Sadfeen's thought patrol

‎"Restoring the American Dream" - How do we fix the American dream? CNN Fareed Zakaria reports.

2010-11-01T20:13:00.004-05:00

The world's largest company's CEOs get on GPS with Zakaria - to provide an astounding and profound view of world economy; as it pertains to the American Dream, innovation in America, role of government in job creation and innovation, imminent educational reform and a future road-map. Zakaria does an excellent job of keeping the perspective relative and the subject "real" for the struggling American middle class. I highly recommend watching it.

For folks pressed on time, please read Fareed Zakaria's article in Time magazine.

Mashable's write up on "Don't Get Robbed"

2010-09-12T21:45:00.006-05:00

There is a write up on Facebook's status update being used as a tool for robbers to pick candidates for "real-time" robberies posted on Mashable. Based on some folk's status update about leaving town and becoming possible targets for burglary. Fortunately, such an occurrence is spreading some much needed awareness about Facebook security settings. You can read the article on Mashable's site.

There is some talk about whether Facebook's Places is being used to target burglaries - but those are false as reported by several tech blogs. I'm not familiar with the Facebook API, so I wonder how the status update information is gathered? A Google search or sites which hook into the Facebook API to get user status updates?

With proper security settings you can protect your status updates. If you think your status updates are only available to your friends, still it's a good idea to double check. The Facebook security settings have been stable for a long while now, however, you never know when a new update sneaks in which slips under your radar.

For folks you are concerned and want to take action for securing their status updates to a limited audience, please read on for simple instructions on how to check and set proper settings.

Login to your Facebook account.
From the "Account" drop down menu on the upper right corner select "Privacy Settings."
Notice the "My status, photos, and posts" setting. Check the dot, what is it set to? Everyone, Friends of Friends,Friends Only or Other?
If it's not set to "Friends Only" go ahead and reset it by clicking on "Customize Settings."
The Custom settings page appears with options for settings for "Posts by me", please make sure it's set to Friends only. While you are here also set your "Places I check in to" appropriately.
Once you are done selecting these options, DON'T look for a save settings button - the settings are saved as you are making the changes.

Happy Facebook - ing!

George Whitesides: Toward a science of simplicity | Video on TED.com

2010-04-29T10:01:00.001-05:00

George Whitesides: Toward a science of simplicity | Video on TED.com

Thoughts and impressions about Google Wave and its possible impact on the way we communicate electronically.

2009-11-10T14:27:00.005-05:00

Neat features:
• Email wave: general email functionality, add people to the wave, send private messages to some participants, replay the wave as it builds for people who got added on later.
• Chatting and Video: chat with contacts using real time character by character streaming with the ability to turn off character by character streaming.
• Photos: Upload, edit and share photos with contacts in real time. Contacts that are online can make edits or comments as you type them in or vice versa. Drag and drop items right from your desktop to wave for sharing.
• Polls: take opinions of contacts using polls with ability to view results in different formats, share them on your blogs etc.
• Ideas, suggested itinerary, menu and RSVPs can all be stored in a single location for sharing online and real time. Google Maps integration as a gadget amongst weather and others can also be incorporate to your events etc.
• Google Voice?
• Gadgets:
o Facebook, twitter integration so a wave user can perform actions in the social networking sites from wave app.
• Documents: edit and share your documents with wave contacts. Real time editing features makes collaboration easier for teams. Replay option allows for showing the life of the document as it evolves into a final draft.
• Meetings: record meeting notes real time for instant feedback and documentation. Collaborate by sharing machine controls. The playback feature helps members to follow along if they joined late or are viewing the minutes at a later time.
• Brainstorming Ideas: Great place to discuss and fine tune ideas along with ability to add rich content to the wave.
• Interactive games: Play online games with your contacts by adding your favorite game as a gadget on the wave.

Observations:
Google wave is an application running in a cloud out on the internet; using a browser a user can interact with the application. The wave is geared towards being used as a desktop application which is in fact a web based application. The demo presents Google wave being used over Chrome, Google’s internet browser, where the look and feel is that of a desktop application, appears to work well with the wave. If you are out of internet, you are out of all the apps you use in the wave along with all the data; hence the cloud application. The fact that Google Wave is web based, it is platform independent; A great interoperability win by design. No matter if you are on Windows, Mac or Linux, your Google wave app works and behaves the same. Furthermore, since Google Wave is written using GWT (Google Web Tools Kit) it’s automatically cross browser compatible. Versioning and updating software becomes easier as the cloud is the only item which needs to be redeployed.

Expectations:
Currently, there are many different applications which the corporate world employs to communicate amongst each other. Means of communication like chatting, document sharing, email, video conferencing, WebEx, live meeting, Gforge or Google forums are just a few applications by which we communicate in the enterprise arena. Merging the functionality into one application with added features explained above, Google Wave appears to have understood the value of increased productivity by providing such a rich application with everything right here and now. The benefits unfortunately are hard to explain to a novice user due to the fact that some of what Google Wave offers is already available in different shapes and forms. The ability of companies to set up their own servers for the cloud is a very good indicator on Google’s part that they are serious about having market shares of productivity tools historically owned by Microsoft.
I think we will see more and more integration of other online collaborating tools into Google Wave in the form of gadgets, which will help users to gradually migrate to using Google Wave tools.
Personal use may also thrive based on the easier communication ability provided by the Wave, it’s fun to use!
I also expect Google Wave to appear on IPhones and other devices soon.
Security of information a consumer shares in the cloud application might be a reason for concern for many. Google must come up with a creative and compelling argument for users who could get on the Wave but won’t due to security concerns.

