My generation - "Generation .ro"

Start my career in design :)

2008-02-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

I always wanted to make designs!

When I entered in AIESEC I joined the marketing team because I wanted to design the posters and all the other promotion materials. So this is for all times sake! :)

I decided that I'll start designing t-shirts, mugs and other objects on www.zazzle.com. I just started yesterday, so I don't really know where this is going to end, but for sure I know this is fun. So if you want to see my first designs see details below :)

Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC?

2008-02-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

I think everyone knows about Microsoft offer to by Yahoo for 44 Billion USD.

Publicly, Google came out against the deal, contending in a statement that the pairing, proposed by Microsoft on Friday in the form of a hostile offer, would pose threats to competition that need to be examined by policy makers around the world.

“Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC?” asked David Drummond, Google’s senior vice president and chief legal officer, writing on the company’s blog.

Yahoo and Microsoft declined to comment Sunday on Google’s actions. Earlier on Sunday, Microsoft’s general counsel, Bradford L. Smith, said in a statement: “The combination of Microsoft and Yahoo will create a more competitive marketplace by establishing a compelling No. 2 competitor for Internet search and online advertising.”

The New Apple TV commercial

2007-04-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

It's on your computer.
It's on your iPod.

Now... it's on your TV.

One World - V for Vendetta

2007-04-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

Really nice message.
And I loved the movie V for Vendetta.
You can check out more info about the movie on IMDB.
It was made by the Wachowski brothers, the same ones that did The Matrix.

This is the video from youtube with the most responses!
see the full ranking here
Enjoy the nice message:

Fell free to click on the movie and go on youtube and place a response ;)

100 Million iPods Sold

2007-04-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

CUPERTINO, California—April 9, 2007—Apple® today announced that the 100 millionth iPod® has been sold, making the iPod the fastest selling music player in history. The first iPod was sold five and a half years ago, in November 2001, and since then Apple has introduced more than 10 new iPod models, including five generations of iPod, two generations of iPod mini, two generations of iPod nano and two generations of iPod shuffle. Along with iTunes® and the iTunes online music store, the iPod has transformed how tens of millions of music lovers acquire, manage and listen to their music.

More details here.

iPhone funny commercial

2007-04-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

It's much more than just a phone! Check out some of its additional functions!

iPhone general features presentation

2007-04-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

I know it is not the latest news, but I just launched my blog recently.
This is why I am posting this info about iPhone.

Steve Jobs it's really cool.

Imagine a world without Romania

2007-04-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

Pretty interesting movie.
Romania is a nice country. I think it's OK to be proud that we are Romanians.
But we shouldn't fall on the other side and begin thinking that we are superior to all the rest.

Enjoy!

Offline shopping - web 2.0 style

2007-04-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Offline shopping could be so much more fun if the Supermarket is 2.0 :))
Presenting.... the first Supermarket 2.0 !!!!

22 milion dollars - A 419 scam parody

2007-04-09T02:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered.... what if it is real?

419 scams from Nigeria

2007-04-09T01:41:00.000-07:00

Probably some of the most known internet scams are the Nigerian e-mails - also known as the 419 scams from Nigeria after the law that forbids them in Nigeria.
Find below a nice movie from ABC news explaining the system.
Some time ago, ABC news did a report on Nigerian 419 advanced fee fraud scams in Nigeria. A good video to watch of you are curious on to how these scams work.

SmartPower Clean Energy Ad Challenge on YouTube WIN 10,000 USD

2007-04-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

SmartPower, a national non-profit organization promoting clean energy, wants to see what kind of TV ad you can create that will educate Americans about Clean Energy and encourage them to use more wind, solar and water power. Clean Energy is real, it’s here and it’s working! Let’s use it and create more demand for it to achieve energy independence and stop global warming.

