The good .com names have been taken and only longish, awkward-sounding and looking are available. Besides, many consider .com the domain of the US.

The Europeans have .eu and all countries were given their respective internet addresses like .eu .ca .jp and .ph for the Philippines.

Now a door opens and opportunity knocks. After all, a greater portion of the world’s population is in our region.

Presenting .asia !

Via Happynews.com

Internet addresses ending in ‘’.asia'’ will be open to governments and trademark owners starting in October, with general registrations coming in 2008.

The initial round, which starts Oct. 9, is limited to governments desiring geographical names such as ‘’china.asia'’ and those with trademarks applied before March 16, 2004, and actively in use. Registrations for other trademarks and for company names begin Nov. 13.

Since national governments get a first crack at I hope the Philippine government through CICT, Department of Tourism, DTI and other business and “outward” looking agencies, in collaboration with private business organizations such as Makati Business Club, Chamber of Commerce, together and gets all the country related names such as Philippines.asia, Pilipinas.asia Ph.asia and other major islands and provinces such as Manila, Cebu, Boracay, etc. and include other generic names of our products and other interests such as mango, banana, abaca that may have similarly named places in our country. Oh and trademarks too like sampaguita or Philippinemango or manilapaper - (ok, I am not really sure about how trademarks go. Help, anybody?).

There is an October deadline and if you know anybody “up there”, stakeholders, business and government people, kindly give them a heads up. Aileen, Janette and the tech bloggers, new media people and anybody (hi Pierre!) who can send the message across before the bigger fishes eat everything up.
For local internet marketers, SEOs-gurus and bloggers who see the traffic potential this may hold, just think of the myriad of possibilities: like Mallof.Asia, Southeast.asia, tourism.asia, tech.asia Biz.asia! business.asia, computers.asia , etc. And the most coveted Agcaoili.asia (kidding!).

There’s potential here. My question is how will the search engines’ algorithm change as a result of this new market.

Whatever the case, we must act now and get those domains in our shores.

Click here for the complete article.

Go to Registry.asia for registration and other details.

He is another reason to feel great to be Pinoy.

Harvard Foundation Scientist of the Year for 2007 Dr. Baldomero M. Olivera - distinguished professor, scientist, Filipino. His research also highlights the Conus, a poisonous snail found in the waters of the Philippines.

The Filipino biologist is here to tell his story of how he discovered new drugs for pain, Alzheimer’s and epilepsy in our Philippine wildlife and discuss how the Philippines can play a part in the development of these drugs.

His work from the Utah University website:

Our major interest is in molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system function. Recent conceptual and technical advances have greatly accelerated progress in defining key molecules important for signaling in the mammalian central nervous system, making it possible to address how molecular components can be combined to yield physiological function.

To investigate this, we are developing a set of peptide ligands which target specific receptors and ion channel complexes of neurons; these are found in the venoms of the predatory cone snails, Conus.

We are now seeing brain gain, with Filipinos experts come back and give back. The may be based abroad but their heart will always remain in the Philippines. The next thing you know, they might be setting camp here for good. It is possible and I think inevitable. It’s just a matter of time.

From the Brain Gain Network email: Read more

Independence Day 2007 may be weeks old but the burning fire of Filipino pride is continuously ablaze in our hearts. I’m sure our country will still be tops in the hearts (and mouths, tongues and bellies) of Pinoy Bloggers in Taste Asia.
The Macalua started this as a response to Anton’s post. Though many of the other Feels Great to Be Pinoy entries focused on the bigger, grandiose things, I will digress and look at the small things and are closer to home (meaning me).

Why would these little things make me feel proud and give me hope for a better Philippines in the future? Would they solve the unemployment, lack of classrooms, corruption (just feel free any negative thing here, I will not waste good space for them)?

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point, he tells stories about how small changes and unseemingly related events or actions create the necessary force until they become the tipping point - gaining unstoppable momentum. My list is a samplings of such events which may lead to the tipping point of progress in the Philippines.

1. Learning is in our hands. My nephew Kirby is what you may call my apprentice . He is studying photo editing, website design - and blogging - on his own - through the computer and the internet - that’s e-Learning. Non-traditional, by-himself, non-time-bound. He is also taking up tutorial classes (computer related). By his own admission increased his knowhow by 30% after two weeks! If he is a sampling of at least 20% of our youth, I am hopeful and positive for the future. Now if I can only convince my mother to blog like her.
2. More people thinking Entrepreneurship. My brother is a budding entrepreneur. When the company he used to work for closed, he opened a shop. Ordinarily, people would be looking for work, a stable source of income. My bro took a risk and put up a food business in the province. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well. Though it cost him a fairly good amount, the lessons he learned are now ingrained in his psyche. With the sting still fresh, I’m sure his next endeavor will be better. He is now studying his next move as we speak.
3. We have a more positive outlook. This meme for starters. My dream of creating a free online school. Dreaming of building our very own satellite. You thinking: “I think this article has a point.” =)

I’ve always believed that the three main factors our country needs to become first world are Education, Entrepreneurship and a Positive Attitude. More learning, knowledge and skills - and not just in schools or the academe; more businessmen, products, services, work, startups, (And profits of course, distributed to more people); and more hope, dreams and visions.

Though I’ve cited just a few specific examples, I know that there are more people who:

• are take their education in their own hands, continuously learning (with or without school) through people, book and the internet.
• are having an entrepreneurs mindset, starting their own businesses, small, micro, medium or large-scale. The proliferation of franchise exhibitions, entrepreneur groups and meet-ups, brisk sales about starting a business, both local or otherwise are proof of the interest in “being your own boss”. We have been infected by the my own business” bug. We will soon see a pandemic.
• think positive. They act positively. They are aware of what’s happening, they know the situation. Yet they know that no matter what happens around them they have the power to make things better. (Are you one of us?)

Small positive bits, summed up together will create a great momentum with an unstoppable force.

Let me hear and read more good news, today and every day!

If you want a place to be filled in a blink of an eye and have the internet abuzz afterwards, what would you do?

Simple. Let Bloggers Go to Taste Asia.

The details:

Bloggers and blogger friends: try out “Taste Asia” at the SM Mall of Asia on July 3, 2007, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Bring your cameras (photo ops), microphones (for the podcasters), laptops (there’s free Wi-fi!)
As Aileen says: Sama na! And DON’T BE SHY!

Go to any of the blogs below and let any one of these friendly coordinators know that you wanna go to the event.

Aileen (I commented, with my apprentice-blogger- nephew. First time nya to meet bloggers. Are we in Aileen? (That rhymes!).

Sasha
Janette
Jedi
Jay
Abe
Ely
Marc
Jayvee

This blogger gimmick is brought to you by SM Hypermart.

I passed by SM Megamall to buy some gifts and a cake for Iani who turned 6 today. I couldn’t resist taking pictures of an on-going event on the 15th year of Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship and the First Shell Battle of the Champions. I play chess and enjoyed it immensely when I pitted wits against my brother and classmates and friends. It was is good brain exercise.

The Trophies

These young woodpushers would someday claim the throne long held by the Grand Tower of Philippine Chess himself, Asia’s first grandmaster, Eugene Torre, who is still quite active I think. Wouldn’t it be fitting if the next young GM gets his rank by defeating the celebrated grandmaster? With tourneys like this, I think it’s just a matter of time.

Hat tip to Shell for promoting chess in our country. Keep it up.

More info on the tournament here.