Yahoo! Philippines Answers blog

Photo by betelgeux

Are you ready for this?  I found out recently in the news that a total solar eclipse will take place tomorrow, August 1 and seen mostly in remote places like the northeastern side of Canada, the tip of Greenland, parts of Russia, China and Mongolia.

I’m sure the first question that comes to mind is, “will it be visible in the Philippines?”  Well, Yanka asked the same question to the community a few months ago and Yaybob gave the best answer: at most it will be partially seen, maybe not at all.  The sources cited are http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/OHfigures/OH2008-Fig03.pdf and http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008iau/TSE2008-fig08.GIF (just check the links and see for yourself).

If you’re wondering what conditions must exist for a solar eclipse to occur, Kristina L had the same question posted to the community and alexis gave a very clear answer: the moon should be between the sun and the earth in the same plane as the earth, and for a total eclipse of the sun to occur, the umbra (darkest part of the shadow) of the moon should fall on the earth.  On the other hand, elie101_forever asked how often does a solar eclipse occurs.  Curiosity answered her saying a total eclipse of the sun is only visible from any given spot on earth every 360 years.

The most asked questions about solar eclipses actually dwell on its effect on our eyes.  I know I entitled this “Hey look at the sun” but not without protection!  Cletus2tall asked if it’s true that our brains get fried if we stare at a solar eclipse and Renaissance Kid clarified that the danger is in looking directly at the sun and that it won’t fry our brains, just our retinas.  QuestionMan asked why it’s dangerous to watch a solar eclipse and Krynne explained comprehensively how solar radiation can damage our eyes.  Fernando M asked if we can go blind by watching a solar eclipse and Crystal told him that yes we can, blindness and permanent damage as well.

In case you’re wondering, woden_ahllevhinne asked when was the last time a solar eclipse occurred in our country and Anne Marie shared that it was June 11, 2002, a sunrise eclipse in fact.  If you’re asking when will be the next, 301kodak asked that and again Anne Marie answered, the next partial eclipse of the sun in the Philippines will take place on January 29, 2009 while the next total solar eclipse will be 34 years later, on April 20, 2042.

Don’t’ feel bad if the eclipse won’t be visible in the Philippines because technology now can enable us to see it.  How?  NASA is making it viewable online!  Make sure you check this website (http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008.html) on the day of the eclipse and share to the community what you think of this rare natural phenomenon.

Subscribe to our RSS feed!

Photo by Amsk

To everyone who attended the Yahoo! Philippines Answers Community Meet Up last July 18, thank you so much for the exciting, enlightening, and fun evening!  To those who signified that they will come but for some reason wasn’t able to, we truly missed you!  To everyone that wasn’t able to come because they just couldn’t, it’s okay, we understand, and don’t worry, there are other opportunities to come.

Photo by Amsk

More than 30 people showed up at last week’s meet up and it’s interesting to see how varied the Answers community is.  There were new users to high level users (a number of Level 6 and someone high in the leaderboard), college students and working professionals, people who have just met for the first time and users who know each other already both online and offline (they’re the original YAPpers).  It was also a delight to see the reactions of people when they introduced their Answers ID (which is our only identity of them online plus their avatar) and the corresponding “ahhh, ikaw pala yan”, hehehe!

 Photo by Amsk

The program started with some welcome remarks from yours truly and the other Yahoos that attended the event (thanks so much to Amos, Mitch, Jojo, Cris, Charlie and Jeremy!) followed by dinner (loved the pizza and the barbecue!).  After that we had a game called Answers Bingo which involved everyone going around asking questions and signatures from each other (congrats to Paul for finishing first!).  We also had the Wish List wherein we asked community members to share one feature that is not yet in Answers that they wish to have.  Thanks so much for all the ideas and feedback you shared, we will definitely go through the list and consider it when we plan for more features for Answers.  A couple of YAPpers also took the time to share their experiences in Answers, what they loved about it, how they met online and eventually offline afterwards, what they as a group have accomplished (the YAPpers held a Christmas party for street kids last year), and what they look forward to after that evening’s meet up.

Photo by Amsk

We all had a great time that evening and again, thanks so much to everyone who helped make it possible!  I certainly hope this will be the start of many more to come!  Actually I don’t have to say it because a day after the Friday meet up, some of the YAPpers had a mini meet up in Tagaytay.  How I wish I could have been there (had to go back home) but that just shows how it’s really up to the community if they want more meet ups to come.  So where will we have it next?  Cebu?  Davao?  You decide. 

