Caller Identifier
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Identification of unwanted and unsolicited calls can make life a lot easier. Use Caller Identifier and find out who's calling you. If you can't identify the phone number or if you are getting prank phone calls and want to know who it is, best place to find who is calling is CallerIndentifier.com.
posted by Shirazi @ 10:09 PM,
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Non Disclosure Agreements
Information Technology (IT) industry is one of the major areas of human activities. It has rapidly matured in relatively short span of time. More or less every one is taking advantages of IT and those who have yet not integrated IT in their work and life want to. Like any other industry, IT also has its own share of problems. One of the major problems IT industry and professionals are facing is called braindumps - questions and answers from an actual IT certification exam that leak out to those who are getting IT certification to enhance their skills and knowledge.
Braindumps are engaged in is an illegal practice that has seismic effects on all concerned. How is it illegal? Every candidates going for IT certification is required to sign non disclosure agreement not to leak the exam related information. But leaks still happen and it is these the leaks have given birth to braindumps providers who are mushrooming by days.
Many certification providers have implemented NDAs to prevent examinees from stealing their information and passing on in mass. Prior to taking any certification exam, it is required that examinees sign the NDA. But given the rapid growth of braindumps, this is not enough.
What can be done to when examinees violate this bond and feed the information to braindumps? This is a collective problem of the IT industry and should be tackled collectively at all levels.
No one should opt for braindumps certifications in the first place. It is illegal, unethical and debars anyone from learning. Anyone who has an idea of any such violation should blow a whistle and report them. Individuals own this toa
Many certification providers have implemented NDAs to prevent examinees from stealing their information and passing on in mass. Prior to taking any certification exam, it is required that examinees sign the NDA. But given the rapid growth of braindumps, this is not enough.
What can be done to when examinees violate this bond and feed the information to braindumps? This is a collective problem of the IT industry and should be tackled collectively at all levels.
No one should opt for braindumps certifications in the first place. It is illegal, unethical and debars anyone from learning. Anyone who has an idea of any such violation should blow a whistle and report them. Individuals own this toa
The main responsibility to stop this menace lies with the Industry giants who are also certification providers. They need to make a conscious effort to defeat any effort against their systems. They need to guard their name and come up waith a solution to defeat braindumps. There are many ways to do that.
The best would be to divide certification exams in different parts; theory can stay online and practical may be conducted in examination centers in different places around the world. Students who qualify the theoretical portion may be invited to those centers where they should take the practical exam and prove their skills in a particular product and or application. Some of the websites and forums have already added filters to block the usage of the names of such websites and some others are doing good jobs to create awareness about this trend.
posted by Shirazi @ 10:00 PM,
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People Locator Services
I have been always find people on the Internet but that used to be through search engines. Now you have a PeopleLocatorServices.com – a service to find missing people. People Finder is your perfect resources to find people you want. Search is efficient and you can narrow your search by selecting a state. Try them.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:46 PM,
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Friendship Highway
The souls that pave the way for the modern tarmac road known as the Karakorum Highway (KKH) still seem to flicker amongst the sharp moving shadows of the unstable rocks and the almost countless but crumbly semi-transparent glaciers that constantly threaten its existencea. There has always been a long pass into, and out of China and Pakistan over what is sometime called the "Roof of the World" but in ancient times it was a very hazardous passageway. One wonders how Alexander might have crossed the Karakorum Mountains in 325 BC or how early travellers like Marco Polo, Hieun Tsang and others might have tracked on the route without backpacks, four wheel driven powerful vehicles and even the roads, till Pakistan Army engineers spread asphalt through one of the most difficult terrain in the world and created this great engineering feat called as the eighth wonder of the world.Northern Pakistan has some of the most beautiful and mightiest mountain terrain -- Hindu Kush and Karakorum -- in the world.
Besides raw natural beauty, the territory is very difficult for men and machine to work even in this modern age. The road is in fact reflection of man's incessant struggle against transcendental power.
What one sees while commuting on the highway? Extinct writings, Chinese traveller's diary and quoted in the North West Frontier Province Gazetteer that reads, "the path is certainly narrow, and often clung to the sheer faces of the many deep resonant gorges that confine their turgid, animated rivers. A traveller along the path sees at one glance the shadowy valleys from which a shiny mist columns rise at noon against a luminous sky, the forest ridges, stretches fold behind fold in softly undulating lines -- dotted by the white specks which mark the situation of Buddhist monasteries -- to the glacier draped pinnacles and precipices of the snowy range. He passes from the zone of tree ferns and endless colonnade of tall stemmed magnolias oaks and chestnut trees, fringes with delicate orchids and festooned by long convolvuluses to the region of gigantic pines, junipers, firs and larches. Down each ravine sparkles a brimming torrent, making the ferns and flowers nod as it dashes past them. Superb butterflies, black and blue, or flashes of rainbow colours that turn at pleasure into exact imitation of dead leaves, the fairies of this lavish transformation scene of nature, sail in and out between the sun light and gloom. The mountaineer pushes on by a track half buried between the red twisted stems of tree-rhododendrons, hung with long waiving lichens, till he emerges at last on open sky and the upper pastures -- the Alps of the Himalayan - field of flowers: of gentians and edelweiss and poppies, which blossom beneath the shining store house of snow that encompass the ice mailed and flouted shoulders of the giants of the range."
Get off the Grand Trunk Road -- main social as well as economic artery of Pakistan -- near Hassan Abdal; travel northeast through plains of Hazara and you are already in tourists' zone. Cyclists riding trendy machines and cellular phones even with local are commonly seen and almost all commodity items for the use offoreigners are available with vendors right on the roadside. Lucky ones may also have the pleasure to watch performance of Chinese artists at Silk Rout Festival that moves from place to place and gives spectacular performance.
Passing through outskirts of Mansehra, the road starts winding and climbing through forested hills, with houses climbing to the contours of hills and countless eateries lined up along the road. The travellers here are introduced to forbidding nature of the terrain. The river Indus gushes below and cliffs of bar rocks soar above as the KKH begins to cut its way through the gorges of Kohistan. After dipping into, and out of the Indus's wide bed the road also seem vying for the right of way with Gilgit and Hunza Riversbefore it heeds direct to the historic Khunjerab Pass into China. Voluminous traffic and rather unpleasant riding conditions becomes lighter after leaving Mansehra and remains so almost to Khunjerab Pass and beyond (to the end of the highway in Kashgar, China.)
Before crossing on the Chinese side of the Khunjerab Pass, the road passes through Hunza Valley. The intricate terraced fields, held in places by dry stone or wooden retaining walls and the complex system of irrigation channels leading down from mount Rakaposi or Ultar are testimony to the skilled labour of the locals who are famous for their different culture, friendly nature and long lives.
While the entire Hunza Valley is breathtaking in its splendour and beauty, one of my most enduring memories of this place is watching the sunrise over the hills. And, when you devote enough time to look at the mountains, it becomes a bit chameleon -- clouding over, changing colours, cliffs turning into convex and concave according to the slant light.
At night, lights glow in this tiny isolated villages. But, the village women still do not know the use of simple electric appliances of modern age. Community hydroelectric system has been installed on torrents. The system allows only few bulbs per household. Men and women are found working together in the fields, homes or collecting woods from hills in conical wicker baskets. They are welcoming and seem to be living at peace with themselves.
The highway is also called the "Silk Road" because it approximates the trail of what was once one of the many silk, jade and spice carrying caravan trails that congregated somewhere near Xi'an, in China, and terminated in the vicinity of modern Syria on the Mediterranean sea coast. Like long lines of exploring ants, determined traders, merchants and adventures wore a path through narrow gorges, high grass sheathed valleys, across waterless deserts, around higher mountains, and over ranging rivers in pursuit of bargains.
The passage of time has not altered any of these geophysical conditions. Rest every thing in the area has changed though. The developments found their is greatest physical manifestation with the construction of the KKH, built along the path of the caravan routs of the Silk Road, a joint venture between china and Pakistan (which is why it is also called as Pakistan China Friendship Road). Work on the mammoth project, which is said to have cost one life for every kilometre of road constructed, was begun in 1966 and completed in 1982. With commissioning of the road, the entire area has been laid open to trade and tourism. The resulting progress is undoubtedly causing a great deal of visible societal change.
While regular bus service ply the KKH to Gilgit, Hunza and the Khunjerab Pass, and the route eastwards through the Indus gorge to Baltistan, four-wheel drive powerful vehicles can only negotiate many of the remaining roads dissecting the region. There are lots of rough tracks leading to off road habitats on both sides of the road. For the adventurer who wants to go beyond these to really explore the mountains there is a highly developed system of trails built up over thousand of years by the tradesman, nomads and herdsmen, all granting access to some of the most magnificent mountain scenery on earth.
Besides raw natural beauty, the territory is very difficult for men and machine to work even in this modern age. The road is in fact reflection of man's incessant struggle against transcendental power.
What one sees while commuting on the highway? Extinct writings, Chinese traveller's diary and quoted in the North West Frontier Province Gazetteer that reads, "the path is certainly narrow, and often clung to the sheer faces of the many deep resonant gorges that confine their turgid, animated rivers. A traveller along the path sees at one glance the shadowy valleys from which a shiny mist columns rise at noon against a luminous sky, the forest ridges, stretches fold behind fold in softly undulating lines -- dotted by the white specks which mark the situation of Buddhist monasteries -- to the glacier draped pinnacles and precipices of the snowy range. He passes from the zone of tree ferns and endless colonnade of tall stemmed magnolias oaks and chestnut trees, fringes with delicate orchids and festooned by long convolvuluses to the region of gigantic pines, junipers, firs and larches. Down each ravine sparkles a brimming torrent, making the ferns and flowers nod as it dashes past them. Superb butterflies, black and blue, or flashes of rainbow colours that turn at pleasure into exact imitation of dead leaves, the fairies of this lavish transformation scene of nature, sail in and out between the sun light and gloom. The mountaineer pushes on by a track half buried between the red twisted stems of tree-rhododendrons, hung with long waiving lichens, till he emerges at last on open sky and the upper pastures -- the Alps of the Himalayan - field of flowers: of gentians and edelweiss and poppies, which blossom beneath the shining store house of snow that encompass the ice mailed and flouted shoulders of the giants of the range."
Get off the Grand Trunk Road -- main social as well as economic artery of Pakistan -- near Hassan Abdal; travel northeast through plains of Hazara and you are already in tourists' zone. Cyclists riding trendy machines and cellular phones even with local are commonly seen and almost all commodity items for the use offoreigners are available with vendors right on the roadside. Lucky ones may also have the pleasure to watch performance of Chinese artists at Silk Rout Festival that moves from place to place and gives spectacular performance.
Passing through outskirts of Mansehra, the road starts winding and climbing through forested hills, with houses climbing to the contours of hills and countless eateries lined up along the road. The travellers here are introduced to forbidding nature of the terrain. The river Indus gushes below and cliffs of bar rocks soar above as the KKH begins to cut its way through the gorges of Kohistan. After dipping into, and out of the Indus's wide bed the road also seem vying for the right of way with Gilgit and Hunza Riversbefore it heeds direct to the historic Khunjerab Pass into China. Voluminous traffic and rather unpleasant riding conditions becomes lighter after leaving Mansehra and remains so almost to Khunjerab Pass and beyond (to the end of the highway in Kashgar, China.)
Before crossing on the Chinese side of the Khunjerab Pass, the road passes through Hunza Valley. The intricate terraced fields, held in places by dry stone or wooden retaining walls and the complex system of irrigation channels leading down from mount Rakaposi or Ultar are testimony to the skilled labour of the locals who are famous for their different culture, friendly nature and long lives.
While the entire Hunza Valley is breathtaking in its splendour and beauty, one of my most enduring memories of this place is watching the sunrise over the hills. And, when you devote enough time to look at the mountains, it becomes a bit chameleon -- clouding over, changing colours, cliffs turning into convex and concave according to the slant light.
At night, lights glow in this tiny isolated villages. But, the village women still do not know the use of simple electric appliances of modern age. Community hydroelectric system has been installed on torrents. The system allows only few bulbs per household. Men and women are found working together in the fields, homes or collecting woods from hills in conical wicker baskets. They are welcoming and seem to be living at peace with themselves.
The highway is also called the "Silk Road" because it approximates the trail of what was once one of the many silk, jade and spice carrying caravan trails that congregated somewhere near Xi'an, in China, and terminated in the vicinity of modern Syria on the Mediterranean sea coast. Like long lines of exploring ants, determined traders, merchants and adventures wore a path through narrow gorges, high grass sheathed valleys, across waterless deserts, around higher mountains, and over ranging rivers in pursuit of bargains.
The passage of time has not altered any of these geophysical conditions. Rest every thing in the area has changed though. The developments found their is greatest physical manifestation with the construction of the KKH, built along the path of the caravan routs of the Silk Road, a joint venture between china and Pakistan (which is why it is also called as Pakistan China Friendship Road). Work on the mammoth project, which is said to have cost one life for every kilometre of road constructed, was begun in 1966 and completed in 1982. With commissioning of the road, the entire area has been laid open to trade and tourism. The resulting progress is undoubtedly causing a great deal of visible societal change.
While regular bus service ply the KKH to Gilgit, Hunza and the Khunjerab Pass, and the route eastwards through the Indus gorge to Baltistan, four-wheel drive powerful vehicles can only negotiate many of the remaining roads dissecting the region. There are lots of rough tracks leading to off road habitats on both sides of the road. For the adventurer who wants to go beyond these to really explore the mountains there is a highly developed system of trails built up over thousand of years by the tradesman, nomads and herdsmen, all granting access to some of the most magnificent mountain scenery on earth.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:40 PM,
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Reverse Mobile Phone Lookup
The reason may be any but sometime you want to know about the owner of a cell phone mobile number who calls. In case you need to find out, use Reverse Mobile Phone Lookup service. Explore their site and see which states they are covering and how they can help you in case you need.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:35 PM,
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What is a Blog?
What is a blog? Well, it depends on whom the question is asked. For millions of ordinary people with access to a computer and an Internet connection, it is easy way to self publish their thoughts, concerns, and feelings or a means of talking to each other and sharing joys, sorrow and accomplishments. To some blog still is a repository of useful links and sources from the Web and an approach to filtering information. Some others say it is a voice that is being heard in this din. Yet others say it as a memory aid. Blogs are an outlet on so many levels for so many people. Blogs are catharsis or merely vanity sites and a short cut to fame. Blogs are ego gratification for "wannabe writers." For e-marketers blogs are quick tools for building their businesses and brands.
Blogging is a rapidly evolving Web phenomenon. True that the Web has always been perceived as a medium where users are able to read, publish and exchange documents. But in the early days, self publishing online was costly and a bit too technical. Things started changing after the arrival of community sites like Geocities and Angelfire, providing free online space for users to publish Web pages and in return increasing providers' customers' base and revenues. But blogs did not proliferate as the process still needed some degree of technical knowledge and skills. That happened only after the emergences of many free blog hoisting services and affordable software (like Radio User land) with easy interface that any one on the Internet got a chance to go blogging; simple.
News is that Harvard University has given fellow ship to Dave Winer, a software developer and blogging guru in order to head up their Blogs at Harvard initiative in order to teach Harvard students and faculty the art of posting daily entries to the Web. Trend trajectory reached near its vertex in a short time when many providers offered free blogging service, Google's acquired Blogger.com, and AOL introduced the facility to its subscribers. Now Microsoft has also offered MSN spaces. 'Blog' was most used word on the Internet in the year 2003 and 2004. Last year has been called year of blogs. With more people building and maintaining blogs, their importance is increasing. This is one reason that the phenomenon keeps getting more and more attention in social as well commercial circles. Which is why RSS powered blogs are being seen as he next big thing in marketing?
Blogs (short for Web logs) that has become new destination on the Internet -- a whole new cyber subculture -- originally were typical link driven and personally owned sites at best interspersed with some observations or random personal thoughts. Many bloggers are following the same prototype. They dig up the interesting articles from obscure nooks and corners of the Web, highlight and present them in their blogs, some time adding more facts, alternative views, and meaningful insights, providing more depth.
Like Web, blogs are changing all the time in format, contents and intent. The blog hoisting services provide easy to use templates, enabling the users to choose from. Geek types and those who know HTML may fiddle with the format and keep customising the design where as lesser tech savvy keep up with what was provided by the service. Third party templates are also available that any inquisitive can download them for free.
Bloggers now disseminate information, interpret them for us as per their own perceptions, initiate debates, and participate in debates and more. Surf some and one can finds blogs of any kind and type: subject oriented, complimenting or criticizing perspectives, incisive observations, or deeply personal lascivious thoughts and very intimate details of personal life (some give these details staying behind the walls of anonymity while some do it overtly, even solicit comments, and call it freedom of choice). Early adopters of the blogging practice, who are in the middle of, and enjoying, an evolution of information technologies think that form of blogs will keep changing over period as tools improve and technology matures.
It is not that only blogs that are changing. The trend is turning passive users into active surfers and writers. Blogging necessarily makes people to read, analyse and write. Bloggers surf and search more in order to locate unusual thing on the Web to post on their blogs. I read this at the mast head of one blog, "I'm still alive and relatively well. I have commentary, photos, and a dive log to prove it."
Though blogging like the Internet itself is a global in nature and cannot be segregated or reviewed on the basis of geography yet while writing this I looked beneath the content of Pak blogs, all those I could find created and maintained by local users. Local blogs are a whole new world out there. As anywhere else, Pak blogs offer a view of what is thought in public and discussed in private. Bloggers here vent, flirt, and tell jokes. They also waffle, whine, or weasel. Some folk showcase their work with by lines of their own choosing or propagate a cause. Some users are producing surprisingly good qualities while some others are sloppy and direction less.
Pakistani bloggers seem to be very innovative. Pak blogs are oozing out with individualism and diversity. During my hunt, I have seen translation of a complete book by one writer posted on a blog; single entry. Blogging in not still economic hobbyhorse here but one can see some sponsored ads on a few blogs already. Many use them as a safe storage place to keep their hard disks free. Photo blogs are being used as online family photo albums. Zahid Shazad, a Pakistani IT professional who has migrated to Australia, had his CV pasted on his sole blog when he was looking for job. "Whatever I have in my personal computer is also on some of my private blogs (not assessable by others) and I can access them where ever I happen to be," says an avid blogger Karim Dad. Though English is a predominant language at the Net but look for it and you may find blogs in all languages including Urdu as well.
There are still some impediments, the most obvious being access to technologies, lack of purpose to reach out to the world and matters of ego and social background. What all one is willing to open to others? Email conversations with local bloggers revealed some more reservations: People are afraid to speak up. Mastery of language, technical, or compositional skills are another set of barriers for those who do not have them. Karim Dad thinks, "Though these days blogging is as easy as signing in for email account and operating it yet those who are gifted with writing skills are often Web novice and those who are skilful Internet users have nothing much to say."
There are almost as many critics as there are enthusiasts of blogging trend. But evidence is that Weblogs have already become more than just a passing whim. Critics, however, say that this 'inconsequential chatter' has given rise to plagiarism of a different king and the whole thing is nothing but recycling. There is hardly any thing original in blogs.
Some users just mark their presence; create a blog, post initial entry, submit it to one or two blog directories and forget about it. Frequent switchers leave one service and join another to build their blog afresh; more blogs are coming up every day. A few bloggers decide to dump their labour of love in cyber graveyard for good after some time due to variety of reason: blogging as an activity cease to have an importance in their lives, or they do not have enough to say in their blogs. Aamar Waqas, a journalist and a farmer blogger says, "I started blogging because I have an opinion and I wanted to have a place where I could voice my views about things around. Moreover, every one else was having one in my circle. Writing is very daunting job sometimes. The stress of daily updates became a distraction in my work and I left it after doing it for a year."
Bloggers are a natural fit with each other and the fraternity is exponentially growing. Simple philosophy is this: "You mention me in your blog and I mention you in mine," and it goes on and on. Bloggers are keen to see what others are doing at their blogs so they keep up with as many as they can, especially those who are like minded. Confession: Well, I am found of seeing what others publish in their blogs that I do not know and who all have mentioned mine in the list of their favourites. I also try to see people who are behind blogs.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:34 PM,
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Cherished Number Plates
Have a look at cherished number plates, and see what they are offering and how. You can also search their huge selection of private number plates, ageless car registrations, prefix type personalised number plates and current style number plates. What is more, Northumbria Numbers will take care of the rest including all paperwork involved. On the other hand, if you are interested in selling your private car number, they can also help on a no-sale. All you have to do is fill up a form on the site.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:49 AM,
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Fine Art of Smilies
The tiny winy sequences of type characters referred to as smileys or emoticons are universal among those who live on the web across cultures through out the cyber world. Sometimes amusing and at times meaningful, smileys are used in electronic communication to enrich the meaning of text based messages.
The idea of graphically depicting human emotions is not new. BBC claims that, “the original smiley was created in 1964 by commercial artist Harvey Ball.” Russian writer Vladimir Nobaokov who authored Lolita, answering a question in 1969 was quoted by Scott E. Fahlman as saying , “I often think there should exist a special typographichal sign for a smile- some sort of concave mark, a supine round bracket.”
“The emoticon or “smiley” being discussed is the first ASCII smiley,” reads Plato Emoticons, “like so many things, PLATO was doing emoticons and smileys, online and on screen years earlier. In fact, emoticons on PLATO were already an art form by 1976. PLATO users began doing smiley characters probably as early as 1972 (when PLATO IV came out), but possible even earlier of PLATO III.”
Consensus is that the original ASCII smiley {:- )} with which every one on the World Wide Web is so familiar came into existence with a note written by neural networks researcher Scott E. Fahlman of September 19, 1982 as a means of indicating a joke marker during a contentious online bulletin board discussion. The origin of this smiley has been meticulously searched by Mike Jones and Jeff Baird. It has led to the creation of many other facial expressions built with keyboard characters as well as invention of the term emoticon- a combination of words emotions and icons- to describe them all during the past over two decades. Web mail and instant messaging service providers like AOL, MSN and Yahoo! And some dedicated websites not only list the digital displays of these human emotions but also turn them into thematic imagery. Inclusion of emoticons in Web mail and chat windows by the three providers has done best of popularize them among millions of their subscribers all over the world.
Communication experts are of the opinion that when using text-based online messages, smileys provide for lack of the body language or tone of voice cues that convey meaning when talking face to face or on the telephone. They are innovative and add a splash of colour in the otherwise eerie uniformity of a sloppy prose.
Some critics, who are more conscious about preserving languages, shrink at the very idea of smileys, arguing that writers should have no need to explicitly put a label on their state of mind or heart. As was being done since the invention of the written word, writers should have no need to explicitly put a label on their state of mind or heart. As was being done since the invention of the written word, writers should be able to express themselves with words alone instead. But proliferating the use of smileys indicated that they have already been accepted as a mainstream phenomenon.
Smileys are being used in e-mails, chat rooms, bulltin boards, newsgroups, blogs or where ever human beings get together in digital form; it is no more possible to use the internet without encountering these curious creatures. They have started appearing on mobile phone screens as well. What is more, smileys come into view in students’ work, on class room blackboards and on different market items from bedspreads to mugs to mouse pads. Large size smileys are seen in cybercafés. They are also being used in letters written in long hand and sent by snail mail.
In the process, the undertone of smileys is evolving from just humouous to more expressive. Which is why besides enthusiastic youngsters, academicians, editors and professionals are using smileys fro greater creativity and expression?
The internet is visibly changing the traditional frontiers of human communication. Zaheer Hassan, a recently laid off knowledge worker, still hangs around in America, armed with excellent interpersonal skills. He is heavily dependent on e-mail in work and he pithily makes use of smileys. “Emotions have become an important part of the online culture,” he says, “They make it easy and quick to communicate emotions- something that many people find difficult to express using words- particularly when dealing with people from diverse social and educational backgrounds.”
Mary, a busy IT analyst and writer from Canada e-mailed in response to a query, “It is true that e-mails do not accurately capture our feelings. How could they? Most are written quickly, with little regard for nouns or are just official communication. I recall an incident at work when a young lady caused a lot of aggravation to a co-worker due to her (perceived) abrasive style. Confronted by the manager, she was at a loss and started crying, she simply was not good with written communication. Emoticons may help somewhat. I personally do not use them; I rely on my words to do the whole job. I think a lot also depends on who the recipient is, style or the rapport of the sender with other person. If the two correspondents do not know each other’s style, mishap can occur. Emoticons introduce a note of informality… I can hardly imagine an e-mail from our corporate heads bearing emoticons. It is suitable for peer to peer communication.”
“Emoticons may seem silly, but they fulfill an important function. Though emoticons cannot replace the full range of non-verbal communication,” e-mailed Maria Iqbal, “they can go a long way towards changing the mood of written statement, and the : -) or the (acronym that I think looks like smileys) can make it clear that you mean something in a light hearted manner, just as a reassuring smile or laugh might if you were speaking. So while I personally do not use a wide range of emoticons, or use them very often, I believe they are important tools for online communication.” Nan McCarthy, an expert in online relationship and author of three famous books (“chat”, “connect”, and “crash”) writes, “The primary purpose of emoticons in e-mail and live chats is to minimize misunderstandings, especially when a joke could be misconstrued as a serious statement and therefore hurt the recipient’s feelings. Hence, the frequent use of smiley faces, however, emoticons should not be overused or take the place of good writing and clear communication, even in live chats.”
Shahid Salahud Din, a programmer who spends most of his working time on computer, says “The last thing I want to do is writing more than what is absolutely necessary. So I use these typographical smileys that are computer equivalent of handmade drawings advantageously whenever I can. The problem is that smileys are yet not standard. There are so many different dictionaries each defining them differently dictionaries each defining them differently. Many have to be explained every time they are used even while communicating within IT professionals’ community.”
“I have gone past the age of sitting by a computer connected to the internet and waiting for an e mail or my chat buddies to appear online. I use computer as a useful working device. It has made my life easier as I ma more informed, accessible, and connected. I do not remember using smileys myself but I am familiar with them. I come across them every now and then mostly in mails from my contacts abroad. This is how I find out new emoticons if I cannot make sense out of them,” says Shamim Asghar, an advocate who is running his consultancy service for education abroad.
No one needs to sell to the young ones on the benefits of the internet these days. Traditionally, youth is the fraternity that has dominated the use of smileys here and elsewhere. For them smileys sometimes go beyond conveying feelings, cultural fusion or fun. Young e-mail and instant messaging enthusiasts normally remember the keystrokes for so many smileys by heart or keep a rich collection on their computers. But what is more, “rather than reading these sequences sideways they read in between and usually give deeper meaning to emoticons,” says Khalid Ahmed, a member faculty University of the Punjab.
Shahbaz Afzal is an IT undergraduate and a proud owner of a powerful machine. He keenly uses smileys in chat sessions and so many mails he exchanged with his friends and father in Dubai. “I have collected smileys from different sites, most of which sit in my favorite cache. I have also given print outs to my father and friends fro reference. They are all familiar with them” he says.
Like most people in this part of the world, I adopted this internet-ism and started using the pictographs of different facial expressions some time ago. I fine myself surfing different directories in an effort to know them all so that I am not caught “not knowing”. More and more icons are coming up every day. And, what some of my friends send me in their electronic messages sonly set me wondering where I stand with them?
It is safe to assume that new techniques of online communications will continue to evolve; smileys are one attempt at finding new ways for a new medium. Aptly and moderately used, these cute little sideway faces many are using on the internet can hit the mark perfectly or help clarify when one is being quirky or ironic or whimsical or miffed or emotional. Try them.
The idea of graphically depicting human emotions is not new. BBC claims that, “the original smiley was created in 1964 by commercial artist Harvey Ball.” Russian writer Vladimir Nobaokov who authored Lolita, answering a question in 1969 was quoted by Scott E. Fahlman as saying , “I often think there should exist a special typographichal sign for a smile- some sort of concave mark, a supine round bracket.”
“The emoticon or “smiley” being discussed is the first ASCII smiley,” reads Plato Emoticons, “like so many things, PLATO was doing emoticons and smileys, online and on screen years earlier. In fact, emoticons on PLATO were already an art form by 1976. PLATO users began doing smiley characters probably as early as 1972 (when PLATO IV came out), but possible even earlier of PLATO III.”
Consensus is that the original ASCII smiley {:- )} with which every one on the World Wide Web is so familiar came into existence with a note written by neural networks researcher Scott E. Fahlman of September 19, 1982 as a means of indicating a joke marker during a contentious online bulletin board discussion. The origin of this smiley has been meticulously searched by Mike Jones and Jeff Baird. It has led to the creation of many other facial expressions built with keyboard characters as well as invention of the term emoticon- a combination of words emotions and icons- to describe them all during the past over two decades. Web mail and instant messaging service providers like AOL, MSN and Yahoo! And some dedicated websites not only list the digital displays of these human emotions but also turn them into thematic imagery. Inclusion of emoticons in Web mail and chat windows by the three providers has done best of popularize them among millions of their subscribers all over the world.
Communication experts are of the opinion that when using text-based online messages, smileys provide for lack of the body language or tone of voice cues that convey meaning when talking face to face or on the telephone. They are innovative and add a splash of colour in the otherwise eerie uniformity of a sloppy prose.
Some critics, who are more conscious about preserving languages, shrink at the very idea of smileys, arguing that writers should have no need to explicitly put a label on their state of mind or heart. As was being done since the invention of the written word, writers should have no need to explicitly put a label on their state of mind or heart. As was being done since the invention of the written word, writers should be able to express themselves with words alone instead. But proliferating the use of smileys indicated that they have already been accepted as a mainstream phenomenon.
Smileys are being used in e-mails, chat rooms, bulltin boards, newsgroups, blogs or where ever human beings get together in digital form; it is no more possible to use the internet without encountering these curious creatures. They have started appearing on mobile phone screens as well. What is more, smileys come into view in students’ work, on class room blackboards and on different market items from bedspreads to mugs to mouse pads. Large size smileys are seen in cybercafés. They are also being used in letters written in long hand and sent by snail mail.
In the process, the undertone of smileys is evolving from just humouous to more expressive. Which is why besides enthusiastic youngsters, academicians, editors and professionals are using smileys fro greater creativity and expression?
