GineersNow Engineering Magazine January 2017 Issue No 011

1 

WORLD’S FIRST ENGINEERING NEWS 

FOR YOUNG BADASS ENGINEERS 

JANUARY 2017 

ISSUE NO. 011 

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF 

MARK 

ZUCKERBERG: 

How 2016 Became 

An Exciting Year for 

the Facebook Billionaire 

SPECIAL FEATURES: 

How Samsung Became One of 

The Biggest Losers in 2016 

The 6 Robots That Got 

Our Attention in 2016 

Movies Engineers Must Look 

Forward to This 2017 

The Best Philippine 

Engineering Stories of 2016 

How To Live A Meaningful 

Online Existence 

2017 predictions: 

What to Expect from 

Facebook in 2017 

What to Expect In The 

Telecom Sector 

Wearable Tech Trends 

To Watch Our For 

Top 5 New Gadgets To 

Watch Out For 

Exclusive 

intervieWs with 

Magical Microbes 

Robo Wunderkind 

ISSUE NO. 001 • MARK ZUCKERBERG

2 ISSUE NO. 001 • MARK ZUCKERBERG

3 

John Vauden 

Senior Editor 

Asia-Pacific 

Hina Sapra 

Senior Editor 

South Asia 

Therese Matheren 

Senior Editor 

North America 

GINEERSNOW TEAM 

Ems Bagatsing 

Sales & Marketing Director 

Ems@LincolnMartin.com 

Robert Bagatsing 

Editor-In-Chief 

editor@GineersNow.com 

Engr. Alice Hernandez 

Senior Editor-At-Large 

Charity Bagatsing 

Senior Editor 

North America 

Engr. Dion Greg Reyes 

Junior Editor 

Engr. Cielo Panda 

Junior Editor 

Raymond Gerard del Valle 

Junior Editor 

Goran Ćulibrk 

Marketing and IT 

Manager 

Carl Duffrey Bartolome 

Video Editor 

Creative & Layout 

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4 ISSUE NO. 001 • MARK ZUCKERBERG 

While most people would say that 2016 was a terrible year for everyone, we beg to 

differ. It’s been one amazing ride as we launched GineersNow to the public last January 

2016 and have continuously delivered news and searched all over the world for different 

engineers and scientific personalities with stories to tell. With different companies 

sharing their opinions on their respective companies, the GineersNow team was also 

excited to make the first ever GineersNow magazine last February 2016. Ever since then, 

we were on a roll. 

Thousands of likes on our social media and an incredible engagement from our followers 

really inspired the GineersNow team to work harder to make a young community for 

engineers and engineering students. There was always a new story to tell each day and 

the whole year of 2016 was just amazing for GineersNow. 

Editor's 

Note 

To start 2017 right, we have come up with a list of what to expect this year from different 

industries in this issue. We’ve also prepared a recap of everything that went on last year 

- from the top searches around the globe to the trending stories from our website - you 

can find them all in this issue. As for the cover story, we’re bringing you a glimpse of 

what went on with Mark Zuckerberg’s year. 

We all know how Zuckerberg became an icon of this generation. With just a simple 

concept of connecting people on Facebook years ago, his company is now one of 

the most powerful companies in the world. Forget about his boring wardrobe and the 

repetitive shirts he wear everyday, Zuckerberg is becoming a pioneer of the near future 

and who knows, he may even lead us to a new era of technology. 

Aside from Zuckerberg, we have more special feature stories waiting for you inside this 

issue. We’re making sure that 2017 will be better not only for us, but for every engineer 

out there. 

Lastly, it is with grateful hearts that the GineersNow team would like to thank everyone 

who supported us on our first year of sharing the latest news and the most interesting 

stories for all the kickass engineers out there. While 2016 was all about testing the 

waters and seeing which way to go, this new year will be about sharing the opportunity 

for others to share their stories through our Community page. More exciting news and 

inspirational stories about engineers will be coming your way this year. We cannot wait to 

spend a brand new year with all of you. 

Happy 2017! 

Engr. Alice Hernandez 

Senior Editor-at-Large

5 

CONTENTS 

07 10 13 27 50 

Robo Wunderkind 

07 Everyone Can Build A Robot Easily 

10 

12 

13 

16 

18 

20 

22 

23 

24 

27 

33 

35 

38 

39 

Magical Microbes 

Offering Kids A Different Take On 

Learning STEM 

How Samsung Became One Of The 

Biggest Losers in 2016 

The 10 Revolutionary Technologies 

of 2016 

The Top Software Trends To Watch Out 

For in 2017 

The Top 5 New Gadgets To Watch Out 


Wearable Tech Trends To Watch Out 


What To Expect From Facebook 

in 2017 

What To Expect In The Telecom Sector 

This 2017 

What To Expect In CES 2017 

in Las Vegas 

A Year In The Life Of Mark Zuckerberg 

Movies Engineers Must Look Forward 

To This 2017 

Top Google Searches In The Philippines 

For 2016 

Women In Audio Engineering Are Still 

Undermines 

This New Edition Of Minecraft Is 

Designed For Students 

40 

42 

43 

44 

45 

46 

47 

48 

49 

50 

55 

56 

58 

62 

Top-Raning Bluetooth Speakers for 

2016 

Here’s A Compelling Reason Why 

iPhone USers Should Stop Using 

Counterfeit Charges 

Why You Shouldn’t Purely Rely On 

Technology 

Brits Test Harry Potter-Inspired 

Invisibility Cloak 

Goodbye Wearables, Say Hello To 

Implantables 

How To Life A Meaningful Online 

Existence 

This iPad App Can Scan Your Entire 

Home And Produce Usable 3D Model 

The “Sindr” App Will Help You Find Your 

Way To Nearest Holy Mass 

When You Combile Lego With 

Electronics And Internet Of Things 

The Best Philippine Engineering Stories 

Of 2016 

Google’s Global Search Trends For 

2016 

Thop 10 Medical Wearables Of 2016 

Google Releases The Top Trending 

Topics In The UAE 

The Technology To Gain Eternal Life To 

Be Completed By 2045 



“The best toys, in my opinion, are the ones that manage to combine the 

best of two world - digital and physical”

7 

ROBO 

WUNDERKIND 

Everyone Can Build A Robot Easily 

When we think of robots, we usually imagine 

complicated machines that are only built 

by the smartest people on earth. From 

the ones we see in movies, most of us don’t really 

expect we could build one on our own. It’s just 

a complicated thing as many would say. Robo 

Wunderkind wants to challenge that mentality. 

Founded by Rustem Akishbekov, he wanted to 

teach everyone - from kids to adults - that anyone 

can build a robot. Through Robo Wunderkind, 

robotics is going to be a child’s play. 

It only takes three steps to make a Robo: Build 

the robot, get the app to start coding, then be 

creative. As soon as the robot is connected to the 

app, children can do whatever they want with it. It 

can take pictures, drive around, solve mazes, play 

recorded sounds, and many more. Sounds easy? 

Sounds fun? It’s the perfect way to encourage 

young children to pursue a career in engineering, 

programming or robotics. 

In this exclusive interview with the CEO of Robo 

Technologies, Rustem Akishbekov, he shares his 

journey into founding a company with a noble 

mission of teaching kids the importance of 

robotics in today’s world. Learn more about how 

he got started, where this company is heading to 

and Akishbekov’s advice to the future engineers 

out there! 

THE PERSON 

Introduce yourself. 

Rustem Akishbekov, CEO of the company. 

How many years have you been working in your 

industry? 

I am a double university dropout. In my school 

years, I used to win competitions at the 

International Science Olympiads in Physics and 

Informatics, but the university was not challenging 

enough for me. I have started my first venture 

when I was 13 and I dropped out from the second 

university I started to work on Robo Wunderkind. 



THE COMPANY 

Describe your company. 

I founded Robo Technologies and brought Anna 

Iarotska and Yuri Levin on board in 2013. The 

company is based in Vienna, Austria and San 

Francisco, California. 

The founders have gathered a team of passionate 

engineers and designers who have been working 

on the project for three years. Among investors 

are SOSV - investment fund investing in hardware 

with a portfolio of 300+ companies and Arkley 

VC - European VC fund specializing in hardware. 

We have 10 core team members in our offices in 

Vienna and Shenzhen. 

Describe your mission, vision, and values. 

Our mission is to make robotics a child’s play. 

What are your future expansion plans? 

In 10 years, we want Robo Wunderkind to be 

used in schools all around the world as part of 

STEM curriculum. We want to empower millions of 

young students to pursue a career in engineering, 

robotics or programming. 

INTRODUCTION 

What do you think is the future of the toy/gadget 

industries? 

The digitization of toys has changed the industry in 

recent years, and we are looking forward to being 

actively involved in this trend. The best toys, in my 

opinion, are the ones that manage to combine the 

best of two worlds - digital and physical. 

How will today’s toys and gadgets make a difference 

as compared to the ones from the past? 

Children should learn by playing because this 

activity comes most natural to them. This is why 

there is a growing need for educational toys. 

Schools and other educational institutions 

are looking for tools that will help them make 

education more engaging and more fun. Robo 

Wunderkind is a great tool to be used in an 

educational setting because it encourages kids 

to experiment and develop their creativity and 

analytical thinking. 

Which toy from your childhood made an impact on 

you while growing up? 

LEGO - it allowed me to build everything I 

imagined. 

THE PRODUCT 

What’s the inspiration behind your products? 

I was studying CS at the Vienna Technical 

University and everybody loved the robots I was 

building in my free time. I thought “Why not give 

everyone the chance to build and program their 

own robots?” This is how we set on a mission to 

build the easiest programmable robots out there. 

Which group is your target market and why? 

We produce modular robots for kids starting with 

5 years old. Our robots are an amazing and fun toy 

which can be played at home. At the same time, it 

can be used in an educational setting: robots help 

make school time fun!

9 

What are the future innovations that your company 

are pursuing? 

Our robotics kits are in a constant development 

and improvement and we are currently working 

on new applications and modules. 

Our goal is to provide the robots with so many 

functions that they become attractive to several 

target groups. We also plan to create an API in 

the future that allows all users to develop their 

own apps for their Robo creations. 

Do you think your product has made an impact on 

your customers and in your industry? 

It will definitely make a huge impact on both kids 

and parents. 

Where do you see your products heading 10 years 

from now? 

For robots, the sky is the limit :) Artificial 

intelligence will make our robots become a kid’s 

friends. 

What makes your product different from your 

competitors? 

Our programmable robot is modular so that 

kids can build it up however they want. The 

application’s intuitive programming interface 

allows even 5-year-old children to program their 

robot by dragging and dropping possible actions 

on the screen. 

THE CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS 

What challenges did your companies face while 

developing your product? 

The biggest engineering and design challenge 

the team faced in the beginning, was the 

connection between cubes. 

How did your company overcome these challenges? 

By prototyping, experimenting and not giving up. 

ADVICE TO THE YOUNG ENGINEERS 

If you want to change the world, don’t think 

twice. Be brave and act. 

For more details about Robo Wunderkind, 

visit its website www.robowunderkind.com. 

Follow them on Twitter (@RoboWunderkind) 

and on Facebook (facebook.com/ 

RoboWunderkind). 



Offering Kids A Different Take On Learning STEM 

We’ve all been too familiar with robots and 

other simple machine-looking toys as 

means of educating children and inspiring 

them to take an interest in Science, Technology, 

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).But did you 

know that there’s a company that came up with 

another approach in introducing the wonderful 

world of STEM to your kids? 

Using mud-based micro-organisms, Magical 

Microbes found a way to introduce STEM by 

teaching kids the concept of microbial fuel cell 

technology. MudWatt is a kit that provides children 

all the simple materials needed to produce 

electricity from the micro-organisms found in 

mud. Now isn’t that a very interesting way of 

teaching your kids science and engineering? 

In this exclusive interview, Keegan Cooke, CEO 

and Co-Founder of Magical Microbes, discusses 

where he got the inspiration for the company, 

where it’s headed and gives his advice to young 

engineers in starting a business in the future. 

