Vietnam: One of the highest rates of abortion in the world..

After reading an article in Timeout Magazine, it had an article about Vietnam's growing issue with abortions. Teenagers have a naivety towards safe sex with a lack of sex education. When you're young and in love, nothing else really matters. But they do.

-According to the Vietnam Family Planning Association, Vietnam has between 1.2million to 1.6million cases per year.

-VFPA says that between 5% have given birth before the age of 18 and 15% by the age of 20.

-Abortions are also cheap procedures, costing between 100,00VND to 150,000VND (about USD$6 to USD$8).

-With up to four generations under one household, many young couples will check into day hotels (rooms for rent).

-Many teenagers will call clinics or ask what they should do AFTER having unprotected sex says Nguyen Bich Lam of Hanoi's Anh Sang Clinic.

All in all, I think that sex education will need to be the next priority along with economic development. Vietnam is in such a unique position because of the young population. 75% of the population is under 35.

knowlege is power.

Saigon getting HDTV?

Saw this banner the other day.

Vietnamese BBoys..

This is on a Sunday morning at a local sports complex.

BBoys in action, Vietnamese style.

Blogging is what News Writing should be like; Twitter is what Blogging should be like

News reporting has been around since the dawn of man. In fact, the Bible is probably the most famous news compilation there is.

However, since the advent of technology, news reporting has been taken over by blogging (which is what you're reading now).

News reporting has several characteristics, of which timing and depth is important. When a story is reported, it is often that it is "breaking" news. Other times, a story may be an in depth analysis.

Blogging is superior in both terms as it can be updated INSTANTLY and can provide a medium for in depth analysis such as showing videos or graphical data in front of the reader.

However, blogging has one barrier. It is a one way communication system. Once someone posts on their blog, it takes time for the message to carry out. Once the message is carried out, it takes time to digest the information.

Here comes Twitter. What is Twitter? Its a blog, but you're limited to 140 characters and no pictures. What does that accomplish? Quick messages that are SPREAD instantly. What advantage is this? It has been reported that during times of crisis (ie. earthquakes, politcal unrest, etc), Twitter users are the first to report it and the message spreads even faster.

So the progression of information has almost reduced to seconds; rather than minutes.

Alltop.com... Its time for us Vietnam bloggers to have our own category

Alltop.com is an Guy Kawasaki's news aggregater.

I think we should get ourselves on it, but Guy sez that he mostly picks up referrals through his Twitter.

Well, time to send him some tweets!

Website flippers: Looking to make a quick buck..

A nice little article on the International Herald Tribune about how some people will buy websites on the cheap, spruce them up and then flip them to make a quick buck.

Dave Hermansen did not own a bird or a cage when he bought bird-cage.com, an online store, for $1,800 three years ago. He simply saw a Web site that was "very, very poorly done," and begged the owners to sell it to him. He then redesigned the site, added advertising and drove up traffic. Last December, he sold it for $173,000.

This process is done usually through re-coding so that it will have better search results when being searched through Google or Yahoo. This process is known as "search engine optimization" or SEO. There are complete companies dedicated to this now as it is so lucrative to land your website in the top spots on the search engines.

Creating the value, though, is the tricky part. Many Web site flippers said they begin by tweaking a site's template and making other superficial changes like adjusting fonts, colors and type sizes. After that, they manipulate a Web site's structure, coding and presentation so it shows up more prominently in Web searches.

In an era when Web use is increasingly search-driven, making sure people find your site makes all the difference, Hermansen said. "Once you beef up traffic, everything else just happens," he added.

source

Searching for a Lead Modeler/3D animator for video games

I'm searching for a local 3D animator that is an expert in modeling with Maya and/or 3D Studio Max.


Job Description:

- You are highly motivated, with a passion for video games.
- Candidates must have a proven track record in a previous managerial-oriented position
- Your knowledge of the different 3D works (modeling, animation, texture…) will enable you to coordinate the different teams and projects.
- From a technical point of view, you master 3D Max and Maya perfectly
- Ability to make low-poly meshes and low-resolution textures.
- Organic and environmental modelling
- With a high-level in the texturing field, you are also able to do pixel art.
- Good sense of volume, lightning and materials.
- You are an experienced animator.
- Your organizational and interpersonal skills enable you to deliver quality projects under strict deadlines.
- You are fluent in English.
- This high-duty position requires a proficient level on both a technical point of view and on a managerial one.
- We are seeking for an experienced profile / senior person, autonomous and versatile.

Please email me at Gerard.Lechau[@]gmail.com for further info. Salary will be above average if the candidate is above average.