There was a young man who went overseas to study for quite a long time. When he returned, he asked his parents to find him a religious scholar or any expert who could answer his Three Questions. Finally, his parents were able to find a Muslim scholar."Who are you? Can you answer my questions?," asked the young man"I am one of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala)'s slaves and Insha'Allah (God willing), I will be able to answer your questions," replied the Scholar."Are you sure? A lot of Professors and experts were not able to answer my questions," replied the young boy"I will try my best, with the help of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala)" "I have 3 questions," began the boy1. Does God exist? If so, show me His shape.2. What is takdir (fate)?3. If shaitan (Devil) was created from the fire, why at the end he will be thrown to hell that is also created from fire. It certainly will not hurt him at all, since Shaitan (Devil) and the hell were created from fire. Did God not think of it this far?Suddenly, the Scholar slapped the young man's face very hard!The young man, who was shocked and hurt by the slap became confused, "Why do are you angry at me?" he asked"I am not angry," answered the scholar, "The slap is my answer to your three questions.""I really don't understand," the young man said. He was really confused. The scholar began to explain, "How did you feel after I slapped you?," he asked"Of course, I felt the pain. it hurt," he replied"So do you believe that pain exists?" the scholar asked"Yes.""Now Show me the shape of the pain!" said the wise Scholar"I cannot," the young man replied"That is my first answer. All of us feel God's existence without being able to see His shape... Last night, did you dream that you will be slapped by me?," the ascholar replied"No""Did you ever think that you will get a slap from me, today?," the scholar continued"No." "That is takdir (fate)........" The scholar continued, "My hand that I used to slap you, what is it created from?""It is created from flesh," replied the young man "How about your face, what is it created from?""Flesh, as well" replied the young man"How did you feel after I slapped you?""In pain." "Even though Shaitan (satan) and Jahunnum (Hell-fire) were created from fire, if Allah wants, insha'Allah (God willing), the Hell-fire will become a very painful place for Shaitan (Devil)" ended the wise Scholar. The wise Scholar had answered all three of the tough questions by one slap
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That was a clever answer, or should i say answers. If anyone asks you any of these or all of these questions, just slap them. I think there was another version of this story that had a man throw a clay pot at the guy who asked the questions and his answers were that he couldn't see the pain when he got hit with the clay pot, and the takdir one is the same except he got hit with a clay pot rather than get slapped without knowing the day before, and the shaitan one was that the pot was made from clay and that human was made of clay also but the clay pot still hurt the arrogant guy :)
http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/kids/story/three.html
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Three Tough Questions
Steps to Memorizing the Quran
I know a lot of us, including myself, want to memorize as much of the Quran as possible, but sometimes we get confused on certain things or ways to do it. Below are the steps to memorize the quran in the correct and organized way. Following these steps will Inshaallah make us better at memorizing and reciting as well as increase our Iman. =D
The steps below are just general titles, to learn them to a more specific degree, go to the site at the end of this blog.
1. Al-Ikhlas - Sincerity
2. Correct the pronunciation and recitation
3. Specify how many verses you want to memorise on a daily basis
4. Do not exceed the limit of your day
5. Memorise from only one copy of the Quran
6. Understanding is a mechanism of memorising
7. Do not go to another chapter until you finish the chapter you are on
8. Do not listen to yourself all the time
9. Continuity - Always recite to yourself, wherever you are
10. Identify the patterns of the verses
For more info on this subject, go to:
http://www.gawaher.com/index.php?showtopic=662761
btw. my paragraph of my thoughts is the paragraph at the beginning. :)
and just in case if you're wondering, memorise is a British variant of memorize.
AWESOME AIRPLANE SEATS
click on the picture to view it fully.
Not so with Swiss's (formerly known as Swissair) new first class suites, a zen blend of sumptuousness and simplicity. And suite is the right word — these big cubicles, designed by London’s Priestmangoode, are partitioned off from fellow passengers and you can lay back and watch movies on your own big, flat screen TV. And those seats? They fold flat into a full bed — although with surroundings this good looking it would be a shame to sleep through even a transatlantic flight.
Sony's New GPS Gadget Looks Like Eve, Geotags Like Crazy
click on picture to view it fully.
Many gadgets out there already use both of these technologies, but they're not often combined. The XactTrax, for example, details an object's location in an online map, and several cameras and SD cards, like the EyeFi, can tag photos with geolocation properties.
Of course, you can mash up a few of these programs and probably get close to the same level of location functionality.
Using its internal memory and software package, the GPS-CS3K allows you (and others online) to follow your own detailed tracks in Google Maps as you move along in your travels. It also can take the timestamp in any photo from an SD or MS card and match up its location to that online log. This means you can also geotag your videos and any media from phones.
Unfortunately for multi-task avoiders, it looks as if the gadget isn't wireless and you'll have to consistently plug it in. For those (like me) who take many pictures when traveling but take their time between computer visits (I haven't traveled with a laptop in a rural or jungly adventure yet), it could present a problem. At the least, it could be a lot of work back home making sure each time photo corresponds to the correct location in a detailed path.
This suspiciously Eve-looking (from Wall-E fame) device will be available in Japan this spring for the Yen equivalent of $190. We can expect to see it in the States in a few months.
DVD vs. Blu-ray
Mai Hoang, Senior Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting says that, "In the USA, BD has moved from early adopter phase through to early majority, with the format gaining real traction in the marketplace." She adds that last year in the US alone, BD video retail sales increased 320 percent to 24 million units and the momentum would continue in 2009, with over 80 million disc sales forecast.
If you look at the included graph, Futuresource is also predicting that Blu-ray and DVD will be even by 2012--each with 50% of the market (in the U.S. anyway). I can't vouch for the accuracy of the research, but it doesn't seem too out of whack with what other market analysts have been saying. And on a more anecdotal level, we're seeing a lot of interest in Blu-ray players here at CNET--even in this down economy.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
CALL TO PRAYERS ON A COLD WINTRY MORNING
It was a wintry morning with much snow falling coupled with the blowing of a strong cold wind. It was not easy to come out in the open air. Yet one could see people rushing to their work and students with books in their hands hastening to their schools.