The internet is visibly changing the traditional frontiers of human communication. Zaheer Hassan, a recently laid off knowledge worker, still hangs around in America, armed with excellent interpersonal skills. He is heavily dependent on e-mail in work and he pithily makes use of smileys. “Emotions have become an important part of the online culture,” he says, “They make it easy and quick to communicate emotions- something that many people find difficult to express using words- particularly when dealing with people from diverse social and educational backgrounds.”
Mary, a busy IT analyst and writer from Canada e-mailed in response to a query, “It is true that e-mails do not accurately capture our feelings. How could they? Most are written quickly, with little regard for nouns or are just official communication. I recall an incident at work when a young lady caused a lot of aggravation to a co-worker due to her (perceived) abrasive style. Confronted by the manager, she was at a loss and started crying, she simply was not good with written communication. Emoticons may help somewhat. I personally do not use them; I rely on my words to do the whole job. I think a lot also depends on who the recipient is, style or the rapport of the sender with other person. If the two correspondents do not know each other’s style, mishap can occur. Emoticons introduce a note of informality… I can hardly imagine an e-mail from our corporate heads bearing emoticons. It is suitable for peer to peer communication.”
“Emoticons may seem silly, but they fulfill an important function. Though emoticons cannot replace the full range of non-verbal communication,” e-mailed Maria Iqbal, “they can go a long way towards changing the mood of written statement, and the : -) or the (acronym that I think looks like smileys) can make it clear that you mean something in a light hearted manner, just as a reassuring smile or laugh might if you were speaking. So while I personally do not use a wide range of emoticons, or use them very often, I believe they are important tools for online communication.” Nan McCarthy, an expert in online relationship and author of three famous books (“chat”, “connect”, and “crash”) writes, “The primary purpose of emoticons in e-mail and live chats is to minimize misunderstandings, especially when a joke could be misconstrued as a serious statement and therefore hurt the recipient’s feelings. Hence, the frequent use of smiley faces, however, emoticons should not be overused or take the place of good writing and clear communication, even in live chats.”
Shahid Salahud Din, a programmer who spends most of his working time on computer, says “The last thing I want to do is writing more than what is absolutely necessary. So I use these typographical smileys that are computer equivalent of handmade drawings advantageously whenever I can. The problem is that smileys are yet not standard. There are so many different dictionaries each defining them differently dictionaries each defining them differently. Many have to be explained every time they are used even while communicating within IT professionals’ community.”
“I have gone past the age of sitting by a computer connected to the internet and waiting for an e mail or my chat buddies to appear online. I use computer as a useful working device. It has made my life easier as I ma more informed, accessible, and connected. I do not remember using smileys myself but I am familiar with them. I come across them every now and then mostly in mails from my contacts abroad. This is how I find out new emoticons if I cannot make sense out of them,” says Shamim Asghar, an advocate who is running his consultancy service for education abroad.
No one needs to sell to the young ones on the benefits of the internet these days. Traditionally, youth is the fraternity that has dominated the use of smileys here and elsewhere. For them smileys sometimes go beyond conveying feelings, cultural fusion or fun. Young e-mail and instant messaging enthusiasts normally remember the keystrokes for so many smileys by heart or keep a rich collection on their computers. But what is more, “rather than reading these sequences sideways they read in between and usually give deeper meaning to emoticons,” says Khalid Ahmed, a member faculty University of the Punjab.
Shahbaz Afzal is an IT undergraduate and a proud owner of a powerful machine. He keenly uses smileys in chat sessions and so many mails he exchanged with his friends and father in Dubai. “I have collected smileys from different sites, most of which sit in my favorite cache. I have also given print outs to my father and friends fro reference. They are all familiar with them” he says.
Like most people in this part of the world, I adopted this internet-ism and started using the pictographs of different facial expressions some time ago. I fine myself surfing different directories in an effort to know them all so that I am not caught “not knowing”. More and more icons are coming up every day. And, what some of my friends send me in their electronic messages sonly set me wondering where I stand with them?
It is safe to assume that new techniques of online communications will continue to evolve; smileys are one attempt at finding new ways for a new medium. Aptly and moderately used, these cute little sideway faces many are using on the internet can hit the mark perfectly or help clarify when one is being quirky or ironic or whimsical or miffed or emotional. Try them.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:00 AM,
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Procare USA Nurses
Word nurse reminds of those healing hands that are desiccated to helping ailing humanity and in emergencies. Have a look at Procare USA - a top national travel nurse staffing company specializing in placing nurses on cross country travel nurse assignments throughout the United States and Canada.
Procare USA has a history. A JCAHO Certified Health Care Staffing Service that specializes in placing registered nurses on travel nursing assignments throughout the United States. Procare USA have been working with nurses to secure them flexible employment opportunities that meet their changing lifestyles since 1990. Whether it's a 13 week travel assignment or a more permanent nursing position, we have hundreds of travel nurse jobs for you to choose from.
Travel nursing offers you the opportunity to have it all; great pay, career enhancement, travel, and the flexibility to choose from hundreds of exciting travel nursing jobs throughout the country. As a Procare USA travel nurse you will always receive personal attention from our experienced staff so that you can focus on your travel nursing career.
You can have a better idea about Procare USA at their “What our nurses say about Procare USA” section. Read through what their nurses have been saying about then. That alone will help you make informed decision about your career and how can you take advantage of Procare USA services.
Travel nurses wishing to take advantage of Procare USA's competitive benefits, excellent compensation and professional rewards are encouraged to approach one of their cross country travel nursing recruiters at 800.877.6785, visit their Getting Started/Apply section or email.
Explore the neatly laid out site and see what opportunities they are offering and how can you start with them. Better still, apply now to get started as a Procare USA travel nurse or call and speak with one of their recruiters today.
posted by Shirazi @ 1:47 AM,
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Why Mir Chakar Came From Sibi?
An old, sleepy and tranquil village Satghara lies about 80 kilometers from Lahore (20 minutes drive away from Okara) in the quiet backwaters of the Punjab. The coins found at Satghara prove that the place was inhabited at the time of the Kushan dynasty. The rule of Kushans was one of the most decisive periods in the history of the Subcontinent. At the height in the second century (A.D.), Kushans ruled from Oxus to Ganges and yet their influence spread beyond even these frontiers. On the southern bank of the Ravi, it is a typical Pakistani village where farmers live like rustics in the face of urban attractions. Though off the beaten track, it has never been out of limelight. Besides heritage conscious travelers from all over the world, Baloch leaders and contemporary historians visit the hamlet. Reasons: it is a "Tukia Nawab Chakar Ki" - last resting-place of Mir Chakar Rind. I see part of our history buried here whenever I have a look at it. And I do that often.As per one account, Mir Chakar Rind came to this village with seven families, hence the name. Another legend has it that the village was named Satghara because it was destroyed seven times by floods. Shah Abul Mo'ali, descendant of sixteenth century saint Muhammad Ibrahim Daud-e-Sani Bandgi in his book 'Maqamat-e-Daudi' maintains that Satghara was known by the same name even before the arrival of Mir Chakar Rind. In Baloch history, the sixteenth century was a very eventful period. Baloch fought series of wars amongst themselves. The result of these tribal conflicts not only caused large-scale bloodshed but also resulted in their mass migrations to the Punjab, Sindh and Gujrat (India).
One such immigrant, center of Balochi love lore and war ballad, Mir Chakar Rind is regarded as one of the great Baloch heroes. Born in 1468, Mir Chakar Rind lived in Sevi (modern time Sibbi) in hills of Balochistan and became the head of Rind tribe after his father Shiahak died. A natural leader and warrior, Mir Chakar Rind was a man with resolute determination. In 1496, Mir Chakar traveled to Hirat (Afghanistan) to muster support from Sultan Shah Hussain. To prove his personal valor, he was made to fight a mad elephant and ride a tough horse in Hirat. He succeeded in all these tests though could not get the support. A class of Balochs even regards him having been invested with saintly virtues and mystic powers.
Over a trifling mater - a Lashari youth butchered and roasted the kid-kamels - Mir Chakar and Gwaharam, head of the Lashari tribe went to war. Thousands of Rinds and Lasharis were killed in this war, and ballads that still echo in hills of Balochistan and are part of Baloch oral literature, commemorate the personal gallantry of the two heroes. After 'the thirty year war' against Lasharis, he left Balochistan and came to live in the Punjab in 1518." Why Chakar-e-Azam, as he was commonly known, preferred to settle in the central Punjab, far away from Sibbi is not known. Once at Satghara, he constructed a fortification wall around the village and burj (watchtowers) in 15 squares Kilometers area encircling the fort for early warning against impending dangers. In case of any threat, the guard on the watchtower would light up fire, which will be spotted by the other guards and the news would be communicated all around without delay. From one crumbling watchtower, I could see miles of waving cops in all directions.
Settled in Satghara, Mir Chakar Rind became a regional force to recon with. He was respected (and feared) in the area. Afghan King Sher Shah Suri approached Mir Chakar Rind to join hands with him and help him consolidate his gains. Mir Chakar Rind appreciated the situation and not only wisely refused to help Sher Shah Suri but also managed to elude Afghan armies. Instead, his forces under the able command of his son Mir Shahdad joined Humayun when after a long exile in Persia Mughal emperor came back, recaptured Delhi and ousted Afghan Suris in 1556. Emperor Humayun as a reward conferred a vast Jagir (including horses and slaves) upon him. Mir Chakar ruled this chieftaincy till he died at the ripe age in 1565. It is the tomb and fort of Mir Chakar Rind - or whatever is left of them - that curiously conscious and those interested in history come to see at Satghara. The fort is large. Actually the wall once encircled the entire village. Two gateways with flat bands and pointed arches still survive though badly damaged due to ravages of time. The wooden door panels have disappeared. With growth in population, the village has grown and spilled out of encircling wall long ago. Standing at a vantage point one can still feel antiquity permeating from the cluster of mud and brick houses inside the fortification wall. In some houses, one can see mythological and thematic murals of the Hindu period. On the periphery, the classical mud houses look nice.
Constructed of narrow red bricks, used in upright courses to ensure additional strength, the wall is 25 feet high and three feet thick. Some of its salient portions exist between the tomb and the first gateway. Despite the salinity and cracks creeping up the wall, the architectural feast seems to re-echo to the past memories. Beside one of the doorways, a sign has been posted announcing that the Archaeology Department protects the site. How seriously the 'warning sign' has been taken by the villagers can be seen all over the village. Red thin bricks excavated from the centuries old monument are found used in many spanking new houses in the village. At places the villagers have utilized the fortification wall as part of their houses. Major portion of the wall and what would have been the living quarters of the family of Mir Chakar Rind have been lost. The courtyard of the tomb has shrunk due to encroachments and presently it is being used as Shamlat deh (community center) for keeping the animals and elders to sit under the shadow of big pipal tree during lazy summer afternoons.
The followers who had accompanied Mir Chakar Rind to Satghara built the tomb after death of the hero. Today there is not a single Baloch living in the village. The neglected tomb is dilapidated and the surviving history is falling fast into decay. The main chamber of the once majestic and imposing tomb is octagonal in plan. The roof, decorative work and plaster have vanished. Cracks have snaked in all direction on the walls. The rainy water gathers in the roofless main chamber and stays there till sun dries it. The water is destroying the foundations of the crumbling edifice, which is gradually sinking in ground. There are seven rough mud graves inside the chamber. A small tablet distinguishes the central grave. It reads: Akhari Aaramgah, Mir Chakar (Khan) Rind, Satghara, Okara, Munjanib Yong Baloch Welfare Society, Ravi Road, Lahore. Even the name of the great hero on the tablet is not written correctly - having word Khan inserted quite unnecessarily. Similarly, the large plaque placed by the Archaeology Department needs improvement. The tomb was desecrated and its roof demolished by Maharaja Ranjit Singh who, on his way to Multan to fight against Nawab Muzafar, had stayed in Satghara about 150 years ago. It has never been repaired ever since. Governments, Archaeology Departments, visitors from all walks of life, police (there is a police station in the village), district administration, locals or Balochs, no body seems to be concerned about the state of this important monument.
If one wants to absorb the sense of history, Satghara is a place to visit. One has to possess a sensibility shaped in granite not to be moved by the relics of past age, the monument of departed greatness belonging to a celebrated hero who now rests helpless and neglected in this silent place, far removed from the noisy haunts of men. The first impact that this monument gives is an emotional one, for it is a sign of identity and a part of our history. It also has architectural, documentary, spiritual and symbolic values. In the vicinity, a few van (salvadora) trees, may be as old as the relics, stand witness to the bygone era. Swooping and cooing wild fowls and running squirrels also testify to the continuity of the human habitation in the area. Though not mentioned in the touristy literature, yet travelers who come to see the ruins in Harrappa (about 40 kilometers from Satghara) make to this monument village: to study the history, architecture and culture of the time when the monuments were built. The remains of the monument have to be preserved and saved from ruination, a danger they are facing at present.
As I drove back on a single way metallic road, plied mainly by animal transport and milkmen on the motorbikes, I could not help thinking: Can the plight of the priceless site be brought to the echelons of power? Can some national or international agency be moved to act and save the place for coming generations? We owe them this.
posted by Shirazi @ 1:46 AM,
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Reverse Phone Lookup
I don’t line like prank calls nor I want to receive call from numbers I am not familiar with or am not expecting a call from them. That is the reason that Reverse Phone Lookup - a service that allows to find the name and address of the person calling you which means you can find other ways of contacting them if necessary. There are so many more uses of this useful service available in all 50 states. Try them.
posted by Shirazi @ 1:24 AM,
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Link Exchange
Bloggers (webmasters) go a very long way to have (quality) links exchange (better still contextual links exchange) with other sites, blogs these days, for obvious benefits – better SE ranking and or better payouts at ReviewMe or PayPerPost like services.Mig (PR guru) writes a great post at eWritings - Online Public Relations and talks about another dimension apart from SE science, “Let me ask you a serious question: why do you want a link? Is it for the search engines? Or is it because you found a good site, you like its contents and you honestly think that both your site and the site you’ve just discovered will benefit from a link exchange? And when I say “benefit” I do not mean a SEO advantage, but a real exchange of values that will help both sites with an exchange of targeted visitors. And now let me reveal a paradox: the SEO advantage should be the last thing on your mind if you want good SEO results."
I asked this question to myself. Answer: I have wanted link exchanges for all of the obvious benefits. And to draw attentions; honest. In addition I harbor a desire to have a community of friends.
Do you want to exchange links? You only has to ask!
posted by Shirazi @ 1:12 AM,
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Who is living in your Community?
Monday, September 29, 2008
It is wise to know who is living in your neighborhood. That is how one can try to avoid any untoward incident happening and or getting caught in an awkward situation unaware. See if any Sex Offenders are living in your vicinity. And this is your right. As per Megan's Law, you are entitled to know. Better find it today.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:36 PM,
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Have a Blog or a Printing Press
Without blogs, World Wide Web may be a lonely place. After desktop publishing, blogging is another notable fruit of information revolution every one seems to be enjoying; mainstream now. Here blogs are picking up fast.
What is a blog? Well, it depends on whom the question is asked. For millions of ordinary people with access to a computer and an Internet connection, it is easy way to self publish their thoughts, concerns, and feelings or a means of talking to each other and sharing joys, sorrow and accomplishments. To some blog still is a repository of useful links and sources from the Web and an approach to filtering information. Some others say it is a voice that is being heard in this din. Yet others say it as a memory aid. Blogs are an outlet on so many levels for so many people. Blogs are catharsis or merely vanity sites and a short cut to fame. Blogs are ego gratification for "wannabe writers." For e-marketers blogs are quick tools for building their businesses and brands.
Blogging is a rapidly evolving Web phenomenon. True that the Web has always been perceived as a medium where users are able to read, publish and exchange documents. But in the early days, self publishing online was costly and a bit too technical. Things started changing after the arrival of community sites like Geocities and Angelfire, providing free online space for users to publish Web pages and in return increasing providers' customers' base and revenues. But blogs did not proliferate as the process still needed some degree of technical knowledge and skills. That happened only after the emergences of many free blog hoisting services and affordable software (like Radio User land) with easy interface that any one on the Internet got a chance to go blogging; simple.
News is that Harvard University has given fellow ship to Dave Winer, a software developer and blogging guru in order to head up their Blogs at Harvard initiative in order to teach Harvard students and faculty the art of posting daily entries to the Web. Trend trajectory reached near its vertex in a short time when many providers offered free blogging service, Google's acquired Blogger.com, and AOL introduced the facility to its subscribers. Now Microsoft has also offered MSN spaces. 'Blog' was most used word on the Internet in the year 2003 and 2004. Last year has been called year of blogs. With more people building and maintaining blogs, their importance is increasing. This is one reason that the phenomenon keeps getting more and more attention in social as well commercial circles. Which is why RSS powered blogs are being seen as he next big thing in marketing?
Blogs (short for Web logs) that has become new destination on the Internet -- a whole new cyber subculture -- originally were typical link driven and personally owned sites at best interspersed with some observations or random personal thoughts. Many bloggers are following the same prototype. They dig up the interesting articles from obscure nooks and corners of the Web, highlight and present them in their blogs, some time adding more facts, alternative views, and meaningful insights, providing more depth.
Like Web, blogs are changing all the time in format, contents and intent. The blog hoisting services provide easy to use templates, enabling the users to choose from. Geek types and those who know HTML may fiddle with the format and keep customising the design where as lesser tech savvy keep up with what was provided by the service. Third party templates are also available that any inquisitive can download them for free.
Bloggers now disseminate information, interpret them for us as per their own perceptions, initiate debates, and participate in debates and more. Surf some and one can finds blogs of any kind and type: subject oriented, complimenting or criticizing perspectives, incisive observations, or deeply personal lascivious thoughts and very intimate details of personal life (some give these details staying behind the walls of anonymity while some do it overtly, even solicit comments, and call it freedom of choice). Early adopters of the blogging practice, who are in the middle of, and enjoying, an evolution of information technologies think that form of blogs will keep changing over period as tools improve and technology matures.
It is not that only blogs that are changing. The trend is turning passive users into active surfers and writers. Blogging necessarily makes people to read, analyse and write. Bloggers surf and search more in order to locate unusual thing on the Web to post on their blogs. I read this at the mast head of one blog, "I'm still alive and relatively well. I have commentary, photos, and a dive log to prove it."
Though blogging like the Internet itself is a global in nature and cannot be segregated or reviewed on the basis of geography yet while writing this I looked beneath the content of Pak blogs, all those I could find created and maintained by local users. Local blogs are a whole new world out there. As anywhere else, Pak blogs offer a view of what is thought in public and discussed in private. Bloggers here vent, flirt, and tell jokes. They also waffle, whine, or weasel. Some folk showcase their work with by lines of their own choosing or propagate a cause. Some users are producing surprisingly good qualities while some others are sloppy and direction less.
Pakistani bloggers seem to be very innovative. Pak blogs are oozing out with individualism and diversity. During my hunt, I have seen translation of a complete book by one writer posted on a blog; single entry. Blogging in not still economic hobbyhorse here but one can see some sponsored ads on a few blogs already. Many use them as a safe storage place to keep their hard disks free. Photo blogs are being used as online family photo albums. Zahid Shazad, a Pakistani IT professional who has migrated to Australia, had his CV pasted on his sole blog when he was looking for job. "Whatever I have in my personal computer is also on some of my private blogs (not assessable by others) and I can access them where ever I happen to be," says an avid blogger Karim Dad. Though English is a predominant language at the Net but look for it and you may find blogs in all languages including Urdu as well.
There are still some impediments, the most obvious being access to technologies, lack of purpose to reach out to the world and matters of ego and social background. What all one is willing to open to others? Email conversations with local bloggers revealed some more reservations: People are afraid to speak up. Mastery of language, technical, or compositional skills are another set of barriers for those who do not have them. Karim Dad thinks, "Though these days blogging is as easy as signing in for email account and operating it yet those who are gifted with writing skills are often Web novice and those who are skilful Internet users have nothing much to say."
There are almost as many critics as there are enthusiasts of blogging trend. But evidence is that Weblogs have already become more than just a passing whim. Critics, however, say that this 'inconsequential chatter' has given rise to plagiarism of a different king and the whole thing is nothing but recycling. There is hardly any thing original in blogs.
Some users just mark their presence; create a blog, post initial entry, submit it to one or two blog directories and forget about it. Frequent switchers leave one service and join another to build their blog afresh; more blogs are coming up every day. A few bloggers decide to dump their labour of love in cyber graveyard for good after some time due to variety of reason: blogging as an activity cease to have an importance in their lives, or they do not have enough to say in their blogs. Aamar Waqas, a journalist and a farmer blogger says, "I started blogging because I have an opinion and I wanted to have a place where I could voice my views about things around. Moreover, every one else was having one in my circle. Writing is very daunting job sometimes. The stress of daily updates became a distraction in my work and I left it after doing it for a year."
Bloggers are a natural fit with each other and the fraternity is exponentially growing. Simple philosophy is this: "You mention me in your blog and I mention you in mine," and it goes on and on. Bloggers are keen to see what others are doing at their blogs so they keep up with as many as they can, especially those who are like minded. Confession: Well, I am found of seeing what others publish in their blogs that I do not know and who all have mentioned mine in the list of their favourites. I also try to see people who are behind blogs.
In general, bogs are interesting, thought provoking, and sometime utterly entertaining and fun. In fact, the ability for users to constantly update blogs makes them perfect forum for individuals to express themselves in so many creative ways. Blogging is an enriching experience on the World Wide Web for those who publish them as well as for those who lurk around and just read. My recommendation: Join the party; it is on round the clock.
posted by Shirazi @ 3:03 PM,
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Mesothelioma Information
Human beings are vulnerable to so many hazards. Working without proper protective equipment in some of the major ones. Irony is that most people have no Mesothelioma information and don’t know about Mesothelioma law.
Thanks to The Maune Raichle Law Firm dedicated to providing important information to asbestos disease and mesothelioma patients and their families, so that they will be able to make informed decisions about how to proceed in terms of filing a claim. The law Firm is playing important role in creating awareness and by helping the victims and families of those who are diagnosed with Mesothelioma.
What is Mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is a cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos. It's an unfortunate truth that millions of people all over the world have been poisoned by toxic levels of asbestos, putting them at risk for Mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other deadly diseases that are directly caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers”, reads the site.
In case someone is diagnosed with Mesothelioma, The Maune Raichle Law Firm is the best help.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:56 AM,
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Know Your Computer
One billion personal computers have been sold across the world, says hi-tech consultancy Gartner Dataquest. The number of computers is set to explode in the next few years, reaching the two-billion mark by 2008. Unprecedented technology growth indeed!
Evenly distributed, that will make approximately one personal computer per every six persons the world over. However, computers are not evenly distributed.
Consider computer market in our own country: it is quite small. The market is divided in segments that buy (1) refurbished, (2) local brands, or (3) branded computers. There are more computers in urban areas as compared to rural hinterlands. Many still cannot afford them. What is more, old and used computers, monitors and accessories (read e-waste) are also shipped in from developed countries and sold locally. I have seen truckloads of used keyboards and monitors being unloaded at Hafeez Centre for sale. Which is one of the reasons that the frequency with which most users experience computer system failure is very common?
Illegal operations, fatal errors, freezes or simple deaths of a computer that are usually attributed to operating systems and other software problems, many a times, may happen due to bad or substandard hardware, or simply incompatible hardware. Mismatched hardware is common in a market where computers are refurbished locally without any analyses or test. Semi-skilled technicians simply select the components to make up the systems when one is ordered. Many components that make up a computer just do not play well together. For example, a modem may not go with particular sound card. Some video card may be unable to work with certain motherboards. The list goes on and on. Vendors only look at the cost of a given part, not its compatibility, thus they often produce unstable computer systems.
Hardware can become defective while working as well. Mishandling the internal components of a computer can prematurely age them, which reduces their lifetime from years to months or weeks. Many hardware failures are smaller and will not cause the computer to completely stop working, but may add to other more serious problems. Adding new internal components to a computer, specially by under trained technicians, can cause damage to the other parts of a computer.
Is there a way to continue work when one, particularly when a home user loses a major component of personal computer system? It turns out that only a few people are prepared for a mishap. Most take their computers for granted and do not even back up data regularly and safely as a practice what to talk of backing up hardware. While I do not think all computer users should have every thing in advance, I find it practical to have some hardware component backed up and every serious user may consider doing it.
Let us start with the computer itself. A few of Pakistani home users have spare CPUs that they can pull out of the cupboards in case of main system packing up unannounced.
Some high-end users have laptops these days and they can work with small keyboards as efficiently as with desktops. Some of them have the options to hook up their laptops, directly or through a port, to the monitor, keyboard and mouse.
Users mostly sell their own systems when they want to have a new and a better one. Those who may have presented old systems to children for playing games (but gamers need rather stronger systems these days) instead of selling may get hold of them in a pinch. Such old computers are a blessing in time of dire need.
Computer users who do not have backup laptop or other machines in the house should be concerned about a hard disk failure. There are a number of external options that can save the day but who all bother with any sort of external storage or backing up their data regularly?
One typical system failure is caused by a blown up power supply. When dumping old computers, if any one does, some people retrieve a floppy and may be a hard drive, but only a few think to salvage the power supply. Check it out before disposing off old computers. It is nice to have a spare power supply handy. The rescued power supply may come handy some time. And it is not difficult to fix a new power supply.
Anyone should be able to do that. Besides, most of the users do not have an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) to prevent data loss or losing their labor of love in case of power fluctuation and outages since power supply is very unreliable in our country. I would recommend that every user should get a UPS before any unscheduled power shutdown or fluctuation gets their work of hours if not the system.
While CPU and disk failures are a major breakdown, a keyboard or mouse failure can be just as catastrophic in the short term. While it is possible to manage without a mouse, there is not much one can do without a keyboard? So consider having a backup keyboard.
Normally, the keyboard and mouse that users get with their machines are low-priced to keep the system's total cost down. Such decision may cost much more in the longer run. If you intend to use the keyboard or mouse from older systems, make sure the connectors match your newer machine.
Older systems often had big keyboard connectors while most new PCs are equipped with thinner connectors. Better still, get yourself a high quality keyboard and put the other one in the closet as a reserve. Do the same with the mouse. You will not regret this. It is likely that both will eventually fail.
Few users consider a modem as a vulnerable component that should be a target for backup. I have changed at least one modem per year. Luckily, I keep all old things in my junk store. Whenever I switch to a new model, I am left with an older version modem that I keep away and use as a backup when the newer one eventually dies.
The rest of the system such as the scanner, printer or even a floppy disk drive should not keep any one from working in the event of failure. The monitor might be a problem except for laptop users. Most serious computer users and techies often work with disabled systems but it is difficult for majority of users. And home users seldom consider the consequences of computer failure. So, have a contingency plan ready.
Evenly distributed, that will make approximately one personal computer per every six persons the world over. However, computers are not evenly distributed.
Consider computer market in our own country: it is quite small. The market is divided in segments that buy (1) refurbished, (2) local brands, or (3) branded computers. There are more computers in urban areas as compared to rural hinterlands. Many still cannot afford them. What is more, old and used computers, monitors and accessories (read e-waste) are also shipped in from developed countries and sold locally. I have seen truckloads of used keyboards and monitors being unloaded at Hafeez Centre for sale. Which is one of the reasons that the frequency with which most users experience computer system failure is very common?
Illegal operations, fatal errors, freezes or simple deaths of a computer that are usually attributed to operating systems and other software problems, many a times, may happen due to bad or substandard hardware, or simply incompatible hardware. Mismatched hardware is common in a market where computers are refurbished locally without any analyses or test. Semi-skilled technicians simply select the components to make up the systems when one is ordered. Many components that make up a computer just do not play well together. For example, a modem may not go with particular sound card. Some video card may be unable to work with certain motherboards. The list goes on and on. Vendors only look at the cost of a given part, not its compatibility, thus they often produce unstable computer systems.
Hardware can become defective while working as well. Mishandling the internal components of a computer can prematurely age them, which reduces their lifetime from years to months or weeks. Many hardware failures are smaller and will not cause the computer to completely stop working, but may add to other more serious problems. Adding new internal components to a computer, specially by under trained technicians, can cause damage to the other parts of a computer.
Is there a way to continue work when one, particularly when a home user loses a major component of personal computer system? It turns out that only a few people are prepared for a mishap. Most take their computers for granted and do not even back up data regularly and safely as a practice what to talk of backing up hardware. While I do not think all computer users should have every thing in advance, I find it practical to have some hardware component backed up and every serious user may consider doing it.
Let us start with the computer itself. A few of Pakistani home users have spare CPUs that they can pull out of the cupboards in case of main system packing up unannounced.
Some high-end users have laptops these days and they can work with small keyboards as efficiently as with desktops. Some of them have the options to hook up their laptops, directly or through a port, to the monitor, keyboard and mouse.
Users mostly sell their own systems when they want to have a new and a better one. Those who may have presented old systems to children for playing games (but gamers need rather stronger systems these days) instead of selling may get hold of them in a pinch. Such old computers are a blessing in time of dire need.
Computer users who do not have backup laptop or other machines in the house should be concerned about a hard disk failure. There are a number of external options that can save the day but who all bother with any sort of external storage or backing up their data regularly?
One typical system failure is caused by a blown up power supply. When dumping old computers, if any one does, some people retrieve a floppy and may be a hard drive, but only a few think to salvage the power supply. Check it out before disposing off old computers. It is nice to have a spare power supply handy. The rescued power supply may come handy some time. And it is not difficult to fix a new power supply.
Anyone should be able to do that. Besides, most of the users do not have an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) to prevent data loss or losing their labor of love in case of power fluctuation and outages since power supply is very unreliable in our country. I would recommend that every user should get a UPS before any unscheduled power shutdown or fluctuation gets their work of hours if not the system.
While CPU and disk failures are a major breakdown, a keyboard or mouse failure can be just as catastrophic in the short term. While it is possible to manage without a mouse, there is not much one can do without a keyboard? So consider having a backup keyboard.
