Arfa Karim Shows Signs of Life

Arfa Karim has Mashallah achieved so much at a very young age and brought fame and pride to Pakistan. This little girl now is on death bed and  I pray to Almighty Allah for her complete recovery and may she fight back and bring more glory and happiness in our lives.

ISLAMABAD — Arifa Karim, Pakistan’s pride who became world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) at 9 in 2004 continues to be in critical condition in death’s icy hands at CMH hospital in Lahore since she suffered cardiac arrest on December 22.

On Friday night, however, Arifa showed signs of life a day after doctors gave up all hope for her survival and suggested switching off her life support saying there was ‘no hope’.

“Arifa started showing some brain activity and twitched her fingers, her father Lt-Col. (Retd) Amjad Karim Randhawa,” told journalists.

The youngest-ever Microsoft certified professional, however, is still in critical condition, he said.

Doctors at the hospital said she was completely normal when she suddenly had an epileptic attack and was shifted to the Combined Military Hospital in Lahore. On December 28 she became unconscious and was put on ventilator. The family has been receiving calls from across the world for Arifa’s health and prayers for her recovery, her father said.

Born in 1995, Arifa became the youngest MCP in the world at the age of 9. The MCP involves building programmes into broader systems for business. Arifa was invited by Bill Gates to visit the Microsoft Headquarters in the USA when she was only 10-year-old. In August 2005, Arifa was also awarded the Fatima Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology by then Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. She also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award again in 2005 set up by Pakistan’s only Nobel laureate Dr Abdul Salam. She is also the recipient of the Presidential Award for Pride of Performance.

Arifa represented Pakistan on various international fora. She was invited by the IT Professionals of Dubai for a stay of two weeks in Dubai. During that trip, Arifa was presented with various medals and awards.

She also flew a plane at a flying club in Dubai at the age of 10, and received the first flight certificate. In November 2006, Arifa was invited by Microsoft to be a part of the keynote session in the Tech-Ed Developers conference held in Barcelona. The theme of the conference was “Get ahead of the game” and Arifa was presented as a true specimen of being ahead of the game. She was the only Pakistani among over 5,000 developers in that conference. – Counrtesy Khaleej Times

Bill Gates Hires Doctors for Arfa Kareem

According to her father Col Karim Microsoft contacted him and offered help. Directed by Bill Gates, the firm has hired doctors who would co-ordinate with the Pakistani doctors through vidoe conference and they may come to Pakistan if needed. Read more.

Technorati Tags: arfa karim, arifa, Bill Gtes hires doctors for arifa, youngest Microsoft Certified Professional

internet "kill switch"

In olden times the Kings used to build forts for themselves. Forts protected by armies of men. They made walled cities. Even now our presidents and prime minsters enjoy huge protection. It seems ones’ insecurity increases as you reach up the ladder of authority. USA is supposed to be the most powerful country in the world and they have the greatest security concerns. Their concerns have restricted even their own lives.

A new law is being proposed in the US which will give Mr Obama the power to shut internet with the “kill switch”.

Daliy Mail writes “Now they are saying their economic security, national security and public safety are all at risk from new kinds of enemies–cyber-warriors, cyber-spies, cyber-terrorists and cyber-criminals.

The proposed legislation, introduced into the US Senate by Lieberman who is chairman of the US Homeland Security committee, seeks to grant the President broad emergency powers over the internet in times of national emergency.

A sustained terror attack on multiple cities would be considered a national emergency as would a cyber attack by ‘hackers’ on the US financial system.

The director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair warned earlier this year that the US is ‘severely threatened’ by malicious cyber attacks.

TechAmerica, one of the largest U.S. technology lobby groups, said the new law had the ‘potential for absolute power.’.” Read more.

Courtesy – Daily Mail.

