My New Love

That's a DELL Inspiron 1525 Notebook people. A budget-machine that packs enough punch for a non-gaming machine to be branded cool (especially for college students like me!). This baby's got 3 gigs of RAM along with 250GB HD among a host of other cool features like Integrated web cam, card reader, DVD writer and not to mention Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 processor running at 2Ghz. So, all in all, it was a pretty good deal I got at best buy and am extremely happy with it so far.

Needless to say, it is the object of my affection these days. It has a sleek silverish look to it that I really really like. You can read its full review here.

So, Mushy Goes

So, Mushy finally gave in to all the pressure and decided to leave his post before they put him on trial. Let's make one thing clear folks, I used to be a die-hard Musharraf supporter back in his early days because the country enjoyed a lot of stability in those days, and in turn, we made great strides economically. All this talk of impeachment just puts a wry smile on my face. Sure, I have left no stone unturned in speaking out against Mushy on several occassions -his insidious emergency plus action, his approval of NRO, his support for MQM in their inhumane display of strength, his dismissal of Chief Justice among others. But the fact of the matter remains, the very people that are governing right now are far worse than Mr. Mushy himself and if anybody must be put on trial, it is these very goons. They've looted hundreds and millions of dollars worth of state wealth, not to mention distributed acres of land amongst themselves, which is partly the reason they are yet to restore the judges. Justice, apparently, cannot prevail in this country because if it did, it would open a door that would reveal 60 odd years of rampant, unabated corruption by the people in power!

Musharraf sahib, you gave us some real good years, but then you turned into something I did not like. I don't know what it was - the lust for power, the support of America or maybe something else. But some of your actions just defied belief - even if they were under your much-publicized slogan of "Pakistan First" (which I do wholeheartedly agree with tbh).

I would like to see you given a fair trial, but not before the very people you've forgiven via that hideous NRO bill.

Look Who's Talking

Some quotes you can't help but chuckle at:

"Russia has invaded a sovereign state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century."

“With its actions in recent days, Russia has damaged its credibility and its relations with the nations of the free world. Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century,” - George Bush

So its ok when they do it? Lying and falsifying evidence to invade a sovereign nation (Iraq) and threatening, bullying and intimidating another sovereign nation (Iran) when it all it wants to do is pursue nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Jon Stewart was so right when he said on The Daily Show that: "Russia is soo 20th century! This century is all about preemptive strikes!". Watch the video here.

The world knows better than to be lectured by these goons - who have a long history of
meddling in other countries' affairs and invading them whenever they liked. I totally agree with David Remnick of the New Yorker when he says that: "Why would any leader, much less Putin, respond to moral suasion from Washington? That is America's tragedy, and the world's."

Des Pardes

I'm finally where I had been planning to come since my last year of Bachelors. Going back to school can be a pretty daunting task, especially when it's in a foreign country - USA, in my case. So, here I am, in a totally new country with totally different norms and lifestyle itching to get started on my degree. It sure is an exciting time! Wish me luck people- one thing I sure need a lot of in the next few months.

First impressions are the great courteousness of the natives, and the fantastic road network. I believe 'Thank You' is THE most common word spoken here, something sadly not even worth contemplating back home. Speaking of home, it appears I won't be able to rant anymore about all things dysfunctional back home - be it the inane leadership we're cursed with or some random spottings on the streets of Karachi. I'm now officially a desi in exile - which is great, but it's not until you leave home that you realize how much you took it for granted.

Oh, and that logo you see there belongs to my school - N.C. State.

Me the Gamer

I've been a computer gaming-freak for as long as I can remember. I was introduced to this monstrosity called a Computer back in 1993, when we bought a 386SX-33Mhz that had 2MB RAM with a 113MB Hard Drive. SVGA monitors used to be cool back then and possessing one drew your friends and cousins to your place to check it out. Kher, it started with that game Dangerous Dave, LOL! Yes, that little guy jumping around dodging creepy spider-like enemies on its way to the door out of each level. I remember I used to copy games from other friends on 14inch-floppy disks, now extinct of course (but I've still got those disks stashed somewhere!).
Prince of Persia 1, Skyroads, Wolfenstein 3D (The first 3d-shooter ever!) were some of the highlights of those early days.

After a couple of years, we upgraded to an 8MB RAM just so that I could play Mortal Kombat 3 :P. It was totally worth it, the game was awesome and had me glued to it for many days. Crazy Cars 3, BC Racers, Wolfenstein 3D extensions, Warcraft 2, Duke Nukem 3D, DOOM, Lemmings, NFS, Starcraft you name it I've played it! FYI, you can find a lot of these classic games up for download on DOSGamesArchive.com. In terms of 3D gaming genre, the next breakthrough of sorts was when Quake was released. Fast, beautiful and realistic (for those times), it was an instant hit! and with multiplayer support and several patches/mods, it was there to last.

So, as you can imagine, the list is endless :). Some games that have occupied me for the least couple of years include Unreal Tournament, NFS Series, GTA Series, Warcraft 3, Call Of Duty series, Medal of Honor series - again, to name a few. Right now, I'm playing Assassin's Creed, a bloody fantastic game with enough detail to put your graphic card in overdrive!

You'll notice the ever so famous Counter-Strike missing from the list. That doesn't mean that I haven't played it ... it's just that I haven't developed quite the liking for it that has others glued on it for hours and hours no end. I used to play it a lot too back in the college days, but there came a point when it became too addictive, not to mention a total waste of time. Do you find the time to still play a few games every now and then?

Enterprise

I just finished watching the Star Trek Enterprise series (previously referred to here). This series had the misfortune of being the first to be canceled by the network airing it rather than it being ended by its producers. And now that I've seen the whole thing, I must admit I could see where they were coming from. Enterprise Season-1 went on air in 2001, and its last season (Season 4) aired in 2005.

