This post will have loads of comments...

15:24 EST! WTF?

Dagdigni Episode 1.5 or Steert Mirror 1.0

This podcast; Street Mirror, is presented by two friends of ours; Ali Abdel-Haq & Sadeq Abu Eida. Some university students in Amman have this passion for cars and car racing. Ali & Sadeq decided to make fun of these young university students, as they remember their university days. Ali works in the field of Information Systems and Sadeq works in auditing and consultancy. Although the podcast is funny, it is also trying to send out a hidden message that this passion for cars is all sad and disgusting.

A must listen to... check it out at http://www.ninish.com or subscribe to http://www.ninish.com/ninish/rss.xml via iPodder Lemon or iTunes

Kill Bill: Get Firefox 1.5

Firefox 1.5 is finally out! Download from http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

random thought...

I wish Google would index my apartment, things would be much easier to find!

Smaller = Better?

Sony Vaio: All Things Microsoft
Originally uploaded by Yazan Malakha.

I must admit I’m quite impressed, although I rarely am. I got my hands on this nice next generation toy earlier this morning; actually I had it for four days but I never bothered to check it out until today.

Now I should point out that this device is designed to be a media center on the go, and although it has built in Wifi, browsing can be quite difficult given the fact the device has no built in keyboard (it has a touch-sensitive screen, with an on screen keyboard, but I found it to be cumbersome), the resolution is way too high for a 5” screen, which can bother you while reading emails/long articles.

Navigation using the built in pointing stick was quite easy, although it takes a little bit of getting used to. DivX movies played perfectly in different lighting situations. The device runs hot, so you might want to wear oven mittens while holding in.

Few things I appreciated having built in were the SD/CD card readers and the single USB port. So you’re traveling somewhere sitting at a café with Wifi, you can pop out your CF card, pop into the Vaio and upload them straight to Flickr.

What impressed me most was the form factor/size. Imagine an Intel Celeron M 900 Mhz computer with 20Gb of diskspace, 512 MB of RAM, 20 GB HD, Wifi, SD/CF Readers, 5” screen all crammed into 6”x4” frame. Impressed?

Talk about ancient

Apple Macintosh Color Classic
Originally uploaded by Yazan Malakha.

Found on one of the basement shelves

I’ll check whether it’s still in a working condition during the weekend perhaps.

Openmind: Common Sense

Computers today are just plain dumb! The Open Mind Commonsense project is an attempt to make computers smarter by making it easy and fun for people all over the world to work together to give computers the millions of pieces of ordinary knowledge that constitute "common-sense", all those aspects of the world that we all understand so well we take them for granted. This repository of knowledge will enable us to create more intelligent and sociable software, build human-like robots, and better understand the structure our own minds.

I should commend the chaps at MIT for creating an AI project that allows everyone to take part in. Log-in and it starts asking you questions, you just answer the questions and it learns what we humans refer to as common sense. Creating a huge database of general knowledge to fuel future AI engines. Fascinating and addicting way to speed us on toward Technological Singularity Participate Here

Back to Geek: XBox 360 Linux Hack?

The chaps at Microsoft (or Micro$hit as some of you prefer) have been busy securing their XBox360; which the Free60 Project aims to crack and port an open operating system to (Linux, Darwin, BSD come to mind), so far they've gathered a lot of useful and detailed information on the inner workings of the XBox360, which seems to be seured down by:

• The flash is encrypted with a per-box key
• The key is stored inside the CPU
• The boot ROM is stored inside the CPU
• Also inside the CPU is a hypervisor that verifies the running state of the kernel, making sure there is no modification (RAM checksums), else the Xbox360 panics and blows up!
• The CPU contains ROM inside of it to store the checksums
• All interrupt/exception handling is done by the hypervisor
• All code runs in kernel mode
• The emulator for first generation games can be updated via an official Microsoft download burned to CD by the user, though the CDs’ content will be encrypted and signed with public key cryptography.The boot ROM is stored inside the CPU

This will be an interesting project to watch over the next couple of months. The XBox360 will make a rather handsome tripple core server. I'm positive, impenetrable as it may seem, some rather geekish bloke will be able to circumvent this, as they did with OSx86. I'm betting apple will use the same technology to protect against Mac OS X for intel running on regular PCs [read more] On a side note, Sony will demonstrate their PS3 at CES 2006

Dagdegni Episode One

The guys are at it again... Lo, and behold ladies and gentlemen, an enthralling drive with the one of the most loved and hated aspects of the Jordanian street; a conversation with a Amman taxi driver for the audio voyeur. Listen to Dagdegni here.