In one of the mosques in Hamadan - Iran, religious students were assembling in order to attend a morning class. It was an important school of Islamic theology and the tutor was also a very great learned one. His discourses were indeed very thought-provoking and so were his students quite intelligent.
The tutor was none else but the world famous and a great Persian thinker and philosopher 'lbn Sina', popularly known in Europe as Avicenna. His lectures and writings on various science subjects had become the standard text books for hundreds of years in the universities of Europe. Students admired his deep philosophical thinking. They felt honoured to sit in his class and hear his inspiring lectures.
That cold morning, students had already assembled in the mosque and were still anxiously awaiting the arrival of their learned tutor. They were wondering if the intense cold weather that day had delayed his coming.
A few minutes had passed when suddenly the students witnessed the graceful arrival of 'lbn Sina', their great learned tutor. They felt very happy and stood up as a mark of reverence and respect for him. He sat down at his usual place and exchanged greetings with his students. He commenced his discourse in his usual lucid manner that held his students spellbound. He also gave satisfactory answers to their questions.
Among the students was one very young and enthusiastic by name 'Bahman Yar'. He was much more close and attached to 'lbn Sina' the learned tutor. He was also the foremost among the clever and advanced students of the class. Every time he listened to the lectures of his tutor, he became more and more fascinated with his deep philosophy and knowledge on every subject. He would say to his class-mates: "I wonder why our tutor 'lbn Sina' does not claim to be a prophet despite his supreme intelligence and magic personality"
It is said that one day by chance 'lbn Sina' was standing at a baker and loaf-seller shop. His attention was drawn to a very smart young boy who was displaying signs of much intelligence. The boy was saying to the baker: "My mother is requesting for a little fire." The baker responded: "Have you brought any pot to carry the fire?" "No! But I know how to carry it", replied the boy instantly. So saying he applied some ash over his palm and stretched his hand to the baker who placed a piece of burning firewood over his palm. Without any hesitation, the boy took it and went home.
'lbn Sina' was rather amazed to see the intelligence and courage of this boy. He thought of having him for special training and education under his personal care. The proposal was communicated to the parents who agreed and entrusted the boy to his full care. Thus 'Bahman Yar' since then was staying at no other place except at the house of his tutor and care-taker, 'lbn Sina'. They were all the time to be seen together. The boy being highly intelligent derived the best of the knowledge that his tutor could impart.
Years passed and 'Bahman Yar' grew up not only in age but also in knowledge and understanding under the patronage of his tutor. The learned tutor was also very proud of this most capable student.
It was one of the coldest nights of the wintry season. Midnight had passed and the snow-falling was very heavy. Both 'lbn Sina' and 'Bahman Yar' were sleeping in one room under warm thick blankets. The light in the room was already extinguished but the student was still asking intricate questions on some deep subjects. The tutor was replying in his usual impressive manner. Fascinated by the supreme knowledge and deep philosophy of his tutor, he again made the suggestion which he had made before:
"Oh my learned tutor!" he pleaded, "with all this high status of knowledge that you enjoy and being master of all the sciences, why not declare yourself a prophet? Sir! Don't you think that you even excel some of the previous prophets in knowledge and your status today is unparalleled in the world! Should you decide to claim prophethood, no one would dare challenge you. Let me assure you that I shall be the first to offer my allegiance and would serve you with full faith."
Since 'Bahman Yar' was still young and immature, his above proposal to his tutor was rather emotional than logical. 'lbn Sina' smiled but did not give any reply.
That night the cold weather had become extreme and there was heavy snow-falling. Both were already fast asleep. It was past midnight and suddenly 'lbn Sina' woke up and raised his head out of the warm blanket. Incidentally he was very thirsty and the water-mug in the room was empty. So he decided to wake up his student to go out and bring him some water.
"Oh 'Bahman Yar'! My son 'Bahman Yar'! Please wake up and bring me some drinking water from outside", he said repeatedly.
"Why is there no water in the water-mug near your goodself, Sir?" asked 'Bahman Yar.'
"No!" replied 'lbn Sina.'
'Bahman Yar' raised his head and saw heavy snowfall outside. The thrilling sound of the strong cold wind also made him nervous to go out. Again 'lbn Sina' grumbled:
"Oh 'Bahman Yar'! Why the delay? Bring me some water, I am too thristy."
'Bahman Yar' dared not come out of the warm blankets to face the cold weather outside the room. He was, therefore, putting forward lame excuses to his tutor.
"Oh my respected tutor! It is harmful for you to drink water now that you have just come out of the warmth of thick blankets. It is better you go to sleep again till the early morning which is not far off", said 'Bahman Yar'.
"My son! Bring me water, I am too thirsty. I myself am a medical expert and know better what is harmful than you do. I am unable to sleep, please bring me some water from outside", again appealed 'Ibn Sina'
In response 'Bahman Yar' again put forward excuses and argued that he would catch cold and fall sick if he were to go out in that extreme cold weather. So saying he went back to sleep.
There was dead silence everywhere and no sound of anything was to be heard. Outside it was still pitch dark except the first light of Subhe Sadiq (true dawn) in the eastern horizon had commenced to appear. Suddenly the silence broke with a melodious voice of a muezzin - caller to prayer from the top of a minaret at the nearby mosque. After reciting some verses of the, Holy Qur'an, the muezzin in a loud voice said, "Allaho Akber" - Allah is the Greatest. "Ash-hado an la ilaha illallah" - I bear witness that there is no god except Allah.
Both the tutor and his student quietly listened to the melodious voice of the muezzin. The call to prayers then proceeded to the words "Ash-hado anna Muhammadan Rasoolullah" - I bear witness that Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah. On hearing this, 'Ibn Sina' thought of taking the opportunity of responding to the repeated proposal made to him by 'Bahman Yar'. He said:
"Listen to me, oh my son 'Bahman Yar'. Now I wish to reply to your repeated suggestion". The student sat up to hear attentively of what his learned tutor abruptly wanted to say. 'Ibn Sina' then proceeded:
"You have been suggesting to me several times to claim prophethood, that people would put full faith in me and that you would be the first one to do so. Now look, you have been my close student for several years and benefited from me a great deal, yet you did not think it prudent to obey me by coming out of your warm bed for a moment and bring me water that I badly needed to quench my thirst. Instead you chose to put forward lame excuses."