Impressive applications: Gravity is an extension in google wave implemented by SAP. Basically, it's a modeling app.
Assists diseparate teams of individual to come together to discuss, plan and write a business or process model while collaborating online, realtime using google wave.

Here it from the pros:

MP4 - My Yahoo Pipe

2009-11-05T22:58:00.009-05:00

Yahoo pipes is a cool implementation of the pipes and filter pattern. Basically, you get to take your choice of data of many shapes and forms, apply some logic using operators and filters and create lists as well as visual implementations for output. Creating mash up's for converging data of different types or homogenous themes is also a popular use for Yahoo Pipes.

I viewed the quick tutorial presented at pipes.yahoo.com in order to get started; and you do get to start right after.

So, here is how it works ...

- Yahoo pipes provides a drag-and-drop type of online IDE to be your sandbox.
- It appears that Yahoo Pipes IDE is in a cloud; so without access to the internet you can't develop.
- Once you figure out what pipe output you want to create, using the inputs, operators, filters, data feeds etc. you work in your IDE to bolt together a result.
- All output should be connected to a single output pipe.

Here's how my Yahoo Pipe works and what are some things I used while building mine:

- The topic for my mash up is to combine two rss or site feeds from two websites which list items, mostly technology related and gadgets, on a daily basis. The list that the two sites post are usually great deals for a bargain; my mash up uses the two sites; hotdealsclub.com and dealcatcher.com as source, asks the user what keyword do they want to search for deals and how old the deal can be. Based on these filters, I then combine the results of the search and return a final merged list based on the search criteria and the date range.

- I acquired the RSS feed url from the site and used the 'Fetch Feeds' Sources as my starting point.

- I then dropped on the date input and text input from user inputs for capturing the search criteria.

- Wired together the feed output to filters along with the data and text input.

- Tweaked the filters by adding more rules to apply the date rule and search criteria so that the filter will filter through only items which contained text of the search criteria and are not older than the entered date.

- I found that I could not assign the same filter on two sources, I had to create to filters ...

- Then I used the union operator to merge the two filters; keeping duplicates.

- I found that I couldn't pass the output from two filters to output pipe which is why I used the union operator ...

- Finally, display the merged results in the form of a list.

Very intuitive interface is developed for the IDE; almost like a work flow control app. It was very easy to use the IDE to build my mash up and even debug it on any stage using the debug feature. Even easier was publishing it.

I was pleasantly surprised and it was refreshing to see such functionality appear on Yahoo when things as such are usually expected from Google ... while I blog on Google Blogger :) Wonder if Google has such an online app to create mash ups.

Well, here is my first, of what I'm sure is one of many, mash up's using yahoo pipes:

Sadfeen.

like it ...

2009-10-18T18:28:00.001-05:00

ICC Champions Trophy, 2009

2009-09-29T18:33:00.003-05:00

Pakistan is playing Australia tomorrow. Pakistani team is in their best shape ever; wining the 20/20 world cup and then beating India Champions Trophy!!! :0) AWEEESSSOOOMMMME!!

What is "Web 2.0?"

2009-09-13T13:13:00.006-05:00

Web 2.0 is a buzz world. Whenever you experience places on the web which capture your attention and retain it for a period of time; you have been using a Web 2.0 'standard' site.

Theoretically speaking, the definition of Web 2.0, as explained by my professor, can be broken down into three categories:

Social Layer
Architectural Layer
Technical Layer

A web based product is said to be Web 2.0 if it presents itself in one or all of the categories defined above. Presenting huge amounts of information in a meaning full manner is a challenge; Web 2.0 is a paradigm which brings attention to elements which can help us do that and more.

Capturing a users attention is paramount in retaining their interest. Sites which present information in a meaning full and non-cluttered way succeed in doing so. Furthermore, if there are elements which allow the user to create new content and individualize items by uploading pictures, documents and videos etc. contributes to the social layer of the Web 2.0 paradigm. Flickr, Facebook and Pandora for instance.

Reaching beyond the social layer, when a user can execute desktop like application actions in a web based product, we find the architectural layer of the new web order. I find, for instance, Google Docs, to be a great example of architecturally web 2.0 application. Using Google Documents is almost like using open office and MS office, but, only on the web.

Accomplishing tasks like creating interactive, self-aware, real-time and rich Internet applications forms the technical layer of the Web 2.0 type websites. Using implementation which includes Ajax encompasses the technical layer.

Google Wave

2009-09-05T21:18:00.003-05:00

http://wave.google.com/

A whole new world of collaboration - real time!

Extreme WEB 2.0, Rich Internet Application and Ajax in action.

There is so much to tell about the ~ wave ~ so why don't you hear it from the pros themselves.

This is soooo cooooooool!!! I mean out of this world!

FA # 1

2009-08-31T21:04:00.012-05:00

Site which I am considering to examine for FA#1:

Sites which I like and visit often:

Google maps, docs and gmail

Using gmail, maps and docs is extremely efficient for me and I have been using it since 2004. I like many features of the sites for instance:Gmail's conversation style message handling, chat integration, Maps street view is really useful and I use maps for all my navigation, phone/address look up needs and finally docs, I keep all my course documents and notes on google docs for easy access anywhere I am. Google docs seems to be like a good architectural Web 2.0 site; I think of it as a desktop application especially when I can use a menu bar. Yahoo provides similar services but their interface appears to be convoluted. Google services, in my mind, are so rich and clear at the same time; to the point. Yahoo feels like a drag to keep updating pages, moving from page to page to accomplish similar tasks as compared to google; I can carry on a chat without leaving gmail. I use google products everyday and will continue to, I can't wait for Google Wave to go live (Extreme Web 2.0).

