You don’t have to be first to be the best

Posted: April 29th, 2011 | Author: Arnold | Filed under: All in a days work | View Comments

The recent admittance of Friendster that we have a Facebook world and bowing down in the social media war means you don't have to be first to be the best.

There was a time that innovation is what its needed to succeed. Be the first to launch a unique product, be the original in the field — research and development is your best friend — and you're famous and rich.

But there is also times like today where you don't have to be first to be the best. You can get an idea, improve it and be the best in that field. You pick up what's cool, place in some more colors and functions and features. See how more people can appreciate yours than the original.

That's what happened to Facebook. Friendster started it all. They are the first to offer social networking. Let's give them credit for that. But young Zuckerberg knows he can do better, old Friendster never improved. And, as they say, the rest is history.

I must admit I'm not an innovator. Just just not me. I'm not creative enough to be original. I'm a very technical, systems guy. I get excited when I see a product and thinks I can improve it. I can't be original, and I'm cool with that. I can't create, but I can fix. And yes, we do grab an idea or two from existing products, but we take it to another level. We improve the idea. And we may not be the best, yet — but that's the direction we're taking.

So the next time you get frustrated for not being the first thing to think about a cool idea, there's hope.

To my Adventist friends – an invitation to a symposium with Atty. John Tulio : The Tipping Points of Grace

Posted: April 26th, 2011 | Author: Arnold | Filed under: All in a days work | View Comments

If you grew up in an Adventist community in the 90s, you know the Tulios — and some of you probably know Atty. John Tulio. He's become a mentor to a lot of Adventists, including myself, in terms of revisiting our belief system and focusing on God's grace. He has written several materials, which includes "Basic 10", a group study guide on the basics of the gospel and grace. Just recently, he finished and released "Tipping Points of Grace: Age old dogmas re-exammined."

He's currently here in the Philippines for a short ministry visit. We're planning to sponsor a symposium where he will discuss the "Tipping points".

You may have a lot of questions in mind about the Sabbath, the Investigative Judgement, Immortality of the Soul, on Ellen White and other "pillars of faith". You sincerely want to know the "other side of the coin". This is a great time to hear and inquire about those things in an open, friendly environment.

We're planning to have it this Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. Depending on the number of attendees, it can be held at Tiara Oriental Hotel in Makati City or in a room in a San Juan condo. So, if you're interested to join, please let me know by indicating in the comments. Pass the word around too. The more, the merrier. (If we'll hit 20, we'll probably be able to use a more comfortable place at Tiara Hotel).

So in summary:

I'm inviting you and your friends to a symposium:

Speaker: Atty. John Tulio
Topic: Tipping Points of Grace
Date and time: This Saturday, April 20, 2 pm
Venue: Makati or San Juan (Depending on the number of attendees)

See you there!

Barney and friends :)

Posted: April 16th, 2011 | Author: Arnold | Filed under: All in a days work | View Comments

Taken at Shangri-La Plaza

Who brought Willie Revillame down?

Posted: April 9th, 2011 | Author: Arnold | Filed under: All in a days work | View Comments

Quick summary: Willie Revillame is a popular and controversial game show host. He has been controversial before. But his latest controversy is the alleged mistreatment of a "Willing Willie" March 12 episode where he was seen making fun of a 6-year old kid while dancing in what is perceived to be inappropriate. The video was posted on YouTube, Facebook and other social media. An avalanche of accusations of "child abuse" and exploitation of the poor came from all angles on the internet — from blogs to Facebook to Twitter. Government agencies such as the DSWD, MTRCB, CHR followed suit condemning the act.

Because of pressure, advertisers started to pull out of the show, until last night, it has almost none. While Revillame blamed everyone else on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube except him, the real reason while he's stopping for 2 weeks is simple: there were no sponsors to pay for the bills. It's a business decision first and foremost and secondly, in my opinion, to defuse whatever the MTRCB will come up with next week.

He went down — at least for 2 weeks (according to him) — and he fell hard.

Let's get to the bottom line: Who brought Willie Revillame down?

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs — the social media — brought him down.

The middle class that uses social media brought him down.

The advertisers who know that the middle class has the purchasing power brought him down.

His arrogance against the middle class brought him down.

He brought himself down.

Lesson? Do not insult the intelligence of the middle class. We know that the issue is about. However he tries to make this a class war, we know that this is not being for or against the poor. This is for decency in our society. This is protection against those who are being exploited. And this is standing for what we believe is right.

Workstation inspirations

Posted: April 2nd, 2011 | Author: Arnold | Filed under: All in a days work | View Comments

Due to the recent changes in the my work routines, I had to sell my 2 Mac properties — my 20″ iMac and the 13″ Macbook — and buy a 15″ Macbook Pro. So far, I’m enjoying it. I can work in between meetings. I can work on Starbucks or where ever there’s WiFi.

But then of course, there’s nothing like having a workstation as your homebase. Here are some of the workstation inspirations I’m going to try to achieve.