You Now Need to Shop at Least $45 at Amazon to Avail of its Free Shipping Option

If you are someone like me who shops on Amazon,com and avails of their free shipping, you will now need to buy at least $45 worth of items before you can have your item shipped for free.  Let me make it clear though that this offer is available only in the US of A or when you ship your items to a U.S. address.

Add at least $25 of books in your cart and all other eligible items in the order also ship free, An eligible item has a "FREE Shipping" messaging on the product detail page, that is fulfilled and shipped by Amazon and contributes to your free shipping order minimum.  The site says the method takes about 5 to 8 business days but per my experience, most of my orders take only five days maximum.  

The online retail giant did not offer any explanation for the increase but many suspect that it's a way to lure more customers to their Prime service.  Amazon Prime offers a free two-day shipping for it's members. Aside from this, the $99 annual membership also comes with free music and video streaming.  Be warned however that again, the free streaming is only available for customers who are in the U.S.  

For more information on this, click here.

Nikon Launches the Nikkor AFS 85mm f/1.8 G

Woke up this morning to some great news.  Nikon announced yesterday three new products for 2012 but what I am most excited about is the new Nikkor AFS 85mm f/1.8G.  It is an updated version of its popular moderate telephoto prime lens that also works perfectly for portraiture.  Here's the official press release of the product from Nikon.com.

A fast, medium-telephoto fixed focal length lens with a focal length of 85 mm and a maximum aperture of f/1.8 compatible with the Nikon FX-format

TOKYO - Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the release of the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G, a fast, medium-telephoto fixed focal length lens with a focal length of 85 mm and a maximum aperture of f/1.8 compatible with the Nikon FX-format.

The AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G is the new addition to the FX-format lens lineup. It utilizes an all new optical design allowing users to enjoy shooting portraits with pleasing blur characteristics only possible through fixed focal length lenses. Even with a fast maximum aperture of f/1.8, the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G is very lightweight at roughly 350 g, allowing users to easily carry their camera around with this lens mounted. The Silent Wave Motor (SWM) ensures not only quiet autofocus operations, but also makes autofocus shooting possible when the lens is used with entry-level Nikon DX-format digital-SLR cameras such as the D5100 and D3100, which are not equipped with an autofocus drive motor.

Nikon has long had the support of professional, advanced amateur and entry-level photographers for its consistent development of innovative products that respond to the demands of customers and are equipped with the optical technologies Nikon has spent years cultivating as a manufacturer of optical devices. Nikon intends to continue to expand and strengthen the NIKKOR lineup as well as improve customer convenience with the steady release of new, high-performance lenses that offer advanced functions.

AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Primary Features

• A fast, medium-telephoto fixed focal length lens with a focal length of 85 mm and a maximum aperture of f/1.8 compatible with the Nikon FX-format
• An all new optical design that enables maximum utilization of digital-SLR camera capabilities in shooting high quality images
• Enables shooting of portraits with pleasing background blur characteristics only possible with a fast, medium-telephoto fixed focal length lens
• Very lightweight at approximately 350 g, even with the large aperture
• Equipped with a Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for extremely quiet autofocusing. Autofocus shooting is also possible when the lens is used with entry-level Nikon DX-format digital-SLR cameras such as the D5100 and D3100, which are not equipped with an autofocus drive motor.
• Equipped with two focus modes, M/A (autofocus with manual override) and M (manual)

And here are some sample shots from the same website.

from nikon.com

love that bokeh!
from nikon.com

from nikon.com

Social Networking on Trial

Facebook, the largest online social network was in the local news last week when a 13-year old boy shot a 16-year old boy inside a mall in a fit of jealousy.  The name of the site was dragged into the case because allegedly, the young gunman wrote on his page his intent to do harm to his lover.

This is not the first time that Facebook has been blamed for a crime committed here.  A few months back, a young woman was killed after meeting with a Facebook contact in her apartment.  After that, a celebrity was seriously wounded after a tryst with a contact from the same social networking site.  Both victims have never met their contacts before and they only knew them through the site.

from google.com

I am just surprised that in each case, authorities dragged Facebook in the case like it's its fault that these crimes happened.  Instead at looking at the behavior of the perpetrators and their victims, they quickly turn the site into a scapegoat.

I use Facebook and other social networking sites like Twitter, Plurk, Multiply, etc.  The only thing that I can say to fellow users is to treat these virtual communities as different as possible to the real world.  One can easily create a profile on these sites and that's where the danger lies:  your friend may not be who and what he claims to be,  So exercise caution.

Giant Croc captured in the Philippines

The Philippines is in the news again.  A giant salt water crocodile was recently captured alive in a small municipalty in the Southern province of  Agusan del Sur.  The reptile measured at 21-foot in length and weighed a ton.  The picture below clearly shows the size of the animal.  By the way, in case you're asking, the man on that croc is the mayor of the town.

from reuters

He was interviewed on the radio this morning and I was able to catch a big chunk of it.    He said that they named the crocodile Lolong in honor of their team leader who died of a heart attack while they were pursuing the reptile.  According to the Mayor, the reptilian behemoth was first spotted along a creek dragging a carabao.  Some 50 or more members of a religious sect witnessed the event while they were crossing a bridge over the creek after their worship services.  This prompted the Mayor to seek the help of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in capturing the croc.

