The Four-eyed Journal » Gadgets

Dissecting the Anti-Camcording Law

jhay — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:50:12 +0000

The Inquirer reports that last week, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law the Anti-Camcording Act of 2009, which has intensified the government’s anti-piracy efforts in the country.

Under the Anti-Camcording Law, any person who is caught using or attempting to use an audiovisual recording device to transmit or make a copy of any part of a performance in an exhibition facility of any cinematographic film or other audiovisual work will be fined from P50,000 to P750, 000 face imprisonment of a minimum six months and one day to six years and one day.

While it is just right that making camcording illegal and handing out a stiff penalty for its commission, I find troubling the other provisions of the said law. Allow me to illustrate.

First, consider its definition of what is an “audiovisual recording device”

a digital or analog photographic or video camera, or any other technology or device capable of enabling the recoding or transmission of a cinematographic film or other audiovisual work, or any part thereof, regardless of whether audiovisual recording is the sole or primarily purpose of the device.

By this definition, mobile phones with built-in cameras, which are so common nowadays, are included in the purview of the law. Being able to send and receive messages including MMS which contains video or audio clips it falls squarely as a device capable of recording and transmission of a audiovisual work.

Now, using an audiovisual recording device to record or at least attempting to do so is not the only act being punished by the new Anti-Camcording law. It now includes possession of such device inside the exhibition facility of such cinematographic film, like a movie house, a possible offense under the law.

Does this mean that any device capable of making audiovisual recordings, including the now ubiquitous camera-phones, will be banned inside cinemas even if owners don’t have the intention of pirating the movie they’re going to see?

Apparently so, as Section 7 of the law requires the posting of notices or signages warning against the bringing of audiovisual recording devices in movie houses or wherever movies are being shown. Not only that, it also reserves for the management/operator of the movie house the authority to take into preventive and temporary custody such audiovisual recording device/s, meaning our mobile phones, until the film/movie theater patron, that’s us moviegoers, leave the movie house.

Now that movie theaters can temporarily hold on to customers’ camera phones, I have the following questions:

How sure are we that our camera phones and point-and-shoots, would be safe while in the preventive custody of the movie house management?
In the unfortunate event that our devices do get damaged or stolen while in the management’s preventive custody, would we be able to hold them liable for the loss or damage?

To these main questions, I can’t help come up with follow-ups;

Would movie houses charge for more because now they have to set up an audiovisual recording device counter and hire additional staff to handle it?

If ever the movie theater management is indeed liable for lost or damaged devices while in their temporary custody, would this mean more charges for us patrons because now they have to get insured in case they really do have to replace or repair a damaged gadget?

It seems that the new Anti-Camcording Law has indeed made things tougher for movie pirates, but on the other hand, it has opened a can of worms with regards to property and privacy issues.

But this is not all of it. I also have concerns regarding the additional powers and authorities given to law enforcement agencies by this law. But that is for another post for another time.

Baby bottle that heats itself up

jhay — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:00:07 +0000

Would-be parents and even those who are currently nursing their little ones would jump in joy as an awesomely clever new baby bottle is about to make the whole exercise of feeding your baby so easy and convenient.

The ingenious baby bottle does this by heating the milk up to breast milk temperatures in just 60 seconds by itself. No electricity, no batteries just by itself.

How the self-heating baby bottle works

The Yoomi bottle is a product out of the frustrations of parents-inventors Farah and engineer Jim Shaikh from stumbling around the kitchen in the dead of the night just to warm up milk for their first-born child some 6 years ago.

‘The button activates the process that turns the non-toxic solution from liquid to solid, during which it gives off heat. It can be recharged after use by immersion in boiling water or a steam steriliser.’

The bottle has a heating element that is self-sealed and sits inside the bottle under the teat. When it’s tipped, the cold milk flows on the groves and channels on the exterior of the heating element and by the time it reaches your baby, it has already been warmed up to just the right temperatures for his enjoyment and benefit.

Maybe the same principle and heating-device could be fitted in coasters or cups and used to heat other drinks on-the-fly. It’s just brilliant!

This clever new baby bottle sells for £22 and will hopefully be available world wide by the time my child comes along, in the future, of course.

Via DailyMail

My Christmas wish/shopping list 2008

jhay — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:24:21 +0000

Blame consumerism! Christmas is just 22 days from now and most of us probably have their mind set on what to get for ourselves, our family and loved ones and friends this Christmas season. Though spending has been down a little because of the world economic crisis, the coming Yuletide season still prods us on to think of our significant others and consider sharing something with them.

If you can afford it then go get it, but don’t burn or blow away your money! That’s the advice my grand mother told me early this November. So after giving much it much thought and assessing my needs and finances, I’ve come up with my wish/shopping list for Christmas 2008. Not all items in the list will be bought this Christmas, but I’m wishing for it.

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Nikkor Lens This is the first upgrade for my Nikon D40. I’ve given much thought about it, did the math and yes, I’m definitely going to get this one before Christmas. During my absence from blogging, I’ve been reading a lot about digital photography online and shooting away for practice. The results can be seen on my Flickr account. Criticisms are very much welcome! Hopefully, with this lens upgrade, I’ll be able to improve my budding photography skills.

Here’s the description from Amazon.com along with the technical specs.

the DX Nikkor series was developed for professional and advanced amateur digital SLR users who demand high optical performance. This 55-200mm lens offers such features as two extra-low-dispersion (ED) glass elements for minimized chromatic aberration, an exclusive Silent Wave Monitor that allows for accurate and quiet high-speed autofocusing, and a nine-blade rounded diaphragm. And thanks to the 200mm maximum focal length and 3.6x zoom, you can shoot everything from close-up sports shots to national park wildlife without standing right next to your subject. Other details include a super-integrated coating that minimizes ghosting and flare; a nine-blade rounded diaphragm for more natural out-of-focus highlights; and a focus switch that lets you easily switch between autofocus (A) and manual (M) modes. All Nikon lenses carry a five-year warranty.

