PIRATES OF SILICON VALLEY REFLECTION

What are the factors that contributed to the success and failure of Steve Jobs as a technopreneur?

Majority of the world's population know the famous persona under the name Steve Paul Jobs or Steve Jobs. He is an American business magnate and and inventor who co-founded the the Apple Inc., and become a CEO in the company. He is also a chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios and become a member of board of directors of The Walt Disney Company.

From his greatest achievement, people will become awe-inspired of what he had achieved so far. Less than many have known how Steve jobs ventured the realm of IT industry and become an anticipated name in the booming technology. No one had embraced an intuition that he produce One of the greatest break through in his time, giving a new life to a technology we simply used today as a part of our daily life.

Sitting underneath the comfort of dim light and freezing atmosphere of IC laboratory 1, I brace myself in my seat as the film “Pirates of Silicon Valley” started to roll like those on the movie houses. This movie revolves on a story about two intelligent and very wise college students name Steve Jobs and Bill Gates who pave their way to success on the business industry of IT, taking whatever it takes to print their names with permanent ink on the pages of history.

Steve Jobs is a very competitive and brilliant person, thinking out of the box as he broke limits. Well, I believe3d his determination, brilliant mind and competitive value are some key factor that contributed to his very success. He was this determinant to achieve a break through in computer history. In the movie we saw the battle of the minds and ability. He produce great ideas as technopreneur creating a computer that was full of excitement for people. With all of his positive traits and good technopreneurship skill including the stealing of the idea of a mouse and the birth of a graphical interface, the CEO of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs has this bad attributes that contributes to his failures resulting to the fall of his trust through Bill Gates' Bribery.

Steve Jobs is a flake, a loud and primal screamer, a somehow drug addict, and a hippie. It seems inevitable that a guy who spent so much time meditating should eventually self destruct. Maybe if he spent that time in productivity. His company might have accomplished new things. Jobs was more interested in creating a cult than a business machine.

Steve Jobs was a package of cleverness that brought him to success but included in the package was a hot air of an attitude that eventually brought him back to his feet. These factors though, opened different eyes of Steve Jobs to see his purpose in the different point of view. At the end of the movie, Steve jobs eventually returns to the Apple Inc., as an employee. All I can say that trust is one of his factors that brought him down. He was made believed that Bill Gates was his family. Now, I learn something. When it comes to business, it is fine to trust someone but entrust no one your brilliance so that not even your greatest employee will bribe or trick you. Take Control in order to become a Technopreneur and help not only yourself but also the mass.

How do you see yourself as a technopreneur?

How do I see myself as a technopreneur? In able to answer the question correctly, I should say we define the term Technopreneur or technopreneurship. Technopreneur or technopreneurship came from two original english words which are “TECHNOLOGY” and “ENTREPRENEUR or ENTREPRENUERSHIP”.

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology , Technology is the process of making, usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or serve some purposes. The Technology comes from the two Greek word “Techne” meaning “art, skills, craft” and “Logia” meaning “Study of –”. While with accordance to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneur , Entrepreneur is a persona who has a possession of a new enterprises, venture or ideas and is accountable for the inherent risks and the outcome of a product.

Therefore, Technopreneurship deals about a person who possess ideas and skills to make use of the techniques and crafts or other methods of organization in order to solve a problem. It talks about creating and developing ideas and innovation for the betterment of life of the people. So going back to the question, It is difficult for me to say that I am a good technopreneur. I am a hardworking individual and I have qualified ideas that somehow be called technopreneur but I can see myself not much as that because I luck some characteristics to become a successful techonopreneurship. But somehow, I can see myself a bit capable of learning abilities and characteristics of being a technopreneurship.

If having the great chance to become technopreneur, I will prove myself that I bear some skills as it and learn new things on the way. I must be more business-minded and concentrate on the part of myself to think as a real technopreneurship who can handle many pressures and somehow come back to feet after falling down. Definitely, being technopreneur is not that easy as putting a job from a scratch. It needs perseverance, determination and skills to survive in the race.

