Hyper-Connected.

First thing to do in the morning: Turn on the computer and open Facebook.

Last thing to do at night: Read Facebook and Twitter updates on my iPhone.

People these days are becoming what we call "hyper-connected", where they live and breathe through the internet and social networking. I've been thinking about the long-term effects of this and why they can't seem to let go even for just an hour. Before I go on with this, I would like to say that I myself am hyper-connected so I could be guilty with some of these situations. I am not a hypocrite, but I only want to point out things I've observed from people. Let's get this ra

There was one time when I went to church and I saw people texting DURING the homily. I really think this is disrespectful to a lot of people who are attending the mass, and most especially to God, who is the reason we celebrate it. It's not like the person who you're texting would just suddenly disappear. You can just text that person AFTER the mass. God is way more important than that.

Another instance of the effects of hyper-connectivity is when you're in a dinner with family or relatives. Instead of talking a lot with your relatives, you stare at your phone for a long time and sometimes, you don't even mind the people with you at that moment. Again, we still have time for that after we have talked with family.

One last instance that this is evident is in shopping malls. (I am certainly guilty for this one!) We ALWAYS use our phones around the mall. I can't really blame them though, if you can't really buy anything you see around the mall then might as well find something else to do. Food's not included, of course.

No matter what situation you are in, the modern smartphone or tablet has now invaded your life. It's just up to you if you control it or let it control you. Stay safe in cyberspace!

Sinulog 2013: The Greatest Story Ever Told

Churchgoers attending the Novena Mass in the Basilica del Santo Niño.

Sinulog's just gonna get hotter as time passes by. Every third Sunday of January, we celebrate the feast of Santo Niño. He is the reason why the Philippines became the cradle of Christianity in Asia. When we celebrate it though, we do it over the course of 2 weeks! The Novena Masses are attended by a lot of people and the procession last Saturday was attended by 2.7M (according to Sun Star). I'm sure that the numbers for the Grand Parade are much much more. 

And yes, with the Grand Parade comes VARIOUS street parties around the Metro despite the fact that there's a ban being implemented for those. Too bad there were more party people than even the police! Walking around the streets already counts as a genuine Sinulog experience simply because of the sights you see and the sounds you hear around you. Giant floats from companies were there, including the ABS-CBN float which for me feels like the best float in terms of crowd insanity because of the people shouting and taking their pictures.

Grand Parade from up above. :)

The contingents who join the parade every year are not there to win, but to show their utmost devotion to the Señor Sto. Niño. I really applaud them for doing this. I also appreciate the people who are out there and joining in the celebration. Even though there are times when we get perked up because of the tightness of the crowds trying to walk through the route, it was really nice looking at the contingents giving their all. I think that the street party ban is stupid. We all know what the real meaning of the festival is, but a street party is also a way for people to be happy in the celebration! I'm sure even the police looking at the party people understand that (and the fact that they're outnumbered HAHA) despite their orders.

Even though I didn't get to party much at Baseline (the most trending place during Sinulog, best known for getting yourself dirty and smelling like beer), I enjoyed even the insane walking I did with friends. YES, I was with friends for the whole afternoon though I was with family during the morning and evening. We walked trying to find a place to stay after partying in the night. From Fuente to Mango to Sanciangko then back to Mango again to AllSon's Inn to Ayala (because we were getting our stuff) to Fuente again (because my stuff was there). I really found the experience very amazing, to say the least. I thank God for letting me experience how Sinulog really is. Indeed, it is the GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD.

'Till next year, Sinulog! Pit Senyor!

By the way, here's a picture of my friends making random shiznit. HAHA:

January's about to end. Midterms a'coming. Gotta go.

Temple Run 2 is Here! First Impressions

I was completely letting my guard down when I found out that Temple Run 2 was coming today! I've seen countless games that have similar gameplay as this over the months that the original was out and they were equally addictive. The first thing I did when I got home today was try out Temple Run 2 as it already released on the App Store for the Philippines. It already surpassed my expectations of a true sequel while still keeping the simplicity and fun of the original.

It may look the same but you can see here that they've changed the visuals and it really looks better. You may also notice that the bonus points bar has been replaced with the Power Meter where you double tap to activate the power on the top left (the default is Shield, which protects you from anything but falling) which is harder to fill up this time around because it needs around 200 coins for the meter to be full. I also found the game generally harder compared to the original because it now lets you rely more on your skill in this game rather than gathering more coins (although you still have that strategy present here).

Overall, I loved this game just as much, maybe even more than the original. I will update this for new developments with Temple Run 2 and I hope those who loved the original will love this too!

Here's the link to download (iOS only, Android coming next week): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/temple-run-2/id572395608

ENJOY!

Path To Five: Why I'm Doing This

There's more or less 2 months left, and my college life will come to a close. It's an insane 4-year ride of self-improvement, learning, and reflection as to what's in store for me in the outside world. Since I'm no ordinary person, I wanna graduate from college by doing random stuff. This is one of those.

Path To Five will be a post series about experiences that I will have over the course of my last two months in college which may vary from hardships in projects to a spiritual retreat to insane outings! I will be posting one every week because I still have school work to do with this. I won't promise on which day of the week I would post since I blog when I have the mood to do so. Remember that iTunes / Google Play gift card I said  from this post? It will be given away during this series! Hope you read this as much as the other posts!