"But think of this man who is now calling to prayers at the top of the minaret after coming out in the coldest weather and making ablution with cold water in the early hour of this morning. It is for no other purpose but in obedience to and respect for the command of Allah as conveyed by His apostle Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (s) some four hundred years ago.
"What a great difference there is between me and that Prophet sent by Allah!"
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People who think high of themselves and think they are the best or superior should really read this story. This story teaches something to every kind of person, like you are never going to be perfect or as loyal as the Prophet (saws) and there is always room for improvement in everyone. Knowing you cant be perfect doesn't mean you can just give up, because that just wouldn't be right, instead try to follow in the Prophet(saws)'s footsteps as much as you can and Inshaallah you and us all will at least accomplish some of his(saws) attributes.
http://www.al-islam.org/gallery/kids/Books/istories/index.htm
Samsung Phones and Cute Animals
Check this out, its pretty funny
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10168950-1.html?tag=mncol;posts
Surround Sound Headset Rattles the Brain
Psyko Audio Labs displayed it's 5.1 channel gaming headphones at CES 2009, hoping to significantly enhance PC gamers' audio experience. The headset features 3 front drivers and 2 rear drivers, as well as subwoofers inside it's cushioned ear cups.
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Having a hefty price tag of $300 dollars, only a serious gamer would actually buy this, but even though im not into gaming that much, i wouldnt mind having that feeling of hearing things from all directions, hearing sounds that "rattle" your brain, i love that feeling. XD
http://www.wired.com/video/events/ces-2009/6310841001/surround-sound-headset-rattles-the-brain/6821028001
The Pulse Smart Pen
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This is a pretty cool pen, i think it'll come in handy for me once i reach college. Actually, it'd be pretty useful right about now too. I recommend this to students because instead of wasting their money on useless stuff, they can buy something cool that's also useful =)
http://www.wired.com/video/latest-videos/latest/1815816633/pulse-smart-pen/13600905001
INQ1 Facebook Phone
This handset (which arrives in some of the most gorgeous packaging I've ever seen a consumer electronic encased in) is almost laughably banal in its actual construction. A silver slider with wide-spaced keys, it posses a passing resemblance to the Nokia 5200, albeit with a larger (2.2-inch) screen. But, once you switch it on and start using it, things begin to get interesting.
The operating system orbits around Facebook synchronization. Basically you take the phone online, pair it with your Facebook account, and all of your various Facebook applications become active on the mobile. Your Facebook address book syncs up with the phone's address book. Events from your Facebook calendar become part of the phone's calendar. Take a picture with the 3.2-megapixel camera, and you can automatically upload those shots to a Facebook album.
WIRED: Brightly hued, easy to use, easy-to-sync OS pairs perfectly with your Facebook account. Skype integration is thoughtful. Thoughtfully spaced keys make texting, entering URLs rather pleasant. Camera takes photos that are sharp enough to be a profile picture. Extremely cheap for an unlocked device.
TIRED: Humdrum hardware punctuates novel OS. Not offered in the United States ... yet. Battery life is clinically depressing when surfing the web, using Skype.
$112 (estimated)
Google Earth Shows U.S. Drones at Pakistani Base?
The paper ID's the robotic planes as massive Global Hawk drones -- unlikely, the shape's all wrong. More likely, the aircraft found at coordinates 27 degrees 51 minutes North, 65 degrees and 10 minutes East are Predator drones.
Google Earth no longer shows the planes at the airfield, "built by Arab sheiks for falconry trips," according to the Times of London. But the 2009-edition images do show several new buildings -- including what appears to be a hangar, big enough for several Predators.
Pakistani blogger Teeth Maestro, for one, is not at all pleased by what he sees. His latest headline: "Drones parked in our own backyard, to Bomb our own People."
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The all-electric sports car concept is set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show this March alongside the i Mieve Sport Air concept car.
Both are follow-ups to Mitsubishi's i Miev hatchback, which is currently undergoing "feasibility testing" in Europe. The hatchback, which is scheduled to go on sale in Japan sometime this year, can be plugged into any household outlet for recharging.
Though at 7 hours to recharge at 200V outlets and and 14 hours at 100V outlets, owners may opt for a higher-voltage option.
The i Miev hatchback all electric plug-in due out soon in Japan and possibly Europe.(Credit: Mitsubishi)
The i Miev can be charged up to 80 percent in 30 minutes with a quick charge system at a 200V, 50kW 3-phase outlet.
Apple sued over iPhone screen tech
Two related companies are suing Apple over screen rendering technology used in the iPhone and iPod Touch, according to reports.
Picsel Technologies and Picsel Research, based in Glasgow, Scotland, filed a patent-infringement lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Delaware, Dow Jones reported. The suit alleges that Apple is violating a Picsel technology that accelerates the process of updating a device's display.
According to Macworld, the suit is focused on Picsel technology that people use to zoom and pan documents, sites, and images. Apple's devices wouldn't function as fluidly without the technology, alleges Picsel, which wants compensation for devices already sold.
Picsel's site says its customers include Motorola, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Palm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Sharp. According to Dow Jones, Apple declined to comment.
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OoOOooH!!! Apple stole something... All i can say is that i cant wait to find out if Apple really did steal or if this is just another plan to get Apple in trouble.=]
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10164345-37.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0
'Kindle killer' Shortcovers covers a lot
Hey, Kindle 2! Apparently you have some legitimate competition calling itself the "kindle killer."
OK, enough with the cuteness. So far I've yet to be personally interested in the Kindle 2. That most likely has to do with the price of the unit. I just don't have the time to read enough books to make $360 for an e-reader worth it.
(Credit: CBC News)
Indigo's Shortcovers caught my eye, though. PCWorld is reporting that the service is set to launch later in February as an app for the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android OS.
Shortcovers lets you read the first chapter of any book free of charge. It then gives you the option to either buy a chapter at a time, or purchase the whole book. Single chapters are expected to cost around 99 cents each, with full books averaging between $10 and $20. You'll also have the option to have the book shipped to you physically if you prefer.
