanbase so robust they could make a toaster the next Miss Universe.

But imagine this lunacy extended to athletic competitions. Can you fathom a fan vote deciding which teams automatically advance to the finals or snag a medal? Suddenly, your national basketball team’s fate rests on how many selfies you’ve taken with your foam finger.

While no competition is perfect, it’s time we preserve the sanctity of skill-based contests. Let’s not allow commercialization to overshadow genuine talent and qualifications. Remember, in the grand arena of international competition, it’s not just about the money, it’s about the merit.

Dateline Zürich: The Game Of Arithmetic

by Maria Bratikova

You go tank up the 60L Mercedes Benz in minutes and it‘ll drive you up to 600 kms. Depending on the battery, a Tesla can charge from two to ten hours to 5 days to charge fully – and drive the max of 640 kms. 

Let‘s see. . . everybody drives electric cars fromZürich to Hamburg then back, say Tesla – that‘s mostly on the Autobahn – a stretch of 870 kms. It‘ll take 9 hours and 12 minutes to drive . . . While in Hamburg,your battery just pffffft-ed up. Allow yourself an easy 3-5 days to charge on the designated T superchargers along the way. . . there area total of 164 such superchargers in Germany.

In 2021, there‘s a record that says the total of Autobahn stretch in the whole of Germany is 13,192 kilometers.

Correlate these two infos and you see problem: One) the superchargers are NOT arranged in a straight line, and there are a hundred Autobahn combinations to reach Hamburg. Two) You cannot just plug your electric car on any bloody socket to charge it. Three) How big is the cargo hold?

So what to do when charging? Rent another electric car? Or sit on the hood and wait?

Oh, our electric charges went up 80% this current year!

Renewable energy?

Ha ha ha!

Your Personal Information Is Safe . . . In The Hands Of Others.

You took an extra effort to post all those disclaimers stating that you do not give Facebook/Meta the authority to share your personal information. Never mind if you were told this was a recurring hoax on social media.

But you may have forgotten that when you applied for a bank account, credit card, housing loan, car loan; filled out your medical form at your doctor’s office; applied for your driver’s license; made claims to SSS, GSIS or Pag-ibig Fund — you have practically given up your privacy and the confidentiality of your sensitive personal information.

So to make you better understand the intricacies and realities of the digital age, we’d like to share this information on how to order pizza from the comfort o your home.