Related Links:

http://perezhilton.com/2010-06-18-obama-to-get-an-internet-kill-switch

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/obama-internet-kill-switch-proposed-20100618-yln6.html?autostart=1

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Obamas-Internet-Kill-Switch-Good-Idea-or-Step-Too-Far-4046/

Technorati Tags: cyber terrorism, internet, internet shut down. daily mail, kill switch, obama

Privacy on facebook

FACEBOOK AT IT AGAIN- TRAMPLING OUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

By Maryam Qamar (Guest blogger)

I’ve really had it with facebook today. While at my house,When my friend signed in to her FB account, she was surprised to see some guy’s home page open up.When she tried to logout, it wouldnt. And when she hit the refresh page button, to our utter amazement, another person’s page opened up. We tried to reopen FB in another explorer, logout, refresh and what-not. But it was with anger that I watched one after another many people’s accounts open up in front of our eyes. This is our privacy. The end of it all. If I can see so many people’s accouts I wonder how many can see mine. Gone to waste are my customised privacy settings.I do not trust FB any longer. They can and will do whatever they want and whenever they want. Whether you find out or not is a totally different story.They will always be ready to comfort you and tell you that this wont happen again. But I dont think that for a single second more will i give them the key to my account…I really cannot afford to have my privacy compromised time and again. Its high time that we understand what FB is…and what it has the power to do….and let me assure you…NOONE can stop it.I would advise everyone to think twice before handing their personal info to unknown people who have the power of the internet at their disposal. Think about what this can do to you.Before its too late.THINK!!!

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebook privacy, FB, personal information on facebook

facebook ban lifted

Thenews states “LHC lifts ban on Facebook”

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) lifted ban on social networking site Facebook nearly two weeks after it was blocked nationwide in a row over blasphemy, Geo News reported Monday.

“Restore Facebook. We don’t want to block access to information,” Chaudhry told the court. —AFP

Lahore High Court did the right thing by lifting the ban from facebook. People of Pakistan and all of the muslim countries have the choice of joining back or staying away from the social networking site.  Millatfacebook will have to compete with the original. Ideally speaking Facebook should have shown some form of regret on hurting the religious feelings of millions of Muslims around the globe. With a simple removal of the offending page/content by the authorities of the facebook,  things would have been resolved instantly.

When I tried to use Facebook the website is still not available at 10:30 am. I called my dsl provider and guy there told me that they are yet to recieve written orders from PTA to lift the ban.

According to APP–Facebook assured the Pakistani government that “nothing of this sort will happen in the future,” Malik said. Read more.

Quit facebook Day, 31st May 2010.

On the other hand 25 thousand people have committed to quit facebook for “ignoring privacy issues and not being open”. Read more.

The users are calling their movement to stop using Facebook planning a ‘digital suicide’. They are protesting against the website ignoring privacy issues and not being open about their policies.31sy May 2010 is the  Quit Facebook Day.

Technorati Tags: blasphemy, facebook 31 may 2010, facebook ban lifted, facebook LHC, facebook pakistan, geo news, micronet pakistan, millatfacebook, quit facebook day 31may2010, The news

Facebook banned

A timely decision…I am glad that our government took this action to show solidarity with the cause.

Facebook proved to be a wonderful medium for locating people and staying in touch with them regularly but this is how people misuse things and create problems for all.

The News states….

“LAHORE: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked Facebook over a competition encouraging its users to post caricatures of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) on the social networking site.

Earlier in the day, the LHC ordered authorities to block Facebook until May 31..

The depiction of any prophet is strictly prohibited in Islam as blasphemous and Muslims across the world staged angry protests over the publication of satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in European newspapers in 2006.

Controversy erupted in the conservative Muslim country last month when a Facebook user set up a page called “Draw Mohammed Day”, inviting people to send in their caricatures of the Muslim prophet on May 20.

The move angered thousands of young people and Muslim faithful in Pakistan, unleashing an online campaign and isolated protests that grabbed the government’s attention and the controversial page was blocked on Tuesday.

But a group of lawyers went a step further Wednesday and petitioned the court to order a blanket ban on Facebook in Pakistan.

Justice Ejaz Chaudhry of the Lahore High Court directed the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) to block Facebook until May 31, when the court will open a detailed hearing into the case.