If I become one, I see myself building a business on Davao City not only to boom the ripe seeds of IT industry but also help jobless people engage in my business and become of the loved Technopreneur in the city. I also see myself in the future that I will be open-minded so that I can think out of the box and collaborate with my employees' idea. I will be a good boss but I will not promise to be that really honest just like Steve Jobs saying “Good artists copy. Great artists steal”. I may put trust on my employees but not much. I see myself in the future that I can help Davao City to become the “Silicon Gulf” and contribute for the betterment of the economy and the people. I really dream to have a company someday and in order to fulfill this dreams, I must become a great IT graduate and an Technopreneur so that I will never regret studying and working hard. Though, I may still lack some characteristics of becoming one, I will do my best to overcome fear, show all what I can do and become what I dream of.

Would you take the same career path as Steve Jobs took? Why or why not?

 Steve Jobs got his career in a very youthful age. He becomes versatile in the IT Industry. Becoming just like him in taking the same career is a dream come true and a great opportunity. If had given a chance to follow the same career path as Steve Jobs took, of course if would take that great opportunity. Why not? Looking at where Steve Jobs now, he was standing with the giants in the globe. He was hailed and famed for his great inventions and ideas. Of course, I studied in a prestigious university to become one of the persona like Steve jobs. Though I may be far enough for now, if I took chances and used my information wisely, I will eventually follow his footsteps one way or another without risking too much. Well, risk-takers are one great technopreneurs but becoming too much risk-takers, is not good. Risk but do not exceed.

Steve Jobs had reach his climax of career with his perseverance. Why not follow him? Why not having the same dream and career like him? It's impossible to state that a person will claim that he or she will not follow Jobs' career path because students like me today are determined to land in a high-price jobs and own one like Steve jobs did. Ii is a fragment of reality and truth that almost all of who know him wants to follow his footstep. Like me, it is a great opportunity to become like one of him. To become a great person in IT industry, to produce products of cutting-edge technology and break-through and to help the very economy of our country and city. It is every man's dream to follow his career path. And I have no better reason to not follow his career path because a career path like his ensures good life and works. If you persevere and work harder and reach your aim before the time-line, you can break limits. Everything is possible under the heat of the sun if you bear in mind that I can become one of them. They were awesome, brilliant and I want to become one of them who can produce cutting-edge technologies.

In this career, it is a constant battle. And with this you can become stronger and more intelligent of how to turn the ship's tide. The outside world is full of pressures, but in order to become case-hardened and remain in the career it needs a strong heart and brilliant mind. And hopefully, I will become one. To follow Steve Jobs in the career path of become technopreneur in IT industry is to follow my dreams to become an IT professional and give the world what it deserves for the enjoyment of the gifts of its betterment.

This is Karlo Jay Bueno that sometimes had wished to be like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates someday. I told myself that I can do like they did. I know my dreams to become like them is within reach in which if I had harness it I can become a professional IT Technopreneur.

3 idiots Reflection

The bollywood movie entitled the “3 idiots”, starred and produced by Aamir Khan does not only showcase spices and sugars on movie that usual viewers loved to see, but it portray a very clear philosophy and factual different faces of reality all viewers can relate. The movie “3 idiots” is an evidence of reality that is comprises of different bitterness and betterment of life.

As I watched it for the first time, I found many faces of distractible truth: pressure-cooker-like school, trust, success, education and many more. The thing that struck me the most is that when Ranchhodass Shyamaldas Chanchad played by Aamir Khan himself says:

 “Now rewind your life by one minute. When I ask this question, were you excited? Or curious? Thrilled that you’ll learn something new? No. you all go into a frantic race. What’s use of this method? Even if you came first, will it increase your knowledge? No. just the pressure. This is a college, not a pressure cooker. Even a circus lion learns to sit on a chair in fear of the whip. But you called such a lion ‘Well-trained’ not ‘well- educated’. Sir, I wasn’t teaching you Engineering, you’re an expert at that. I’m teaching you how to teach.”

This conveys a very clear meaning and ideals that I can relate to reality. Schools tend to embrace the principle of pressuring students and usually all students here in the Philippines underwent such pressures with the school of university. They are not educating students but just training them. We cannot call ourselves well-educated if the system remains this way. It just that I had reflected, that education systems are made for the betterment and knowledge a student can learn.

Another thing that had me pondering is another phrase from Ranchhodas Chanchad. It stated that : “You’re on the wrong track again. Do not chase success. Become an engineer and success will follow you.”