Amazon
Facebook

Facebook is a really good example of web 2.0. I have been using it for three years now and love it. The interface with the UI is simple and easy to use. The pop-up chat, updates from pages I am a fan of or following is great. I can do multiple operations on the same page with; 'like' a post, comment on a post, hide certain updates from certain users etc. Immediate notification if I happen to be logged in with any updates. The MySpace site was unattractive to me. I didn't like it's appearance when I first looked at it back in 07 and haven't been back since.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Good clean fun! To the point, I love it.

Kayak and American express travel booking sites

There are so many travel booking and search sites nowadays and many of them are confusing. I found the above two to be straight forward and extremely interactive to use. When I am entering airport data an auto assist drop down list appears guessing at which airport I want to put in. The departure and return dates input fields interface is surprising an annoying field to select from a drop down list, the sites which I listed above show a small little calendar as soon as I tab over or click on the input box. A really cool feature of these sites is the filtering option panel which appears on the left of the screen as a panel; time selections, price, dates etc. appear as options to filter the results even more. A sliding filter is also presented on the Amex travel site to filter ratings of hotels and price ranges; and it's done while I am sliding the bar and doesn't require a whole page refresh. Refreshing :)

WebEx
DELL

Sites which I dislike but can't stop visiting due to subject matter:

CNN

As soon as I type CNN.com it takes a second or two to load up and then the ever annoying pop-up appears or tries to appear. The news site is well planned. I like visiting CNN few times a day to catch up on the news, I would like to make it my home page, but its load time and pop-up keeps me away from implementing that thought.

Natoinal Geographic web site

Extremely non web 2.0. Every link on each page leads to another page. I love browsing through photos of around the world, but, I have to do it several pages at a time. The site is static and lacking any dynamic interaction. But, I love it so I will put up with any lags or clicks :)

HGTV

Sites which I don't like so I don't visit often or at all:

My company's employee Internet site ;)

Perhaps it's just the fact that it's work related that I don't like my company's employee site ;) But, it's pretty lethargic. Pages take a while to load, searching the site is slow. Things are not upfront, it take a while to get where you want to be.

MySpace

MySpace site was unattractive to me. I didn't like it's appearance when I first looked at it back in 07 and haven't been back since.

Hotmail web email client

I don't like using hotmail web client. Everything is pages away. Their process for adding contacts is tedious. I stopped using it a long while ago and switched to gmail.

Google Voice

2009-07-28T19:22:00.002-05:00

Sounds real nifty. Can't wait to check it out.

Amazon Kindle

2008-11-05T12:43:00.002-05:00

If you havn't yet heard about it, take a couple of minutes to find out what the 'Amazon Kindle' is all about. A few of my avid reader friends are kindled already and their experience has been great so far. Write back and share your thoughts.

The Never Ending Story - Fantastic story; take a look inside yourself ... keep your mind's eye open

2008-10-05T14:25:00.003-05:00

President Musharraf's Resignation

2008-08-18T17:19:00.001-05:00

I am utterly perplexed by the behavior and opinions of Pakistanis. I have been watching the regional news channel and learning that during President Musharraf's rule, the Pakistani economy reached unprecedented growth. Foreign relations of Pakistan with her neighbor and lifelong rival India, reached a meliorated state. Internal affairs of rebels and fundamentalist were fractured to an extent to debilitate their operations. The democratic state promises freedom of speech; which was experienced by every one under the so called dictator's rule. The freedom of speech extended to the Media has been hailed by all classes of people in Pakistan. On top of it all, up until February this year, Pakistan's gas prices were subsidized by foreign aid funds (A direct impact to the bottom line of a person's spending).

On the flip side, the political scene of Pakistan became hugely unpredictable; Due to which the foreign investment and security suffered. I hear hat President Musharraf's plan for reform was to trickle down from high class to lower class citizens of Pakistan; Sadly, it did not happen so. The trickle down effect only reached as far as the middle class who swallowed the benefits. The lower class; a vast majority of Pakistan, continued to be crushed by rising prices of food, fuel and housing.

All said and done, I am proud to know a time where Pakistan was glorified in the International political arena; by leaders like President Musharaff and late Benezir Bhutto (reserved appreciation). Allbeit, short lived...

23rd WORLD YOUTH DAY

2008-07-19T15:40:00.000-05:00

Sydney, Australia - 15-20 July 2008

23rd World Youth commenced tonight in Sydney, Austrailia.
I watched the Final Mass conducted by Pope Benedict LIVE on EWTN, Thanks to God with my parents :) It was amazing !!!

Next 24th WYD 2011 will be held in Madrid, Spain. I pray to God that I can attend in person. Also to note, I heard Jason Evert (A big Fan of him) comment on the Mass on EWTN.

Associated Press reports:

Pope urges Australian youths to spurn materialism
By KRISTEN GELINEAU – 46 minutes ago

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI urged young people Sunday to reject what he said was the "spiritual desert" spreading throughout the world and to embrace Christianity to build a new age free from greed and materialism.

At a Mass before more than 200,000 young Roman Catholic pilgrims in Sydney, Benedict said "the world needs renewal" and challenged them to be the agents of change.

"In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair," the pontiff said.

The 81-year-old pope said it was up to a new generation of Christians to build a world in "which God's gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished — not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed."