THE PERSON 

Introduce yourself. 

Keegan Cooke, from Ann Arbor, MI. CEO and Cofounder 

at Magical Microbes. 

How many years have you been working in your 

industry? 

I’ve been working in this field for 6 years.

11 

What are the future innovations that your company are 

pursuing? 

We hope to expand to include multiple microbebased 

STEM kits that feature the amazing abilities 

of microbes. 

Which group is your target market and why? 

We get all age groups using MudWatt, but we 

mostly focus on ages 8-12, because this is when 

a lot of kids are starting to make decisions that 

impact their career paths. 

Where do you see your products heading 10 years 

from now? 

In 10 years, we hope to have a suite of awesome 

STEM products. 

INTRODUCTION 

What do you think is the future of the toy industry? 

More and more hardware-software hybrids. A lot 

of toys are coming with Apps now. MudWatt has 

an App as well. 

How will today’s toys and gadgets make a difference 

as compared to the ones from the past? 

They are keeping pace with one of the major new 

ways kids play and receive information through 

Apps. 

Which toy from your childhood made an impact on 

you while growing up? 

Homemade projects, like the potato cannon that 

my cofounder, Kevin Rand, and I built when we 

were kids. 

THE COMPANY AND THE PRODUCT 

Describe your company. 

Started in 2010, I used to be a research scientist 

working on bio- energy technologies, powering 

sensors at the bottom of the ocean, using ocean 

sediment as the fuel. I would go around to these 

outreach events and show kids buckets of mud 

lighting lights. Kids loved it, so we got together to 

create MudWatt. 

How big is your company? 

3 full-timers, 3 part-timers 

What makes your product different from your 

competitors? 

Nobody out there is offering a technology like 

ours (electricity from microbes), nor the awesome 

combo hardware+app experience that the 

MudWatt offers. 

THE CHALLENGES 

What challenges did your companies face while 

developing your product? 

It’s very difficult to release a hardware product. It 

takes time and capital. 

How did your company overcome these challenges? 

We worked hard and were very fortunate to 

receive help from the NewSchools Venture Fund, 

and the StartX accelerator. 

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENGINEERS 

Don’t start a company by yourself. 

Entrepreneurship can be very lonely if you 

don’t first surround yourself with a supportive 

community of co-founders, friends, and family. 

Also, before starting to develop a product, 

interview 100 potential customers first 

to identify their needs. Chances are, 

this will inform your product 

development early on 

and will save you 

months/years 

of work in 

the end. 

Describe your mission, vision, and values. 

Magical Microbes has been engaging the 

tremendous talent and creativity of kids’ minds 

and inspiring students to appreciate the beautiful 

complexity of the microbial world around them. 



Source: Digital Trends 

How Samsung Became One 

of The Biggest Losers In 2016 

It 

hasn’t been a good 

year for Samsung – everybody 

knows that. Despite having a good start by 

winning its case against Apple, different events 

led Samsung into becoming one of 2016’s losers. 

It started when the Korean company received 

plenty of complaints from exploding Galaxy Note 

7 units. Samsung has been busy recalling every 

unit in the market. 

The problem was so alarming that even airlines 

do not allow any Galaxy Note 7 users from 

bringing it inside the aircraft. And if you happen 

to scroll through the internet the past few 

months, you’ll see memes of Galaxy Note 7 units 

with a fire extinguisher placed next to it while it’s 

charging. 

This has caused distress for the company. Market 

sales were so down and the company decided 

to temporarily shut down the production of the 

said unit. Even though Samsung tried to fix the 

problem, these units still posed as a threat to any 

user so the company decided to recall all units. 

Reports claim that Samsung mobile chief, DJ 

Koh, decided that recalling the units was the right 

thing to do even though he thought that there 

was not enough evidence to make the recall 

really happen. 

As of October 2016, the company’s smartphone 

sales hit a huge downfall. Its sales went down 

by 14.2%. Its global market share fell to 19.2% 

compared to 23.6% from last year’s same period. 

If you’re thinking the sales only cost the company 

hundred of millions of dollars, you’re wrong. It 

cost the company $2.3billion. Now that is one of 

the most expensive product safety issue ever! 

Not only did 

they face complaints about 

smartphones bursting into flames, Samsung 

also had to deal with washing machines 

exploding. Obviously, the company had to 

announce for another recall of its products. 

While this may be good news to its rival 

companies, Samsung plans to hold a grand 

comeback next year. As anyone would suspect, 

the best damage control to this issue is to release 

its newest models: the Samsung Galaxy S8 and 

the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. 

The company’s engineers are still working on 

fixing the Note 7 battery problem. Yep, they still 

haven’t found the main cause of the problem. 

This is why rumors are circulating that the 

release of the Galaxy S8 has been delayed by up 

to two weeks. The initial release date was set on 

February 28 at the Mobile World Congress. 

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is said to have a flat 

version (instead of a curvy design), two cameras 

on the back and a boost to RAM. While the Note 

8 is expected to be bigger than the S8 and has 

an S-Pen stylus. What do you think? Are you 

looking forward to getting the new Samsung 

products? 

Do you think this is the perfect comeback for 

Samsung after all of the controversy? Only 

time will tell and we will have to look forward to 

Samsung’s progress and see what awaits us this 

2017! 

Source: CNN Money

13 

The 

REVOLUTIONARY 

TECHNOLOGIES OF 

2016 

We have already reached that golden age 

of innovation wherein resources are 

almost an easy grab. Unlike in the past, 

tech think tanks and engineering laboratories 

now have the technologies of developing different 

devices, products, and systems. It is only up to 

engineers and scientists on how to convert these 

resources into practical use. 

The year 2016 has brought us many great 

innovations that allowed the world to be better, 

smarter, and more fun. There are infinite items in 

this list, but here are the 10 best breakthrough 

technologies that were once unimaginable. 

1HUMANS COMMUNICATING 

WITH MACHINES 

Talking with a smartphone seems to be a 

crazy idea before, but now it is already a growing 

trend especially in China. The country’s leading 

Internet company, Baidu, is traditionally used by 

swiping and typing through the tiny keyboards in 

smartphones. This is already changing as Baidu 

develops an advanced speech technology and 

Source: NPR 

makes voice interfaces more practical and useful. 

It provides an easier conversational interface 

that allows recognition of spoken words with 

exceptional accuracy, thanks largely to machine 

learning. 

2ROBOTS HELPING EACH OTHER WITH 

INFORMATION 

Programming robots involves a human to 

do the job of collecting huge amount of data and 

writing the intensive code. That is to teach robots 

how to perform the easiest of routine tasks. But 

given the extent of the intelligence of today’s 

robots, they can already help each other when 

comes to information. But so far, all of this is in 

theory. 

Tellex hopes that through their “Million Object 

Challenge” will allow this to happen. Its objective 

is to have the robots from all over the world 

learn how to do the routine tasks like handling 

items and folding socks, upload the data to the 

cloud, and let other robots analyze and use the 

information. 

Source: MIT Technology Review 



Source: Fortune 

Source: Tesla 

Source: Electrek 

3CONSTRUCTION OF SOLARCITY’S 

GIGAFACTORY 

There’s a new $750-million solar facility 

operated by Tesla in an industrial park in Buffalo, 

New York that will soon be producing some 

of the most efficient solar panels available 

commercially. True to its name, SolarCity’s 

Gigafactory is capable of making a gigawatt of 

solar capacity a year, equivalent to 10,000 solar 

panels a day. That makes it the biggest solar 

manufacturing plant in North America and one of 

the biggest in the world. 

Renewable energy advocates have several 

reasons to celebrate this milestone. One of which 

is the fact that the company will sell residential 

solar panels that cost way cheaper as compared 

in 2012 – from $4.73, SolarCity can install 

the panels only for $2.84 per watt. This is still 

expected to go below $2.50 per watt by the 

end of 2017. The volume of production and a 

simplified manufacturing process are responsible 

for such low prices. 

4 

AUTONOMOUS DRIVING WITH TESLA 

AUTOPILOT 

Even when Tesla introduced the Autopilot 

back in 2014, it had the most progress this year 

packing their self-driving car with advanced 

features. From its first generation of autonomous 

vehicles, Tesla has produced new hardware that 

leads to the level 3 and 4 autonomous driving – 

meaning the cars could already take control and 

make decisions entirely on their own. 

The latest Tesla Autopilot model is so far 

embedded with 1.3 billion miles of Autopilot data 

from its first generation sensor suite. This, after 

the automaker bought a new $1 million state of 

the art data storage system. 

Source: Goodyear 

5THE VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET FOR 

EVERYONE, THE SONY PLAYSTATION VR 

Virtual reality headsets often require a 

computer powerful enough to support cuttingedge 

virtual reality. But not the Sony Playstation 

VR, which lets more than 40 million people who 

already own the Playstation 4 enjoy a plug-andplay 

experience with their consoles. 

It delivers full 1080p images to each eye and a 

wide 100-degree field of view, perfect for virtual 

reality enthusiasts. No need spend so much on 

the VR headset and the PC or settle with the 

cheap phone-based VR systems. 

6 

GOODYEAR’S OMNIDIRECTIONAL 

SPHERICAL TIRES 

The wheels barely had a major revamp – 

because automakers have focused themselves 

to autonomous driving and electric cars – until 

Goodyear unveiled its Eagle-360 spherical tire 

concept. The 3D-printed ball tires are intended 

for the self-driving cars. 

It’s pretty much like the wheel of the future. The 

Eagle 360 allows multidirectional movement of 

the tires by using magnetic levitation instead of 

axles. The design lets the tires throw water away 

through its centrifugal forces, also with a larger 

contact path with the ground which allows for 

more control.

15 

7 

DRONES WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART 

TECHNOLOGY 

Drones have also shown remarkable 

development this year with brands besting each 

other. But DJI Mavic Pro perhaps prevailed with 

its state-of-the-art technology. The 4k cameraenabled 

drone features avoidance to obstacles 

and tracking subjects while flying. This, while also 

being folded down to the size of a loaf of bread. 

That’s the smallest fold there is for drones yet. It 

is also compact in size, which is one of its best 

selling points. 

8 

MICROSOFT SKYPE TRANSLATOR 

CONVERTING LIVE SPEECH INTO TEXT 

What use will there be with a chat 

involving different language speakers if they 

don’t understand each other? Skype’s artificial 

intelligence-based Translator does the job of 

interpreting your spoken mother tongue into 7 

other languages and see transcripts for more than 

50. 

Through its layers of machine-learning algorithms, 

the words spoken in the Skype chat are analyzed 

and transcribed into text. It uses an AI that draws 

on millions of speech examples. Moreover it is 

self-learning – meaning the more people talk in 

regional accent or slangs, Translator gets smarter 

by hearing and understanding the content spoken. 

Source: The Verge 


9 

CHINA’S NEW SPACE MODULE, 

THE TIANGONG-2 

China is no way backing out in its space 

exploration as the China Manned Space 

Programme launches its second module in 2016 

after the Tiangong 1 installed five years ago. 

Two new astronauts, Jing Haipeng and Chen 

Dong, arrived in orbit earlier this year. According 

to the programme’s official statement, the 

Tiangong 2 has this main objective: verify key 

technologies including cargo transportation, onorbit 

propellant resupply, and medium-term stay 

of astronauts, as well as conduct space science 

and application experiments on a relatively large 

scale. 

The 34 feet long and nearly 14 feet wide space 

module competes with the football field-sized 

International Space Station. But it can keep up 

soon. The Chinese program is set to launch a core 

module for a much bigger space station come 

2018. 

10 

Souce: Space Flight Insider 

Souce: AFP 

WORLD’S FIRST DENGUE VACCINE 

Medicine is a field that greatly benefits 

from the advancement of technology. 

This 2016, it has observed monumental 

developments including a vaccine called 

Dengvaxia that has been recommended by the 

World Health Organization to prevent dengue. 