Shortcovers is owned and operated by Indigo Books & Music, supposedly the largest book retailer in Canada.
While there are e-readers for the iPhone like Stanza and services like Bookworm already available, Shortcovers will be leveraging its close ties to the publishing industry to differentiate this service.
At launch, Shortcovers expects to have about 50,000 full books available, with another 200,000 individual chapters and excerpts in its library. According to PCWorld only a third of the titles will be public domain or copyright-expired works. The rest will be current commercial offerings.
Shortcovers plans to offer news and magazine articles, short stories, and blog posts in addition to the book content.
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I don't think ill get all debate--ish about e-books or regular books until after a couple more years, but for now, I'm fine cuddling up with about 300 pages of words on a sofa .
but its still cool to have an e-book. =]
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10161651-1.html?tag=TOCmoreStories.0
CNET TOP 5: Most Popular Products.
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Its like Phones and Televisions are taking over the world.... shouldn't it be robots taking over though? At first i thought the iPhone would be #1, but it wasn't anywhere in the top 10, maybe i missed something to think that. To help me out though, there should be names of some laptops up there, maybe they'll show sometime later. I guess ill wait.... and wait.... aaand wait.. =]
Fun, Fun, Fun Till Daddy Takes the X-Bow Away
The tuners at ABT Sportline have taken KTM's wild X-Bow and decided the track-ready racer needs another 60 or so horsepower, bringing it to an even 300 ponies.
To most people, packing that much power into a car that weighs just 1,741 pounds would be enough to have them reaching for a net and that funny jacket with the too-long sleeves. But here at Autopia, it has us asking the guys at ABT to hand over the keys, please.
We’re not saying ABT is crazy in a bad way, we’re saying it's crazy in a fun way. KTM’s X-Bow is sort of like a carbon fiber Ariel Atom and a car we’ve always been keen on and hope to see coming to America soon. It’s a wild ride out of the box, so why is ABT messing with it?
Because it can. ABT has long been one of Europe’s leading tuners, tweaking Audis and Volkswagens and other assorted brands that roll out of the Volkswagen Group. Now that ABT has signed on to be an exclusive outlet for the X-Bow, it's working some magic on it, too.
For the record, a stock X-Bow uses a VW 2.0-liter TFSI mill cranking out 240 horsepower. That's enough to launch the car from zero to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds. Impressive, but ABT thinks it can do better, so its massaging the engine to deliver 300 horsepower.
That’s all the info ABT provided. It promises more details and tech specs once the testing is done, but you don't have to be J. Robert Oppenheimer to figure this one out. A 1,741-pound car with 300 horses should be an absolute hoot to drive.
ABT, you know where to get a hold of us for a test drive.
Photo: KTM
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WOW! There are so many cool futuristic cars coming out now, i don't know which to pick although I'm kinda have my eyes on the Aptera 2e. I like X-Bow because its lightweight but has awesome speed to it. I'm a little worried about crashing into stuff with that speed though.=]
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/02/abt-ktm-x-bow-3.html
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Indie Game: Tag Demands Hand, Eye, and Color Coordination
Tag: The Power of Paint is a first person platformer, with puzzles centered around spraying your surroundings with paint to navigate around obstacles. Players are armed with a paint gun, and a total of three colors -- red, blue, and green.
Spray a surface or object with green paint, and you'll bounce right off of it, while anything sprayed with red paint will become incredibly slick, granting you a speed boost as you run across. Splatter surfaces with blue paint and they'll become sticky, allowing you to defy gravity and walk across otherwise unreachable surfaces.
'Jeopardy': What Is High-Tech?
'Jeopardy' originally used cardboard and magic markers but now broadcasts in HD with a $4.1 million all-digital production. Alex Trebek talks about how the show has changed over the years
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Ahaha, it looked kinda funny in black and white. It is amazing how over the years, this show has changed its appearance, i love seeing things that show you what something is from something before, like Mac products. =]
http://www.wired.com/video
Babies See Pure Color, but Adults Peer Through Prism of Language
How does that switch take place? And does it affect our subjective experience of color? Such tantalizing questions, their answers still unknown, are raised by this developmental shift in color categorization, described today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
To test the phenomenon, a team of British and English researchers asked adults and infants to focus on a briefly flashing target circle.
Sometimes the target appeared in the subjects' right visual fields -- roughly speaking, the right half of a person's field of vision, which is transmitted from the eyes to the brain's left hemisphere, where language processing also takes place. Sometimes the targets appeared in the left visual field, which connects to the pre-linguistic right hemisphere.
When asked to pick out a target against a similarly-colored background -- a more mentally demanding task than distinguishing between different colors -- infants performed better when the target appeared in their left visual fields. Adults, by contrast, had an easier time with targets in their right visual fields.
Over the course of our lives, it appears that an unfiltered perception of color gives way to one mediated by the constructs of language.
Does this mean that adults and infants see the same colors differently?
"We don't know," said study co-author Paul Kay.
But might adults see colors differently? That seems plausible.
"As an adult, color categorization is influenced by linguistic categories. It differs as the language differs," said Kay, who is renowned for his studies on the ways that different cultures classify colors. He cited recent research on the ability of Russian speakers to detect shades of blue [pdf] that English speakers classify as a single color.
How does the switch to a language-bound perception of color take place?
"That's the $64,000 question," said Kay. "We have every reason to believe that learning a language has a lot to do with it -- but [as for] how that works, it's early."
TED: MIT Students Turn Internet Into a Sixth Human Sense -- Video
Students at MIT created this cool system that lets Internet act as your sixth sense. Check these videos out about the system.
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This is an awesome system, it would change life as we know it. Now i know we can accomplish things we didn't think possible. I don't know what else to say, i just want it!
To get more info on this, go to http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/02/ted-digital-six.html
Lenovo ThinkPad W700DS
Just when you thought there are no new tricks left in the laptop world ... along comes something previously deemed impossible.
With its ThinkPad W700, Lenovo offered the first notebook with a built-in pen tablet and a color-calibration system. Now it ups the ante again, with this enhanced version of the W700 — the W700ds — the first laptop to offer a secondary screen, built right into the back of the primary display.