Too bad that it's only for US residents.
If you want to make a TV ad and to ask for one of your US friends for help in order to register you can find more info on youtube SmartPower page:
http://youtube.com/group/smartpower

This is one of my favourites videos already enlisted:

Free Hugs Campaign in Bucharest Romania

2007-04-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

You must have heard already about the "Free Hugs Campaign" - their movie was one of the best on youtube.com in 2006.

And people from allover the world found their idea great and they put it into practice in their own cities and countries. Seems that even people in Bucharest, Romania implemented this.

The quality of the video is not that good, but the initiative is great. Have fun watching it.

Are you blogging this

2007-04-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

A song and video about blogging and web 2.0. Enjoy!
So typical for "Generation .ro"

Here's the song:

My picture is flickring around technorati
And I just discovered I am such a newb, I'm on YouTube

Are you blogging this?
Delicious myspace then tell me with meebo
Drop my feed into bloglines, I'm so web 2.0

Are you blogging this?
Blogger blummy skobee ditto seekum suckingfish
Auctionmapper frappr zoomr feedwhip blish
Rollyo seekum previewseek swicki wink
Flickr scanr talkr cheapr soonr kitchen sink

All Ourmedia's confusing me
Maybe I need to read a Wikipedia entry

Are you blogging this?
Google froogle blogger SketchUp calculator talk
Code news catalogs academic search
Finance images video alerts
Mobile SMS picasa translate search

My visual DNA

2007-04-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

I got a nice idea from Ioana.
You can find out about me below and you can even find out your DNA.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

More details about new Google products

2007-04-02T05:20:00.000-07:00

Please read the previous post before!
Important details about a new wonder product from Google - free wireless broadband !!!

Then you can find here other interesting new products from Google :

http://www.google.com/tisp/notfound.html

Have FUN !

Google strikes again Free wireless broadband

2007-04-02T05:09:00.000-07:00

Wonder product from Google:

Free in-home wireless broadband service

Find all about it here:
http://www.google.com/tisp/index.html

Starting in April!!! Limited offer!

Super tool for blogging

2007-03-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

Google keeps on inventing !

Their crawler is constantly indexing pages. This way they can actually find categories of pages that are related to you page. And this way they can find related adds to your page and group them in categories.

Just check the "related pages" section on the right of the blog underneath the normal AdSense adds.

The Machine is Us/ing Us - Web 2.0

2007-03-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

Needs no comment.

Free Hugs

2007-03-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

Super inspirational.
Free Hugs Campaign:

Windows Vista lovers?

2007-03-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

I found an interesting article on BoingBoing.

Seems that there are a looooot of Vista lovers in this world ;)

Czech painter Jeremiah Palecek has created these Vista error message stickers ("The Operation Completed Successfully") that are the right size to stick over the Vista screens in bus-shelter ads and the like.

Isn't this ironic?

Bush uses Google :))))

2007-03-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

OMG!
Even Bush uses Google!

Sergey Brin - one of Google's founders

2007-03-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

Interview with Sergey Brin, one of Google's founders:

First Googler in Romania

2007-03-29T04:01:00.000-07:00

Radu Tudorache is the first Google employee in Romania.
More details about this in the article from hotnews.

Ten Things - Google

2007-03-29T00:36:00.000-07:00

Ten things Google has found to be true

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow.

2. It's best to do one thing really, really well.

3. Fast is better than slow.

4. Democracy on the web works.

5. You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer.

6. You can make money without doing evil.

7. There's always more information out there.

8. The need for information crosses all borders.

9. You can be serious without a suit.

10. Great just isn't good enough.

Music bands ilustration - Virgin

2007-03-28T01:15:00.000-07:00

Because we all love music... And Virgin ;)
Hope you will find some of your favorite bands in it.
Download the picture for better viewing.

I would like to fly

2007-03-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of NBA. My all time favourite player is Vince Carter.
This guy is amazing. He can fly!
Have look:

Steve Jobs

2007-03-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

This is a classic: Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005
I think it influences a lot if Romanian students. More and more Romanian students think that academic studies are not enough to be able to have successful live and that is why most of them start working before graduating.
I think this is a good thing given the fact that there is a major shortage on the Romanian qualified workforce right now.
It is also very encouraging for the people who want to start their own business.