The Mayor also said that it took them three weeks to capture the beast which also destroyed a number of traps.  He also related that one night while they were surveying the known habitat of the animal, their flashlight/torch beam caught two pairs of eyes in the creek, suggesting that this giant may have a mate still lurking in the waters and marshlands.  The creek, according to the Mayor, is considered  a "crocodile highway" and traverses at least seven municipalities in the Agusan Province.

The Mayor added that the croc was estimated to be 50 years old.  The group that helped them capture it also advised them not to kill the animal because, aside from a law protecting the species, it also helps in the maintenance of the ecosystem in the area.  The community was advised not to venture in the known habitat of the reptiles after sundown since that's the time they are most active.

from reuters

Newspaper reports that some crocodile hunters are on the hunt for a bigger one in the waters of Agusan.  But we all know that there's another kind of crocodile that's more vicious, hungry and greedy than the one captured in Agusan.  The problem is, they are all over the place and we're all their prey.

Would you buy a wooden iPad or a paper laptop?

Two weird but very real stories on the Internet caught my attention last week.  One was about a woman who thought she got an iPad for a bargain at $180 only to find out later that it was made of wood and obviously a fake.  The other one was about another woman who bought a laptop for $250, which turned to be a bunch of papers wrapped in packaging tape accompanied by a power cord.

A wooden iPad? (source: google.com)

What made these stories even weirder is that it happened in the same city: Spartanburg, South Carolina.  The modus operandi was almost similar.  Victim was approached by two men who offered bargain priced laptops, iPad and other gadgets that were in a shipping box.  Both crimes happened in a parking lot, one in McDonald's and the other in a gas station.  Both women didn't open their package until they get home, only to find out that they've been bilked of their money.

My first reaction after reading these stories was that, these women could have been victimized by a budol-budol gang member.  For the uninitiated, this gang operates in the streets of Manila showing their would be victims a pile of money inside a bag.  The gang would ask the poor unsuspecting person for some cash or to  withdraw something from the ATM since they needed to buy something.  Upon getting the money, they would give the bag to their victim and promise to comeback for it after they bought what they needed.  They also promise the victim that they would give some of the money in the bag for helping them.  The victim could wait the whole day and they would never return, and when he opens the bag he finds a bundle of cut-up newspapers and no money.

Some of the victims would swear that they actually saw a thick bundle of money in one-hundred peso bills.  Others would report that they felt like they were hypnotized or seduced by the person who approached them that's why they willing handed them money or withdrew some from the ATM.  But many suspect that it was just the lure of easy money that got the better of these people and made them give up their cash.

So could it be that budol-budol gang has transferred their operations to South Carolina?  But wait, the report said that the women did not see the "merchandise" until they reached home and opened the box.  Perhaps it's just a case of two persons who thought they snagged a bargain that was too good to be true.   Unfortunately, it was really just like that: too good to be true.

Has the iPhone been following you?

from apple.com

The biggest story among Apple fans last week was the report by two researchers that the iPhone could track the movements of its user through a secret file embedded within it.  The file, according to the researchers named Peter Warden and Allasdair Allen, is unencrypted and gives a detailed account of the comings and goings of the user.  

The initial reaction was fear and then indignation at the possible breach of security among iPhone users.  There was a lawsuit filed against Apple because of this.

After the initial outburst, however, people realized that the report was nothing new and is not something to lose sleep on.  One analyst even went to as far as using the same application that the researchers used and found its readings a bit off.  Steve Jobs, when asked through email by an iPhone owner, said in his usual brief reply that  "... The info circulating around is false."

Just this afternoon, someone gave me a link to an official statement from Apple that finally addresses the issue.  The statement is in Q and A form and on whether the iPhone and other iOS this is what the company has to say:

"Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so."

By the way, just as the dust on this issue starts to settle, Apple updated its site to announce that the White iPhone 4 is coming out today.

Giant Squids and A Man Who Acts Like One

 I read a really strange news article when I went online this morning.  The report said that giant squids suddenly surfaced in waters off the coast of California.   In fact, the picture that accompanied the article was a scene straight out of Animal Planet.

According to a report by the AP, the squid also known as the Humboldt, weigh between 20 and 40 pounds, but some fishermen have caught  60-pound giants.  The report further stated that this animal can grow to as much as 100 pounds and up to 6 feet long.

The first thing that came into my mind were calamares.  Imagine how much of this stuff can be made out of these giants.  It would make a lot of beer drinkers very happy.

I just wonder if these creatures also squirt ink when agitated or cornered.  I know one giant squid who did just that when he tried to defend himself this afternoon.

The man was accused of unethical conduct for approving a road project that will benefit his businesses.  For days, he refused to answer the accusations hurled against him and just let his lackeys do the job for him.

When he finally spoke this afternoon, he denied everything  and instead called the hearing a political harassment because he was running for president of the country.  Well, he’s second in the running and if surveys are to be believed (they could sometimes be commissioned), he’s gaining ground against the front runner.

All through out his speech, he had his head bowed down, not looking straight at his accusers. After squirting ink, by saying that he is being pulled down by the Filipino’s crab mentality,  the man left his accusers and refused to answer questions.

Between him and the giant squid though, I’d pick the latter anytime.  At least I can make crispy fried squid out of them.