I am that fool…

Yup, I am that fool tapping away his Diet-Pepsi can. Why? Because quite some time ago, back in school to be more specific. I hung out with a couple of friends whom I credit for teaching me the unwritten secrets and rules of this world. One of which was in order to prevent your carbonated beverage from exploding all over you; you must (and this is vital) tap a couple of times on the top of your Pepsi can, or risk becoming the butt of all jokes. A couple of taps, that’s all! Surprisingly this habit stuck with me all those years. But “Does it work?” you might ask. It brings me back to the age-old philosophical question “If a man says something, and no woman is there to hear him, is he still wrong?”. Similarly, if you don’t tap the cap of your Pepsi can a couple of times, will it explode all over the place? Interesting question; you can try of course. But you’d risk having to clean up the mess. It has always been safer to just tap-tap-tap and everything is hunky-dory. Come to think of it. Don’t we do things like that all the time without even knowing if they actually work, just because someone somewhere claimed they would? How about drinking a glass of water with another's palms against one's ears to cure a hiccup? How about placing a blue bead on all of your possessions to protect you from the envious hordes. How about not opening your umbrella indoors? That’s a preventive measure that I don’t think anyone can prove actually works. What about staying at home and not going to clubs, hotels, showrooms, or canceling events altogether just to stay safe? Well Whoop-Tee-Dee-Do. I just tied tapping on my Diet Pepsi can, to post-terrorism-trauma. I find it amusing how we spend our lives doing all sorts of things to protect us from all sorts of evils. Whether those evils are self detonating terrorists, spirits from beyond or a huge stream of carbonated beverage in our face. I guess I can safely conclude we’re a bunch of trusting people. And I wonder is that a problem?

So what's blogging to you?

Blogging is a catharsis, a community, a way to keep an always-racing brain engaged. Its big stories that affect the public, trivial diversions that kill some time, personal accounts that might help an unknown soul. It’s a lot of things to a lot of people. Blogging is a homicide preventive therapy to Iyas, a self edited form of journalism to Lina, and a medium of self expression to Roba. Blogging is also like eating cereals. Cereals come in a box just as your computer does; which enables you to run the software needed to blog. Cereals can be sweet. And so is the taste of revenge as you post entries about all your ex(es), their weird behavior, gruesome manners and irritating personality quirks. Cereals are fragile and so is your ego when you don’t receive positive comments (or none at all) on a post you deem important. Cereals come in different colors and textures; just like you do.

And the winner is....

About a week ago I've pledged to give away a $25 USD gift certificate to whoever comes up with the funniest comment on the photo below. Most, if not all, comments were lame. And as I couldn't be arsed to create a poll for readers to vote, I asked a very good friend of mine to help. The winner got selected based on effort and creativity, not humor unfortunately.

And the winning comment is: "nice work johnson, weve been after this hamburglar for months" By Dantana Runner-Up comment is: "officer: shu keef al shu'3ol ma3ak abu shryek? MacMan: ya zalmeh oskout khalyha 3ala allah, tezey mesh 3aref a7kouha." By Ibrahim Owais

Unfortunately, Dantana couldn't be reached as his/her blogger profile is not enabled. Dantana, you have 3 days to contact me with your details, otherwise the prize will go to Ibrahim.

Tags [Contest] [Winner]

why i love flickr

Flickr! Brilliant fucking idea, well exectued... bla bla bla!

The reason I worship Flickr however is that technical mumbo jumbo is constantly replaced with humorous banter. I logged on last night to find this:

You can’t be cross reading that can ya?!

While you're at it, check this out You can replace yazan with whatever you like, no spaces: ;-)

