Crimson Crux

Crimson Crux Moves to Wordpress

Thursday, April 13, 2006 at 2:55 AM

I've just ported all the entries of this blog into Wordpress (thank the heavens for WP's Import), and I'll resume posting there.

Let me redirect you to the new Crimson Crux, now with its own domain.

Cheers!

Google Deletes Its Own Blog by Accident!

Thursday, March 30, 2006 at 2:55 AM

Who would've thought -- !

Google's official blog 'went down' for a short time last Monday afternoon. The reason? They accidentally deleted it!

Luckily for them, someone with a good heart was the first to register the URL. All he did was to post the message “Google, fix your blog pleeasssee!” A link to the screenshot can be found at bMarc.net.

Thesis Defense and the CS Week

Tuesday, March 07, 2006 at 11:30 PM

The week-long celebration of the UP Diliman Department of Computer Science's 25th anniversary drew to a close this day with the CS Symposium.

Computer science students from UP Diliman and other universities presented their research output and shared them with the CS community and industry leaders in the Computer Science Undergraduate Research Symposium, the last event of the week (nicknamed "Silver Flame").

I can now let out a brief, very brief sigh of relief. Sigh. (There you go.) Yesterday, we successfully presented and defended our thesis, HAMSTER (the other half of the project MOVISS). I mentioned HAMSTER a few months past, branded as S^infinity.

The good news is that a certain company has contacted us and shown interest in the project. Their representatives seem satisfied, impressed even, with the two groups' presentations. Well, I think we were just fortunate to have handled well the questions that the panelists threw at us. Now, only the final demo with our adviser looms in the horizon! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Postscript. Entries on the CS Week:

Introduction and Original Sked
Revised CS Week Sked
Silver Flame Sets UP Ablaze
UP ACM Programming Contest
UP Parser Editorial Exam

The UP Parser Editorial Exam

Thursday, March 02, 2006 at 1:15 AM

Time to pass on the torch (and the burden). Good luck to the next editors of the College's first and foremost department-based publication!

Friday, March 3. 8:30-11:30AM. MH 233A, Melchor Hall, UP Diliman (Part of Silver Flame, the 25th anniversary of the UPD DCS)

Bring pen and bluebook.

Available positions:

Editor-in-Chief (required one year tenure in Parser)
Associate Editor
Section Editors (News, Features, Tech, Opinion, Literary)
Graphics Head

Layout Head Screening:

Submit your portfolio thru email (upparser@yahoo.com) or hand-in, on or before the editorial exam.

The 2nd UP ACM Programming Competition

Wednesday, March 01, 2006 at 11:00 PM

Want to win THREE iPod Shuffles plus Php 1,000 in cash? If you think you have the brains, then join the 2nd UP ACM Programming Competition!

What is the 2nd UP ACM Programming Competition?

The 2nd UP ACM Programming Competition will test the contestants' problem solving and computer programming skills under time pressure. The contest will serve as a simulation for the ACM International Collegiate Programming Competion 2006, to be held in November this year.

Venue: MH 215, Melchor Hall, UP Diliman
Date: Thursday March 2, 2006 (Part of Silver Flame, the 25th Anniversary of the UPD DCS)
Time: 8:30am-12:00pm

Qualifications
1) Non-graduating UP undergraduate students (students with at least one year to stay in the University) from any course or college
2) No prior ACM-ICPC (International) experience
3) Contestants should form at most three members per team. Well, if you want to hog the three iPods...
4) The organizers are not allowed to join (doh!)

Prizes
1st prize
** THREE Ipod shuffles
** Php 1,000 (for the whole team)
** Internship opportunites from Pusit.com, a Friendster affiliate company

2nd prize
** Php 1,000
** Internship opportunites from Xackup, a Friendster affiliate company

3rd prize
** Php 500

For more information, visit http://2ndpc.upacm.org

Interested parties, contact Ardee Aram (09186951341), Mai Sibayan (09216484928) or TJ Roque (09224956730)

Sponsors
Pusit.com
Xackup
Hardware Magazine

Silver Flame Sets UP Diliman Ablaze

at 12:20 AM

Great talks, great exhibits, great food, and Paco Sandejas to boot! Definitely, what a great way to start the week!

Students and faculty alike trooped to the Engineering Theater yesterday as UP Diliman bore witness to the inauguration of Silver Flame, the week-long celebration of the Department of Computer Science's 25th anniversary.

The day kicked off with the Opening Ceremonies, with DCS Chair Dr. Cedric Angelo Festin giving the welcome remarks. The CS Representatives gave a preview of the week's great line-up of events, while the candidates for the next batch of CS Representatives presented their platform.

The Student-Teacher Dialogue followed, where the DCS Faculty, led by Dr. Festin, addressed the issues and concerns of the Department and its student body. Several points raised were the imminent transfer of the DCS to the new COELACS Building, laboratory fees, the selection process for competition-bound students, curriculum changes, and the relevancy of non-high-level CS subjects.