STAY HUNGRY! STAY FOOLISH!

Have fun watching it:

Google Philosophy

2007-03-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

This will be the first post from a series of posts dedicated to Google as I see it.
Many people love Google because it's trendy. And because it's easy to love something that's part of your life and helps you day by day. I will try to have a deeper view on what Google means.

I will quote some of the things written on Google's website that I don't know how many people read before. I ope it will be useful for those who want to get a better understanding on the online phonomen and on Google who is one of the main actors in this scene.

Quoting from Google's website:
Never settle for the best
"The perfect search engine," says Google co-founder Larry Page, "would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want." Given the state of search technology today, that's a far-reaching vision requiring research, development and innovation to realize. Google is committed to blazing that trail. Though acknowledged as the world's leading search technology company, Google's goal is to provide a much higher level of service to all those who seek information, whether they're at a desk in Boston, driving through Bonn, or strolling in Bangkok.

To that end, Google has persistently pursued innovation and pushed the limits of existing technology to provide a fast, accurate and easy-to-use search service that can be accessed from anywhere. To fully understand Google, it's helpful to understand all the ways in which the company has helped to redefine how individuals, businesses and technologists view the Internet.

In the next posts I will present "Ten things Google has found to be true"

English speakers in Romania

2007-03-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

I just launched this blog and already there were many people that asked me why am I posting in English.

The answer is simple. I believe that "Generation .ro", the generation of young talented Romanians is a group of people with international mindset and fluent in English and other international languages.

I think that this is essential for Romania's future. This is one of our greatest assets in the competitive global market.
And NO, by this I don't mean that they should emigrate to other countries and have a better future. By this I mean that Romania can become the new Singapore of Central and Eastern Europe. Romania can become the regional hub where most of the multinational companies could base their HQ for CEE.

Romanians have really good foreign languages skills. The research done by the "Owners Association of the Software and Service Industry" denotes that English is spoken by 5 million Romanians, French is spoken by 4-5 million, and German, Italian and Spanish are each spoken by 1-2 million people.

Find the full conclusions of the research here.

Romania will become the economic centre of the of the Central and Eastern Europe. We are one the right way. It is up to us to make it happen.

Online shopping 2 - company level

2007-03-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

I already wrote about the way I do my shopping online as a person. I usually spend more than half of my shopping budget on items that I buy from different websites.

Now I want to give another example of how online shopping works. I work in a company with 8 other young people. We have a pretty good IT infrastructure:
- 4 desktops and 5 laptops
- all connected through a wireless network
- fax, scanner, printer, etc.
All these items have been bought online through the biggest Romanian online IT e-shop: www.emag.ro

Besides this we also use online catering services. We usually order chinese food. But sometimes we might feel in the mood for something different and that's why we use www.culinar.ro to find other offers.

All the products are a lot cheaper and we don't need to waste our time: they are delivered to our office free of charge. This way we can be more productive and we don't have to waste our time with endless shopping trips.

Blogging CAN make a diffrence !!

2007-03-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

I just saw one of the most impressive stories about how blogging can make a difference.
I was visiting CISCO's website - The Human Network.

And I read this impressive story:
"Earlier last year, I had an idea: build 35 houses for victims of violence in Colombia, which would take up to 200 people off the streets. My goal was to raise the money myself and hire locals to do the work. I created a blog to share information about the project, and soon had up to to 15,000 visitors per month. I raised $170,000, and none of this would have happened without the blog."
Read the full story on Human Network website
It also has a nice video about Dave's story.

And here is Dave's Blog:
http://www.helpdavechangelives.org/

This is really amazing!

