Welcome to the outskirts

In a previous post I promised to show pictures of my surrounding area. Well to do that you have to get out of town.

Here's a road in my neighborhood that takes you to the Northern Bypass. A network of highways heading into the interior of Sindh.

The inner loop of the bypass hugs Dreamworld. They decided to put this resort on the outskirts of Karachi to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Here's a view from the other side. Notice the water slides and the hilltop restaurant. You can get a some mean french fries from there.



Here's an example of the fertile yet arid terrain I was talking about.

The heat is intense during the month of May, good thing I had the AC on.

Here's a convoy of trucks heading up north. Most of them carry goods from the seaport to the interior. Some of them go beyond that travelling all the way to Punjab.

Ahh yes the chief guests for my barbecue have arrived! They probably belong to some villager who let them loose to graze. To bad their grazing interferes with my driving.

So that was a glimpse of what you would see if you travelled to the outskirts of Karachi. If you kept traveling north the next big city that you would hit would be Hyderbad. Along the way you would also run into tiny villages. Inhabitants would most likely speak Sindhi. I am not fluent in that language so I would have trouble conversing with them. But I can speak Urdu, the national language, so maybe I would have a shot.

I for one welcome our new computer overlords

I was feeling pretty spiffy playing my favorite video game. I bashed the bad guys into oblivion, yet again. So I dared myself to set the AI level to the max. What a difference that made. My artificially controlled enemy suddenly became exceedingly cunning. It anticipated my every move, gave me no respite. The end was quick and messy.

Had this been for real I am sorry to say our world would have been controlled by a pixelated nemesis.

update

I have exceeded my sodium RDA. That is all.

My trip to the exchange

I had the pleasure of visiting the central telephone exchange for the city of Karachi. Why prêt ail did I do this? Well it all started when I got my telephone bill in the mail. I was amazed to see that they had charged me five times the normal amount! Had all that blogging finally caught up with me? I figured that was not possible I pay a set amount every month for unlimited access. There had to be something else.

So I called up a 24-hour help line that PTCL had setup for such an occasion. These guys are great when you need help troubleshooting your Internet connection. They’re patient and well informed. So I can’t complain much in that area. However they did say that I would have to go down to the Clifton Telephone Exchange if I wanted to get my bill adjusted. Clifton is on one side of the city (the side that’s next to the sea) and I am on the other side (the side bordering the interior of Sindh). So traveling all the way over there and back would take up most of the day. Something I wanted to avoid at all costs.

I asked for an email address where I could send in an application for getting the bill adjusted. No can do they told me you have to show up in person with all your original documents and submit them for a formal inquiry. Then if your story checks out we will pretend like we didn’t do anything wrong and that this is all your fault, but will graciously charge you the normal amount because we’re so goddamn benevolent.

Great I told them and hung up. Now it was time to get all my papers in order and head down to Clifton. Once I got there. The guards wouldn’t let me in. Go around back you can’t come in the front, you’re a goddamn customer. So I went around back. “Can anyone tell me where customer service is?”

“Hahaha! You want customer service? Keep dreaming.” So I bounced around the compound looking for a way in. Finally I stumbled upon a waiting room filled with other people waiting to get their bills settled. So I took a seat and waited. I noticed a fat lady sitting behind a desk yapping away in the phone. She was telling her friend about the latest movie she saw. Clearly she was suppose to be helping us but couldn’t be bothered.

Finally the manager waltz in after his 2-hour lunch break. Everyone handed their bills to him. When I did the same he gave me a funny look. “You need to be questioned before coming here. Be gone!” So I bounced around the compound some more until I stumbled upon the DSL complaint center. I entered and found a large man behind an even larger desk.

“I’ve come to have my bill adjusted.”

“Muhahaha. Come forth puny human.” I handed my documents to him, at first he tried telling me off “Clearly we have made no mistake. You must give me ever last gold nuggets that you have. Bwahahahaha.”

At that moment I learned of the fickle nature of Pakistani politics. An important looking man enters the room and announces “I have unlocked the door!” the room erupts with cheers. I am sitting there looking on in amazement, wondering what would happen if he opened the door. Just then the big guy behind the desks gets a phone call.

