Four Eyed Journal

Ideas, commentary & geekery

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June 18, 2022 / 0 Comments

#NeverAgain Bundle by Adarna House

Back in May, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director General Alex Paul Monteagudo red-tagged Filipino book publisher Adarna House when it offered to sell book bundles about the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s dictatorship, describing it in a Facebook post as part of a plan to “subtly radicalize” Filipino children to rise up against the government.

The outrageous and dangerous insinuation that Adarna House, a respected book publisher founded by no less than National Artist Virgilio Almario, has ties to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing the New People’s Army.

Even acclaimed English author Neil Gaiman weighed in:

It cannot be stressed enough that red-tagging is dangerous and there have been activists that were murdered after being red-tagged.

More to the point, publishing books about important historical events especially in a format aimed at younger readers is not only noble work, it is essentially public service.

So to support Adarna House, I bought their #NeverAgain Bundle which consists of the following books:

  • “Ito ang Diktadura” (2017) by Equipo Plantel
  • “Edsa” (2013) by Russell Molina
  • “Isang Harding Papel” (2014) and “Si Jhun-Jhun, Noong Bago Ideklara ang Batas Militar” (2001) by Augie Rivera
  • “The Magic Arrow” (2021) by Bolet Banal

After a little over a month, the books finally arrived yesterday and the wait was worth it. My daughter finished reading all the books in one sitting and said she really enjoyed each one.

#NeverAgain
#NeverAgain Bundle by Adarna House

The #NeverAgain bundle and many other good titles are available over at Adarna House’s website so grab a copy if you can. I promise you will not regret it.

Disclaimer: This is not a paid post nor am I connected to Adarna House, Inc in any way.

May 6, 2022 / 0 Comments

We need a new and better Senate

The May 9 elections are clearly the most important election in a generation or even perhaps my lifetime. Next to the choice for President, my line up for the Senate is a big and strong rejection of traditional politicians and celebrities that have dominated the chamber for so long.

It is a call for new perspectives, ideas, and brands of public service that we desperately need.

These men and women of diverse backgrounds, experience, expertise, and advocacies will breathe new life into an institution that plays a vital role in our democracy.

September 18, 2021 / 0 Comments

Netizens reject Harry Roque’s nomination to ILC

Together with other bloggers and social media influencers – Concerned Online Citizens collectively, we sent a letter to the members of the UN General Assembly urging them to reject the nomination of Harry Roque to the International Law Commission.

Below is the full text of the letter:

We’ve also put up an online petition so that other concerned citizens can join and express their opposition to this mockery of international law, human rights and an embarrassment to the Philippines.

We hope that you will join and sign up as well. It may be a simple gesture but it sends a powerful message across, that we Filipinos will stand not stand for this abhorrent idea of having a disgraced lawyer and enabler of Duterte.

Instead of being elevated to such an honorable position, Roque and Duterte should be made accountable.

July 27, 2021 / 0 Comments

Thirty-six

The Earth has taken thirteen thousand six hundred and forty days to go around the sun since I have come on board. What a journey it has been so far.


Three hundred sixty-five days (plus three) ago, I was at the office, sharing good food with my friends and colleagues which coincided with our team’s return to full operations after several months of being shut down by the pandemic.


This time around I’m just at home with my family as the pandemic is still far from over and has taken quite a toll on all of us. Monsoon rains and a magnitude 6.7 earthquake earlier in the day made this annual event something definitely unique and worth remembering.


The projects started last year – the podcasts and newsletter, have been all but neglected and it’s been a struggle to get back at it. So it would be fitting to finally break the blogging hiatus with this update. It’s not that I have completely stopped writing, I simply stopped publishing. Most of what I’ve written since May has been kept in a personal journal and a note-taking app that has been steadily being filled up with notes, ideas, and rough drafts of upcoming pieces that I hope you’ll enjoy or at the very least find interesting.


Aside from nearly half a year’s worth of content-in-development, my book collection has grown quite considerably. One of the goals for this year is to finish a book per month. With four months left, the to-read pile has really grown.


Looking back, and in the context of the pandemic, I should not be too hard on myself as making it this far, in good health, and sitting on a big pile of drafts is still quite an achievement knowing that there are others that have had far worse.


With that in mind, I have decided that as I will get back to regularly publishing content starting today, part if not most of it must be of help to others. Content that will enrich their knowledge, or perhaps help them with their own struggles and contribute to their own success no matter how big or small.


So I hope you’ll stick around. Together, I’m quite positive we’ll all make it through to see better days.

May 6, 2021 / 1 Comment

Negative Airflow with RAKK Haliya-M Gaming Case

After years of using laptops as my main work machine, I’ve decided to build a new desktop PC last December. It made a lot more sense because of the work from home setup and the fun part, being able to play PC games once more. The rig I built is not for competitive FPS games or live streaming although it’s more than capable of handling both. Those are not high up on my list – at the moment. Another distinct feature of this new rig is a switch to an AMD-based system, it runs on the Ryzen 5 3500, which surprised my friends for they have known me to be a long-time Intel user. Indeed, times have changed.

The large front grille of the Haliya-M is very stylish, it also allows for maximum airflow.

As there’s not much to flex about my rig, I’d just focus on the case. It’s the popular RAKK Haliya-M gaming case that I have been using since the start of January. A lot of folks have already made reviews about this amazing case so I’d focus on the things that I love most about it aside from its stylish design.

Fan configuration that addresses two concerns for me:

Cooling

White LED fans because I’m not so much into the whole RGB vibe
  • RAKK Haliya-M is designed for optimal airflow and there are various ways of getting good airflow thanks to the enormous front grill which can fit three 120mm fans or a 140mm radiator and on the top, two 120mm fans can be mounted.
  • The fan configuration that I have chosen allows for what is called ‘negative airflow‘ which means most of the fans are pulling air out of the case through the front and rear vents while cooler air is pulled in through the top vent thereby maximizing the two cool features of the case: the dust filter for the top vent and the large front grille that provides unrestricted air flow.
  • While some would say that this configuration would lead to more dust getting into the case and on to all the components because air is pulled in, it is mitigated by the magnetic dust filter on the top vent. An added layer of foam dust filter further helps in keeping the insides clean and lengthens the intervals for a thorough cleaning.
The Rakk Haliya-M comes with a magnetic dust filter for the top grille

Cable management

  • The Haliya-M was designed with cable management in mind. It has ample space behind the motherboard plate to run cables and even has support for zip ties and velcro straps to keep everything in place.
  • The cable slots come with rubber grommets that allow access to the motherboard while keeping the rest of the cables out of sight and in place.
  • I added Cooler Master Sleeved PSU extension cables to help with cable management and make the insides a lot tidier.

Overall, I’m happy with the build which would see me through to the next three or four years before a major parts upgrade or outright new system build. The Rakk Hailya-M case is available in most online stores for a very reasonable price.

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