The total flop of Star Trek - Nemesis movie didn't help matters at all, and to this date, I haven't a clue about exactly what they were thinking when they made that movie. Given it had extraordinary special effects, yes, but it also had a very ordinary storyline and worst of all, they decided to kill DATA! Horrible! Anyway, back to Enterprise: ratings for the series in question took a plunge after Nemesis debacle and Paramount decided to pull the plug on it, making it the first trek series to meet this fate and ending a 17-year run of trek shows on tv!

If you ask me, it just didn't live up to the high standards set by its predecessors. There were no captivating story-lines of DS9, fantastic acting of TNG and Voyager nor the character-development of all three. It just lacked in all departments and even though it was still good in its own right, but, like I said, not good enough. Incidentally, the next trek movie is being produced by J.J. Abrams (of LOST fame), and its set to be released in May 2009. Although I'm not a great fan of LOST, but here's hoping that J.J. Abrams would do a good job of directing it and hopefully bring back the glory-days for the franchise.

Dr. Randy Pausch passes away

Dr. Randy Pausch, whose last lecture I posted here on my blog, has sadly lost his battle with pancreatic cancer and has passed away today. Rest in Peace doctor, your last lecture was something truly worth remembering.

Read MSNBC Story

Girl Runs Away from President Bush

As some on Digg said:

She's not scared, she's just allergic to concentrated stupid.

LOL!

Hasna Mana Hay

Need I say more? :)

Waisay, this would be perfect for a photo caption contest!

GRE Preparation Tips

Following on my post earlier on TOEFL iBT Preparation tips, I'm penning down some helpful links and tips for doing good on the GRE. I managed to rake up 1350 in GRE last April, with 630 in Verbal, 720 in Quantitative and 5.5 in Analytical Writing. While I was pretty satisfied with my verbal score, my quantitative score was pretty disappointing. Read on and you'll find out why. Btw, this post also includes excerpts from my post on TestMagic forum here.

Beating the GRE isn't exactly easy. You need to put in some time in the preparation before you can expect a real good score. Preparation-wise, the books I consulted were Barrons, NOVA and ARCO (for the Analytical Writing section). Besides these, there are some pretty cool websites out there you can use to prepare including mygretutor.com, number2.com (funny name I know), 800score.com, Peterson's free online practice test, missiongre.com to name a few. Then there's PowerPrep ofcourse whose tests offer a real measure of your prep - at least for Verbal.

I did the entire prep thing in 2 months time. I had just graduated, and wasn't working so had ample time to draw up a schedule for this duration. During this time, I did the entire Barrons master word list (3500 words), quantitative prep from the books mentioned above, and not to mention writing practice from NOVA, ARCO and mygretutor.com. Like I said, I did the entire Barrons list in 2 months time, averaging roughly 1 word list per day. Initially, it took a lot more effort to memorize the words but once I got used to memorizing, it wasn't overly difficult at all. Be sure not to break your momentum though, for e.g., if you go 3-4 days without doing a list, you start to struggle. In other words, draw up a schedule and stick to it. Also, the important thing is to keep revising! I revised all the lists done in the preceding 7 days at every weekend. I finished the entire list 20 days before the test, and revised 3 times more before the big day, and every time the cycle of revision was less. The result of all this effort was that I remembered 99% of the words. I scored 670 in verbal in my first PowerPrep and was overjoyed! I guess it wasn't to be in the real thing. Still, this should get you into the 90% percentile on verbal like I did.

Speaking of PowerPrep, I scored 1420 and 1400 on the two powerpreps I gave a couple of days before the test. I thought the quantitative questions on Powerprep are a lot easier than the actual test. After the initial Writing section, I had quant. and it went horrible to be honest! (in terms of time-consumption that is!) , and for that I think ALL books are useless because none of the questions there were remotely as difficult as the ones presented in these books. They were, however, extremely complicated and time-consuming! I couldn't manage my time very well and ended up guessing on the last 7! Yes, last seven !! I honestly believe I could have scored more in the verbal section that followed had I done quant. better! So take my advice, don't rest assured of the fact you've done Barrons quantitative prep, YOU NEED TO DO MORE!

The tension level invariably rises as the big day comes closer. I had stopped studying 3-4 days before the test and would do 1-2 exercises per day at most. This helped me relax leading up to the big day where the most important thing is to stay calm and not to panic. If you can manage to hold you own in the test center, you'll do just fine otherwise if you panic, time flies at warp speeds and you'll be guessing on questions before you know it. I guess I don't need to emphasize the importance of getting the first 5 questions right in GRE's Adaptive testing format. You are allowed to take your time on the first few questions as their importance cannot be stressed enough, but after that you need to pick up the pace and work your way towards the end before time runs out. It really is a time-management test as much as it is a test of your verbal and analytical skills. So, good luck and remember it's not the end of the world even though it may feel like it. Just stay cool and you'll be fine :)!

Some "Democracy"

So, it's been over a 100 days since those elections that were reveled as if they were a panacea, as if they were supposed to solve everything. Oh how terribly wrong we were! This is not a pro-Musharraf post by any means, but you can't help but think if things would be just as bad had he been in charge. I mean, we're still fighting the militants in FATA, we still have a puppet PM, and to make matters worse we have just witnessed the highest rise in inflation in Pakistan ever! And where are our political leadership when needed the most, in London? Dubai? Washington? Why are they there in the first place? What is wrong with staying in PK and solving long-standing disputes vital to the stability of the country? Is everything to be blamed on the past government?

I don't know about you but I think this government's days are numbered if they continue to act like muppets appeasing god-knows-who and acting in everything but Pakistan's interest. Good riddance, if you ask me.

Of Religion and Ignorance

There are many educated people who have ruined their future on account of their ignorance of religion. Their knowledge did not prove of any avail to them.