“Gee sir, oh thank you sir,” he says with a big goofy grin on his face. “That’s was him he says I can move on up!” he has his minions clear his desk and is whisked away to his new office.

In his place is a new guy “You can haz gold nuggets.”

“I can?”

“Sure why not?” he puts it down in writing and sends me on my way. I make my way back to customer service, results of formal inquiry in hand. Now I must admit that the manager was a pleasant guy even though he did take a 2-hour lunch break. He issued a letter stating more or less that I can’t be charged this many gold nuggets and that this should not happen again.

Of course my bill still wasn’t adjusted this letter simply stated their intentions of doing so. I would have to meet the revenue officer if I wanted that done. Again I found my self, bouncing around the compound until I stumbled upon the RO.

“Please to be adjusting my bill.” I told him

“Meh, okay fine” he crosses some figures out with his pen slaps on new ones stamp stamp sign sign and viola adjusted bill at your service. “Now pay this at the bank make photo copies and submit to your local telephone exchange otherwise this starts up all over again.”
I did as I was told. But there still is a chance that this happens again. Since I don’t have an insider at PTCL, I suppose I should practice bouncing around some more.

How did it go?

Aaah sweet relief, I am glad I am done with my finals. Blog readers may be wondering how they went. Well to answer that question we have to travel to an alternate dimension. In which the elements of the test-taking ordeal are metamorphicly represented. The test taker becomes a futuristic warrior from the future. His knowledge and skills are his weapons. The test is an arena filled with enemies (questions) that must be disposed of with extreme prejudice.

We’ll take the next slipstream to this dimension. That is if you’re willing to come along? No time to think now…slipstream opening…max dilation reached…hold on tight ‘cuz here we go…

Emilio Juarez glanced at the strobing red light. He looked away wondering when the bay doors would open. There was nothing he didn’t like more than waiting for a battle to begin. He ran another systems check to keep himself occupied. Backup ammo clips at the ready, body armor energized, neck seal in place, visor on. His gloved hands expertly hefted the TI-83 a computerized sub machine gun capable of many wonderful feats.

The sirens blared he was given the green light as the bay doors slid aside. Juarez drew his body into a tactical posture and barreled head long into the dark void of the arena. He headed for the first barrier and took up position. Most warriors liked to open fire with indiscriminant fire. His first inclination was to gain situational awareness. He tapped the side of his helmet inundating his visor with a map of the arena. From his precarious shelter he studied the lay of the land.

“Two toughies at one ‘o clock. Medium grades at my 10.” This was not good if he wasn’t careful his opponents could box him in and deny access to the chute, the only way to the next level. While he considered his options he caught sight of something scampering in the darkness. He made a mental note to be on alert and find a new position soon. No sooner had he thought this than a furry creature dashed straight at him. In an instant he was wielding a nightstick, which quickly found its mark. It hit the creature dead center nailing it to ground.

“Freebies you gotta love ‘em” careful not to get too cocky he programmed the TI-83 with a wide dispersal firing solution.

“This should give me enough time to make a dash for the chute,” he thought as he deployed the gun’s tripod and placed it on the barrier’s ledge. His exposed hands drew some fire but he was quick to pull back.

“I am going to miss you buddy,” he said as he pushed the fire-sequencing button. It immediately recognized the programmed instructions and dispensed a torrent of bullets. A medium grade was knocked out but the toughies were quick and took defensive positions. The tripods legs adjusted to compensate sending a volley of high yield bullets in their direction.

In the ensuing commotion Emilio Juarez made a mad dash for the chute. His body armor took some hits when he was out in the open but he didn’t let that stop him. He hugged the rim of the cylindrical opening and dove in. As he fell through a loud concussion told him his trusty weapon was out of commission.

He landed with a thud. A double back roll brought him back to a fighting stance. He didn’t need his embedded map to tell him that this was not good. Laser mesh was strewn across a long hallway leading to a door in the distance. He knew he had to get to the door without getting sliced by the lasers.

He wouldn’t be able to blast his way through this one. He needed a plan. Perhaps he could neutralize the effects of the lasers somehow. He surveyed his inventory of supplies and pulled out the shimmer shield. Once activated the shield would be able to deflect the lasers. However it would draw energy from his suit, gradually depleting his armor. Emilio would have to be quick and run through the laser mesh at top speed. There was a chance that he could run out of energy midway but that was a risk he would have to take.

