Cybercrime Law of the Philippines Infographics

Tekkie Tekkie Muna (Call your friends and let’s debate on these discussions bago pa man tamaan tayo ng ngitngit ng paghihiganti ng mga apektado ng cyber bullying), sorry for being so political these past posts but the Cybercrime Law in the Philippines aka the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 is quite controversial and timely to be discussed and debated upon before  the Supreme Court TRO expires and we get struck by its might!



“Department of Justice Assistant Secretary Geronimo Sy explained that laws on cybercrime are considered as the 3rd building block of legislations necessary to protect the people from crimes committed in cyberspace and use of ICT.

I always look at cybercrime as something under the 2nd block or special penal laws (where I think the E-Commerce Law is in). Although it seems there is now a set of laws in place that are already in that 3rd block and increasing further (which may already include the E-Commerce Law as it is the first policy in place against hacking and online piracy).

As we use and integrate ICT and Internet in our lives, perhaps it is possible that new forms of crimes can happen online and where broader or special legislation will have to be created (that provides mandate for resource allotment too). Nevertheless, that perspective, whether agreeable or not, brings the importance of having more organized groups of netizens who can interact with policy makers proactively on Internet / ICT related policies and do its share of stakeholder consultation.”

“As the Cybercrime Prevention Act is on TRO, the cybercrime provisions of Republic Act 8792 (Section 33) is once again in effect. For folks unfamiliar with the E-Commerce Law penalties (section 33), I hope this can help.”

For torrent sites,  as long as you have a copyright holder or group suing for unauthorized copying (regardless of online source), it is covered.

“Version 1 of electronic libel infograph – The insertion of Libel in the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 caused a lot of confusion and this is what we got after checking out sources. Electronic libel is a crime under this act (libel committed with the use of ICT) and as an addition under the Revised Penal Code (if concurrently committing the libel crime in traditional form). Some see this giving room to double-jeopardy.”
That is true unless it is only pursued legally under one of the two possible legal outlets. Double jeopardy means that you cannot be tried for the same offense twice, but as we have seen a person can be pursued under criminally but also under civil (as we saw with OJ Simpson).

“Version 1 of electronic libel infograph – The insertion of Libel in the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 caused a lot of confusion and this is what we got after checking out sources. Electronic libel is a crime under this act (libel committed with the use of ICT) and as an addition under the Revised Penal Code (if concurrently committing the libel crime in traditional form). Some see this giving room to double-jeopardy.”
That is true unless it is only pursued legally under one of the two possible legal outlets. Double jeopardy means that you cannot be tried for the same offense twice, but as we have seen a person can be pursued under criminally but also under civil (as we saw with OJ Simpson).

Blizzard Says Single-Player Games are Endangered Species

Tekkie Tekkie Muna (Let’s sit down and waste a few minutes of your time, I’ll make it short, brief or “thong”), do you believe that single-player games are going extinct?
Are they a dying breed? Endangered species?




In a recent interview with Games Industry, Blizzard’s Chief Creative Officer Rob Pardo agreed that the traditional, big-budget single-player game is an endangered species. He said that between piracy and the ability for consumers to rent games, it’s now extremely difficult for publishers to dump millions of dollars into a single player game and not see the financial return they need to make the investment realistic.

“One of the bigger trends is there’s a lot of smaller games able to be created, so you are seeing a lot more innovation that isn’t possible in the AAA space because of the money and the risk involved,” he said. “You’ll see a lot of these really innovative indie games, mobile games, social games, that people can try out and test new and innovative ideas.”

Some of those ideas, he said, will eventually turn into AAA games. They’ll also become an “experimental hotbed of gaming design.”

He goes on to defend the subscription-based game model, saying that it still works when games aren’t over-valued. That means publishers and developers need to design a game to keep the player engaged on a daily basis. Some have slapped on a subscription model because they thought they could get away with it, and failed. Players looked at what they received for $10 to $15 per month and didn’t see any value.
Pardo actually moves on to defend the free-to-play model as well, calling it a strong, friendly business that lets potential customers try a product with no risk, and then lets them pay for what they want (such as gear, locked continents, extra characters, etc).

“I think that is a really strong model,” he said. “Free-to-play is almost like a genre of business models, there are so many different ways you can apply it. I think for free-to-play to work really well it has to be deeply integrated with the game design itself. What is it that people are going to buy, and how much are you going to pay for this versus the other thing? One of the biggest issues with free-to-play models these days is the feeling that a lot of games give me: That for me to progress in this game, or to really have a deep game experience, you have to pay. That’s where free-to-play gets a bad rap. But that’s more the game design than the model.”

Tekkie Tekkie Muna (Listen up as I tell you that I’m no expert – but it seems I sound like a wannabe to some, maybe they should think about why my intended audience are the noobies – because that’s exactly what I am). I don’t pretend to know-it-all and if my suggestions or recommendations have flaws that’s because I’m no guru.

So as a sort of disclaimer, you can’t have my only word for it. There are more established and renowned experts who actually do this job for a living. I’m here for the free ride because this is just a hobby and my way to share what I believe in, regardless if its biased,  lacking substantial basis, or erroneous.

Source: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-10-02-game-industry-legends-rob-pardo

Polycase’s New Enclosure Keeps the Raspberry Pi Microcomputer Safe

Tekkie Tekkie Muna (Hang around a bit, may ikukuwento ako so listen up and sit), to all the lovers of the Raspberry Pi, here’s another case from Polycase.

Polycase announces the release of their new ABS plastic case for the Raspberry Pi microcomputer. The Pi Series case is an affordable ABS plastic enclosure for the credit-card sized computer with pricing as low as $9.29 per unit with no minimum order requirement. Molded in black flame-retardant ABS plastic with a flame rating of UL94-5VA, this curvaceous enclosure brings an attractive new look to the market.



The compact enclosure measures 3.0 x 4.0 x 1.4 inches. Designed to fit the Raspberry Pi Model B, the Pi Series holds the PCB captive with access and labeling for each individual component of the board. Included with the enclosure are 5 flush mounted light pipes that project light from the board’s LEDs out of the end panel on the case. The textured finish on the cases is resistant to fingerprints and scratching.

To aid in the development of projects and applications, Polycase provides 2D drawings and a 3D model of the Raspberry Pi plastic enclosure for instant download directly from their website at www.polycase.com/pi-series. Polycase also offers CNC machining and custom printing on all enclosures.

For more information about Polycase’s value-added services, visit this page <click here for link> .

Tech Power Up <click here for link>