JordanPlanet Bloggers fight for popularity

The lights dim and the crowds cheer as 4 brave bloggers enter the boxing arena. Every Planet Citizen anxiously awaiting and speculating the result of the battle. I should warn you ladies and gentlemen the scene is gory and not for the timid; contestants will fight till the last blogger is standing. Roba Assi vs Lina Ejeilat [Click here to watch the fight] On the left side; we have our challenger for the title Roba Assi on the right side Lina Ejeilat. The bell rings, and the fighters approach; Lina takes a Jab at Roba. Roba quickly maneuvers out of the way and put an end to the battle with a quick knockout! 1-2-3 … that has got to go down as the shortest boxing match in history! The referee tries to stop Roba as she tries to spray paint Lina with her pink signature. Roba Assi vs Jameed [Click here to watch the fight] Enter the Karaki Stallion…. Roba be prepared you’re about to face one of the toughest opponents of your career… Jameed dances around Roba looking for an opening and lands a punch that knocks her to the floor. Roba quickly gets up and confuses her opponent with art terminology, and surprises him with a direct hit that knocks him down. For the final match Roba is going to face our defending champion Roba Assi vs Ahmad Humeid [Click here to watch the fight] Eager to win, Roba quickly approaches Ahmad and lays a punch, only to be blocked by a wave of sound generated from his iPod Shuffle. Artsy words do not confuse our champion. Nor do quick punches. Ahmad smiles victoriously at the lame attempts of his challenger; his music shield impenetrable, and his punches unblocked. Roba falls down on the ground and pulls out a can of turpentine and sprays the chemical of happiness around Ahmad. He falls laughing on the floor and breaks the Shuffle; and suddenly the music stops and the crowd gasp. The referee is counting, Ahmad is still laughing… 3-2-1 we have a winner ladies and gentlemen. More Interesting Battles: - Microsoft vs Linux - Microsoft vs God - Bill Gates vs Linus Torvalds - Britney Spears vs Shakira - Oprah vs Dr. Phil - Work vs Holiday Note: This is a twisted and bizarre post about GoogleFight. Bloggers were selected randomly; I didn't enlist myself because I'm too cool and cannot be arsed; sore losers and angry crowds can direct their hate mail to the comments segment.

OpenWengo: An Open-Source / Open-Standards Skype Alternative?

From Wengo comes WengoPhone (WP) an open source Voice over IP aletrantive to Skype. Although lacking in several areas in my opinion especially GUI wise, WP brings the ability to make and receive SIP calls, send SMS as well as video conferencing. I'm not going to debate whether open-source code is good or bad for you. I'm perfectly fine with a closed-source code solution provided that it follows industry standards. What makes VoIP potentially disruptive to the communication industry as we know it today, is the existence of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). SIP allows different VoIP services to interoperate over the internet directly without ever hitting the traditional phone network (PSTN). Simply providing the kind of interoperability and interconnectivity we have come to expect from the Internet. So what's the big deal? Skype and several other VoIP services DO NOT ALLOW their users to call anyone outside their service over the internet. For example, if you're a Voiceglo user you cannot call a Skype user without hitting PSTN. If that didn't paint a crystal clear picture it might be useful to think of Skype as an island excluded from the rest of the world. WengoPhone on the other hand is an Open-Standards Platform, which means that you're able to call and receive calls from users that are not using the same software. The media has not yet grasped the significance of this, and still report about VoIP in the same old terms; still considering the traditional PSTN as the only means to interconnect. OpenWengo is currently available for Windows Only, and with Linux, OSX and WinCE clients in the work. Related

• [Microsoft Ventures inVoIP]
• [Intel takes a stake at Skype]
• [Ahmad Humeid's Project Gizmo: An “open standards” Skype replacement?]
• [OpenWengo Developer Resources / Wiki]
• [PhoneGiam]

Tags: [Softphone] [VoIP] [Skype] [OpenWengo] [SIP] [Session Initiation Protocol] [Voice over IP]

Apple iPod Nano Photo

I can't wait to lay my hand on one of these (Note: this is a mock up, not the actual product) Click here to enlarge Tags [Apple] [iPod] [iTunes] [Nano] [Rocker] [Motorolla] [ROKR]

Tomorrow's Announcement: What to expect from Apple?

Why wait till Wednesday to know what products Apple has in store for you? - Cingular will announce an iTunes compatible phone called the "Rocker" or "ROKR" - A new Flash memory based 2GB iPod called "Nano" will be launched. It's a mesh between the iPod Mini and the Shuffle, estimated price is $199 USD. Click here for a photo of Nano. - No video iPod will be launched. [Digg this story] Tags [Apple] [iPod] [iTunes] [Nano] [Rocker] [Motorolla] [ROKR]

Linspire 5.0: Linux Evolution or Windows on Steroids?

