April 18,2012 No Enough Space Provided For Encoders By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Why is it that some of internet cafes that are established in Maasin seem to for get providing the encoders with enough space in every functional computer that i s installed in separate cubi- les?.Why is it that lights./bulbs were installed w ithout putting into considerations if those lights were properly placed in an ar ea which will ma e the letters on eyboards clear to the eyes of the users? Why ? Is it not that the main purpose of opening up such internet businesses is to s erve the needs of users, including encoders, who some of them are also writers/b loggers? I have visited many internet cafes to see if I could find some where enough spac es beside operational computers were provided to place comfortably our pages of written articles. I have found two internet cafes that provide spaces to put som e pages for encoding. However, the lights are not properly placed that would ma e the letters on eybo ards clear to see. User/users still need a flashlight to ma e the letters appear clear on the computer eyboards for easy typing/encoding of the articles; altho ugh flashlight could be placed on either left or right side of the cubicle. It w ould be much better if sodium bulbs were properly positioned to provide sufficie nt light for the encoders.

There must be separate rooms d not be mingled with adults ding some documents. In this n could be avoided and there

for the computer games for the children. They shoul who are doing some research in the internet or enco way pestering disturbances from the playing childre is order and peace.

Still other problem among the internet cafes is that those who are in-charged se em to economize on the use of electricity. They either minimized or switched off the power. The gradual reduction of the aircons coolness that would eventually f ade away would be replaced with another ind of odor. An odor that emits unpleasant smell will overwhelm the sensitivity of some poten tial customers who have possessed odor-sensitive noses. This condition would tur ned them off or be discouraged to stay for long and would just bac ed out. I have as ed some of those inside the internet cafes where the aircons coolness h ave disappeared after it were switched off. What prevailed was the unpleasant od or. They admitted that they have smelled the unpleasant odor but they seem able to tolerate it without feeling dizzy or nauseated.

There were also two or s with the coolness of existing emissions are me is that despite the

three internet cafs where a bad odor prevailed simultaneou an operational aircons.Most of this ind of simultaneous common among small spaces internet cafes. What surprised aforesaid unpleasantness of condition inside, some young

Although in some occasions there are high school students who would play games i n the computers who acted also li e children, ma ing the internet caf li e a mar etplace with their noise and occasional shouts! This also must be shunned since li e the children, they will li ewise distract those who are doing some serious attention to what they were doing.

Another problem is that some internet cafes would allow children to play games l oudly to the distraction of some internet users who might be doing research wor s or writers who are encoding their articles for corrections and editing.

and adult users seemed unaffected by the annoying smell. Does it mean that these particular users have become immune to the odor? One time as I entered in a small-space internet cafe, a now common bad odor gree ted me. Ive tried to endure and resisted its unpleasantness. An article that I wa s about to encode was already been delayed for posting. So I started typing what I have written. I have finished encoding it after about two hours. When I began to correct my wor the feeling of nausea has crept in. But I still tried to end ure and went on with my editing. Yet, in spite of my efforts to go on I was seiz ed by the feeling of dizziness and felt li e I was going to vomit. As I can no l onger hold my discomfiture I informed the in-charged man that I wanted to go out . At that moment I was not able to finish what I did. I also as ed a lady wor ing in an optical where I bought a new frame for my grad ed eyeglasses about this bad smell common inside the internet cafes. As a user h erself for her social networ ing activity, she confessed that she has li ewise e xperienced smelling bad odor from time to time whenever she entered an internet caf.Nevertheless, she said that she can bear it but would have avoided the place if there is another internet caf where this common bad smell is nowhere in existe nce. Some internet operators use air fresheners attached to the aircons.Although some users li e its smell, there are also those who do not li e it.Besides,air fresh eners fragrance in varied degrees is not a natural smell. Most of it are chemical -derives. Besides, regular or frequent inhalation of this bad odor or unpleasant smell is bad for our health.IC owners should see assistance from medical experts and exp ert aircon technicians on how to maintain a non-bad smell within the confines of internet cafes for their own sa e and for their users/customers.