Normally, the keyboard and mouse that users get with their machines are low-priced to keep the system's total cost down. Such decision may cost much more in the longer run. If you intend to use the keyboard or mouse from older systems, make sure the connectors match your newer machine.
Older systems often had big keyboard connectors while most new PCs are equipped with thinner connectors. Better still, get yourself a high quality keyboard and put the other one in the closet as a reserve. Do the same with the mouse. You will not regret this. It is likely that both will eventually fail.
Few users consider a modem as a vulnerable component that should be a target for backup. I have changed at least one modem per year. Luckily, I keep all old things in my junk store. Whenever I switch to a new model, I am left with an older version modem that I keep away and use as a backup when the newer one eventually dies.
The rest of the system such as the scanner, printer or even a floppy disk drive should not keep any one from working in the event of failure. The monitor might be a problem except for laptop users. Most serious computer users and techies often work with disabled systems but it is difficult for majority of users. And home users seldom consider the consequences of computer failure. So, have a contingency plan ready.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:55 AM,
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Insure Now
Insurance is important to the societies and to economies. The growing knowledge of the health coverage and its benefits has increased the demand for insurance services in the last couple of decades. Now everyone needs one.
Have a look at California Health Insurance and explore California health insurance plans to see what they are offering and how they are helping you to maintain a healthy lifestyle for you and your family with health insurance California. InsurNow.Com offers a wide variety of health insurance plans, dental health insurance, and international travel health insurance. Also included are small group plans 2 to 50 employees. InsurNow.Com is a California based health insurance broker providing health insurance care solutions', representing all the major insurance carriers.
Go online today (they have a users’ friendly and uncluttered site) and get your California health insurance in three easy steps; Ask for the free quotes, compare plans and apply online now.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:38 AM,
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Where I Started Computing
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Internet cafes have played a visible role in promoting internet usage. It is a public place where people can use a computer with internet access for an affordable fee. Café may or may not serve as a conventional café. Besides internet connection, a number of cafes also provide other services such as printing, scanning, CD viewing and burning. Some even conduct internet training classes for beginners. The word is that some of the cafes around the world are being used for activities much beyond their scope.
Eva Pascoe, a PhD student while sitting in the coffee shop of London City University conceived and decided "to put a permanent PC connection in a coffee shop and link it to internet."
Cyberia, the world's first internet cafe, was opened in London's Whit field Street in Sept, 1994. Earlier in 1991, SFNet, the prototype of the present internet cafe, has started in the US. After only a decade, cyber or net cafes found places world wide. Most people use them to access their email accounts, chat, play games, search, and surf or do other things online. In this day and age, in more connected countries, there are also Wi-fi cafes, or in other words hotspots, where users can connect their laptops, notebooks or PDAs using the cafe's wireless access to internet.
Eva Pascoe, a PhD student while sitting in the coffee shop of London City University conceived and decided "to put a permanent PC connection in a coffee shop and link it to internet."
Cyberia, the world's first internet cafe, was opened in London's Whit field Street in Sept, 1994. Earlier in 1991, SFNet, the prototype of the present internet cafe, has started in the US. After only a decade, cyber or net cafes found places world wide. Most people use them to access their email accounts, chat, play games, search, and surf or do other things online. In this day and age, in more connected countries, there are also Wi-fi cafes, or in other words hotspots, where users can connect their laptops, notebooks or PDAs using the cafe's wireless access to internet.
Justly or unjustly, the freewheeling internet access in cyber cafes embodies both hopes and fears at a time: internet connectivity and usage is anticipated as central to long-term economic interests and development by every one and is encouraged. Fears are that unsupervised or unguided children can browse pornographic, violence, and other perniciousinfo sites, or they can become centres of some other nefarious activities and places where youngsters hang around and spend time in unproductive activities. Besides, terrorists and cyber criminals can take advantage of these cafes as they provide multiple layers of protection like public call offices.
In a latest study of "terrorism and the internet", United States' counter terrorism analyst Gabriel Weimann noted "that cyberspace has advantages for terrorist groups. First is easy access from anywhere to a very large audience around the world. The report says, "You don't even need a computer; you can just go to a public library . . . or, you can go to an internet café. There is no control, no regulation, and no laws. Nobody is censoring the messages."
Cafes provide complete anonymity. "You can sit in a coffee shop, an internet café in London, use a server in South Africa and send a message to North America, without anybody being able to trace it," he adds.
With increase in criminal activities online, discipline of cyber laws emerged some four years ago. By now more than 30 nations including the Central Asian States, China, Cuba, France, India, Japan, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore and United States have cyber laws in place, though all may be having different inten t. Some other countries - Australia, Burma, Saudi Arabia, and Syria - have blocked pornographic sites. Gambling sites are outlawed in South Korea.
Internet café business has remained a flourishing cottage industry that requires relatively little investment. So far they have not been regulated and it is unlikely to change anytime soon,specially in the developed world. Recently, there has been a strident crackdown on net cafes in China which resulted in shutting down thousands of unlicenced cafes across the country to restrict "juveniles to enter or allowing unhealthy information to spread through internet followed by Indian government's crackdown on net café where the owners were asked "to ensure that the net cafes are not used for viewing pornography. The law is enshrined in the Information Technology Act, 2000, emailed Lubna, a journalist from India.
Vietnam government has also issues a decree (number 55) ordering net cafes to register with the Internet Services Providers. A foreign news agency has recently reported (and the story was run by many international publications) that "cyber cafes in Pakistan will soon be made accountable as the government is all set to draft a law to regulate their activities."
Consider this in order to see the relevance of any regulation for net cafes in the context of Pakistan?
Comparatively, few users can afford computers and telephone line at home in the country and an overwhelming majority go online in the net cafes where they can enjoy inexpensive services incognito. Not only that, some of those who have a net connection at home also visit the cafes.
The IT-hype created public demand that helped net café to come up in every nook and corner of towns and cities, wherever net access is available. They are of different types; high-end and cool places with comfortable working environment in posh localities or noisy and smoke chocked cubby-holes in back alleys. Those with work stations in cabins with chains, behind partition walls, monitors screens facing walls where others cannot see or in open where every one can see whatever is on others' monitors.
So far there are no comprehensive cyber laws to deal with the issues and the legal consequences on internet, the World Wide Web and cyberspace in Pakistan. Given the nature of internet, execution of any cyber law anywhere in the world is a big question mark.
Earlier, government's abortive effort to ban pornography sites in Pakistan is one case in point. But if the situation demands, making the cyber cafes accountable for the collective good of our society should not be impossible. That said; let us see what major concerns are when it comes to regulating local net cafes? What do café owners and users think about any regulation? And who will implement the law if and when it is made?
Privacy and civil liberties are generally mirrored in all discussions when it comes to controlling any aspect of internet. How privacy, civil rights and personal freedom is threatened if net cafes are run under some standard rules? Does viewing what is on others' screen endanger the basic civil liberties of others and who wants to do that? Does showing personal ID before using net facilities at public computers is a breach of privacy? Or is anonymity - using a public facility without leaving any traces to be tracked back - being categorized as privacy?
In the context of net cafés, privacy can be defined as "the state or quality of being secluded from the view and or presence of others," reads RSA Laboratories site.
Amjad Iqbal Sindhu, an advocate Lahore High Court says, "Individuals are entitled to keep to themselves what they do online or offline unless some special situation like public interest in general demands otherwise. In a civilized society, no body has the right whatsoever to snoop over others." He quoted English philosopher John Stuart Mill as saying that "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."
Public places are not the best spots for privacy. "Imagine what ordinary users do when they log on; they check email and fire off replies, chat, surf some sites, brows or play games. What is there to be secretive or cautious about? However, cafes may be registered with some central authority. Seating arrangements in them should be open - screen facing outwards. This alone will clear so many doubts about the policy of any café and will define the kind of crowd that gathers there," adds Sindhu.
Café owners and proprietors think that any kind of restriction in usage or asking patrons to show and record their identities will adversely affect their business.
"This is not the best way to track back miscreants. Any one up to some thing bad can sure outmanoeuvre such barriers. Big worry is that will any rule shift the onus of customers' actions on café owners or will we be made accomplice if and when something wrong happens," says Tanvir Ahmad, a manager of "open policy" cafe in Gulgasht Colony Multan.
Imran Nazir is able to make his living through net café, despite "open policy" with all work stations in semi circle facing outwards plus cold drinks and tea, because "I am located near the University of the Punjab hostels and my clients are mostly serious student who come here for preparing their assignments. I try to provide them with an academic atmosphere in the cafe. They search, brows, download documents and get required material printed or save it on their floppy disks for later use. Or they sit her and compose their assignments," he says. On the other hand, some customers go to the cafés only for viewing porno sites or to have long sessions of chats; every one knows that.
A proprietor of the café in Lahore confessed, "I have some regular clients who can hardly read or write English but they have learnt to operate computers and internet. What do you think they do online? Stop them and they will go find another cafe. If the government has to ban pornographic sites, ISPs should be regulated and not the net cafes."
Qamar uz Zaman Khan, an owner of a cafe in Multan told, "The scene in net cafes in Multan is no different than any other city in the country. Some 70 to 80 per cent of the visitors come for entertainment whereas only 20 per cent visit for educational pursuits. Most of the visitors are male; young boys. In posh areas, however, female students are also seen visiting."
After the Rawalpindi scandal (I still get maxium search queries leading to this page about Rawalpindi Internet Scandal), the city administration here is already asking the café owners to adopt open policy and remove all partitions. Qamar suggests that separate "female only cafes" should be opened instead of removing the partitions.
Users' response to any kind of restriction in net use is mixed one. When asked some say there is no harm while some other say they will not go to the cafes if every time they have to enter identification particulars and sign a register of attendance. Given the lax law enforcement in the country, any rule is likely to be neglected both by the cyber cafe walas as well as the users," comments Tanvir Ahmad.
"I travel to different places all over the country in connection with my work and have to use net cafes to stay in constant touch with my company. I use the nearest cyber café where ever I happen to be. I will revert back to telephone if some legal procedures are introduced to use the cafes," says Fazal Qureshi, a sale representative of greeting cards publishing house. He starts from Lahore and tours the country with card albums, takes the orders from books and card sellers and sends them back to the company. He adds, "I do not want to get into legalities later on."
One more concern that was voiced during scouting is the authority that will regulate the net cafes and how. Any agency which is entrusted with the responsibility to oversee that PCs and internet are not misused at public places have to be tech savvy and should be able to stay current on technologies that are changing every day. The civil police force is not organized for such technical jobs. "Police certainly cannot do that," thinks Iqbal Sindhu.
Cyber cafés have contributed great value to spread net usage in Pakistan. If they have to be standardized, serious issues like privacy and human rights should be given due considerations when suggesting any ways internet cafés should be run and managed across the country. The matter should be discussed thoroughly between café owners and the government at an appropriate level. There should be an open and extensive public debate on the subject. The consensus should be build before any regulation is enforced. Or else we may be poised to lose a budding business and reduced Internet users' base in the country. The choice is ours.
posted by Shirazi @ 3:50 PM,
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Power Your BMW
Power riders who own BMB should have a look at BMW Parts - BMW Store with a mission to bring you the best quality products at great prices. MyHotBMW provides huge collection of BMW Performance Parts from suspension, wheels, air intakes, spoiler wings, brakes, grilles, audio and video, car alarm system, vertical door kits, window tinting to accessories and more .all at one place. In short, MyHotBMW is a one stop shop for everything BMW.
posted by Shirazi @ 3:35 PM,
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Texting on Cost
In the time of increasing interaction between human and machines, more than any thing technologies are bringing sweeping changes to how people communicate and share information. Just as email, instant messaging, forums and Weblogs are distributing information on the Internet; mobile phone text messaging, also known as SMS, short for Short Messaging Service, has become one of favourite pastimes for youth and useful utility to the mobile many.
Seamlessly, SMS has become one of the mainstream trends and an integral part of mobile lifestyle in our otherwise low tech environment. Young and old alike are seen deeply concentrating on mobile phone screens and punching every where: in streets, shopping malls, mosques, buses, collage dormitories, class rooms and on dining table or while watching thrilling cricket matches. One college student I spoke to described leaving home without mobile phone, letting it fall in the hands of someone else or allowing the prepaid card balance exhaust as new anxieties. And "there is a great peer pressure to join the SMS crowd," says Nazish Noor. That is not what SMS was originally meant for.
When SMS was launched in 1992 as part of the GSM (Global System for Mobile) Phase 1 protocol, it was considered as a low volume, low yield service primarily for business use. But, the technology has been rapidly adopted by societies, and its usage has exploded worldwide. Now billions of fun, greeting, reminding, alerting, and business messages are exchanged every day. No one imagined this till it has happened. Now this trend is upon us all over.
What is more, proud owners of mobile phones with inbuilt camera do not send simple SMS messages. Instead, they write down their message on a piece of paper, take a photo of it and send it as a picture message. SMS lets users do a lot more. Well beyond simple person to person messaging, SMS is being used to download ring tones, animated graphics and logos, getting, news headlines and Quranic verses, notification of new emails and faxes, and much more. In more tech savvy world, businesses are using it to send out virus warnings, advertising, bulletins, stock quotes and news headlines.
Text fever is exponentially rising with rapid expansion in numbers and growing innovations in the design and functions of mobile phone instruments -- most handsets in use allow initiation of text message. t may vary a little from handset to handset but is fairly simple. Users can go to phone's messages menu, type by pressing key 2 once for A, twice for B, three times for C and so on till the hit Send button. The recipient on the other end, anywhere in the world with suitable mobile phone, hears a tone and sees an envelope symbol on the display screen indicating that new message is waiting to be read when ever convenient. Press a couple of more buttons and read the message within seconds.
Messaging some time called texting can be taxing due to typing on a narrow numeric keypad. The word is out that a 12-number keypad to make typing easier has been invented and may be available in local market soon.
The current SMS format allows for 160 characters in a message in the Roman alphabet (including punctuation, numerals and special characters), and 70 characters in a message in other pictographic alphabets of ancient languages, after which the message is truncated. This has helped users to invent a new language - mix of abbreviation and shorthand now millions of people are reading, writing and understanding very well. Some familiar abbreviations have come from instant messaging on the Internet and text messaging has also created some of its own unique usage and set of text phrases and rules. In the SMS world, youths often use an abbreviated language to reduce the time and effort to type a message. There are over 1000 recognized abbreviations. Genie has already launched SMS DXNRE dictionary followed by another one titled the Little Book of TXT by a phone a manufacturing company and a special SMS index has been added in the Concise Oxford Dictionary. Mobile messaging is usually text mixed with smileys and face characters like (;_;) (unhappiness) or m(__)m (modesty). Some of the icons are usually pre-installed on mobile phones these days.
Who needs more space? Many users have evolved their own 'mutual' language that is all together new. Some time a single alphabet can convey powerfully. "The 160 character provides a lot of writing space, especially when you know what you want to say and to whom. It is short but sweet (and cool)," says one avoid texter.
In Pakistan, the mobile phone has grown exponentially. There are six mobile service providers serving the growing demand of the consumers now. The cost of sending SMS messages varies from rupees 1.50 to 5.00 (for messaging overseas) depending upon the service being used. One of the newer service providers has offered free SMS. This has given yet another boost to the use of cell phones.
Like everywhere else, youth is the natural market for SMS. Ever one who can afford carries mobile phone. But it is no longer the preserve of teenagers (or only for techie or geeky types) as every one seems to be embracing the convenient technology. Parallel to the trend in more developed western world, eager local corporate sector is quick to capitalise on the possibilities of the new technology, coupled with an increase in the ranks of a fashion elite ever keen to refine its yuppie airs. SMS is continuing to rise in popularity and diversity and is bridging ICT gape in its own way. Locally text messages are replacing greeting cards. SMS is being used to locate people in crowds and to tell and ask locations or "to exchange fun remarks while sitting in the same class room," says a Dr. Sonia Rehman.
The key message is that the future of text messaging as a mass communication lies in its use rather than in technical invention. So SMS is, in effect, preparing mobile phones users to see their mobile phones as much more than jus t things to speak on.
While most text messages are delivered within a few seconds, some may take more time and yet some other may never reach the destination and get lost in cyberspace. The first dumping ground is the hardware in every mobile network that co-ordinates the sending of text messages - the SMS Centre. The second choke point is the part of the mobile phone spectrum over which the messages travel. Finally, there are the buffers, waiting rooms essentially, on the base stations that make up a mobile network. That does not stop people sending SMS messages.
Are you a part of the Free SMS ride yet? Every one else is.
posted by Shirazi @ 1:21 PM,
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Land Rover Freelander 2
Those who are looking for a Land Rover, must start at Freelander review. The web page reviews Land Rover Freelander 2 - bigger, better, pricier Freelander, new, with not a single significant part carried over from the old one. Prices start at little more than old-model five-door money - there are no three-doors this time - but peak at well over £30,000, which places the Freelander 2 into BMW X3 territory. One reason for the upsizing is the US market, where - incredibly - the more corpulent potential buyers just wouldn't fit in the old model.
The powerful dream Land Rover is front drive but it can head rearwards when needed. Instead of a viscous coupling, though, the Freelander 2 uses a Haldex multi-plate clutch operated by hydraulic pressure. It's pre-loaded as soon as the engine starts, to ensure there's some rear-wheel drive straight away, thus preventing a spin and a chirp from the front wheels if you move off smartly. If needed on the move, rear-wheel drive can come back into play in just 150 milliseconds or within 15 degrees of a front wheel's slip rotation.
Just going through the review made me think what it feel like driving this powerful Freelander.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:16 AM,
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State of the Blogosphere
Friday, September 26, 2008
Technorati reports that blogging is now mainstream. Some bloggers make $75,000 a year with only 100,000 unique visitors. Also, Technorati has indexed an amazing 133 million blogs since 2002.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:02 PM,
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Ancient Heritage
Thursday, September 25, 2008
One of the earlier recorded monument goers was Herodotus, the Greek historian who voyaged to Egypt 2400 years ago to stand in awe before the pyramids. One of the valid causes around the world these days is raising awareness about historic monuments and national sites in need of repair. Awareness can make the difference.
As a traveler, I have been all over the country paying tribute to Pakistan’s wealth of ancient sites. Starting from Karachi where 600 buildings have been listed by a heritage foundation to Multan and Lahore with their own distinct architectural style to Peshawar where legendary character of Qissa Khwani bazaar is changing and its old landmarks like city walls are disappearing. I also touched Thatta, Ptttan Munara, Uch Sharif, Sialkot, Nandna (in Salt Range) and Mansehra in the way. In my pursuit, I have traced the routes followed by conqueror Alexander the great and Chinese traveler Hieun Tsiang in the part of the world we call home. I have seen many extraordinary sights feeling comfortable and at peace and completely in the grip of history as I stood before each of them.
Pakistan Federal Archeology Department identifies over 350 sites of irreplaceable and intrinsic value ranging from ruins in Mohenju Daro, Harappa and Texila to the tomb of the only Mughal Emperor (Jehangir) in Pakistan that has been rated third in the Subcontinent after Taj Mahal and Qutab Minar. The heritage sites in Pakistan are fast falling apart. Pilfering pollution, harsh climate, over development, lack of funds and expertise for maintenance, neglect and apathy of all concerned and law and order situation in the country all add up to crumbling monuments and disappointing travelers.
History and archeology make for good tourism that is largely a function of prosperity. The more money people have the more of it they will spend on travel and other intellectual pursuits. Today, worldwide tourism is an unprecedented 4.4 trillion dollar industry expected to be 10 trillions by 2010. Now once every beach, airport and other conventional tourist spots feel crowded like a cinema hall, people are constantly looking for quite unique and brand new destinations where they can see things and experience cultures that are not possible at home. Last year 90 million people came to Asia alone. But the irony is that outside world does not know about Pakistan or has a distorted image of it hence tourists cannot plan to visit. The tourism department foreign missions abroad, national airline. hotels and even the private sector and multinational giants of tourism could do a lot more than what they are doing to promote this industry. After all Pakistan has much more to offer than many other countries combined together.
This is the paradox and the joy of Pakistan a young national forged in the crucible of one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Some of the initial human history began here. The cultures are expressed in beautiful mosques, gardens tombs, forts, temples, monasteries, palaces, havelis, and other Islamic, pre Islamic, Hindu Sikh and British architectures. All these are the magnificent vistas of a land of mountains and plans, fields and orchards, farmland and sweeping river valleys. But all this has to be opened to the rest of the world.
No ordinary coldness of phrasing can express the surprise and delight with which one makes acquaintance with the heritage sites spread all over Pakistan.
posted by Shirazi @ 3:49 PM,
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Who Said Nerd
Labels: Fine Art of Blogging
posted by Shirazi @ 3:25 PM,
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Fine Art of Glazed Pottery
Have a look at AMACO/Brent – a leading manufacturers of products such as potters wheels and related accessories. AMACO/Brent is one of the oldest crafts materials manufacturers in the US and is considered the largest manufacturer of ceramic supplies and equipment for schools and studios. The wide range of items they offer includes over 50 different craft products with an extensive line of polymer clay materials and tools, an innovative soft metals program, and modeling materials some of which have become classics that have sold in craft and school supply stores for over five decades.
AMACO/Brent is the best when it comes to manufacturing wheels and the related accessories. AMACO/Brent manufactures 11 electric and one kick wheel and also throwing wheels to meet the needs of any potter or ceramic classroom. AMACO/Brent wheels have set the standard for quality since 1969. During that time, they have earned a reputation for dependability that is unsurpassed by other brands. Each wheel is built with materials, components and workmanship designed to take the punishment of classroom and studio use over the long haul. Models range from the tabletop ie-t to the heavy-duty CXC with its 1 1/2 hp motor that can center over 100 lbs. of clay.
Explore the site and see what they are offering including potters wheel parts and other dry glazes. Better still, try ythem.
posted by Shirazi @ 2:28 PM,
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How Tom Peters Blogs
Tom Peters says, (100 was to Succeed # 29), “Blogging, I firmly believe, is the premier emergent marketing-brandbuilding-lovemarkcreating tool of our times! It is the premier way to have intimate-engaging-informative-WOWing" conversation with clients and prospects! This all goes double for small … Do you see blogging in these exalted lights? If not why not? Please… Blog as if your professional success depends on it.
Let me add this, Blog As If Your Social Life Depends On It. It does, only replace clients and prospects in what Tom Peters wrote with friends and may be crushes (they know who they are).
Let me add this, Blog As If Your Social Life Depends On It. It does, only replace clients and prospects in what Tom Peters wrote with friends and may be crushes (they know who they are).
posted by Shirazi @ 2:24 PM,
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Diet Pills Reviews
Being overweight is a physical as well as social problem. No one wants to be in the problematic situation but unfortunately people are. Some gain weight due to inactivity, some due to lifestyle and some may be obsess genetically. Losing weight is a challenge.
ResearchDietPills.com - a group of consumer watchdogs - is one of the best weight loss solutions for weight loss available today. Millions are using different pills, diet plans and or other products to cure themselves. Given the demands, wide range of pills are available. Problems is how to choose the best one?. ResearchDietPills.com has provided reviews of diet pills, weight loss products, and fat burners. ResearchDietPills.com considers several factors including Safety of ingredients, Appetite Suppression, Money Back Guarantee, Consumer reviews, Expert opinions, Use of clinically proven ingredients and Overall Value while reviewing.
Have a look at anoretix and see its reviews. Read personal opinions, opinions of industry experts, and the opinions of consumers about anoretix.
It is wise to start at ResearchDietPills.com before buying any diet supplement.
posted by Shirazi @ 8:55 AM,
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Blogging Process
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Blog has redefined the Web in many ways. The Web has always been interactive and blogs help interactivity. And then there are new software and blog tools, making it easier and attractive for everyone to start a blog.Let us assume that you have a blog on a platform (software) of your choice. You define your goals; your target, audience and the content you will be writing. Your next aim is to pick the right blogging tools that work for you.
In addition to the integration of blogging tools, and free and premium blogging software, new blogging tools and services are being released every day to help blog masters add new features to their blog. This becomes quite overwhelming to choose from and to choose the best from among a number of blog promotion tools and add-ons. It all depends on your goals, your expertise, and the time you are consuming for it. Here are a few common solutions for different situations:
Any serious blogger needs to read a lot of other blogs to know what is going on in the ever expanding blogsphere. Technorati alone in its October 2006 report claims to track 57 million blogs. One of the marvels of technology is that you can have new post from every blog. It is delivered directly to you via “Really Simple Syndication”(RSS). Bloglines is a good online choice to start feed reading. And there are so many others.
Similarly, you can make it easier for your readers to subscribe to your blog's RSS feed. “RSS is a protocol, an application of XML (Extensible Mark-up Language) that provides an open method of syndicating and aggregating Web content. By using RSS files, you can create a data feed that supplies headlines, links, and article summaries from your Website. Users can have a constant updated content from websites delivered to them via a news aggregator, a piece of software specifically tailored to receive these types of feeds”, reads a Web definition. One of the ways to do this is to go to Feed Burner and burn your own RSS feed there and use the tools they provide to set up to automatic subscriber links so that even people who want to use Bloglines, Google Reader, My Yahoo or Pluck can subscribe to it. And it also can be figured out without the buttons but why not have a prominently visible button? It creates an option for people to subscribe by giving an email address so that they can receive your blog posts like an email message. Feed Burner offers this service for free.
Feed Burner also offers automatic pinging but in case you want to use a separate service for pinging, try Ping Goat and Ping O Matic. Most blog software these days ping each post automatically.
As readers search from blog to blog, they may find interesting sites that they want to point out to their readers. Online bookmark managers allow readers to collect bookmark and categorise blog pages and all other interesting stuff found on the Web. I use del.icio.us but Blink List does a fine job as well.
Then there are statistics produced by analysing the access logs for a blog which are very useful for the success of blogs, while boosting the webmaster. The number of hits also determines a click-through rate for those who have subscribed to Google AdSense or other similar affiliate programs. There are countless technologies, making it possible to track statistics in real-time to show what other web users may be visiting or still linking to you or posting about your blog.
In almost all blog software, you must go online and can post using a set of tools provided. Many bloggers like to use a desktop application like “w.blogger”, “Performancing and Qumana” to create and publish their posts as it gives them some extra help and allows them to integrate content and files more easily on their computer. Maybe it looks like they are far more tech-savvy folks but there is no harm in trying and learning in the process.
There is also a blogger’s display, automatically changing daily quotes or cartoons on the sidebar of their blog for their own interest or for their readers. I am not counting different revenue-generating blog affiliates (Google AdSense, Amazon) that turn in content-related ads on any blog.
The choice is endless and users can have anything on their blogs from blogchat to blogmap; time, temperature and weather display of any area or a nifty new blogbar (blogbar.com) that allows them to search from 12 search engines from single search box. On one blog, I clicked on an array of symmetrically stacked colourful buttons and found “email icon generator”, “official seal generator”. The good thing about the blogger community is that they share anything new that is announced. Thus, it gets moving fast in the blogsphere.
Since 2003 when I started blogging, I have been using many blog tools. The fact is that whenever any new blog tool was announced, I would try it. But over time, I have settled for site metre (statcounter.com), analytical tools (Google Analytics), news aggregators, news sourcing tools (Technorati and Blogpulse), polls (blogpolls.com), email subscription and newsletter service (feedblitz.com). And there are some others like Pingoat, Audiobloger, Blogrolling and Flickr.
When my daily blogging time starts, I first go to my invisible site metre to find out who has been reading my blogs. Then I read my feeds and know what has been happening on blogs of my interest since I last went offline, bookmarking items. In the meantime, I plan to write and post entries and start pinging. In the end, I read the feedback and find some burning replies but it doesn’t make any difference to me. In fact, it keeps me going.
Tags: Blogs, Blogging, Blog Tools
posted by Shirazi @ 6:39 PM,
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Cell Phone Forums
Cell phones have changed the way we work, live and communicate like no other device in human history. Their use is growing tremendously and industry is doing wonders to meet the growing demand. Have alook at Cell Phone Forums to learn how the community aspect of Cell Phone Forums allows people to corroborate about the technology by asking questions and exchanging ideas. It is a wonderfully interactive and very vibrant community.
posted by Shirazi @ 6:30 PM,
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Preferences? Yes!
When it comes to romance, women prefer someone who tickles their funny bone while men opt for those who catch their eye, according to an international survey that crossed my desktop recently while going throgh Psychological Perspectives of Dr Deb.The survey, conducted in 16 countries by Canadian romance publisher Harlequin Enterprises, asked men and women on six continents about traits they liked or disliked and how they went about trying to meet Mr. or Ms. Right.
The poll revealed differences between countries in the way people tried to impress the opposite sex.
Australians and British men frequently admitted drinking too much, while about half of German and Italian men said they had lied about their finances. Spaniards were the most likely to use sex to catch someone's attention.
Eighty percent of Brazilian and Mexican men said they had lied about their marital or relationship status, as did 70 percent of German women, the survey said.
When it came to meeting that special someone, a majority of respondents preferred to rely on friends for introductions. The Internet was not a popular hunting ground except in Portugal, where about half the surveyed men and women opted to find people online.
Both Spain and France suffered a gender gap. Thirty percent of Spanish men, but no Spanish women, looked for love online. In France, 40 percent of men but only 10 percent of women attended parties, bars and clubs to meet someone, but they did have one thing in common: both sexes rated looks as more important than their counterparts in other countries.
When it came to that first meeting, a majority of men polled said beauty was more important than brains, while women put a sense of humor at the top of their list.
Physical attraction was the top priority for men in France, Brazil, Greece, Japan and Britain. And while 40 percent of Portuguese men rated intelligence over looks in a first encounter, no Australian men did so.
In the United States and Canada, humor was considered the most important trait by both men and women, getting 63 and 73 percent of the vote respectively.
What are your prefrences?
Tags:Men, Women, Relationship
posted by Shirazi @ 10:52 AM,
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See Gurgle Baby Photos
Parenting is a great experience. First time parents need a lot of help and getting used to the experience. Gurgle.com is one of the best places that helps you getting used to. Explore the site and see what they are offering and how?