The PTA Director told the court the government has already blocked the particular link. About complete ban, he said internet services could face problems if the complete website was banned.

However, the court ordered complete ban till May 31.

A large number of religious clerics, students and lawyers were present in the courtroom.”

Technorati Tags: block facebook, facebook, facebook pakistan, last prophet, may 20, muslims, Pakistan, Prophet Mohammad, PTA, thenews

Farmville

When I first saw my friends playing farmville on facebook  it seemed more like a  joke to me. Maybe the farmer inside me was sleeping then! later a  friend forced me to be her neighbour and thats  how it started. I started planting different crops and watching them grow in hours gave me immense pleasure. When harvesting brought virtual money the sense of fulfillment was very real. My farm crops, sheep, horses and buildings  grew in coming days and weeks.

My husband always wanted to own a farm house and leave the city for simple pleasures of natural life. I prefer enjoying city life with its benefits and playing farmville…. ) Look at my farm, those lovely fruit trees, green fields and farm animals!! They give me a sense of ownership…..I even own a house there.

Amazingly 56 million people play farmville within three months of its launch, making it the fastest-growing social game on the internet. For the company (Zynga) it is generating revenues of more than $150 million (£91.4 million) this year.

According to a report of  Timesonline “Fanatical farmers bought 800,000 new tractors yesterday and today they will buy another 800,000.These may be virtual tractors, bought for FarmVille, a hugely popular online game on Facebook, but the money that the players are spending is real.They hand over millions of pounds every day in hard cash on cows, seeds and farming equipment to make their digital smallholdings bigger.”

Technorati Tags: facebook, farmhouse, farmville revenue, farville, timesonline, tractors, zynga

ipad

A mobile phone for a giant or a mini laptop! Ipad is not out yet but the comments are pouring from all sides.

The device is half an inch thick, with 9.6 inch in display and weighs 1.5 lbs. I would just love to have 10 hours of battery life to  continuously watch on my device.

Mr Jobs said:It’s so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone. But who would want to replace it with his phone or laptop or maybe both!

We can see everyone buying one only if Apple succeeds in making it a status symbol.

Seattle Times writes “The iPad is a remarkable device that plays video beautifully, has incredible responsiveness, and is one of the loveliest pieces of personal electronics I’ve ever seen…..Whether you should buy an iPad is an entirely separate question from how it acts. It could be spectacularly useless and a commercial flop, but that doesn’t change how fantastic it is.”

Critics viewpoint is also interesting ….

he display – the iPad’s backlit LCD screen is too bright for extended e-book reading.

Battery life - At 10 hours, it’s ahead of any netbook, but still a good 20 or 30 hours behind any e-book on the market.

Security - If your iPad gets stolen, there’s apparently no way to remotely lock it.

Apps lock-out – The iPad only runs apps from Apple’s App Store. Which is a lot of apps, admittedly, but not everyone’s happy about Apple’s inconsistency when it come to what apps it allows for sale.

Camera - There isn’t one.

USB input - There isn’t any. At least, not without an adapter.

No Flash - Without Flash, forget about displaying around the majority of internet content the way you could on a netbook or laptop.

Multitasking - Is impossible on the iPad, which means you can only use one application at a time, reducing its functionality as a work computer to little more than a large iPhone.

No HDMI - So you won’t be sitting back to watch any movies you download from iTunes on your TV. Read more.

“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” – Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Steve Jobs

Technorati Tags: ipad, seattle times

internet

Ours is the kind of society where psychological problems are generally not addressed and people live will with them, making their own life and lives of people around them miserable. But if someone comes to know about any mental ailment then our first and last reaction is “denial”. We are scared that people will call us “mad” or pagal. If we get professional help for ourselves and our dear ones in depression or any other mental disorder then our quality of life will definately improve. Lets no t ignore these little problems and solve them before its too late.