I use the term laptop loosely, of course, because they haven't invented a term to describe what this machine really is. Portable computer might be more appropriate: The 11-pound W700ds would crush the femurs of most undernourished geeks, and it's clearly designed to be parked on a desk (and, given the $5,059 price tag, secured with a sizable chain, too).
If you read our review of the W700, you'll grok our thoughts on the tablet and color-correction features of this machine. Here they seem wholly unchanged, and again the gorgeous, incredibly bright 17-inch display is more than ready to collect your average Pixar animator's drool.
If he's a real spitter, why, just reach to the right side and pop out a secondary display for more real estate — here you get a bonus 10.6-inch LCD, not as beautiful as the primary panel, alas, oriented in portrait mode. While jaws drop when this trick is first performed, in real life the secondary display doesn't have as much utility as you'd think. You can park IM windows here and whatever toolbars you use (obviously this was created with Photoshop jockeys in mind), but it's generally too small for dropping web pages or your e-mail client.
Under the hood, the W700ds has been quietly upgraded to a 2.53-GHz Core 2 Extreme and dual 200-GB hard drives. The 4 GB of RAM, 64-bit version of Vista and Nvidia Quadro FX 3700M GPU remain the same as the pitifully mono-screened W700. With its newly enhanced firepower, the W700ds broke all of our general-app laptop performance records (nearly 15 percent faster than the W700), and it rocked our gaming benchmarks too. For the permanent record the scores on PC Mark05 were 8449 and PC Mark Vantage were 5490.
Ask the W700ds to give you all the power in the world, and it complies. All it asks for in return is, like, all your money. And a ruptured disc or two.
WIRED Secondary screen is a novelty of breathtaking proportions. Loaded with ports, including five USB, full-size DVI out and HDMI out. Unmatched performance in a laptop. 94 minutes of battery life isn't bad for a machine this big.
TIRED If you got room for two displays, is it wrong to think you ought to have room for three? Gargantuan size, weight, price. Smells like burning.
Manufacturer: Lenovo
Price: $5,059 (as tested)
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I'm developing a new attachment to Lenovo day by day now because of its Awesome looking laptops. This one looks pretty techie, especially the second screen, it could come in useful. The tablet looks good too. The thing i don't like about this is that its pretty heavy and i wouldn't be able to drag it everywhere with me and why cant it be free? it has to have a price tag?
http://www.wired.com/reviews/product/pr_lenovo_w700DS
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) and the Sacrifice of the Lamb
Just as Hazrat Muhammad (saw), and his companions landed from their rides, and laid the loads down, it was decided that they would sacrifice a lamb for dinner.
One of the companions volunteered: "I will sacrifice the lamb."
Another: "I will skin it."
Third: "I will cook it."
Fourth: " I will ..."
Hazrat Muhammad (saw): "I will gather the wood from the desert."
The group: "O Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (saw) it is not becoming of you to discomfort yourself as such. You rest. We will be honored to do all this on our own."
Hazrat Muhammad (saw): "I know that you are eager to do it all, but Allah isn't pleased with the slave who distinguishes between himself and his companions, and considers himself better than others."
Then Hazrat Muhammad (saw) went to the desert, and gathered some wood, and brought it to the group.
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A person shouldn't degrade a person or think of himself as superior just because he thinks he's better, has more money, or is a leader of some group. That person should think of himself as equal to the one beside him and if he so called is the leader of something, he should take charge of the operation like the Prophet (SAWS) did and help thinking of everyone as his equals, nothing more nothing less. =]
One should also not degrade themselves in front of others, it has the same negativity as thinking of yourself as the superior.
http://www.ezsoftech.com/stories/rasool1.asp
Netflix, Wal-Mart sued for allegedly colluding
Netflix, the Web's No. 1 video rental service, and Wal-Mart are being accused in a class-action lawsuit of unfairly setting prices for their rental services.
According to the Web site of Video Business, the suit was filed earlier this week in U.S. District Court, Western District of Arkansas. The lead plaintiff, Marci Badgerow, alleges that Wal-Mart agreed in 2005 to exit the online rental business in exchange for Netflix's termination of DVD sales, according to Video Business.
The plaintiffs argue that the agreement promotes unfair trade and is illegal. They assert that the pact harmed customers because it allowed Netflix to raise its monthly subscription price from $14.99 to $17.99, according to the report. Wal-Mart denied any wrongdoing.
"We made our own independent decision to exit the DVD rental business and our subsequent agreement with Netflix is entirely proper," said Michelle Bradford, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. "We intend to defend vigorously our decisions regarding the products and services offered to our customers."
A Netflix spokesman declined to comment.
The two companies were accused in a similar suit filed in Northern California earlier this month of conspiring to restrict competition and unfairly control pricing.
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If whatever they are doing is harming me, the customer, then I'm against Wal-mart and Netflix, but if it doesn't affect me, then they can go on doing whatever they want. All i can say is, naught, naughty, Wal-mart and Netflix =]
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10153706-93.html?tag=mncol
Yahoo drops its Briefcase
Yahoo plans to discontinue its Briefcase service, which allows people to store files online for free.
The service will be shut down on March 30, the company said Wednesday. Yahoo is warning users to retrieve or delete their documents before that date.
Briefcase, which offered 30MB of online storage, was launched almost 10 years ago. However, "usage has been significantly declining over the years, as users outgrew the need for Yahoo Briefcase and turned to offerings with much more storage and enhanced sharing capabilities," the company said in a statement.
There are now many alternative online storage services to Briefcase. Notable rivals include Microsoft's SkyDrive, a Windows Live service that offers 25GB of free storage.
There are also signs that Google may be preparing a free online storage product called GDrive. Recent reports have pointed to a reference to GDrive in an online, recently updated file associated with its Google Pack bundle of free software, which includes Chrome and Picasa. The file text says that GDrive "provides reliable storage for all of your files, including photos, music and documents [and] allows you to access your files from anywhere, any time and from any device - be it from your desktop, web browser or mobile phone."