This statement strikes like a bullet train to the common scenario and common mindsets of all students who pursues college. The usual mindsets of the students are like Chatur Ramalingan who thinks that just memorization of the information and study hard just to pass or for the purpose of having a job. But in sense, Rancho had a point. We can seldom see people who pursue engineering courses or technology based courses or medical courses that go to college because they love math or they love English or enjoy science and etc. almost all the population of college students go to college in purpose of having a degree so that they can find a work that can uplift the burden of poverty.

It is a shame that I, myself, thinks like Chatur who just to college, pass all the subjects and have a degree so that I can land on a high rate job. I realized that, instead of getting excited to learn new things and enhance my knowledge, I surrender to pressure the school pressed upon. I realized to myself that in order to achieve a happy and fulfilling life, it only needs love and passion. Love for your dreams, passion for what you want to do, love for knowledge as a part of life. Though, I know that life today needs to be practical but when I heard the words of Rancho, I become aware that the secret of life is love. I cannot say that I am satisfyingly loving the course I am taking now but, I just found within my reach that I can start to love everything that happens in my life.

According to Ranchhodas Shyamaldas Chanchad, follow what your heart desires. Yes, it is just a simple sentence but a sentence people seldomly followed. This mantra is powerful, I realized if you follow what is in your heart, you can make something possible, you’ll learn to love and be passionate with what you have and what you haven’t. it just simply mean enjoyment, satisfaction to everything you’ll do. Me? I love multimedia arts but I never had a chance to pursue some degree involving the topic. I like visual effects and wanted to create things that are magical in the big screen like harry potter had in movie. Yet, It remains in my fantasy world because it never had the chance to explore because of pressure from the family and limitations they set that I cannot cross.

The movie “3 idiots” reminds me many aspect of life that I had overlook from the very first time such as love for wisdom, satisfaction, enjoyment amidst of trouble, unfairness, love, survival, dreams, attitude, family, friends, fear and so much more.

Another part of the movie that hits the reality out of me is when Raju and Farhan browse the result posted on the bulletin board. They found their names on the most bottom list while Rancho’s name are on the top most. Then they say: “We learn a lesson in human behavior. if your friend fails, you feel bad. But if your friend tops the class, you feel worst.”

Yes, sometimes when it happens it feels like you are caught in the middle of nowhere, whether you could show how you feel or be happy to that person instead.

One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Rancho and Pia rides on a scooter to Raju’s house to help Raju’s paralyzed father. Then, Pia says the three of them must go home because they will be having exam tomorrow. Then Rancho says: “We can take many exams but we only have one dad.”

There, I realized that I was very fortunate to still have my dad supporting us. It just that this movie made me ponder that what would happened to us if my dad passed away, how could I thank him for everything he did to us. It was just a shame that I never had appreciated my dad when I was still elementary. Now, I learned that the way I valued my father should be kept firing even he’s not by my side.

Yes, this Indian movie opens up many eyes towards different facades of life that sometime we disregarded or just overlooked. Considering the circumstances, love and passion is one way to survive life.

“Everything is fair in Love and War” – Pia Sahastrabuddhe

HOME SWEET HOME TECHNOLOGY

It is believed that innovation and progress begins within us. It’s general purpose is to make life easier and convenient just like it makes human fulfilled, happy and satisfied. When we were asked to observe another three houses, I began to wonder if innovations can be seen in a simple and ordinary house. Well, as I visited more three residences of my classmates like the house of Erick John De Castro, Lheanna Mae Solis, Anne Padua, Gelyn Sardoncillo and so on, I came to senses that innovation spread through houses first, making the residents more comfortable, happy and living a convenient life.

As I observed every houses I had visited this past few these, I saw the simplest form of technology and innovations in their houses. Electric fans, oven, rice cooker, air conditioner and so on are some sort of simple innovation and technology that makes the lives of the residents easier.

When I remembered what our professor had told us to do which is to think for another new technology than can improved the state of their house now, at first I was getting hard time but then. I saw something that can help me conceptualize a new idea for a technology that can better the life within the house.

One of the notions I had fabricated is the “Automatic Curtain” which may help resolve household issues pertaining to sun rays and window problems.

We all know that the sunshine is unpredictable as always. We can’t measure what time of the day the sun strikes hotter or the sunshine penetrates less. And because of this sometimes, we found it effortful to close the curtain if the sun rays are extremely bright penetrating the window or even we found it effortful to reopen a curtain to let the faint sunshine comes in.