It took 20 years for researchers to finally have a 

vaccine that protects against all four viruses that 

cause dengue. After several experiments, Sanofi 

Pasteur introduced the Dengvaxia late in 2015, 

which was made for public consumption this year. 



Source: Black Line Consulting 

The Top Software Trends 

to Watch Out For in 2017 

By Dion Greg Reyes 

There’s so much to be excited about the future 

of software. With the rapid development of the 

technology that transpired this year – from 

augmented reality to machine learning to 

automation – the following year holds a promise 

of continuing these emerging trends that 

dominate across different industries. 

Perhaps in 2017, all of that will soar to an entirely 

new level. Software is expected to focus on 

customization and the power of big data analysis, 

experts say. Here’s an in-depth look: 

ANALYTICS 

Data plays a critical role in modern software 

development. For every search, click, and form 

entry that users do on the Internet, it contains 

embedded information and insights that drive 

understanding of the performance of a target 

task.Software analytics is composed of a trinity: 

the system, its users, and the development 

process. These three combines the technologies 

employed like machine learning, data mining, 

pattern recognition, information visualization and 

data computing. 

This is expected to grow in 2017 to guide 

decisions especially in sales. More businesses will 

depend on analytical tools to combine customer 

data with unstructured communication, industry 

benchmarks and algorithms. 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 

Considered to be one of the biggest threats to 

mankind, artificial intelligence will be made to be 

smarter and better in 2017. 

Machines and devices are slowly learning to 

adapt and respond to their environments entirely 

on their own. What we usually see in science 

fiction movies are becoming part of the reality. 

This year had witnessed imminent threats related 

to the expansion of artificial intelligence. 

While it is undeniable that they provide the 

effective shortcuts solutions to problems, AIenabled 

machines and systems are still to show 

what extent their power could do. But so far, it is 

seen to be one of the most disruptive forces in 

software.

17 

AUTOMATION 

One of the most widely used applications of 

software is automation that provides benefits to 

virtually all of the industries. 

Through its technique of making processes and 

systems become self-acting or self-regulating, 

automation allows for increased productivity and 

quality, improved consistency of processes or 

products, and reduced direct human labor costs 

and expenses. 

There will be a huge lift of automation in its 

wide scope of application. In 2017, drastic 

changes are most likely to happen with the 

manufacturing, transportation, utilities, security, 

and communications sectors across developed 

countries. 

CLOUD SERVICES 

Storage of data has become less dependent 

on hard drives and more on the Internet. This 

phenomenon, called cloud computing, is an 

easy solution to store and access data and 

programs without the need for physical data 

storage. Having cloud-based applications, or 

software as a service, allows an easy access 

from any connected computer without the need 

to purchase, install, update, and maintain the 

software. 

The cloud provides a service able to dynamically 

scale to usage needs, while securely storing data 

even upon breakage of the computer. 

This is anticipated to expand in 2017 as 

individuals, businesses, and tech giants see the 

convenience of cloud services. 

TEXT PARSING 

The process of making a typed input into a 

simplified format that can be understood by a 

computer is called text parsing. Software with 

this feature will most likely grow to organize 

the unstructured the growing data coming from 

social media, forums, and emails. 

Businesses are the ones who will greatly benefit 

from text parsing as it can be used to further 

consolidate and understand the customers’ 

feedback. Through this, they will be able to 

filter the responses, direct to the teams about 

the urgent matters, and provide the necessary 

customer support. 

THE INTERNET OF THINGS 

Our devices, machines, accessories, and even 

buildings have never been more connected 

thanks to the Internet of Things, which is a 

network of smart devices with an on and off 

switch to the Internet.At most, it enables us to 

build smart cities with organized transportation 

networks, higher energy efficiency, and improved 

security, among others. 

Software has a lot to do with the flourish of the 

IoT. It should be designed to perform a specific 

purpose and understand challenges enveloped in 

the network. 

Source: Staffing Stream 



TOP 

5 

watch 

Source: Treehugger 

NEW GADGETS 

TO WATCH OUT 

FOR IN 2017 

2016 has been another year that has been full of 

awesome innovations, crazy inventions, as well as 

badass new gadgets. We can definitely say that 

this year has been innovatively fruitful. And so, we 

can expect that 2017 will be more fruitful in this 

field as well. 

We present to you the top 5 gadgets you should 

out for in 2017. 

ECOQUBE AIR 

EcoQube Air is the world’s first desktop greenhouse. Once 

installed, it provides clean air, and allows you to grow plants or 

food easily, and “improve your quality of life”. You are able to 

monitor your plants growth by using its companion smartphone 

app. 

If you’re a beginner at indoor gardening, this could be the best 

gadget to learn from, since it’s the gadget that provides the 

best environment for your plants to grow. You can grow food 

and different plants in any environment and in any season. It 

doesn’t even need direct sunlight as it has full-spectrum LED 

lights that can provide the needed light for the plant. 

Source: Indiegogo 

PERFECT MEMORY 

This is my favorite among the list. Isn’t it irritating when at an event, 

everything happens so fast that you aren’t fast enough to bring out 

your camera and capture that one moment you wish you could 

have caught on camera? Well the perfect memory camera has 

solved this problem! 

You can consider the perfect memory camera as the only “time 

travel” camera that lets you save a video AFTER a certain event 

happens. But how? Basically, the camera is turned on the whole 

time on standby, and whenever something awesome happens, all 

you have to do is click the camera and it records what happens in 

the last 5 minutes. 

Since it’s a small camera, you can wear it as a necklace, or hang 

it on your belt. It has awesome video quality and can save up to 

128GB and also has a microSD slot. With this camera you won’t 

need to edit hours of videos!

19 

Source: droidheroes 

POPSLATE 2 

popSLATE 2 is basically a smart second screen for iPhone. 

It’s an e-ink display that is placed on the backside of an 

iPhone, and is always turned on. It displays the contents you 

use more frequently on your phone. It isn’t bulky since its size 

is only 0.16” and it charges along when you’re charging your 

iPhone. This device will help you save on battery since it uses 

minimal power. 


MODOBAG 

Modobag is the world’s first motorized, and smart carry-on 

bag. If you love to travel but hate dragging round your carryon 

luggage, this is the bet bag for you! The bag has a built-in 

motor, steering handles, paddles and a soft seating system so 

that you can ride on the bag if you don’t feel like walking! 

It also has two 5v, 3.1A USB charging ports so you can 

recharge your smartphones and other devices. It includes a 

digital display that shows the charging status of your devices. It 

has a maximum speed of 8mph, and only weighs 19 lbs. It has 

been approved by the TSA and the FAA so it can pass through 

airport security and passes the luggage weight limits. 

Source: Slash Gear 

LIVESTREAM MOVI (MEVO) 

Turn your creativity on as Livestream Movi is a 4K camera 

that lets you mix and edit the scene while you’re capturing the 

video live! This offers live conversation of the virtual cameras 

for live capturing of real time editing. This is great for those 

video editors on the go as they can edit on the spot and won’t 

have to rush editing everything after and miss any deadlines. 

It also features a f2.8 lens which gives a wide 150 degree 

diagonal view. It also can work in tandem with an iOS app that 

gives an impression that the videographers are capturing the 

videos using multiple camera angles, but actually, are only 

using a single device. 



WEARABLE 

TECH TRENDS 

TO WATCH 

OUT FOR IN 

2017 

What wearable trends are you most 

looking forward to in 2017? 

When wearables began to storm the market, many 

thought of it as just a new fad and that it would soon 

die down after a few months. But innovators have 

been taking advantage of this fad, and were able to 

take wearables to new dimensions that could be useful 

in different industries. The wearables of today are now 

doing everything from fitness tracking, to games and 

entertainment, to keeping us safe. 

According to Riskband, there are currently 430 

different wearable devices on the market. That number 

is expected to increase significantly over the next few 

years. Here’s what you’ll expect to see in 2017: 

Source: Wearableo 

WEARABLE HEALTHCARE 

Wearable fitness trackers are the most popular 

kind of wearable these days, but in the future, we 

can expect that wearables will shift from fitness 

to focusing on overall healthcare. There will be 

wearables that would have vital signs monitors for 

newborns and the elderly in developing countries, 

smartwatches that can work as blood pressure 

monitors, hearing aids that can be controlled 

via smartphone and many more. These kinds of 

technologies are great for rescue operations, and 

emergency equipment. 

VIRTUAL REALITY 

Virtual Reality is definitely going to be the next big 

thing! Many companies, including big players like 

Google, Samsung, and Facebook are investing a 

lot in this new technology. Many may think that this 

technology will only be utilized by gamers, but this 

technology goes beyond just gaming. Soon, it may 

be used in different fields such as in education, 

medical, and even in the engineering field. 

Source: Makerfairerome 

Article Source: https://riskband.com/2016/06/14/wearable-tech-trends-to-look-for-in-2017/

21 

3D BIOPRINTING 

This year, we’ve seen a lot of new innovations that 

have come out thanks to the power of 3D printing. 

Remember those 3D printed braces? But what 

about 3D Bioprinting? 

Source: 3D print 

3D bioprinting is the process of using 3D printers 

to produce tissues and organs and this technology 

is already being used but is still being further 

developed. Soon people on the transplant list won’t 

need to wait for a viable donor anymore. 

Source: Graphiq 

MORE IN-DEPTH FITNESS 

TRACKING 

Today’s fitness trackers can already do a lot. They 

can measure everything from counting the steps 

you’ve taken to checking your heart rate. But as 

the Japanese says, “One should always practice 

kaizen (continuous improvement)”. The integration 

of third-party software will be able to help advance 

the current fitness tracker data. This will also open 

doors to monitoring the users activity level, sleep, 

nutrition, as well as chronic diseases. 

PET TRACKING 

Pet owners can be rest assured that their pets can be tracked 

down if ever they get lost. Smart collars will be designed with 

devices that have GPS tracking capabilities, measure their 

activity level, as well as monitor their wellness stats. 

Source: Tracking Sticker 

Source: Street Smart Women 

HIGHER FOCUS ON PERSONAL 

SAFETY 

We can expect that we would have different safety 

devices such as panic buttons that are disguised as 

watches or necklaces that can give us a sense of 

security. It will act as a personal body guard and help 

keep people safe at work, school, or anyone who is on 

the go. 



If there’s one thing most of us has done 

over the World Wide Web this 2016, it’s 

logging into Facebook. Many may not 

agree with me, but being on Facebook 

has become a part of every millennial’s 

normal conversation. 

“Add me up on Facebook.” 

“Drop me a message on Facebook.” 

WHAT TO EXPECT 

FROM FACEBOOK 

IN 2017 

“I tagged you on our vacation photos on 

Facebook.” 

“Could you send me a screenie of our 

homework?” 

So it’s good to know some updates about 

the social media most people are using 

today. Here are the top Facebook trends 

that we can expect for 2017. 

1. Facebook Will be Developing 

their Video Platform 

Facebook is slowly working its way into 

improving its video platform, and soon, 

everything may all be video. They are 

currently investing into their video platform 

and they are not slowing down. 

2. Facebook Is Cashing in 

on Mobile 

Currenly, Facebook I dominating mobile. The 

total mobile ad revenue is up 81% year after 

year and Facebook has generated $11.4 

billion ad revenue this 2016 and 84% of this 

has come from mobile. 

3. Facebook Will Develop Paid 

Search Advertising 

Facebook is now creating new opportunities 

to enter the realm of “paid search”. 

Currently, Facebook generates around 

2 billion searches per day in the form of 

business, people and group searches. 

According to Advertisemint, Mark 

Zuckerberg stated that this brings in a new 

consumer case, “focusing on a three part 

approach: creating new products that allow 

users to organically interact with businesses, 

giving businesses the tools to reach more 

users, and receiving advertising funds from 

companies.” 

4. Facebook “Ad Load” Will 

Develop Slowly 

The amount of ads that are shown to 

Facebook users is called “Ad Load” and will 

be growing in the next year. The ad load will 

be less significant in driving revenue after 

the middle of 2017. The number of ads that 

will be shown to Facebook will grow over the 

next 12 months. 