Focal length: 55-200mm
Maximum aperture: f/4-5.6
Minimum aperture: f/22-32
Picture angle (Nikon DX format sensor): 28 degrees (at 55mm) to 8 degrees (at 200mm)
Maximum reproduction ratio: 1:3.5
Lens construction: 13 elements in 9 groups (with 2 ED glass elements)
Lens drive: Silent Wave Monitor
Dx type: DX Nikkor (for use with Nikon digital SLR models)
Minimum focus distance: 3.1 feet
Filter/attachment size: 52mm
Included accessories: LC-52 snap-on front lens cap, LF-1 rear lens cap, HB-34 lens hood, CL-0815 lens case
Dimensions: 2.7 inches in diameter, 3.1 inches long
Weight: 9 ounces

But I won’t be buying this from Amazon.com because they don’t ship this outside the US. So once more, I’ll hit Hidalgo Street in Quiapo to find a good bargain for this lens. Last I checked, it goes for Php11,000 at Avenue Photo store. Any one who knows of a better deal for this, please let me know. I’ll be eternally grateful.

The Dark Knight DVD – I’ve been waiting for the DVD release of the most awesome movie last year. Finally, it will come out this December. AstroVision offers it through a promo, at Php1700+ the 2-disc DVD set will come with a Dark Knight mask. The other package is priced at Php2700+ comes with the 2-disc DVD set and a scale model of the uber-awesome Bat Pod. The price for the latter is a little stiff, but I’m more inclined to getting it instead of the one that comes with a mask. Halloween is over and frankly, I don’t fancy wearing that mask.

Nokia 5310 This phone is actually a gift for my younger sister who’s been relentless in asking for a Christmas gift since October. She originally wanted an iPod but chose the Nokia 5310 instead. It’s a good thing she didn’t asked for the higher-end models, otherwise, I’d go broke this Christmas!

New pair of pants and sneakers It’s almost a tradition here in the Philippines. To get new clothes and footwear on Christmas. It’s more of a need for me actually instead of a tradition. My favorite pair of jeans have shown considerable wear and tear because I’ve been wearing the same pair every time! The same story goes for my 3-year-old sneakers.

This is the first part of wish/shopping list as there are more items I have on mind. But those are more of on the optional/wishful thinking side because some are just too costly while some are just priceless.

What about your shopping/wish list for this Christmas?

Would fuel-cell powered devices increase demand for oil?

jhay — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:34:07 +0000

There’s a story on Reuters hinting that we could be just a couple years away from seeing a more consumer-friendly usage of fuel-cell technologies. It’s main application is to charge the batteries of today’s numerous mobile devices from iPods to dLSRs, from cellphones to laptops.

Fuel cells, in which a tiny amount of fuel flows into a small chip to generate electricity without combustion, would allow users to skip the wall plug and simply swap out a fuel cartridge to continue listening to music or check e-mail.

Bradford thinks products are now truly a year or two away, as electronics manufacturers show more interest and fuel cell makers move beyond trade-show prototypes.

“We are closer, much closer, than even two years ago in terms of the companies’ internal designs, how they’ve met their milestones and just the amount of testing and evaluation that’s going on right now,” Bradford said.

Lilliputian Systems Inc., a Wilmington, Mass., firm founded by former Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers, plans to introduce a portable fuel cell late next year for any device that can be charged via a USB port.

Instead of plugging into a wall socket, fuel-cells simply need to replenish their fuel supply, which according to the news story would come in small canisters of butane or methanol.

Of course, other fuels would also work, including my personal pick, hydrogen, which is far more abundant in supply and produces water as bi-product. However, safely handling hydrogen for consumer-grade fuel-cells are still in the development stage.

For the next couple of years, we would have to make do with butane cartridges once the first wave of consumer-ready fuel-cells become available. Imagine laptops running for days on end without being hooked up to a wall socket? Mobile phones having more talk-time than before? Wouldn’t that be awesome?

I do have one concern though, if the first wave of fuel-cells that could hit shelves in the next two to five years would rely on butane, methanol and other fossil-fuels, would it add more pressure on the demand side for oil, thus further increasing its price?

Ah the bane of consumerism, I do hope hydrogen-based fuel-cells would come out sooner instead.

Coming this weekend – Consumer Electronics Live! 2008

jhay — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:18:34 +0000

As you may have noticed from the banner on top of every post in this blog, this weekend would be a glorious one for all techies and gadget enthusiasts as Consumer Electronics Live! 2008 would be showcasing an exhibit of the latest offerings from the top tech brands in the Philippines.

The event would go on for 3 days from Friday to Sunday (Oct. 24 – 26, 2008) and opens from 10am to 8PM at the SMX Convention Center beside SM Mall of Asia.

According to Yuga, here’s what we could expect in this event:

Sony VAIO Launch and New Alpha Cameras

Canon up to 40% off on selected items

My Screen up to 70% off on selected items

HP – get a free one month subscription of Sun Cellular Broadband for every purchase of HP Laptop or

Personal Computer

Certina – get a free luggage worth P1K for every purchase

Popcorn Hour product launch

Plus, you could win some cool prices like Bose Sound Dock, Nokia and Samsung cellphones in the daily CEL Gadget Give-Away. Wohoo!

PS
Yuga is giving away free passes to 10 bloggers who would blog about the CEL 2008 event. I already registered at the CEL website, though I haven’t heard from them yet, plus there’s a Php50.00 registration fee so winning those free passes would be awesome!