Browsing through the neatly laid out and users friendly site, I liked there gurgle baby photos section. It is the place where members can upload their babies’ and toddlers’ photos and share them with family and friends while documenting the growth in the process. Also view the photos uploaded by other members. Having a look at their Messy Mouth Section was a pure joy. Anyone who love photos of babies and toddlers covered in food should visit messy mouths gallery.
While on the site, mothers and would be mothers should also browse through Article Section at Gurgle – a very rich information resource. The quality articles there address all possible aspects and would help any mother get through the parenting process.
I suggest that interested mothers should join Gurgle. Registration is free, easy and simple. Also subscribe to their weekly newsletter, comment, ask question (from feeling your baby kick for the first time, to deciding on the right childcare) and meet other members.
posted by Shirazi @ 10:39 AM,
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Coin Collection
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Asma Mirza
Time was changing when I opened my eyes to this world; everything seemed to be going ‘online’. But still it was not that bad - we still were living our offline lives too. It was time when stamp collection, reading books in their ‘hard copy format’, gaming (offline) with hands and feet involved, making scrap books, collecting dolls, coin collection were few of the more common hobbies instead of chatting, surfing online and downloading music.
I inherited not the coin collection hobby but the coins themselves from my sis (and probably my parents too since she cannot collect coins issued years before her).
I remember years back when someone would come from any foreign land me and my siblings’ would surely ask for some coin tokens to add up in our collection. And it used to be great time of pleasure for me to open up my sis’ stamp and coin collections whenever she was away, as a feast.
To date, State Bank of Pakistan has issued numerous (and many uncountable too) coins of different denominations; from Takka to Paisa, 5 paisa’s to 50 paisas’s and then quarter rupee to 5 rupee coin. Since, I’ve a 100 Rupee coin too; so I guess, as commemoration, larger denominations in fewer amounts were issued too. Interestingly, whether 25 paisas or 50 paisas, the term Paisa was more popular, but I came across a 10 Pice too issued in 1961. I guess people were more comfortable with paisa than pice! Quarter rupee or ‘aadh pao’ was an interesting term too
English, Urdu, Bangla and Arabic are some of the main languages inscribed on these coins from time to time. With language, size and shapes also saw no restrictions but the rounder coins remained the most popular with issuing authorities. In the 1970’s and 1980’s the one rupee coin was of much better size than today’s 5 rupee coin and the value matters too (Ouch at Rupee devaluation).
Coins were used as phone tokens too back in time till early 80’s - now the calling cards rocks. While I was looking for coins online, I found an interesting site showing off real ancient coins such as this billon, issued in 1200’s by a Sindh ruler, with a horse embarked on it and even a coin from Akbar’s time too.
The oldest coin, I have, is from early times of Pakistan i.e., 1948. Other notable coins are the ones issued to commemorate 100th birth celebrations of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1976 and Allam Iqbal in 1977, Islamic Summit conference 74, Beginning of Al-Hijrah in 1401 and even one coin with the slogan that “Pedawar Barhao” jo aaj tak na barhii!
For some reasons, amongst most Pakistanis, metallic and plastic money is still not popular; it’s more of a burden than ease.
I wonder if, over time, our coins would come cherished as collectable items some time. After all, in countries like USA, UK, Canada, rare coins, stamps and even game tickets are sold for hundreds of dollars, and more!
Asma Mirza blogs at FunInLife and also at Metroblog Islamabad.
To date, State Bank of Pakistan has issued numerous (and many uncountable too) coins of different denominations; from Takka to Paisa, 5 paisa’s to 50 paisas’s and then quarter rupee to 5 rupee coin. Since, I’ve a 100 Rupee coin too; so I guess, as commemoration, larger denominations in fewer amounts were issued too. Interestingly, whether 25 paisas or 50 paisas, the term Paisa was more popular, but I came across a 10 Pice too issued in 1961. I guess people were more comfortable with paisa than pice! Quarter rupee or ‘aadh pao’ was an interesting term too
English, Urdu, Bangla and Arabic are some of the main languages inscribed on these coins from time to time. With language, size and shapes also saw no restrictions but the rounder coins remained the most popular with issuing authorities. In the 1970’s and 1980’s the one rupee coin was of much better size than today’s 5 rupee coin and the value matters too (Ouch at Rupee devaluation).
Coins were used as phone tokens too back in time till early 80’s - now the calling cards rocks. While I was looking for coins online, I found an interesting site showing off real ancient coins such as this billon, issued in 1200’s by a Sindh ruler, with a horse embarked on it and even a coin from Akbar’s time too.
The oldest coin, I have, is from early times of Pakistan i.e., 1948. Other notable coins are the ones issued to commemorate 100th birth celebrations of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1976 and Allam Iqbal in 1977, Islamic Summit conference 74, Beginning of Al-Hijrah in 1401 and even one coin with the slogan that “Pedawar Barhao” jo aaj tak na barhii!
For some reasons, amongst most Pakistanis, metallic and plastic money is still not popular; it’s more of a burden than ease.
I wonder if, over time, our coins would come cherished as collectable items some time. After all, in countries like USA, UK, Canada, rare coins, stamps and even game tickets are sold for hundreds of dollars, and more!
Asma Mirza blogs at FunInLife and also at Metroblog Islamabad.
posted by Shirazi @ 3:54 PM,
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Best Buys
Advents of the Internet has changed the way we shop. Now people look online for what they want to buy. This is not only convenient but also saves money and time. Frequent shoppers may already be familiar with BestBuys - a site that offers best buys from the best stores at the best prices all at one place. They showcase, millions of products, thousands of merchants and a multitude of professional reviews to help users to make informed buying decisions. I looked up for audio and tv video and was amazed to see the results.
BestBuys.com is a one-stop shopping resource; unbiased and independent. Interested shoppers may sign up for their Newsletter to receive the latest news, products and offers from BestBuys.com.
BestBuys.com is a one-stop shopping resource; unbiased and independent. Interested shoppers may sign up for their Newsletter to receive the latest news, products and offers from BestBuys.com.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:19 AM,
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The Daily Soul
Evi Christodoulou
Fourteen months ago I didn’t know what a weblog is. One day I read an article in the newspaper about Dailykos (an American political blog) and first learnt about the blogosphere and wanted to join in.I have created several blogs both in Greek, my native language, and English ever since. In the beginning, I posted only to improve my writing skills (yes, this is a fine reason). Later I realized that I liked it, so I went on to indulge and get in touch with the online world.
Blogging for me is an innovation! People publish their ideas and know that there are persons out there who are going to read... Isn’t this weird? When someone is sad and can’t share their sorrow then come the readers and who can dispel sadness, fears, everything with a “magical” comment! Our blogosphere is an ideal society and I am part of it.
Recently I started running my own Wordpress self-hosted blog “evichris.gr The Daily Soul”. It’s about my daily routine in a small Greece town, my friends, my interests and my thoughts; all those little things that embellish my life! I accept that sometimes it’s quite difficult to find a topic. However, every time I publish something new, I enjoy it. I usually put my heart in my posts and when I see them online it’s a satisfaction and fulfillment.
Presently, I don’t have many visitors. This is a bit disappointing, but I recognize that there are hundreds of thousands of blogs on the web and obviously better writers.
I haven’t promoted my blog yet and I don’t know if I’m going to do so in the future. Maybe I’ll put Ad Sense someday. Who knows? Nevertheless I try to meet new people and recommend them to join my social networks - Jaiku, Twitter, MyBlogLog. I think it works and it costs nothing!!
posted by Shirazi @ 11:18 AM,
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Read Users Manuals Before You Make a Purchase
Figuring out which hair dryer is best for you, or the person you’re giving it to as a present, isn’t just a matter of brand, price and color. You need to understand your needs and how you expect to use the hair dryer in order to make sure you buy the right model. Once you figure that out, you should generally buy the most capable hair dryer you can afford, since you’ll get the longest life from it and be able to get the best service. There are so many things to consider before each purchase. Knowing which kind of user you or your gift recipient are will help you make the right decision.
So how you can do that? One way is that you have an access to the actual product you are planning to buy before you buy. That doesn’t seem possible as no seller will allow you to use the dryer before you make a purchase. This is neither possible not very practical.
Best thing is that you go through the user manual of the product before making a purchase. Users manual too come along with the products and are not on sale anywhere (I don’t know of a place where you can go and buy users manuals alone). But best thing is that more and more marketers and developers are putting their users’ manuals online.
By the way, that is how I purchase my ‘Hair Dryers’ and everything else I need. How you purchase, Share with us.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:17 AM,
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Create an Impact
Given my interest in blogging and the time I have been struggling in the blogsphere, I can say it with experience that blog themes matter a lot to attract and hold attention of readers. First thing a unique visitor notes is the theme of your blog. Which is why it is said that, in addition to functionality, the theme should have a powerful impact.
Thanks to One Theme that they offer wordpress themes that are powerful as well as functional. Have look at their features here and you will know what all they are offering. One Theme has a unique, purpose built back-end control panel that puts your website back in your hands giving a lot of choices. What is more, The One Theme Ad feature makes it easy for you to make money online by adding support for popular pay per click advertising. Insert AdSense blocks with ease simply by entering your id into the control panel.
Explore neatly laid out and uncluttered site, see demo, watch video and make an informed decision about what suites your needs. I enjoyed visiting One Theme Showcase where they have added customers Testimonials. Read what their happy users have been saying about them. Get one of the themes and create an impact.
posted by Shirazi @ 10:51 AM,
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Broachers or Users’ Manuals
Mostly the brochures are artistically laid out and presented whereas users’ manuals are like government notifications; life less, color less and totally technical. The brochure gets the bigger share of budget as compared to the manuals. This indicates that most concerns treat potential users so much better than existing users and focus accordingly?
I think this should be other way round. I am not suggesting that marketers should stop making the documents to be given away for free. What I am saying is the focus should change. Users should get much nicer manuals, the way they want to, including online. That will help the potential users to buy and existing users to learn?
Paying more attention and better budget allocation to product manuals and support will help everyone. There is no harm in trying to get new customers for anyone, particularly those who are in the market for short term but those who are here for long term must refashion their focus and invest more users’ manuals.
It is the users manuals that can bring loyal users, passionate users, repeat customers and can form the bases of what is called customers relationship.
Here is the simple philosophy: Users manuals will get passionate users who will get others. The better users get at something (through learning from freely available manuals), the better the user experience. The better the user experience, the more likely they are to keep trying to use the same product. Nobody is passionate about something they are stuck with. Helping your users learn is the best way to up the odds they'll become repeat customers.
Creating fabulous users’ manuals might be a far better use of the budget than creating fabulous ads and brochures. If traditional advertising and marketing is becoming less and less effective, why not move all that talent including designers, artists, copywriters and others from before the sale to after the sale?
posted by Shirazi @ 10:48 AM,
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Personal Stylist
Monday, September 22, 2008
Fashion designing is one of the hottest pursuits in this age. Those who are interested to become personal stylist and excel in this line should have a look at fashion-schools.org – a site that has researched fashion careers, schools and trends to help the users get connected to the resources that they need to start or continue an exciting career in the fashion industry.
You may be interested in fashion design, merchandising, retail, or anything else fashion-related, fashion-schools.org directory of schools may be the right place to start. Find the school that suites your needs and approach them for more information.
What is more, fashion-schools.org features articles on different topics related to fashion schools, fashion careers, and fashion news. Read about the latest fashion trends, famous fashion designers, hot career options in fashion, and more. Going through their article section, I picked up some good ideas for myself. Explore the site and see what they are offering.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:51 AM,
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Those Earphones
Those who are searching for something to add a little spice their gadget craze may find it interesting to explore Sound Lives Magnetic Earphones, launched on September 19, 2008. This seems to be a perfect accessory anyone. Landlubberin that has always been offering a lot of unusual products, is now offering those fancy looking and stylish looking earphones. And yes, they are very functional.
Sound Lives Magnetic Earphones have some interesting graphics on some of them, like a soccer ball, a panda, or a skull and crossbones. What a great thing for putting on a pirate’s ear. In fact, that is one of the bonuses of the Magnetic Earphones that they can be used as a piece of jewelry. These odd gizmos clip onto your earlobe and have a speaker that points roughly into your ear canal. I guess it's kinda like the bone-conducting type headphones in that you can hear your surroundings, and if you're listening to music while jogging then the magnets mean they probably won't fall off. Plus they're designed to be decorative, acting like "real" earrings...and there's a skull and crossbones version—perfect, me hearties, since it's international Talk Like a Pirate Day.
The pair of earphones have a frequency response of 20-25,000Hz, with a sensitivity of 100db/mW. You should be able to find the Sound Lives Magnetic Earphones on some online places for as low price as $19. Will you go for them?
posted by Shirazi @ 9:50 AM,
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Culinary Delights
Have a look at Culinary Schools USA - the online guide to culinary arts schools and culinary training in the United States and discover what they are offering and how. Those who are interested in culinary art and want to make it a career should start at one of the Culinary Schools.
Explore site and learn about different culinary schools as well as culinary career information so that you can find the right culinary school for you and how can you become a pastry chef.
Learn about Le Cordon Bleu program - blending a traditional American culinary education with classical French culinary techniques – offered by several of the culinary arts schools listed.
Neatly laid out and users’ friendly site is information rich and a very good source for those who are interested to make a career in this line. Also see the locations of different schools and what Culinary Schools recommend.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:37 AM,
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Living Online
Having to survive without the Internet when every one seems to be living in the cyberspace and achieving is a new king of anxiety. It is very hard to perceive life offline especially for those who have integrated Internet in their lives and work.
The Internet is a shorter route to many things: obtaining information, conducting business, making decisions, socializing or spending leisure time. Researchers are trying to find out Internet's impacts on life on and offline. Celebration of the Internet Free Day or the 20-year net veteran Steve Cisler's expedition to put himself "in other people shoes who are not online" are some cases in point.
For generation that is growing up with the Internet, the essence of existence lies in their presence online and being disconnected in their totally connected circle means like living in a digital dark age. This fraternity thinks that every one in the world is online. They forget an overwhelming majority of humanity which is without the Internet. Convinced that there is nothing that cannot be done online, this generation looks up to the Internet world for help and support for every thing from writing term papers to writing emails 'to the future' or doing what many will not try in real life -- even shy adolescents are active and bold in the virtual world when engaged in Internet communications as a passionate past time. I browsed MSN Member Directory with my search preference (Pakistan, single and looking, age 20-29) and found 20 pages of results showing Pakistani males and 20 pages of Pakistani females. Well, in today's world, the Internet does net people in a well knit circle together!
Always looking to own new gizmos, experience new technologies and find ways to do novel things online, it is the youth who are future computer scientists, engineers, programmers, developers and end users (also the Web queens and the Net princes). Youth are worst affected by no access to the Internet or outages. How do you perceive life without the Internet? "Without the Internet my life is unimaginable. It gives me feelings of being a dweller of the Stone Age if all of a sudden I were to quit use of the Internet. But like radio, television, or telephone, or cars and microwave ovens, the Internet is not going to go away. So I think of making best of it rather than thinking about living without it," says Sara Kazmi, editor Ravi, a magazine of Government College University Lahore. Jaffar, a Syrian student of de'Montmorency College of Dentistry Lahore says, "A lot of thrill and interactivity is attached with the world online so it really is painful to perceive life without the Internet."
The other categories hit by no access or disconnections are of IT professionals and those end users who are supplementing their earnings by pursuing income generating activities online. Zahid Shahzad, a techie says, "When I am disconnected, I attend to those assignments that otherwise keep piling up in the in-tray waiting for my attention. And, I keep jotting down things and thoughts, what I would do when online." Hafiz Munir is an urbanite computer engineer with his roots in the village where his mother, brothers and sisters live without telephone or possibility of the Internet access. He says, "I have always been going to my village to refresh my urban attitudes but going has become greatly difficult since I have put my work and life on the Internet. And it is no only me. No IT professional can afford to live without continuous connectivity. One of the reasons is that others assume IT people as 'on call' every time."
Users who have been online all their life have started taking it for granted. Any interruption, short or long, is frustrating. What do you do when you have to live offline for reasons beyond control? "Me and every one in my circle (presence on the Internet seems to be defining social circles) groans and grumbles when ever there is a disruption in connectivity; and there are so many," says Sara. Enthusiastic users have connections from more than one ISP (and the Internet cards at hand) and still "the first thing I do is to ring one or two ISPs and inquire, then I ask my friends before I decide what to do. One has to run around if there is a hardware or software problem that needs a repair or reinstallation. In our country you can do nothing in case of electric failures, telephone line disruptions or ISP 'maintenance' problem. Even respective departmental inquiry stations and help lines will not tell you what is happening," laments Arshad Mahmud. And Hafiz says, "After ascertaining the cause, I look for alternatives to remain online till things are back to normal at my own work station."
Acquiring necessary skills and hooking on the Internet at later stages in life was a major shift for those who were in the middle of their life when Internet necessitated changes in job specifications and descriptions as well as in societal norms. It is comparatively easier for this class to strike balance in on and offline life.
For Maryum Yunus, switching from the position of a sub editor in a print publication was a major shift -- especially in terms of Internet access and experience online. "The usage of the Internet mainly depends on what sort of work one is doing. I have Internet exclusively available to me at work as well as home. For my newspaper job, use of the Net was essential for me. I would logon and remain online more though I never was a freak. My present job as the Assistant Manager Image Marketing does not require active use of the Net. I only need to go online every now and then for a short duration to download my emails, fire off replies, weed out spam to keep the inbox under limits, exchange Hello Hi with friends if I can could catch someone online or to surf any specific site and look for particular information. Life never stops for me if I am disconnected or do not go online for days. After all people had been living, working and communicating even before IBM launched the personal computer. No?"
Life offline is rather harder for those who are yet striving to go online; those who are aware of the Internet and what people are accomplishing online. In our infrastructure poor country, majority of people are not online, for a variety of reasons. "I always dream about life online and what all I will be able to do when I join college in the city," told Mumtaz, a metric student from village Mong who is using computer since last one year and is to go to the city for college education where he will be able get connected. "People are migrating to cities for providing opportunities to their wards in the online world," says Hafiz.
There is an equilibrium point between the virtual and real life though it is getting difficult to point out where that point is. Life online is difficult but life can be much more enriching for those who are online, can take control of the Internet and are not mesmerized by its rhythm.
The Internet is a shorter route to many things: obtaining information, conducting business, making decisions, socializing or spending leisure time. Researchers are trying to find out Internet's impacts on life on and offline. Celebration of the Internet Free Day or the 20-year net veteran Steve Cisler's expedition to put himself "in other people shoes who are not online" are some cases in point.
For generation that is growing up with the Internet, the essence of existence lies in their presence online and being disconnected in their totally connected circle means like living in a digital dark age. This fraternity thinks that every one in the world is online. They forget an overwhelming majority of humanity which is without the Internet. Convinced that there is nothing that cannot be done online, this generation looks up to the Internet world for help and support for every thing from writing term papers to writing emails 'to the future' or doing what many will not try in real life -- even shy adolescents are active and bold in the virtual world when engaged in Internet communications as a passionate past time. I browsed MSN Member Directory with my search preference (Pakistan, single and looking, age 20-29) and found 20 pages of results showing Pakistani males and 20 pages of Pakistani females. Well, in today's world, the Internet does net people in a well knit circle together!
Always looking to own new gizmos, experience new technologies and find ways to do novel things online, it is the youth who are future computer scientists, engineers, programmers, developers and end users (also the Web queens and the Net princes). Youth are worst affected by no access to the Internet or outages. How do you perceive life without the Internet? "Without the Internet my life is unimaginable. It gives me feelings of being a dweller of the Stone Age if all of a sudden I were to quit use of the Internet. But like radio, television, or telephone, or cars and microwave ovens, the Internet is not going to go away. So I think of making best of it rather than thinking about living without it," says Sara Kazmi, editor Ravi, a magazine of Government College University Lahore. Jaffar, a Syrian student of de'Montmorency College of Dentistry Lahore says, "A lot of thrill and interactivity is attached with the world online so it really is painful to perceive life without the Internet."
The other categories hit by no access or disconnections are of IT professionals and those end users who are supplementing their earnings by pursuing income generating activities online. Zahid Shahzad, a techie says, "When I am disconnected, I attend to those assignments that otherwise keep piling up in the in-tray waiting for my attention. And, I keep jotting down things and thoughts, what I would do when online." Hafiz Munir is an urbanite computer engineer with his roots in the village where his mother, brothers and sisters live without telephone or possibility of the Internet access. He says, "I have always been going to my village to refresh my urban attitudes but going has become greatly difficult since I have put my work and life on the Internet. And it is no only me. No IT professional can afford to live without continuous connectivity. One of the reasons is that others assume IT people as 'on call' every time."
Users who have been online all their life have started taking it for granted. Any interruption, short or long, is frustrating. What do you do when you have to live offline for reasons beyond control? "Me and every one in my circle (presence on the Internet seems to be defining social circles) groans and grumbles when ever there is a disruption in connectivity; and there are so many," says Sara. Enthusiastic users have connections from more than one ISP (and the Internet cards at hand) and still "the first thing I do is to ring one or two ISPs and inquire, then I ask my friends before I decide what to do. One has to run around if there is a hardware or software problem that needs a repair or reinstallation. In our country you can do nothing in case of electric failures, telephone line disruptions or ISP 'maintenance' problem. Even respective departmental inquiry stations and help lines will not tell you what is happening," laments Arshad Mahmud. And Hafiz says, "After ascertaining the cause, I look for alternatives to remain online till things are back to normal at my own work station."
Acquiring necessary skills and hooking on the Internet at later stages in life was a major shift for those who were in the middle of their life when Internet necessitated changes in job specifications and descriptions as well as in societal norms. It is comparatively easier for this class to strike balance in on and offline life.
For Maryum Yunus, switching from the position of a sub editor in a print publication was a major shift -- especially in terms of Internet access and experience online. "The usage of the Internet mainly depends on what sort of work one is doing. I have Internet exclusively available to me at work as well as home. For my newspaper job, use of the Net was essential for me. I would logon and remain online more though I never was a freak. My present job as the Assistant Manager Image Marketing does not require active use of the Net. I only need to go online every now and then for a short duration to download my emails, fire off replies, weed out spam to keep the inbox under limits, exchange Hello Hi with friends if I can could catch someone online or to surf any specific site and look for particular information. Life never stops for me if I am disconnected or do not go online for days. After all people had been living, working and communicating even before IBM launched the personal computer. No?"
Life offline is rather harder for those who are yet striving to go online; those who are aware of the Internet and what people are accomplishing online. In our infrastructure poor country, majority of people are not online, for a variety of reasons. "I always dream about life online and what all I will be able to do when I join college in the city," told Mumtaz, a metric student from village Mong who is using computer since last one year and is to go to the city for college education where he will be able get connected. "People are migrating to cities for providing opportunities to their wards in the online world," says Hafiz.
There is an equilibrium point between the virtual and real life though it is getting difficult to point out where that point is. Life online is difficult but life can be much more enriching for those who are online, can take control of the Internet and are not mesmerized by its rhythm.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:25 AM,
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Nursing Schools
Nursing is one of the very noble professions. Even the word nursing reminds of those healing hands. Degree in this professions opens gateways to opportunities in life. This profession has always been in demand.
One best places to start your nursing career are lpn schools. They offer different programs . Whether you are an experienced nurse or are looking for a career change, you can benefit from going to nursing school and obtaining a degree.
Explore the site and find out how you can become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) program. You can become a Licensed Practical Nurse in as little as 7 months to 1 year for a hospital certificate, or you can obtain a LPN degree in two years from a community college or trade school. You will also need to pass the N-CLEX-PN certificate examination to become nationally certified. When comparing licensed practical nursing schools, it's a good idea to ask what sort of training the schools provide to prepare you for the LPN certification exam.
Learn about the different nursing degrees, and find the one that works best for you. Better still, join them.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:17 AM,
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Straight-on Smileys
Small images made on a screen by typing a series of symbols on your keyboard on one line. They are meant to convey expressions or just to show fun little pictures.
Straight-on smileys are similar to traditional smileys, but you don't have to tilt your head to see them. These icons are a form of ASCII art.
Here are a few simple examples:
} { a butterfly
=^. .^= a cat
<><>--;---- a rose
posted by Shirazi @ 9:02 AM,
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Online Education
Given its advantages, online education is growing exponentially. Colleges and universities are developing immersive and interactive virtual classroom programs, striving to become the optimal personalized online education environment for each individual student. More online schools are offering greater variety of programs for professionals who are interested in furthering their education without jeopardizing their career.
As a result, people of all ages and educational backgrounds are finding just how user friendly and convenient these online education programs have become. Learning online is helping people stay current in the advancements of their field, or even change careers without being disruptive to an already busy lifestyle. Universities and colleges are responding to this rapidly growing demand by offering a wide variety of online classes, and degrees for almost every traditional education course available.
Those who are interested to be xray technician should explore Career Education.net. This is one of the best resource to start. They have explained different professions very vividly giving their advantages, Job descriptions as well as specification. In addition toxray technician, there are a lot more choices the site.
Choose a program that interests you and submit your request for free information today.
posted by Shirazi @ 8:58 AM,
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Cross Linking Tip
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Place a link to our home page at the very bottom of a particular page (on your website). Make the color of this link, the same color as the background of that page. No one will ever be able to see it and it still counts as a cross-link. The only way someone will know it is there, is if they scroll their mouse over that part of your page.
posted by Shirazi @ 6:57 PM,
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posted by Shirazi @ 10:25 PM,
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You Are Being Watched
Given the situation in this age, security is one of the most important factors for every concern as well as homes. Everyone wants to stay safe. It is vital to take precautions and have all preventive measures in place. Good thing is that there are there are affordable measures anyone can take.
Thanks to Security-Cameras-CCTV.com that they offer wide range of Wireless Security Cameras, Home Security Cameras, CCTV Security Systems, other Security Cameras and Accessories for home and business applications at one place. Home security cameras are available with features such as infrared night vision up to 100 ft in total darkness, zoom lens, weather proof design for outdoor or indoor use, SONY image sensor for high quality video and free technical support. Have a look at Security-Cameras-CCTV.com and see what all they are offering and how. See what you need at home or elsewhere.
Security-Cameras-CCTV.com aims to provide exceptional prices and hassle-free shopping experience to the customers who include professional camera installers as well as individuals. I liked their range of home security cameras and wish to have one installed in my own home.
Security-Cameras-CCTV.com claim to fame is their unbeatable prices. What is more, all their products come with a one-year worry-free warranty.
I suggest that everyone check out this site. In addition to finding what you need, the information on the site will make you informed and security conscious.
posted by Shirazi @ 12:32 PM,
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Making a Difference
Technologies are making difference in more than one ways. In addition to improving the overall quality of life, modern technologies are having positive effects on the environment of our planet.
Let us recount some of the more visible factors that are helping sustainable development, ecology and environment: Industrial process is evolving and recycling is a major component resulting in a process that has less environmental impact and more closely resembles a balanced biological ecosystem. Similarly, due to technical advances, manufacturing processes now requires less energy and contribute less carbon dioxide to the global warming problem. Lower energy costs can mean higher profits. Innovative design changes to meet specific needs (take the example of a microwave oven) are almost all environmentally attractive as well. They use low energy, are small in size and reduced materials consumption during manufacturing.
But this is not about how technology is poised to be environmental friendly. Point here is how use of digital cameras is helping environment.
Exponentially growing use of digital camera can reduce the destructive impact on the environment compared to film cameras. Or let us say that switching over to digital cameras will not be harmful for environment as traditional film camera are. Remember the chemicals used while film processing.
I suggest that every one switch over to digital photography and help environment in own individual capacity. Every bit makes the difference.
posted by Shirazi @ 12:30 PM,
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Coverbind – Photo Fun Projects
Given my own interests, I like to keep my photos for life. I have a modest collection and look at them when I want to. That is one of the joys in my life. Which is why, Photo Starter Kit is already on my wish list.
Coverbind is one of the best places that can help preserve the photos in different ways. Have a look at the Photo Starter Pack that contains everything you need to start creating personalized photo albums, memory books and scrapbooks right at home. This package is a great addition to any scrapbooking kit; avid scrapbookers can make every project truly their own by binding books themselves, and newbies get the perfect assortment of scrapbooking supplies all in one box.
The Starter Pack gives you the freedom to jump into a variety of scrapbooking and photo projects at once and experiment to find the products and styles you like. With nine albums to choose from and enough supplies for 100s of photos, you can’t help but find a look you like that matches your photos perfectly. And since everything is included, you can start creating your own personal scrapbook or photo gift as soon as you open the box. Every Starter Pack includes the PB 1000 Personal Binder, Corel Photo Album 6 Deluxe Software, one 8 ½”x 11” black texture hardcover Photo Album, two 4”x 6” Olympic Photo Books, 2 4”x 6” Midnight Blue Photo Books and four 5”x 7” themed photo greeting cards in our most popular styles—Balloons, Party!, Roses and Meadow Flowers. As with all our products, the corresponding CoverbindDirect photo paper is included for every cover in the Starter Pack.
Best of all, the CoverbindDirect Photo Starter Pack includes the PB 1000 Personal Binder, the only at home thermal binding machine. Explore the site and see what they are offering and how.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:16 AM,
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Wi-Fi Speed
Wireless networking products are never modest in their performance claims. This impressive performance wouldn't matter if you used a wireless network only to share broadband Internet access (which tops out at 1 to 1.5 mbps) and were happy with the range of your existing setup. But if you want to improve your net's speed or range, we see no reason to wait the two-plus years until the 802.11n standard is finalized.
Proposals are currently underway to design the next generation of the 802.11 spec - that is, the version to come after 802.11 finally launches - which is currently being tagged as 802.11 VHT. The VHT stands for Very High Throughput and in this case, means gigabit speeds. It is being designed to offer actual gigabit throughput, not necessarily just data speeds as opposed to current wireless standards which promise anywhere from 11 to 300Mbps and rarely if ever give the maximum.
The two major proposals for the future of Wi-Fi come from two different angles: one offers data transmission over sub 6GHz frequencies while the other offers data transmission over 57 66GHz frequencies. In either case, users may not see any products based on the technologies until 2011 or 2012 at the earliest; it takes around five years for standards to be ratified. We've seen the problems this causes with the current 802.11n incarnation; there have been products released based on two or three different versions of the specification, many of which are non-interoperable. Current products only offer speeds of about half of what the final spec calls for, which is due to be published (for now) in late 2009.