Once the shield was activated his body was enveloped in a shimmering dome of energy. He didn’t waste any time plunging into the laser mesh. The beams of high-powered light tried to pierce his body but were turned away, shooting off at odd angles. By the time Juarez reached the end of the obstacle his body armor was severely depleted. He switched of the shield saving what little energy he had. Lucky for him he wouldn’t need much protection at this stage; the exit to the arena was at hand.

He eagerly went for the door and tried to open it. That was when he noticed a keypad. He would have to enter the right code to unlock the door. Wall mounted guns suggested that if he didn’t he could be fired upon. With weaken body armor Juarez was not too eager to get shot at. He could very likely sustain injuries or even die.

The warrior took a deep breath and keyed in a sequence of numbers. The guns opened fire. The short burst of gunfire rendered his armor useless. He tried again. The next round of fire found their mark. His Kevlar suit bore the brunt of the bullet’s force however the stinging sensation was extremely painful. He couldn’t keep this up much longer if the bullets managed to get inside his body the game would be over and the arena would have won. He keyed in another sequence again he was reprimanded with a buzzing bullets.

“Think! What could it be?” he drew upon all his training and still could not find the answer. Just at that moment the sirens began to blare. This time they signaled the impending end of the battle. If he didn’t do something right now he would be stuck here forever. That’s when he decided to use brute force. He pulled out a bomb patch and attached it to the doorframe. He stepped back and allowed the explosive to detonate. The ensuing blast cracked open the door. However the guns were notified of the violation and put down a curtain of bullets. Stepping through that was his only chance.

Arching his body he lunged through. The bullets tore into his flesh spilling blood on polished floors. He groaned in agony but kept on going. With the last ounce of strength he battered down the door, disappearing into a flood of white light.


Tune in next week (?), for the exciting conclusion (does he make it?). We now return you to your previously inhabited dimension.

Weekend Assingment #217

Karen wants to know some good and bad career advice that we recieved while working.

Some good career advice that I got was from my manager. He told me that it is always good to help out at work. But you gotta keep your nose clean. Be sure to finish your work first before you help some else. Otherwise people begin to tie you up with favors that get in the way of the work you are personally responsible for. This way you stay out of trouble and you're able to help out your co-workers.

Some bad career advice I got came from a friend. He told me to ditch the whole information technology field and consider trading commodities. I told him I could track your inventory for you but I am not going to become a trader. It's always good to stick with stuff you know. After all the reason you're getting paid is because no one else could do it.

Mind Numbing Study Session

Today was spent studying for 12 hours straight! I have finals at the end of this week and I am getting in some last minute study time. I already know the material, I try understanding it as we go along. But for finals all that info needs to be on the surface. The best way for me to do that is to make notes. I just jot down a brief outline of the material which helps me focus and "connect the dots". It seems simple enough but when you're talking about a whole semester worth of content it gets pretty grueling. But you know what they say no pain no gain.

I am looking forward to the end of the semester. I'll be liberated from having to take an endless stream of classes. Giving me more time to work on my thesis and mess around online. Some of my classmates aren't so excited about the semester ending. They're worried that they may have to repeat it. It's tough to comfort someone when they're in that position. They know you're doing fine and don't want your sympathies. What can I say to that? I won't apologize for doing well.

Anyway the study session was pretty hard on my brain. I think I blew out a couple dozen neural pathways. Any time I concentrate too hard my neurons stop firing and refuse to think. That's when I have to coax them into action with some kind of stimulus. My favorites are caffeine, sugar, a power nap, exercise, TV, web surfing, and my all time favorite a shot of garam masala.

How I said goodbye to TV (or why nothing good is on)

I mostly watch TV because "my show" is on. My show = any popular scifi series (e.g. star trek, stargate etc.). I loved tuning in to watch Enterprise. The third season arc was what killed the series but I still watched because it was star trek and I am too much of a die hard fan to let go. The lack of funding showed in the final episodes. You could tell they were turning out the lights around the sets. The computer graphics were so cheesy. Any one could tell they were fake from a mile off. I know of in game cinematics that were way better.