Subscribe to our RSS feed!

Batman returns to the big screen and this time toppling not only his most feared nemesis the Joker, but even Spider-Man as well.  “The Dark Knight” set a one-day box office record with US$66.4 million on opening day and also took in a record US$155.34 million in its first weekend, surpassing the previous best of US$151.1 million for “Spider-Man 3” in May 2007.

In “The Dark Knight,” actor Christian Bale brings to life Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, who’s fighting against the fearful Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll see Batman in a dilemma to cross the thin line between good and evil like never before…

As “The Dark Knight” invades theaters everywhere, he also makes an appearance here in Yahoo! Answers!  The Answers Team in UK & Ireland brings this rare opportunity to us by asking the Answers community what the perfect question is for Christian Bale!  The best question will be put to Mr. Bale by Yahoo!, on your behalf, and recorded on video.

So, what do you want to ask Christian?

Although the contest ends today, if you have a question in mind for the best Batman ever (IMHO), then post it as a comment on this blog and let’s see what the Pinoy Answers Community has in mind for Mr. Christian Bale.

If you still can’t get enough of the “The Dark Knight” fever and want more info on the Batman movies, visit the “Dark Knight” Film Feature on Yahoo! Movies.  Just click the link and, as the Joker would always say, “let’s put a smile on that face!”

Subscribe to our RSS feed!

Photo by  madebytess

Who enjoys watching The Apprentice?  Donald Trump’s line at the end of the show, “you’re fired!” is simply classic.  Of course, nobody would want to be the receiving end of that line, hehehe.  On the contrary, what we all want to hear is “you’re hired!”  If you’re looking for a job right now or have always wanted to be part of Yahoo! Philippines, here’s your chance to hear those 2 words because we have 2 job openings and you just might be the person we’re looking for.  Here are the details:

Position: Partner Account Manager
Location: Philippines

Job Responsibilities

• Cultivate and foster relationships with Yahoo!’s resellers and top advertisers.
• Develop and implement strategies to expand clients’ accounts across Yahoo! ad product portfolio.
• Provide quarterly sales projections on a weekly basis.
• Knowledge and understanding of all internal systems to effectively responding to and proactively reaching out on specialized client requests and up-selling opportunities.
• Handling and diffusing conflicts that arise with clients and accounts.
• Contribute to the creation and ongoing improvement of internal business processes and team processes, including but not limited to heading up special projects, meetings and team events.
• Ensure full compliance with Yahoo! ad sales standards, policies and best practices.

Minimum Job Qualifications

• 3 or more years total individual sales experience; advertising sales experience preferred.
• Proven history of successfully attaining or exceeding aggressive goals.
• Ability to work towards common goals in a multi-country sales environment; experience in MNCs preferred.
• Professional demeanor.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication (written and verbal) skills.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• A bachelor’s degree in business or a related field.
• Outstanding computer skills including solid knowledge of spreadsheets (Excel), PowerPoint, word processing (MS Word) and CRM systems.
• Basic statistical analysis.
• Able to handle multiple priorities and manage time effectively.
• Ability to work well within a team environment as well as individually.
• Able to reach out and build relationships with other teams across the organization.

Preferable Job Qualifications

• Passion for marketing and the Internet.
• Experience in off-line advertising/media, online advertising/media, channel marketing, strategic marketing and/or consulting is strongly preferred.
• Results driven, ambitious individual.
• Willingness to go above and beyond the job description and evolve over time.
• Intuitive/creative thinker. Comfortable operating in a fast paced environment.
• Ability to adapt to a changing environment quickly and easily.
• Extremely proactive. Problem identifier and solver.

Interested applicants, email your cover letter and resume to job_opportunities [at] yahoo.com.ph.

Position: Yahoo! Messenger – Product Support Specialist

In this position you will use your strong technical background and excellent interpersonal skills to implement small and large-scale projects to make Yahoo! Messenger the #1 leading IM on the web.

The candidate must have the right balance between design capabilities and technical knowledge. As the product support specialist, you will specifically be working on IMVs, Plug-ins, Audibles and Avatars. You should be a Yahoo! Messenger addict who is very engaged and familiar with the features of Messenger.

Job Responsibilities:

• Work closely with user experience designers, product managers, and other engineers in a development environment that is highly collaborative.
• Exercise innovation in support of UI design and heuristics through your expertise in server and client side web development to enhance the overall user experience.
• Responsible for developing production-level code as well as proof-of-concepts and prototypes.