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+*This is the first time I've heard about Yahoo Briefcase
With so many other places to store your stuff, i personally don't think there is a need for Yahoo Briefcase, but if you do use Yahoo Briefcase, i recommend you take your files out of there and put them somewhere else before you desperately need those files and cannot have access to them.
GDrive sounds pretty cool. =]
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10153479-2.html?tag=mncol
The myth of width: When wide screens don't work
Before I slam the move to wide-screen computers, I will gladly admit that for entertainment content, wide-screen works. Our eyes are side-by-side, after all, and having a story unfold in a way that more closely respects how we see gives a more engrossing, absorbing experience. Wide-screen plasma and LCD television sets make sense, as do CinemaScope movie theaters.
But when we have work to do, the fact that our eyes are set up to spot a herd of jackals approaching us over the plain becomes irrelevant. For most people, the world of work is in portrait mode, and wide-screen displays offer scant benefits.
Like reading a page of text or a book, most Web sites are set up with strong vertical orientation. That works for text-based material, since wide lines of text, longer than about 60 characters, become hard to read (the reader has a hard time finding the beginning of the next line).
The original source of my complaint, but almost all laptops today are wide-screen.(Credit: CBS)
What happens with modern "stretchy" sites or apps that let the user read text in a wide-screen format where line lengths get long? Pages get tiring or hard to read.
One argument given for wide-screen monitors is that they allow users to put two pages or applications side-by-side, for easier comparison. This is true, but in many cases it comes at the expense of usability for single apps. Most popular sizes of wide-screen displays show fewer vertical pixels than the more-square sizes they directly replaced, reducing the amount of text that can be comfortably shown on one screen without scrolling.
People who work with spreadsheets may take exception to this, as do those who use very large monitors that have sufficient vertical resolution. But for most people, more square, or even portrait-mode monitors would actually be easier to read.
HP TouchSmart tx2z
So, we were cautiously optimistic with the TouchSmart tx2z. The good news? As HP's first multitouch convertible tablet, it's got a lot of potential.
First off, the tx2z's touch interface has improved. The marketing jargon for the expanded interface is "capacitive multitouch technology" which translates to sophisticated multifinger gestures like pinching, rotating, flicking, double-tapping and dragging for navigation. The big difference is that these functions aren't buried within a touch-based software suite. Want to zoom/shrink, or scroll within programs like Firefox, MS Office, or even the desktop? All it takes is a little pinching and poking on the tx2z's screen. Although the 12-inch display doesn't provide tons of space for all the hot finger-on-touchscreen action, it's a small quibble given the screen's overall responsiveness.
Converting from notebook to tablet also proved painless, thanks to a solid hinge and the included pen. After swinging the 1280 x 800 screen around (and folding it back), we found two goodies. First, using the pen automatically disables the touchscreen (to prevent palm-related havoc), and second, HP included an active digitizer for handwritten input. This made reckless activities like e-mailing while strolling around the block surprisingly easy. Even jotting down quick notes using a finger (instead of the pen) gave us minimal hassle.
Unfortunately, HP didn't build the otherwise decent tx2z on the strongest foundation. Even with its 2.4-GHz AMD Dual Core processor and 4 GB of RAM, the 64-bit version of Vista it shipped with ran freakishly slow. Granted, a lot of the lag was due to the ridiculous amount of bloatware that launched during startup — but a five-minute boot-up on a spanking new notebook is unforgivable.
Holding down the graphics department was ATI's integrated Radeon 3200 GPU, which produced similarly mixed results. We'll put it this way: Gaming and light photo editing is technically possible, but heavy use of any graphic-intensive app is pretty much out of the question. However, when we weren't trying to eke out a couple dozen extra frames in Crysis, the 3200 sufficed.
So, here's the skinny: As a productivity-driven, convertible tablet, the tx2z is a solid offering. Both the touch and pen-based interfaces were responsive, and proved useful across a number of on-the-go work applications. We would've enjoyed a few more gestures thrown into the mix for a little more, uh, "razzle dazzle" but it's clear that HP focused on core navigation &mdash which is fine.
However, when it comes to non-touch/tablet functionality, the tx2z is largely old hat. If you're looking for a highly portable (and reasonably priced) convertible, it's worth a look. Otherwise, you're better off snagging a more even-keeled rig.
WIRED Fully baked as both a touch and tablet device. Travels well with its compact and stylish chassis. Includes quick keys for rotating screen orientation. Mini media remote and pen conveniently hide away in chassis. Altec Lansing speakers strike decent balance between volume and clarity. Extra goodies aplenty: biometric security, webcam, dual headphone jacks, 802.11n compatibility and 5-in-1 card reader.
TIRED Bloated OS hinders performance of otherwise decent specs. Occasionally laggy switches between notebook and tablet mode. No multi touch love for the trackpad. Terrible viewing angles and weak visibility in direct sunlight. Fan sounds like a leaf-blower at a My Bloody Valentine show
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The young girl who isn't an atheist like her teacher~
A young woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to her class of small children that she is an atheist. She asks her class if they're atheists too. Not really knowing what atheism is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks. There is, however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Zainab has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not an atheist."Then, asks the teacher, "What are you?" "I'm a Muslim." The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Zainab why she is a Muslim. "Well, I was brought up knowing and loving God. My mom is a Muslim, and my dad is a Muslim, so I am a Muslim." The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason," she says loudly, "what if your mom was a moron,and your dad was a moron, - what would you be then?" She paused, and smiled. "Then," says Zainab, "I'd be an atheist."
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Ahaha, the title kinda ruins the story. The lesson we should learn from this story is that you should be proud you are a Muslim and you shouldn't be afraid to express that even when when everyone is doing the opposite or they just don't want you to. Don't be a mor**, be a Muslim. =]
http://www.islamcan.com/cgi-bin/increaseiman/htmlfiles/static/99319713072654.shtml
White House Tech More Tired Than Wired
Prior to his inauguration, Barack Obama was, without a doubt, eagerly anticipating taking his seat in the Oval Office. What he likely wasn't looking forward to was time-traveling backward into a workplace riddled with obsolete technology.