So once Enterprise ended I went looking for other shows to call my own. I checked out Andromeda but couldn't get into it. Farscape came off as a bit too freakish for my taste. Of course Stargate has alway been a mainstay. I've liked Richard Dean Anderson ever since MacGuyver. (he's so cool, too bad he retired, he wanted to spend more time with his family...pshh) But again I am at the mercy of my cable operator's whim. They like yanking channels left and right. The final nail in the coffin was the writer's strike. Which made it official I no longer had a series with "My Show" status.

I wasn't about to settle for some reality show hooha. Or some tripped out talk show. Inane chatter is not my idea of entertainment. So I turned to the internet for help. With a new broadband connection I started spending more time online. I found great resources for keeping a geek like me entertained. Among them were blogs by popular SF writers (see blogroll) and a deluge of free content. From books, videos to podcasts I find myself riveted to my computer monitor I actually have to physically turn off my modem if I want to get any work done!

That's not to say TV is completely out of my life. I tend to flip through the channels every now and then. I tend to settle for the Discovery channel it's fun to find out the latest way to kill people (Future Weapons) or how to ruin your car engine (Mythbusters) or the latest in engineering. Plus CNN is good for getting a perspective on international news while Dawn News gives me a regional perspective.

This sort of thing has happened to a lot of people. I guess it's a sign of the times.

My late night fix

I love watching late night shows, especially Conan. He plays his second string status very well. Sure he isn't as classy as Leno but his scampy humor wins all. I can watch day old episodes through the showtime tv network. But ever since my cable operator yanked those channels I've been missing out.

Then I heard nbc.com was letting everyone watch online. I was like cool now I can find out what really happened in the year 2000! So I go over to the site and select a recent episode. I flexed my laugh muscles while the video loads. A few seconds later I am told that the clip isn't available in my area. Well la-di-da! You could've told me that earlier. Like before entering the site. sheesh.

What’s new?

I’ve been sprucing up my blog a bit. To make your stay at I Don’t Know that much better. *enter cheesy thumbs up sign here*

First on the list was making a bigger and bolder header. A new graphic reflects the topics discussed here (learning about things, writing, science and technology and the wonders of the Universe). My profile also features my email address in case anyone wants to contact me. The address is saqib82 at hotmail dot com. That’s saqib82 at hotmail dot com.

Some new categories in the label section. I want to write more about gaming. That’s also a hobby that I enjoy aside from writing science fiction. The Life Studies label has to do with the things that I have learned personally during my time on planet earth.

The blogroll has been dissected into tiny little parts. It was getting kinda big to the point that you couldn’t tell what was what. I divided the links into sections. Those interested in the writing business should check out those blogs. A special section devoted to the crazy folks who pop in here every now and then can be found in the Community Ring.

The political activism section features blogs that give a different perspective to all the messed up stuff that is going on in our world. I am no utopianist and I know that we can’t make progress with out confrontations. But they need to be handled in a civilized manner. The best way of doing that, is knowing all sides of the story. Even if you’re official policy is not to talk to the other side.

I encourage you to visit Raising Yousuf, Unplugged: diary of a Palestinian mother. She gives her readers a unique perspective into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Finally be sure to check out Saqib Ali’s blog (yes I found his blog while googling my name) he’s a legislator from Maryland. He’s done some good work for that state. His actions helps show the positive contributions Muslims are making in American society (to that end be sure to check out The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Blog).

So that’s that…live long and prosper.

Weekend Assingment #216

In Pakistan power outages are the norm. That's why a generator is viewed as an indispensable household appliance. Just like you can't do without a stove or a fridge you can't do without one of these. I have a 5kv Honda natural gas fueled generator. We hooked it up to an auto panel that can turn it on as soon as the lights go out, sweet!

It's housed on the roof. You see over here, houses are built with flat roofs, I think that helps keep the house cool. So they're pretty much an open aired addition to your house. People use them for parties or for getting a breath of fresh air. We use ours to house boilers, air conditioning units and the generator. Anyways one night the lights go out and the generator turned on as usual. We were feeling pretty peachy and went about our business. Then all of a sudden the lights started to dim and then completely went out.