The aim was "a new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deadens our souls and poisons our relationships," he said.

Sunday's Mass wraps up the church's six-day World Youth Day festival in Sydney that has drawn massive crowds to Australia's largest city, and has been watched on television by a global audience estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.

The Mass, delivered at a horse racetrack filled with pilgrims who had camped out overnight, comes a day after the pope made a forceful apology for the sexual abuse of children by Australia's Roman Catholic clergy. The apology is part of an effort that began in the United States to publicly atone for what he called evil acts by priests.

In his apology Saturday, Benedict said: "I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them as their pastor that I too share in their suffering," Benedict said in Sydney's St. Mary's Cathedral.

He said he wanted "to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt" and called for those responsible to be "brought to justice." The acts were "evil" and a "grave betrayal of trust," he said.

But the pope's apology was not enough to satisfy representatives of the victims of clergy sexual abuse, who said it must be backed by Vatican orders to Australian bishops to stop what they say are efforts to hide the extent of the problem and block survivors' attempts to win compensation.

Sunday's events wrap up a busy four-day schedule for Benedict in which he touched on all the major themes of his three-year-old papacy, including the need to rejuvenate what he says is a church in "crisis" in the West because people are losing their faith in God.

He also stressed the need for mankind to protect the environment and end its "insatiable consumption" of the world's resources. He continued to reach out to other faiths, telling leaders of Islam and other religions they must unite against those who were threatening the world with "sinister and indiscriminate violence."

The pope flew over the scene early Sunday in a helicopter — dubbed "the holy-copter" by bleary-eyed pilgrims below — to see the assemblage amassed on the track with a jumble of sleeping bags, backpacks and other personal items.

He later took a slow drive through the crowd, stopping once to plant a kiss on the forehead of a toddler held up to the popemobile's window. Pilgrims from more than 160 countries gave him a rock-star welcome, waving the flags of their nations, cheering and chanting: "Benedicto!, Benedicto!" — the pope's Italian name.

The pope was due to leave Australia for the Vatican on Monday.
Hosted by Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Movies...again!

2008-06-13T16:36:00.001-05:00

Any new movies you watched? How about the following:

Layer cake ... not so keen any more
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix *****
The Gloden Compus *****
Boewulf *****
No Reservaions*****
Ocean's Thirteen *****
The Bourne Ultimatum *****
Fantastic Four *****
Pan's Labyrinth *****
The Messengers *****
Casino Royale ***** ***** :D
OVer the hedge *****
The Wild *****
The Guardian *****
~~Borat~~
The Departed (anxiously awaiting to watch) *****
~~The Nativity Story~~
~~Ergon~~
The Man of the Year *****
Open Season *****
Janeman *****
Stranger than Fiction (Will Ferrel)*****
~~Santa clause 3~~

The last episode of LOST

2008-06-09T21:51:00.003-05:00

Jeremy Benforth ... John Lock
What an episode. Life is so unfair! Now I have to wait until the next year to know what happens next ... LOL ... So, Ben is scheming to get everyone back to the island which by the way is LOST. See, Ben never had a real life outside of the island, with his cheesy dialogues, "Don't you know John, I always have a plan" or "How would I know, I lived on a island all my life" He does not have ESPN sports or lavish ski trips to go to or hiking trips or biking around his favorite part of town...See Ben, is a loser; His only form of entertainment is moving around islands, time traveling and playing the role of an arch rival. For all we know he is being chased by a debt collector. Now he wants to escape again. But he doesn't know where to escape since he LOST the island. To make everyone else's live miserable again he will make it back to the island. And guess what the OTHERS will say when they see him, "oh, NO , not him again! Leave us be, enough of your cheesy dialogues and stop moving the island around, would you? It makes my head spin" Jacob would tell him, "I had to move the whole island and still you came back, don't you get it! You are not welcome!" Alright, alright, now for my favorite scenes of the episode...drum roll please ... Penny and Dez; Awww, what a pleasant surprise. And finally, we know what happens to John. John's character is still as annoying as Ben's, but at least Ben's get lots of dimensions. John is just so confused all the time. Annoying. I have to say I will miss Ben's cheezy dialogues, Jack, Sawyer, Aaron, Penny, Dezzy and Dan. Until the next season then.

NickleBack - If Everyone Cared

2008-05-26T20:59:00.001-05:00

"If Everyone Cared"

From underneath the trees, we watch the sky
Confusing stars for satellites
I never dreamed that you'd be mine
But here we are, we're here tonight

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

[Chorus:]
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died

And I'm singing

Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
(I'm alive)

[Chorus x2]

And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
When nobody died...

[Chorus]

We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day, we'd see the day
When nobody died
We'd see the day when nobody died

My dedication to the late Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body.

Proverbs 31:30

2008-05-13T12:50:00.001-05:00

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30)

Awesome -- Must watch -- must ...

2008-05-13T12:42:00.000-05:00

2008-02-24T23:45:00.003-05:00

Jesus Calls ministry has a collection of desktop background images with bible verses written on them. These images are beautiful and inspiring. See for yourself.

Superb Qawali - Neray Neray by BJS

2008-02-24T17:43:00.003-05:00

Must see! The new generation of Qawals.