Minimum Job Qualifications:

• Strong command of Javascript, CSS, HTML, Flash ActionScript, W3C DOM methods and properties.
• Well versed in code optimization and software design principles, and have a passion and demonstrated experience in UI design and development.
• Excellent collaborative interpersonal communication and team interaction skills.

Preferable Job Qualifications:

• Proven expertise across a broad spectrum of Web 2.0 technologies: DHTML, Ajax/JavaScript, XML, JSON & web services API.
• Interest in latest trends and emerging technologies on the web.
• Familiarity with YUI.

Interested applicants, email your cover letter and resume to sg-prod-recruit-request [at] yahoo-inc.com.

Don’t forget to indicate the position you’re applying for in the subject of the email.  And feel free to spread this around to anyone you know who might be interested or qualifies for the role.  Hopefully, one of you gets hired soon!

Subscribe to our RSS feed!

Photo by Tiago Celestino

It has been more than 40 years since the world first heard the unique and catchy tunes of the Beatles and yet until today, we all continue to smile, cry, laugh, and twist to the various hits of the Fab Four.  There is no doubt that the quartet of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr changed the world with their music.  They were the music stars of our parents’ time and yet their influence continues to span even today’s generation.  Beatlemania obviously lives on.

Tomorrow, everyone gets a chance to celebrate this because July 10, 2008 will be the first ever Beatles Day celebration.  Here in Answers, Beatlemania is alive and well.  I checked Answers asked about the Beatles and it goes without saying that so many people are asking the community about their Beatles favorites – fave Beatles song (asked by mattski, jayjay and Kimberly T, just to name a few), fave Beatles vocalist, fave Beatles album, fave Beatles movie, fave Beatles quote, even your fave Beatles glitch or funny moment!

SkaterGirl9696 asked a very interesting question about the Beatles, she wanted to know why they were originally called the Quarrymen.  Thanks to Gunny for explaining that they were originally called the Quarrymen because most of the band members had attended Quarry Bank Grammar School.  (Imagine if they didn’t change their name, we’ll be having Quarrymania instead, hehehe.)  Another interesting question came from Smiley24 who asked what happened to the Beatles in the Philippines.  Yup, the Fab Four actually step foot here in our country on July of 1966 and as the_escapologist explained, they inadvertently snubbed then First Lady Imelda Marcos which resulted to some not-so-good experiences (thankfully, the Beatles forgave our country after that incident).

As you celebrate Beatles Day tomorrow with the world, please feel free to post more questions about the Beatles that you may have here in Answers, after all, it was the Fab Four who once said in their song, “there will be an answer, let it be.”

Subscribe to our RSS feed!

Hi everyone, the upcoming Yahoo! Philippines Answers Community Meet Up is all set and ready!  If you haven’t confirmed yet, there’s still time so do it now.  Here are the final details of the event:

Who: Yahoo! Philippines Answers Users (or YAPpers in short)
What: Yahoo! Philippines Answers Community Meet Up!
When: July 18, 2008, 7:00pm
Where: Circle Café Bar and Centerstage, 136-138 Jupiter Place Building, Jupiter Street, Bel- Air, Makati City

YAPpers who wish to attend, please email me the following (at jonasdelosreyes [at] ymail.com):
1. Full name:
2. Yahoo! Answers ID:
3. Mobile number:

The deadline for confirmation is this Friday, July 11, 2008.  To those who have confirmed already, thanks so much again and please feel free to spread the word to your fellow Answers users.  Just a little trivia for all of you, Circle Café is actually co-owned by local stars Karylle and Dingdong Dantes.  These celebrity entrepreneurs started Circle Café at Timog Ave. corner Tomas Morato but I’m guessing business is good because they decided to open a new branch in Jupiter St., Makati (that’s our venue!).

I can’t guarantee if Karylle or Dingdong will be there in our event (hehehe) but expect us and your fellow YAPpers to be present so don’t forget to bring your appetite, your curiosity and your smiles as we all look forward to the YAPpers Meet Up next week!

Subscribe to our RSS feed!

Photo by Nitro101

Last Sunday was another historic day for the Philippines and all Filipinos everywhere.  Before the eyes of millions of people around the world, our “Pambansang Kamao” Manny “the Pac-Man” Pacquiao brought glory and honor to every Filipino by knocking out boxer David Diaz of the US in nine rounds in Las Vegas, Nevada to take the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title and becoming the only Asian to win four world boxing titles in different divisions.

