THE STATE of Philippine politics may give us plenty of reason to despair, but it has also inspired these two YouTube videos featuring virtual mano-a-mano smackdowns between President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former president Joseph Estrada.
First up, here’s a Wii Boxing match featuring Miis (player avatars) that look like Erap and Gloria.
And here’s a Political Deathmatch claymation fight between the two.
YAHOO! has launched the beta version of a new social networking site known as Mash, which is by-invitation only for now. I was fortunate enough to get an invitation just a few minutes ago. Thanks ultraweb for the invite — much appreciated.
I’ve just begun customizing the profile he set up for me, so it’s really bare right now. The pic shows me with my daughter Sam, who’s 5 years and nine months old. We took the pic using Photo Booth on Mikaela, my MacBook Pro, with the sepia special effect applied to it.
It’s funny how Mash got leaked to the press, apparently due to an honest mistake, as recounted in the New York Times.
HERE’S a funny parody anti-piracy ad from the UK series “The IT Crowd” (whose US remake is supposed to debut this fall on NBC) that was, ahem, uploaded to YouTube. Don’t you just love irony?
Oh, and because you might get a kick out of it, here’s a blast from the past. It’s “Don’t Copy that Floppy,” the anti-piracy ad that the Software Publishers Association, now known as the Software and Information Industry Association, came out with in 1992, which is now enjoying a second life as a viral video thanks to sites like, ahem, YouTube.
A copy is also available for download at the Internet Archive. Yeah, I know you can find a lot of ways to download files off YouTube and other video sites, but why settle for the FLV file?
And speaking of irony, here’s a thought: this ad was talking about protecting creativity, but, really, how creative was this rapper dude ad? 
If you’re trying to convince people, would it hurt to come up with more interesting ways to convince them — and pay attention to the quality of your ads?
THEY’VE already made TV history as the creators of “thirtysomething” and “My So-Called Life.” That didn’t stop ABC, however, from canceling Marshall Herskovitz (who has also produced a number of movies, most notably “Traffic,” “I am Sam,” “The Last Samurai” and “”Blood Diamond”) and Edward Zwick’s (who directed “The Last Samurai” and “”Blood Diamond,” as well as “Glory,” “Legends of the Fall” and “About Last Night…”) show, then called “1/4 Life,” in 2005 after the pilot.
Well, who’s laughing now?
The two have ditched the old medium and resurrected their baby, now known as “Quarterlife,” as a Web show. In fact, it’s more than just an Internet series, but also a social network — check out their site. Here’s their trailer:
FORMER president Joseph Estrada was found not guilty of perjury, but has been found guilty of plunder. He has been sentenced to reclusion perpetua or a maximum of 40 years in prison.
His co-accused in the plunder case, his son Senator Jinggoy Estrada and lawyer Edward Serapio, have been found not guilty.
Visit INQUIRER.net Breaking News and The Estrada Trial special site for updates.
What do you think of the decision? Weigh in on the issue in our Vox Populi blog.