For your reading pleasure, I'll put a link up in the menu just so that you can check the latest updates on Path to Five right under one page. :) By the way, I reached 7000 views here so thank you all for the support and here's to another 7000! :)

Selfless Plugs: Let's Do iOS Programming For Beginners

Mobile development is in the boom right now and one of the biggest platforms to create apps for is iOS. It's the operating system created by Apple that powers the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. With the App Store, developers can now earn money (given that the app conforms with Apple's guidelines). But how can you get started without having to read too much stuff? Look no further than this blog which teaches you how to do certain user interface and logic coding in iOS. 

For me, this blog is credible because the author is my teacher for iOS last semester and I have learned a lot from her class. You should check this out if you're invested in programming for iOS.

Here's the link to her blog: http://iosmadesimple.blogspot.com/

Hope you guys make good apps! :)

The Verge @ CES 2013

theverge.com/ces-2013

The 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is still ongoing in the Las Vegas Convention Center (when it's open) and out of all the coverage I've seen, it's The Verge that has an INSANE amount of content during the event. They have a giant compound outside the venue in order to bring you news, interviews, and hands-on videos of the gadgets and companies in CES. They even put a video panel JUST BECAUSE of their insane video content.

To find out more about their coverage, go to theverge.com/ces! Thanks for the coverage!

Check them out on:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Let's Make A Deal: iTunes and Google Play Gift Cards

Guys! I need your help! Remember that How-To for getting paid iOS and Android apps? (Link: http://bit.ly/bulletproof_freeapps) I want to get iTunes and Google Play gift cards for you guys! I'll give them away when I get enough credits and points to do so. Follow the steps in the How-To in order to help me get them, and maybe get some for you too!

Is it a deal, guys? It's all I'm asking for. You can spread this to your friends who have iPhones, iPads, iPod touches, and Android devices. I will put up a tweet if I reached enough points and credits to get them at twitter.com/iamlianixx.

The sooner you do this, the better! Thanks for reading this blog, guys! Till the next one :)

How To: Get Paid iOS and Android Apps for Free!

(Welcome to a new post series called How To where I'll show you useful tips for anything technology-related or sometimes even outside. Let me know what you think about this in the comments below.)

I wanna share this with you guys because I want you to experience getting paid apps for free! I've done this for a long while now and I'm here to show you how to get them. Here are two of the best ways:

FreeMyApps (iOS & Android)

This service is one that I use most of the time. What you do here is you download Sponsor Apps (in my case, I have to wait since there aren't any sponsor apps that I haven't downloaded yet), try them for 30 seconds each, and get credits! It's that simple, really.

The first thing you need to do is click on this link (http://bit.ly/geekfreeapps) on your device and it will prompt you to install a profile (for iOS only) OR download the application (for Android only). After that, you can start downloading Sponsor Apps!

After accumulating points, you can claim gift cards from Amazon, iTunes, Hulu Plus, Google Play (newly added), and even Fandango! Unfortunately, you need a US iTunes account to earn credits and redeem the iTunes gift cards. Don't you worry, Apple's got you covered in this link (http://bit.ly/bpusitunes) in order to create one. Once you are able to use FreeMyApps, you can also share a link that they provide you in order to earn 200 credits.

FeaturePoints (iOS and Android)

At first, it may seem similar to FreeMyApps. Like it, you need to click on this link (http://bit.ly/geekfreepoints) on your iOS or Android device to start using this. It will also ask you to install a profile. Then, you download apps to earn points similar to earning credits on the first one. When you earn enough points, you claim gift cards too. 

Here's the difference: you can claim apps (like the Angry Birds Star Wars game), Paypal funds (AKA MONEY), and even REAL gadgets like the iPad mini! Another one is that for every friend you refer through your link that they provide, they earn a 50-point sign-in bonus and you earn half of the points they earned!

Free App Slots (iOS only)

Unlike the two I mentioned before this, this lets you earn credits simply by playing SLOTS! Click on this link (http://bit.ly/bpfreeappslots) to start. You just have to spin the wheel, and you get credits depending on the combination you got. You get 2 free spins a day and you can get more by sharing your link to friends. When you earn enough credits, you can get apps (which change weekly) and real iOS products (such as the iPad mini)! Like the previous two solutions, it will ask you to install a profile on your device.

There you go! THREE ways for you to get paid apps for free! Share this with your friends so that they too can harness the power of FREE and LEGAL paid apps!



UPDATE: I included Free App Slots as a solution. :)

UPDATE 2: I updated the links for sharing. Try these services now! :) Post now reflects that FeaturePoints is now available for Android.

From Random: 2013

As you may not notice, I have another blog. It's a blog that doesn't really have a direction though, which is exactly why I named it "Random".

The reason why I'm talking about it is because I have a post there about what I can say about 2013.

It's about what I always do when a new year shows up.

Here's the link if you wanna read it: http://tmblr.co/Z80WsuasDmJe

Thank you for even caring to read this blog, so hopefully you would read my other one! :)

New Year, New Name

We're on the third day of 2013 and I thought of the blog. I think I should change the name not because it's bad but because I want the blog to reflect more of myself.

So, I changed it to this: BULLETPROOF GEEK. Bulletproof because starting this year, I don't wanna change myself just so that people would like. I have always been a Geek (as you have seen in my tech posts) and I will continue to be that way.

There we go, for 2013, I'm going for Bulletproof Geek. Sounds nice. Do you think it's nice? Shout out below! Thanks for reading this, guys. :)