The main function of this automatic curtain is that it will automatically close the curtain when the sun is too strong and bright that sometimes too irritating to the eyes the curtains also opens when the sun is too faint to penetrate inside the house. The thing that enables this “Automatic Curtain” do the sliding off and on is a certain device called temperature sensor attached on the curtain holder. This sensor uses the principle of optics and light. The brighter the sun rays, the hotter it was. The fainter the light rays, the colder it becomes. These principles enable the sensor to measure the sunshine’s temperature. If it reaches an estimated hot temperature, the curtains will close. Otherwise, it will remain open. There is still one catch, if the sensor measurements fell under normal room temperature which means normal intensity of light, it will remain open.

Another feature of this “Automatic Curtain” is that it has a programmed clock in a format of 24 hours. When the clock reads evening starting at six in the evening, the curtain will close. When the digital clock strikes six in the morning, the curtains will slide open.

The benefits of this “Automatic Curtain” are stated below:

• Lessen the effort of closing or opening the curtains
• Avoidance of direct sunlight of great intensity.
• Protects photon infections especially to those with special skin state.

Another innovation or technology I had thought of to improve the living inside a home is the idea of a “Talking Clock” because as busy people might always do, they always tend to ask what time is it. Normal settlers of a residence will stopped from their household chores just to peek on the clock and know what time is it. This Talking clock will help anyone in the house know what time it is. It has the following benefits that will help the residence even in small things. The clock works like an ordinary clock with special features. This Talking Clock has digital calendar on it. It has also a button that if press you can register an appointment.

First benefit is that the clock reminds the residence to keep track of time, serving as an alarm in waking up. Also, one of its benefits is it saves time and effort. Because it dictates time every ten minutes, one doing a household chore will never stop his chore just to peek and find out what time is it. For example, I was doing a chore in dish washing and I have to hurry because I have an appointment at Nine o’clock. With the help of this talking clock, you are reminded of the time every ten minutes and you do not need to stop your work in order to find what time is it.

Here’s another feature of the clock that I had thought of. As a talking clock, this kind of technology does not only reminds the owner what time is it but can also remind his master any appointment registered in it ahead of time.

To use the reminder service of the clock, just press the record button near the digital calendar. It will ask for a time. To input the time of appointment, you must speak the exact time like “9:30”. Then a beep will resonate indicating that you can register your appointments. To stop the registration, just click the button again.

Another convenient trait of this device is that when the clock reads six in the evening, the clock will stop talking the current time so that it can never disturb sleeping residence. The talking will only restart when the clock strikes six in the morning.

It feels great when you have thought such wonderful ideas to help people’s life become easier, less miserable, comfortable and convenient. Also, it feels so nice that we can think of new things for the betterment of our school facilities for the benefits of the student.

Currently enrolled in one of the most prestigious school in Mindanao the University of Southeastern Philippines, I wanted to think of a new technology that will help not only the students but also the administrators, faculty and staffs of the school. But one thing had occurred to me, as I always observed, is that the University had been prone to various problems in terms of the school facility, benefits of the students and the benefits of the staffs and faculty and administrators. I opened my eyes to present situation of the school. Not to mention, it has malfunctioning comfort rooms, almost dilapidated rooms, lack of facility, etc., that are not promising and conducive for learning. Many have been whispering and whimpering about this lack of facilities and the problems of the school. Yet my eyes were opened to the current situation of the school. How can anyone frown and mock the school when they can think of other thing than that like how to make the University more conducive. Instead of blaming the administration, I thought to myself what if I can think of a new technology that can help the University of its Lacking Aspects. Then, I started to formulate ideas by reviewing the current state the university is undergoing.

Though the University embraces new technologies and equipments, the University still lacks some technologies that will enhance and help the welfare of the students and professors.

When we were asked to think for a new technology that can be installed in the university, I came across an inkling that will bring me new technology. I was thinking of a new technology that can uplift the problem of the comfort rooms around the campus. My solution to that problem is a simple technology that can do the following:

• Lessen the stinking smell of the comfort room
• Avoidance of not flushing the toilet
• Maintain the good attitude of students in the comfort room.