Hazrat Ali (A.S)

Dr. Israr's Blasphemy

Readers of this blog will vouch for the fact that I tend to stay away from religious debate, as we seem to have different interpretations and after all, everyone is entitled to their opinions and beliefs. But this time, Dr. Israr has really crossed the line for me. His comments, aired on June 12th on a QTV program, are shockingly sacrilegious and leaves one wondering: what the ?#@$ was he thinking?! I addressed the following letter to PEMRA and sent it to the editor of DAWN. Hopefully it'll get published.

The recent deplorable comments by Israr Ahmed on QTV are a cause of shame and disgust for all Muslims. One can only judge the true intentions of a speaker by the selection of issue. By narrating a highly controversial tradition from a dubious source that contradicts the very essence of Islam - as Imam Ali (as) embodied whatever Islam is - Mr. Ahmed has shown an incredible lack of rationality and objectivity. Mr. Ahmed deliberately tried to put doubts in minds of the unwary and stoke flames of sectarianism, in pursuit of fulfilling his satanic agenda. However, the responsibility of this act does not end with Israr Ahmed. The team of QTV responsible for producing this program share equal blame for their severe lack of competence in screening this venomous content, which has the potential of causing great social strife. Subsequent apologies from the ARY Network notwithstanding, this is a case-in-point for taking measures against incompetence of a media outlet by PEMRA.

In this regards, we ask the regulatory authority to severely reprimand the administration of QTV along with imposing a hefty fine as a reminder for the channel to rectify it's conduct. We also demand the QTV administration to name-and-shame people involved in broadcasting the program in question. Furthermore, speakers/preachers such as Israr Ahmed should be barred from writing or voicing comments through the electronic media, in view of the disturbance of public order these people can and have caused. We sincerely hope that by taking such strong measures in view of the controversy created by the speaker will restore public confidence viz-a-viz the credibility of the media and governance credentials of the people in power.

The damned video in question:

Ankahi

If you've been living under a rock or something, you need to get hold of this great new
program called Ankahi. It airs weekdays on SAMAA TV from 10-11PM, and is hosted by Faisal Qureshi (of Loose-Ends fame) - a humble and down-to-earth fellow (surprisingly for a media man). Do check it out!

Dr. Randy Pausch - Last Lecture

When a dying man gives a talk on how to "live", you're bound to listen carefully. Dr. Randy Pausch is one such unfortunate person, who has sadly lost the battle against pancreatic cancer and has been told by his doctors that he has only a few months left in him. While that would send most of us in a deep comatose-like depression, it's had a different effect on Dr. Randy altogether. It's made him more determined to share his view of how to make the most of your life - a true believer in the adage that it don't matter how long a life you have, but it is how well you live it that matters. A truly inspiring talk that you absolutely must see!

There's also a TIME article on him:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733756_1736194,00.html

Back to School!

And so it's supposed to be! I am going back to SCHOOL ladies and gentleman - the very thought of which sends shivers down my spine tbh. I am sure no one would welcome the prospect of taking up books again with open arms but you gotta do what you gotta do eh? At the same time, I am also excited that I'll be pursuing the subjects of my interest and possibly end up doing some serious research in them (ending up with a Doctorate), but time will tell how far I'll go. Fingers crossed for that.

So I resigned yesterday with a month's notice and now prepping for the new semester by selecting the courses I'm going to be studying this Fall. Classes start August 20th, yikes!

Vote for Nobody

Seems true enough in our case. What you YOU think?

The Paradox of Our Time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.

Source: http://www.xdude.com/paradox.htm

Here we go again...

I had almost forgotten. Today's the last day before we switch to a daylight saving time and push our clocks one hour forward in an attempt to utilize more daylight and in turn, save us some of that precious power. It was when I paid a visit to the market today that I found out that it was the talking point of the day, and everyone was busy giving their opinion of the whole time-changing thing. Some thought it was a futile attempt at fooling people into thinking that the government is actually trying to do something for them, whereas others were a bit more hopeful and thought that it might actually work this time.

Whether this attempt will fail like the last one remains to be seen, but you're likely to run into a lot of confused people in the next few days - most of them, sadly, poor who couldn't care less tbh. A friend regaled something funny he encountered on a bus the last time we did this daylight saving thing. While on his way to work, he inquired the bus conductor about what time it was, to which the conductor asked back: konsa? naya ya purana wala? :)

In my opinion, it is a very useful thing indeed - provided it is utilized properly and the masses are educated about it. If everyone starts doing things one hour later then there's no point in it. Except for namaz, everything should be done at exactly the same time. Some public service ads aimed at raising awareness ought to help IMO. With filthy rich telcos around these days itching to get some attention, it wouldn't be hard attracting sponsors for these ads either.

I guess we'll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, here's something that oughta put a smile on your face:

Speak Up and Be Free?

These stupid billboards, they do your freaking head in don't they!

I'm talking about the stupid bullcrap JAZZ ads that have "taken over" the billboards at several places in the city. Since when does speaking up and being free involve doing semi-nude poses that could at best be described as raunchy? Come to think of it, almost all mobile ads project some sort of hollow made-up dream society where all the kids are jumping around in night clubs - in some cases, with grannies joining them - and singing as if they're high on drugs on something.

Is this the kind of bull we'll be serving now that our media is finally FREE? Is this how we become an "enlightened" and "tolerant" society? One that accepts freedom of expression? By the looks of things, I'm beginning to think it was better the other way around to be honest! Who the hell approves these stupid billboards/television ads/dramas anyway?! (that is, if there is an approval process in place in the wake of millions in advertising revenue - especially from the telcos). And there's another of these totally inane billboards on Sharah-e-Faisal of Shezan twist that would probably look better on a poster of an X-rated film. I am not kidding people, it really is that bad! See for yourself (the twist ad). I'll try and get an image of the JAZZ ads as well. It freaking does my head in sometimes, really.

How NASA writes software

Must Read:
http://www.fastcompany.com/node/28121/print?donttaseme

If I had some money...