One time I as ed an EENT doctor about my wea ness. She as ed if my graded eyegla sses are still o ay. I told her, it is. She said theres the probability that my n ose is sensitive to bad odor or bad smell. And that staying long inside an inter net caf would defends upon my resistance to the unpleasant atmosphere. This common bad smell can also be found inside some ban s and government and pri vate offices when their aircons are switched off. Dont get me wrong. Im not agains t any ind of business that serves the interest of the public users/consumers. W hat we are tal ing here are the facts and realities occurring in various interne t cafes, for sure not only in Maasin, but also in other cities and municipalitie s, that needs solutions, and not to be ignored by concerned owners/operators. Yours truly li ewise do not li e the fragrance emitted by most of the air fresh eners, regardless of where it was placed to drive away the bad odor. However, th ere is a ind of air freshener/s now use by a Cebu-based business recently estab lished here in Maasin that emits pleasant-to-the-nose fragrance. It has no hint or implication of ma ing odor-sensitive noses to feel dizzy or nauseated. Some c ustomers/window shoppers can even stay inside the huge and spacious Supermar et for three to four hours without feeling any unpleasantness from its emission. In contrast to the other existing reality here, even the owners/operators of int ernet cafes themselves are well-aware of this now common unpleasant odor prevail ing inside their cafes. Li e their customers, they have also inhaled the bad sme ll, though bearably tolerating it while inside. On my part, I still have to find an internet owner who has possessed a highly odor-sensitive nose li e mine and would have to feel dizzy or nauseating.

Is the bad smell a by-product of an aircons faded coolness after it was switched off? Or is it not the accumulative dusts suc ed up by the functioning aircon mac hine that caused the prevailing bad smell? If this is the case, then owners/oper ators of internet cafes including managers of ban s and heads of offices either government or private should set a regular schedule for cleaning their aircons i ncluding the insides of the edifices. Say every first or second month. Lets see i f this procedure will effectively eradicate the bad odor that all internet users have experienced. If IC owners, ban managers and heads of offices will be succ essful in doing this, we should also be glad that a solution has finally acted u pon. On the other hand, if after all the regular cleaning of aircons and inside rooms and spaces, the un- pleasant smell would still prevail as the aircons coolness f aded away, then internet owners must see help from the Metro Gaisano Manager/ow ner if their ind of air freshener/s they have used in their chain of stores in the Visayas and Mindanao can also be used effectively in internet cafes. Additionally, an expert in cooling system unfolded that aircon machines would re -use and recycle repeatedly the air inside a room or internet cafe until the air itself will become stale. He explained that the stale air, accumulated dust and other dirt suc ed up by the aircon during the process of air re-using and recyc ling, unthrown wastes inside trash cans, different natural odors being released by the individual users, exposures of bad odor feet while using the computer and some related elements are contributories to bad smell, including dirty linen (i f there are any) inside are the main culprit. With this revelation, it is utterly apparent that operators/in-charged of intern et cafes must ma e schedules for conscientious regular monthly cleaning of their business establishments. While conducting general cleanings, windows and doors should be wide opened to let out the bad air and allow fresh air to come in. Installing two exhaust fans for each internet caf on either side of the office wo uld be better than just one exhaust fan. This is to hasten the exhaustion of bad smell. If IC owners have noticed that air released by their aircon machines is no longer cool, its time to call the aircon technicians to chec the Freons conta iners if a certain element/substance use to convert ordinary air into cool air i s still enough or needed replacements; or if their aircons are already defective and needed repair. In all inds of business endeavors, owners/operators should always put priority to their targeted customers as they construct their buildings or edifices: how t he lights should be properly installed that would ma e comfortable to them while inside the building and feel fresh whenever possible. Conducive environment and cozy atmosphere and other amenities that owners can offer are important measure s that would attract more and more customers/users to patronize their businesses . .(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)