6. Facebook Sharing Is Evolving 

Slowly, users are changing the way their 

content is shared. Many users are moving 

from desktop to mobile, and their needs 

evolve as well from sharing photo albums 

and posting large amounts of text to 

watching and posting videos. 

http://www.advertisemint.com/7-facebook-trends-to-watch-for-in-2017/

23 

What To 

Expect In 

The Telecom 

Sector This 

2017 

Source: EAI Blog 

Another year has gone by and here we are, at awe 

with what 2016 gave us. It’s been a challenging 

year for most of us but what has it been for the 

telecom industry? With more mobile devices glued 

to our hands as the year progressed, the more 

demands there were for stronger connections for 

video streaming, mobile interactions, payments 

and even the Internet of Things (IoT). Our 

connection to our mobile devices became stronger 

- if you think about it,as soon as we wake up, we 

reach for it to check what we missed while we 

were sleeping. 

With more demands for better services from our 

telecom companies, what can we expect this 

2017? 

5G 

4G out and say hello to 5G! It’s going to be the 

rise of the fifth generation mobile networks. 

While not everyone may get its coverage, expect 

faster speed, better efficiency and less latency as 

soon as 5G is connected to your devices. While 

it may have been introduced earlier already, 

expect companies to offer it commercially on new 

technology within the year. 

Over-The-Top Service 

Network operators will feel the pressure this 2017 

as people will start to demand more boost in OTT 

adoption and consumption. 

Security 

Data breach has been common for most 

companies that’s why tighter security will be 

added to the ones who can afford it. Network 

operators and telcos are pressured to protect the 

data for top companies and do whatever it takes to 

prevent attacks from hackers and terrorists. Expect 

in 2017, telcos will be more focused on setting up 

holistic network security. Encryption transition will 

also shift towards a more pervasive technology. 

Source: LinkedIn 



What to Expect 

in CES 2017 at 

Las Vegas 

By Dion Greg Reyes 

Every year, the Consumer Electronics Show 

(CES) displays a wide collection of technology 

products that range from robots, smart home 

appliances, phones, laptops, and televisions, 

making it the largest annual technology event 

in the world. It is religiously attended by leading 

technology innovators, crowded by enthusiasts, 

and populated by the media. 

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, CES will go 

to Las Vegas in the first week of 2017. There, 

consumer tech products will be showcased 

through keynote speeches, presentations and 

booths around the city. 

But what could we expect at CES 2017? 

On January 5 to 8, the following companies 

are expected to be in appearance: Casio, BMW, 

Bosch, Honor, HTC, Huawei, Intel, Faraday Future, 

LG, Lenovo, Nissan, Nvidia, Panasonic, Samsung, 

Sony, Qualcomm, Dell, Toyota, Volkswagen, and 

Xiaomi. Amazon and Netflix, who went to the show 

in previous years, might be missing at CES next 

year. Meanwhile, Apple and Google have never 

made an appearance at the consumer tech show 

and choose to hold their launch events instead. 

As traditionally done, tech companies in 

attendance are slated to announce their products 

at CES Unveiled. This is a preview of the trends 

and innovations from the show that will run from 

January 3 to 4. 

Consumer tech products to be announced at CES 

are still as groundbreaking after half a century 

of holding the show. To be highlighted are the 

new generation of televisions, cars, virtual reality, 

smartphones, drones, and wearables, among 

others. Of course most of these are but rumors 

that have propagated in the tech world. 

Sony is anticipated to announce its first range 

of OLED and Android TV combinations, on top of 

the new Xperia phones that sport a 5.5-inch 4K 

display and 4GB of RAM. There’s also a talk about 

two new Snapdragon 820-wielding handsets. 

LG is expected to show off a 4K, HDR-compatible 

monitor that provides enhanced picture quality 

usually found in televisions. The tech giant is also 

slated to reveal new handsets which include four 

new K-series devices, the LG G Stylus 3 and the 

first-in-the-line LG X Calibur. 

Samsung is also one to talk about in CES 2017. 

It might just unveil a dual-screen foldable 

smartphone and new Galaxy A series devices. No 

confirmation on the Galaxy S8 revelation yet but it 

is most likely to be reserved for the Mobile World 

Congress 2017 in Barcelona. 

Xiaomi is attending for the first time ever to show 

a new global Mi product that might just be a VR 

headset or a Pad 3 tablet.

25 

Source: CNET 

Source: Sony Rumors 

Source: Gadget Mentions 

Asus is speculated to display the Zenfone 3 

Zoom, which features a dual 16 MP rear cameras 

and a 5.5-inch Full HD 2.5D glass screen, and an 

AR phone that would make use of Google’s Tango 

3D mapping tech. Some new laptops and a new 

Chromebook are also to watch out for. 

On the other hand, Faraday Future has confirmed 

its release of the concept car that is a “premium 

electric vehicle that combines extreme technology, 

industry leading range and holistic design”. 

Hyundai is nowhere backing down in car 

technology as it plans to take the CES attendees 

a ride in two of its Autonomous Ioniq concepts. 

This, after the automaker has received a license 

to operate autonomous vehicles in Nevada. 

Dell has also admitted that a convertible hybrid 

version of the Dell XPS 13 will debut at the show. 

That’s only one of their major unveilings – another 

is the Smart Desk, which is a bulky PC with a 

peripheral, second screen. 

With all these leaks and pre-CES announcements 

of tech products considered, I’m sure we all can’t 

wait for the new year to arrive. 

Source: Faraday Future 

Source: Hyundai 

Source: Laptop Mag 


Source: CNET 

26 ISSUE NO. 001 • MARK ZUCKERBERG

27 

A Year In The Life of 

Mark Zuckerberg 

A 

lot can happen in a year and Mark 

Zuckerberg proved that in 2016. Over the 

years, we’ve seen Zuckerberg turn from 

one promising nerd into becoming one of the 

youngest multi-billionaires in the world. Facebook 

has certainly opened doors for him but challenges 

came along with them as well. Luckily for us, 

Zuckerberg openly shares his life on the road on 

his Facebook page. From being a new father then 

starting new business ventures then saving the 

world with his wife, Zuckerberg gave us a look 

in the year of the busy life of one of the biggest 

innovators of our time. 

THE PERSONAL CHALLENGES 

If you’ve been following Zuckerberg on Facebook, 

you know he takes on personal challenges every 

year with goals to learn new things and grow 

outside his work at Facebook. In the previous 

years, he took on the challenges of running 365 

miles, reading two books every month, meeting a 

new person each day and learning Mandarin. 

Last 2016, he shared on his Facebook page one 

challenge that looked like it was taken from a 

page of a Marvel comic book: He wanted to build 

his own Jarvis from Iron Man. He wrote, “My 

personal challenge for 2016 is to build a simple AI 

to run my home and help me with my work.” 

While he succeeded to build his own Jarvis 

with the help of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s and 

Morgan Freeman’s voices, there should be 

few adjustments on his program. Take a look 

at the funny perspective of his wife’s, Priscilla 

Chan, experience with Jarvis. Within the year, 

Zuckerberg managed to build a simple AI that 

helps him around the house - this includes 

controlling the lights, appliances, temperature, 

security and music. It could even entertain his 

daughter, Max! 

For more information about Jarvis, read 

Zuckerberg’s note on his Facebook page and 

learn more about how he built Jarvis and how it 

operates. 

Source: Fast Company 



Aside from accomplishing his personal challenge of the year, Zuckerberg also 

shared his favorite moments from last year: 

“Taking paternity leave to spend time 

with our growing family.” 

“Townhall Q&As with our community. 

This one was in Berlin.” 

“Explaining our 10 year plan to give every 

person a voice and the power to share 

anything they want with anyone.” 

“Discovering Hamilton! And then listening to 

it on repeat while running around the world.” 

“Our first live video from space.”

29 

“We built and flew a plane!” 

“Meeting Pope Francis was 

an inspiring experience.” 

“Launching our science initiative 

to help scientists worldwide 

cure, prevent and manage all 

diseases this century.” 

“Max’s first birthday ” 

“Taking my first family selfie 

in VR with Priscilla and Beast.” 



THE PROBLEM OF 2016 

While his life appeared to be fun and full of 

adventures, Zuckerberg also had to deal with 

countless problems. These problems included 

the explosion of a SpaceX rocket that damaged 

a satellite Zuckerberg and his company were 

supposed to use. This satellite would have been 

used for easy internet access in different countries. 

This satellite was built by Spacecom, an Israeli 

satellite firm and cost Facebook around $95 million. 

This incident left Zuckerberg disappointed, saying, 

“As I’m here in Africa, I’m deeply disappointed to 

hear that SpaceX’s launch failure destroyed our 

satellite that would have provided connectivity to 

so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across 

the continent.” He added, “Fortunately, we have 

developed other technologies like Aquila that will 

connect people as well. We remain committed to 

our mission of connecting everyone, and we will 

keep working until everyone has the opportunities 

this satellite would have provided.” Aquila is 

Facebook’s internet-beaming drone. 

Another problem Zuckerberg faced in 2016 was 

when his company was blamed for the outcome 

of the 2016 Presidential US Elections. Zuckerberg 

weighed in on the issue regarding the fake 

conservative news going around on the social media 

platform and how more people have fallen victims 

to these hoax stories. While some people don’t 

put the blame on Facebook, stating that it’s a tech 

company, most people get updates of what’s going 

on on the world on Facebook. 

Zuckerberg later on acknowledged that the spread 

of false stories is really becoming an issue for his 

company. He said, “Our goal is to show people the 

content they will find most meaningful, and people 

want accurate news. We have already launched 

work enabling our community to flag hoaxes and 

fake news, and there is more we can do here. We 

have made progress, and we will continue to work 

on this to improve further.” 

A YEAR OF TRAVEL 

While Facebook is planning to cash in on mobile ad 

and the website’s sharing method will be evolving 

this year, Zuckerberg also announced his personal 

challenge for the brand new year. Despite the hectic 

schedule he has ahead of him, he aims to visit and 

meet people in each state in the US. 

Source: Los Angeles Times 

In his post on Facebook, he shares: 

“My personal challenge for 2017 is to have visited 

and met people in every state in the US by the 

end of the year. I’ve spent significant time in many 

states already, so I’ll need to travel to about 30 

states this year to complete this challenge. 

After a tumultuous last year, my hope for this 

challenge is to get out and talk to more people 

about how they’re living, working and thinking 

about the future.” 

In a different post, he challenges anyone who 

wants to join his challenge to visit 12 new places 

one has never been in with an aim to meet 

someone new and learn about their lives. He 

wrote, “Visiting 12 new places is a lot -- it’s one 

new place every month. The places don’t need to 

be far away. A half-hour drive, bus or train ride to 

meet people in a community you don’t normally 

interact with counts. A road trip could be a way 

to meet people in 5-10 different places in a week 

or less. And even if you don’t visit 12 new places, 

meeting people in any new community can be a 

meaningful experience.” 

So what do you think? Are you up for the 

challenge? 

Source: Toronto Star

31 

Zuckerberg also showed his followers the many adventures he and his wife had 

last year. These pictures included pictures of him running with residents from 

different parts of the world. 

Berlin 

Seoul 

San Francisco 

Barcelona 

Rome 

Lagos 

Beijing 

New Delhi 



Source: Hello! Magazine 

A CHALLENGING 2017 

Being the youngest billionaire in the world, we’re 

sure it’s going to be another challenging year 

for Zuckerberg - as a father, a husband, an 

entrepreneur, an innovator and an inspiration. But 

if you’ve seen the movie, The Social Network, and 

think that Jesse Eisenberg’s depiction of Mark 

Zuckerberg in the movie is really based from who 

he was as he started Facebook, you know Zuck 

has gone a long way from being that guy who 

created Facemash into becoming the one of the 

biggest names in the world. 

So here’s to a brand new year for Mark 

Zuckerberg! It’s going to be an interesting 2017 

for him and we’ll all find out about his adventures 

on Facebook! 