I don't know about you if I were to somehow ended up with a considerable sum of money, the first thing I'd do is build a multi-story car park on Sharah-e-Faisal! If you happen to work in and around the area, you'd realize how desperate the plight of us poor drivers has become these days. The service roads are jam-packed almost all (if not most) of the time, and driving through them is no less than enduring hell.

I think it's a fantastic business idea too. One that would do everyone concerned loads of good IMHO.

What say you?

Programmers vs. Management

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”
The woman below replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You’re between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.”

“You must be a programmer,” said the balloonist.

“I am,” replied the woman, “How did you know?”

“Well,” answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is technically correct, but I’ve no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help at all. If anything, you’ve delayed my trip.”

The woman below responded, “You must be in Management.”

“I am,” replied the balloonist, “but how did you know?”

“Well,” said the woman, “you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you’ve no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it’s my fault.”

--
If you happen to work at a software house like me, you'd know exactly what she's talking about! :)

Addicted to Trek

I am absolutely, totally and completely addicted to Star Trek these days - their TV series, movies, the whole franchise basically. It started when a friend introduced me to Star Trek - Deep Space Nine (a series that premiered in the 1990s). Then for me, came the most popular of them all, Star Trek - The Next Generation with the famous starship Enterprise and it's captain Jean-Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart). Last week, I finished watching Star Trek - Voyager. and now, I'm onto Star Trek - Enterprise!

I guess I'll be hooked until there are no more movies or tv series' left to watch! This is the last and I've seen all the rest! :P

Wise Saying

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace.... and your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.

- Anonymous

The Odds of Dying

Death is an uncomfortable topic for most, yet we cannot deny the fact one way or another, we ARE going to die one day. In other words, the odds of dying are 100% - an absolute certainty that is. However, the manner of one's death can be numerous. It is disconcerting to even think of our death, let alone thinking of the manner in which we're going to die! According to LiveScience journal, our odds of dying are something like in the picture shown below (click on it to view the original size).

Apparently, you are more likely to commit suicide or fall to your death than be killed by a tsunami or any natural disaster. Hmmm ... and for once, I shall not end with with my customary footnote of 'Enjoy!' :)

Remember MacGyver?

Oh boy! Do you remember MacGyver? The handsome handyman on TV who could get almost anything done with only a basic set of tools and some duct tape! :P

If you grew up watching his super-cool tv shows like me, then you'd be thrilled to know that there's a MacGyver movie in the making! Can't wait!

Credits:
http://gizmodo.com/386877/holy-crap-macgyver-blockbuster-film-coming

Me the Photographer

I like to point and shoot once in a while too, time permitting of course. I bought a Canon Powershot A560 last year, a budget camera but an extremely good one. While there are no snaps I took with it online, there are a couple I took with my friend's Nikon back in the university days. These were taken during the rainy season of year 2006 (my final year at NED). Enjoy!

NED Admin Block aka "White House"

CIS Surroundings

More "White House"

All photos on Flickr here: http://flickr.com/photos/fnasim/tags/ned/

Twenty20 taking over?

Sure, it was fun for a while but hasn't this Twenty20 thing gone too far? I mean it's great for entertainment and all, and sponsors love it on the evidence of the recent ICL and IPL series, but come on, it's not cricket!

BBC Sport published this story - Twenty20 'to conquer world sport' - on their website today. It is an interview with Allen Stanford, a billionaire who thinks that Twenty20 can turn out to be the most lucrative sport in the world!

I can understand why Mr. Stanford and several other businessmen and women are excited about this latest money-making prospect, but too much Twenty20 will take the excitement away in my opinion. With the way the interest in holding more tournaments is growing, it might end up seriously damaging the sport altogether. Your thoughts please.

Girl Power Surge in Pakistan

If you stay informed of the latest happenings in IT in Pakistan, then you must remember that little girl Afrah Shafquat, who became the youngest Sun-certified Java Programmer in the world at the tender age of 11 years in 2002. I remember seeing her at PDC 2005, the last one I attended and couldn't help but notice how small she was for doing computer programming, let alone completing certifications! Well, she's continued to make great strides culminating in the form of an MIT scholarship that she's just won. Congratulations to her and her family who must be very proud!

You can read the article on ArabNews website here:
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=11&section=0&article=108734&d=8&m=4&y=2008

Previously, her elder sister Afsah had also won a scholarship from MIT last year. More on that on the same website:
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=11&section=0&article=76009&d=8&m=8&y=2006

It is so refreshing to see something positive being reported about Pakistan for a change. With all the doom and gloom that's been surrounding the country of late, this couldn't have come at a better time.

I’ve found God, says man who cracked the genome

THE scientist who led the team that cracked the human genome is to publish a book explaining why he now believes in the existence of God and is convinced that miracles are real.

Francis Collins, the director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute, claims there is a rational basis for a creator and that scientific discoveries bring man “closer to God”.

Click here to read the full story at TimesOnline.co.uk

A mix of Illiteracy and dogmatism

Read this entry:
Tamache Mullah goes on air

Courtesy: The Dawn Blog

Cartoons about Bush

Artist: David Horsey. More at SeattlePi.com

April Fools' Day on the web

Barring the April Fool prank pulled on us by our own KMB guys (which was good btw), here are some other of the "believable" pranks witnessed around the web on April 1, 2008:

YouDigg - A new collaboration between YouTube and Digg where users can now digg videos to the frontpage.

BBC's Flying Penguins - Film maker and writer Terry Jones discovers a colony of penguins, which are unlike any other penguins in the world - they can fly!

ThePirateBay - They're moving to Egypt - in the middle of nowhere!

Google's Project Virgle - First human colony on Mars! Want to be part of it?

Gmail Custom Time - Apparently, you can now send emails with custom timestamps - in the past.

Google Docs' Paper Plane - They've added a "New Paper Airplane" option to the File menu for Google Docs' word processor, which produces a template for folding an official Google paper plane. This was genuinely funny!