Si if you want to improve your net's speed or range, may be you have to wait a little more.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:15 AM,
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Tonik Health Insurance Quote – Anthem
Insurance is important to the fabrics of societies and to economies. And one does not have to be an economist to know this. Insurance is something people buy hoping they never have to use. They purchase insurance to guards against unexpected and unaffordable losses. Where the purchasers really win is in the peace of mind the insurance policy buys them. If the worst should happen, insurance works to provide financial recovery. This knowledge has increased the demand for insurance services in the last couple of decades.
Dedicated services like Tonik Health Insurance - a major medical insurance plan offered by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield are helping by bringing insurance solutions to people. Anthem first introduced Tonik Health Insurance to provide a simple, yet comprehensive plan covering not only major medical, but dental and vision as well.
Tonik Health Insurance focuses on all aspects of health insurance. Have a look at Tonik Health Insurance from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Tonik Plans, Tonik Quote, Tonic health and learn what they are offering and how they can help you.
Go through their Frequently Asked Questions page at their neatly laid out and uncluttered site and or approach them with your specific query.
posted by Shirazi @ 10:55 AM,
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Reverse Engineering
Usually it happens that research and development teams come up with an idea of a product (any product), it is made in factories and then technical people write manuals and instruction books and other related documents.
Another methodology that can prove effective is that first write users’ manual and then ask the development team to make the product to match the manual. Ok, let me say that write the proposed manual in the light of what marketers think people want and then build. Call it reverse engineering and driven by market, it can be an effective approach.
What is the point here? Let us return to users’ manuals. Developers can refashion their development methodologies, document them and build. The prime objective is always to satisfy the needs of the users. This is one of the best ways to do that. The users really don't care about what happens behind the curtain. They care about being able to do what they need to do. And when you have written a manual in consonance with consumers’ needs, that is exactly what will happen when the product comes up.
One more thing; by habit, start marketing with the marketing of users’ manuals as early as they have been written. Make them available online where they can be found easily.
posted by Shirazi @ 10:53 AM,
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Fire Ants
Generally, when temperatures rise, most of the pests perk up. As the weather changes and it becomes humid, pests’ metabolism increases and they are more active.
Worst of all house pests, fire ants are light dependent. Fire ants initially are just a mild nuisance, but if they are not controlled they can be big problem. Of about all known species of ants, most commonly found are known as fire ants that hover around lights everywhere in living areas. Explore Fire Ants Guide and see what they are offering to control Fire Ants and how can you get rid of fire ants.
posted by Shirazi @ 10:14 AM,
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Flex Hours
Internet technologies have already changed the way we live and work. Collaborative technologies have given ways to telecommuting and many savvy concerns are taking advantages. Figures recently released by the CBI indicate that 46 per cent of UK businesses now entertain telecommuting as compared to just 14 per cent in 2006.
Now the advancement in the Internet technologies such as WiFi has greatly enhanced the ability of employers to enable flexible working. Wi-Fi connectivity is enabling employers to allow much more flexible working.
It will become easier to layout an office without the need for plugs and wires but at the same time the cost is an issue in terms of purchasing the equipment, training staff and monitoring the productivity of flexible workers. It is tradeoff. “You can spend on employment of newer technologies and take advantages and can save on work spaces, commuting and energy expenses,” says Prof. Norbert. Given choice, what you think?
posted by Shirazi @ 10:13 AM,
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Look at the Baby Carrier
Baby ring slings, pouches, buckles carriers and wraps are not only functional utilities for mothers but they are trendy too. They are a comfort for baby as well.
Have a look at attached to baby (very aptly named sites) and see their wide range of baby carriers and other products on display there. They are stylish and very comfortable. Given the quality, the prices are good. Imagery on the site is good and will give you the feeler of how one of their products will look while in use by you. Shopping is easy and safe online and they offer different options for payment. Interested mothers may also subscribe to their newsletter and stay current with what is coming up there.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:21 AM,
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The Fort
The Lahore Fort, locally known as Shahi Qila, is located in the northwestern corner of Lahore's Walled City. The majestic edifice is the result of many centuries' work. According to the Pakistani historian Wali Ullah Khan, the earliest reference to the Fort comes in the history of Lahur (Lahore) compiled by Al-Biruni, which refers to a fort constructed in the early 11th century. Munshi Sujan Rae Bhandar, author of the Khulasa-tut-Tawarikh records that Malik Ayaz, a lieutenant of Sultan Mahmud, built a masonry fort at Lahore and inhabited the city. It is generally believed that present Lahore Fort is the same fort, which was damaged by the Mongols in 1241 and again in 1398 by a detachment of Timur's army, then rebuilt in 1421 by Sayyid, son of Khizr Khan.
The Fort was extensively refurbished, extended and upgraded during the Mughal era. This is why it is rightly attributed as one of the gems of the Mughal civilization. Emperor Jalal ud Did Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb all added to it. During the period of Sikh occupation, Ranjit Singh added several pavilions on the upper ramparts. Some modifications to the Fort were made during the British period beginning in 1846 for housing facilities for colonial functions. Those modifications have been reverted and efforts made to bring the Fort back in its pre 1846 appearance.
Minar-e-Pakistan, 60 meters tall and a relatively new landmark in Lahore is on the one side of the Fort and the Badshahi (Imperial) Mosque and deMontmorency – oldest Dental Collage in Pakistan -- are across the courtyard from Alamgir Gate of the Fort. History and heritage are kept alive in the Lahore Fort, a protected national monument on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites, in the form of Masti Gate, Diwan-i-Am, Moti Masjid, Lal Burg, Naulakha Pavilion and Shish Mahal. The Fort contains marble palaces decorated with mosaics and gilt. The elegance of the splendid monument is matchless.
The massive fortification walls, built by Emperor Akbar in the 1560s, tower over the older part of Lahore. The huge rectangle they define, 380 by 330 meters (1,250 by 1,080 feet), is filled with buildings from a variety of periods. The main gates are located alongside the centre of the western and eastern walls. A tour of the Fort in one go is like eating an elephant in one gulp, so it merits to be seen slowly like a child looks at a huge mural.
Enter the Fort through Alamgiri Gate and you find yourself in a Maktab Khana (Clerks' House). It is a small cloistered court surrounded by arcades in which clerks use to sit, recording the names of visitors. The inscription outside tells that King Jahangir built Maktab Khana in 1618. Another gateway is the Masti gate - a corruption of Masjid Gate - named after the mosque, which still stands outside the Gate. Built in 1566, the Gate only assumed its present name after the construction of the nearby Mosque in 1641 by Empress Maryam Zamani, mother of King Jahangir.
Inside, the Diwan-e-Am (Hall of Public Audience) is an open pavilion with 40 pillars built in 1631-32 by Emperor Shah Jahan, in order to shelter his subjects when they appeared before him. Originally, Akbar had built the marble pavilion and red sandstone balcony that is at the back of the Diwan-e-Am. Here the emperor appeared daily before the public who, in his days, used to gather under a canvas canopy. The serpentine sandstone brackets are typical of Akbar's commissions, with the depiction of animals showing Hindu influence. His two-stored Diwan-e-Khas (Hall of Private Audience), built in 1566, is behind the balcony and is reached by stairs on the right. The Khwabgah-e-Jahangir (Jahangir's Room of Dreams) is the main building running the length of the north side of Jahangir's Quadrangle and is typical of Jahangir's period in its austerity. It is now a museum, containing some excellent illustrated manuscripts (including the Akbar Nama - the daily chronicle of Akbar's reign), some beautiful calligraphy, good miniature paintings and a collection of Mughal coins.
Moti Masjid was built in the Shah Jahan era about 1645 A.D., and is one of the of three Moti (Pearl) Mosques built in the Mughal period, the others being the one at Agra Fort and another at Delhi built by Aurangzeb. The Moti Masjid was used as a treasury during the Sikh period.
The Lal Burj, an octagonal tower, was constructed in 1617-31. Intended as a summer pavilion, it is decorated on the outside with mosaic and filigree while the interior is filled with paintings from the Sikh period. The lower two stories were built during Jahangir and Shah Jahan's reign, while the upper story is a Sikh addition.
The Bungla, popularly called the Naulakha pavilion - edifice, which was built at the cost of nine lakhs (900,000 was a lot of money then), is a unique marble pavilion with a curved roof. It was constructed during Shah Jahan's reign in 1631-32 A.D. for the Empress when she resided at Lahore. It is often considered one of the finest buildings in Pakistan. The Shish Mahal is a multi-storied structure north of the Bungla. It is also part of the royal residence constructed by Shah Jahan in 1631-1632. The mirror work has been renovated lately.
No ordinary coldness of phrasing can express the surprise and delight with which one makes acquaintance while seeing the built heritage and sensing history and accumulated memories spread all around the Fort. The first impact that the Fort gives is an emotional one. It also has architectural and documentary values. The perspective of the Fort gives the visitors a wonderful sense of being there. In fact, that is my recommendation: be there.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:20 AM,
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Don’t Get Lost; Get Sat Nav
Friday, September 19, 2008
GPS tracking has become a necessity for businesses, government agencies as well as individuals. Individuals use this solution in private cars, businesses need to put the system to keep track of their assets. Most of all, surveillance agencies use this powerful solution to help them solve crimes and enforce law and order.
Handtec has been operating since 2003, the early days of personal navigation devices with basic PDA's connected to wired and compact flash GPS devices. Since then Handtec has continued to grow and stock one of UK's largest array of Satellite Navigation devices, Handheld Computers and SmartPhones.
Handtec also provides products and support to many corporate and government accounts. Each account has personal account managers that can understand their needs and become their contact point within handtec - making the whole process simple. Handtec is committed to provide the best service possible either if its a one off purchase or a lasting account relationship.
Handtec dispatches thousands of parcels every month and we pride our selves on the customer service we provide. Handtec portfolio of products continue to grow and are widely regarded as an online shop with very competitve prices and first class customer service.
Have a look at Sat Nav and see what is on display. Given my own interests, I liked Garmin Nuvi 660 that is ultra slim and super wide and sets a new standard in navigation. The widescreen is clear and colorful and comes preloaded with features such as Handfree Calling and Traffic alerts.
They say, “Dont get lost...get Sat Nav. Handtec stocks the largest range of in Car Satellite Navigation systems. Todays systems can offer 3D views, make and receive telephone calls and even alert you to Traffic Delays. Explore SatNav and see what they are offering and how they can help you.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:24 PM,
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You Think Your Social Life Is Dead?
In the first place, why do I register at different Websites on the Internet, and you should too? To stay tapped in what is happening in the cyber world and also what is not and to do some more things. Internet users want to access Websites to browse, posts their own randdom or focused thoughts in weblogs, subscribe to a couple of USENET newsgroups of interest, avail of required services on offer, posts resume on a job or may be bio on matrimonial services sites, shops online or simply use Web based email services. What all users have to do is register and cough up some personal information in the process. Not a big deal!
Big deal is that personal information spread fast on the Internet. Result: email Inbox privacy that is one of today's most sensitive and intricate issues affecting nearly everyone – individuals, businesses and Internet systems alike. Clued-up users who are in know of the matters want to protect their email inboxes though beginners or those who have lots of free time on hand usually do not care until later. Majority of the Websites first ask users to register and give some personally identifiable information including email address so that they can reach out potential customers and people with particular interests. "Over 90 percent Websites ask visitors to register," as per an estimate, for those 'great benefits' -- full use of the Website, membership to certain services or communities, subscription to newsletters and alerts and more.
On the Internet, there are so many novel ways to harvest email addresses and other personal information; sometime automatically without the knowledge or consent of users through cookies (elements of data that a Website can send to browsers, which may then store it on systems. Browsers can be set to receive a cookie, or otherwise), bugs built in some software or other more offensive ways. A report says "the use of concealed bugs to collect information about online visitors has proliferated dramatically in recent years."
Some time it happens that a surfers search for any specific information they need and when click the most probable looking link in the search results, instead of opening the Webpage containing required information, they are confronted with multi step online registration form to complete before they can get onto what they want. But the simplest and 'legal' way to collect information is through voluntary registration. In the process users are required to provide their identity information -- name, street address, telephone number, email, gender, interest areas, birthday, profession and employment status, purchasing capacities and income.
Bakir Ahmad, a student in America pointed out to an interesting old case on the Internet to prove what length Websites can go to collect personal information: "Those who are using the Internet since late 1990s may remember when a company offered that it will be giving free personal computers to 10,000 people who gave detailed personal information. A question was (and is) that how can a demographic that does not own a computer and presumably is not online, be a target for e-marketing? The answer even then was that savvy surfers will not give personal information online for free computers." But what business could do to know the users? E-marketers zeal to collect personal information is the same if it has not aggravated more.
What do the businesses do with the personal information? "Undifferentiated market segment today global market is worth next to nothing from marketing point of view. Therefore businesses collect demographic and personal information to prepare their marketing strategies and improve promotional efforts," says marketing expert Dr. Ahsan Malik, "that allows businesses to analyze site usage and provide products, services and features that most likely meet targeted segment's demand, and to customize service to make users' online experience as per users' expectations and to send marketing or promotional materials through emails and or targeted banners."
Given growing privacy concerns and every one's disliks to unsolicited commercial emails (a.k.a. spam), Websites now give various options on the online registration forms but more often users fail to pay attention to obsecure clauses discussing how their personal information including email address will be used. Majority of the Internet users do not read the privacy policies, terms of service and disclaimers of Websites while registreing there in a hurry and just proceeded to hit on "I agree" button without going through legal looking lengthy documents. Or users do not pay attention to consequecses while opting in or out by checking boxes that authorize the Websites to send emails or worst still share their email addresses with third parties. She Zaman says, "this approach means spam me, I asked for it."
Opt-in approach means that user explicitly agree, upfront, to have their personal information used in a specified manner and or share it with others when such use or disclosure to third parties is related to the purpose for which the information was collected. And opt-out is to withhold information from the mass lists; "it is a statement by users that they are not willing to receive sales and marketing communications."
The proclamation like "we will not sell, share, or rent this information to others" is not sufficient. There out to be simple and standard criteria for an opt-out schemes to provide effective protection. This so far is lacking. The proclamation like "we will not sell, share, or rent this information to others" is not sufficient. There out to be simple and standard criteria for an opt-out schemes to provide effective protection. This so far is lacking. While writing this, I signed for Gmail account and took the trouble of going through Google's terms of use. Part of it reads, "As a condition to using the Service, you agree to the terms of the Gmail Privacy Policy as it may be updated from time to time. Google understands that privacy is important to you. You do, however, agree that Google may monitor, edit or disclose your personal information, including the content of your emails, if required to do so in order to comply with any valid legal process or governmental request (such as a search warrant, subpoena, statute, or court order), or as otherwise provided in these Terms of Use and the Gmail Privacy Policy. Personal information collected by Google may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Google Inc. or its agents maintain facilities. By using Gmail, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your country." What is more, "As consideration for using the Service, you agree and understand that Google will display ads and other information adjacent to and related to the content of your email."
Some of the sites provide users with the opportunity to alter their registred information so that they no longer receive unwanted email communications. The provisions of changing profile or preferences are usually hard to find particularly for less tech savvy users. Some Internet users who have experienced say that changing preferences have little effect on the amount of commercial emails received, because once an email address is out, there is little anyone can do about it. "I tried changing my email addresses on couple of sites, and now I am getting emailes on old as well as new address," says Sher Zaman, a techie. Does this make the Internet a public bulletin board where any thing revealed is every one's business?
The users should be careful how and where to register. That is the only choice that remains the users, I think.
Big deal is that personal information spread fast on the Internet. Result: email Inbox privacy that is one of today's most sensitive and intricate issues affecting nearly everyone – individuals, businesses and Internet systems alike. Clued-up users who are in know of the matters want to protect their email inboxes though beginners or those who have lots of free time on hand usually do not care until later. Majority of the Websites first ask users to register and give some personally identifiable information including email address so that they can reach out potential customers and people with particular interests. "Over 90 percent Websites ask visitors to register," as per an estimate, for those 'great benefits' -- full use of the Website, membership to certain services or communities, subscription to newsletters and alerts and more.
On the Internet, there are so many novel ways to harvest email addresses and other personal information; sometime automatically without the knowledge or consent of users through cookies (elements of data that a Website can send to browsers, which may then store it on systems. Browsers can be set to receive a cookie, or otherwise), bugs built in some software or other more offensive ways. A report says "the use of concealed bugs to collect information about online visitors has proliferated dramatically in recent years."
Some time it happens that a surfers search for any specific information they need and when click the most probable looking link in the search results, instead of opening the Webpage containing required information, they are confronted with multi step online registration form to complete before they can get onto what they want. But the simplest and 'legal' way to collect information is through voluntary registration. In the process users are required to provide their identity information -- name, street address, telephone number, email, gender, interest areas, birthday, profession and employment status, purchasing capacities and income.
Bakir Ahmad, a student in America pointed out to an interesting old case on the Internet to prove what length Websites can go to collect personal information: "Those who are using the Internet since late 1990s may remember when a company offered that it will be giving free personal computers to 10,000 people who gave detailed personal information. A question was (and is) that how can a demographic that does not own a computer and presumably is not online, be a target for e-marketing? The answer even then was that savvy surfers will not give personal information online for free computers." But what business could do to know the users? E-marketers zeal to collect personal information is the same if it has not aggravated more.
What do the businesses do with the personal information? "Undifferentiated market segment today global market is worth next to nothing from marketing point of view. Therefore businesses collect demographic and personal information to prepare their marketing strategies and improve promotional efforts," says marketing expert Dr. Ahsan Malik, "that allows businesses to analyze site usage and provide products, services and features that most likely meet targeted segment's demand, and to customize service to make users' online experience as per users' expectations and to send marketing or promotional materials through emails and or targeted banners."
Given growing privacy concerns and every one's disliks to unsolicited commercial emails (a.k.a. spam), Websites now give various options on the online registration forms but more often users fail to pay attention to obsecure clauses discussing how their personal information including email address will be used. Majority of the Internet users do not read the privacy policies, terms of service and disclaimers of Websites while registreing there in a hurry and just proceeded to hit on "I agree" button without going through legal looking lengthy documents. Or users do not pay attention to consequecses while opting in or out by checking boxes that authorize the Websites to send emails or worst still share their email addresses with third parties. She Zaman says, "this approach means spam me, I asked for it."
Opt-in approach means that user explicitly agree, upfront, to have their personal information used in a specified manner and or share it with others when such use or disclosure to third parties is related to the purpose for which the information was collected. And opt-out is to withhold information from the mass lists; "it is a statement by users that they are not willing to receive sales and marketing communications."
The proclamation like "we will not sell, share, or rent this information to others" is not sufficient. There out to be simple and standard criteria for an opt-out schemes to provide effective protection. This so far is lacking. The proclamation like "we will not sell, share, or rent this information to others" is not sufficient. There out to be simple and standard criteria for an opt-out schemes to provide effective protection. This so far is lacking. While writing this, I signed for Gmail account and took the trouble of going through Google's terms of use. Part of it reads, "As a condition to using the Service, you agree to the terms of the Gmail Privacy Policy as it may be updated from time to time. Google understands that privacy is important to you. You do, however, agree that Google may monitor, edit or disclose your personal information, including the content of your emails, if required to do so in order to comply with any valid legal process or governmental request (such as a search warrant, subpoena, statute, or court order), or as otherwise provided in these Terms of Use and the Gmail Privacy Policy. Personal information collected by Google may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Google Inc. or its agents maintain facilities. By using Gmail, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your country." What is more, "As consideration for using the Service, you agree and understand that Google will display ads and other information adjacent to and related to the content of your email."
Some of the sites provide users with the opportunity to alter their registred information so that they no longer receive unwanted email communications. The provisions of changing profile or preferences are usually hard to find particularly for less tech savvy users. Some Internet users who have experienced say that changing preferences have little effect on the amount of commercial emails received, because once an email address is out, there is little anyone can do about it. "I tried changing my email addresses on couple of sites, and now I am getting emailes on old as well as new address," says Sher Zaman, a techie. Does this make the Internet a public bulletin board where any thing revealed is every one's business?
The users should be careful how and where to register. That is the only choice that remains the users, I think.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:24 PM,
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Clicksmart Directory
Have a look at Clicksmart – a directory that have been connecting consumers with small businesses. By certifying small businesses who are experts in their field, Clicksmart takes the guessing out of choosing the right real estate agent, insurance broker, or other professional. They prescreen each of the Clicksmart Certified Experts on their site for quality and experience. That is why I suggest you should be using a Clicksmart Certified Expert?
Clicksmart is also expert at helping qualified businesses like Orlando Massage market themselves to consumers. Explore the site and find out what they mean by qualified? See See minneapolis countertops or Landscaping in Raleigh and learn what all they are offering and how. Approach Clicksmart and see if you qualify.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:24 PM,
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Join the Blog Party
Without blogs, World Wide Web may be a lonely place. After desktop publishing, blogging is another notable fruit of information revolution every one seems to be enjoying; mainstream now.
What is a blog? Well, it depends on whom the question is asked. For millions of ordinary people with access to a computer and an Internet connection, it is easy way to self publish their thoughts, concerns, and feelings or a means of talking to each other and sharing joys, sorrow and accomplishments. To some blog still is a repository of useful links and sources from the Web and an approach to filtering information. Some others say it is a voice that is being heard in this din. Yet others say it as a memory aid. Blogs are an outlet on so many levels for so many people. Blogs are catharsis or merely vanity sites and a short cut to fame. Blogs are ego gratification for "wannabe writers." For e-marketers blogs are quick tools for building their businesses and brands.
Blogging is a rapidly evolving Web phenomenon. True that the Web has always been perceived as a medium where users are able to read, publish and exchange documents. But in the early days, self publishing online was costly and a bit too technical. Things started changing after the arrival of community sites like Geocities and Angelfire, providing free online space for users to publish Web pages and in return increasing providers' customers' base and revenues. But blogs did not proliferate as the process still needed some degree of technical knowledge and skills. That happened only after the emergences of many free blog hoisting services and affordable software (like Radio User land) with easy interface that any one on the Internet got a chance to go blogging; simple.
News is that Harvard University has given fellow ship to Dave Winer, a software developer and blogging guru in order to head up their Blogs at Harvard initiative in order to teach Harvard students and faculty the art of posting daily entries to the Web. Trend trajectory reached near its vertex in a short time when many providers offered free blogging service, Google's acquired Blogger.com, and AOL introduced the facility to its subscribers. Now Microsoft has also offered MSN spaces. 'Blog' was most used word on the Internet in the year 2003 and 2004. Last year has been called year of blogs. With more people building and maintaining blogs, their importance is increasing. This is one reason that the phenomenon keeps getting more and more attention in social as well commercial circles. Which is why RSS powered blogs are being seen as he next big thing in marketing?
Blogs (short for Web logs) that has become new destination on the Internet -- a whole new cyber subculture -- originally were typical link driven and personally owned sites at best interspersed with some observations or random personal thoughts. Many bloggers are following the same prototype. They dig up the interesting articles from obscure nooks and corners of the Web, highlight and present them in their blogs, some time adding more facts, alternative views, and meaningful insights, providing more depth.
Like Web, blogs are changing all the time in format, contents and intent. The blog hoisting services provide easy to use templates, enabling the users to choose from. Geek types and those who know HTML may fiddle with the format and keep customising the design where as lesser tech savvy keep up with what was provided by the service. Third party templates are also available that any inquisitive can download them for free.
Bloggers now disseminate information, interpret them for us as per their own perceptions, initiate debates, and participate in debates and more. Surf some and one can finds blogs of any kind and type: subject oriented, complimenting or criticizing perspectives, incisive observations, or deeply personal lascivious thoughts and very intimate details of personal life (some give these details staying behind the walls of anonymity while some do it overtly, even solicit comments, and call it freedom of choice). Early adopters of the blogging practice, who are in the middle of, and enjoying, an evolution of information technologies think that form of blogs will keep changing over period as tools improve and technology matures.
It is not that only blogs that are changing. The trend is turning passive users into active surfers and writers. Blogging necessarily makes people to read, analyse and write. Bloggers surf and search more in order to locate unusual thing on the Web to post on their blogs. I read this at the mast head of one blog, "I'm still alive and relatively well. I have commentary, photos, and a dive log to prove it."
Though blogging like the Internet itself is a global in nature and cannot be segregated or reviewed on the basis of geography yet while writing this I looked beneath the content of Pak blogs, all those I could find created and maintained by local users. Local blogs are a whole new world out there. As anywhere else, Pak blogs offer a view of what is thought in public and discussed in private. Bloggers here vent, flirt, and tell jokes. They also waffle, whine, or weasel. Some folk showcase their work with by lines of their own choosing or propagate a cause. Some users are producing surprisingly good qualities while some others are sloppy and direction less.
Pakistani bloggers seem to be very innovative. Pak blogs are oozing out with individualism and diversity. During my hunt, I have seen translation of a complete book by one writer posted on a blog; single entry. Blogging in not still economic hobbyhorse here but one can see some sponsored ads on a few blogs already. Many use them as a safe storage place to keep their hard disks free. Photo blogs are being used as online family photo albums. Zahid Shazad, a Pakistani IT professional who has migrated to Australia, had his CV pasted on his sole blog when he was looking for job. "Whatever I have in my personal computer is also on some of my private blogs (not assessable by others) and I can access them where ever I happen to be," says an avid blogger Karim Dad. Though English is a predominant language at the Net but look for it and you may find blogs in all languages including Urdu as well.
There are still some impediments, the most obvious being access to technologies, lack of purpose to reach out to the world and matters of ego and social background. What all one is willing to open to others? Email conversations with local bloggers revealed some more reservations: People are afraid to speak up. Mastery of language, technical, or compositional skills are another set of barriers for those who do not have them. Karim Dad thinks, "Though these days blogging is as easy as signing in for email account and operating it yet those who are gifted with writing skills are often Web novice and those who are skilful Internet users have nothing much to say."
There are almost as many critics as there are enthusiasts of blogging trend. But evidence is that Weblogs have already become more than just a passing whim. Critics, however, say that this 'inconsequential chatter' has given rise to plagiarism of a different king and the whole thing is nothing but recycling. There is hardly any thing original in blogs.
Some users just mark their presence; create a blog, post initial entry, submit it to one or two blog directories and forget about it. Frequent switchers leave one service and join another to build their blog afresh; more blogs are coming up every day. A few bloggers decide to dump their labour of love in cyber graveyard for good after some time due to variety of reason: blogging as an activity cease to have an importance in their lives, or they do not have enough to say in their blogs. Aamar Waqas, a journalist and a farmer blogger says, "I started blogging because I have an opinion and I wanted to have a place where I could voice my views about things around. Moreover, every one else was having one in my circle. Writing is very daunting job sometimes. The stress of daily updates became a distraction in my work and I left it after doing it for a year."
Bloggers are a natural fit with each other and the fraternity is exponentially growing. Simple philosophy is this: "You mention me in your blog and I mention you in mine," and it goes on and on. Bloggers are keen to see what others are doing at their blogs so they keep up with as many as they can, especially those who are like minded. Confession: Well, I am found of seeing what others publish in their blogs that I do not know and who all have mentioned mine in the list of their favourites. I also try to see people who are behind blogs.
In general, bogs are interesting, thought provoking, and sometime utterly entertaining and fun. In fact, the ability for users to constantly update blogs makes them perfect forum for individuals to express themselves in so many creative ways. Blogging is an enriching experience on the World Wide Web for those who publish them as well as for those who lurk around and just read.
My recommendation: Join the party; it is on round the clock.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:24 PM,
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Search Engine Optimization
In this age of e-commerce and global reach, every concern (even individuals) needs to understand Search Engine Optimization. Only then businesses, large or small, can delivers their message clearly, build credibility, have a loyal users’ base and take advantages of power of the Internet.
Have a look at iMajestic.com - a Southern California based company operating globally. Their sole focus is to create long-term relationships with companies who wish to leverage the unique reach of the Internet to increase visibility and achieve long term success. They offer Search Engine Optimization, Reputation Management, Social Media Marketing, Pay Per Click Optimization and other related services.
What makes iMajestic.com stand out is their continuous research and test the latest, next-generation tools, technologies, and theories on and in over 500 sites - all to keep our clients current and in control. iMajestic.com works hard to become an extension of your company and the marketing department of their clients, working in partnership with you every step of the way.
Since 2001, iMajestic.com has come a long way. They have already offered sound solutions and accountability to thousands of satisfied customers (see their testimonials). Their one-on-one, tailor made approach delivers an unrivaled level of services. Explore their site to see what they can do for you.
posted by Shirazi @ 2:00 PM,
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Wi-Fi TV
Beyond personal computers, Wi-Fi chips are being put in into cameras, keyboards, mice and television. Industry guru in the know of the matter say that the current and next-generation versions of Wi-Fi have the bandwidth to offer video and can do a variety of things at lower power; energy use and wireless bandwidth have been the most common stumbling blocks to using the technology in more applications.
Wi-Fi started out linking computers to broadband connections, then to each other without cables presently allows to transmit a lot of data, really quickly, over distances of about 120 feet. In each generation of the technology standard, the amount of data that can be transmitted has expanded, essentially enabling the networks to carry more information and much faster. It could soon replace technologies such as Bluetooth or proprietary lasers in wireless keyboards and mice.
Wi-Fi TV(TM) has been working to being TV on the convergence of TV and the Internet. They provided the first online movie in December 1995. Imagine watching hundreds of TV stations and chatting with others watching the same program in a live chat box directly under the viewing screen, and getting breaking news for each category listed, and downloading a free dialer and making phone calls and hosting live video parties all on one web. Wi-Fi TV(TM) has recently announced that it is adding additional technological features to its web site to position it to be a leader in Internet TV market share, and has introduced a simplified sign-up process. Wi-Fi TV has several exclusive TV stations. Stay tuned and see what comes next.
posted by Shirazi @ 1:01 PM,
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Meet Your Dentist
Thanks to advancement in medical science that living healthy has become possible as afordabel. Have a look at at Los Angeles Dentist and meet Dr. Azar-Mehr.