--- LOST --- episode 2/22/08

2008-02-22T20:26:00.004-05:00

Aaron...Aaron...Aaron!
Kate's baby- is Aaron! That has got to be the biggest twist of the season. Why doesn't Jack want to see the baby? Why is Kate so attached to Aaron? Finally, Kate's mother came to her senses and recede her testimony, and no wonder Kate does not want her mother to meet Aaron; Aaron's not Kate's baby! John - oh John, honestly, I started hating that character since the day he joined teams with Benny boy. I think John's character is losing momentum; he seems to be desperate and LOST, precisely why we must have much to see from his character soon as he does seem to resound the theme of the series. Great show, I am glad I caught up to the season 4 in time, thanks my colleague Ivan :)

Sharper Image closing stores; files bankruptcy

2008-02-21T23:33:00.003-05:00

Sharper Image is filing bankruptcy; closing down half of it's stores nationwide, sad news. I love shopping in Sharper Image, always finding innovative products for gifts or pampering myself :) I hope my mall's store stays open; plenty of support here. I wish them all the best.

Daily Devotional - Beautiful words of Christ

2008-02-18T08:08:00.001-05:00

Matthew 6:31-34, 7:1-1231) " Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32) For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 34) Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day. 7:1) Judge not, that you be not judged. 2) For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3) Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4) Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? 5) You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. 6) Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you." 7) " Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8) For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9) Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10) Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11) If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 12) So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets."

Lent - Jesus' sermon on the mount.

2008-02-13T20:05:00.002-05:00

Part 1

Part 2

VMware - run multiple operating systems on one machine

2008-02-10T20:19:00.000-05:00

VMWare server is freeware which allows one machine to run multiple operating systems. This gives you the flexibility of running Window, Linux, or any other 32bit/64bit chip processor OS on which ever one machine you choose. Comes in real handy when you are not ready to migrate instantly to another OS; instead you can test drive it on a Virtual Machine. I will share thoughts about ease of use/install once I have completed an install of Windows XP Pro on a virtual machine on my laptop which currently runs Vista.

John Legend - New addition to my music library

2008-02-09T17:16:00.000-05:00

Check out his album ' Live from Philadelphia '
- Slow Dance
- Save Room

Different vocals, Jazzy, enjoyable.
Take Care !

Beautiful soundtrack - Jodhaa Akbar

2008-01-21T23:30:00.000-05:00

The song, "Jashn-e-Baharan" sung by Javaid Ali is so sweet to the senses like the taste of spoon full of honey. Beautiful lyrics, compositions and singing. Also a great listen is 'Kwaja mere Kwaja.'

Insurance discounts for home owners plus more...

2007-11-13T22:51:00.000-05:00

check it out:
https://apps.fldfs.com/HurricaneMitigation/Consumers/application.aspx

One Laptop at a time

2007-11-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php

VISA IPO - Gearing towards raising $10 Billion

2007-11-10T13:32:00.000-05:00

Visa is preparing for an IPO for the next year. MasterCard IPO of $39 / share more than tripled over the years. Visa has said to have prepared lunch of products like charging from your cell phones among others. Read more on an article on Bloomberg.

Thoughts on getting in on this IPO?

I am calling my broker asap :)

Che Guevara's 40th anniversary

2007-10-08T10:09:00.000-05:00

If you have seen the movie 'Motorcycle diaries', you will know what is the significance of this day. One man's epiphany ...

Ali's new Upcoming Album - Klashanfolk

2007-10-03T21:31:00.001-05:00

AAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Ali's new album "Klashanfolk" is coming out soon !!!! So exciting, I can't wait. He is my ideal in this social circus of a world ...

Found his album cover ... but can't find the music album in stores yet...

World Twenty Cricket 2007

2007-09-22T11:34:00.000-05:00

Rock On Pakistan !!!
Check it out Final on this Monday 9/24 .

~ Harry Potter - The Deathly Hallows ~

2007-07-14T19:52:00.000-05:00

I could'nt have put it better, "The main reason I like reading the Harry Potter books is because they allow me to escape the real world and imagine what school (and life) would be like if we were able to use magic. " states Daniel Gonsalves in his article about the upcoming Harry Potter's final book of the series. I am just as anxious and ready to visit Hogwarts again :)
Sadie.