Google Future Search aka Gday - Search into the future with Google's latest innovation.

InfoWorld - Microsoft and Yahoo agree on buyout price. Gotta admit, we half-expected this prank.

PostgreSQL Ends - They announeced they're going down for good (remind you of anything?)

I hope you were able to see the funny side, I know I did :). For a full listing of all pranks pulled on this date, check our this page. Some events were mistaken for a prank, due to the date, most notably the standardization of Office OpenXML format. I guess they forgot what the date was, like me when I found out KMB was no more and jotted down a post before checking the calendar :P

KMB Gone

Another shining example of the restive and quarrelsome populace of Karachi and our great country who can't manage to sit together and indulge in a goddamn civilized discourse. Karachi MetBlogs, which used to be an epicenter of all things Karachi, and one of the few places on the web I used to visit regularly, is closing down. The MetBlogs' admins in LA posted this entry a while ago announcing its closure.

Our belligerence knows no bounds apparently.

R.I.P KMB.

Update 1 [1 PM]: I don't know why it never occurred to me before, but the fact that this occurred on APRIL 1 cannot be discounted!

Update 2 [11 PM]: Damn! It is an April Fool Prank!

Ostentatious Devotion

Sometimes the inanity of our people really does strike me - none more so than in this instance which I'm about to describe. At a time when the city is going through its worst power crisis ever, devout followers of the Prophet (PBUH) have put up green lights on all major roads, thoroughfares and intersections of the city! And this is just what I have observed myself, I'm sure they've found plenty more ways to waste what little energy we have on such displays of religiousness that do no one no good. If they must show off, why not put green flags instead of lights? Why are they bent on wasting power on green lights that are turned ON for hours into the night, and possibly till the morning?!

And what is even more inane is that all this is being allowed with no checks at all. What is wrong with us? Why do we have to be so showy about everything?! And every year, there's news of some clash occurring between members of different rallies being taken out on 12 Rabbi ul Awwal! It's sad really! We've practically destroyed ourselves in our attempts to be better followers of the Prophet (PBUH) than others while our enemies sitting far away can't help but smirk as we self-destruct.

Who is responsible for all this carnage?

Another day, another suicide attack! As frail as the law and order situation is in Pakistan, it would be naive to think our enemies would not want to take advantage of this opportunity and seek to further destabilize us. Today's attack (combined with others recently) is aimed at weakening Pakistan's strong institutions and furthering the gulf between the people and the state, not to mention make Pakistan one of the most dangerous places in the world to be. No wonder the Aussies don't wanna come here.

It stands to be reasoned that the likes of India, Israel and the US would have their vested interests in the destabilization of Pakistan. They already have an alliance, and all claim Pakistan harbours terrorists and that they'd wouldn't miss the chance to take out some given the opportunity. If the fiascos of May 12 and Dec 27 are anything to go by, things could get real ugly in a matter of minutes if someone prominent is gunned down. The suicide attacks have left the nation reeling - not a week goes by when we hear of such attack in some part of the country. Will they even stop with the new government in place? I don't think so, especially if some foreign hand is involved.

Here's an aptly drawn cartoon by Carlos Latuff that I came across while visitng The Olive Ream:
There are more from the same artist here. Also, please be sure to check out his fantastic collection, most notably his images denouncing Israel's latest assault on Gaza.

Should I get a Masters or a job?

You're bound to have come across this elusive question upon Graduating from college that whether you should continue your studies by joining a Masters program immediately or should you instead find some work. The answer to this question is subjective, in my opinion. MS Jobs Blog recently posted an entry on the same topic here, and I've decided to pen my thoughts on it too.

Like I said in the comments section of that post, the ultimate decision rests with the individual depending on their long-term goals. Like their post suggests, there are no RIGHT or WRONG decisions here; both courses of action can yield good results, again, depending on what path a fresh graduate wants to follow in their career. Readers of this blog would remember a post I did some time entitled 'Choosing a career path' in which I expressed my bewilderment at the apparent lack of consideration given to a person's interest when choosing a field of study for their career, and instead going after a field that will simply "pay well" in the short-term. I fully understand why *some* people might adopt this approach, due to their family's economic conditions et al, but certainly not ALL of them, as we do end up witnessing sadly.

Back to the point in question, I don't think there's any doubt that a person should try and attain a specialization in their field as it becomes necessary at some point in their careers for their own growth. As for the WHEN part, I've seen a lot of people enroll in Evening Masters' programs that they choose to manage alongside their day jobs. Hectic I know, but a lot of people are going for this option nowadays, which isn't bad IMO, and it's certainly better than enrolling in a full-time Masters program straight-away if you ask me. Lets just say I think it is better to have worked professionally for some time before you decide to pursue your Masters. Working has its own benefits; you develop your skill set, learn new technologies, learn the way things work in the REAL WORLD in your field, make good contacts and what not. All these things can prove to be invaluable and can possibly give a new direction in terms of what you want to specialize in. All in all, I think it is definitely better to acquire some set of professional skills and experience before pursuing a specialization, as it undoubtedly adds a new dimension to the person that is YOU and possibly gives you a fresh perspective about your field that you may want to follow-up on later when you do enroll in your Masters.

On the other hand, some people choose to enroll in a Masters right after their graduation. Again, not a bad choice since they have just graduated and are used to the ways of the academic world. They certainly wouldn't have to spend any time getting used to a studying schedule, attending classes no end , meeting assignment-deadlines and all that else that is part of academics. If someone feels strongly about their field and the specialization they want to acquire, this may end up being a better choice. This is especially true for those individuals that plan on staying in the academic world as teachers, or possibly want to pursue research at some institution. But, you would find that many schools do not admit students in their Masters program without prior work experience. Besides, who would you choose to admit in your school if on one hand you had a fledgling young fellow with a 4.0CGPA straight out of school and on the other, a relatively mature person having considerable experience in their field and with good recommendations from his co-workers and teachers? Obviously, the latter!