Los Angeles prosthodontist, Dr. Parviz Azar-Mehr is a dental specialist who has received post doctoral training in crowns and bridges, dentures, dental implants, cosmetic dentistry and TMJ disorders. Dr. Azar-Mehr learned Prosthodontics as a post-doctoral student at London University, New York University, and the University of Michigan. Dr. Azar-Mehr has practiced and taught dentistry for over 25 years. Currently, he is Professor of Clinical Dentistry in the Department of Post-Doctoral Education, Advanced Prosthodontics, of the School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California.
With vast experience in complex dental restorations and rehabilitation, Dr. Azar-Mehr often serves as a consultant to other dentists and receives referrals from them. He has published many articles on dentistry and Prosthodontics in professional journals, and lectured extensively at dental schools and professional conferences, in this country and abroad. His current professional memberships include American College of Prosthodontists, Pacific Coast Society of Prosthodontists, American College of Cranio Mandibular Orthopedics, American Dental Association and California Dental Association.
Going to a dentist with such profile is a very healthy experience. Explore his site and learn about Dr. Azar-Mehr, his team and their practices. Better still Call for an Appointment.
posted by Shirazi @ 12:10 PM,
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Consumers’ Behavior
Living in the age of technological boom, consumers have exponentially growing choices to use new products, gadgets and tools in life as well as work, making lives much easier. It is some time overwhelming for consumers to decide which newer gadget to use. Producers, manufacturers and marketers, on the other hand, are doing their best to provide all related information in the form of users manuals, operating manuals and other related bits and pieces of information in order to facilitate consumers to make informed decisions.
A study that crossed my desktop lately says that millions of users read users’ manuals to figure out working of any technical gadget or a tool. Search engines statistics also show people looking for users manuals online.
Evidence suggest internet savvy users consumers are more likely to locate users’ manuals and read through. Who wants to search old piles of books in dusted cupboards to fine a manual for a camera that was bought some years ago when it is available on the click of the mouse? What is more, Internet users base is growing fast and every one (ok almost every one) is turning to the web to find product information before and after purchase.
It is in this milieu that making users’ manuals available online, at a place where everyone can find and read through, is a win win situation for all concerned; there is no other way by which industries can make their manuals available to everyone. Given the changing consumers’ behavior due to the advent of Internet, it is suggested that all futuristic concerns should make their manuals available online much before the launch of the product. This will make a difference in reaching out to the next level.
posted by Shirazi @ 12:10 PM,
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Honda Accord
Honda Accord is a dream car. It is the one of the most stylish brands in cars. Name honda accord has already become a synonym for high quality across the world.
Car lovers are invited to start at honda accord and see how TheCarConnection.com has accumulated wealth of information on the new 2008 Honda Accord in the form of in-depth reviews and consumers’ opinions. TheCarConnection.com's editors are also people in the know who have driven and evaluated the 2008 Honda Accord, and they used their impressions to help users differentiate the Accord from other cars.
Site is neatly laid out and uncluttered and information rich resource for those who love cars. Click on any model on display at the front page and it will take you to its review page. I loved their photo gallery. Their News and Blog section is also carrying a lot of rich information. Given my own interests, I liked their Tips and Related News sections and picked up some great ideas for my own use.
Explore the neatly laid out and users’ friendly TheCarConnection.com, read reviews, arrange a test drive, get free price quotes and see which model suites you the best.
posted by Shirazi @ 10:37 AM,
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Melle.ca
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Melanie
I imagine everyone has something to say that is of interest or value to at least one other person. And certainly the Internet has many of us better connected than ever before. That, of course, presents the problem of choosing and sorting what gets your attention, because it’s simply impossible to devote yourself to even a fraction of a smidgen of what’s out there.Fortunately, it's pretty easy to pick and choose (and tweak over time) your reading and following habits for what is of interest or value to you. Unfortunately, the Internet being the big mess that it is, I doubt many people will ever find the person or people with whom they share the most thoughts, ideas, and interests.
Does all blogging matter? Not necessarily to anyone other than the person writing it sometimes, no. (And going by the number of abandoned blogs out there, I guess it could be argued that it doesn’t always even matter to that person…) Bottom line, some people just aren't very interesting or very good writers. (I'm sure I fall into those categories from time to time…) And some topics are very niche.
I blog because I've written pretty much my whole life, and have found this multimedia forum suits me well. My blog, to me, is largely a scrapbook of things I find interesting, either out in the world or conjured from my own head. It’s an extension of things I see, emails I send to my friends, conversations I have. But of course it lets me reach a whole lot more people at once.
My blog keeps my friends abreast of what's going on with me, and, from time to time, lets me work out issues or ideas that've been percolating and bugging me. Sometimes that results in posts I'm quite proud of, other times it results in verbal diarrhea. That's the nice thing about having your own blog: it's nobody's business but yours what kind of mess you want to make of it. Much like eBay is the world’s online garage sale of tangible stuff, blogs are the world’s online garage sale of mental stuff.
I agree with the guideline that states that the best blogging comes from having a point, a central idea or topic. I admire themed blogs – parenting, marketing, veterinary medicine, what have you – not least because these people almost always have something to say on their chosen subject. They remain articulate and passionate day in and day out. I don't think I could do that. I have lots to say on lots of subjects, but I also have a short attention span and a million interests of varying depths. Perhaps I also just lack the depth of experience theme bloggers have, too.
Of course, those with themed blogs, or who use their blogs to promote their businesses and whatnot, then have certain expectations and responsibilities to uphold. Blogging very regularly, staying on-topic (and what to do if you really have something to say that doesn't fit your blog's mandate?), etc. I feel fortunate in that I don't get too upset if I have nothing to say for a few days, or haven't done anything interesting, or only feel like posting pictures I've taken on walks.
Perhaps that's because my blog is personal, and mostly a way for me to share with my social sphere. People are only really tuning in for… me. I've no company, industry, theme, or advertiser I have responsibilities to, so whatever's on my mind at any given time is appropriate blog content for me.
That said, I'm aware that that's not exactly the way to end up on the A-list (I'm cool with that). It's hard to promote a blog that's Seinfeldian in not being "about" anything, and harder to fit yourself into any given community, since communities tend to have a focal point or common thread. It's hard, too, to personally judge your own content's value. I'm a member of The Good Blogs network. Is mine a Good Blog? I dunno, I like it. A few thousand people a month seem to like it. Do I have potential advertisers banging down my door? Nope.
Back in the day when the blogosphere was smaller, it was easier (or more likely?) that a personal blog would get noticed and become popular. That was based on the strength of the storytelling, I think, and if people who happened upon what you wrote could relate. Parenting blogs are a great example of that.
Now, like everything else that social networking and social media have affected, I think it's becoming more and more about who you're connected to – people finding your blog through someone else's blog, or Facebook profile, or whatever.
Of course, randomly stumbling upon a great site that totally resonates with you and compels you to obsessively absorb the entire archives is still one of those great mind and soul-expanding experiences, like coming across a writer who becomes your favourite author. But most days, who has time to just sit there clicking along through StumbleUpon or some other service in the hopes of striking gold? Half the time I can’t even keep up with my RSS feeds, which are for sources I already know I like.
Blogging high points… I'd have to say some of the people connections I've made, those who've found me (or re-found me after having known me years ago). I haven't made a huge number of new friends or anything from blogging, but I've connected with some really cool folks. Getting compliments on my photos is a major plus, too. I consider myself incredibly ignorant about photography, but I love being out and about with my wee camera and capturing what catches my eye. That other people like what I see and how I see it is really cool.
Previous Posts: Liz Strauss, Aliza Sherman Risdahl, Mihaela Lica, Sterling W. Camden, Peg Haustetter, Steli Efti, Vicky Stringer, EXSENO, Axinia, Daniel S, Turo Jantunen, Alina Popescu, Dine Racoma, Chris Garrett, annamanila, Wifely Steps, Rolly, MrsPartyGirl, Ghee, Gitr Kargath, Richard Miles, Robyn McMaster, Elizabeth, Zep Hopper, Ellen Weber, Anita Bruzzese, Auntie Hattie, Bob Glaza, Isabella Mori, Paula Neal Mooney, Albert Pascual, Margot Potter, Ian Smith, Jean Yates, Christina Cedeno, Ayelet Noff (Blonde), Kristine, Kirsten Harrell, Lisa Gates, Evi Christodoulou, Peincess Haiku, Kent Newsome, David Johnson, Danica Radovanovic, Ev Nucci, David Johnson, Danica Radovanovic, Feng Brum, Janette Toral, Silviana Prioteasa, Pallab De, Jeanne Dininni, Laura Spencer and Maria Celina Gallo
posted by Shirazi @ 7:54 PM,
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Who Just Called Here?
Those who want to find out who is called must start at whojustcalledhere.com – a service that makes it possible to know about the owner of the phone number from where the call came. Who Just Called Here? offers a Free Phone Number Lookup for any number whether it is listed or not. You can track any phone call you receive, get information about the owner of that number, and determine whether it was a call you needed to take, or if it was just another undesired call wasting your time. It is easy; type the number that called in the search box and find out exactly who is calling you.
posted by Shirazi @ 7:54 PM,
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At Khunjrab
The souls that pave the way for the modern tarmac road known as the Karakorum Highway (KKH) still seem to flicker amongst the sharp moving shadows of the unstable rocks and the almost countless but crumbly semi-transparent glaciers that constantly threaten its existence. There has always been a long pass into, and out of China and Pakistan over what is sometime called the "Roof of the World" but in ancient times it was a very hazardous passageway. One wonders how Alexander might have crossed the Karakorum Mountains in 325 BC or how early travellers like Marco Polo, Hieun Tsang and others might have tracked on the route without backpacks, four wheel driven powerful vehicles and even the roads, till Pakistan Army engineers spread asphalt through one of the most difficult terrain in the world and created this great engineering feat called as the eighth wonder of the world.Northern Pakistan has some of the most beautiful and mightiest mountain terrain -- Hindu Kush and Karakorum -- in the world.
Besides raw natural beauty, the territory is very difficult for men and machine to work even in this modern age. The road is in fact reflection of man's incessant struggle against transcendental power.
What one sees while commuting on the highway? Extinct writings, Chinese traveller's diary and quoted in the North West Frontier Province Gazetteer that reads, "the path is certainly narrow, and often clung to the sheer faces of the many deep resonant gorges that confine their turgid, animated rivers. A traveller along the path sees at one glance the shadowy valleys from which a shiny mist columns rise at noon against a luminous sky, the forest ridges, stretches fold behind fold in softly undulating lines -- dotted by the white specks which mark the situation of Buddhist monasteries -- to the glacier draped pinnacles and precipices of the snowy range. He passes from the zone of tree ferns and endless colonnade of tall stemmed magnolias oaks and chestnut trees, fringes with delicate orchids and festooned by long convolvuluses to the region of gigantic pines, junipers, firs and larches. Down each ravine sparkles a brimming torrent, making the ferns and flowers nod as it dashes past them. Superb butterflies, black and blue, or flashes of rainbow colours that turn at pleasure into exact imitation of dead leaves, the fairies of this lavish transformation scene of nature, sail in and out between the sun light and gloom. The mountaineer pushes on by a track half buried between the red twisted stems of tree-rhododendrons, hung with long waiving lichens, till he emerges at last on open sky and the upper pastures -- the Alps of the Himalayan - field of flowers: of gentians and edelweiss and poppies, which blossom beneath the shining store house of snow that encompass the ice mailed and flouted shoulders of the giants of the range."
Get off the Grand Trunk Road -- main social as well as economic artery of Pakistan -- near Hassan Abdal; travel northeast through plains of Hazara and you are already in tourists' zone. Cyclists riding trendy machines and cellular phones even with local are commonly seen and almost all commodity items for the use offoreigners are available with vendors right on the roadside. Lucky ones may also have the pleasure to watch performance of Chinese artists at Silk Rout Festival that moves from place to place and gives spectacular performance.
Passing through outskirts of Mansehra, the road starts winding and climbing through forested hills, with houses climbing to the contours of hills and countless eateries lined up along the road. The travellers here are introduced to forbidding nature of the terrain. The river Indus gushes below and cliffs of bar rocks soar above as the KKH begins to cut its way through the gorges of Kohistan. After dipping into, and out of the Indus's wide bed the road also seem vying for the right of way with Gilgit and Hunza Riversbefore it heeds direct to the historic Khunjerab Pass into China. Voluminous traffic and rather unpleasant riding conditions becomes lighter after leaving Mansehra and remains so almost to Khunjerab Pass and beyond (to the end of the highway in Kashgar, China.)
Before crossing on the Chinese side of the Khunjerab Pass, the road passes through Hunza Valley. The intricate terraced fields, held in places by dry stone or wooden retaining walls and the complex system of irrigation channels leading down from mount Rakaposi or Ultar are testimony to the skilled labour of the locals who are famous for their different culture, friendly nature and long lives.
While the entire Hunza Valley is breathtaking in its splendour and beauty, one of my most enduring memories of this place is watching the sunrise over the hills. And, when you devote enough time to look at the mountains, it becomes a bit chameleon -- clouding over, changing colours, cliffs turning into convex and concave according to the slant light.
At night, lights glow in this tiny isolated villages. But, the village women still do not know the use of simple electric appliances of modern age. Community hydroelectric system has been installed on torrents. The system allows only few bulbs per household. Men and women are found working together in the fields, homes or collecting woods from hills in conical wicker baskets. They are welcoming and seem to be living at peace with themselves.
The highway is also called the "Silk Road" because it approximates the trail of what was once one of the many silk, jade and spice carrying caravan trails that congregated somewhere near Xi'an, in China, and terminated in the vicinity of modern Syria on the Mediterranean sea coast. Like long lines of exploring ants, determined traders, merchants and adventures wore a path through narrow gorges, high grass sheathed valleys, across waterless deserts, around higher mountains, and over ranging rivers in pursuit of bargains.
The passage of time has not altered any of these geophysical conditions. Rest every thing in the area has changed though. The developments found their is greatest physical manifestation with the construction of the KKH, built along the path of the caravan routs of the Silk Road, a joint venture between china and Pakistan (which is why it is also called as Pakistan China Friendship Road). Work on the mammoth project, which is said to have cost one life for every kilometre of road constructed, was begun in 1966 and completed in 1982. With commissioning of the road, the entire area has been laid open to trade and tourism. The resulting progress is undoubtedly causing a great deal of visible societal change.
While regular bus service ply the KKH to Gilgit, Hunza and the Khunjerab Pass, and the route eastwards through the Indus gorge to Baltistan, four-wheel drive powerful vehicles can only negotiate many of the remaining roads dissecting the region. There are lots of rough tracks leading to off road habitats on both sides of the road. For the adventurer who wants to go beyond these to really explore the mountains there is a highly developed system of trails built up over thousand of years by the tradesman, nomads and herdsmen, all granting access to some of the most magnificent mountain scenery on earth.
Besides raw natural beauty, the territory is very difficult for men and machine to work even in this modern age. The road is in fact reflection of man's incessant struggle against transcendental power.
What one sees while commuting on the highway? Extinct writings, Chinese traveller's diary and quoted in the North West Frontier Province Gazetteer that reads, "the path is certainly narrow, and often clung to the sheer faces of the many deep resonant gorges that confine their turgid, animated rivers. A traveller along the path sees at one glance the shadowy valleys from which a shiny mist columns rise at noon against a luminous sky, the forest ridges, stretches fold behind fold in softly undulating lines -- dotted by the white specks which mark the situation of Buddhist monasteries -- to the glacier draped pinnacles and precipices of the snowy range. He passes from the zone of tree ferns and endless colonnade of tall stemmed magnolias oaks and chestnut trees, fringes with delicate orchids and festooned by long convolvuluses to the region of gigantic pines, junipers, firs and larches. Down each ravine sparkles a brimming torrent, making the ferns and flowers nod as it dashes past them. Superb butterflies, black and blue, or flashes of rainbow colours that turn at pleasure into exact imitation of dead leaves, the fairies of this lavish transformation scene of nature, sail in and out between the sun light and gloom. The mountaineer pushes on by a track half buried between the red twisted stems of tree-rhododendrons, hung with long waiving lichens, till he emerges at last on open sky and the upper pastures -- the Alps of the Himalayan - field of flowers: of gentians and edelweiss and poppies, which blossom beneath the shining store house of snow that encompass the ice mailed and flouted shoulders of the giants of the range."
Get off the Grand Trunk Road -- main social as well as economic artery of Pakistan -- near Hassan Abdal; travel northeast through plains of Hazara and you are already in tourists' zone. Cyclists riding trendy machines and cellular phones even with local are commonly seen and almost all commodity items for the use offoreigners are available with vendors right on the roadside. Lucky ones may also have the pleasure to watch performance of Chinese artists at Silk Rout Festival that moves from place to place and gives spectacular performance.
Passing through outskirts of Mansehra, the road starts winding and climbing through forested hills, with houses climbing to the contours of hills and countless eateries lined up along the road. The travellers here are introduced to forbidding nature of the terrain. The river Indus gushes below and cliffs of bar rocks soar above as the KKH begins to cut its way through the gorges of Kohistan. After dipping into, and out of the Indus's wide bed the road also seem vying for the right of way with Gilgit and Hunza Riversbefore it heeds direct to the historic Khunjerab Pass into China. Voluminous traffic and rather unpleasant riding conditions becomes lighter after leaving Mansehra and remains so almost to Khunjerab Pass and beyond (to the end of the highway in Kashgar, China.)
Before crossing on the Chinese side of the Khunjerab Pass, the road passes through Hunza Valley. The intricate terraced fields, held in places by dry stone or wooden retaining walls and the complex system of irrigation channels leading down from mount Rakaposi or Ultar are testimony to the skilled labour of the locals who are famous for their different culture, friendly nature and long lives.
While the entire Hunza Valley is breathtaking in its splendour and beauty, one of my most enduring memories of this place is watching the sunrise over the hills. And, when you devote enough time to look at the mountains, it becomes a bit chameleon -- clouding over, changing colours, cliffs turning into convex and concave according to the slant light.
At night, lights glow in this tiny isolated villages. But, the village women still do not know the use of simple electric appliances of modern age. Community hydroelectric system has been installed on torrents. The system allows only few bulbs per household. Men and women are found working together in the fields, homes or collecting woods from hills in conical wicker baskets. They are welcoming and seem to be living at peace with themselves.
The highway is also called the "Silk Road" because it approximates the trail of what was once one of the many silk, jade and spice carrying caravan trails that congregated somewhere near Xi'an, in China, and terminated in the vicinity of modern Syria on the Mediterranean sea coast. Like long lines of exploring ants, determined traders, merchants and adventures wore a path through narrow gorges, high grass sheathed valleys, across waterless deserts, around higher mountains, and over ranging rivers in pursuit of bargains.
The passage of time has not altered any of these geophysical conditions. Rest every thing in the area has changed though. The developments found their is greatest physical manifestation with the construction of the KKH, built along the path of the caravan routs of the Silk Road, a joint venture between china and Pakistan (which is why it is also called as Pakistan China Friendship Road). Work on the mammoth project, which is said to have cost one life for every kilometre of road constructed, was begun in 1966 and completed in 1982. With commissioning of the road, the entire area has been laid open to trade and tourism. The resulting progress is undoubtedly causing a great deal of visible societal change.
While regular bus service ply the KKH to Gilgit, Hunza and the Khunjerab Pass, and the route eastwards through the Indus gorge to Baltistan, four-wheel drive powerful vehicles can only negotiate many of the remaining roads dissecting the region. There are lots of rough tracks leading to off road habitats on both sides of the road. For the adventurer who wants to go beyond these to really explore the mountains there is a highly developed system of trails built up over thousand of years by the tradesman, nomads and herdsmen, all granting access to some of the most magnificent mountain scenery on earth.
posted by Shirazi @ 7:54 PM,
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Who is Calling?
Have a look Who's Number Is That and learn about phone number that calls you. Who's Number Is This? is a great resource that helps to stop those unwanted calls, and assure that you're not missing calls you need to take. Getting the information you need is easy and fast and available at lowest rates around. Also look at other useful services they offer. What is more, they offer all products with a 60 money back guarantee. Try them.
posted by Shirazi @ 7:54 PM,
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Profile in Haste, Repent in leisure
The Internet is a newer platform characterised by a large, open, public network where people interact with people from throughout the world without any barriers like geography, culture, age, social class or gender. It is unlike real word where people with their own identities come together face to face. Online, users are a little less perceptive about their identities.
Having an identity is not a new concept. Every one is having at least one since the dawn of the civilization; ascribed identity. Anthropologists and sociologist have been discussing different aspects of identity ever since. But identity has never been a general problem until now.
Things started changing fast in the Information Age. After the advent of computers and the Internet, the world around us is continually changing. People are evolving newer norms and folkways for conducting themselves in contemporary society.
Nicks, handles and URLs are being exchanged and they already have started appearing on visiting cards. The Information technologies are helping global and more aware societies in countless ways, putting one's identity online being one of them.
There are so many users who interact with the Internet, and so many different things that they do besides getting connected to each other for communication. In the process, many users go a long way to create online identities.
Paradoxically, digital identities can be duplicated perfectly and easily. In addition, Internet world makes it easy for users to present themselves in as many different forms as they want to; even gender swapping.
Internet has made it possible for any one to stay anonymous and still reach out to a vast audience the world over. Details users provide (or do not provide) are entirely up to them.
With so many easy options to stay on the Internet and do things anonymously, assuming any desired identity is quite common. Theoretically, this is not much different from classical literary nom de plume or anonymous, which publishing on printing press allowed.
Only it has been relatively difficult to remain anonymous for long in real world, it is much easier online. Hence, it has become a standard option of communication on the Internet.
I do not subscribe to the idea but some call this aspect as a freedom to be whatever you want to be. Celebrated writers like Sherry Turkle in her book "Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet" emphasises, "Perhaps one of the most secure things about the Internet in this day and age is that on the Internet, you are anonymous."
And then there are some aspects of identity that inherently remain hidden below the surface in text-based communication. This divides users in two groups: Those who choose to create a clear digital identity that can be related to who they are in person and those who choose to remain hidden behind the walls of anonymity. This is about the later - how computers and the Internet are causing users to adopt online identities in the age of the Internet.
There are still many problems with online identities though. Currently there is no generic system for recognition of any identity in virtual world. Electronic bits do not carry any inseparable and unique information along with them hence cannot define who users are or more importantly who they are not.
So far information required for authentication is lacking and it is not possible to identify anyone online with absolute certainty. This has given rise to a sort of mistrust in the medium. What is more, users are not bothered about it; they have started taking this suspicion for granted instead.
Common niches for self-displaying own identities in the forms of bios and profiles include personal home pages, different social sites, blogs, email and myriad of other accounts and registries on the World Wide Web.
Most of these sites hoist their user's identity information for free whereas there are some premium places where users actually pay for showcasing themselves. Then there are online activities where users leave behind bits and pieces of information.
Combinations of these isolated pieces of personal information make quite a biographical sketch that forms a strong online identity, sometime the users may not be aware of.
Not to mention information left while engaged in activities like credit cards, online shopping practices, health and social securities because they are not yet common in this part of the world.
There is a plenty of general information on the Web about online identity, how some users create and what they do with it. Consider this case: "I picked a typical login name and created a temporary yahoo e-mail account to go with it.
Then I had to create a profile where I listed my interests as: chocolate and clothes. I activated my account and my new blonde identity was soon added alongside thousands of other females with low self-esteem who desperately need attention.
I thought it would be fun to see exactly how much attention an attractive girl on the Internet receives. My theory was that I would get a few replies from guys who were interested in meeting me.
My expectations were exceeded. I was bombarded. I was amazed at just how many losers there were on the Internet. In a 24 hour time period, I was able to locate 342 guys in my area who had the time to email a random girl on a website whose interests were chocolate and clothes..." Excuse me, I did not experiment this. An anonymous writer has narrated this personal account on Website Sophists - Philosophy forums and psychology news.
So what is the point? My point is that online identity is becoming a bit of a pressing issue, particularly among high end users who have integrated Internet in their lives.
Intuitive insight of conventional identity is fading away slowly. In the longer run, this may change the fibres of our society. So, let us reassess who we are in cyberspace? Are we real self as in real world or someone slightly different? What if one wears a mask or is assigned the wrong identity by someone else? Internet will not become a reality till the time such issues are adequately addressed and problems solved.
Having an identity is not a new concept. Every one is having at least one since the dawn of the civilization; ascribed identity. Anthropologists and sociologist have been discussing different aspects of identity ever since. But identity has never been a general problem until now.
Things started changing fast in the Information Age. After the advent of computers and the Internet, the world around us is continually changing. People are evolving newer norms and folkways for conducting themselves in contemporary society.
Nicks, handles and URLs are being exchanged and they already have started appearing on visiting cards. The Information technologies are helping global and more aware societies in countless ways, putting one's identity online being one of them.
There are so many users who interact with the Internet, and so many different things that they do besides getting connected to each other for communication. In the process, many users go a long way to create online identities.
Paradoxically, digital identities can be duplicated perfectly and easily. In addition, Internet world makes it easy for users to present themselves in as many different forms as they want to; even gender swapping.
Internet has made it possible for any one to stay anonymous and still reach out to a vast audience the world over. Details users provide (or do not provide) are entirely up to them.
With so many easy options to stay on the Internet and do things anonymously, assuming any desired identity is quite common. Theoretically, this is not much different from classical literary nom de plume or anonymous, which publishing on printing press allowed.
Only it has been relatively difficult to remain anonymous for long in real world, it is much easier online. Hence, it has become a standard option of communication on the Internet.
I do not subscribe to the idea but some call this aspect as a freedom to be whatever you want to be. Celebrated writers like Sherry Turkle in her book "Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet" emphasises, "Perhaps one of the most secure things about the Internet in this day and age is that on the Internet, you are anonymous."
And then there are some aspects of identity that inherently remain hidden below the surface in text-based communication. This divides users in two groups: Those who choose to create a clear digital identity that can be related to who they are in person and those who choose to remain hidden behind the walls of anonymity. This is about the later - how computers and the Internet are causing users to adopt online identities in the age of the Internet.
There are still many problems with online identities though. Currently there is no generic system for recognition of any identity in virtual world. Electronic bits do not carry any inseparable and unique information along with them hence cannot define who users are or more importantly who they are not.
So far information required for authentication is lacking and it is not possible to identify anyone online with absolute certainty. This has given rise to a sort of mistrust in the medium. What is more, users are not bothered about it; they have started taking this suspicion for granted instead.
Common niches for self-displaying own identities in the forms of bios and profiles include personal home pages, different social sites, blogs, email and myriad of other accounts and registries on the World Wide Web.
Most of these sites hoist their user's identity information for free whereas there are some premium places where users actually pay for showcasing themselves. Then there are online activities where users leave behind bits and pieces of information.
Combinations of these isolated pieces of personal information make quite a biographical sketch that forms a strong online identity, sometime the users may not be aware of.
Not to mention information left while engaged in activities like credit cards, online shopping practices, health and social securities because they are not yet common in this part of the world.
There is a plenty of general information on the Web about online identity, how some users create and what they do with it. Consider this case: "I picked a typical login name and created a temporary yahoo e-mail account to go with it.
Then I had to create a profile where I listed my interests as: chocolate and clothes. I activated my account and my new blonde identity was soon added alongside thousands of other females with low self-esteem who desperately need attention.
I thought it would be fun to see exactly how much attention an attractive girl on the Internet receives. My theory was that I would get a few replies from guys who were interested in meeting me.
My expectations were exceeded. I was bombarded. I was amazed at just how many losers there were on the Internet. In a 24 hour time period, I was able to locate 342 guys in my area who had the time to email a random girl on a website whose interests were chocolate and clothes..." Excuse me, I did not experiment this. An anonymous writer has narrated this personal account on Website Sophists - Philosophy forums and psychology news.
So what is the point? My point is that online identity is becoming a bit of a pressing issue, particularly among high end users who have integrated Internet in their lives.
Intuitive insight of conventional identity is fading away slowly. In the longer run, this may change the fibres of our society. So, let us reassess who we are in cyberspace? Are we real self as in real world or someone slightly different? What if one wears a mask or is assigned the wrong identity by someone else? Internet will not become a reality till the time such issues are adequately addressed and problems solved.
posted by Shirazi @ 7:54 PM,
, links to this post
Chicago Video Production
Living in the golden age of multimedia, businesses as well as individual need professional services to create videos and presentation. There are so many occasions that need to be recorded.Have a look at Chicago Video Production – a service that offers solution to all needs related to the studio business from shooting a corporate, training, trade show, recruitment, marketing, sales, TV or promotional video to documenting processes and procedures and more. At Richter Studios, the experts also carry out post production editing of your footage to make it attention-grabbing masterpiece. Their range includes 2D graphics, 3D animations, text treatments, logo animations, stylized effects and animation wizardry.
Richter Studios have been creating presentations for over 10 years from custom presentations for multi-million dollar bids to enterprise based presentation delivery to simple PowerPoint decks. Professional experience of the experts at Richter Studios can help you convey your message as you want it. Richter Studios can deliver on multiple levels and in multiple formats. They have been creating interactive content from simple Flash animations to 1+ million CD productions to web 2.0 websites for the last decade. They can even implement tracking/metric solutions on CD based content. Be it PHP, SQL, Lingo, Action Script, HTML, XML, ASP or any of the other programming languages out there.
Explore the site and see what Richter Studios offers and how. Better still; take advantage of expertise of Chicago Video Production.
Richter Studios have been creating presentations for over 10 years from custom presentations for multi-million dollar bids to enterprise based presentation delivery to simple PowerPoint decks. Professional experience of the experts at Richter Studios can help you convey your message as you want it. Richter Studios can deliver on multiple levels and in multiple formats. They have been creating interactive content from simple Flash animations to 1+ million CD productions to web 2.0 websites for the last decade. They can even implement tracking/metric solutions on CD based content. Be it PHP, SQL, Lingo, Action Script, HTML, XML, ASP or any of the other programming languages out there.