Online Social Networks

2007-03-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Let's hear what Business Week has to say about Online Social Networks for businesses:
"Social networks aren't just for teens anymore. Executives and companies are increasingly using online social networks for a wide range of activities including recruiting, branding, advertising, sales, business development, market research and customer service. There are a number of social networks designed for executives, including LinkedIn, Ryze, OpenBC and Ecademy. Other firms are creating their own social networks to keep in contact with both company alumni and customers"

PS: My favorite is for sure linkedIn.
You can see my linked in profile:
linkedin.com/in/caesar

The way companies use social networks such as linkedin

Online shopping

2007-03-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of shopping. I like to buy things.
But I hate traveling from one store to another. Hey... I even hate walking inside the big stores sometimes.

That's why I started to buy online. Because I can find anything I want in one place without even having to walk 10 meters. Hey... I don't even have to get out of home.

Unfortunately online shops are not very developed in Romania. But... as Romanian Internet users are very ingenious ... they found a nice solution for this. It is called okazii: www.okazii.ro

I started using this site about one year ago. In one year I bought from okazii or other online shpos:
- a laptop and everything to go with it: laptop bag, mouse, webcam, headset, etc.
- a jacuzzi machine
- about a dozen books
- super cool sport clothes and sport shoes (I am an NBA fan)
- 3 Mp3 players (I gave 2 of them as a gift)
- a photo camera and a memory card
- 2 mobile phones with all the necessary things (memory card, hands-free, etc.)
- I bought online the plane tickets for all my internal and external flights
- and many many other things

More than half of my non-food shopping in last year was done online.

There are plenty of reasons to shop online:
- you don't have to run from one shop to another
- you have a bigger and more diverse offer
- you can make better comparison between the product/services you want to buy
- you can ask other users for neutral opinions about the product before buying it
- most of the time you can find online products that you cannot find elsewhere
- most of the tings are cheaper and better
- if you did not find anything in the shops you already knew you have to return home empty-handed. Online you can always look for new shops very easy. Just google it :)

It's still almost impossible to buy your groceries online for now... but for the hi-tech and other non-food products, online shopping will be the best solution for more and more people.

Generation .ro is already shopping online! What are YOU waiting for?

Best IT Employers in Romania

2007-03-23T03:05:00.000-07:00

Romania is changing these days. The living standard is growing every day. Everything is ghanging for the better. At least this is valid in Bucharest and in some other important cities in Romania: Timisoara, Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Brasov, etc.
And one of the most important factors for this growth is the IT sector. IT companies and IT specialists are bringing and producing wealth in Romania.

I am not an IT specialist but I have a special interest in IT companies. Most of our clients are IT companies. Most of the recruitment we do is for IT companies.

Recently we printed a very interesting guide - "IT&C Employers". Some of the best IT Employers in Romania presented their opportunities for students and graduates.

Companies that appear in the guide: Arhitected Business Solutions(ABS), Accenture, Brainspotting, BRD-GSG, Capgemini, Cosmote, Eserv Global Telecom, Freescale, Genesys, Genpact, IBM, Hostway, ITC Networks, IXIA, LLP Bucharest, Forte Business Services, Lyngsoe Systems, Rompetrol, Microsoft, Romtelecom, Tornado, TotalSoft, UPC Astral, Xerox, ZAPP.

If you want, you can download it in pdf format from the following link:
IT&C Employers

one more reason to love Google

2007-03-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

One picture equals a thousand words !!!

Generation .ro manifesto

2007-03-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

I live in Romania in 2007 - the land of opportunities.

I am part of the "Generation .ro". Or you could also name it "Generation www.ro"

I have a good life, I have a good job and I can afford most of the things I want. Unlike my parents.
I have free access to any information I want. I can buy almost anything I ever imagined. I only lack time to do all the things I would want to do.

I spend 30% of my time sleeping and 50% of my time on the Internet.

If I want to enrich my life I use Google.
I don't understand those who don't use Google. How can you live?

Here is my generation's advice for you:
just fucking google it!