Lastly, this is just my take on this. I am just another person who's asked himself this question before, and am penning down what I believe is the answer - at least for me it is. I would love to hear what others think of this; for and against both.

Brace Yourselves, Summers are here!

For the avid downloader that I am, there's nothing more I detest than power-outs and fluctuating voltages during Summers. Oh yes, the abominable power cuts are back now that Summer has arrived and our ever-reliable KESC's systems have started caving in to extra power demands. I am posting this today, because for the first time in months my PC restarted due to voltage fluctuation (a horrible reminder of things to come) and believe me, last Summer was easily the worst on record from a power-outage standpoint.

They may have a nice-looking website. If only their quality of service was half as good as that. They're certainly holding true to their motto, Power for ProgressRegress.

Sigh! And I was just beginning to enjoy leaving my PC ON all night for downloads. With fluctuating voltages, you just can't risk it.

Israel Minister Warns Palestinians of "Holocaust"

"Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai said on Friday the Palestinians would bring on themselves what he termed a bigger holocaust by stepping up rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza."

Click here to read the full article

Ahmadinejad is misquoted and yet it makes the news all over and everyone starts branding him a "madman", most notably a certain Mr. Bolinger. And here we have our Israeli minister openly threatening a "Shoah", and have we heard any one condemning this? Where are the countries that were so concerned about maintaining "peace and stability" in the region?! The Zionists are killing innocent women and children AGAIN, but where are the so-called ensurers of freedom? Effing Hyprocrites!

Also read the sad entry over at Ronin:
http://ammar.fuzedbulb.com/2008/03/02/6-months-old-arab-muslim-terrorist/

PTCL Broadband Rates Slashed!

Having been a proud owner of a PTCL Broadband 256kbps connection, I am absolutely thrilled that PTCL has now realized the potential of this technology and it's real value as they have slashed their prices for broadband connections! Gone are the days of volume-based surfing (always thought that was sucky). Now, all packages are Unlimited! Wohoo!

Also, 256kbps connections are no longer being offered and all existing customers who were on 256kbps would automatically be upgraded to 512kbps some time today. We'd have to pay the same i.e., 1199/month. Other packages have underwent upgrades too: 1Mbps now costs 1999, and there's a new addition at 2Mbps that'd cost 4999/month.

Check out their site for more info:
http://ptcl.com.pk/contentp.php?NID=47

Happy Surfing! :)

What exactly is Zardari upto?

All those years of loitering, blackmail, fraud and jail-sentences, and all of a sudden Zardari is playing Mr. Nice Guy?! Smells a bit fishy to me.

Q league ka safaya hogaya!

I woke up on Feb 19th to GEO's flashing headline "Q league ka safaya hogaya!" running amidst some patriotic background music. And why not? They have every reason to be pleased, perhaps more so than anybody else given they bore the brunt of government's excesses on the media. I'm just glad we won't get to see the likes of Wasi Zafar on our television sets anymore! :)

So, the people have apparently spoken and Mush and his cronies have been outrightly rejected. Great! But where does this lead us? Back to the looters of before sadly. They looted us separately when they were in power and now they're back to loot us together! Democracy, gotta love it eh?

Like I earlier said, I did not vote in this election. But apparently, it made no difference AT ALL as we've learned of massive rigging having taken place in several constituencies of Karachi in favor of MQM. I can't speak for others, but I am bewildered as to how an MQM guy can win from PS-126 - an area dominated by PPP supporters. I have heard of at least 10 different credible accounts of rigging across Karachi. Nevertheless, the election have by and large been free and fair and I guess we should be thankful for that.

In other news, YouTube has been blocked in Pakistan on PTA's directions for containing some "blashpemous content". When these spoonheads will realize that this is the 21st century is beyond me! Besides, placing such bans on web sites only serves to spark further interest in them. Such actions speak volumes of the narrow mindedness on the part of PTA chiefs. Although not confirmed yet, the reason for the ban is either the vote rigging videos that have sprung up over the last couple of days OR the anti-Islam movie clips made by Geert Wilders - a dutch politician who seems to be on a personal mission to defame Muslims and the Quran. More on him here. Meanwhile, the vote rigging clip shown on GEO can be viewed on VidPk.com here.

If they must ban such things, why couldn't they hire a half a decent network guy to install some advanced filters so that ONLY the objectionable content is inaccessible rather than the entire website?! This is similar to the stupid blogspot blanked ban they put in place last year. Looks like they haven't learned anything. Ah well, here's hoping this just a temporary measure.

Vote anyone?

Going through some "sensitive" areas of the city on the eve of Election Day, I said a silent prayer asking God for peace and stability on and after Feb 18. Without a doubt, peace is now a precious commodity for an ordinary Karachiite. We crave for peace like people crave for something important in their lives - as in their wedding, divorce (whichever way you look at it). Even my masjid's pesh-imam prays for peace before anything else, and rightly so! We need it so bad to run our goddamn businesses in the city. It'd be nice for a change when you don't have to worry about the HAALAAT spiraling out of control or some random rioting occurring in the city. It'd be nice just to focus on our day jobs for a change, if you know what I'm saying.

Anyway, enough of ranting for now. I am writing this post on the eve of Election Day to ask YOU if you're going to vote tomorrow. I know I won't - why you may ask. I'll tell you why .. the people who're contesting the elections in my locality include:
Syed Faisal Raza Abidi (PPP)
Moulana Abdul Hakeen (MMA)
Haider Abbas Rizvi (MQM)
Haleem Adil Sheikh (PML-Q)

along with some independents and one PML-N guy whose name I can't recall right now. Personally, I'd have voted for PTI if they were contesting the elections, but to vote for any one of these guys is something I'm just not going to do. I'd rather die then have voting for any of these suckers on my conscience, no thanks!