Logic Problems

2007-07-07T22:41:00.000-05:00

Fun way of passing time when you can't go to the beach ;0)
Google "Logic problems" + "puzzles"
God Bless All the couples you tied the knot today :0)
~~~~~ 7/7/07 ~~~~~~

Wimbledon 2007

2007-07-07T13:16:00.000-05:00

Check out the highlights of Wimbledon 07. Excellent play by the world class players.
The video is nice, capturing the rained down stadium and then some super cool shots!!

More Google Goodies

2007-07-06T13:26:00.000-05:00

PhoneBook

Google has added the convenience of US street address and phone number lookup to the information we provide through our search box. You'll see publicly listed phone numbers and addresses at the top of results pages for searches that contain specific kinds of keywords.

To find listings for a US residence, type any of the following combinations into the Google search box:

first name (or first initial), last name, city (state is optional)
first name (or first initial), last name, state
first name (or first initial), last name, area code
first name (or first initial), last name, zip code
phone number, including area code
last name, city, state
last name, zip code

Enjoy!!

Enya - Only Time

2007-07-02T22:59:00.000-05:00

Only Time

Who can say
where the road goes
where the day flows
- only time
And who can say
if your love grows
as your heart chose
- only time

Who can say
why your heart sighs
as your love flies
- only time
And who can say
why your heart cries
when your love lies
- only time

Who can say
when the roads meet
that love might be
in your heart
And who can say
when the day sleeps
if the night keeps
all your heart

Night keeps all your heart

Who can say
if your love grows
as your heart chose
- only time
And who can say
where the road goes
where the day flows
- only time

Who knows - only time
Who knows - only time

Super Bhangra Video :D

2007-07-02T22:28:00.000-05:00

Check out "The LOT" Amature Directors

2007-07-02T20:04:00.000-05:00

I just watched a video namely: "mailbox" on the lot, it was nice. Different story telling. I enjoy watching "The Lot" and sometimes check the video's on their site. Such a diverse array of movie making and story telling. It is quite refreshing. Check it out ...

Microsoft - Visual Studio 2k8 - Orcas

2007-06-23T22:34:00.000-05:00

Visual studio 2008 beta code named "orcas" is available for download:http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=5d9c6b2d-439c-4ec2-8e24-b7d9ff6a2ab2&DisplayLang=en

It is compatible with Windows XP / Vista.

Check it out and share the knowledge...

Rock/Alternate Music Search

2007-06-23T21:03:00.000-05:00

I am expanding my music library with new/old rock, alternative bands. Here are few I stumbled upon on itunes. I am falling in love with iTunes! I don't get a chance to listen to public radio much and don't watch MTV... So, I am pretty left behind when it comes to finding new music. Drop by a hint if there is a new rock/alternative album, single worth checking out.
A few I added to my library:

Nora Jones is Awesome too. Nice jazzy, soothing music for a somber mood ...
LifeHouse - Who we Are
GreenDay
Shinedown
Nickleback - If everyone cared

Peace out!

Sadie.

Visa - everywhere you don't want to be

2007-06-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

Sunday's Homily

2007-05-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?
25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Congratulations Hugh Laurie !!!

2007-05-23T13:23:00.000-05:00

My favorite TV drama series "House" lead character of Dr. House, Hugh Laurie, is honored by Queen of England. Well Done!! More reading : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070523/ap_en_tv/people_hugh_laurie

Fun and Games - 3

2007-05-10T21:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, so Volly ball practice got cancelled becuase no one showed up :( But, my sister and her freind decided to grab something to eat from Moe's and head out to the beach for a walk. It was very soothing and fun. I got a chance to call my uncle Sandip and heard about great miracles the Lord is performing in people's lives! We prayed together. It was awesome! Okay, I am going to watch '3 walls' an idian movie recommended by a freind and doze off - laterssss.

An inconvenient truth - Climate Crisis

2007-05-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

I just watched former Vice President, Al Gore's, documentary on Global Warming. Eye-opening! I am moved by it. I don't need time to take a second breath in order to believe any of the facts discussed in the documentary. Pollution is all around us! Globalization, Industrialization, Economies are to blame? Well, we won't have an earth to make money on if the way we are living - continues. If we study the history of earth and life upon it, we will find that everything around us has evolved. The consequences of Global Warming will be catastrophic, however, the earth will evolve. Life will still exist in a new manner different than ever before. But, we should not let it happen if WE CAN DO SOMETHING about it. That is one of the messages put across in the DVD.
I want to list all the reasons how Global Warming has and will effect us, however, I'd rather shed some light on how to become part of the solution rather then reiterating the problem. Please visit www.climatecrisis.net to learn about some simple things we can do to prevent further deterioration of our climate. Some things which I will do to help:

Recycle
Use energy saving appliances: I already switched 3/4 of the light bulbs in my house to energy saver bulbs. Next is to question FPL if they can provide Green Energy.
In the future buy a hybrid car.
Concur and voice my opinion when asked by government or when need to sign a petition or request support for a bill to pass in support of reducing Global Warming.
Use paper instead of plastic when you go grocery shopping.

Thanks for reading,

Sadfeen.

~ My 25th B-day ~

2007-05-05T20:48:00.000-05:00

So, here is how the day went by...My 25th birthday...The silver jubilee of the life of Sadfeen Naimat. I started the day with lots of birthday wishes from mi familia and a prayer by my Dad. Previous to that my big bro took me out to dinner on Friday night to Stir Crazy and then to Cheesecake where we had, you guessed it, Cheesecake, ohhhh, the strawberry cheesecake was heavenly! It was a very nice evening out. Back to today, woke up at 11:30 am, had breakfast, ran some errands came home watched DeJa Vu (okay movie) had Biryani, slept for a little while. Oh, also took the interview of my brother and sisters inquiring about what they were doing on their 25th b-day...lets keep the findings to me ;) ... Woke up, with my Mum I went on a drive, we went to Church where I prayed at the chappel which was very soothing :) I loved it. Then we went to the beach spend a little time there and then we went and picked up my cake from the fabulous King's bakery. By this time the whole family got together and we sang a couple of Psalms 134 and 111. My dad read a passage from the new testament at my request from the book of Collosians 3: 12-18 or 20 the whole chapter is great. It defines me and I pray it continues to do so with Jesus' help and God's will. Dad said a beautifull prayer for me.