In order to achieve these goals, I thought of a new form of technology that is more likely to discipline and educate the students on what is the proper using toilet bowls. My little technology is more likely an all new toilet set that I prefer to call “DISCIPLINARY BOWL”. Here in the university, the scenario is always the same when using the comfort room. Students tend to leave their excess and excretions unclean especially the male students. Mostly, male students don’t practice the attitude of flushing their excretion even the water supplies is always and readily available.

To stop and discipline this attitude and control the sanitary state of the school’s comfort room, I may present this “DISCIPLINARY BOWL”. This technology works like the traditional toilet bowl but with special feature. When a student wants to use a toilet, of course this student will close the door. Automatically, the DISCIPLINARY BOWL will sense human presence with a use of sensor. As the student will poop or pee on the bowl, the technology will run a program that is connected to the door and automatically locked the door.

The cubicle’s door can only be open when the student who uses it will flush his dirt. This way it will help people maintain discipline in using the comfort room. Who wants to be locked up in a cubicle when you have something to do? No one does. Basically, students will get afraid of getting locked inside a cubicle if he or she will not flush his or her excretions. By means of this too, smelly comfort rooms will be unassociated with the University in no time. And because it give disciplinary practice to those who will use it, no student will be left uneducated and undisciplined in using the comfort room, even it can help sanitary engineer or janitors to maintain the cleanliness and being odorless of the comfort room.

This problem will be vanishing in no time. If the students will comply to the disciplinary practice the “DISCIPLINARY BOWL” technology had been imposing, then there will be no one in the university that cannot define between clean and good sanitary and undisciplined dirtiness.

Basically, new forms of technology, may it be large scales or small scales, are just aids and helpers to make our life more comfortable, relaxed,happy and convenient to live. It is not only the sole key to make everyone in the world deserving to be convenient but also the people who are using these new form of worldly technology is another factor to make it happened and be used for the better future and betterment of life. As I am writing this article of new formed ideas, I came to realize that technology is a very powerful product of our great imaginations and brilliant mind. Technology can be innovative. It can be progressive for the betterment of everyone but technology can also be a weapon of warfare and pandemonium. To those who are reading this article, let us not stop here thinking for new technology. Let us be vigilant because it is up to us to use these kinds of present technology in either good or bad.

As I ponder for last words, these technologies I had thought and mentioned above are for the betterment of everybody. This is Karlo Jay Isturis Bueno, saying: “In every aspect of technology you can think of, be creative and responsible. Technology is for the betterment of everybody on earth but not with the worst warfare of the world.” 

FOOD CHAIN TECHNOLOGY

we were also asked to take a heedful observation in three different fast food chains around the metropolis. In my case among many food chains my fingers can’t count, I visited the very famous McDonald’s food chain, the successful Jolibee food chain and the Greenwich food chain. In these busy establishments, there are different activities happening all around it.

Yet amidst status differences of these different food chains, I spotted common similarities between the McDonalds, Jolibee and Greenwich. It is always been a fast food chain’s trademark to have such influx of avid costumers. When I was there observing the whole scenario, I can only perceive are the tables full of costumer eating their orders, excited expression of children after their parents had receive the happy meals they ordered, busy and long lines of costumer waiting to be catered by the welcoming cashiers, hastened works of those service crews, and the satisfied expression of costumer who had just finished consuming their meals.

Aside from these harmonious happenings, I found something disturbing about this food chains and it is their problem in the following areas:

• Table sanity; where the tables were left unclean which sometimes a sanitary crew forgets to clean it up. The common circumstances here is that when current costumers occupying the tables finished what they order, they apparently will left their leftovers and mess on the tables. Normally, a sanitary crew will took long to notice the tables and sometimes may result to leaving it dirty until a new set of customers will come to that table to occupy it. Apparently, the new customers will wait for their table to be cleaned up but sometimes out of impatiently waiting no service crew will clean up the mess left by the previous customers. It will result to a scenario where the customer will call the attention of a sanitary crew to clean the table they will occupy. This problem might be a result of either the previous costumer who messed up or the heedlessness of the sanitary crew who always mistook tables between unclean and clean.

This scenario may impose bad effects to the food chain establishment. We can’t deny many customers will mock services they provide especially in the table sanitary service they provide. If this scenario continues, many customers will become dismayed to arrive in an unoccupied table flooding with spilled catsup or folded napkin within a coke float cup.