The power didn't come back and we could hear the genarator chugging away. I went up to investigate only to find the electric cables leading to the panel on fire. The natural gas line was close by and there could have been a serious explosion. I killed the motor and switched off the gas. However the cables were still on fire. I looked around trying to find something to put out the fire with. I settled for a rag which I quickly wrapped around the cable. The flames were covered but refused to go out. They were tearing into the rag but I held on. To my relief the flames died out signaled by a welcomed puff of smoke. I unwraped the rag and marveled at the burnt cloth a few more centimeters and the flame would have breached the fabric.

The area where I live is fertile but very arid. We have cactus and a few patches of hardy grass growing on swooping hills. (It's really nice I'll show you pictures some day) So wild fires are not a major issue.

For all you space buffs

Read this harrowing account of the botched Soyuz landing

Who knew NASA was working on a new generation of space craft. I want to get me an Orion, Intrepid class!

Things you should do

Thing #1: You should suck on a mint while drinking kool-aid. Its minty fresh!

Thing #2: You should mix kool-aid powder with club soda. mmm...fizzy kool-aid

I wanted to see if the club soda would take on the taste of the powder. I turns out that it does.
However care should be taken when mixing the two ingredients. They'll give you an explosive reaction! Just 2 tablespoons of powder and a gulp worth of club soda filled the entire glass with foam. Fun to watch not so much fun to clean up. Once the foam died down I slowly added more soda. Once that was done I mixed the two together until the sugar dissolved.

The resulting drink wasn't that bad. However It turns out that all that escaping carbon left the drink with a flat texture. Which kinda sucked. Does anyone now how to perfect the technique of mixing kool-aid with club soda?

read this book...

...you'll like it!

Release your inner head banger

So far blog readers know that I am a Pakistani-American living abroad, that I am working on my thesis to complete my masters, that I am a sci-fi geek and that I love to write stories. But I haven’t mentioned enough times that I am also a metal head. I first talked about this part of my personality in this post. I tried introducing rock music to my friends in Pakistan. For the most part guys appreciate the earthy tones of the music. That is something that transcends race and appeals to the head banger inside us all.

However the influence travels two ways. I also got in touch with the Pakistani music scene and let me tell you it’s kicking. The grand daddy of all Desi (this word is derived from dhase meaning homeland) rock bands is Junoon. These guys kicked off their music careers by giving us a unique blend of Eastern and Western music. They get their inspiration from mystical Islam otherwise known as Sufism. However they’re far from being pacifist. They exploded onto the political scene with a mesmerizing guitar solo that mimicked the melody of the national anthem. Also their hit single Azadi (freedom) tells of the trails and tribulations faced during the Migration. Take a sip…

This trend-setting band has inspired others. However I am not familiar with them. Keeping up with the music biz is not a priority for me. Plus I find that these other bands, when compared to western heavy metal bands such as Metallica, don’t have enough oomph. I suppose that has to do with cultural differences. After all rock music is a foreign entity. I didn’t know how foreign until I demonstrated the finer points of head banging at a basant festival (this is the Hindi term for the spring festival) only to be greeted with curious stares.

So what do you think about rock music? Are you into it? If not what kind of music do you like? Share!

Mommy and Me

With Mother’s day said and done I began reflecting on my relationship with my mother and how it has changed throughout the years. In the beginning there was only Mom. She was the primary caretaker whatever she said was the law. My Dad also had to abide by the law, because as he said Mother knows best. So listening to my mother is something that has been ingrained in my psyche.

Of course things change during my teenage years I had ideas of my own. When those ideas didn’t coincide with my parent’s there would be the threat of mutiny. However that was rare I was fairly docile and quickly returned to the fold once I was told that my privileges would be revoked. (It’s no fun not having a car or a house to sleep in)

Then I grew up. I became a mature adult. My father began to see me as a man and treated me as such. Apparently my mom didn’t get the memo. In her eyes I am still a child finding his way in the world. That’s sweet, as I still need my mother’s love and support. But for the most part I am on my own. I don’t need her to hold my hand each step of the way. That is something she didn’t realize. Which caused conflicts.

The past couple of months have been quite disruptive as we each adjusted to our new roles. My mom is getting old. White hairs are already creeping in and she isn’t as alert as she used to be. I am also guilty of not seeing the changes my mom is going through. I too picture her as she once was. The wonder woman from my childhood, who knew all and saw all. And so I asked for her advice in areas that were not her expertise. She desperately wanted to help so she said whatever came to mind. I would soon learn that her words were indeed fallible.