It was shocking to read some of Musharraf's comments in his interview with Jemima today. He openy admits than he's let loose some "people of main parties" in order to work with them and keep his stay in power certain. He's basically made a deal with the most corrupt leaders around in order to hang on to his seat and now he bemoans there's not much he can do. How convevient for you Mushy! Letting the country go down the drain while you continue to enjoy the luxuries of the palatial President House, to me you're no different than the people who looted this country before you. I thought you were different, but you're just another military dictator - one too many I must add for Pakistan. I hope you meet your just end soon.

With news coming in of massive rigging plans already in motion by the party in power, I can only wonder what the reaction of the opposition parties will be. Like I said earlier, one can only hope for lasting peace in this city (and the country of course). For everyone's sake, let's hope there is some degree of authenticity to this election, and perhaps more importantly, people accept the results - something that looks like a pipedream right now to be honest!

I am a Muslim. Kill me and call it "Collateral Damage"

Say hello to MacBook Air - World's thinnest laptop!

Part 1

Part 2

How good a job can be?

Having been the subject of a job switch myself, I know how people can develop an "emotional" connection with their companies that may end up stopping them from leaving them and availing potentially better opportunities.

The article I'm referring to is here:
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/tech-manager/?p=403

Read away!

Bravo!

I never thought I'd say this but I must applaud and gave a big pat on the back of all the security personnel that ensured a violence-free 9th and 10th Muharram-ul-Haram. The arrangements these guys made were great (no, seriously!) - random checks, questioning suspicious people (arresting some too), making fixed entry and exit points and ensuring complete surveillance from land and air. I can only hope they show the same resolve for securing ALL congregations held in the country. If only they keep this up, they can avert most (if not all) suicide bombings and other terror-related activities.

Tragedy of Kerbala

Click to view full image

Software Project Management

An accurate description of the way most projects end up being handled.

Click on the picture to view it in its original size



Credits: LinuxKungFu.org

Bill Gates' Last Day At Microsoft

Check out this funny video about Bill Gates' last day at Microsoft from his 2008 final keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show. This really is hilarious! :) Kudos to Bill!


Video: Bill Gates Last Day CES Clip

Martyr Without a Cause

A shockingly true account of Benazir's life and what she really stood for. Her death, although sad and unfortunate, is hardly the death of democracy. Read more here:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1699877,00.html

Blogged with Flock

Test Post from Flock!

I have been trying out flock all day today and I must say it'q quite fantastic seeing that it seamlessly integrates your Facebook, Del.icio.us, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr accounts directly into the web browser! You can check friend's statuses from the sidebar, write blog posts using its own editor, upload photos using its own tool and what not. They call it a "social web browser" and its exactly that. You must check it out! It's a much much better alternative than, say, Windows Live Writer, and best of all ... it has the powerful Gecko engine running underneath. I had been testing Flock before too when they were in BETA but I must say their full first release (1.0) is impressive to say the least.

Download it here!

Blogged with Flock

A Public Service Message

Received this witty SMS today ...

Please don't buy land cruisers with sunroofs. They have LEVERS that can kill you - at least in Pakistan.

A Public Service Message by Brig. (R) Javed Iqbal Cheema

A bloody 2007 comes to an end

So the year 2007 finally comes to an end. It was an year marred by extreme violence in Pakistan and by the looks of it, things are set to get worse. With horrendous incidents like May 12, July 10(Storming of Lal Masjid), October 18 and now December 27! The year also witnessed a record number of suicide bombings across the country. Taking a look at the South Asian Terrorism Portal page for violent incidents in Pakistan since 1988, it is indeed shocking to see that over 60% of the page lists incidents that occurred in 2007 alone! Sad!

Hence, keeping all the recent bloodshed in mind I wish you a safe and peaceful 2008! May we emerge a stronger, united and a fully democratic nation come December 2008. Lastly, here's a nice excerpt from a new year wish I received:

The New Year is set before us like an unwritten volume--- all its pages blank. Let us write upon each day's page things that at the end of the year we will look upon with rejoicing rather than regret. Let us look behind us with understanding, before us with faith, and around us with love. We are given a fresh start not only at the beginning of the year, but every morning when we wake up. We have the chance to start anew and make things right. Keep the books with your soul at the close of this year as it is a good preparation to start the New Year. May God help us to be kind, fair and wise in all of our affairs. May we say "I love you" with deeds of kindness and acts of caring.

Amen!

All hell breaks loose as BB is assassinated

I'm speechless.... don't know what to say really. When I heard of the attack, I wasn't really shocked since suicide attacks have now sadly become the norm in our country. It was when the news broke of her death, thats when it started to sink in. Bhutto was dead - a name revered among millions in Pakistan (especially here in Sindh). I have been critical of her in the past, but shit, this is just plain barbarism ... the height of intolerance! Do they not realize that the very existence of this great country has now been plunged into danger by this heinous act!? Who is behind the killing? What are their motives? Who is supposed to gain from all this?!

Meanwhile, all hell's breaking loose here in Karachi. Factories, hospitals, cars being burnt ... god knows how much blood will be spilled tonight. I sincerely hope you and your loved ones are somewhere safe because I know many people are still stuck outside and have been unable to reach their homes. There's just one advice for the people of Karachi right now - stay the @%$ put!!

Bakra Eid Mubaraks!

I'd like to wish everyone around a very joyous Eid and hope your qurbanis are accepted by the Almighty. I don't wanna sound rude or anything, but there seems to be an increasing trend of showing off whenever this Eid comes around. Maybe, I should just my trap shut about this but I can't help but wonder if people have so much frigging money, why don't they spend on something more useful - for the society, helping the poor et al.

Lastly, it was saddening to hear of Amin Gulgee's murder yesterday. A society bereft of artists has been robbed of its crown jewel. And then there was that train accident near Mehrabpur - again, one that happens every year or two sadly. Everywhere you look, there is death; people are dying. Echoing Dehog's call, are we doing anything about it?

