Instigators Win 58-Hour Hack-a-Thon

The participants and the organizers strike a pose at the conclusion of Hack
the Climate. From the event's Facebook page

Team Instigators took home the grand prize after presenting the best environment-related app at the conclusion of Hack the Climate 2014 at the ARG Theater of the College of St. Benilde in Manila City.

The Instigators are behind "Tanaw", the web app where you can check-in at an environmental landmark ala-Foursquare and tell others about it and how to protect the place from possible destroyers. The team of Louis Michael Concepcion, Dominic Tuazon, and Michael Gutierrez won for themselves two Apple Macbook Pro computers.

Team Super User placed second and won US$800. Rounding the top five were Climate Savers, Sprout, and Animus.

The five groups won for themselves PHP100,000 worth of Microsoft products each.

Sprout was also hailed as the winner of the People's Choice Award after impressing 90 people in attendance for its project. Team Vito Crews placed second in the People's Choice race.

Four-Leaf Clover, Public Energy Number 1, and Team Be Aware got the nods for the NGO's Choice Award. Each team got an Apple iPod Touch.

Four-Leaf Clover made its hack-a-thon project available for Windows phones, and with that, Microsoft handed the team with Windows phones along with Idea 92.

Animus, for its one-of-a-kind game made for XBox 360 with Kinect, was also rewarded with a Windows phone.

The event, the first official Guinness world record attempt for the longest hack-a-thon, lasted for 58 hours, longer than its target of 56 hours.

PH Eyes for World Hack-a-Thon Record

The Philippines will initiate the first official world record attempt for the longest hack-a-thon event with the staging of Hack the Climate on June 6-8 at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in Manila City.

The coding marathon aims to devise apps by NGO's and government organizations for responding to the climate change.

A group of five ethical hackers, either an all-student group, an all-professional group, or a mix of students and pros can join.

The registration fee for the professionals is PHP350, while the students who will register will pay PHP250. Interested participants can register here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/hack-the-climate-manila-tickets-11690728283.

The winning group will receive US$800 (about PHP34,000), two Apple Macbook Pro computers, Dell 10" Netbooks, three Apple iPods, and five Windows Phones.

According to Jacob Scheer, one of the organizers of the event, the event was inspired when he met with a college friend about how they can help solve the problems of climate change.

Elaine Cedillo, another co-organizer, aims at a 56-hour hack-a-thon, better than the previous Philippine record of 54 hours.

This event is presented by Princeton University Pace Center for Civic Engagement, De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, Rappler's Move.PH, Smart DevNet, GreenPeace, Redraw the Line, The Climate Reality Project, and IdeaSpace PH.

Boyet De Leon Enters Theater Prod Through "Lorenzo"

Yes! There's a robot in the play "Lorenzo", which is mostly set in the 17th
century.

Veteran actor Christopher De Leon officially ventures to the theater production scene as his Green Wings Entertainment, in cooperation with the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, presents "Lorenzo", a three-act "play-in-a-play" featuring two people bearing the same name.

Enter Laurence Ruiz, played by O.J. Mariano. A former theater actor who tried his luck overseas, Laurence was jailed and sentenced to death for killing his employer.

While in jail, Laurence once questioned God for his hardships, but in the end he found peace and comfort in Him. So when a reporter (Camille Medina) came to interview him, Laurence told the media person that he just finished a play depicting the life of the one who inspired him in facing his current situation, San Lorenzo Ruiz, played by Lorenz Martinez, who happened to be exactly Laurence's real name too.

According to Boyet, as how many call Christopher De Leon, this is a story about standing up for your faith, especially in repentance and finding the peace in times of storms in Christ.

Martinez, on the other hand, finds his first professional Tagalog play challenging. A veteran in the English theater scene, he, in spite of venturing an uncharted territory, had fun doing the rehearsals.

Also, since many know about San Lorenzo Ruiz's martyrdom in Japan, the creative team, led by director Nonon Padilla and musical director Ryan Cayabyab, opted to bring some taste of the Japanese culture known by Filipinos.

With that, they came up with an idea of having a manga strip in one scene in Act 2, and they even created a Gundam-inspired robot to be used in the third act.

Also in the cast are veteran stage actress Shiela Valderrama (Rosario), That's Entertainment alumnus Brylle Mondejar (Courtet), and Pinoy Dream Academy runner-up Miguel Mendoza (Fr. Miguel).

Lorenzo runs from today until September 14, every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, at the SDA Theater of CSB along Pablo Ocampo St. in Manila City. The matinee is set at 1:00 PM, while the gala is at 6:00 PM.

For ticket inquiries, call TicketWorld at (02)8919999 or visit the play's official website at lorenzorocks.com.