That meant that I was truly the adult. And now I had to take care of my mother. The woman who brought me into this world, raised me, loved me, nurtured me was now in need of the same care from her offspring. I have my own style of doing things. Whatever I commit to eventually gets done. Otherwise I would not have made the promise in the first place. I believe in working smart not working hard. Anything that can be delegated, automated by machines or what have you should be done. My mom knows she needs my help but when she sees me working smart she thinks I am being lazy and ignoring her.

Again an old image of me is still in her mind. So she begins to nag. Which is something that really gets to me. I have no defense mechanisms against my mother’s nagging. It quickly and utterly disables my cognitive abilities reducing me to a raving lunatic. My explanations of how I am in fact doing what she has asked are viewed as excuses. Accordingly I need to be taught what to do which requires even more nagging. We were caught in this vicious cycle for quite a while. Things got pretty ugly pretty quickly. I still loved my mother but I couldn’t stand her and the feeling was mutual.

Then I had an amazing revelation. My mother is a woman and should be treated as such. Now the question was how. Around this time a good friend of mine introduced me to this guy:



His humorous insights made a lot of sense. Afterwards I kept quite during the nagging sessions. Which was amazing because afterwards my mom would realize she was wrong and that I was right all along! That was something that hit me like a ton of bricks. My mom started trusting me in my new caretaker role. And nowadays she is quite content and proud of me. Sure there is still the possibility of returning to the vicious cycle but we’re both smarter now and won’t let that happen.

So here’s to my mom the best mom a guy could ask for. My sister and I took her out to lunch for mother’s day. She had a blast hanging out with her kids.

What did you do on mother’s day? And how’s your relation with your mother. Tell all! I won’t tell anybody else I swear ;)

The “How’s Your Thesis Going?” Post

It’s going good thank you very much. As most of you know I have forsaken work to complete my masters. I publicly mull over this decision in this post. It’s nice to see that people support me. My second to last semester is almost over I just have to take a couple of tests. I am not too worried about not getting a good grade, as my midterms were decent. After the exams I only have to concentrate on my thesis. Yay! I love making my ideas a reality. So what am I doing? Read on to find out…

I had to ask myself what interests me enough to take on such a challenge? The answer lies in Human Computer Interaction (HCI). Currently the boundary that separates us from our computers is the User Interface (UI). The most popular example of a UI is Window’s start button. It allows us to access our programs quickly and easily (most of the time). Otherwise we would have run them using a command prompt, yummy!

So what could I do in this area? Help out HCI designers of course! They have to follow a set of heuristics when designing an Interface. They may not be aware that their design may be violating this set of guidelines. That’s where I come in; I’ll be creating a tool that analyzes end user behavior when using a UI. After the analysis is complete the tool will generate a report stating which guidelines were violated. As any marketing expert will tell you a good product is only as good as its name. So I am asking you the “I Don’t Know” reader to help me think of an exciting and relevant name for this tool. Because frankly speaking, I can’t think of one.

As always this post will be updated and reposted when new information is available about this project, so here’s the low down:

May 7: Took my server to work today. I had the networks guy configure it to support software developed by my company. I need access to a functioning copy of the application as a reference. This is why I am required to sign an agreement to carry out my research. Essentially the agreement will give me a licensed copy of the application for free, so long as I don’t use it for commercial purposes. That shouldn’t be a problem seeing how I don’t usually need to check up on any sales order or see how much inventory I have on hand (yeah, it’s an ERP). I am mostly interested in the interfaces of a select few forms. Those are going to be fed into the tool for analysis.

April 23: I did some serious amount of Java programming today. My brain took a while to switch gears (What’s a swing component? How do you add a method in this thing? Where’s the main method?). But once it did I was hooked. Now I remember why I got involved with this crazy profession it’s just plain fun!

April 16: I finally got my IDE up and running. It’s been a while since I’ve done some real hard-core programming. You see at work I do mostly Software Quality Assurance work. Sure I hang around programmers and code a lot but I never actually do any programming. There is always so much documentation and other paperwork to attend to. On occasion my manager may suggest that I should fix the some of the bugs that I have found since the programmers are booked solid. Those are the only time I get to get my hands dirty. Which is why I like working on my thesis even more.