I had dinner and watched another movie. All in all it was a nice day. I pray that God Blesses me even more each day. I pray that Jesus is always there with me. I pray I feel His existence in my life more powerfully than ever!!! Remember; Jesus Loves You!

My 25th B-day - Thanks to God :)

2007-05-05T11:09:00.000-05:00

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Fun and Games - 2

2007-05-03T20:18:00.000-05:00

Volly ball is back! Sri I miss you here at the court!! You would'nt play but be there for fun :) Rosie is so gooood and so is Michelle. I improved my serve drastically. This time I was not very scared of the ball. Note to self; when ball is above shoulder push it up/away and when below should level pick it up with arms! that sounds eazy but it takes lots of practice. Anyways, I am not so sore this time around :) We had a really good Chocolate Zocotto cake at the office for my Bosses B-day. Nice! I really hope my peeps are doing something special for my b-day coming up on cinco de mayo. I am eating pizza :( which will off-set any workout achieved by playing Volly ball for three hours!! No worries though.
Watched Blood Diamond...WoW...what a great movie. Memorable scenes:
Vandy getting through to his son when he points the gun at Archer ( Hot Hot DiCaprio !!!! ) after finding the diamond. Also, when Archer( Hot Hot DiCaprio !!!! ) calls up his journalist friend when he is dying :( So Sweeeet .
Alright, I am going to get Netflix back I miss it. New documentaries to watch:
Blood Diamond 2007 documentary and Jesus camp (Recomended by Puneesh).

Fun and Games

2007-04-26T21:50:00.000-05:00

Wow, volley ball looks so effortless when others are playing, but I got four bruises to show for how full of effort and technique the game really is. It was fun to get together with friends and co-workers. I improved my serve, learnt how to not duck and actually return the ball over the net :) My arms are so soar...
I just heard on the news that Wayne is under presure to perform for the Miami Heat team...Bernie mack show is on and he is telling his 8 yr old 'to be a man' haha. He is so funny! Ne ways I really want to watch the movies, "The Blood Diamond", "The Inconvenient Truth", "The Painted Veil". "Reign over me" looks like a good one too.
What else, My final exam is next week and I need to study for it...obviously. Work is crazy like never before, you never really know how good you have it untill you lose it. I pray to God that I am aware of the goodness and love around me, Thanks to God. Really sleepy , eye lid weigh 20o tons heavy...can't type any longer...must sleep...ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Padre Pio - Jesus follower, inspiring...

2007-04-14T21:32:00.000-05:00

"Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry!" Kind and encouraging words by Padre Pio. I heard about Padre Pio in our prayers meetings with our parish Father Med Laz. Padre Pio was a devot follower of Christ and was blessed with several gifts as explained on the website:"Padre Pio, a humble Capuchin priest from San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, was blessed by God in many wonderful and mysterious ways. The most dramatic was the stigmata. Padre Pio bore the wounds of Christ for fifty years! Among his other gifts were perfume, bilocation, prophecy, conversion, reading of souls, and miraculous cures. People are still being cured through his intercession in ways that cannot be explained by medicine or science. More important, if less spectacular, are the spiritual healings that take place in all parts of the world! Padre Pio is a powerful intercessor!!" So, I am going to learn more about Padre Pio just like Pope John Paul II late, as Pope John Paul always said, "Do not be afraid!" (May their souls rest in peace); I pray I recieve devine influence by learning about their lives and grow closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ Rocks!!!! :)
There are talks about making a movie on life of Padre Pio and as well as Pope John Paul II. I can't wait. Check out some of Pardre Pio's teachings.

Google 411: free national directory assistance

2007-04-14T11:44:00.000-05:00

http://labs.google.com/goog411/:

Welcome to Google Voice Local Search
Google Voice Local Search is Google’s experimental service to make local-business search accessible over the phone.

To try this service, just dial 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) from any phone.

Using this service, you can:

search for a local business by name or category.
You can say "Giovanni's Pizzeria" or just "pizza".

get connected to the business, free of charge.

get the details by SMS if you’re using a mobile phone.
Just say "text message".

And it's free. Google doesn’t charge you a thing for the call or for connecting you to the business. Regular phone charges may apply, based on your telephone service provider.

Note: Google Voice Local Search is still in its experimental stage. It may not be available at all times and may not work for all users. We’re fine-tuning the service to get better at recognizing your requests. It’s currently only available in English, in the US, for US business listings.

Honorable Mention ...

2007-02-11T21:20:00.000-05:00

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-5)

J.R.R Tolkien

2006-12-30T19:34:00.000-05:00

The works of J.R.R Tolkien:

The Hobbit ~ 1937
The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy) ~ 1954
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil ~ 1962
Smith of Wotton Major ~ 1967
The Road Goes Ever On ~ 1967

Let us Remember

2006-12-25T09:28:00.001-05:00

While the reading the Sunday newspaper I came across an article in the Sun-Sentinel about Christmas for Christians in Iraq. As the article shed light upon the deteriorating condition of life in general; it also explained the turmoil and hardship that our fellow Christian brothers and sisters in Iraq are facing every day. However, more pronounced at this time of the year. The Church services are cancelled at the last minute, families are getting together under life threatening conditions to...And Yet the Spirit of Christmas is wonderfully felt. Praise to God Almighty and I pray Jesus' comforting peace, mercy and grace be with them now and forever. My pray, no different then many others, is for peace in Iraq. So, Let us remember the Christian's in Iraq in our prayers, thought and generosity.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061225/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_celebrating_christmas