Lunch was served in the Grand Pakain, held at the College of Engineering Fourth Floor Lobby. CS Week revelers were treated to lechon and other great servings.

The afternoon was graced by the presence of two dignitaries, namely Dr. Rowena Guevara, Dean of the College of Engineering, and Dr. Paco Sandejas, renowned venture capitalist, executive, and co-inventor of the world's first Grating Light Valves. GLV is a technology being used by Sony and Silicon Light Machines.

Dean Guevara gave an inspirational message to DCS students, after which she introduced Dr. Sandejas. The latter gave a talk on Career Paths, sharing his experiences and insights on careers for CS students, entrepreneurship, venture capital companies, and technologies which appeal most to investors.

Paco Sandejas (red shirt) and Emerson Tan (orange shirt) perusing Computer Graphics projects

Exhibits showcasing the Department and the various organizations comprising the UP CS Network were set-up in the 2nd Floor Lobby, along with posters of CS 192 User Interface Design projects and CS 176 (Computer Graphics) animations and stills.

Logistical problems were encountered due to the suspension of classes last February 27, which was supposed to be the opening day of the CS Week. However, the Department and the CS Week organizers decided to push through with the celebrations.

CS Week Revised Sked

Monday, February 27, 2006 at 8:30 PM

Due to the (unfortunate) suspension of classes today, some events in UP Diliman's Computer Science Week 2006 have been shuffled.

Events for tomorrow (Tuesday, February 28):

10:00 - 11:00 - Opening Ceremonies
11:00 - 12:00 - Student-Teacher Dialogue
12:00 - 01:00 - Grand Pakain
01:00 - 02:00 - Inspirational Message from the Dean followed by a Talk by Dr. Paco Sandejas: Career Paths

The Undergraduate Research Symposium is tentatively moved to March 6-7, following the same symposium schedule. Events for the other days will still follow the original schedule.

Silver Flame: The UP Diliman Computer Science Week 2006

Friday, February 24, 2006 at 11:45 PM

UP Diliman's Department of Computer Science celebrates 25 years of excellence in computing diversity in its week-long Silver Flame, to be held from February 27 to March 3. Everyone's invited to a week filled with symposia, company talks, various competitions, and a culminating night -– all of which showcase the intelligence, innovativeness, and flair that UP DCS students have been known for.

The theme Silver Flame honors the silver anniversary of the Department while highlighting the fiery fervor for the Department's pursuit of excellence; rightfully so, for DCS students are known within the College of Engineering as the DCS Firefoxes.

Incidentally, this is going to be the last time that the UPD DCS shall celebrate its anniversary in Melchor Hall. The department is slated to move to a new, larger building early next year; one can also think of Silver Flame as the Department's grand farewell to the historic edifice.

Inquiries can be made through email (upcsnetwork@gmail.com). The week's packed lineup of great events:

February 27, Monday

Engineering Theater

8:30 - Opening Ceremonies

10:00 - Undergraduate Research Symposium: Networking and Distributed Systems

12:00 - Grand Pakain

1:00 - Company Talk by Accenture: Accenture Education Program (Summer Intership)

2:00 - Undergraduate Research Symposium: Computer Security

4:00 Student-Teacher Dialogue

February 28, Tuesday

Engineering Theater

8:30 - Undergraduate Research Symposium: Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics

12:00 - Lunch break

1:00 - Talk by Dr. Paco Sandejas: Career Paths

2:00 - Undergraduate Research Symposium: Biomedical Informatics

March 1, Wednesday

8:30 - Distinguished Alumni Lecture by Prof. Peter Valdes (Engineering Theater)

- CS 32 Quiz Bee (MH 233A)

- Java Cup (MH 209, MH 215)

- Siemens Company Exam for Batch 1(MH 515)

12:00 - Break

- Accenture Company Exam (BE AVR)

1:00 - Company Talk by Innove: WiFi / Globelines Broadband (BE AVR)

2:00 - CS 12 Programming Competition (MH 209)

- Quizzardry (Engineering Theater)

March 2, Thursday

8:30 - 2nd UP ACM Programming Competition (MH 215)

- Webmaster's Challenge (NEC AVR)

- Siemens Company Exam for Batch 2 (MH 525)

12:00 - Lunch Break

1:00 - Awarding Ceremonies (Engineering Theater)

March 3, Friday

8:30 - The UP Parser Editorial Exam (MH 233A)

10:00 - Company Talk by Gametel: Mobile Games (Engineering Theater)

11:00 - Company Talk by Siemens (Engineering Theater)

12:00 - Lunch Break

1:00 - CS 196 Presentation (BE AVR)

2:00 - Company Talk by Anxa: Introduction to Mobile Application Development
(Engineering Theater)

5:30 - Flame On!: The CS Night (Blue Onion, Eastwood)