Cybercrime and Cyberlaw

A few weeks back I got an opportunity to discuss "Cybercrime and Cyberlaw" to a group of lawyers and their MIS staff at the Sapalo Velez Bundang&Bulilan (SVBB) in Makati.
Although I've given varied seminars before, this is the first time for me to do one professionally related to my teaching of "Computer Ethics" at UPOU's graduate school. It was interesting to meet a group of lawyers whose expertise is on Intellectual Property Rights (the topic I actually treat in my class) and a group of information systems experts handling their databases and digitizing their records (the same type of database project I did for Don Bosco's thesis repository). In short, since I spoke both group's language, I felt at home talking as we started the presentation at 2pm and ended our discussions at 5pm. I gave them a detailed article comparison of the Budapest Convention of 2001 and RA-1017 after reviewing with them computer crimes.

Upon leaving the building, the lady security guard at the lobby read my ID as she gave it back to me and upon finding out my real profession asked whether I said Mass. I said "No, I gave a lecture to the lawyers on Cybercrime" and she scratched her head confused. Well I wasn't.

Robotic Arm (gizduino)

Here's a sample of a robotic arm I assembled from parts provided by E-Gizmo.

For the microcontroller I used either the gizduino or aceduino boards that I had. And oh yes, you're going to need a servo controller too. So programming will have to be in serial.

For the arduino program code, e-Gizmo provided a sample code for the arm to pick and place an object, then an exhibition code. I merely tweaked a few lines of code to make the pick and place action fit my stand, and added subroutines to make the exhibition part look like a dance and wave act for the arm.

Of course, afterwards I sell the whole piece to the Robotics department of Fr Demet with no profit but just to get back my petty cash so I could venture to buy new parts for a new concept... well that's religious life. A pity R&D is not that supported in schools here. Can't complain... Non dum matura est...  no worry, that time will come. Just need some of us to do some prophetic roles in indirect evangelization.

My first ground up Rover Robot

I've assembled other robots before but normally it would be either with a kit to be assembled and I would just have to program the arduino sketch.  This one here is what they call for us: My First! This means you build it ground up. Cut/machine the parts, drill the holes, choose your screws, bolts, and nuts. 

 

 This rover is made with an  Aceduino board(Arduino clone) as brains, an SRF05 sonar sensor as eyes, a TowerPro SG-5010 as neck (for panning), and 2 autonomous rotation servos for locomotion.

Since autonomous robots are hard to find, get the normal servo (SG-5010) which turns 180 degrees, cut off the tab to allow 360 degrees of rotation, change the potentiometer with two equal valued resistors and there you have your wheels.

Asian Journal of Distance Education

After five long years of "an allergy to writing," my solitude in Guam last December finally paid off with a technical article I presented earlier this year (February) at the 1st International Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning.  And now what great joy to see it published in a refereed journal such as the Asian Journal of Distance Education (2012, Vol. 10, no. 2).
It's entitled: "Technology-Aided Cheating in Open and Distance e-Learning." I was lucky to have a good group of graduate students who fed me with ideas and opinions on (lol) "how to cheat online."

Click on the picture to read the article.