Source: The Guardian

33 

Movies 

Engineers 

Must Look 

Forward To 

This 2017 

2016 wasn’t a good year for 

almost everything including 

movies. So as we look forward to 

a brand new year, what movies 

are in store... 

We can all agree that one of the most 

entertaining things we can do is 

just sit back in a movie theater to 

watch a highly anticipated film. The movie 

industry has offered us a wide range of 

stories that can entertain us but we all know 

that engineers do enjoy movies with hightech 

gadgets and fast-paced movements. 

Engineers also have a habit of checking if 

the movie they’re watching is technically 

possible – because that’s what engineers 

normally do. While 2016 offered us exciting 

movies, some disappointed us while some 

“just okay.” Let’s face it – it just wasn’t a 

good year for almost everything including 

movies. So as we look forward to a brand 

new year, what movies are in store for us 

this 2017? 

STAR WARS EPISODE VIII 

December 15 

So many questions were left unanswered 

in the seventh film. Now, on its eighth 

installment of this epic saga, we may 

finally find the answers to all the mystery 

surrounding the new characters of the story. 

We may even get to here Luke Skywalker 

finally speak. It’s time we get reunited to our 

favorite robots as well! 

WORLD WAR Z 

June 9 

While the plot remains to be a mystery, 

we’re sure there are going to be a lot of 

heart-pounding moments in this film. 

THE SPACE BETWEEN US 

February 3 

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to 

be a human born in Mars? Gardner Elliot is 

the main character born and raised in Mars 

who develops a friendship with Tulsa, who 

lives on Earth. Expect heartwarming scenes 

as the young man travels to Earth to be 

with Tulsa and finds out the mysteries of his 

existence. 

CARS 3 

June 16 

We all love cars. We all love Cars, too! So if 

Pixar and Disney are producing another film 

about cars that awaken the inner child within 

us, then count us in! 



GHOST IN THE SHELL 

March 31 

While this movie has a controversy of its 

own, the plot may catch your attention. 

Scarlett Johansson plays The Major, a 

human-cyborg hybrid, who leads an elite 

task force called Section 9. She fights an 

enemy who focuses on wiping out Hanka 

Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology. 

THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS 

April 14 

Just when we thought the franchise will stop 

at its seventh film, Vin Diesel and his crew 

are back for more car chasing. This time, 

Charlize Theron is added into the mix. We 

can’t wait to see what cars will be crashed 

and which cars will be flying up in the air in 

the eighth installment of the franchise. 

GUARDIANS OF THE 

GALAXY VOL. 2 

May 5 

This highly-anticipated film will surely 

deliver lots of laughs, action and explosions. 

The first won was such a hit, we can’t 

wait what the second installment will bring 

us. Hopefully, it will be better. Also, the 

soundtrack is going to be a hit too! This 

movie will get us hooked on a MARVELous 

feeling! 

TRANSFORMERS: 

LAST KNIGHT 

June 23 

Of course Michael Bay isn’t done with this 

franchise. While you constantly hear how 

the movie gets a low rating from the critics, 

you still can’t help but watch it. After all, it’s 

based from a beloved classic and the special 

effects in this film is just really entertaining. 

KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN 

CIRCLE 

October 6 

When Eggsy was introduced to the story, 

you felt the same way he did when he was 

introduced to the world of British espionage. 

As soon as you saw the gadgets, you knew 

you wanted to have them as well... 

or create them. In the second installment 

of the Kingsman Film Series, Eggsy travels 

to the US to join forces with his American 

counterparts. 

JUSTICE LEAGUE 

November 17 

We all know how terrible Batman Vs. 

Superman was. So how will Justice League 

measure up to its predecessor in the DC 

Universe? Hopefully, it’ll be better. See 

how Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, 

Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash team up 

and fight Steppenwolf.

35 

Top Google Searches 

in The Philippines for 2016 

From Bieber’s Love Yourself to Pokémon Go, 

which ones did you search? 

As the year 2016 is about to end, it really has been a roller coaster ride for the 

Philippines as well as the whole world. Being known as the “texting capital of 

the world”, Filipinos aren’t going to be last in the online world as well. Now, 

Google has created the top searches in the Philippines. The top hits are those that 

made a lot of noise and impact in the country, this includes Bieber’s Love Yourself, 

Pokémon Go, the 2016 elections and the heart wrenching Korean film Train to 

Busan. Here’s the long list of trending searches made in the Philippines this 2016. 

Overall Top Trending 

Searches in the Philippines 

Love Yourself 

slither.io 

Pokemon Go 

Train to Busan 

Closer 

COMELEC 

Rodrigo Duterte 

Secret Love Song 

Olympic Games Rio 2016 

Suicide Squad 



NEWS 

Election 2016 

Brexit 

Harambe 

Supermoon 

Davao Bombing 

Typhoon Lawin 

Orlando Shooting 

Vice Presidential Debate 

Panama Papers 

Japan Earthquake 

MALE PERSONALITIES 

Rodrigo Duterte 

Song Joong Ki 

Donald Trump 

Gong Yoo 

Tom Hiddleston 

Alden Richards 

Jared Leto 

Charlie Puth 

Kevin Durant 

Usain Bolt 

FEMALE PERSONALITIES 

Pia Wurtzbach 

Maine Mendoza 

Margot Robbie 

Arci Munoz 

Hailee Steinfeld 

Sue Ramirez 

4th Impact 

Song Hye Kyo 

Elisse Joson 

Leni Robredo 

EVENTS 

Olympic Games Rio 2016 

Election 2016 

Pacquiao vs Vargas 

Pacquiao vs Bradley 3 

US Election 

Euro 2016 

Chinese New Year 2016 

SONA 2016 

NBA Playoffs 2016 

Star Magic Ball 2016 

SONGS (LYRICS) 

Love Yourself 

Closer 

Secret Love Song 

Sorry 

One Call Away 

Roses 

7 Years 

Kriminal 

Locked Away 

Stitches 

MOVIES 

Train to Busan 

Suicide Squad 

Deadpool 

Conjuring 2 

Captain America Civil War 

Me Before You 

The Corpse of Anna Fritz 

Beauty and the Bestie 

The Flu 

Batman versus Superman 

INTERNATIONAL 

VACATION 

DESTINATIONS 

Barcelona, Spain 

Ireland 

Universal Studios Singapore 

Amsterdam, Netherlands 

Ibiza, Spain 

Papua New Guinea 

Florida, USA 

Grand Canyon, Arizona 

Bora Bora, French Polynesia 

Iceland

37 

LOCAL VACATION 

DESTINATIONS 

Kalanggaman Island 

Cebu City 

Boracay Island 

Iloilo 

Fortune Island, Batangas 

Magalawa Island, Zambales 

Potipot Island, Zambales 

Camotes Island 

Bantayan Island 

Binurong Point, Catanduanes 

TV SHOWS 

Descendants of the Sun 

Stranger Things 

Legend of the Blue Sea 

Encantadia 

Dolce Amore 

Ang Probinsyano 

Moonlight Drawn by Clouds 

Born for You 

Cinderella and Four Knights 

On the Wings of Love 

APPS 

slither.io 

Pokemon Go 

Google App 

Clash of Clans 

Google Street View 

Google Translate 

Animal Jam 

Spotify 

Messenger 

Agar.io 

HOW TO 

How to log in to your BPI account 

How to log in to your Metrobank direct account 

How to set a DFA appointment 

How to play Pokemon Go 

How to cure Psoriasis 

How to change language in Google Chrome 

How to use the Hoverboard 

How to do the Running Man challenge 

How to play basketball in Messenger 

How to use Snapchat 

WHAT IS? 

What are the election results? 

What are the movies in 2016? 

What does “pak ganern” mean? 

What are hugot lines? 

What is the Running Man song? 

What is knox? 

What is Zika Virus? 

What is PPAP? 

What is Federalism? 

What is Brexit? 

WHO IS? 

Who is Harley Quinn? 

Who is Aldub? 

Who is Evan Fournier? 

Who is Maria Ozawa? 

Who is Valak? 

Who is Carrot Man? 

Who are the Suicide 

Squad casts? 

Who is Marion Cotillard? 

Who is Skusta Clee? 

Who is Anna Fritz? 

WHERE IS? 

Where is Taj Mahal? 

Where is Masungi Georeserve? 

Where is Palm Beach Resort? 

Where is The Yard? 

Where is the Great Barrier Reef? 

Where is Villa Sylvia Resort? 

Where is Bato Springs Resort? 

Where is Camayan 

Beach Resort? 

Where is Vitalis Villas? 

Where is Hidden Sanctuary Hotel 

and Resort? 



Source: femalemusiciansonline.com 

Women in Audio 

Engineering 

are Still 

Undermined 

Only 5 per cent of people who work in the 

production of music, television, news and film 

are women. 

Source: House Musica 

Have you noticed any female sound or audio 

engineers in the music industry? Is audio 

engineering so biased that it can not accept 

female engineers in the industry? Remember 

the Album of the Year winner Taylor Swift’s 

acceptance speech during the 58th annual 

Grammy Awards in February? If you don’t, here is 

an excerpt, “There are going to be people along 

the way who try to undercut your success or take 

credit for your accomplishments or your fame. But 

if you just focus on the work, [someday] you will 

look around and you will know it was you and the 

people who love you who put you there. And that 

will be the greatest feeling in the world.” 

A few may ask, “what about it?” Well, if you didn’t 

notice, at the time she was making the speech 

about female empowerment, she is surrounded 

by an all-male crowd of music producers. Not 

a single woman is up on stage to support her 

ideals. But what appeared was not entirely the 

case. The success of the award-winning album 

“1989” was because of 19 people other than 

Swift, two of which are women: Imogen Heap 

and Laura Sisk. Both women were unable to go 

behind Swift during the ceremony, but had made 

significant contributions behind the scenes. 

This is a sad reflection though, that women in 

music production are still undermined. In an 

industry where males are dominant, the women’s 

capacity to take charge is questioned. 

The 

number 

of women, 

too, keeps 

on going down 

largely because of 

the discrimination, if not 

indifference. 

Audio recording studios do 

not even bother counting women 

in their league because they seem 

to be ‘not around.’ But there’s one, the 

Women’s Audio Mission, a non-profit dedicated to 

supporting women in audio production, which has 

website that presents a statistic of only 5 per cent 

of people who work in the production of music, 

television, news and film are women. If that is the 

only statistic we can find about women in music 

production, then it’s time to make the necessary 

changes to give women equal opportunities in 

such field.

39 

Source: wallpapercrave.com 

This New Edition of 

Minecraft is Designed 

for Students 

This is the newest immersion 

of video games and education! 

Source: The Verge 

Who says that Minecraft and 

education cannot ever be mixed? 

Definitely not Microsoft. The 

tech giant has developed a new version 

of Minecraft called Minecraft: Education 

Edition which offers classroom tools 

intended for the students to learn through 

their own accounts. It hopes that schools 

will not just let them play with the famous 

blocks video game but support them 

through integrating it in the class. 

It started when Microsoft purchased a mod 

in January of this year aimed at making it 

an educational platform. They hurried a 

beta testing this summer, hoping that the 

education tools will be furnished in time 

for the start of school. Unfortunately they 

missed the date for a few months. But they 

are on a roll. Minecraft: Education Edition 

is now available on both Windows 10 and 

macOS for $5 per student for a year’s 

subscription. Students who have played 

Minecraft before will find this new version 

to be almost the same with the original. 

It’s not entirely different from the regular 

Minecraft. The big difference with the 

Education Edition is the presence of tools 

that makes it easier for the teachers to 

navigate and operate as a learning tool, and 

some new in-game items like a camera and 

a chalkboard. In the app, the educators can 

see where the students are on a map, give 

students different resources, and teleport 

people to different locations. 

Teachers can use the app as a material 

for the students to explore a certain 

setting in a book or a historic structure. 

They will have to build the different worlds 

themselves though, which takes a lot of 

time especially when the teachers create 

instructive worlds lesson after lesson. 