I read about the first internet addiction center in US and thought our youth may be facing similar problems but our social attitude does not lead our thinking to get it resolved by seeking professional help. Just read about the stories of people who ruined their lives because of internet and there are the eleven signs of internet addiction at the end of the article.

The effects of addiction are no joke. They range from loss of a job or marriage to car accidents for those who can’t stop texting while driving. Some people have died after playing video games for days without a break, generally stemming from a blood clot associated with being sedentary.

Internet addiction center opens in US
Ben Alexander spent nearly every waking minute playing the video game “World of Warcraft.” As a result, he flunked out of the University of Iowa.

Alexander, 19, needed help to break an addiction he calls as destructive as alcohol or drugs. He found it in this suburb of high-tech Seattle, where what claims to be the first residential treatment center for Internet addiction in the United States just opened its doors.

The center, called ReSTART, is somewhat ironically located near Redmond, headquarters of Microsoft and a world center of the computer industry. It opened in July and for $14,000 offers a 45-day program intended to help people wean themselves from pathological computer use, which can include obsessive use of video games, texting, Facebook, eBay, Twitter and any other time-killers brought courtesy of technology.

“We’ve been doing this for years on an outpatient basis,” said Hilarie Cash, a therapist and executive director of the center. “Up until now, we had no place to send them.”

Internet addiction is not recognized as a separate disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, and treatment is not generally covered by insurance. But there are many such treatment centers in China, South Korea and Taiwan — where Internet addiction is taken very seriously — and many psychiatric experts say it is clear that Internet addiction is real and harmful.

The five-acre center in Fall City, about 30 miles east of Seattle, can handle up to six patients at a time. Alexander is so far the only patient of the program, which uses a cold turkey approach. He spends his days in counseling and psychotherapy sessions, doing household chores, working on the grounds, going on outings, exercising and baking a mean batch of ginger cookies.

Whether such programs work in the long run remains to be seen. For one thing, the Internet is so pervasive that it can be nearly impossible to resist, akin to placing an alcoholic in a bar, Cash said.

Psychotherapist Cosette Dawna Rae has owned the bucolic retreat center since 1994, and was searching for a new use for it when she hooked up with Cash. They decided to avoid treating people addicted to Internet sex, in part because she lives in the center with her family.

According to Dr. Kimberly Young of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pennsylvania, addiction warning signs are being preoccupied with thoughts of the Internet; using it longer than intended, and for increasing amounts of time; repeatedly making unsuccessful efforts to control use; jeopardizing relationships, school or work to spend time online; lying to cover the extent of Internet use; using the Internet to escape problems or feelings of depression; physical changes to weight, headaches or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Exactly how to respond is being debated.

For instance, Internet addiction can be a symptom of other mental illness, such as depression, or conditions like autism, experts say.

“From what we know, many so-called ‘Internet addicts’ are folks who have severe depression, anxiety disorders, or social phobic symptoms that make it hard for them to live a full, balanced life and deal face-to-face with other people,” said Dr. Ronald Pies, professor of psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York.

“It may be that unless we treat their underlying problems, some new form of ‘addiction’ will pop up down the line,” Pies said.

There is debate about whether to include Internet addiction as a separate illness in the next edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” due in 2012, which determines which mental illnesses get covered by insurance.

Pies and Dr. Jerald Block, of Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, said there is not enough research yet to justify that.

“Among psychiatrists there is general recognition that many patients have difficulty controlling their impulses to chat online, or play computer games or watch porn,” Block said. “The debate is how to classify that.”

Cash, co-author of the book “Video Games & Your Kids,” first started dealing with Internet addiction in 1994, with a patient who was so consumed by video games that he had lost his marriage and two jobs.

Internet addicts miss out on real conversations and real human development, often see their hygiene, their home and relationships deteriorate, don’t eat or sleep properly and don’t get enough exercise, Rae said.

Alexander is a tall, quiet young man who always got good grades and hopes to become a biologist. He started playing “World of Warcraft,” a hugely popular online multiplayer role playing game, about a year ago, and got sucked right in.