I’m sure every Pinoy was rooting and praying for Manny to win.  I asked the community a few days before the fight who they think will win the match.  Of course, I know Pinoys would root for the Pac-Man (although there were some who thought Diaz would win, tsk, tsk, tsk) but wanted to find an answer that would give a fair analysis of the match.  Yangyang gave the best answer citing speed as the crucial factor and Manny’s advantage.  True enough, in the post-fight interview, Diaz said, “It was his speed, it was all his speed. He boxed much more than I thought he would.”

Manny has accomplished so much in the boxing ring many are saying he’s probably the best boxer in the world today.  Well23 has an open question right now (you might want to share your thoughts) asking that question and many are saying he is the best right now.  Christian Anderson on the other hand asked what else can Manny do to become the best boxer in the world and Mrraraavis thinks Manny should beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. first (who is retired now) because many consider him to be the best.  Maybe that’s why Leander thought of asking the community if a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight still a possibility, and Prince thinks so, saying it will be a very interesting match of super offense versus super defense.

We don’t know yet what’s next for Manny (GaNdA T. R Viii is suggesting that we make him our torchbearer in the upcoming Olympics) but one thing’s for sure, Manny has won not just his fights in the boxing ring but the hearts of every Pinoy and every boxing fan around the world.  To our “Pambansang Kamao,” congrats Manny, saludo kami sayo!

Subscribe to our RSS feed!

 Photo by HAEROLD PHOTOGRAPHX

Let’s do this YAPpers!  Many thanks to everyone that left a comment and shared their thoughts regarding the possibility of a meet up of the Pinoy community here in Yahoo! Answers!  Because of your feedback, we’re making this a reality.  Let’s have a Pinoy Answers Community Meet Up next month!  Here are the details:

Who: Yahoo! Philippines Answers Users
What: Yahoo! Philippines Answers Community Meet Up!
When: July 18, 2008, 7:30pm
Where: Makati City (specific place to be announced later)

Anyone who wants to attend, just email me the following:

1. Full name:
2. Yahoo! Answers ID:
3. Mobile number:

You can email me at jonasdelosreyes@ymail.com.  Feel free to leave a comment as well if there’s anything else you want to share to me and the community (like venue suggestion maybe, if you’re willing to assist in organizing this, etc.)

Btw, I think YAPpers as a name for Pinoys in Yahoo! Answers is so cool!  Thanks for informing me about it Japs!  And thanks to all the YAPpers!  Hope to see all of you soon!

Subscribe to our RSS feed!

Photo by lumaxart

Actually, it’s a question that every Pinoy here in Answers should answer.  Is it time for us to have a community meet up or not?  I’m just starting to meet all of you online but I’m sure it will be more exciting if we have an offline event, a meet up of the Pinoy Community in Yahoo! Answers!

Of course, this question raises a string of related questions.  When do we schedule the meet up?  I’m thinking July, but is it too soon or just right?  How about August?  We can have dinner in a restaurant, which leads to the next important question.  Where can we have our meet up?  I’m thinking in a restaurant in Makati City?  If not maybe Ortigas or Quezon City?  Any particular restaurant you have in mind?  Of course, I also want to have a meet up in Cebu (lived there for three years!), and definitely in Davao (can’t forget my Dabawenyo friends, hehehe), definitely in succeeding meet ups.

So share me your thoughts on this as we organize our first Pinoy Answers Community Meet Up.  I’ll make sure to book the place for the event, ensure there’s food and drinks for everyone, prepare an exciting and un-boring program, and bring lots of Yahoo! giveaways to give away!  Hope to see everyone soon!

UPDATE: There’s a big chance I’ll be in the Philippines this July 17 and 18 (a Thursday and a Friday), maybe we can set the Meet Up on the 18th of July, a Friday evening maybe?

Subscribe to our RSS feed!

 Photo by jay.tong

In case any of you haven’t heard of this yet, Yahoo! is serving 2 new email addresses just for you!  Aside from being able to use the “@yahoo.com” address, users can now sign up for a “@ymail.com” and “@rocketmail.com” as Yahoo! email address options.

Yahoo! Mail is the most popular web-based email in the world and according with approximately 266 million users.  Adding new domains not only contributes to its growth but also gives users a chance at better email choices.  Free email addresses are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, which means users who sign up now have a better chance of getting your name in your email.

For more info, check out this link now (http://mail.promotions.yahoo.com/newdomains/ph/) and sign up for a new Yahoo! email account!  I just did and made sure I got my name as my email.

Subscribe to our RSS feed!