The Education Edition will only be 

successful if the teachers will adapt to 

creating lesson plans in Minecraft and 

share them to the students. Although this 

is a cool, interactive way to teach the 

new generation of students, the biggest 

adjustment will have to be among the 

teachers. 



Top-Ranking Bluetooth 

Speakers for 2016 

Want to get a Bluetooth Speaker but don’t know 

which one to get? We’ve got you covered! 

If you’re the type of person who wants a quick, 

easy and portable way of listening to music while 

you’re around the house or at a hotel during a 

vacation, then the gadget you’re looking for could 

be a Bluetooth speaker. All you need to do is sync 

it to your phone or tablet, and enjoy your music 

whenever you want. There are a lot of choices of 

speakers to choose from, so we’re here to help you 

choose. Here are what we think are the top ranking 

Bluetooth speakers this 2016. 

Fugoo 

This Bluetooth speaker offers surprisingly good sound 

quality for its size. It can run for up to 40 hours when 

listening at medium volume! It comes in your choice of 

jacket style: Tough, Sport, or Style. 

UE Boom 2 

This Bluetooth speaker is the sequel to the UE Boom, 

and it’s far more awesome than its predecessor. Why? 

Because it’s waterproof! You can now bring this in your 

bathroom for music in the tub, or at your private pool or 

Jacuzzi, all thanks to water proofing. The company also 

offers the Megaboom, if you’re looking for more power. 

Source: CNet 

Source: Big Commerce 

Creative Muvo Mini 

It can be tough to find a Bluetooth speaker that can give 

a combination of awesome sound, weather proofing, 

long battery life, and affordable price. Unfortunately, 

Bluetooth speakers like these don’t come cheap. Well, 

Creative Muvo Mini speakers are an exception. For $59, 

this mini speakers have all these feats. So if you’re on 

a budget but want all these features, this speakers may 

be the right one for you 

Source: Creative 

Harman Infinity One 

This is the most expensive speaker in this list. Its audio 

quality is best-in-class as it has a very deep bass and 

rich sound to give you that quality music you’ve been 

looking for. This speaker has NFC connectivity, USB 

charging as well as conference calling. The physical 

design is stunning as well, the entire enclosure is a 

matte grille so that the sound will be displaced on all 

sides. You’re sure to get your money’s worth on this one. 

Source: Engadget

41 

JBL Charge 3 

This speaker is larger than many Bluetooth speakers. 

It has a size of 213 x 87 x 88.5mm, so it’s not really 

that portable. However, its battery life can last up to 20 

hours, and it also has waterproofing—perfect for small 

pool parties! Its IPX7 rated, so you can submerge the 

speaker up to a meter for around 30 minutes. It also 

has excellent sound quality, as it plays loudly and is 

distortion free. 

Source: Legit Reviews 

Bose Soundlink Color 

Bose is well known for its awesome speakers. So you’re 

sure to get a good quality Bluetooth speaker from 

them. For $130, the Soundlink Color is now one of the 

company’s most affordable speakers. It comes in a 

variety of colors to choose from, which will surely give 

awesome sound and long battery life just like their other 

speaker models. 

Source: CNet 

Creative Sound Blaster Roar 2 

This Bluetooth speaker is the successor to the Sound 

Blaster Roar SR20, which costs $169. It has a built-in 

internal microphone so you can make or take calls with 

ease. It supports a microSD card, so you can record your 

calls or listen to stored music. What makes this speaker 

unique is that it has an overdrive button. It has a “roar” 

mode which heightens the sound performance by a few 

more steps. 

Source: CNet 

Razer Leviathan Mini 

This Bluetooth Speaker is a lightweight portable speaker. 

Its sound quality is more robust than others. So if 

you want to add a portable Bluetooth speaker to your 

collection of other awesome Razer products, then the 

Leviathan Mini is a great option. 

Source: CNet 



Here’s a Compelling Reason 

Why iPhone Users Should Stop 

Using Counterfeit Chargers 

Buying the fake iPhone charger is not really worth it 

Despite being a famous brand for smartphones, 

iPhones have one major drawback: their chargers. 

Ask any iPhone user and he or she will be quick 

to point out that the cable causes a headache 

for being easily damaged. Once the chargers are 

ruined, which are usually frayed or overcharged, 

the users are forced to buy another. This is 

disheartening especially that iPhone chargers 

have a league of their own. Instead of buying the 

original which is often too expensive, they resort 

to purchasing counterfeits. 

A recent study doesn’t recommend anyone to do 

this. It was discovered that such imitation devices 

are not at all safe, with 99% of the them failing 

the basic safety test. Conducted by the Canadian 

division of power safety compliance firm UL, the 

research involved 400 counterfeit Apple iPhone 

chargers bought online, which are available in 8 

countries including the US, Canada, Colombia, 

China, Thailand, and Australia. The devices were 

put to an electric strength test. They were applied 

with high voltage between the input and output 

side to check the current flowing in the charger. 

With the amount of current at a certain threshold 

as the standard to be considered the charger as 

safe, only 3 out of the 400 samples passed the 

safety test. The others which failed pose a great 

risk in shocking a user because of the insufficient 

insulation. 

Moreover, the results showed that 22 units were 

immediately damaged after being energized, 

which resulted to impairment of testing 

equipment. 

Twelve of the samples have leaked great amount 

of current enough to electrocute a person. 

So where lies the difference between the 

counterfeit and genuine chargers? The 

researchers say it is in the design of the devices’ 

isolation transformers. “The internal components 

are vastly different when compared with a 

genuine UL Listed Apple adapter. 

Post testing analysis of the tested samples 

revealed a complete lack of triple isolation wire 

used for the secondary windings; neither the 

primary or secondary windings were separated 

properly, which is the major reason for the 

dramatic failure rate on the electric strength test,” 

states UL. 

Users of iPhones should remain vigilant with the 

high failure rate of the charger counterfeits. This, 

while checking the authenticity of the original 

Apple power products. Apple has carried out 

their own study and figured that about 90% of 

the iPhone chargers described as “genuine” on 

Amazon are proven to be counterfeit. For this, 

Apple tells its users that genuine iPhone chargers 

are always white in color including its packaging. 

There are also no spelling or grammatical errors 

in the original ones. Furthermore, the price is the 

greatest indicator: the counterfeits are sold at 

significantly less than US$19. The next time you 

have are obliged to buy a new iPhone charger, 

it would be best that you buy the original one 

because the alternative might not just be worth it. 

Source: Science Alert 

Source: Giga OM

43 

Source: The Sunny Side Up Blog 

Why You Shouldn’t Purely Rely 

on Technology 

Technology nowadays is indispensable, but 

there are times when we should opt for 

traditional methods instead of relying purely 

on technology. 

Let’s say you’re rushing for work or school, you 

grab all your stuff and rush out the door and get 

a cab. Finally, you get to your office or school, 

then when you get a hold of yourself and fix your 

stuff, you realize you forgot your precious mobile 

phone at home. NOOO! How will you get through 

the day without your phone and all the awesome 

apps that you’ve been relying on? 

This may be a bit far-fetched, but there really are 

people who can’t live a day without their phones 

or gadgets with them. Not only in this instance, 

but there are many other examples wherein we 

rely too much on technology that we forget that 

it’s sometimes more efficient to do some tasks by 

ourselves. Here’s why: 

#1 DIGITAL MESSAGES 

can’t express emotion 

Text messages, emails, and chat messages 

cannot convey emotion—no matter how many 

emojis you add on your messages. Choose to talk 

to a person personally if the matter is important, 

especially so if you need to apologize. 

#2 THE POWER OF STICKY NOTES 

It’s alright to have your long term tasks marked 

on your phone calendar, but sometimes you only 

end up wasting time moving around your tasks 

if they take more time than expected or if a new 

task comes up. To be effective in scheduling, 

write down (on actual paper or stick notes) the 

next 3 things you need to accomplish and get 

the satisfaction of crossing out each one as you 

finish them. Repeat once done. 

#3 SIRI OR GOOGLE CAN’T GIVE THAT 

“PERSONAL TOUCH” 

Siri or Google can tell you what to give your 

friend on his/her birthday, but they can’t really 

tell if he/ she wants a new book, a red shirt or 

purple shoes for his/her birthday. For these kinds 

of things, it’s always better to have that personal 

touch instead of relying on tech. 

#4 DITCH SPELL CHECK. 

Invest some time in reading more articles, books, 

or any literature to boost your vocabulary and 

writing skills. This will not only make you sound 

smart but it will also help you develop better 

communication skills. Be your own proofreader, 

or ask a skilled officemate to proofread for you 

instead on relying on spell check. 



Source:ghilliesuitsonline.com 

Brits Test Harry 

Potter Inspired 

Invisibility Cloak 

Vatec allows troops to hide even from infrared and heatsearching. 

If you’ve ever dreamed of using your 

very own Invisibility Cloak, you’ll be 

glad to hear that a Harry Potter inspired 

camouflage technology is already being 

tested in Fort Benning, Georgia. 

The Vatec device was used by British 

troops from the 3rd battalion: The 

Rifles during the testing on US soil. The 

participants reported that in their mock 

battles, the snipers using the device 

were able to dodge the latest heatseeking 

and infrared technology. 

Researchers were able to mimic that 

technology and put it on the Vatec 

device using technology known as visual 

appearance modulation. 

The Vatec device could be used to 

camouflage soldiers and vehicles during 

battle within 5 years. 

The material was initially researched 

by MIT and the University of Illinois 

when they were trying to replicate the 

chromatophores from animals like the 

octopus which makes them able to 

blend with their environments to avoid 

predators. 

Source: ibnlive

45 

Goodbye Wearables, 

Say Hello to Implantables 

Say goodbye to wearables, as experts say that phones 

may be implanted by 2023 

Source: wareable.com 

There is no stopping the wild minds in technology. 

Everyday, gadgets advance and reach a new level 

of innovation. From the announcement of iPhone 

back in 2007 and Android in 2008, from wearables 

to implantables, we certainly have come a long way. 

This is what 800 experts and executives in the World 

Economic Forum congregation in Davos have proven 

to us after being surveyed on the overarching trends 

that will shape the technology of the future. This is 

what they have predicted. 

As people become more and more connected 

to devices, sometime in the future, say 2023 as 

predicted, we will have built-in smartphones. 

Yup, that will be inside of our skin, as if that’s not the 

definition of ‘built-in.’ Devices will no longer be worn, 

but instead they are implanted into bodies, serving 

communications, location, behavior monitoring and 

health functions. 

Smart tattoos and other chips that may be entangled 

to our bodies will help in identification and location. 

There are other remarkable predictions in the list 

as well but our technology still have a long way to 

go before we get to those levels. Just wish that 

manufacturers and engineers will make these 

foresights a reality. 

Source: WEForum.org 



How to live a 

meaningful 

online existence 

In the context of living our digital lives, sometimes a step back is 

better than two steps forward – cliché as it may seem. 

by: Robert Bagatsing 

Our digital lives are often dominated 

by the voracious appetite for the 

what-will-be. We seem to have 

an insatiable hunger to either have a 

glimpse of the future or define the next 

trend to take the Internet world by storm. 

We are always on the lookout for the 

next wave of devices, updated software, 

innovative websites, or progressive 

methods to enhance our digital presence. 

When it comes to our digital life, our 

mantra seem to be “the more, the newer, 

the better”. 

You may have the insider scoop of 

what are to come, or have multi-million 

followers on your blogs and social media 

sites, but have you ever taken time 

to ask yourself if your digital exploits 

actually contribute to a meaningful 

overall existence? Does your digital 

achievements contribute to your personal 

or professional life? Are your online 

habits enhancing your learning, personal 

relationships or work? 

One way to know the answers to the 

above questions is by taking some 

time off and reassessing our digital life. 

Because we are always occupied with 

looking ahead and keeping the online 

snowball rolling, we often forget that 

digital wisdom sometimes lie in what has 

been. 

Sometimes, taking a step 

back will prove to be more 

progressive than forging 

ahead. 