Explore the site and see what Richter Studios offers and how. Better still; take advantage of expertise of Chicago Video Production.
posted by Shirazi @ 7:54 PM,
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Internet Cafes and Computing
Internet cafes have played a visible role in promoting internet usage. It is a public place where people can use a computer with internet access for an affordable fee. Café may or may not serve as a conventional café. Besides internet connection, a number of cafes also provide other services such as printing, scanning, CD viewing and burning. Some even conduct internet training classes for beginners. The word is that some of the cafes around the world are being used for activities much beyond their scope.
Eva Pascoe, a PhD student while sitting in the coffee shop of London City University conceived and decided "to put a permanent PC connection in a coffee shop and link it to internet."
Cyberia, the world's first internet cafe, was opened in London's Whit field Street in Sept, 1994. Earlier in 1991, SFNet, the prototype of the present internet cafe, has started in the US. After only a decade, cyber or net cafes found places world wide. Most people use them to access their email accounts, chat, play games, search, and surf or do other things online. In this day and age, in more connected countries, there are also Wi-fi cafes, or in other words hotspots, where users can connect their laptops, notebooks or PDAs using the cafe's wireless access to internet.
Eva Pascoe, a PhD student while sitting in the coffee shop of London City University conceived and decided "to put a permanent PC connection in a coffee shop and link it to internet."
Cyberia, the world's first internet cafe, was opened in London's Whit field Street in Sept, 1994. Earlier in 1991, SFNet, the prototype of the present internet cafe, has started in the US. After only a decade, cyber or net cafes found places world wide. Most people use them to access their email accounts, chat, play games, search, and surf or do other things online. In this day and age, in more connected countries, there are also Wi-fi cafes, or in other words hotspots, where users can connect their laptops, notebooks or PDAs using the cafe's wireless access to internet.
Justly or unjustly, the freewheeling internet access in cyber cafes embodies both hopes and fears at a time: internet connectivity and usage is anticipated as central to long-term economic interests and development by every one and is encouraged. Fears are that unsupervised or unguided children can browse pornographic, violence, and other perniciousinfo sites, or they can become centres of some other nefarious activities and places where youngsters hang around and spend time in unproductive activities. Besides, terrorists and cyber criminals can take advantage of these cafes as they provide multiple layers of protection like public call offices.
In a latest study of "terrorism and the internet", United States' counter terrorism analyst Gabriel Weimann noted "that cyberspace has advantages for terrorist groups. First is easy access from anywhere to a very large audience around the world. The report says, "You don't even need a computer; you can just go to a public library . . . or, you can go to an internet café. There is no control, no regulation, and no laws. Nobody is censoring the messages."
Cafes provide complete anonymity. "You can sit in a coffee shop, an internet café in London, use a server in South Africa and send a message to North America, without anybody being able to trace it," he adds.
With increase in criminal activities online, discipline of cyber laws emerged some four years ago. By now more than 30 nations including the Central Asian States, China, Cuba, France, India, Japan, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore and United States have cyber laws in place, though all may be having different inten t. Some other countries - Australia, Burma, Saudi Arabia, and Syria - have blocked pornographic sites. Gambling sites are outlawed in South Korea.
Internet café business has remained a flourishing cottage industry that requires relatively little investment. So far they have not been regulated and it is unlikely to change anytime soon,specially in the developed world. Recently, there has been a strident crackdown on net cafes in China which resulted in shutting down thousands of unlicenced cafes across the country to restrict "juveniles to enter or allowing unhealthy information to spread through internet followed by Indian government's crackdown on net café where the owners were asked "to ensure that the net cafes are not used for viewing pornography. The law is enshrined in the Information Technology Act, 2000, emailed Lubna, a journalist from India.
Vietnam government has also issues a decree (number 55) ordering net cafes to register with the Internet Services Providers. A foreign news agency has recently reported (and the story was run by many international publications) that "cyber cafes in Pakistan will soon be made accountable as the government is all set to draft a law to regulate their activities."
Consider this in order to see the relevance of any regulation for net cafes in the context of Pakistan?
Comparatively, few users can afford computers and telephone line at home in the country and an overwhelming majority go online in the net cafes where they can enjoy inexpensive services incognito. Not only that, some of those who have a net connection at home also visit the cafes.
The IT-hype created public demand that helped net café to come up in every nook and corner of towns and cities, wherever net access is available. They are of different types; high-end and cool places with comfortable working environment in posh localities or noisy and smoke chocked cubby-holes in back alleys. Those with work stations in cabins with chains, behind partition walls, monitors screens facing walls where others cannot see or in open where every one can see whatever is on others' monitors.
So far there are no comprehensive cyber laws to deal with the issues and the legal consequences on internet, the World Wide Web and cyberspace in Pakistan. Given the nature of internet, execution of any cyber law anywhere in the world is a big question mark.
Earlier, government's abortive effort to ban pornography sites in Pakistan is one case in point. But if the situation demands, making the cyber cafes accountable for the collective good of our society should not be impossible. That said; let us see what major concerns are when it comes to regulating local net cafes? What do café owners and users think about any regulation? And who will implement the law if and when it is made?
Privacy and civil liberties are generally mirrored in all discussions when it comes to controlling any aspect of internet. How privacy, civil rights and personal freedom is threatened if net cafes are run under some standard rules? Does viewing what is on others' screen endanger the basic civil liberties of others and who wants to do that? Does showing personal ID before using net facilities at public computers is a breach of privacy? Or is anonymity - using a public facility without leaving any traces to be tracked back - being categorized as privacy?
In the context of net cafés, privacy can be defined as "the state or quality of being secluded from the view and or presence of others," reads RSA Laboratories site.
Amjad Iqbal Sindhu, an advocate Lahore High Court says, "Individuals are entitled to keep to themselves what they do online or offline unless some special situation like public interest in general demands otherwise. In a civilized society, no body has the right whatsoever to snoop over others." He quoted English philosopher John Stuart Mill as saying that "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."
Public places are not the best spots for privacy. "Imagine what ordinary users do when they log on; they check email and fire off replies, chat, surf some sites, brows or play games. What is there to be secretive or cautious about? However, cafes may be registered with some central authority. Seating arrangements in them should be open - screen facing outwards. This alone will clear so many doubts about the policy of any café and will define the kind of crowd that gathers there," adds Sindhu.
Café owners and proprietors think that any kind of restriction in usage or asking patrons to show and record their identities will adversely affect their business.
"This is not the best way to track back miscreants. Any one up to some thing bad can sure outmanoeuvre such barriers. Big worry is that will any rule shift the onus of customers' actions on café owners or will we be made accomplice if and when something wrong happens," says Tanvir Ahmad, a manager of "open policy" cafe in Gulgasht Colony Multan.
Imran Nazir is able to make his living through net café, despite "open policy" with all work stations in semi circle facing outwards plus cold drinks and tea, because "I am located near the University of the Punjab hostels and my clients are mostly serious student who come here for preparing their assignments. I try to provide them with an academic atmosphere in the cafe. They search, brows, download documents and get required material printed or save it on their floppy disks for later use. Or they sit her and compose their assignments," he says. On the other hand, some customers go to the cafés only for viewing porno sites or to have long sessions of chats; every one knows that.
A proprietor of the café in Lahore confessed, "I have some regular clients who can hardly read or write English but they have learnt to operate computers and internet. What do you think they do online? Stop them and they will go find another cafe. If the government has to ban pornographic sites, ISPs should be regulated and not the net cafes."
Qamar uz Zaman Khan, an owner of a cafe in Multan told, "The scene in net cafes in Multan is no different than any other city in the country. Some 70 to 80 per cent of the visitors come for entertainment whereas only 20 per cent visit for educational pursuits. Most of the visitors are male; young boys. In posh areas, however, female students are also seen visiting."
After the Rawalpindi scandal (I still get maxium search queries leading to this page about Rawalpindi Internet Scandal), the city administration here is already asking the café owners to adopt open policy and remove all partitions. Qamar suggests that separate "female only cafes" should be opened instead of removing the partitions.
Users' response to any kind of restriction in net use is mixed one. When asked some say there is no harm while some other say they will not go to the cafes if every time they have to enter identification particulars and sign a register of attendance. Given the lax law enforcement in the country, any rule is likely to be neglected both by the cyber cafe walas as well as the users," comments Tanvir Ahmad.
"I travel to different places all over the country in connection with my work and have to use net cafes to stay in constant touch with my company. I use the nearest cyber café where ever I happen to be. I will revert back to telephone if some legal procedures are introduced to use the cafes," says Fazal Qureshi, a sale representative of greeting cards publishing house. He starts from Lahore and tours the country with card albums, takes the orders from books and card sellers and sends them back to the company. He adds, "I do not want to get into legalities later on."
One more concern that was voiced during scouting is the authority that will regulate the net cafes and how. Any agency which is entrusted with the responsibility to oversee that PCs and internet are not misused at public places have to be tech savvy and should be able to stay current on technologies that are changing every day. The civil police force is not organized for such technical jobs. "Police certainly cannot do that," thinks Iqbal Sindhu.
Cyber cafés have contributed great value to spread net usage in Pakistan. If they have to be standardized, serious issues like privacy and human rights should be given due considerations when suggesting any ways internet cafés should be run and managed across the country. The matter should be discussed thoroughly between café owners and the government at an appropriate level. There should be an open and extensive public debate on the subject. The consensus should be build before any regulation is enforced. Or else we may be poised to lose a budding business and reduced Internet users' base in the country. The choice is ours.
posted by Shirazi @ 3:26 PM,
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Greetings Time
Every time of life is a greetings time. You don’t have to wait for an accession to send greetings to those whom you love. Not for a person like me. I am a collector; I collect sentiments, passions, love and joy. I do it through sending greetings to others and receiving greetings from them.
Advent of the Internet has added another cultural dimension in our society; greeting through the Internet. There are so many sites on the World Wide Web offering free cyber greetings for all occasions from where users can select, customize and send e-cards with a few clicks.
Imagine what you get on e-cards. The messages printed on the greeting cards are poetic, passionate, persuasive and very comforting. The e-cards available on the internet meet the requirements of all the conceivable situations in the human relationship. There are in endless varieties, designs, shapes and sizes from simple messages like ‘I wish you were here with me now’ to such questions as ‘I often wonder what made us fall in love and more?’
One of the e-cards that I have received lately is from the Chairman of a German NGO. Almost entire manifesto of the NGO is printed on the e-card. I might not have read the material if I was given a leaflet about the NGO but the e-card is so beautifully and aesthetically designed and presented that not only I read it but it touched my heart too. I wish others could follow the line to make their voices heard in this din.
The greeting card shows how our cultural heritage values architectural styles, fashion designs and form visible record of our history. Most of the cards are work of art that is collector’s delight.
The best card I had the pleasure to receive was from a foreign volunteer working “to fight against poverty in rural areas.” It was simple and beautiful. What touched me was the message on this e-card. It said, “my future lies with you.” I haven’t asked my friend weather this message is focused or on purpose? I have bookmarked the page and see this whenever I come and work on computer. I enjoy every time I look at this card.
When was the last time you send an e-card to any of your loved ones? It is time to send it now.
Advent of the Internet has added another cultural dimension in our society; greeting through the Internet. There are so many sites on the World Wide Web offering free cyber greetings for all occasions from where users can select, customize and send e-cards with a few clicks.
Imagine what you get on e-cards. The messages printed on the greeting cards are poetic, passionate, persuasive and very comforting. The e-cards available on the internet meet the requirements of all the conceivable situations in the human relationship. There are in endless varieties, designs, shapes and sizes from simple messages like ‘I wish you were here with me now’ to such questions as ‘I often wonder what made us fall in love and more?’
One of the e-cards that I have received lately is from the Chairman of a German NGO. Almost entire manifesto of the NGO is printed on the e-card. I might not have read the material if I was given a leaflet about the NGO but the e-card is so beautifully and aesthetically designed and presented that not only I read it but it touched my heart too. I wish others could follow the line to make their voices heard in this din.
The greeting card shows how our cultural heritage values architectural styles, fashion designs and form visible record of our history. Most of the cards are work of art that is collector’s delight.
The best card I had the pleasure to receive was from a foreign volunteer working “to fight against poverty in rural areas.” It was simple and beautiful. What touched me was the message on this e-card. It said, “my future lies with you.” I haven’t asked my friend weather this message is focused or on purpose? I have bookmarked the page and see this whenever I come and work on computer. I enjoy every time I look at this card.
When was the last time you send an e-card to any of your loved ones? It is time to send it now.
posted by Shirazi @ 3:26 PM,
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Heritage Web Solutions
Web presence has become vital for every business and even individuals. Heritage Web Solutions - an innovative Web site development company - empowers to use the power of the web and take advantages of the information age.
Heritage Web Solutions specializes in designing and hosting affordable websites for small and medium size businesses. From modest beginnings, Heritage Web Solutions has come a long way. I you are looking to start your small business with a professional and reputable technology company, Heritage Web Solutions is the place to start. With Heritage Web Solutions, you will get, not only, top-of-the-line web design, but also the whole technology package. You will get access to custom flash graphics, Ecommerce assistance, database creation and management, traffic driving resources, and more. Your website is sure to perfectly-fit your business because they don’t use any pre made templates. Each web site is custom fit to each business, giving each client a unique, original, and authentic design that is sure to stand out amongst the competition.
Heritage Web Solutions is well known for their work and has been recognized by numerous highly regarded sources for their unique and innovative company. Heritage is ranked in the top 1% of all web-hosting companies. Out of over 20 million privately held businesses, Heritage was ranked 22nd among the entire INC 500. INC 500 is presented by Inc. Magazine and recognizes the top, most innovative, dynamic, and up-and-coming companies to watch. Heritage also placed 3rd overall in IT services and 1st for those in the state of Utah!
Heritage Web Solutions is neatly laid, users friendly and information rich site. Working with a trusted name and a company can take your business to the next level. With a client base of over 30,000 from all over the world, Heritage Web Solutions has proven that they have the experience and strong background to handle any web development task at hand. I suggest you try them.
posted by Shirazi @ 3:26 PM,
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My Visit to Pakistan
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Rishi Jaitly, Policy Analyst, South Asia
How do we develop points of view about places we have not seen and people we have not met?
Newspapers, TV networks, film studios, radio broadcasters, and book publishers have, of course, exerted significant influence over our assumptions for years. Today, thanks to the Internet, our views about far away peoples and places are also informed by a countless group of peers spanning the globe. But no matter how powerful and instructive a blog, Wikipedia article, or YouTube video may be, no technology will ever replace real immersion -- live and in person.
I recently had the opportunity to visit Pakistan, which just celebrated 61 years as an independent state. Before my visit, my views about Pakistan had largely been shaped by Western media -- and these days, it's difficult to open a newspaper without coming across a story highlighting the country's "tumultuous" sociopolitical environment.
But do these depictions represent the entire truth? Do they credibly tell the whole story of a nation of more than 160 million people? Surely not. For instance, did you know that the Karachi Stock Exchange has been among Asia's top performers this decade -- and was named the "World's Top-Performing Market" by BusinessWeek and Bloomberg a few years ago? Probably not.
I was invited to Pakistan on the occasion of the launch of "CIO Magazine Pakistan" and spent time in Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore. This was the first "official" visit to Pakistan by a Googler and I was able to interact extensively with ordinary Internet users, media organizations, business houses, and government officials - including the IT Secretary, the Pakistan Software Export Board, the National Response Centre for Cyber Crimes, and the National ICT R&D Fund.
I left Pakistan with a single thought: that there is enormous potential for this nation to emerge as a leading center of growth and innovation.
During my visit, Pakistan's blogging community expressed impressive passion for the Internet medium, media organizations demonstrated a propensity for serious journalism, business leaders conveyed a track record of innovation, and government officials offered a refreshing receptiveness to new ideas.
It's an especially exciting time for information and communication technologies in the country: Pakistan's rapidly-growing Internet population of 17 million and sizeable mobile phone subscriber base of 89 million present innumerable opportunities for all those interested in delivering empowering services for Pakistani users.
Of course, we at Google will not achieve our own mission unless we deepen our relationships with Pakistani users and institutions. Though we're delighted that google.com.pk is Pakistan's top web site and that nearly one third of blogs registered with Pakistan's first blog aggregator are registered with our free blogging service Blogger, we know we have a long way to go as we strive to meet the unique needs of Pakistani users.
Importantly, Pakistan's Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunications has recently initiated an open consultation to revise the country's National IT Policy. This represents a significant opportunity for all stakeholders to ensure that the Internet in Pakistan develops as a free and open platform for information, communication, and innovation. I, for one, thank the government for formally inviting Google to participate in this policy making process.
As an American of Indian origin (with some ancestral roots in what is now Pakistan), my remaining emotions, observations, and recommendations are too many to list in this single post. I will say, though, that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to visit Pakistan and develop my own point of view about one of the most important places in our world.
Thanks to Badar Khushnood
In addition to Badar Khushnood's photo stream, Rishi's visit was also picked-up by local mainstream media and loggers as well (1, 2 , 3, 4, 5 8
posted by Shirazi @ 3:12 PM,
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I Am a Woman: See me Blog
I’ve always loved reading and writing, and I’ve been doing both a lot since I was a kid. I started keeping a diary when I was a teenager and when the Internet came along it was just natural for me to go from paper to digital – a relief, actually, since my handwriting never won me any awards and even I sometimes have trouble reading it.
My initial attempts at blogging were hiccup-y; I’d write something, post it, and delete it. Last year I started one on MySpace. (I know, what could I have been thinking?) Then through work that I do with my friend and business partner, Victor, on Expat Interviews, I made the online acquaintance of a Canadian lady living in the UAE. It turned out she couldn’t access my MySpace blog (it was one of the sites her ISP bans) so I started one on Blogger. The MySpace account is dead but my Blogger journal lives on.
In the beginning she was my only reader. Then as the months passed one reader became five then a dozen. People have come and gone, but a few have stayed on, bless their suffering souls. Some say they found my site through the Next Blog button, others through sites like Bestest Blogger of the Day, BlogBlast for Peace, and The Rising Blogger; some came via other bloggers.
I’ve found some great blogs via these avenues too – and made some amazing friends online. Mine is a personal site, not a business site. Its primary function was and is to be a way for me to express my thoughts and feelings. Sometimes I write about silly stuff, sometimes it’s about an aspect of life here in the Philippines, sometimes I spew when I’m feeling blue and angst-y, sometimes I write about family. I do it simply because I want to write about it, nothing less, nothing more. I won’t deny, though, that I love it when people say they like a certain post, or what I wrote on a certain day resonated with them, or when I find that somebody has linked to me without telling me – that’s always a nice surprise. I should mention that I don’t like it when bloggers exhibit this “I linked to you, so link to me too” attitude. The people in my blogroll are there because I like their blogs, not because they asked to be placed there.
Blogging is not only fun. It can also be cathartic. It’s an outlet for whatever creativity is brewing in me. It’s a personal endeavor that’s a gratifying part of my normal life, just like eating or sleeping or playing. Right now I don’t feel the need to promote my blog through aggregate sites. Getting good traffic is great, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t ever want to reach that point where getting more comments and awards and higher search engine rankings will eclipse the reason why I started blogging publicly in the first place: to write what I want to write about, not what I think others want to read. Having readers come and return is the icing on the cake, and they’re non-fattening!
Reading other blogs, though, has greatly influenced my way of thinking and the topics I write about sometimes. Also, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve learned something new from what someone else wrote. A certain writer will have a post that makes me think, so I’ll blog about that topic too and mention that I got the idea from him or her. All of us probably agree that blogging is a great way to share information, and one of the ways I like to share is to mention every Saturday a handful of blog entries written by others during that particular week.
There is a great number of terrific blogs out there: they’ve made me laugh hilariously, they’ve made me teary-eyed, they’ve left me breathless by the way they’re written, they’ve made me marvel at their visual creativity – these are some of the characteristics of blog posts I share with regular readers and passers-by on weekends. People have said they like my Blogworld Saturdays feature because it leads them to blogs they otherwise wouldn’t have known about, and that’s gratifying to know. What they don’t realize is it’s a way to turn them into blogging addicts like me, haha! I jest – sort of.
The comments section is another enjoyable part of the blogging experience. Sometimes the comments I get are much more interesting than the post itself! Reading comments can be both entertaining and enlightening. (I’ve also found a few blogs through comments left on other blogs – sometimes they intrigue me enough to want to know more about that person’s writings, and before I know it, presto! I’ve become the fan of another blogger.) Reading a post and leaving a comment is a good thing to do, but please, at least scan the post first before you say something! Reading something that’s totally unrelated to the post can make a person feel like he or she is on the receiving end of a wrong number.
The Internet is adding another dimension to how people learn and interact. Like it or not, it’s here to stay as a way for individuals to hear and be heard. Through blogging I’ve come across quite a few terrific people both near and far. It’s probably true that I will never meet these people personally, but that doesn’t mean I don’t cherish “meeting” them online. I do, and I look forward to meeting more and learning from them.
posted by Shirazi @ 3:06 PM,
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Property Management Software
It is always wise to invest in your business in this competitive world. That is how you can stay ahead in any chosen field. One of the ways to enhance your real estate business is Buildium - # 1 online property management.
Buildium offers Online Property Management Software for landlords, managing associations, but most importantly property managers. Explore the neatly laid out site and see what they are offering and how property management software can help you. Buildium’s web-based property management software helps rental property and association managers work smarter by streamlining tasks from any computer with an Internet connection. Also go through their information rich About Us and or Why Buildium pages and you will know the advantages. Better still, try the software and take your business to the next level.
posted by Shirazi @ 2:48 PM,
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Vertical Search
The great strength of the World Wide Web search is that it can locate out vast amounts of documents matching to what any user may be asking for. The great weakness is that the documents may not be like anything close to what user had asked for.
Search engine is a coordinated set of programs that allows searching specific information on the vast expanse of the Web. The first search engine known as Archie was created in 1990 by Alan Emtage, a student at McGill University in Montreal. Now as per available information there are some 370 search engines available for Internet users out of which ten are considered major ones. Then there are directories and indexes. Here in this article both directories and indices, for the sake of clarity, are considered as search engines though there are some fundamental differences in their anatomies such as directories are human powered and search engines have crawlers or robots to do the job. A number of Web portal sites also offer both the search engine and directory approaches to finding information.
The purpose of search engines is to locate selected range of Web pages that contain words matching search keyword(s) or phrase(s). Search engines automatically try to sort the results so that only handful of the most relevant matches is presented. Every search engine searches own pre indexed data base and works using own set of rules called algorithm – a closely guarded trade secret. Some sites search not only using one search engine but also give the results from simultaneous searches of other engines.
One common thing is that all search engines follow while ranking the result listing is location (where in the document are keywords located – in the beginning, in the body or at the end) and frequency (number of time keywords are repeated on a page) method for returning results. But their data bases, relevancy criteria and other strategies differ from each other. Which is one reason why the same search on different search engines produces different results? Also, some search engines index more web pages than others. Search engines may exclude some pages from their data as well.
Any major search engines may be a good choice to start with when searching for information: Google is all time favourite of users all over the world. It reigns “with its empire stretching into millions of computers” as IT analyst Bill Thompson puts it. According to OneStat Google's global usage share has increased to 56.1 percent whereas Ask Jeeves stands at 1.6 percent. Another search engine, AllTheWeb also provides both good coverage of the Web and close relevancy. If Google could not deliver, chances are that AllTheWeb probably will. (All those users who have been trying Google since it was launched five years ago may recall that presently the result page of AllTheWeb is as ad free as Google’s result page used to be). In addition to Web page results, AllTheWeb provides the ability to search for news stories, pictures, video clips, MP3s and FTP files. Alta Vista, Ask Jeeves, Excite, Hot Bot, Infoseek, Inktomi, Lycos, Overture (former Go To) and Teoma are some other popular search engines. Some others are specific for countries or regions. Many search engines get their results by turning to third party search providers to power their listings.
Several major search engines provide search toolbars for the browsers as a shortcut to searching the Web from within the browser without going to a search engine first. Alexa, Google, Groowe, Ultra, and Teoma search bars are most common toolbars that put search results, some from multiple search engines, right in the browser. They are useful utilities though Walton Computer Lady Patty Furgosen thinks, “some toolbars contain spyware and adware which are harmful to users’ machines and invades their privacy. I have had several such cases (in her computer repair facility) in the past that really messed up the users’ computers.”
Searching for what? The amount of information on the Web has exploded for the past few years, and is growing exponentially. Number of information seekers rummaging around the Web “for enlightenment and answers” is also growing. The problem of locating information is also growing with the Web. Users want to find exactly what they want on the Internet promptly, correctly, and with little effort. Tools which support the finding of relevant material within a few mouse clicks and key strokes are becoming increasingly critical. Search engines and how they index web pages have changed drastically in the recent past, getting more scientific and meticulous by the day. But the situation is far from adequate. A survey conducted by Bright Planet estimated that the web is some 500 times larger than indicated by the results provided by popular search engines. Greater part of the body of knowledge created in the world is still not on the Web; some of the knowledge is never ever likely to be included in the cyberspace. Dr. Norbert Pintsch, a computer dependent and computer literate German architect says, “The problem is that we consider a smaller part of knowledge available on the Web as a whole forgetting the larger part.” Some of the knowledge is off limits to search engines being behind the subscriptions or security firewalls.
In today’s commercial information society, one more thing that any user mining the Internet for information should understand is what goes on before search results appear on the result page of any search engine. The fact that, more than ever, companies, businesses, website owners and Webmasters alike continue to optimize their sites as much as they can. The ones that do continue to harvest the yields of their efforts and are rewarded in the search results. Marketers think that search results listings are much more effective than any other form of online advertisements, and businesses are more than willing to pay for better placement. Google and Overture have hundreds of thousands of advertisers paying them huge amounts for getting prominent places in result listings. Trend watchers estimate that about 30 percent of search on the Internet is already commercial.
It is in this milieu that Vertical Search has come in to play. Vertical search, part of a larger sub grouping known as specialized search, is a relatively new tier in the Internet search industry consisting of search engines that focus on specific slices of content. The type of content in special focus may be based on topicality or information type. For example, a medical search engine would clearly be specialized in terms of its topical focus, whereas a video search engine would seek out results within content that is in a video format. So vertical search may focus on all manner of differentiating criteria, such as particular locations, multimedia object types and so on.
One best example for vertical search is Techno Stations web portal - ultimate destination for technical help for consumer and industrial products. Their findings for any consumer and industrial products start where search engine ends.
Brilliant as Web search engines are, the search technology is still evolving. It has not reached the point where humans and machines understand each other well enough to communicate clearly. People are already more perceptive and are demanding better results, and they are demanding a more powerful search experience. Given the developments taking place, importance being attached to the Web searches, one thing is certain: search technology has to go much beyond what it is today. We are likely to see some seismic changes in the field. My recommendation: try different search engines like Techno Stations web portal to locate the information on the Web and have enriching experience.
posted by Shirazi @ 1:44 PM,
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Fit to Chat
Are you physically fit ad looking or likeminded people to be with. Have a look at Fitness Guys and you will find a lot of likeminded people from across the world there. Chat with them, know them and extend your social reach. This is one of the best places where you can find people of your interest.
posted by Shirazi @ 12:00 PM,
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Blog World
Without blogs, World Wide Web may be a lonely place. After desktop publishing, blogging is another notable fruit of information revolution every one seems to be enjoying; mainstream now. Here blogs are picking up fast.
What is a blog? Well, it depends on whom the question is asked. For millions of ordinary people with access to a computer and an Internet connection, it is easy way to self publish their thoughts, concerns, and feelings or a means of talking to each other and sharing joys, sorrow and accomplishments. To some blog still is a repository of useful links and sources from the Web and an approach to filtering information. Some others say it is a voice that is being heard in this din. Yet others say it as a memory aid. Blogs are an outlet on so many levels for so many people. Blogs are catharsis or merely vanity sites and a short cut to fame. Blogs are ego gratification for "wannabe writers." For e-marketers blogs are quick tools for building their businesses and brands.
Blogging is a rapidly evolving Web phenomenon. True that the Web has always been perceived as a medium where users are able to read, publish and exchange documents. But in the early days, self publishing online was costly and a bit too technical. Things started changing after the arrival of community sites like Geocities and Angelfire, providing free online space for users to publish Web pages and in return increasing providers' customers' base and revenues. But blogs did not proliferate as the process still needed some degree of technical knowledge and skills. That happened only after the emergences of many free blog hoisting services and affordable software (like Radio User land) with easy interface that any one on the Internet got a chance to go blogging; simple.
News is that Harvard University has given fellow ship to Dave Winer, a software developer and blogging guru in order to head up their Blogs at Harvard initiative in order to teach Harvard students and faculty the art of posting daily entries to the Web. Trend trajectory reached near its vertex in a short time when many providers offered free blogging service, Google's acquired Blogger.com, and AOL introduced the facility to its subscribers. Now Microsoft has also offered MSN spaces. 'Blog' was most used word on the Internet in the year 2003 and 2004. Last year has been called year of blogs. With more people building and maintaining blogs, their importance is increasing. This is one reason that the phenomenon keeps getting more and more attention in social as well commercial circles. Which is why RSS powered blogs are being seen as he next big thing in marketing?
Blogs (short for Web logs) that has become new destination on the Internet -- a whole new cyber subculture -- originally were typical link driven and personally owned sites at best interspersed with some observations or random personal thoughts. Many bloggers are following the same prototype. They dig up the interesting articles from obscure nooks and corners of the Web, highlight and present them in their blogs, some time adding more facts, alternative views, and meaningful insights, providing more depth.
Like Web, blogs are changing all the time in format, contents and intent. The blog hoisting services provide easy to use templates, enabling the users to choose from. Geek types and those who know HTML may fiddle with the format and keep customising the design where as lesser tech savvy keep up with what was provided by the service. Third party templates are also available that any inquisitive can download them for free.
Bloggers now disseminate information, interpret them for us as per their own perceptions, initiate debates, and participate in debates and more. Surf some and one can finds blogs of any kind and type: subject oriented, complimenting or criticizing perspectives, incisive observations, or deeply personal lascivious thoughts and very intimate details of personal life (some give these details staying behind the walls of anonymity while some do it overtly, even solicit comments, and call it freedom of choice). Early adopters of the blogging practice, who are in the middle of, and enjoying, an evolution of information technologies think that form of blogs will keep changing over period as tools improve and technology matures.