Any tech geek recognizes that modern technology is far more than a means to an end: Whether we own iPods, Zunes, MacBooks, iPhones or BlackBerry smartphones, our gadgets have become intimately integrated into our lifestyles. So you have to feel the pain of Obama and his team, who drove the most tech-savvy presidential campaign in history, for having to cope with the White House's bureaucratic IT swamp.
"It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said of the White House's outdated tech.
Here, we run down a list of what's known about tech in the White House, with our classic "Wired or Tired" rating method. This time, we'll start with the Tired stuff first.
TIRED
Windows XP
The White House's computers are running 6-year-old versions of Microsoft software, reports The Washington Post. Supposedly, the White House's reasoning for stalling on upgrades is to maintain security and preserve documents held under the Presidential Records Act.
Can anyone say "virus infection"? While it's true the White House dodged a widespread internet virus in 2007, there's no guarantee a more vicious virus won't eventually infiltrate the White House. There are at least 3,000 new Windows viruses emerging each day, after all, according to Symantec.
Why not transition to the Mac? The virus "threatscape" is virtually nonexistent on the Mac; security experts agree the Mac operating system is architecturally more secure than Windows out of the box. Run some security software on the Mac and you've easily got a far more secure computer setup in the White House than if they were running Windows.
As for the documents preserved by the President Records Act — how difficult can it be to create backups and transfer everything over? Documents and messages copy over easily to a Mac system.
Besides, Obama and his team were Mac users before they even stepped into office. Give these people their Macs.
No Wi-Fi
The White House has no Wi-Fi, according to FoxNews. That's no surprise, given how easy it is to crack Wi-Fi encryption schemes.
But if the U.S. military gets all the cool tech first, the White House can, too, right? This would be a good opportunity to test out Boston University's Wi-Fi transmitting light bulbs. The tech involves LED bulbs, which flicker at imperceptible speeds to communicate with Wi-Fi enabled devices. This way, a hacker would have to be inside the White House in order to hack into its network, and he or she would be made visible under the light.
No Instant Messaging Allowed
White House staff are banned (.pdf, page 11) from communicating by instant messaging, according to Andrew Rasiej, co-founder of the blog TechPresident. That's for the sake of preventing casual talk from leaking out of the White House and onto the web.
That's understandable, but some chat clients, such as Adium, offer the option to encrypt chats, turning your chat logs into unintelligible characters and numbers if accessed without authorization. Plus, the Obama team has already proven with the president's Twitter account that it's pretty good at handling its own PR, right?
No Screwing Around on Websites, Either
Remember George W. Bush? When he was prez, the White House IT department banned sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, according to Slate. There's no word on whether the new regime will reverse those bans, but for now, it's a fair bet that you won't be able to friend anyone in the West Wing.
WIRED
iPods
Former President Bush is known to have had an iPod. But there were some restrictions on accessing new music. During Bush's tenure, only two people had access to the iTunes Store: The president's personal aide, who downloaded tunes onto George W.'s iPod, and David Almacy, Bush's director for Internet and e-communications, who uploaded the president's speeches to iTunes. (I wonder what was in Bush's Top 25 Most Played? Creed, perhaps?)
Flatscreen Monitors and TVs
Theresa Payton, White House chief information officer from 2006, told FoxNews that big, flat displays are widely used in the White House. Can't see why not — so long as they're not watching Paris Hilton's My New BFF during work hours.
E-Mail
It's widely known that Bill Clinton sent only two e-mails during his presidential term. That's because under the Presidential Records Act, all correspondence must be archived and eventually made public, so Clinton sensibly kept his more ... personal ... communications offline. (Of course, Bush's political advisers demonstrated there are ways to circumvent the policy.)
Regardless of the rules, it was simple enough for the press office, with approval from the White House Counsel, to set up personal Gmail accounts as alternative e-mail addresses, according to The Washington Post.
BlackBerry
The president this week achieved a personal victory when he entered the White House cradling his BlackBerry, which many speculated he would have to give up. How did he pull off keeping it? Protecting it with some sort of supersecure encryption, according to reports. Just what exactly that encryption is, no one will say — for obvious reasons.
White House staffers are entitled to BlackBerry smartphones as well, according to FoxNews.
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Woah! I thought the White House was supposed to be all teched-out and stuff, but people there cant even go on YouTube. Well, at least President Obama got to keep his Blackberry=].
They should really change the running software on their computers though. Possibly, change to Mac from Windows.
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/wired-or-tired.html
The Car of the Future Promised for October
The car of the future is almost here.
Aptera Motors has rolled out the first pre-production model of the 2e, an all-electric three-wheeled two-seater that gets the equivalent of 200 mpg and goes 100 miles on a charge. It's a significant milestone for the Southern California startup, which plans to put the first cars in driveways by Halloween and looks like a contender to win the $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize.
"Everything is progressing nicely as we ramp up for full production of the 2e beginning in October," says chief marketing officer Marques McCammon. "We're still on target to build an ultra-efficient, high-mileage vehicle without sacrificing comfort and safety, and once Californians get behind the wheel this fall, we expect to change the world of commuter transportation."
In recent months, it has become clear that automakers big and small are focusing on electric vehicles as the next evolution of the automobile. If Aptera manages delivering its super streamlined cars nine months from now, the 2e will be among the first mass-market, relatively affordable (at $25,000 to $45,000) EVs on the road.
And that would be a testament to the power of the $10 million X-Prize to spur innovation.
The 3-year-old company funded by Google, Idealab and others is among at least 20 teams competing in the X-Prize race to build the world's first mass production-ready vehicle that exceeds 100 mpg.
Most of the major automakers rolled into the Detroit auto show with EV concept cars, with Ford and Chrysler among the companies promising to begin putting cars with cords on the road in 2010. Tesla Motors has been building its all-electric Roadster for almost a year now, and Fisker Automotive says it will begin producing its $87,900 plug-in hybrid next fall.
But despite their advanced drivetrains, all those vehicles look like regular cars. The 2e is like nothing else in the auto industry, which might be why it scored a cameo in Star Trek. With its sleek, three-wheeled design, the 2e looks like something Spock might cruise around in. A lithium-ion battery powers an electric motor that can propel the car from zero to 60 in less than 10 seconds on its way to a top speed of 90 mph.