It cannot be any more 

important that in the 

context of our online 

life, in which we 

invest an increasing 

amount of hours 

and effort. 

But, with the extent 

of time, work and 

information that 

we have poured into 

enhancing our digital 

presence, the task will 

sure appear to be daunting. 

I am sure most have us have 

more than a thousand pictures 

and messages shared to thousands of 

followers in more than one account in 

more than one social media channel 

(phew!). How many of us have activated 

social notifications on more than 

one device? How many of us follow 

numerous information streams and blogs 

to keep up-to-date?

47 

This iPad App Can Scan Your Entire Home 

and Produce Usable 3D Model 

With the help of a Structure Sensor by Occipital, you can make futuristic 

3D scans of your own home. 

When one wants to remodel his home, 

he needs to have a computergenerated 

3D map of what he is 

working with. This is a problem if he doesn’t 

have the electronic blueprints and has to 

measure the physical dimensions and lay 

them out in the computer. It is pretty laborious 

considering he has a big room or a mansion. A 

modern scanning technology presents an easy 

solution for this same job – just with an iPad 

and the Structure Sensor. 

Through an app called Canvas, homeowners 

and designers alike can simply scan a room 

in minutes and automatically generate CAD 

software files. The process is made with 

functional outputs that architects and engineers 

can use and manipulate for remodelling. Pointto-point 

measurements and as-built baselines 

are easily done by raw scans of spaces but 

they have a limitation: it is complicated to 

create a 3D model out of the given data. But 

still, they can be used for rework, remodelling 

or envisioning changes in the scanned space. 

This is what Occipital, the company behind 

the Structure Sensor, aims to harness. Canvas 

allows its users to measure entire rooms – 

everything in view – all at once with the magic 

of 3D depth sensing. It has the ability to capture 

fast, accurate dimensions of objects and 

environments for large-scale reconstruction 

tasks. Once the users scan a room and send 

them to Occipital, they could get the CAD files 

after two business days and work with it in most 

modelling software like SketchUp. The sky is 

the limit upon transforming their present spaces 

into full-color 3D files wherein they could 

virtually add just about anything. 

Adam Rodnitzky, the company’s VP of 

marketing, boasts, “I think we’ll probably look 

back at today as a time, just like the 1830s, 

when we just started to have photographs. 

“We’re now entering the era when we’re going 

to start having a 3D record of the world around 

us.” 

We’re now entering the era 

when we’re going to start 

having a 3D record of the 

world around us. 

Source: Occipital 



The ‘Sindr’ App 

Will Help You 

Find Your Way to 

Nearest Holy Mass 

Formally called The Catholic app, 

it is made by a Scottish Archbishop. 

by: Dion Greg Reyes 

Source: Black Christian News 

Swipe left or swipe right, time will 

come that users will be exhausted 

with dating apps like Tinder and 

the sex it is entangled with. The earthly 

desires of the modern man and woman 

will reach a peak until it’s time to repent. 

And fortunately, there’s also an app that 

can help with you for that. The Catholic 

app was made by a Scottish Archbishop 

which allows the users to search for the 

nearest confessional or Holy Mass. 

The media and netizens have wittingly 

called it Sindr, with reference to the 

famous dating app. According to Vatican 

Radio, The Catholic app will be launched 

early in 2017. 

Archbishop Leo Cushley spoke with the 

station in lieu of the announcement at 

the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. “The 

idea was really inspired by the Holy 

Father himself. 

He said to be imaginative about what to 

do for the Holy Year of Mercy,” Cushley 

aired. 

Its primary function is lets users search 

for the nearest Holy Mass, confessional 

or diocesanal statistics. Reports say that 

the app uses technology by software 

firm Musemantik to direct the faithful 

from their current location to the nearest 

Catholic Church. Cushley is hopeful 

that everyone is going to the use the 

app, it being a spiritual and practical 

experience. This is in time for Pope 

Francis’ so-called Extraordinary Year 

of Jubilee. The Edinburgh archbishop 

describes it to be a “smart bit of 

technology” that could impact “how 

the Catholic Church brings the mercy 

of God and the joy of the Gospel to our 

Source: Archbishop Cushley’s Twitter

49 

When You Combine 

Lego With Electronics 

and Internet of Things 

Bring your structures to life with Brixo. 

Combining Internet of Things, Electronics and Lego. 

Source: Pinterest 

Have you ever dreamt to see your Lego 

artwork come to life? Well, dream no 

more with this new Internet of Things 

new project on Kickstarter. Brixo allows you to 

create your personalized designs and adds a 

certain element to the twist: electricity. Yes, you 

read right, the Brixo blocks can have electricity 

pass through them and can be activated using 

proximity, sound, light, and even with Bluetooth. 

This new toy is every man, and child’s dream 

come true. 

The possibilities are endless: create spinning 

thingamajigs, clap-switch lights, and even make 

a dog whose head spins. This not only creates 

fun for everyone but can also be used to teach 

young children about electronics. If you already 

have existing Lego creations, you can just 

attach the Lego-compatible Brixo blocks and 

make your creations even more awesome. The 

project is on Kickstarter so if you want it, you 

can still go and back it up. 

Source: Brixo 



The Best Philippine 

Engineering Stories of 2016 

These are the hottest stories that went viral in 

the Philippines. The best Philippine Engineering 

stories of 2016 that Filipino engineers shared and 

talked about. 

by: Robert Bagatsing 

Source: smcontributor.com

51 

The Best Philippine Engineering Stories of 2016 

PHILIPPINES’ YOUNGEST PROGRAMMER 

BUILDS HER OWN COMPANY AT AGE 10 

Coding is less likely to be one of the hobbies of 

teenagers – more so kids – but spare Isabel Sieh 

from the rest. At only 10 years old, this girl from 

the Philippines has already built her own company 

called Girls Will Code. 

DOTA PLAYER TOPS 2016 MECHANICAL 

ENGINEERING EXAM (PH) 

Being the most visited story this 2016, this article 

featuring Elso Umbao Elumbaring Jr. surely 

inspired many engineering students who think 

that being a gamer and a mechanical engineering 

topnotcher cannot be possible. 

MATH ISN’T THE FAVORITE SUBJECT 

OF THIS FILIPINO CIVIL ENGINEERING 

TOPNOTCHER 

One of the hardest licensure examinations in the 

Philippines is that of the civil engineers. But Sirven 

Garibay from the University of the Philippines Los 

Baños had managed to top that exam despite of 

the fact that math is barely his favorite subject. 

FILIPINO TOPNOTCHER SHARES HIS 

SECRETS IN TOPPING THE CHEMICAL 

ENGINEERING 2016 BOARD EXAM 

What’s so amazing with Engr. Clarence Co from 

De La Salle University is that not only did he place 

first in the chemical engineering licensure exam, 

he also has a bachelor’s and master’s degree… 

at the age of 21. 

MEET THIS COOL FILIPINO INSTRUCTOR 

INSPIRING FUTURE ELECTRONICS 

ENGINEERS 

Some engineers choose to work in their field of 

expertise, while some give back to other people 

by teaching the next generation of engineers. 

Emilano Tan is one of the latter. After topping the 

electronics engineering board exam in 2015, he 

now works as an instructor in a review center. He 

shared interesting tips for aspiring engineers. 

MEGAWIDE’S BIG BOSSES: THE STORY 

OF 2 CIVIL ENGINEERS WHO BECAME 

PHILIPPINES’ YOUNGEST MILLIONAIRES 

Engr. Michael Cosiquien and Engr. Edgar Saavedra 

are listed as two of the Philippines’ youngest 

millionaires at ages 43 and 41, respectively. This, 

largely because of a company they founded called 

Megawide Construction back in 1997. But before 

they became the successful men they are now, 

both had faced numerous challenges. 




HOW TO BE A CHEMICAL ENGINEER 

AND A BEAUTY QUEEN 

Who said anything about chemical engineers not 

being able to become beauty queens? Definitely 

not Diane. In this feature story, one of our editors 

tell how she saw Diane blossomed from being an 

engineering student to a beauty title holder. 

FILIPINO KIDS TOP INTERNATIONAL MATH 

CONTEST IN INDIA 

There’s a lot to be proud about the young Filipino 

math Olympians. Year after year, the delegates 

sent to compete in international math competitions 

never fail to bring home medals. Such is the case of 

this Philippine team at the 7th International Young 

Mathematician’s Convention at Lucknow, India who 

bagged 32 medals. 

THIS FILIPINO TOPNOTCHER SHARES TIPS 

ON HOW TO SUCCEED IN A LICENSURE 

EXAM 

It’s time for Filipino geodetic engineers, who have 

one of the lowest engineering populations in the 

country, to have a voice through this topnotcher from 

the University of the Philippines. Engr. Vigel Ramirez 

reveals her secrets in passing the board exam. 

MEET THIS 4-YEAR OLD MATH PRODIGY 

FROM CEBU, PHILIPPINES 

Miko Secillano is not like any kid. At only 4 years 

old, he can already calculate the square root of 

numbers 1 to 30 in 3 minutes, tell all the 118 

numbers and symbols of the Periodic Table of 

Elements, answer the capitals of different countries, 

and even perform basic electrical circuit analysis. 

HOW A FAMOUS BLOGGER AND A 

POPULAR ENGINEER MAKE THEIR 

RELATIONSHIP WORK 

Slater Young might be a familiar face to most 

Filipinos as he was famed the Big Winner in one 

of the Pinoy Big Brother editions. But did you know 

that he is a civil engineer? And he has a girlfriend 

who is a fashion blogger? That relationship setup 

might be difficult to maintain, but here‘s how they 

make it work. 

WHAT IF CIVIL ENGINEERS WOULD 

MANAGE THE YOLANDA FUNDS? 

Millions worth of donations and aid came to 

the Philippines after the world witnessed the 

destruction left by one of the strongest storms 

in recent history, the supertyphoon Yolanda. The 

government had handled this huge amount but 

only to see three years later the disaster that it 

was spent out of proportion. This leaves us asking: 

what if civil engineers were given that job of 

handling the Yolanda funds?

53 


FILIPINO CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 

STUDENTS DEVELOP A TRICYCLE 

EXHAUST FILTER FROM MUSSELS 

A simple, small-scale solution to curb the tricycle 

exhaust’s impact to air pollution. That’s what 

researchers from the University of the Philippines 

Los Baños has made by making a filter out of 

crushed mussels. 

FILIPINO ENGINEER CREATED HIS OWN 

ELECTRIC VEHICLE 

It is a dream come true for Adonis Lagangan to build 

his own electric vehicle. Called the Genius EV, it is 

now the flagship EV of a company he founded and 

named Clima Mobility. But before Adonis got to build 

his first prototype, he struggled to find the skills and 

funding. 

FROM GAMER TO RACER: 

THIS FILIPINA IS GT ACADEMY’S FIRST 

FEMALE FINALIST 

The international GT Academy has always been 

composed of men in its final leg, but not this year. 

A Filipina by the name Elysse Menorca has made 

history as the first female to enter the last race. 

There’s no way she is backing as she prepares well 

enough for the competition. 

FILIPINO ELECTRONICS ENGINEER 

MOTIVATES FUTURE ENGINEERS 

THROUGH SONG 

The first time I heard this song composed by 

Emanuel Gabriel, I knew it would give me the 

last song syndrome. And it did! But I mean, who 

wouldn’t? The tune is catchy as imitated from Travie 

McCoy’s and Bruno Mars’ hit song Billionaire, and 

the lyrics are easy to relate to. 

ENGR. AISA MIJENO INVENTS LAMP THAT 

RUNS ON SALTWATER, OBAMA AND MA 

APPROVED! 

Filipina engineer Aisa Mijeno who designed the 

Sustainable Alterative Lighting (SALt) lamp has 

taken the center stage with no less than the US 

President Barack Obama and Alibaba founder 

Jack Ma. No doubt she deserves it since her 

device, is genius! 