Lost in Semantics

I don't usually post emails on my blog but this one too damn funny! =)

SOCIALISM: You have 2 cows and you give one to your neighbor.

COMMUNISM: You have 2 cows; the Government takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM: You have 2 cows; the Government takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM: You have 2 cows. The Government takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM: You have 2 cows; the Government takes both, shoots one, milks the other and throws the milk away...

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyze why the cow dropped dead.

A FRENCH CORPORATION: You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called Cowkimon and market them World-Wide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You break for lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION: You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you. You charge others for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION: You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim full employment, high bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported the numbers.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION: You have two cows. You worship them.

Try to understand what your boss trying to say actually

Having started working professional since May of this year, and then reading this list below, I now KNOW how valid these points really are. Read away ...

1."We will do it" means "You will do it"

2."You have done a great job" means "More work to be given to you"

3."We are working on it" means "We have not yet started working on the same"

4."Tomorrow first thing in the morning" means "It's not getting done "Atleast not tomorrow!"

5."After discussion we will decide-I am very open to views" means "I have already decided, I will tell you what to do"

6."There was a slight miscommunication" means "We had actually lied"

7."Lets call a meeting and discuss" means "I have no time now, will talk later"

8."We can always do it" means "We actually cannot do the same on time"

9."We are on the right track but there needs to be a slight extension of the deadline" means "The project is screwed up, we cannot deliver on time."

10."We had slight differences of opinion "means "We had actually fought"

11."Make a list of the work that you do and let's see how I can help you" means "Anyway you have to find a way out no help from me"

12."You should have told me earlier" means "Well even if you told me earlier that would have made hardly any difference!"

13."We need to find out the real reason" means "Well I will tell you where your fault is"

14."Well Family is important; your leave is always granted. Just ensure that the work is not affected," means, "Well you know..."

15."We are a team," means, "I am not the only one to be blamed"

16."That's actually a good question" means "I do not know anything about it"

17."All the Best" means "You are in trouble"

The World’s Most Famous Photoshop Fakes

While that might be a creative opportunity for artistic photographers and designers, for news editors, it can all be a bit of a nightmare — and for readers too when the photos skip the newspapers and land straight in your mailbox. Here are seven of the most famous photoshop fakes.

read more | digg story

Merriam-Webster Add w00t to Dictionary

Congratulations World of Warcraft addicts. Give yourselves a pat on the back, Halo-ers; you and all the other gamers and internet fans out there have collectively legitimized 1337 speak. Teachers weep, meanwhile, w00t!

read more | digg story

My Gmail goes LEET!

:)

For those who don't know what that means, read this.

Work, work

Life's been busy as hell of late at work. Been putting in long hours for something I volunteered for and now I feel shouldn't have done it :(. Kher, I had no idea it would get this bad at work but you could always count on our management to screw things up beyond repair! I'm glad I won't be here for long.

Pen Pricks

Lazim hai, hum bhi daikhain gay

An awesome piece put together by Dr. Adil Najam over at Pakistaniat.

The line that stood out for me was Quaid's affirmation:

Musalmaan ... Museebat mein ... Kabhi Ghabraya Nahi Karta!

What more can I say? God Bless Pakistan!

Sweet Revenge

Congratulations to Team Pakistan for an excellent victory today! I must admit I had given up hope after India had posted a 300+ total but what do ya know! Pak chased it! And in some fashion! All credit to the lads and a much-needed boost for a nation reeling from the effects of a brainsick ruler!

Mush has gone MAD!

There could be no other sane explanation for it. The lust for power has gone to this guy's head to the extent that he's now willing to break every freaking law and curb every possible independent voice in the country just so that he could have things HIS way. Sadly, as a result, the ignominy of a fourth Martial Law (under the cloak of 'Emergency Plus') is upon us; all news channels are off-air since Saturday and several lawyers, politicians and activists are under arrest or confined to their homes under duress.

Good thing they haven't clamped down on the Internet so far - or else we'd be doomed. I say that because I (and thousands more I'm sure) have been flocking on web sites to get the latest updates as all channels have been forcefully blacked-out. The common man, though, is deprived of this facility and hence has been left vulnerable to rumors like this that did the proverbial rounds today before it was dismissed by Mr. Pervaiz "I'll do anything to please the West" Musharraf. In his words, it was the "Joke of the Highest Order". You said it right Mush, you have indeed played a "Joke of the Highest Order" on the people of Pakistan. Congratulations!

Another day, Another bombing

Today saw yet another suicide bombing, this time targeting the airforce personnel in Sargodha. It sent a shiver down my spine as I read the breaking news on BBC Online since one of my cousins is an airforce officer and works there! Thank God he's safe and wasn't on duty at that time, but that couple of minutes of uncertainty made me realize the helplessness and fear people must face in such situations and worst yet, the unfortunate people who lose friends/family in such incidents doesn't even bear thinking about!

Pakistan is turning out to be a battlefield between pro-American and pro-Taleban forces. We are sadly paying the price for a supposed "War On Terror" whose very foundations were based on evidence conjured up by its instigators from faulty intelligence - it was more like a cloak for their ulterior motives. It is indeed sad to see some people still believe what the Bush administration says even after failures of such magnitude in the form of their needless invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Their hands are stained with the blood of thousands of innocent civilians in both of these countries as rightly reminded by a brave protester in this photo. They should be treated as war criminals and tried in a court of law for murdering thousands of completely innocent men, women and children.

For now, what the future holds for our country is anybody's guess. The sensitive situation is set to prevail as the military seeks to further strengthen its grip on state affairs with news once again doing the rounds of an impending declaration of emergency across the country. I hope it doesn't come to that, and let's hope we do have elections - although, again, I doubt they'll be free and fair. I can't help but think we're screwed either way! Your thoughts?