How ironic is it that the man who probably made the phrase “open source” cool doesn’t even use a mobile phone? Does he really have a world of his own or is he just trying to invent a new way of being hip.

Do you have Linux on your mobile phone?

I don’t even have a mobile phone! I hate phones in general because I’m the kind of person that when I work I want to concentrate on my work and if somebody calls me that completely destroys my concentration. I hate phones because they just disturb you, and mobile phones are even worse because you have them with you all the time, so I don’t do mobile phones at all. I have one of the early Linux mobile phones in my workroom because I got it for free, but its not turned on. I have Linux on all my machines but not on any phones.

The full interview can be read here.

With the advent of information technology, multi-tasking has been a very abused word – writing code while managing a project, working on 2 or n different complex tasks at a time (and your boss expects both tasks to be accomplished the same day), chatting while working, etc.  Studies show that multi-taskers are probably doing a lousy job if they’re trying to do more than four things at once.  By the way, this looks like the story of my professional life, except for the chatting part of course.  Read this:

Researchers at the University of Oregon have concluded that the human brain has a built-in limit on the number of discrete thoughts it can entertain at one time. The limit for most individuals is four, according to the research team led by University of Oregon psychology professors Edward Awh and Edward Vogel.

The multitasking cap is not affected by the complexity of one’s thoughts. Surprisingly, as many complex concepts can be retained in short-term memory as simple thoughts, the researchers found.

They said that people with high IQs can think about more things at once but that doesn’t mean they have easier time passing tests or having successful jobs.  They can store more memory but not necessarily that clear.  I’m trying to think of how I can make a parallel example of a computer but… I can’t think clearly while watching the TV.

Google on Monday added three experimental views to its list of possible alternatives to the established vertical list of Web pages delivered as search results. The latest additions, which people are free to try out if they have a Google account, are available through the Google Labs site. The idea behind the experimental search page is to give Google fans a chance to try out the search engine’s newest ideas.

The latest experiments include a “map view” in which locations related to search results are marked on a street map. Users also have the option of viewing the location on a satellite view.

The map view could be helpful, for example, if a person was looking for all the musical performances around town or technology conferences happening in a state. Because traditional results are spread out over many sites and pages, they may be hard to visualize at once, so the map view is aimed at solving that problem by plotting some of the key locations. Read more »

Pingbacks and Trackbacks are really very new to me. I found this site that articulately explains them. However, you know the Net is widely used as much as it is widely abused. I’ve read some posts that say quite a number of sites turn off their trackbacks (am not sure about pingbacks) because they are spam magnets.

Wow, the Net really complicated our already complicated lives, don’t you think?

I guess it’s good news to hear that a number of Filipinos already have the “official” list of bank codes. This gives us a bit more confidence when dealing with PayPal transfers.

Although I am not a big earner in terms of making money out of the Web (in fact, I have yet to earn my first cent), I’m really very happy about this development. About 3 to 4 years ago I had a business idea that revolves around the Net but couldn’t push through with it because I didn’t have the right resources to receive payments. That discouraged my Internet-related business plans altogether.

Now, I can’t wait to earn my first cent.