Abstract: The intelligent embedded agricultural robotic system is a low cost and efficient microcontroller robot which include; A soil moisture monitoring system which monitors the moisture content of the soil in the various parts of the field and the measured data to a microcontroller unit which in turn displays the received data on a Liquid Crystal Display to determine when to irrigate or spray the farm field. An automatic car, which follows a path designed in the field, i.e., a white (...) line on a black surface integrated with a spraying and irrigating mechanism for carrying out agricultural spray and irrigation. An automatic solar tracking system that tracks the sun’s position for maximum light intensity was used to charge the DC 12V battery which was used to power to the robotic system. A refilling system with obstacle detection feature was used for refilling water, chemical or fertilizer spray in the spraying and irrigating tank integrated with the line follower robotic system. This embedded system is useful for farmers who wish to monitor the soil moisture content of the field, and automate spraying and irrigation purposes at low costs and higher efficiency. (shrink)

The COVID-19 pandemic paved the way for the emergence of the Boys’ Love (BL) theme and genre throughout various media platforms, causing disruptive visibility to the narratives and representation of gays (Andrada in an interview by Antonio, 2021; Ting, 2020). This disruption may have started a dialogue in social media, but this dialogue was only a limited attempt given that most of the discussions have stereotypical representations of gay men (Celso, 2020). This study analyzes how humor was applied in the (...) online comic, SariSari Story, and how humor is used in the portrayal of the gay characters in this online comic. The analysis uses Grice’s (2012) pragmatic framework of conversational maxims: quality, quantity, manner, and relation. Humor was indicated in the non-observance of one or more maxim(s), which, then, caused the implicatures. The study found that the most non-observed maxims were quantity, manner, and relation. The prominent type of humor present in the comic was the Freudian slip, where the slips contained sexual metaphors mostly associated with the characters’ sexual desires towards each other. As an example of the BL genre, the Sari-Sari Story online comic stereotyped its presentation of gay characters as hypersexual in their relationships with each other. In this, it deviated from the conventions of the Pinoy BL present in the mainstream media. (shrink)

Sa bawat aklatan o sabihin pang mga bookstores, hindi talaga nawawala ang sikat na sikat na mga aklat ni Ambeth Ocampo. Isa na rito ang labintatlong tomo ng Looking Back na tumatalakay sa iba’t ibang paksa sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas. Noong mga panahong nag-aaral pa ang may-akda sa PUP ng kursong Kasaysayan, walong serye pa lamang ng Looking Back ang nailathala at sabihin pang nabasa niya—Looking Back (2010); Dirty Dancing (2010); Death by Garrote (2010); Chulalongkorn’s Elephants: The Philippines in (...) Asian History (2011); Rizal’s Teeth, Bonifacio’s Bones (2012); Prehistoric Philippines (2012); Storm Chasers (2014); at Virgin of Balintawak (2014). Hindi naglaon, tila bagang isang palos ang pagkakalathala ng mga sumunod pang mga akda—Demonyo in Tables: History in Artifacts (2015); Two Lunas, Two Mabinis (2015); Independence X6 (2016); Quezon’s Sukiyaki (2016); at Guns of the Katipunan (2017). Sa mga nabanggit na akda ni Ambeth Ocampo, ang Chulalongkorn’s Elephants: The Philippines in Asian History ang higit na pinagtuunan ng pansin at diin ng rebyuwer. Sa kasalukuyang pagkakataon, ilalatag ng rebyuwer sa papel na ito ang kanyang mga natatanging komendasyon (kalakasan) at kritik (kahinaan) hinggil sa 102-pahinang aklat ni Ocampo. Sisipatin din ang kanyang pagkakadalumat sa ugnayan ng Pilipinas sa mga Asyanikong bansa na siya naman talagang dapat maging tunguhin ng rebyung ito. (shrink)