High performance obviously isn't the 2e's strong suit, but who cares when you're getting the equivalent of 200 mpg? Making the car as slippery as possible is key to the car's impressive efficiency. With a coefficient of drag around 0.15, the 2e is even more aerodynamic than the General Motors EV1, the most aerodynamic production car ever built.
The 2e's ultralight weight of just 1,700 pounds also contributes to its efficiency. But don't worry, the car's front crumple zone, race car-like passenger safety cell and airbags will keep everyone inside safe. Aptera says there's enough room inside to haul around 15 bags of groceries, two sets of golf clubs or a surfboard.
Aptera will flog the pre-production model mercilessly to ensure durability and safety are up to snuff. The 2e differs from an earlier prototype called the Typ-1 in several significant ways. Front-wheel drive replaces the prototype's belt-driven rear wheel to improve weight distribution and traction, the rear-view camera was ditched in favor of mirrors, and wider doors make it easier to get in and out. The interior is a little slicker too, with a stereo, roll-down windows and solar-assisted climate control (check out the PV cells on the roof).
In other words, the 2e has evolved from a spartan runabout into a real car. Aptera says it's already received 4,000 deposits from potential buyers, who will receive a car that Aptera says should look pretty much like the model shown here.
"We're getting close to finalizing our final prime-time vehicle, but there's still a lot of work to accomplish," company chief Paul Wilbur says.
Of course, nothing is certain in this economy, and the auto industry is taking such a beating that even Toyota is hurting, so there's no guarantee Aptera will meet its goal. And it's hardly the first startup to think it can beat Detroit at its own game. But Wilbur's spent more than 25 years in the auto industry, doing everything from product planning and development to bean counting for the likes of Ford and Chrysler, so he's got some idea what it takes to build a car.
"We now have to make the final refinements in the upcoming months, squeezing out every ounce of positive performance, and then we'll have the first safe, affordable all-electric vehicle on the market," he says.
Affordable is a relative term when you're talkin' EVs, and the 2e is expected to cost you something more than $25,000 but less than $45,000. That's a pretty wide range, and it includes such mass-market cars as the next-gen Toyota Prius hybrid, the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt range-extended EV and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric city car that may or may not be coming to America.
The first models will be classed as motorcycles and available only in California, but Aptera hopes to sell it nationwide and then get to work on a new model. "We hope to change everyday driving forever," Wilbur says.
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THIS CAR LOOKS AWESOME!! Adding to the stunning appearance, this car is also more Eco-friendly than the average car of today. I cant wait for this to come out and if the company delivers what they're saying, this car will be on the market a little while before I'll be allowed to drive legally. So its all good.B)
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/01/1st-pre-product.html
LG's New Watch Phone! =D
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This watch has a bunch of useful options, it can be a phone, an mp3 player and it even has a camera. I wouldn't mind wearing this handy gadget around everywhere. I wonder, does it have to be charged or does it run on batteries.
=]
http://www.wired.com/video/latest-videos/latest/1815816633/lgs-new-watch-phone/8699289001
25 Years of Mac: From Boxy Beige to Silver Sleek
It's the 25th anniversary of the Apple Macintosh, but Steve Jobs' eyes are dry. At the company headquarters in Silicon Valley, where he was presenting a set of new laptops to the press last October, I mentioned the birthday to him. Jobs recoiled at any suggestion of nostalgia. "I don't think about that," he said. "When I got back here in 1997, I was looking for more room, and I found an archive of old Macs and other stuff. I said, 'Get it away!' and I shipped all that shit off to Stanford. If you look backward in this business, you'll be crushed. You have to look forward."
Here's what's amazing about the Mac as it turns 25, a number that in computer years is just about a Googleplex: It can look forward. The Mac's original competition—the green-phosphorus-screened stuff made by RadioShack, DEC, and then-big kahuna IBM—now inhabit landfills, both physically and psychically. Yet the Macintosh is not only thriving, it's doing better than at any time in its history. Much of the attention directed at Apple over the past few years has focused on new products like the iPod and the iPhone. Click wheels and touchscreens have distracted us from the news that the Mac market share has quietly crept into double digits. That's up from barely 3 percent in 1997, just before the prodigal CEO returned to the fold after a 12-year exile. Any way you cut it, the Mac is on the rise while Windows is waning. Roll over, Methuselah—the Macintosh is still peaking.
What's behind this autumnal upswing? Apple COO Tim Cook lists six factors: better computers, better software, seamless compatibility with Windows, marketing acumen, successful retail stores, and the belly flop of Microsoft Vista. (Redmond's lame new OS was merely the last straw; over the past two decades, millions have switched from PCs to Macs.) But the larger story of Apple's rebirth begins with the return of its co founder. Jobs called the company he came back to a "beautiful Porsche speedster that had been sitting in a field. And it got really dirty, covered with mud." He slashed the product line, Picasso-ized the design, launched a wildly successful chain of retail stores, and turned the annual Apple keynote address into the high tech equivalent of a popcorn blockbuster. And yes, Apple did make better computers than its rivals.
Those original Mac rebels (including their leader) are now in their fifties, but the Mac itself has managed to avoid middle-age wrinkles and creaky joints. Forever young, it's associated more with Millennials than geezers, even though many Millennials weren't even born when that famous first commercial—Ridley Scott's "1984" spot—ran during Super Bowl XVIII. The Mac is Obama, Microsoft is McCain. Computer scientist Paul Graham summed it up in a famous online essay in 2007: "Windows," he wrote, "is for grandmas."Generally, when products go mass market, they lose their edge. So it's remarkable that with 30 million users, being a Mac person is still a statement. If the Mac share keeps growing, will that stay true? If 50 million people are using Macs, does that mean they're still "thinking different"? How about 100 million?
We may just find out.
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Even though it may not seem like it to Steve Jobs, i think whatever Mac has achieved from 25 years ago to today is a big deal and the designs of their products have improved drastically. aaand, i just felt like saying that i like the picture above, it looks colorful and techie, Good PIC MAC!
What do you think would happen if Windows and Mac teamed up? ( i don't think they want to though) =]
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/17-01/ff_mac