Great Sountracks...must check out

2006-12-17T11:44:00.000-05:00

Hello peeps, Okay, I want to share a bunch of great soundtracks I have been jamming to in the past couple of weeks. Here is the A-list...Promise me you will check them out ;) at Raaga.com Indian Movie Soundtracks:
Anwar: Maula Mere Maula, Javeda Zindagi (Tose Naina Lagey)

Guru: Tere Bina ( My personal fav )

Babul: Vaada Raha, Har Manzar Salaam-E-Ishq: Dil Kya Kare, Salaam-E-Ishq, Ya Rabba

Jaan-E-Mann: Hum Ko Maloom Hain, Ajnabi Sheher Hai, Kabool Kar Lai
Bhagham Bag: Tere Bin

Bas Ek Pal: Tere Bin
Pyaar Ke Side Effects: Pyar kar Ke, Jaane kya
Woh Lamhe: Kya Mujhe Pyar Hai

Hope you can enjoy the songs as well...

Moving to a new state

2006-11-28T01:07:00.000-05:00

What state would you migrate to and why?

Australia - Photos

2006-09-20T21:44:00.000-05:00

Some excellent photograhpy of a trip to Australia of my friend/co-worker, Rich. Photos Here is a preview photo

Movie Reviews

2006-08-26T22:03:00.000-05:00

Talladega Nights: Will Farrel is hilarious in the movie. The movie is about a guy (Will Ferrell) who is a race car drivers. He is invincible on the race track. Tragedy strikes the happy go lucky race car driver's life and he had to give up driving. The story unfolds on how he gets his act back together to see if he can win his life's race for himself and others who surround him. Having said that; it is a funny movie; the story keeps taking you to the edge and pulls you right back. Let me explain, the characters will say/think/do something fairly silly and then right away say the opposite which would make sense for the situation. There are several references to Jesus in the movie, or should I say, "Baby Jesus" Will Ferrel keeps saying "Thank you Baby Jesus", its quite catchy and sweet. There were definitely undertones in the movies. All the well, I give it, hmmm, ***** stars.

BenchWarmers: Dont's waste your time, ***** stars.

Fanaa:
Amir Khan and Kajol have really brought the story alive on the screen. The story is about a blind Kashmiri girl (Kajol) who is at a point in life where she is really thinking hard about her future and hopes of finding love. Zooni (kajol) is leaving her home for a trip to a historical city New Delhi where she will be doing a dance performance with her group on a national holiday. While roaming around the city she falls for her tour guide Rehan (Amir Khan) who has been flirting with her knowing she is blind. The story goes on how these two meet, how their lives get connected to each other turn after turn; knowingly or unknowingly... The beginning of the movie is quite casuall yet catchy. Rehan is a poet and freely expresses his thoughts/emotions via poetry; it is very amusing to watch in the beginning of the movie. Some will call it cheap; I enjoyed it. The second half of the movie is a flip of the first half. Personalities and situations change drastically. The movie is mostly pictured in Kashmir and New Delhi. There is a strong message in the movie which comes about at the end of the movie, where Kajol is faced with a tough life changing decision... The scenery is breath taking. The song "Chanda Chumke" is my favorite, I think every kid should learn to sing this song. It is a tongue twister. The soundtrack of the movie is very good. Check it out on raaga.com. I enjoyed watching the movie twice, I give it ***** stars

Omkara: This one is not for the faint minded. It is a very raw adaptation of Shakespear's Othelo. The story is true to the original with a few twists for regionality purposes. Ofcourse, the classic characters jump out on the screen as the story unfolds. In no time you start hating Yago (Saif Ali Khan). Funny to note is the use of cell phones and modern inventions in a story which was written years ago :) The language is very explicit and sometimes profane; don't watch it with kids. Not a family movie. The elements of drama if there are any in the movie, stayed hidden from me; other than the apparent Ajay (dark Othello) and Karina (fair Desdemona) . Quite frankly I could not digest the movie; I could not get past how graphical the acting and language were, atleast for my nerves to handle. The picturization is different again due to the region being filmed. The soundtrack is catchy, worth one time listening. I give it ***** stars.

Three very usefull websites:

2006-06-25T22:21:00.001-05:00

Yahoo FareChase : Excellent tool to find lowest fairs. Searches across airlines. The results set is even more filtered by times of flight. It is really cool. Must SEE!!
White pages : Excellent tool to find listed phone number of family and freinds.
US time Zones : Select a state and find out the correct time zone and time.

Love Google

2006-06-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

Following are a few new efficient features from google:
1) Google spreadsheets. Read the description from Hot deals club: A new free service available in beta is Google Spreadsheets, and I recommend it for any work environment that wants spreadsheets shared amongst a group of people. It works like Microsoft Excel, except you can access your spreadsheets from any computer, and can share them with your co-workers. It can import and export to/from Excel and CSV files, and supports almost all the basic tasks offered by Excel, including formulas (mathametical, statistical, textual, etc.), styles (fonts & colors), cell formatting, text wrapping, cell merging, sorting, and more. It has a long way to go to completely rival the features of Excel, but is perfect for basic tasks.

2) Personalized google home page: Neat featuers include:

WSIWYG editing of information tables. Movies, weather, NEWS, world cup feeds. It is really cool.

3) Google Finance: You can learn about any publicly traded company in a click. Besides no non-sense layout of information on the google finance site; they provide intelligent search text box. For instance, if you type S a list of stock tickers beginning with S appear for you to choose from or give you a hint.

24th B-day :0)

2006-05-05T16:14:00.000-05:00

Its my Birthday today, YAY!!!!!
It has been a fun day so far, went on a company team-building event in Patch Reef Park. It was hot, but with a bunch of freinds it was worth the while. My team won the sky skaper building context; Spaghetti and Marsh Mellows were the building materials. Sri & Hemanth Bhai wished me and sang a Birthday song for me over the phone :) Kathy e-mailed, co-workers were great :) Mum is cooking the meal, Yummmm, Cake from Don Pan, Yummmm. Bhai gave me the best gift ever...The box set of the extended version of the Trilogy: "The Lord of the Rings" :o) I love it! Thank God for watching over me all these years. I pray even more Blessed years are yet to come, with God's Will. Remember; Jesus loves You!