Holy crap!

I was at the eCommerista Night 2.0 event last night at Mag:net cafe. Though the turnout wasn't as big as the last one, this one was still quite alright. I showed up with one of my business associates, and by the time the night was over, we already have at least three speakers lined up for our next few events, and the promise of future projects and collaborations.

Andrian Lee has always been such a fun speaker. What struck me was a little story he shared: that, recently, Facebook use in the UK has actually exceeded email usage.

Wow, that huge, huh?

And not entirely unbelievable, I suppose. Run a Google search on Facebook usage in the UK, and you can already get a feel of how widespread -as well as controversial- Facebook is.

Apparently, everyone in the UK is doing it- and is extremely hooked on it. Heck, if you have Facebook, you know it's easy to get addicted to it. So much so that companies have banned Facebook outright at the workplace. While BBC has, in a recent newscast, reported that employees should be allowed to use Facebook on breaks, during lunchtime- and the controversy just goes on.

So is it really a surprise that Facebook use can, one day, replace our need for email? We can email family, friends and colleagues on Facebook anyway, right? Lay down some smack on a few vampires, share and tag photos, give virtual drinks, and even flirt online?

Heck, I'm addicted myself. I've even RSS'ed Facebook straight into my Gmail accounts. That way, I don't miss out on the moment someone throws sheep at me. Whatever :)

More interesting facts: the Philippines accounts for one-third of all Friendster activity online, and up to a quarter of all worldwide activity on Multiply.

It's really all you need: Facebook, Multiply, and Friendster. OK, Myspace, if you have toh have a fourth one. Good God. Have we really too much spare time on our hands?

Ladies and gentlemen, I am the proud owner of a new Asus Eee PC! Just like the one in the pic to the right, except that 1> mine comes in black, and 2> no chick comes with the standard retail package. Check out the specs right here.

At any rate, it's charging now right next to me. Got it from Virra Mall earlier this afternoon.

Dang, I really couldn't help it. I first saw this baby at last Friday's Bloggers' Mix-up. A fellow blogger of ours- Juned, I believe- took out his brand new Asus Eee PC, and in just a short time, everyone was positively raving about the cute little thing. You can check out the pics taken by Noemi here, and even more pics here.

I got it for just a little over Php17,000.00. It's a great little toy if you want something compact (just about the size of a hardbound book), comfortably light (it weighs a little less than 1kg) and functional- especially if you're into blogging, doing a lot of presentations, or just working a lot outside the home or office.

Don't expect too much though: it doesn't have much hard disk space. The Linux-run models have about 4GB of space on them, but if you install XP on it, you'll probably be left with less than 2GB. Not much of a problem, since you can attach any array of removable media (whether a flash disk or a full external hard disk) through its three USB ports.

Despite the limited hard disk issues, the Asus Eee PC works like a charm: it allows you to go online, whether through a broadband cable or via wi-fi, thereby enabling you to go on Skype or Yahoo!, check out your mail, hit Facebook, watch videos on YouTube, and (most importantly) blog! Aside from the USB ports, it also has a card reader (who needs CD/DVD drives now?), a built-in camera, mike and speakers, and a solid-state disk for excellent shock protection.

Officially classified as a subnotebook, it's not hard to imagine the Eee PC to be an instant favorite not only by bloggers, but by students, regular office people, entrepreneurs- just about anyone who's into the market for a decent notebook or laptop.

Personally, the Eee PC works best with your other PCs (your home or office desktop will still be the mothership). It's not designed to be your main workstation; just the cute little computer you take with you when you're working on the go. Bring along some removable hard disks or flash disks, and you're pretty much set.

Let's see how this baby goes in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted.