Peter answers...

We've had this prank going on at work today about PeterAnswers.com. If you haven't seen it yet, then you need to cuz it's great fun and an ideal way to play a prank on friends/family etc. All you gotta do is visit the site where you'll be presented with a petition and a question field. Try going through it normally the first time just to familiarize yourself with the site. Note the colon ":" at the end of each of these queries. This is essential because without it, you will not be able to proceed to the question box. Once you type the phrase and enter the colon your cursor will automatically be in the question box. You can ask any question you like, but you must end it with a question mark "?".

Now, how to pull the prank:

1. Gather a friend or two and sit at the computer. You must be the one typing in order for the prank to work. :)
   
2. Have someone else think of a question. You need to know the question before you type anything.
3. Type a period "." in the "Insert Petition" box. You'll notice that the letter "P" will appear instead of a period.
4. Type in the answer to the question. As you type each letter or number of the answer, the screen will display one more letter of the phrase, "Peter, please answer the following question:" This means no one will know that you're typing the answer to the question, because it looks like you're typing, "Peter, please answer the following question:".
5. Type another period "." when you're done entering the answer. When you type another period, the next letter of the petition phrase ("Peter, please answer the following question:") will appear.
6. Complete the petition phrase. Once you've typed the second period, the actual letters you type will show up on the screen. Now, just finish the phrase, being sure to end it with the colon.
7. Type in the question. Just as above, the cursor will jump to the question box as soon as you enter the colon. Type the question that was asked, and end it with a question mark. Peter will think for a second and then display the answer that you typed.
8. Watch your friends freak out as they see the answer right! If your friends don't know that you typed in the answer, they will be flabbergasted! :). You can probably keep them amazed for quite a while as long as they don't start paying close attention to what your fingers are actually typing ... heh :)

Have fun! ;)

Choosing a career path

I have always been a strong advocate of choosing a profession based on one's interest rather than some market-condition or financial basis. I know this may not be particularly easy, especially for someone living in Pakistan, but I, for one, can't imagine how people can decide to study something or become someone they never *really* wanted to! To me that is totally absurd!

Take my case, I have always been fond of Computers - Computer Sciences in particular. I was fortunate enough to pursue a degree based on my interest rather than on some shabby market condition. I was always going to become a Computer Engineer no matter what. And for all those who thought the market had been saturated of Computer Engineers and there were going to be no more jobs available for a while - I would just like to say that instead of using your short-sighted thinking and going after the market, why not concentrate on getting a professional degree of your liking and working hard to be the best in it. It is only through love and passion for your interests that you will be able to go the extra mile and contribute to its advancement. Alhamdulillah today, there are plenty of job opportunities available for software and system engineers in Karachi and the rest of the country.

Someone forwarded me the following link some time ago, and I'd like to share it seeing that we're talking about CS. It's a nice little article on the several attainable degrees in the Computer Sciences discipline. Check it out to figure out the nuances of each of those degrees:
http://compsci.ca/blog/6-degrees-of-computer-science/

Also, what ticks me off a lot is the lack of research aptitude in today's students. Nobody likes to work independently and pursue a specialization - at least in the several engineering fields that I know of. That may well be because of household pressures etc. but how can you expect a country to prosper when there are little or no specialized people being produced every year! Just compare our research publications with those of other countries and you'll know why we are where we are - staring at the abyss.

Power sharing or Power saving?

It seems Mushy is bent on keeping the President's chair for as long as humanly possible - and for that, he's now performed the cardinal sin of negotiating with those who he once vowed to stop getting back in power! Such a true reflection of politics in this country, where you go back on your word at your convenience!

I wonder how long will the "people" bear such madness in the name of ruling. It is a nation we're talking about here, and yet all these freaking idiots care about is getting back into power and serving their assumed Gods and Goddesses sitting all the way across the Atlantic! How shallow can you get really!

I've said it a million times, no sane person would ever want those two jack**** to return to power but since when did the government did what its people wanted? It seems we're destined for another stint of looting and plundering in the name of restoration of democracy. The only way those two could stay out of power is when the Supreme Court rules against them too. Surely there's enough evidence around to convict those two of their misdeeds while they were in power. Here's hoping something of that sort materializes.

Funny Connecticut Sign

:)

To see or not to see...

There is an ongoing debate these days over Shoaib Mansoor's film Khuda Kay Liyay. There's already a Fatwa out doing the proverbial rounds on the net discouraging people from watching the film - but I, for one, intend to see it and form my own opinion of it rather than take their word for it. I won't be surprised if the mullahs have taken the insults out of context - just like they started parading these fatwas against that Apple product that resembled the cube and that the mullahs mistook for a look-alike of Ka'aba. Nut bags!

Watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAoTD072n04

Pakistan on National Geographic

September’s national geographic magazine features an article by Don Belt, titled “Struggle for the soul of Pakistan”. It’s available online at:
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0709/pakistan/pakistan.html

Worth a read. Do check it out.

I STILL love Pakistan

In response to BuzzVines' Still Love Pakistan Campaign

I STILL love Pakistan because it's my identity. No matter where I go, I will ALWAYS be recognized as a Pakistani - and am damn proud of it. Sure the people who've ruled my country have left no stone unturned in ruining and looting it for their personal gain but that does not change what Pakistan stands for, WHY we fought for it and what personal sacrifices it took to achieve it - that will always remain the same. And that is why I'll always love Pakistan.

Happy Birthday to me!

23 years of loitering, ignorance and hypocrisy ... and its set to continue ! =)

Rock on razzman! :P

Oh and special thanks to all those who wished on this momentous day ... especially my office buddies! Thanks guys !

Of Energy and Motivation

While having a discussion on our way back from work on Friday night, a co-worker talked about how there are two types of motivation that drive us: Intrinsic and Extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is from within, when one forces oneself to achieve something absolutely necessary, for instance, in order to make ends meet. And then there is extrinsic motivation; such motivation is dependent on external things such as getting money, promotion or praise from superiors.

Anyhow, what I've always wondered is how people manage to muster the motivation and energy to engage in so many activities that they have little time left for themselves at the end of the day. Through the course of University and Work, I've seen people who besides studying/working also undertake tutoring at tuition centers or at homes or perform some other tasks besides working leaving me wondering how on earth do they find the energy to do this all week in week out?! I must be a lazy bum by their standards as I can't even manage to drag myself to the gym every now and then! :(

A cousin of mine, an exercise freak I must add, will have my head when he finds out I haven't been to the fitness center in 3 weeks! (having taken a 6-month membership!) :P Nevermind that, the question is how to find the motivation required to get so much done?! A mondo cool physique ? An impressed girl ? Nah ... I guess I'll have to keep looking for something better to increase my infinitesimal levels of motivation. Got any ideas ?

Haye Accounting

My latest job requires me to get acquainted with Accounting and its principles leading up to some advanced concepts too. Now for someone who has an engineering background, this is no easy task I tell you! In fact, the first few sessions were so boring, I almost fell asleep! :P … Thankfully, now I have started getting the hang of it a bit as some bull has made its way in me head if you know what I’m saying! :)

Two cheers for Accrual-based accounting apparently, it follows the US GAAP principle where as cash-based does not. Something to do with realizing revenue at the proper time. The real mind-boggling stuff for any accounting newbie is to learn when certain types of accounts are debited and when they are credited. Couldn't they just make one freaking rule for everything?! I guess not! Asset and expense accounts, apparently, are debited on increase and credited on decrease whereas liability, equity and revenue accounts are credited on increase and debited on decrease! You see my predicament? Now we talk of acquisitions and depreciations like it’s our jargon … uff … still needs some getting used to. More on it later.

What the hell is going on ?

Three attacks in as many days that have left over 65 people dead! What on earth is happening in Pakistan ?! To be brutally honest, I did support the operation ... but not the way it was carried out. There were startling revelations afterwards ... most notably of White Phosphorous being used by the Army and of course Dr. Shahid Masood's column in JANG.

The conditions haven't been this bad for some time. All security forces in Pakistan are under constant attack by suicide bombers and sympathizers of Ghazi Rasheed. Did we need to kill each and every person inside the mosque to prove our point ?! Like I said in the case of Bugti, I refuse to believe that this was the only option ... despite what Mushy said on the telly. Killing your own people brutally does not make an example out of them, it makes martyrs out of them that will haunt Pakistani forces for years to come!

Also, never have I witnessed Pak Army being lambasted by its own people so much before. I think it also important to understand that for all its discipline, all it is doing is following orders. The soldiers know what they are told by their superiors and do what they are ordered to do. I just hope the situation stabilizes and we do not have any more bombings - although I highly doubt it.

You know what sickens me the most?! That even if we get rid of Mushy, there is no one to turn to. Bibi and Sharif sahab are convicted looters and criminals and should not be allowed another term. Who does that leave then? The MMA ? Please! Who else ? No one! Our predicament is such that not only are we screwed right now ... there is potential to be screwed ever so more in the future if the govt. changes for the worse. Only time will tell.

Tandrusti Hazaar Naimat Hay

I've had this freaking cough for the last three freaking weeks and it took a turn for the worst last night! Damn! Now it's real bad and I know I could have prevented it :(! The doctor seemed startled as to how it could get so bad from the last time I visited him ... Anyway, a bit of 'BADD PARHAIZI' and there you go..

Right now, I got a running nose, a cough that is so bad ... it's not even funny! And as a result of all this, I have a bad fever too !

Changed Life

It's been a while since I last posted to this blog. A lot has happened after May ... I've gotten a job at a software house in down here in Karachi and life's been changed ever since. I am sure everyone takes their time getting used to a working life where you have to spend the best part of the day at this singe place all week long! Believe me, it takes some getting used to for a fresh graduate! Anyway, the experience has been worthwhile and I hope it continues to be that way for as long as I stay here.

Life really gets busy tenfold when youi start a job. I can't seem to remember if I've ever craved for weekends this much before :)! All of the week's work now invariably gets dumped on the weekend and all the movies, TV series etc. have to wait till the weekend too. I finished the LOST - Season 3 last week and have now started watching the Star Trek - The Next Generation series. Besides that, I read Digital Fortress and plan to get my hands on the The 11th Commandment which a friend recommended. So all in all, life is whizzing at warp ten speed and while having to witness unusually high amounts of rain. And there's more fore casted for tomorrow and day after ... damn!

Aftermath of 5/12

In the wake of the bloodiest couple of days the city has witnessed in years, much is being said by all parties involved that day - mostly pointing the finger at each other. But one thing's for certain, the ruling party in Sindh (MQM) has given the most inane reason for not letting law-enforcement agencies (Police/Rangers) interfere with the ongoing bloodshed. They argue it would have resulted in even more loss of lives! Why don't they just admit that the whole thing was deliberated, that their workers roamed free with ammunition since the preceding night, blocking roads, digging trenches, patrolling the bridges on Shara-e-Faisal. In short, every thing we witnessed on 5/12 was set up so as to send a message to CJ and his collaborators that Karachi, supposedly, rests at the mercy of these bastards who can disrupt life in Pakistan's biggest metropolis at their leisure! And how conveniently have they now crawled back into their holes by closing all sector and unit offices to lay low for a while - are they not typical tactics of criminals ?!

Some links to shocking revelations by people that were there along with some news reports:

A Doctor's Account
http://karachi.metblogs.com/archives/2007/05/is_this_what_ha.phtml

Journalist's Account
http://karachi.metblogs.com/archives/2007/05/a_tt_to_my_head.phtml

Memories of a bloodbath survivor
http://www.dawn.com/2007/05/17/local10.htm

Governor confirms no orders
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2007/05/070514_security_plan_rza.shtml

Melancholic Monday

Today was supposed to be my first day at work! Yes people! I've been hired by a new and upcoming software house. But mushy and that sterile bastard in London decided to push their two-bit agenda with the deaths of 41 people ! Khuda inn sab to jald ghaarat karay. Ameen! Hoping the city comes back to normal tomorrow.

City under siege

MQM and their servile scum of followers held the city under siege all day long today as violence erupted at several places. The city had not witnessed such an outburst of violence in years and the blame squarely lies on the government and its inability to control the law and order situation which seemingly went out of hand once the first shot was fired. It is no secret that MQM used government resources in preparing for the rally, including the buses of several universities, but what unfolded before our eyes on LIVE television was simply appalling! AAJ TV caught MQM thugs taking position at Gurumander chowrangi live. Their shocking footage showed a black government vehicle, among others, laden with explosives roaming Gurumandir area. For this, AAJ building came under heavy fire by you know and was then forced to stop its broadcast. The firing continued for hours and has just ceased (7pm) according to reports.

Elsewhere, places in and around Shahrah-e-Faisal continued to experience violence throughout the day as rival workers turned the road into a battlefield. MQM has long been known to be a terrorist organization, no matter how much they try to hide their vile face, they always end up showing it on days like this. Teeth Maestro was there and then when the first shot was fired by MQM thugs on a peaceful rally in support of CJP. Read his account of the fiasco that followed here: http://karachi.metblogs.com/archives/2007/05/karachi_witness.phtml

And then that despicable excuse for a human being - Altaf Hussain - started his speech like he was reciting a Majlis. Needless to say that he placed the blame on CJP and the opposition for the entire situation in Karachi. I can't tell you how his statements and those of his servile ministers made my blood boil !! I hope he meets his fate soon, the scumbag. Weapons used by his supporters today should only be in the hands of law-enforcement agencies, and the fact that they had an endless supply of ammunition, as reported by Talat Hussain, goes to show what kind of a party they truly are.

Arguably the lowest point of the day came when GEO reported that an ambulance driver taking a couple of wounded people was intercepted and shot dead by members of the opposing group! Another ambulance that came for his dead body was then burnt and its driver narrowly escaped himself! Shocking!! I can't tell you how pissed off I am today for not being able to do anything as my city burns while mushy and his puppets celebrate in Islamabad.

I can go on and on venting my anger on these two-bit morons who happen to be our leaders, who are willing to let all hell break loose in Karachi just to stay in power and manipulate us further. It is clear there was no law and order in the city today, and rival political workers fired at each other without being intercepted by the Police or Rangers. The situation is bound to remain tense for a couple of days further. God Help Us.

Quote

A quote I heard the other day...

"I don't think you can judge people by what they think or say, you can only judge them by what they do."

So true! How often do we see people "talking" as if they're the noblest and the most honest human being alive, yet their actions (or accusations leveled against them by others) say otherwise. Perfect example in this case seem to be our politicians, lying and plotting their way into power and doing everything in their grasp to stay there.

As far as personal experience goes, I've seen people "talking" their way into other's good books; stringing together sweet-sounding sentences and kissing up to others just to make them look more eloquent and subservient. In a place like Pakistan, there's almost nothing you can't get done by dishing out some dough; a place where 'sifaarish' and 'rishwat' rule supreme. I remember on my way back from a trip 3 years ago, I witnessed ASF officials fleecing this poor African guy at the airport; apparently, he had an issue with his Passport and they were willing to let him go if he paid them a handsome sum. Although initially loath to the idea he caved in eventually, after which they took his wallet and expertly took out all the money holding it under a desk so that no one else could see. It was a sad sight - a sight typical of Pakistani servicemen.

Why do we all like to cheat so much?! Whatever happened to our character! Sometimes I think there is no hope for us - and then I fear the worst. I hope I'm wrong. How long can you sustain a nation supposedly a follower of the noblest of beings yet their common men defy all that he stood for ? Something's got to give.

What do you MEAN I'm not going to die?

A British man who went on a wild spending spree after doctors said he only had a short time to live wants compensation because the diagnosis was wrong and he is now healthy -- but broke.



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Air conditioned bus shelters!

World's first air-conditioned bus shelters ! No points for guessing where - it's Dubai!

My comments ? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! IF YA GOT SO MUCH POWER IN RESERVE WHY NOT SEND SOME OVER TO US POOR SUFFERERS OF KARACHI! :(

Normalcy Returns

My life has been on a virtual standstill for the last 2 months as I've preparing for the tumultuous experience that is the GRE! Anyway, I got two projects today and I couldn't be happier! I haven't done any programming or graphics work in over 2 months and it felt so strange. So you can imagine my delight at being offered work again. I guess as long as someone doesn't hire me full-time, I'll keep plugging away on Rent a Coder! ;)

Not to mention I finally have the luxury of watching Champions League games LIVE late into the night! Also, Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, LOST and last and best of 'em all ... HEROES! What an awesome series that is!