Geeks on a Beach 4th Event to be Held on August 25-26 in Panglao, Bohol

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Geeks on a Beach (GOAB), the international tech and startup convention will have its fourth run in Panglao, Bohol, Philippines this August 25-26, 2016.

“Geeks on a Beach” (GOAB) is a unique international conference featuring the cutting-edge of the tech world in a laid-back atmosphere. With the theme “Empowering startups, leading change”, GOAB4 will once more highlight communities of startups or innovation-driven enterprises based on software or apps, which have seen remarkable growth in the Philippines in the last few years. GOAB has greatly contributed in empowering Philippine startups.

“We are looking at startups taking the lead in strategically leveraging opportunities offered by a bigger regional market of ten countries with some 617 million people and a combined GDP of US $2.1 trillion opened up by the Asean integration,” said Mon ​Ibrahim​, Innovation Consultant, Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT).

Organized by TechTalks.ph and the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) and co-presented by PLDT SME Nation, Ideaspace, PLDT Innolab and SmartDevNet, the 4th annual GOAB gathering will be held at the Bellevue Resort Hotel in Panglao, Bohol, Philippines.

Some of the brightest minds in the industry from the USA, Singapore and other countries will be on hand at the 2016 GOAB. Invited to speak in the confab are Techstars Co-founder and Managing Partner David Brown, Startup Weekend Co-founder Marc Nager, Chris McCann of Greylock Partners, Crowdsourcing Week Founder and CEO Epi Ludvik Nekaj, ​500 Startups Managing Partner/Investor Khailee Ng, 500 Startups Corporate Innovation Director Arnaud Bonzom, Zalora Philippines Managing Director Constantine Robertz, PLDT SME Nation Head of Community Partnerships Francis Oliva, Ideaspace.ph Managing Director Diane Eustaquio, ​TechTalks.ph Chief Content Officer Robert Cristobal, Citrix Principal UX Designer Philip McKay, and STAC Silicon Valley President Cristina Laskowski.

Tina Amper, founder of TechTalks.ph who has been instrumental in conceptualizing GOAB said those who are into digital technology, web design, and innovation should not miss this opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the industry and meet the key players in the tech startup world.

“The Philippines’ remarkable work-play environment complemented by the famous Filipino hospitality and a unique cultural mix of East and West makes it the natural cultural doorway to the ​ASEAN​ for geeks and investors alike,” said Amper.

GOAB is held in partnership with Bohol Provincial Government, Tagbilaran City, HappyGaraje, Sym.ph, and PR Works. This year's official airline partner is Philippines AirAsia. Silver Sponsors are Zalora, Mynimo, Teradoor, PouchNation, A Space and Infocomm Investments, while Bronze Sponsors are Yoyo Holdings, Payoneer, Eurekloud, USAID-STRIDE, Eastern Communications, RTI International, Piktochart, Office of Senator Bam Aquino, Department of Tourism, Launchgarage, US Embassy, Microsoft and StarTechUp Inc. Major organizational partners areInternet.org by Facebook and FbStart. GOAB organizational partners are Philippines Software Industry Association, National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, UP CebuInit.org, CedFIT.org, Game Developers Association of the Philippines, Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines, Developers Connect, STAC Silicon Valley and GoNegosyo. Media partners are Auza.Net, Tech in Asia, Geeks in Cambodia, Hubnob.tv, InnoPub Media, Mytechisland.com, Zerothreetwo.com, Jumpstart Magazine, Mobile Ecosystem Forum, Asian Journal Publications, Balikbayan Magazine, Innovation is Everywhere, e27, Newsdesk Asia, Wazzup Pilipinas, Escooped.com,Istorya.net, Expat Philippines, PayPerClick.ph, TopTen.ph and Our Awesome Planet. GOAB founding sponsors are Smart, Smart Bro, Smart Devnet, Ideaspace, Mynimo.com, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, STAC Silicon Valley, Islands, Istorya.net, GT Cosmetics, Chef on Demand and Ng Khai Development Corporation.

Internet.org by Facebook will be hosting the “Happy Hour” closing party on the last day of the 2-day event. Facebook will present Internet.orgin one of the GOAB special sessions on Thursday. Internet.org’s mission is to make the world more open and connected by developing a range of solutions to address connectivity barriers such as accessibility, affordability and awareness—in hopes that one day, everyone will be connected.

GOAB participants include a mix of software professionals, developers, designers, startups, tech/startup enthusiasts, business professionals, investors, the government, academe and various organizations supporting the innovation community in the Philippines.

“We are excited to have this fruitful collaboration with Internet.org by Facebook. We are happy that an initiative by a startup that has really made it big has gone out of its way to help GOAB empower other startups,” said Dave Overton, GOAB Chief Geek and Founder/CEO of Sym.ph.