April 10: Today I met with my company’s lawyer. We discussed an agreement by which they would lend me the source code of certain projects for research purposes. He was a pretty nice guy and I had fun explaining what I had in mind. Even though he was from the legal world he followed along with the all computer jargon I threw at him. Which was refreshing to see.

April 1: Today’s April Fools day and guess who the fool is? No not that guy…Me! I went down to the laptop shop to get my computer upgraded. Turns out that they don’t carry parts for my six-year-old Toshiba Satellite 3005. That really sucks! But I won’t let that get me down, I just won’t. So I am using another PC that has enough oomph in it.

March 27: I downloaded the IDE needed for implementing the tool. I might have mentioned I am going to be developing in Java. That’s because I am sick and tired of working in visual studio. Plus Java has excellent GUI support, which makes sense for my project.

Right so the IDE that I downloaded and installed is none other than NetBeans designed and developed by Sun Microsystems themselves. So I know that I am getting a quality product, which makes me happy. However my trusty laptop wasn’t as happy running NetBeans. It took waaaaaaaaaay to long opening the start page and loading source files. I couldn’t stand it anymore and decided there and then that I would have to install more memory. Luckily I already have the logistics figured out I know where to go and how much they’ll charge me. Now it’s just a matter of finding time for the procedure. In the meantime amuse yourselves with this shiny badge:



read older updates

The best posts of April '08

I still want to highlight the bests posts of the month. But I am going about it in a different manner. No more voting, just the listings. Enjoy!

in which I whet your appetite for computer art

a tribute to my grandfather

my first entry for the sophie from shinola writing meme

Again this is what I think which posts did you like?

Intermission

A tale of two nations

I try not to go around complaining about being a minority in America. But some things really get to you and they have to be shared. There was a time in high school when a couple of punks started picking on me for being a Muslim. The usual stereotypes were used (not worth mentioning here). I am a timid guy and try to avoid confrontation. So I tried reasoning with them, trying to explain to them why me having a nuclear arsenal in my basement would be impossible.

But they would not let up. To add insult to injury they started picking on me for being an Asian. At that point I became shocked I didn't know what to say in face of such stupidity. Luckily a few bystanders decided enough was enough and came to my aid. I am grateful for that but let me tell you that experience has stayed with me. I mean it's not like I can suddenly stop being Asian or a Muslim. Anyway all I could do was pray for them. Maybe God will give them a chance to use their frontal lobes, find out what it feels like to use a fully developed brain.

Now this was pre 9/11 during the clinton administration. Things have gotten worse. My uncle had to pull my cousin out of public school because he was being teased above and beyond what a sixth grader should face. He was transferred to an Islamic school. Others were not so lucky. I remember reading a report about an Arab child who committed suicide after his classmates picked on him just because his name happened to be Osama. This is absolutely heart wrenching and should not be happening.

When I moved to Pakistan I was in the majority. In that position I could pick on minorities and get some petty revenge. But what would be the point? Hate is a double edged sword that slices at the heart of oppressor and the oppressed. I decided to embrace my Hindu and Christian brethren. I go out of my way to socialize with them. It does me good to see them happy and content.

I can already hear the complaints coming in. I am not saying that everything is rosy. Certainly they face discrimination when applying for jobs but for the most part they are integrated with society. If you listen to Christmas mass in a Pakistani church you will most likely hear prayers for the betterment of the nation. In retrospect you hear the same thing in an American Mosque on Eid-ul-Fitr. So maybe things can change.

A Show of hands

Who here thinks Microsoft is acting like a two year old who isn’t getting its way? Wow! That certainly was a strong breeze. I am glad you all agree. Here’s what I am taking about:

Bill Gates: Okay that’s that, it’s been a good run but I am throwing in the towel. Lock up after I am gone.

Steve Ballmer: Sure thing buddy

After Bill left the Richmond compound

SB: And now it’s time to put my diabolical plan of world conquest into motion. Bwahahaha! Quick! Get Yahoo on the phone.

Yahoo BoD: Yahoo here. How can we help you?