“At first it was a couple of hours a day,” he said. “By midway through the first semester, I was playing 16 or 17 hours a day.“School wasn’t interesting,” he said. “It was an easy way to socialize and meet people.” It was also an easy way to flunk out.

Alexander dropped out in the second semester and went to a traditional substance abuse program, which was not a good fit. He graduated from a 10-week outdoors-based program in southern Utah, but felt he still had little control over his gaming.

So he sought out a specialized program and arrived in Fall City in July. He thinks it was a good choice. “I don’t think I’ll go back to ‘World of Warcraft’ anytime soon,” Alexander said.

Signs of Internet addiction, according to Hilarie Cash, executive director of the ReSTART center for Internet addiction near Seattle.

Three of the following symptoms suggest abuse, five or more addiction
Eleven signs of Internet addiction
1-Increasing amounts of time spent on Internet
2-Failed attempts to control behaviour
3-Heightened euphoria while on Internet
4-Craving more time on Internet, restless when not there
5-Neglecting family and friends
6-Lying to others about use
7-Internet interfering with job and school
8-Feeling guilty or ashamed of behaviour
9-Changes in sleep patterns
10-Weight changes, backaches, headaches, carpal tunnel
11-Withdrawal from other activities

Technorati Tags: computer games, internet, internet addiction, ReSTART

In our college days, we did not use to talk to 20 friends in a day(like we do now using a mobile phone) but the face-to-face meeting with one friend was such a pleasure and time spend in peace used to stay in our memories for a life time.Book reading which used to be ultimate recreation for book lovers  will also change forever with the publishing of a  novel in the SMS format.

According to Hindustantimes, HarperCollins India, Pinki Virani’s Deaf Heaven is the first literary cell-novel and an adult audio-mobile book in the subcontinent. The literary cell-novel will be made available in 90 SMSes and the adult audio-mobile book in two short-duration downloads by Reliance Mobile.

“As publishers, we are always looking to expand reach and to find innovative ways of creating synergy through related media, so this is a first which will hopefully lead to several other experiments in the field,” says HarperCollins India CEO PM Sukumar.

“Our cell phone novel will introduce an interesting element to how novels are read; readers will get the entire book condensed into a few SMSes. The concept that a novel can also be ‘read’ via SMS and ‘heard’ at any time via voice portals is itself an unique and innovative idea,” says Krishna Durbha, head (VAS) of Reliance Communications.

Technorati Tags: cell phone novel, Deaf Heaven, novel in SMS format, Pinki Virani, Reliance mobile

beanzawave

World’s smallest microwave-

It is the world’s smallest, portable microwave and can be powered via a link to the USB port on a laptop computer.

The turquoise device -called the Beanzawave – has been created in partnership with Heinz to allow workers tied to their desks to create a warm snack, or hot drink, to see them through the day. However, it might also sustain a hard-working student through the many hours of lonely revision. And the convenience of powering it from a laptop computer means you could tuck into a hot snack while flying on holiday or even on the train.

To date, the device, which stands just 7.4inches tall by 6.2in wide and 5.9in deep, is only a prototype. However, experts at the Microwave Association insist the sophisticated miniaturised technology does exist to turn the eye-catching gadget  into a reality.

The mini-micro has been designed by microwave expert Gordon Andrews and Stephen Frazer, an authority on industrial design and managng director of Frazer Designers. Apart from its size, the key breakthrough is the use of a combination of mobile phone radio frequencies to create the heat to cook both on the outside and within in under a minute. Mr Andrews, the managing director of GAMA Microwave Technology, said it is possible to ‘tune’ the radio-frequencies to provide the best results with any small product.

‘It is possible to heat a pie, a burger, a cup of soup or tea in quick time,’ he said.

‘There is the option of powering it with lithium ion batteries that would make it completely portable, which would be a help to fishermen, campers or sportsmen.’ Mr Andrews said he created the oven after being approached for help by Heinz, who wanted a portable microwave that would work with its Snap Pots.  Read more

Technorati Tags: heinz.world's smallest microwave, usb microwave