For more information, to sponsor or purchase tickets, visit, www.GeeksOnABeach.com; or contact Hello@GeeksOnABeach.com. Facebook: Geeks On A Beach and Twitter @GeeksOnABeach.

Shoot, Eat and Run at The Bistro Group of Restaurants

Wazzup Pilipinas! 

Citibank and Zomato recently organized a food run at 12 Bistro Group of restaurants for foodies. The food run featured feasting on the many appetizers, starters, salads,  and other delightful dishes of  all 12 Bistro Group of restaurants at selected branches namely 6 in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Tagig city, 2 in Greenbelt in Makati city, and 4 at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) complex in Pasay city.

The food run is part of the promotional effort of the companies to invite Citibank cardholders to take advantage of the 30% off on selected Bistro Group of restaurant dishes. This is also to encourage non-Citibank cardholders to avail of the credit card if they want to experience the unique gastronomic adventure too.

Citibank has been known to offer their clients superb deals and this is just one of their many perks for their valued cardholders.

Shoot, eat and run - for we had to visit 6 restaurants per half day starting at 2 pm. This happened for two days making it a total of 12 restaurants of the Bistro Group. Needless to say it was a heavenly food coma where I would gladly keep sleeping if it will go on for more than two days. I'm excited for a similar food run in the coming days....and knowing Zomato, they would surely repeat this gastronomic adventure.

Ed Stafford Marooned Again in Palawan on Discovery Channel

Wazzup Pilipinas!
Adventurer and survivalist Ed Stafford is back, pushing his survival skills to the limit and pitting himself once again versus Mother Nature in the brand new second season of MAROONED, premiering August 30, 8:10pm on Discovery Channel. Watch as Ed tackles six new challenges in which he is left high and dry in some of the most inhospitable and extreme environments – equipped with nothing but an emergency phone, medical kit and his camera to record his adventures.

Shot in remote locations ranging from the arid and rocky Gobi Desert in Mongolia to the tropical jungles of Guatemala and the Namibian bushveld, each location presents a unique and deadly test as Ed strives to not just survive, but thrive in some of the world’s toughest environments.

Having become the first man to walk the length of the Amazon in an incredible 860 day feat featured in Discovery Channel series WALKING THE AMAZON, and having spent 60 days alone with just a camera on a desert island for NAKED AND MAROONED, Ed is back again, putting his life in danger as he proves to himself that he can devise a plan to survive in any environment.

Helen Hawken, Vice President Production & Development at Discovery Networks International, commented: “This new season captures Ed doing what he does best – pushing his survival skills to the limits in his true inimitable style. Despite crossing the Amazon and spending 60 days alone on a deserted island, Ed still manages to prove that he can survive and even thrive in even more inhospitable terrains than ever before.”

MAROONED is produced for Discovery Networks International by Tigress Productions. For Discovery Networks International, Helen Hawken is commissioning editor and Tom Gorham is executive producer. For Tigress Productions, Dick Colthurst is executive producer and Tim Walker is series producer.

Marooned With Ed Stafford 2 – Series Description

On the back of his incredible 860-day feat traversing the jungle featured in Discovery Channel series Walking the Amazon and 60 days spent alone with just a camera on a desert island for Naked and Marooned, Ed Stafford faced eight of the world’s toughest environments in Marooned and is now back with this all-new second installment of the series.

In each self-contained episode of Marooned, Ed goes into isolation for approximately 10 days in a remote and potentially deadly location. He’s completely on his own – unless extreme circumstances take hold. All he’s got is a camera to capture his adventure and his survival know-how.

There are critical things every survivor must master in their first few days, starting with water, shelter, food and fire. Ed must rapidly assess his situation and draw up a survival plan that takes him beyond the basics to being in control of himself and his environment. No two episodes are the same as Ed confronts challenges unique to each environment that require him to use every survival trick in the book.

Each location – Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, Guatemala and Namibia – arid rocky desert, tropical jungle, and unique African forest – is difficult and dangerous in a different way and requires Ed to adopt different strategies in each place.

Episode Descriptions

Philippines – Tuesday 30^Th August (PH 8.10pm)

Ed is in The Philippines, on Coron Island, attempting to survive on a secluded beach. The seashore is covered in litter, potentially useful for survival but a depressing reminder of the state of our seas. Ed hasn’t been abandoned on an island since his ordeals on Naked and Marooned and when he gets seriously ill, he starts to struggle with ghosts from the past.  Lying on his sick bed of palm leaves, Ed realizes that if he doesn’t push himself to find water and food quickly this survival mission is over. But hemmed in by towering granite cliffs he’s concerned there may be no water to be found.