In order to solve such issue of unmonitored sanitary problem of a table, I came across a tumbling idea to monitor the cleanliness of the tables after use. I was thinking of technology that is far simpler than automatic cleaning hands attached on a table or far simplest than a flipping table with trash compartment below. I called this technology a “Table Sanitary Button”.

Simply, this device is committed to resolve the following issues and little problems mentioned below:

• Monitoring of Table Sanitations
• Attentiveness of sanitary crews
• Next costumer disrespect

This new device I had thought is a small scale technology affixed on the food chain tables. It shapes like a flattened box with a programmed chip, a “Press” button, a small green flat bulb and a label that say: “To all valued costumer: please press before leaving the table.” The main function of this button is to send a specific frequency through the air which will be transmitted to a receiving device held by the sanitary crew.

When the costumer finished eating their orders, basically they will leave the tissues and plastics on the tables. The customer must press the button indicating that they are leaving. When the button is pressed, the green flat bulb will light as well as it will send a certain level or range of frequency that will be transmitted to a certain receiver. Of course, the receiver will be possessed by the sanitary crew, himself.

This mini receiver can be easily connected to a crew’s belt like a lapel does. It was consists of many simple parts such as a small green LED that will blink as soon as the receiver received the frequency, a small circular speaker in a size of a dress button which will protest in continuous beeps alongside with the lighting of the green LED and a small LCD monitor like those found in pagers that will display a text such like “Sanitation needed for Table 2” in order to help the sanitary crew locate the right table.

Basically, the logic behind this new invention is simple. The customer must press the button before leaving. It will automatically transmit the frequency to the receiver. As soon as the receiver’s speaker protest with continuous beeps and green LED blinked, the sanitary crew can immediately respond to the right table to be cleaned. In that way, no untidy tables will disregarded and all tables will be clean even before a new customer will occupy the table.

It is efficient in terms of service from the sanitary service crew. It is customer friendly for it will leave no mess before any next customer will take over the table and it increase the sanitary crew’s attentiveness towards monitoring sanitary problems in both the floor and tables.

Another scenario I had observe around the vicinity of any fast food chains are those found on a customer’s lavatory where a certain customer can wash his or her hands. Though I never found another problem with it, I found great new innovations that will improve the current state of the lavatory. Here, I give you the present situation in the lavatory which still possessed an ability to be improvised.

After a customer of a fast food chain had consumed his value meals, basically, there will be food grease or salt pigments stick on your fingers. And to remove that, he needs to wash his hands in the lavatory. The scenario is, he will go to the lavatory, turn the faucet on and apply soap on his hands then rinse then let it dry under a dryer. Typically, it goes that way and I had seen no problem with that. But the mere facts that it can be still improvised to the betterment of the customer, a new idea of a technology coursed down my brain in an instant. This new idea of a better lavatory for hand washing provides the following benefits:

• To lessen the customer’s effort
• To avoid bar soaps because it poses more germs than liquid soaps.
• And make hand washing convenient for a costumer.

Instead of using the typical soap bottle or faucet, this technology replaces the traditional soap and faucet. It is comprised with three rectangular shapes place side by side. The first one is the WATER TUBE which is connected to the water pipes to release soft amount of water. The second is the SOAP TUBE that contains a container of liquid soap that is refillable after being emptied. The last one is DRYING TUBE that can dry hands after a customer can rinse. All of the tubes had sensors underneath it and beside where the water, soap and heat escape.

Costumers need not to open a faucet neither press a bottle of soap. All they need to do is place their hands underneath the WATER TUBE where the sensors and when the sensor detected your hand temperature, water will start showering for an estimated time. Same goes with the SOAP TUBE. Just place your hands beneath it and let the sensor detect your temperature, then, a certain amount of liquid soap will be ejected from the tube towards your hands. If the customer finished rinsing his hand with water, he can place his hands underneath the DRYING TUBE and let it dry your wet hands.

This way any customers can feel more convenient in using this all new and improved hand washer. This may not sound new but this is another milestone for the improvement and benefits of the customers.

MALL TECHNOLOGY

Observation starts with the opening of the eyes and the acceptance of the current world that encapsulated us. By means of observing our own surroundings, we, as human beings, can perceive notions, unsuspecting ideals and natural laws that had been around us for more than how many years since the universe was young. Also, with observation, a person can become innovative and a society can be progressive from the loads of amazing and jaw-dropping ideas and imagination a person can visualize. Out of these brilliant ideas born from a simple observation, people can invent many things that will make life better and convenient. And there’s no chance denying it, many have proven to lighten things up out from a simple observation.

