Globe’s Internet Services Disappoint

When you’re a company that spends millions of pesos on advertising money, positioning yourself as a warm and caring internet service provider, I say you’d better have a customer service culture that’s truly reflective of what you promote, as well as a team that can back up your claims.

As a paying customer, I fork out a regular monthly amount to get a service I should be getting with no worries and no fuss.

Unfortunately, it seems that even satisfactory customer service is too much to ask for these days. So let me share to you my story on how terribly disappointed I am with Globe, and how my Globelines internet sucks right now.

Read the rest of my story here, on The Life and Times of The Renzie Man. Tell me what you think, or even better, share your Globe horror stories for the world to read.

Cheers, everyone!

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Renzie on the Canon Digital EOS 400D Rebel XTi

I picked up this baby a few days upon arriving in Los Angeles. I couldn't help but notice how much cheaper electronics are in the United States (compared to the Philippines), and since I wanted a step up from my old digital camera (which was an Sony 3.1 Megapixel I've had since December 2004), I thought the Canon Digital EOS 400D Rebel XTi would be a good choice for a digital photography amateur like myself.

After all, the reviews on the Canon Rebel XTi had been consistently great. A quick check online would tell a newbie like me that I should consider getting either a Canon, or one of those nice little Nikon cameras. In fact, I even wrote a few posts a couple months back.

In the end, I picked up the Canon Digital EOS 400D Rebel XTi at the Circuit City in Glendale. That, plus a 4Gb CF Card, and a nice little bag to go with it. For the duration of my month-long stay in Los Angeles, the Canon Rebel XTi has always been by my side, and it's one of my new favorite toys.

I've decided to put my amateur photography skills into good use by starting a food and travel blog. It's a work in progress- I'll announce it as soon as it's ready.

My Review of the Canon Digital EOS 400D Rebel XTi

The Canon Rebel XTi is a remarkable camera, and is a great choice for amateur digital photographers like myself looking to venture into more serious photography.

It's an extremely user-friendly camera, as it has a great range of fully automated picture-taking functions, so you can start using the Canon Rebel XTi straight out of the box, with just a quick review of the instruction manual.

(But it's always a prudent thing to read through the whole manual before reallly putting in a lot of play time with your new toy!)

The basic camera already comes with an EF-S 18-55mm - which is really a good all-around lens as it its. Later on, as you get the hang of the Canon Rebel XTi, you could purchase additional lenses for more specialized functions like give you a farther zoom, or the ability to shoot photos in dark or low-light, etc.

As I mentioned, the Canon Digital EOS 400D Rebel XTi has a lot of great fully automated picture-taking functions, with convenient pre-sets that allow you to specific shots with a quick flick of a switch- portraits, landscapes, close-ups, etc. This is really great for beginners, or for those who wouldn't mind letting the camera do all the work- which for me is something I could totally appreciate.

Much later, you could tinker around with the more advanced settings- an area which I have yet to figure out for myself, newbie that I am.

You'll definitely appreciate the Canon Rebel XTi a lot better with just a little more photography know-how- get someone to teach you, or learn from a book or online. With an interface that's easy to use and easy to familiarize yourself with, it's very encouraging for amateurs and beginners to make an effort to get into photography some more, and pick up some new theories, as well as new tricks along the way.

And the later on, you can buy even more additional accessories for your Canon Rebel XTi. Not only would you want a variety of lenses, but you might also want a Speedlite or two, a wireless remote and tripod, maybe even an angle finder and battery magazines much later on, depending on your needs as a photographer.

Thanks to KenRockwell.com for the Canon Rebel XTi photo. Check out his site for some great tips on getting the right camera and taking better pics. You may also want to visit the Digital Photography Review for more on the Canon EOS 400D Digital Rebel XTi, or the tech section on Yahoo!

Cheers, everyone!

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Guzzle Less Fuel, Please

I've only been in LA for a week, and I've observed that, when it comes to gas and fuel consumption, people in Los Angeles worry about it as much as we do back in the Philippines.

Unlike the Philippines, however, there seems to be a more active effort to get people to reduce their daily gas use- there are more hybrid cars like Priuses and Scions in the freeway, I noticed. Working from home and telecommuting are actually encouraged. And the government and local media groups, even private citizen organizations, are doing a more concerted effort in getting everyone else more involved in fuel conservation.

At least that's how I feel. The Philippines has quite a way to go as far as rallying the citizenry to action is concerned.

Fortunately, there are a few companies who have made some bold steps forward.

Take a look at this one particular car manufacturer: Honda launches VCM 643. I appreciate it that Honda Philippines has come up with engines that give consumers that are not only more significantly deliver more power, but also has less emissions and is considerably a lot more fuel-efficient.

The Variable Cylinder Management technology (thus, VCM) developed by Honda is a big deal. According to the website:

The i-VTEC Variable Cylinder Management™ system enables the engine to switch between six, four and three cylinder operation.

While the engine is under light load such as moderate acceleration or steady cruising, it deactivates cylinders #3 and #4 in both front and rear banks, running the engine with the remaining four cylinders.

And during low speed cruising and descending, the #'s 1, 2 and 3 cylinders in the rear bank are deactivated maintaining 3 cylinders running the engine.

This 6-4-3 process improves the overall fuel economy while maintaining the high power output expected from a V6 engine.

It's really not just a good thing- I believe it's mandatory for all companies to take the lead in providing consumers, at the very least, options for more efficient- if not lower- fuel consumption. I feel it's a social responsibility now, and I say to these companies who actually make an effort to do so: keep up the good work, you have my support, and you will have my business.

So here's what I say: use less fuel. Travel less, if it's possible. Carpool whenever you can. Buy locally. If you run a business, encourage telecommuting. Or if you can, work at home altogether. Support companies that make an effort in making fuel consumption more efficient. And tell people all about it.

Cheers, everyone!

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