Yoyoyified history

Cebu has historians like Drs. Resil Mojares and Jobers Bersales as well as institutions like the Cebuano Studies Center and yet for the historic commemoration of the arrival of the Armada de Maluko, its news outlets turned to the eminent musician Yoyoy Villame. No, not just to reference his song, but for actual historical facts.… Continue reading Yoyoyified history

Disaster response program brings online education to island barangay in Cebu

(This story first came out on Rappler.) To watch a YouTube video for an online lesson in Gilutungan Island, you have to be at the side facing Cordova town. Using mobile data, the phone connects to a server in Cebu City, hopping on to a network facility in Manila, then off to a data center… Continue reading Disaster response program brings online education to island barangay in Cebu

How to download ultra high-res images of works from Google Arts and Culture

I wanted a framed print of The Lady with an Ermine when we were redesigning our workspace during lockdown. Important works such as this painting by Leonardo da Vinci usually have high-resolution images online. The typical sources are Wikimedia Commons and Google Arts and Culture. The Lady with an Ermine has a high resolution copy… Continue reading How to download ultra high-res images of works from Google Arts and Culture

Where? For heaven’s sake tell me where!

I cannot now recall the incident — whether it was a fire or debris falling from a building — only the deep frustration. “Asa na uy!” I was driving and apart from general curiosity, I also wanted to know where it was happening in order to decide which streets to take.

Running a photo contest? Do a reverse image search!

The grand prize winner of Globe’s Picture Perfect 2.0 has been accused of submitting an image from a stock photo site for his winning entry. Charles Chamberlaine Igot won the grand prize for his entry “Sunset Catcher.” Igot, who has since deactivated his Facebook account, posted photos on March 6, 2020 when he got his… Continue reading Running a photo contest? Do a reverse image search!

How Metro Cebu residents moved around during Christmas holidays

Mobility data gathered by Google showed how Metro Cebu residents did last-minute grocery shopping leading to Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and stayed home on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. This one is expected behavior but not only is having the data fascinating, it offers context on the extent of changes in how… Continue reading How Metro Cebu residents moved around during Christmas holidays

Mobility data show how Cebuanos rushed to groceries on Dec. 24, stayed home on Dec. 25

This was expected but it’s fascinating to see actual data. Google Mobility Data showed how residents of Metro Cebu rushed to Groceries and Pharmacies with visits hitting 19 percent higher than the baseline figures of January 2020. It was the only time that visits to Groceries and Pharmacies – or to any location outside the… Continue reading Mobility data show how Cebuanos rushed to groceries on Dec. 24, stayed home on Dec. 25

Christmas rush? Mobility data show Pinoys in urban areas flocking to groceries

For a country known for its early and long Christmas celebration, the Philippines saw people in urban areas returning to groceries in mid-December in numbers not seen before quarantine lockdowns in the first quarter of 2020. Bacolod recorded the highest percentage recovery on December 19 at +26% of visits to Groceries and Pharmacies, according to… Continue reading Christmas rush? Mobility data show Pinoys in urban areas flocking to groceries