Spending one hour or more inside the three malls (Victoria Plaza, G-Mall, and Abreeza Mall); I ventured around to observe the current scenario of these supermarkets as a part of our subject. Though I occasionally visit in these kinds of places from time to time, I rarely paid attention to the details and activities happening around these places. When we were assigned to do observations like this in three different malls for an hour or more, then it was the time I become more observant and concern with what was happening around the mall. I was astonished how blind I was to just ignore the current condition of these public places. For the first time, my eyes was opened to find out that the malls had also been undergoing different troubles and simple problem that I believe can be solve and lightened by a technology.

First problems or situations I found disturbing in malls are those situations happening in every baggage counters which causes problems for costumers like the following list below:

·         Limited accessibility in terms of only two to three counter clerks are assigned in a baggage counter that can cater costumers in line.

·         Long, jam-packed and snail-paced queues of costumer which results to long term of waiting to be catered and sometimes causes pandemonium between the costumer in line and the baggage counter personnel.

As I watched the scenery on the baggage counters, I started to wonder if there are any new ideas for a technology to solve the simple but confusing problem in the baggage counter that can lessen the traffic and long queues of costumers, and even erase the possibility of a costumer getting angry towards the counter attendants.  Then, I came across an idea of an all new technology that can improve the state of the baggage counters of the malls here in Davao City.

This technology will make no long lines of costumers; no pandemonium and no baggage counter attendants. Simply, it is made of a metal bow piled and lined to look almost like a locker found in a school or university. It consists of a secured panel where you can put your belongings, a token slot, a small compartment where a unique plastic card is sealed and a barcode reader where you can slide the card to open the secured compartment. Of course, this technology does not involve money in order to access a baggage panel.

What a costumer must only do to avail the free service of this computerized baggage panel are the following:

·         First, a costumer can, of course choose which baggage compartment one wants to use.

·         When one had chosen a baggage compartment suitable for his belongings, one will get a specialized token from the token holder of one’s compartment then slide it to the token slot. What special about this token slot is that when you inserted the token, it will not directly spit the token out but it will hold the token until the card is not swiped with the barcode reader.

·         As soon as one slid the token on the token slot, the specialized secured panel door will unlock itself and will open the small compartment beneath it where the uniquely-bar-coded card is sealed.

·         The costumer must get the specialized card because it is the only sole thing that will open the secure panel where one puts one’s belongings. After getting the card, one can put one’s things inside the panel door and closed it. Another added feature of this technology is that when the panel door is closed it will automatically lock and a circular indicator beside it will turn green indicating that the compartment is occupied.

·         Then, the costumer can feel secure now as he or she goes inside a department store or in supermarket section of the mall. When the costumer felt like retrieving his things so that he can go home, all he needs to do is slide the bar-coded card into the card slot. It will open the door panel and the card handler so that the costumer can retrieve his belongings and return the card to its place. When everything has been put back like the door panel closed again and the card returned; the coin will roll out back where another costumer can use the compartment.

This technology promises instant and limitless accessibility for it is placed near in every entrance of supermarket section and department store segment. Because it is piled and arranged like regular lockers, costumer can directly choose for themselves what baggage compartment they want without needing a baggage counter attendant and without falling in line. It also promises more security because only the owner who had the bar-coded card can access the door panel. It also reduces waiting time because you do not need to wait in a line for you can go directly to your desired baggage compartment. Plus, this technology is costumer friendly because the token to be used is readily available and does not have to be paid.

There’s another scenario I had observe way back when I wandered around the grocery department of the malls. The sanctuary of consumable goods, that was always progressive, was always engulfed with various ordinary citizens and valued customers. Some of them were in a hurry picking their desired goods while some took their time getting a cart, chat with companions and stroll around to find something to buy. There are also those people flooding the lines on different cashier counters who sometimes get angry and impatience because of the long and slow queues on being entertained in the counters. Cashiers also took long time while punching quite so many supplies the costumers wanted to purchase.

Places like this bore problems that only a new technology can at least lessen the burden of the dilemmas mentioned below:

·         Long queues of costumer, having carts full of various goods and supplies, as a result of the cashier while taking so long to punch a lot of goods purchased by customers.

