MANY people were talking about building the first Filipino computer but the idea never took off.
There was a general feeling that we could not build a Filipino computer because we do not have a “Filipino chip”.
There was a time, however, when Intel was making chips in the Philippines and we could have branded those as “Filipino chips”, thereby giving us the head start to build the first Filipino computer.
Maybe we should learn a lesson from how iPads are built by Apple. No one will deny the fact that iPads are “American” computers, but isn’t it that the iPad chips are made in China or Taiwan?
What makes these iPads “American” instead of Chinese? Is it the brand? If that is so, then can we have a computer made in China or Taiwan too, and can we brand it as Filipino?
Actually, many Filipino entrepreneurs have been “assembling” desktop computers made from local materials and imported chips. However, they are generally small businesses that have not gone into mass production and therefore they have not gone into mass marketing either.
What does it take to make the first Filipino computer?
Since we have been “assembling” computers on a small-scale, all we have to do is to assemble them on a large scale, and then brand them for mass marketing. And by the way, there are already several Filipino companies that are already making computer chips, so what are we waiting for?
HOW DO WE CONTROL MICROPLASTICS?
Recent scientific studies show that microplastics are now found not only in seafood, but also in other food sources such as pork, beef and chicken.
These findings are significant, because now we know that not only marine life is contaminated, but terrestrial life is also contaminated.
This is a very serious matter because if microplastics are found in almost everything that we eat, what can we now eat that is not contaminated?
Have we come to a point where we no longer have a choice of what we can eat, because everything is contaminated?
Since we cannot stop eating these contaminated foods, what can we do now?
I hope that it is not yet too late already, but there is something that we can all do. We can all start collecting and recycling all plastic waste products that we could get our hands on, so that these will no longer end up in our dumpsites, landfills, rivers, lakes and wherever plastic waste can end up, even in our own backyards.
Aside from collecting and recycling, we need a stronger and better Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that could detect even the smallest microplastics, by using the most powerful supercomputers that we can find.
Years ago, I offered to find such a supercomputer for FDA, but they declined my offer by telling me that they are already planning to buy one.
I do not know if they were able to buy one, but that is exactly what we need now./PN