SOCIAL GOOD: ILOILO ENGINEERING 

PROJECTS FOR THE ELDERLY AND 

DIFFERENTLY-ABLED PERSONS 

One of our editors was invited to judge an 

engineering design contest with projects focused 

on the special needs of the elderly and differentlyabled 

persons. There are good finds in the exhibit, 

including a wheelchair with installed bicycle 

mechanism and a walker with obstacle detector 

and vibrating motor. 




THIS FILIPINO APP ALLOWS USERS TO 

TAKE SELFIES WITH BRANDS, GET LIKES 

AND REDEEM REWARDS 

Taking selfies is just a form of self-expression or 

vanity for some, but that’s not the case with the 

all-Filipino app called Hoy! In every photo taken 

with a participating commercial product, it could 

come with rewards – only if you get enough likes 

in the app. How does that work exactly? 

FILIPINO-DESIGNED MICROSATELLITE 

DIWATA-1 IS COUNTRY’S FIRST 

Philippines may not be the powerhouse when it 

comes to space exploration, but someday we will 

get there. To start with that dream, the first big step 

is the Diwata-1 made by electronics engineers from 

across the nation. This is what has so far been done 

with the country’s first microsatellite. 

FILIPINO SCIENTIST WANTS EASY 

RENEWABLE ENERGY ACCESS FOR 

FILIPINOS 

Filipino scientist Elmar Villota is working hard to 

provide for the 15 percent of households which still 

do not have access to electricity. Through his study 

of the the conversion of second-generation biomass 

into biofuels and other useful products, soon he will 

be successful in his humanitarian goal. 

FILIPINO INVENTOR DEVELOPS MISTY 

KOOL, AN AIR CONDITIONER FOR 

OUTDOOR USE 

There’s a new type of air-conditioner in town and it 

is designed for the outdoors. Called the Misty Kool, 

it was developed by a Filipino inventor Edgardo 

Vazquez who was just once sitting in his garden 

and saw how water freshens the plants. 

AN ENGINEER’S ANALYSIS: THE PHILIPPINES’ 

YOLANDA HOUSING NEEDS A COMPROMISE 

Three years after the supertyphoon Yolanda destroyed 

the central region of the Philippines, many are asking, 

“What happened to the Yolanda funds? What is 

there left for us to spend and do with the remaining 

donations?” This, after the Filipinos have seen that 

the survivors still haven’t gotten their normal lives 

back. In a simple cost analysis by one of our editors, 

it was found that there was a mismanagement of 

the Yolanda aid. He recommends that there will be a 

compromise. 

AVISCUS: CREATING A WORLD WHERE 

ACCESS TO WATER, SHELTER AND 

ELECTRICITY IS AFFORDABLE 

A team from the University of the Philippines 

Diliman has developed a small, low-cost and 

environment-friendly dam that might just be the 

ultimate irrigation solution for third-world countries 

like the Philippines.

55 

Google’s Global Search Trends for 2016 

From Consumer Tech, to movies, to the top news stories. From Pokémon Go to 

Suicide Squad, what topics do you think made the list? 

As the year 2016 is coming to an end, we can say that the year 2016 has definitely been 

a year that has been technologically fruitful. Every year Google releases the Top trending 

searches for each country as well as it’s globally trending search topics. They rank 

everything from top searches overall to the most searched people and global news stories. From 

Consumer Tech, to movies, to the top news stories. From Pokémon Go to Suicide Squad, what 

topics do you think made the list? Without further ado, here are the top Google searches in the 

world for 2016! 

GLOBAL SEARCHES 

Pokémon Go 

iPhone 7 

Donald Trump 

Prince 

Powerball 

David Bowie 

Deadpoo 

Olympics 

Slither.io 

Suicide Squad 

GLOBAL NEWS 

US Election 

Olympics 

Brexit 

Orlando Shooting 

Zika Virus 

Panama Papers 

Nice 

Brussels 

Dallas Shooting 

Kumamoto Earthquake 

PEOPLE 

Donald Trump 

Hillary Clinton 

Michael Phelps 

Melania Trump 

Simone Biles 

Bernie Sanders 

Steven Avery 

Céline Dion 

Ryan Lochte 

Tom Hiddleston 

CONSUMER TECH 

iPhone 7 

Freedom 251 

iPhone SE 

iPhone 6S 

Google Pixel 

Samsung Galaxy S7 

iPhone 7 Plus 

Note 7 

Nintendo Switch 

Samsung J7 

GLOBAL SPORTING EVENTS 

Rio Olympics 

World Series 

Tour de France 

Wimbledon 

Australian Open 

EK 2016 

T20 World Cup 

Copa América 

Royal Rumble 

Ryder Cup 

LOSSES 

Prince 

David Bowie 

Christina Grimmie 

Alan Rickman 

Muhammad Ali 

Leonard Cohen 

Juan Gabriel 

Kimbo Slice 

Gene Wilder 

José Fernández 

MOVIES 

Deadpool 

Suicide Squad 

The Revenant 


Batman v Superman 

Doctor Strange 

Finding Dory 

Zootopia 

The Conjuring 2 

Hacksaw Ridge 

MUSICIANS 

Céline Dion 

Kesha 

Michael Bublé 

Creed 

Dean Fujioka 

Kehlani 

Teyana Taylor 

Grace Vanderwaal 

Ozuna 

Lukas Graham 

MOVIES 

Stranger Things 

Westworld 

Luke Cage 

Game of Thrones 

Black Mirror 

Fuller House 

The Crown 

The Night Of 

Descendants of the Sun 

Soy Luna 



TOP 10 MEDICAL 

WEARABLES OF 2016 

Counting down the best medical wearables of 2016. 

As the old saying goes “Health is 

Wealth”, and with all the pollution 

and unhealthy chemicals and toxins 

entering our bodies everyday, this old saying 

couldn’t be more true. In order for us to be 

able to perform our daily duties as students/ 

employees/ business owners/ tycoons, we 

all have to make sure our bodies are at 

optimum efficiency. 

After all, sickness doesn’t choose the poor 

or rich. In connection to this, many research 

and technological institutions have made 

medical smart devices and have already 

introduced them in the market. These smart 

devices aim to collect and analyze your data 

more accurately. Without any ranking and 

Minimed pump with enlite sensor 

This device acts as an artificial pancreas. This 

monitors your glucose levels and automatically 

dispenses the right amount of insulin just like a 

real pancreas. 

Source: Medtronic 

Bodytel Glucotel System 

This smart device helps people with chronicillnesses, 

aiding in home diagnostics. This measures blood 

glucose, blood pressure and includes a scale. 

Source: Bodytel Glucotel System 

TMG-BMC-MC sensor 

This device is designed to provide rehabilitation 

solutions for sports and medical applications. 

Source: TMG-BMC-MC sensor 

Quell 

This is a wearble gadget designed to reduce chronic 

pain, usually in the arm or calf area.It releases natural 

opiates to aid in pain relief. 

Source: Quell

57 

Wrist OX2 

This device is a pulse oximeter, to help people with 

asthma and have a risk of congestive heart failure 

and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 

Source: Wrist OX2 

The Valedo Back Therapy Kit 

This is a wearable medical kit, created for patients 

who have lower back pain/ back pain related 

complications. This kit helps the person do certain 

exercises, wherein on of the modules collects data. 

The data then can be analyzed by a doctor. 

Source: Valedo 

Helius, a Chip within a Pill 

This is a digital Health Feedback System. You 

ingest a sensor pill that is wirelessly connected 

to a small patch which is worn on the body. This 

device can help the doctor know if the patient is 

taking the prescribed medicines and if the patient 

is responding to the treatment. 

Source: Helius 

The ITBra 

This is a device especially designed for women. 

It’s a bra with built in sensors that monitor’s the 

patient’s breast health. It checks changes in blood 

flow and temperature. This can help detect growth 

of cancerous tumors. 

Source: ITBra 

SCANADU Urine 

This is a urine testing kit. It Checks the level of 

chemicals in your urine sample. You take a pic, 

then the SCANADU app checks the urine color and 

in a few seconds, you get results. 

Source: SCANADU Urine 

Embrace Watch 

This smart wearable device can help predict the onset 

of an epileptic seizure, and also measure your levels 

of stress. It can also send an alert to a family member 

via the empatica app. This device vibrates when you 

stress level is too high, giving you a chance to do 

something about it before the stress can do you harm. 

Source: Embrace Watch 



Google Releases 

The Top Trending Topics 

in The UAE 

Google released a list of the year’s most searched 

topics on movies, people, songs and destinations 

in the UAE. Is your fave on the list?

59 

We all know that people are curious and in 

today’s digital age, everyone would rely 

on Google to find the answers to mindboggling 

questions. Who is Kim Kardashan? Why 

did Donald Trump win the election? Google has 

become everyone’s best friend because it clearly 

provides us all the answers. Some are correct 

while some are just lies. Either way, Google 

provides us answers to a lot of questions. Every 

year, Google would release a list of the year’s 

most searched topics from different topics. 

They’ve released the top trending topics 

on movies, people, songs and destinations. 

According to the Head of Communications at 

Google (Middle East and North Africa), Joyce 

Baz, “We always look forward to this part of the 

year where we share how the world searched 

for 2016. Year in Search is a look back at what 

caught the attention and curiosity of our users in 

the Middle East and North Africa over the past 12 

months and as always, the results are diverse in 

the UAE. 

SEARCHES 

Euro 2016 

Pokemon Go 

Rio Olympics 

Donald Trump 

Ramadan 

T20 World Cup 2016 

iPhone SE 

Suicide Squad 

Eid al Adha 

Why is there a leap day? 

MOVIES 

Suicide Squad 

Deadpool 

Sultan 

The Revenant 


Batman vs Superman 

Conjuring 2 

Pulimurugan 

Rustom 

Finding Dory 

PEOPLE 

Donald Trump 

Pratyusha Banerjee 

Qandeel Baloch 

Nizar Qabbani 

Muhammad Ali 

Prince 

Christina Grimmie 

Alan Rickman 

David Bowie 

Hillary Clinton 

SONGS 

Love Yourself 

Barbes (Arabic song) 

Panda 

Closer 

One Dance 

Hali Hali (Arabic song) 

One Call Away 

7 Years 

Photograph 

Hola (by Joey Montana) 

MOVIES 

Brexit 

Oscars 2016 

Eid Al Adha 2016 

Fly Dubai crash 

Gitex 2016 

Holi 2016 

Panama Papers 

Dubai Canal opening 

Chinese New Year 2016 

Pakistan vs England 

UAE DESTINATIONS 

IMG World 

Legoland Dubai 

Dubai Opera 

Cirque du Soleil Dubai 

Dubai Garden Glow 

The Green Planet 

Outlet Village Dubai 

F1 Abu Dhabi 2016 

Last Exit Dubai 

Global Village 



Source: International Business Tiimes 

The Technology to Gain Eternal 

Life To Be Completed by 2045 

This may be the future’s “Fountain of Youth” 

Dmitry Itskov, a Russian media 

mogul and multi-millionaire, 

has one goal: to be able to 

use technology to live forever. To 

be able to do this, he is currently 

heading a science-based project 

called the ‘2045 initiative’ 

which aims to “upload” human 

consciousness into an online 

avatar that can live forever. This is 

a step to eternal life technology. 

Itskov has given millions of dollars 

into pioneering the research since 

the initiative was launched. His 

team of scientists, believe that 

the human brain is very similar 

to a computer and will eventually 

be able to be transferred to 

upgradable “bodies”. Itskov claims 

that he has upped the urgency 

of his research. “If there is no 

immortality technology, I’ll be dead 

in the next 35 years,” he says in 

an upcoming documentary, The 

Immortalist. 

“The ultimate goal of my 

plan is to transfer someone’s 

personality into the new artificial 

carrier. Different scientists 

call it uploading or they call it 

mind transfer. I prefer to call it 

personality transfer. 

Source: VC Media 

Source: CG4TV

ISSUE NO. 001 • MARK ZUCKERBERG 

61


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GineersNow Engineering Magazine January 2017 Issue No 011

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