It is not that only blogs that are changing. The trend is turning passive users into active surfers and writers. Blogging necessarily makes people to read, analyse and write. Bloggers surf and search more in order to locate unusual thing on the Web to post on their blogs. I read this at the mast head of one blog, "I'm still alive and relatively well. I have commentary, photos, and a dive log to prove it."
Though blogging like the Internet itself is a global in nature and cannot be segregated or reviewed on the basis of geography yet while writing this I looked beneath the content of Pak blogs, all those I could find created and maintained by local users. Local blogs are a whole new world out there. As anywhere else, Pak blogs offer a view of what is thought in public and discussed in private. Bloggers here vent, flirt, and tell jokes. They also waffle, whine, or weasel. Some folk showcase their work with by lines of their own choosing or propagate a cause. Some users are producing surprisingly good qualities while some others are sloppy and direction less.
Pakistani bloggers seem to be very innovative. Pak blogs are oozing out with individualism and diversity. During my hunt, I have seen translation of a complete book by one writer posted on a blog; single entry. Blogging in not still economic hobbyhorse here but one can see some sponsored ads on a few blogs already. Many use them as a safe storage place to keep their hard disks free. Photo blogs are being used as online family photo albums. Zahid Shazad, a Pakistani IT professional who has migrated to Australia, had his CV pasted on his sole blog when he was looking for job. "Whatever I have in my personal computer is also on some of my private blogs (not assessable by others) and I can access them where ever I happen to be," says an avid blogger Karim Dad. Though English is a predominant language at the Net but look for it and you may find blogs in all languages including Urdu as well.
There are still some impediments, the most obvious being access to technologies, lack of purpose to reach out to the world and matters of ego and social background. What all one is willing to open to others? Email conversations with local bloggers revealed some more reservations: People are afraid to speak up. Mastery of language, technical, or compositional skills are another set of barriers for those who do not have them. Karim Dad thinks, "Though these days blogging is as easy as signing in for email account and operating it yet those who are gifted with writing skills are often Web novice and those who are skilful Internet users have nothing much to say."
There are almost as many critics as there are enthusiasts of blogging trend. But evidence is that Weblogs have already become more than just a passing whim. Critics, however, say that this 'inconsequential chatter' has given rise to plagiarism of a different king and the whole thing is nothing but recycling. There is hardly any thing original in blogs.
Some users just mark their presence; create a blog, post initial entry, submit it to one or two blog directories and forget about it. Frequent switchers leave one service and join another to build their blog afresh; more blogs are coming up every day. A few bloggers decide to dump their labour of love in cyber graveyard for good after some time due to variety of reason: blogging as an activity cease to have an importance in their lives, or they do not have enough to say in their blogs. Aamar Waqas, a journalist and a farmer blogger says, "I started blogging because I have an opinion and I wanted to have a place where I could voice my views about things around. Moreover, every one else was having one in my circle. Writing is very daunting job sometimes. The stress of daily updates became a distraction in my work and I left it after doing it for a year."
Bloggers are a natural fit with each other and the fraternity is exponentially growing. Simple philosophy is this: "You mention me in your blog and I mention you in mine," and it goes on and on. Bloggers are keen to see what others are doing at their blogs so they keep up with as many as they can, especially those who are like minded. Confession: Well, I am found of seeing what others publish in their blogs that I do not know and who all have mentioned mine in the list of their favourites. I also try to see people who are behind blogs.
In general, bogs are interesting, thought provoking, and sometime utterly entertaining and fun. In fact, the ability for users to constantly update blogs makes them perfect forum for individuals to express themselves in so many creative ways. Blogging is an enriching experience on the World Wide Web for those who publish them as well as for those who lurk around and just read. My recommendation: Join the party; it is on round the clock.
What is a blog? Well, it depends on whom the question is asked. For millions of ordinary people with access to a computer and an Internet connection, it is easy way to self publish their thoughts, concerns, and feelings or a means of talking to each other and sharing joys, sorrow and accomplishments. To some blog still is a repository of useful links and sources from the Web and an approach to filtering information. Some others say it is a voice that is being heard in this din. Yet others say it as a memory aid. Blogs are an outlet on so many levels for so many people. Blogs are catharsis or merely vanity sites and a short cut to fame. Blogs are ego gratification for "wannabe writers." For e-marketers blogs are quick tools for building their businesses and brands.
Blogging is a rapidly evolving Web phenomenon. True that the Web has always been perceived as a medium where users are able to read, publish and exchange documents. But in the early days, self publishing online was costly and a bit too technical. Things started changing after the arrival of community sites like Geocities and Angelfire, providing free online space for users to publish Web pages and in return increasing providers' customers' base and revenues. But blogs did not proliferate as the process still needed some degree of technical knowledge and skills. That happened only after the emergences of many free blog hoisting services and affordable software (like Radio User land) with easy interface that any one on the Internet got a chance to go blogging; simple.
News is that Harvard University has given fellow ship to Dave Winer, a software developer and blogging guru in order to head up their Blogs at Harvard initiative in order to teach Harvard students and faculty the art of posting daily entries to the Web. Trend trajectory reached near its vertex in a short time when many providers offered free blogging service, Google's acquired Blogger.com, and AOL introduced the facility to its subscribers. Now Microsoft has also offered MSN spaces. 'Blog' was most used word on the Internet in the year 2003 and 2004. Last year has been called year of blogs. With more people building and maintaining blogs, their importance is increasing. This is one reason that the phenomenon keeps getting more and more attention in social as well commercial circles. Which is why RSS powered blogs are being seen as he next big thing in marketing?
Blogs (short for Web logs) that has become new destination on the Internet -- a whole new cyber subculture -- originally were typical link driven and personally owned sites at best interspersed with some observations or random personal thoughts. Many bloggers are following the same prototype. They dig up the interesting articles from obscure nooks and corners of the Web, highlight and present them in their blogs, some time adding more facts, alternative views, and meaningful insights, providing more depth.
Like Web, blogs are changing all the time in format, contents and intent. The blog hoisting services provide easy to use templates, enabling the users to choose from. Geek types and those who know HTML may fiddle with the format and keep customising the design where as lesser tech savvy keep up with what was provided by the service. Third party templates are also available that any inquisitive can download them for free.
Bloggers now disseminate information, interpret them for us as per their own perceptions, initiate debates, and participate in debates and more. Surf some and one can finds blogs of any kind and type: subject oriented, complimenting or criticizing perspectives, incisive observations, or deeply personal lascivious thoughts and very intimate details of personal life (some give these details staying behind the walls of anonymity while some do it overtly, even solicit comments, and call it freedom of choice). Early adopters of the blogging practice, who are in the middle of, and enjoying, an evolution of information technologies think that form of blogs will keep changing over period as tools improve and technology matures.
It is not that only blogs that are changing. The trend is turning passive users into active surfers and writers. Blogging necessarily makes people to read, analyse and write. Bloggers surf and search more in order to locate unusual thing on the Web to post on their blogs. I read this at the mast head of one blog, "I'm still alive and relatively well. I have commentary, photos, and a dive log to prove it."
Though blogging like the Internet itself is a global in nature and cannot be segregated or reviewed on the basis of geography yet while writing this I looked beneath the content of Pak blogs, all those I could find created and maintained by local users. Local blogs are a whole new world out there. As anywhere else, Pak blogs offer a view of what is thought in public and discussed in private. Bloggers here vent, flirt, and tell jokes. They also waffle, whine, or weasel. Some folk showcase their work with by lines of their own choosing or propagate a cause. Some users are producing surprisingly good qualities while some others are sloppy and direction less.
Pakistani bloggers seem to be very innovative. Pak blogs are oozing out with individualism and diversity. During my hunt, I have seen translation of a complete book by one writer posted on a blog; single entry. Blogging in not still economic hobbyhorse here but one can see some sponsored ads on a few blogs already. Many use them as a safe storage place to keep their hard disks free. Photo blogs are being used as online family photo albums. Zahid Shazad, a Pakistani IT professional who has migrated to Australia, had his CV pasted on his sole blog when he was looking for job. "Whatever I have in my personal computer is also on some of my private blogs (not assessable by others) and I can access them where ever I happen to be," says an avid blogger Karim Dad. Though English is a predominant language at the Net but look for it and you may find blogs in all languages including Urdu as well.
There are still some impediments, the most obvious being access to technologies, lack of purpose to reach out to the world and matters of ego and social background. What all one is willing to open to others? Email conversations with local bloggers revealed some more reservations: People are afraid to speak up. Mastery of language, technical, or compositional skills are another set of barriers for those who do not have them. Karim Dad thinks, "Though these days blogging is as easy as signing in for email account and operating it yet those who are gifted with writing skills are often Web novice and those who are skilful Internet users have nothing much to say."
There are almost as many critics as there are enthusiasts of blogging trend. But evidence is that Weblogs have already become more than just a passing whim. Critics, however, say that this 'inconsequential chatter' has given rise to plagiarism of a different king and the whole thing is nothing but recycling. There is hardly any thing original in blogs.
Some users just mark their presence; create a blog, post initial entry, submit it to one or two blog directories and forget about it. Frequent switchers leave one service and join another to build their blog afresh; more blogs are coming up every day. A few bloggers decide to dump their labour of love in cyber graveyard for good after some time due to variety of reason: blogging as an activity cease to have an importance in their lives, or they do not have enough to say in their blogs. Aamar Waqas, a journalist and a farmer blogger says, "I started blogging because I have an opinion and I wanted to have a place where I could voice my views about things around. Moreover, every one else was having one in my circle. Writing is very daunting job sometimes. The stress of daily updates became a distraction in my work and I left it after doing it for a year."
Bloggers are a natural fit with each other and the fraternity is exponentially growing. Simple philosophy is this: "You mention me in your blog and I mention you in mine," and it goes on and on. Bloggers are keen to see what others are doing at their blogs so they keep up with as many as they can, especially those who are like minded. Confession: Well, I am found of seeing what others publish in their blogs that I do not know and who all have mentioned mine in the list of their favourites. I also try to see people who are behind blogs.
In general, bogs are interesting, thought provoking, and sometime utterly entertaining and fun. In fact, the ability for users to constantly update blogs makes them perfect forum for individuals to express themselves in so many creative ways. Blogging is an enriching experience on the World Wide Web for those who publish them as well as for those who lurk around and just read. My recommendation: Join the party; it is on round the clock.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:59 AM,
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Marriage Records
Marriage Records are important for the fiber of each society. Explore Public marriage records and see what they have online. Their records include includes a multitude of public marriage records found in county courthouses across America. Users can retrieve any required document quickly, easily and as cheaply as possible sitting in your own home.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:30 AM,
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Famous Five
Societies pride in different strengths: Some give importance to bravery, some to democracy, and some nations think that freedom of expressions, development and or education are the hallmarks for their long-term sustenance. “The nations should be judged on how they look at their women,” writes Abbas Khan, the author of Urdu novel Mein Aur Umrao Jan Ada, his eleventh.
There is a famous saying that every thing in fiction is true except dates. But in the novel written by Abbas Khan even dates are true because he has based his novel in the back ground of five very famous women in the history: Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Qura tul Ain Tahira (Iran), Mughal Princess Noor Jehan and Umrao Jan Ada.
Helen of Troy was the daughter of Zeus and Leda and wife of Menelaus, considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Her abduction by Paris caused the Trojan War and made thousand ships drown.
Cleopatra (actually Cleopatra VII) was the last of the Ptolemies, the Macedonian-descended pharaohs who ruled Egypt beginning in 304 B.C. Cleopatra has come down through history less for her administrative skills than for her beguiling ways, which she used in an attempt to keep Egypt free from Roman domination. Among those whom she charmed was Julius Caesar, with whom she had a son, Caesarion. After Caesar's death, Cleopatra joined forces with Caesar's colleague Marc Antony; they became lovers and political allies against Antony's rival Octavian. Octavian's forces finally defeated those of Antony and Cleopatra in the naval battle of Actium in 31 B.C. The two lovers fled to Alexandria and, faced with defeat by Octavian, committed suicide. Legend has it that Cleopatra died by the self-inflicted bite of a poisonous snake called an asp, though no firm evidence exists to support that claim.
Qura tul Ain Tahira created waves in the history of Iran in 1848. Princess Noor Jehan was a Mughal princess who helped King Jehangir rule Mughal Empire. And Umrao Jan Ada, whose poignant tale of misadventure of a little girl, forced into prostitution; and the saga of 1857 at the center of this tragedy as a testimony are famous in history.
Umrao Jan Ada was a dancer girl of Lakhnow (India) and her fame was at the peak from 1896 to 1899. In 1899, Mirza Hadi Ruswa wrote a novel titled Umrao Jan Ada that was published by Maha Dev Parshad Publishers Lakhnow. In turn, Umrao Jan Ada published a novel titled Fasan-e-Ruswa, which describes the love story of Mirza Hadi Ruswa and a French woman Sophia Augustan.
These women are at the background in which Abbas Khan has set his novel. With the help of today’s characters, the author weaves a web around modern world’s family -- a basic unit of the society and tells us how that is being disintegrated.
The theme of the novel has been defined by the first sentence which reads, “Family is the bases of society. Both male and female should refrain from every type of waywardness to save the society.” Abbas Khan portrays nineteenth century character (Umrao Jan Ada) living in twenty first century in his lucid style.
Abbas Khan writes on societal issues in the daily Nawa-e-Waqat and his other published work includes three novels, seven short story books and a compilation of his observation: [Zakham Gawah Hain, Tu Aur Tu (novels), Dharti Binam Akash, Tensikh-e-Insan, Qalam, Kursi Aur Wardi, Us Adalat Men, Jism Ka Johar (short story books), Reza Reza Keenat and Pal Pal (afsancha -- shortest storybook) and Din Mein Charagh] and now Mein Aur Umrao Jan Ada (novel).Books have been bringing changes in human relationships and making difference in the lives of people. The power of worlds has caused people to loose their existence or to better them. This is what this novel is expected to do. My recommendation: Read the novel.
Qura tul Ain Tahira created waves in the history of Iran in 1848. Princess Noor Jehan was a Mughal princess who helped King Jehangir rule Mughal Empire. And Umrao Jan Ada, whose poignant tale of misadventure of a little girl, forced into prostitution; and the saga of 1857 at the center of this tragedy as a testimony are famous in history.
Umrao Jan Ada was a dancer girl of Lakhnow (India) and her fame was at the peak from 1896 to 1899. In 1899, Mirza Hadi Ruswa wrote a novel titled Umrao Jan Ada that was published by Maha Dev Parshad Publishers Lakhnow. In turn, Umrao Jan Ada published a novel titled Fasan-e-Ruswa, which describes the love story of Mirza Hadi Ruswa and a French woman Sophia Augustan.
These women are at the background in which Abbas Khan has set his novel. With the help of today’s characters, the author weaves a web around modern world’s family -- a basic unit of the society and tells us how that is being disintegrated.
The theme of the novel has been defined by the first sentence which reads, “Family is the bases of society. Both male and female should refrain from every type of waywardness to save the society.” Abbas Khan portrays nineteenth century character (Umrao Jan Ada) living in twenty first century in his lucid style.
Abbas Khan writes on societal issues in the daily Nawa-e-Waqat and his other published work includes three novels, seven short story books and a compilation of his observation: [Zakham Gawah Hain, Tu Aur Tu (novels), Dharti Binam Akash, Tensikh-e-Insan, Qalam, Kursi Aur Wardi, Us Adalat Men, Jism Ka Johar (short story books), Reza Reza Keenat and Pal Pal (afsancha -- shortest storybook) and Din Mein Charagh] and now Mein Aur Umrao Jan Ada (novel).Books have been bringing changes in human relationships and making difference in the lives of people. The power of worlds has caused people to loose their existence or to better them. This is what this novel is expected to do. My recommendation: Read the novel.
posted by Shirazi @ 11:29 AM,
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Network Cables
Every industry, even individuals, in the world needs electrical cables. And Network Cables offered by ShowMe cables are the best. Claim to fame of ShowMe Cables is economically priced cable solutions.
Explore a users friendly and easy to navigate site - ShowMe Cables – and see what they are offering and how they can help you and your industrial concern. Their large range of products caters to all the cable related needs. I could find almost everything. You can search the required item by part number and or keywords.
Shopping online is safe and easy on the site. Whole transaction process is made in a secure environment, which will guarantee safety for customers.
Try ShowMe Cables for all your Network Cables needs and at the same time take advantage of their low prices, efficient customers’ service and care. Ask them if you have any questions and they will help you in the process of your shopping experience. Try them.
posted by Shirazi @ 10:02 AM,
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Technology
Throughout the last century the uses of the term technology has increased exponentially. Though technology has been there since the dawn of civilization, the term in present age has come to the point where it encompasses every thing; ok almost every thing. The term technology has been used to refer to the Internet, machines, and tools and earlier to wheel, hand spinning mill, Persian well to name just a few. But technology is much more than just the artifacts.
As per the common literature, technology is the process (starting from the design, manufacture, operation, and maintenance of artifacts) by which humans control and use nature to suit their own requirements. The knowledge and methodologies to run the artifacts are also part of technology.
Result of the empirical study of the nature (material facts), a body of knowledge has been accumulated over time. This knowledge along with desire to create and control answers how(s) and why(s) and nature is shaped according to the ever growing human needs.
Technology can be classified as objects (tools, products), knowledge (know how), activities (methodologies), process (systematic advance from a requirement to solution) but it can not be delimited to any one or more of these fields.
Besides human needs (necessity is the mother of invention as they say), technology is also shaped and advanced by societal acceptance. One latest example is that of mobile phones. Mobiles have shaped the whole way of life in very short time. That is how technology shapes the society.
Looking around, one can’t see any thing that is not related, directly or indirectly, to technology. Can you
posted by Shirazi @ 9:44 AM,
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Tattoo lovers
Those tiny winy marks made by inserting pigment into the skin for decorative or other reasons called tattoos have come a very long way since they are recorded to have been first used in “dating from the fourth to fifth millennium BC.” Now they are a growing trend and a form of personal expressions. They are very popular in many parts of the world and fans go a long way to get unique tattoos to stand out. Tattoo lovers are a community now and they can get together at Tattooed Dating to meet and know each other.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:40 AM,
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Ya, This is Me
I was home (back in my village) this weekend. There are lessons in the first landscapes of every one's life. Mine was a vista of green paddy fields, smoking with Salt Range mist, against a setting of ribbon of River Jhelum which from distance looked like a shore of another land altogether. The rough, rugged hill range appeared uninviting against a sky withering with the morning, interrupted by the dawn's red and blue brush strokes. My first learning in life was also in the village.
In villages, people still live without assessable roads or other civic amenities of this modern age. No telephone or the Internet, even the electricity is the recent phenomenon; some are still without it. You see one village and you have seen all. This was the setting where I spent first twenty year of my life savouring the freedom of adulthood. It is where I decided what (and how) I wanted to do with life. It is where my mother, brothers and friends live. It is where I return whenever my active life allows me to. It is where I want to settle and spend my future.
My village is awe inspiring -- pollution free and quiet. Different shades and colours of waving crops and trees - solitary, in groves or avenues - beautify the landscape. The scene changes after the harvest. The air is always fresh and fragrant with the smell of earth. The only sound is singing of birds, ringing of cowbells and sighing of wind or some youth loudly singing Heer Waris Shah, Sassi Punun or Mirza Saheban at night. One sees butterflies fluttering, ladybirds creeping and squirrels jumping around. To me the place feels like a paradise.
My roots are in the village where no body seems to be in a hurry. Every time I go there, from the different cities where I happen to be living, I take small things like candies and toys for the kids of neighbours and my family in the village and they are so happy that the words cannot explain their delight. From the village I bring everything, and more than every thing I bring lot of love.
"I help my neighbours and my neighbours help me", is the philosophy of life in our village. Faith, sharing, contentment, grit, hard work and humour are few others. There are no marriage halls or other renting places. Daras (community centres where cultural diffusion takes place) are very useful 'institutions' for functions or for elders to sit and teach irreplaceable heritage of ideas to the younger generation. The learning that passed on to me in Dara turned out to be very precious: it was the legacy of the fable. Tandoor (Oven for backing bread) is still a meeting and talking place for women.
Guests of one family are shared by ever one at the time of marriage (or death). Hospitality is like one of the cultural benchmark, as villagers strongly believe that a guest comes with the blessings of Allah Almighty. Pull a hay cart into the shad, to rest, to dream. You shall be served with hookka (Hubbell-bubble), water and food. Cooing crows are still considered as a symbol for the arrival of guests in my village.
From our village, a group of seven students used to go to nearby town for attending school (and then college). Ghulam Muhammad was my buddy in the group. After completing the education, my dreams become out of control and took me on the darker roads of the life whereas Ghulam Muhammad, equipped with degree from Faisalabd Agricultural University, started progressive farming in the same village. He was a hardworking, gentleman, economically very sound and ambitious. Ghulam Mohammed's father soon started getting proposals for the marriage of his son from many wealthy landlord families of the area. But, my friend married his cousin: uneducated daughter of one of his poorest uncles and is living happily ever since. Village society is still simple, cohesive and based on similarities.
This time when I was coming back from the village, lot of people - family members, peers and neighbours - came to see me off as always. My mother had packed my vehicle with vegetables (fresh from the farm), palsies, atta (floor), and husked rice and even live chickens. Every body was advising me to consume every thing back in the city, as "they are fresh, pure, nutritious and desi". On my way back, a question kept coming in my mind: how much time this simple society will take to become complex and when will 'development' change the outlook of the villagers to life?
A cluster of memories - some overlapping, some isolated - of 'the village boy' I once was stay with me. I am a result of my childhood experiences. After having knocked on all the doors of opportunity that came in my way in life, I still cherish the memories of my village. Which is why I spend most of my weekends there and want to settle and spend my future in the village?
In villages, people still live without assessable roads or other civic amenities of this modern age. No telephone or the Internet, even the electricity is the recent phenomenon; some are still without it. You see one village and you have seen all. This was the setting where I spent first twenty year of my life savouring the freedom of adulthood. It is where I decided what (and how) I wanted to do with life. It is where my mother, brothers and friends live. It is where I return whenever my active life allows me to. It is where I want to settle and spend my future.
My village is awe inspiring -- pollution free and quiet. Different shades and colours of waving crops and trees - solitary, in groves or avenues - beautify the landscape. The scene changes after the harvest. The air is always fresh and fragrant with the smell of earth. The only sound is singing of birds, ringing of cowbells and sighing of wind or some youth loudly singing Heer Waris Shah, Sassi Punun or Mirza Saheban at night. One sees butterflies fluttering, ladybirds creeping and squirrels jumping around. To me the place feels like a paradise.
My roots are in the village where no body seems to be in a hurry. Every time I go there, from the different cities where I happen to be living, I take small things like candies and toys for the kids of neighbours and my family in the village and they are so happy that the words cannot explain their delight. From the village I bring everything, and more than every thing I bring lot of love.
"I help my neighbours and my neighbours help me", is the philosophy of life in our village. Faith, sharing, contentment, grit, hard work and humour are few others. There are no marriage halls or other renting places. Daras (community centres where cultural diffusion takes place) are very useful 'institutions' for functions or for elders to sit and teach irreplaceable heritage of ideas to the younger generation. The learning that passed on to me in Dara turned out to be very precious: it was the legacy of the fable. Tandoor (Oven for backing bread) is still a meeting and talking place for women.
Guests of one family are shared by ever one at the time of marriage (or death). Hospitality is like one of the cultural benchmark, as villagers strongly believe that a guest comes with the blessings of Allah Almighty. Pull a hay cart into the shad, to rest, to dream. You shall be served with hookka (Hubbell-bubble), water and food. Cooing crows are still considered as a symbol for the arrival of guests in my village.
From our village, a group of seven students used to go to nearby town for attending school (and then college). Ghulam Muhammad was my buddy in the group. After completing the education, my dreams become out of control and took me on the darker roads of the life whereas Ghulam Muhammad, equipped with degree from Faisalabd Agricultural University, started progressive farming in the same village. He was a hardworking, gentleman, economically very sound and ambitious. Ghulam Mohammed's father soon started getting proposals for the marriage of his son from many wealthy landlord families of the area. But, my friend married his cousin: uneducated daughter of one of his poorest uncles and is living happily ever since. Village society is still simple, cohesive and based on similarities.
This time when I was coming back from the village, lot of people - family members, peers and neighbours - came to see me off as always. My mother had packed my vehicle with vegetables (fresh from the farm), palsies, atta (floor), and husked rice and even live chickens. Every body was advising me to consume every thing back in the city, as "they are fresh, pure, nutritious and desi". On my way back, a question kept coming in my mind: how much time this simple society will take to become complex and when will 'development' change the outlook of the villagers to life?
A cluster of memories - some overlapping, some isolated - of 'the village boy' I once was stay with me. I am a result of my childhood experiences. After having knocked on all the doors of opportunity that came in my way in life, I still cherish the memories of my village. Which is why I spend most of my weekends there and want to settle and spend my future in the village?
posted by Shirazi @ 9:40 AM,
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Florida Sex Offenders
In order to make this world a safer place to live, Florida has a law that every convicted sex offender living within Florida must be recorded with state where as the locations of many previous sex offenders are still not known to the authorities. Search Florida Sex Offenders and stay aware of the threats that are present in your vicinity.
posted by Shirazi @ 9:32 AM,
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Cost of Texting
In the time of increasing interaction between human and machines, more than any thing technologies are bringing sweeping changes to how people communicate and share information. Just as email, instant messaging, forums and Weblogs are distributing information on the Internet; mobile phone text messaging, also known as SMS, short for Short Messaging Service, has become one of favourite pastimes for youth and useful utility to the mobile many.
Seamlessly, SMS has become one of the mainstream trends and an integral part of mobile lifestyle in our otherwise low tech environment. Young and old alike are seen deeply concentrating on mobile phone screens and punching every where: in streets, shopping malls, mosques, buses, collage dormitories, class rooms and on dining table or while watching thrilling cricket matches. One college student I spoke to described leaving home without mobile phone, letting it fall in the hands of someone else or allowing the prepaid card balance exhaust as new anxieties. And "there is a great peer pressure to join the SMS crowd," says Nazish Noor. That is not what SMS was originally meant for.
When SMS was launched in 1992 as part of the GSM (Global System for Mobile) Phase 1 protocol, it was considered as a low volume, low yield service primarily for business use. But, the technology has been rapidly adopted by societies, and its usage has exploded worldwide. Now billions of fun, greeting, reminding, alerting, and business messages are exchanged every day. No one imagined this till it has happened. Now this trend is upon us all over.
What is more, proud owners of mobile phones with inbuilt camera do not send simple SMS messages. Instead, they write down their message on a piece of paper, take a photo of it and send it as a picture message. SMS lets users do a lot more. Well beyond simple person to person messaging, SMS is being used to download ring tones, animated graphics and logos, getting, news headlines and Quranic verses, notification of new emails and faxes, and much more. In more tech savvy world, businesses are using it to send out virus warnings, advertising, bulletins, stock quotes and news headlines.
Text fever is exponentially rising with rapid expansion in numbers and growing innovations in the design and functions of mobile phone instruments -- most handsets in use allow initiation of text message. t may vary a little from handset to handset but is fairly simple. Users can go to phone's messages menu, type by pressing key 2 once for A, twice for B, three times for C and so on till the hit Send button. The recipient on the other end, anywhere in the world with suitable mobile phone, hears a tone and sees an envelope symbol on the display screen indicating that new message is waiting to be read when ever convenient. Press a couple of more buttons and read the message within seconds.
Messaging some time called texting can be taxing due to typing on a narrow numeric keypad. The word is out that a 12-number keypad to make typing easier has been invented and may be available in local market soon.
The current SMS format allows for 160 characters in a message in the Roman alphabet (including punctuation, numerals and special characters), and 70 characters in a message in other pictographic alphabets of ancient languages, after which the message is truncated. This has helped users to invent a new language - mix of abbreviation and shorthand now millions of people are reading, writing and understanding very well. Some familiar abbreviations have come from instant messaging on the Internet and text messaging has also created some of its own unique usage and set of text phrases and rules. In the SMS world, youths often use an abbreviated language to reduce the time and effort to type a message. There are over 1000 recognized abbreviations. Genie has already launched SMS DXNRE dictionary followed by another one titled the Little Book of TXT by a phone a manufacturing company and a special SMS index has been added in the Concise Oxford Dictionary. Mobile messaging is usually text mixed with smileys and face characters like (;_;) (unhappiness) or m(__)m (modesty). Some of the icons are usually pre-installed on mobile phones these days.
Who needs more space? Many users have evolved their own 'mutual' language that is all together new. Some time a single alphabet can convey powerfully. "The 160 character provides a lot of writing space, especially when you know what you want to say and to whom. It is short but sweet (and cool)," says one avoid texter.
In Pakistan, the mobile phone has grown exponentially. There are six mobile service providers serving the growing demand of the consumers now. The cost of sending SMS messages varies from rupees 1.50 to 5.00 (for messaging overseas) depending upon the service being used. One of the newer service providers has offered free SMS. This has given yet another boost to the use of cell phones.
Like everywhere else, youth is the natural market for SMS. Ever one who can afford carries mobile phone. But it is no longer the preserve of teenagers (or only for techie or geeky types) as every one seems to be embracing the convenient technology. Parallel to the trend in more developed western world, eager local corporate sector is quick to capitalise on the possibilities of the new technology, coupled with an increase in the ranks of a fashion elite ever keen to refine its yuppie airs. SMS is continuing to rise in popularity and diversity and is bridging ICT gape in its own way. Locally text messages are replacing greeting cards. SMS is being used to locate people in crowds and to tell and ask locations or "to exchange fun remarks while sitting in the same class room," says a Dr. Sonia Rehman.
The key message is that the future of text messaging as a mass communication lies in its use rather than in technical invention. So SMS is, in effect, preparing mobile phones users to see their mobile phones as much more than jus t thi