Google Buzz: FriendFeed in Gmail

Google Buzz strikes me as a lightweight clone of FriendFeed integrated into Gmail. That’s not surprising when you consider FriendFeed’s origins: the founders are all former Google employees. While FriendFeed remains a marvelous service — it was recently acquired by Facebook — it never saw much adoption beyond the geek set. Mainstream Internet users have yet to wrap their brains around the concept introduced by FriendFeed in 2007: social media aggregation.

Google Buzz could finally bridge that conceptual chasm, racing out the gate with a combination of four very powerful advantages: Click here to continue reading "Google Buzz: FriendFeed in Gmail"...

Filipina-German Cosplayer Jessica Ouano

Alodia Gosiengfiao isn’t the only Filipina cosplayer rising to international fame. The upcoming photobook Otacool 2: Worldwide Cosplayers features not one, but two Filipinas on the cover. Joining Alodia on the cover is Filipina-German cosplayer Jessica Ouano.

Cosplay is a portmanteau combining two words: costume and roleplay. Hailing from the island of Cebu, home of many a beautiful Filipina, fifteen-year-old Jessica shows great promise as a cosplayer with her amazing costumes and captivating portrayals.

As with many anime and game cosplayers, Jessica’s immersion in otaku culture adds to the enthusiasm of her portrayals. She counts Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection among her favorite games, and Gundam Seed’s Lacus Clyne among her anime idols.

Check out Jessica’s renditions of fictional characters both modern and classic: Sheryl Nome from the anime Macross Frontier, Gwendolyn from the role-playing game Odin Sphere, and Alice from the novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She even reprises Alodia’s portrayal of Haruhi from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Click here to continue reading "Filipina-German Cosplayer Jessica Ouano"...