SB: Give me your company!

YBD: Sorry Yahoo isn’t for sale, thank yooou, come again.

SB: Why I oughta…

Calls them again

SB: How’s about 40 billion dollars? That’s more money then you’ll ever see.

YBD: We don’t want a corporate giant such as yourself trashing our brand. Good day.

SB: Why I oughta…

Calls them again

SB: Here’s my entire corporate budget now give me your company.

YBD: Sorry. We’re not for sale.

SB: Why I oughta…

Calls them again

SB: Listen punks don’t make me get hostile. This is Microsoft! We’re like huge and can pretty much do whatever we like, because we’re so freaking HUGE!

YBD: Well we’re cool and we want to keep it that way

SB: Me want Internet market share!!!

YBD: Can’t have it its mine

SB: waaaaaah!

He makes threats of returning and this aint it over till its over

Google: Yaaaahoooo!

Something Wicked This Way Comes

I first blogged about the story that I’ve written in this post. I want to tell you more about it. Take a gander at these floor plans:

I know that inside of this blog post the image looks like a blue smudge but in reality it’s a floor plan for a fictitious mining space station. Lot’s of evil and crazy things happen inside these walls. If you would like to get a closer look visit my website by clicking on the SadiSoft logo at the bottom of the page. Go to the NEO tab and click on the schematic link, to load a full size image.

While writing the story I had trouble visualizing the space station where all the action was taken place. So I made a rough pencil sketch of the structure to help me out. This gave me a better feel for the world that I had created. I then took that pencil sketch fired up my copy of Flash and made actual floor plans for you to marvel at.

It’s an open secret. Blogs are used as marketing tools. What you’re peddling is yourself. I hope to create awareness of the work that I am doing. Which also include software projects such as my thesis. I hope the right kind of people take notice of my work, I sure would like working with them. Here’s to hope.

Weekend Assingment #214

After completing my bachelors I was feeling on top of the world. I got a few job offers and I was in the position to decide which one I wanted. Money was the primary deciding factor. Around that same time I got accepted to a top Graduate college. My office wasn't that far from campus so I didn't have to commute much to get to class.


Yup life was pretty good. Sure it was hectic working and studying day in and day out but it was fun. All that changed when the first semester results came in. My gpa was below the minimal requirement. Apparently my job was effecting my grades. This was the first time that I was juggling both. So what did I do? I trudged on in hopes of doing better next time. Things didn't get better in fact they got much worse to the point that they were considering expelling me from the college if I didn't shape up.


I talked to my family about what I should do. Naturally they told me to focus on your education it's more important. So I left my job they were dissapointed to see me go and had offered to make me manager of the QA department. An offer that was hard to refuse, but I said no thanks I gotta get an education.


So I hunkered down and started studying full time. Thankfully my grades improved and they decided not to expell me. Feeling lucky I took on a part time job as well. I am no manager but at least I can set my own hours and study full time. Plus in between things I have more time to write which is liberating.


But as the borg say resistance is futile and I look forward to being assimilated by a multi national after I am done with my masters. Sure I'll be working according to their schedule but they will also be taking good care of me. So it will all even out.

Things you should not do

You should not drink a mug of instant coffee mixed with strawberry syrup topped off with a warm glass of milk and honey to wash down your vitamin pill on a warm spring day because that just leaves you bloated.

On a similar note

Here are more talented Muslims stepping up to plate. Meet the Axis of Evil. A comedy troupe that finds the silver lining in any dilemma. Here's a sample (warning strong language used):



These guys are outrageous! But that's just me see what the critics have to say.

Let me hear you make some noise!

People complain that moderate Muslims aren't vocal enough. And that their culture is being marginalized by much louder and shadier elements. Well to that end I give you NOISE!!!

Outlandish is a hip-hop group that raps about Islamic themes. I am endorsing them simply because they have a positive message and it needs to be heard. Here's a link to their Wikipedia entry.

Here's the schedule for the talent competition:

Voices for Change- It's Time for a New Tone!

Hitting the following cities:
Los Angeles 5.31.08
Tampa 6.06.08
Chicago 6.07.08
Dallas 6.13.08
Detroit 6.14.08
New York 6.15.08
www.masyouth.net/voicesforchange