Argentine Patagonia – Tuesday 6^th September (PH 8.10pm)

Dropped deep in the foothills of the Andes in Argentine Patagonia, Ed faces extreme exposure to both intense sunlight and freezing temperatures as the southern hemisphere unleashes a torrent of meteorological abuse at him. Making camp in a mountain river valley, he subsists on a diet of wild woodland salad, tadpoles and ant eggs before getting to grips with tickling trout in the fish-rich waters. In a final demonstration of thriving, he builds an automated fishing system and creates a living larder to keep his food source alive in preparation for a final evening mega-meal.

Norway – Tuesday 13^th September (PH 8.10pm)

Ed changes course and heads north towards the Arctic Circle being dropped on top of a snow covered mountain in the western fjords of Norway. This is the first time Marooned has ever been to a truly cold location. The conditions are so extreme/cold that Ed is compelled to wear clothes, but as usual takes no food, tools or knife. Before entering isolation Ed undergoes special ice training to prepare him for the dangers that lie ahead.  He faces a new set of challenges having to build a shelter that will protect him from the inhospitable weather and battling to keep his fire alight on the sodden ground.  He’s under constant risk of hypothermia and the rising spring tide threatens his home.

Talent Biography: Ed Stafford

Ed Stafford is the Guinness World Record holding first man to walk the length of the Amazon River, a journey documented in the Discovery Channel series Walking the Amazon. Ed is an established adventurer and survivalist for Discovery, presenting – and self-filming – flagship series such as Marooned and Into the Unknown.

Born in Peterborough, England, Ed was adopted as a baby by his parents Jeremy and Barbara Stafford. Educated at Stoneygate School, Leicester, Uppingham School in Rutland, and at Newcastle University, Ed earned a position in the prestigious commissioning course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned as a British Army Officer in July 1999.

Ed went on to command platoons in the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, gaining his Northern Ireland medal in 2000 for his tour of Crossmaglen, South Armagh. Ed’s happiest military years were spent as an instructor at RTC Lichfield where he oversaw several hundred Army recruits through their basic training. Ed left the military in 2002 as a captain.

After leaving the Army, Ed used his leadership and outdoor skills as an expedition leader with the former charity Trekforce. He led groups of volunteers on community and conservation expeditions into the jungles of Belize, Guatemala and Borneo, and was eventually promoted to Country Director of Trekforce in Belize, overseeing all in-country operations.

Following a role as a United Nations contractor advising UN electoral workers on planning, logistics and security during Afghanistan’s first ever presidential elections, Ed decided to return to expeditions. Ed took on a new challenge – setting up extreme cold weather expeditions in Patagonia, Argentina, for the expedition company GVI. Ed was Director of Programmes in Argentina and ran the Argentinian branch of GVI, carrying out scientific research projects and Northern Ice Cap traverses in Chile.

In 2007, Ed was offered work with the BBC’s Natural History Unit. Ed was contracted to fly into Guyana and manage the construction of a filming base camp in the heart of the Guyanese rainforest. Ed managed 35 Amerindians over this construction period then became the camp’s logistics manager when the film crew arrived nine weeks later to start filming Lost Land of the Jaguar, in which Ed appears briefly giving a safety brief to the presenters in the opening program.

In Ed’s first program with Discovery, Walking the Amazon, he took on an 860-day trek along the Amazon River. This was the longest jungle expedition ever attempted and the first time in history that anyone has walked this entire route. His Guinness World Record breaking feat made headlines the world over and was described by Sir Ranulph Fiennes as ‘truly extraordinary…in the top league of expeditions past and present.’  It shifted Ed’s focus from managing and leading teams in dangerous environments to using his expedition skills to educate people about environmental matters and to inspire others to achieve the seemingly impossible.

In 2011, Ed was awarded ‘European Adventurer of the Year’ in a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden; and in 2012 he received the ‘Charlie Burton Award’ from Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ Transglobe Expedition Trust for outstanding bravery. He was also made a trustee of the same trust. Ed is an ambassador for the Scouts and a global ambassador for Land Rover.

Ed’s second series with Discovery, Naked and Marooned, saw him push his limits even further, spending 60 days alone on an island with only his bare hands to keep him alive. The first series of Marooned saw Ed face challenges in some of the most remote locations and extreme environments this planet has to offer; and he’s back for a second installment, in which he’ll once again push himself to his limit and beyond.

Interesting Trivia

Season 2 by the numbers: 9,600km journey on foot took 859 days to complete.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/no-food-no-tools-for-10-days

First cold weather experience on a survival show

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEGFL1imrQO/