·         Elongated consumed time by a customer while queuing for his goods to be punched.

What interests me the most is that people who engage in this situation haven’t think of any suggestion to lessen the burden of waiting in vain before he or she can be catered by the cashier.

Then I came to an all new idea of a technology that can quicken the work of cashiers and lessen the time of costumer waiting within a long line. I called this little device the “Portable Price Puncher”. As the word “Portable” may mean, this hand-held device is powered by rechargeable batteries and it can be carried all over the vicinity of the grocery department but not outside the proximity. When the device is brought out from the area, a loud burglar alarm will resonated.

Features of the Portable Price Puncher are listed below:

·         It has a barcode reader that reads the price of a certain goods.

·         It has the trigger to activate the barcode reader.

·         It also has a programmed chip designed to read the barcode of goods and sum all the punched barcodes.

·         Also, it has a small “print” button and a mini receipt printer where it will print all the added prices.

·         Lastly, it has an alarm that will resonate when taken outside the grocery.

This hand held device is committed to resolve the issue of waiting and long queues. The device and a basket always go side by side because the pair is connected wirelessly. Costumer can use the device as soon as they enter the grocery department. There will be a portion of the grocery where the baskets and these price punchers are situated.  Basically, instead of falling in line in the cashier counters for their selected goods to be punched, any costumer can embrace the following ideas of using the technology.

When a customer uses this device along with the basket, one can punch the price of any goods one’s wants while one is strolling through the grocery even without going to the counter. All a costumer can do is place the “Portable Price Puncher” directly in front of the good’s barcode and pulled the trigger to register the price. As the costumer punched another good, it automatically adds the prices.

When the customer finished punching all the prices of the goods he wanted to purchase, he can press the “Print” button where it will print two typical receipts. One copy for the customer and one for the cashier.

Then, to pay for the goods just go to the cashier and present the receipt and the goods you want to purchase. Only in the counter that your goods will be packed and gave back the basket and the PPP device. This way it will reduce the work of the cashiers whose work will only receive the payment, packed the goods and retrieve the basket and device back.

This device ensures and aims the following aspects:

• Decrease Waiting Time. It decreases waiting time because while a customer is looking for something to buy, he or she can punch goods. There’s no need to fall in line in the cashier for your products to be punch but instead, only to pay for the total cost of your goods. That’s saves time rather than spending long time in finding your goods and waiting while the cashier punched the goods of a co-customer in front of you.
• Reduce Long Lines. Basically, it decreases long lines in the cashier counters because the only thing you’ll do in the counters is pay and pack. Basically, people will no longer fall in line for the progress is smooth.
• Decrease Cashier Works. Normally, the cashier’s works are to punch the goods, total the prices collect the payment and packed the goods. But with the help of this hand held device, it reduces the cashier’s work to only receiving the payment and packed the goods. It also saves time and effort for the cashier’s part.
• Theft proof. In terms of the device, it could not be stolen because it has a sensor that if brought right outside the grocery’s proximity, it will activate the alarm.

Not only this device can be used in the grocery department but the idea and principle of this new technology can be applied on the department store like the apparel section or toys section or anywhere in the establishment.

Always, technology makes the life more efficient to live.

My First TECHNO Class

As the hour hand strikes 2:00 in the afternoon, me and my classmates flooded the entrance of our classroom in waiting for our teacher to arrive. Before we even take the subject course, the higher-years had warned us how the whole thing works. With the teacher, Professor Randy Gamboa and a Subject called Technoprenuership, i open my eyes towards the comments of those senoirs upon the subject. They say that we will be undergoing long easy writing and about thousand words or more to write for reflections. As we entered the four walls of our classrooms, our professor for the subject had given samples of what the late-comers will do if they frequently come late. And that was to present any talents you have in front of the class. This part was amazing because many had been forced to showcase their hidden TALENTS. yes, as expected like the Seniors had told us about, our Professor had given us our assignment to do before we adjourn and it challenges me to think of how i may become observant and creating ideas. The first day is really the very nervous day in a semester. And hey, check my first assignment out. it is posted just below this post.

Just a Reminder before reading the one below this:

"A new idea of a technology is not created to be a weapon of warfare and inequality, but a powerful MEANS to have humanitarian welfare."