Yazan Malakha takes Linspire FIVE-O for a spin If you've missed it, the people at Linspire (Previously Lindows) are giving away free digital download version of their latest operating system, a $49 USD value, for a limited time. After countless attempts to register on their website; I finally managed to download and install the much-hyped-about Linspire 5.0 (For some reason or another their Linux based servers has difficulties coping with 250 concurrent users, what a bummer). Downloading frustration aside, I was actually impressed by how lucid and unbelievably simple their installation is. The CD offers 2 options, a live feature which allows you to run the operating system directly off your CD Drive. And an installer option similar to the one you’d find on Windows XP CD, it took approximately 10 minutes to install the software on VMWare, and less than 2 minutes to configure it, although booting was unusually slow for a Linux system. Hardware support was trouble-free: all my peripherals (except for the webcam and satellite card) were detected and worked without a hitch, in both VMWare and Native mode. Now before I go on, I should point out that I’m all about Gnome; I’ve used KDE in its early stages, but never long enough to form an opinion. What struck me upon booting the system was the resemblance this system bears to Windows XP! Aside from using Windows XP naming conventions like (“My Computer”, “My Documents”, “My Music” and so on); everything has been copied or mimicked. The login screen almost looks identical, the green start menu button, bookmarks in the file explorer, some of the icons are a complete knock-off. It also starts off with an audio tutorial demonstrating all of the OS features. On the other hand the system does have a close resemblance to Mac OS. The curvy look of windows, the circular shaped minimize/maximize buttons, the inclusion of multimedia programs such as Lphoto and Lmusic (iPhoto and iTunes anyone?), not to mention the Load Screen, which reminded me of OS 8/9 days. I should mention that it comes with instant messaging software and open office, making the system ready for an average user. One of the most impressive features was CNR, which stands for Click-N-Run; it takes exactly one click to install an application, again quite similar to Mac (a click and a drag). They offer a CNR library that spans hundreds of Linux programs that provide alternatives to just about any Windows application you’ll ever need. So what impact can Linspire cause in a world full of Linux Distros? Can Linspire live up to it’s goal of delivering a system that won’t make Linux users wish they had paid their Windows tax? I think so, although I think there’s still room for improvement. The clean interface, simple installation, and resemblance to windows, makes switching to linux a breeze, even for the novice user. No more will Linux be reserved for the technically-advantaged. At a fraction of the cost of Windows XP; you get an operating system that includes all the tools you need to perform any type of computer work. In a simple and user-friendly interface. Perfect for a newbie or a bargain-hunter. Some Screen Shots Tags: [Linux] [Linspire] [Freespire] [Windows] [MacOS] [OSx86] [Lindows]

How Apple may deal with the dreaded "intel inside" sticker

Click for a larger view Photo Credits: www.joyoftech.com Tags [Apple] [Mac] [Intel] [Intel Inside] [Mac OSx86]

Contest Update: 25 Bucks for the funniest comment

So far there has been 8 maybe 9 sorry attempts to make me laugh; none of which resulted in a popped spleen (not even a smirk in some cases). It's quite obvious Jordanian Grumpiness has taken over the best of you; there's still enough room to prove me wrong though. So feel free to drop a comment here. Notes: - Winner will be announced on Friday 9th September 2005 - If sorry arse comments are to continue, the best four will be polled for a winner. - Anonymous entries will be disregarded, if you're a non blogger, leave your name or email address. - Prize is a $25 USD gift certificate at any place where a Jordanian-Issued Credit Card is accepted. - May the funniest (wo)man win. Good Luck :-) Tags [Contest]

Microsoft Ventures in VoIP

Intel is not the only one venturing into VoIP, last wednesday Microsoft announced the purchase of VoIP software and service provider Teleo. Microsoft will work on integrating Teleo’s technology into its own VoIP products and IM clients. Teleo's ability to make PC-to-Phone calls will position Microsoft as a direct competitor to Skype; and they're definately not wasting any time, they expect to have Teleo technology integrated into MSN Messenger by the end of this year. You can expect Microsoft to leverage the relationship it already has with businesses through its Microsoft Office Suite by integrating VoIP features. They're in a powerful position to offer communication solutions to their customers; it's surprising it's coming to the game so late with this purchase. If anything, this is a sure sign that VoIP is gaining momentum. Related Links [Microsoft Press Release] [Teleo] [eWeek's Article] Tags: [VoIP] [Skype] [Teleo] [MSN Messenger] [Voice Over IP]

Weekly Technological Roundup: Does Apple Even Own iPod, Intel's stake at Skpye, FreeSpire and more..

Does Apple Even Own iPod? Earlier on I've blogged about Microsoft patenting iPod Interface; Creative Technologies decided to raise another legal threat to the iPod music player, and has been awarded a U.S. patent for a song-navigation technology it claims is used on Apple Computer's market-leading devices. "Apple tried to claim invention, but this patent dispels that," said Craig McHugh, president of Creative Labs, a Milpitas-based subsidiary. "We are going to look at all the alternatives that the patent provides. We can look at legal remedies." No word yet on how Creative intends on enforcing it's patent. More iPod Related Stories: [Apple's Secret is Out] [iPod Phone] [Microsoft Patents iPod Technology] Google Maps Update New Orleans Google Maps has updated its service by adding a ‘Katrina’ button alongside the current ‘Map’, ‘Satellite’, and ‘Hybrid’ options. Satellite images were taken on August 31. In order to view the new images enter “New Orleans” in the search bar. To view a “before & after” click the satellite button to view older images. More Katrina Stories: [In the Wake of a Storm] [Katrina in the News] More Google Related Stories: [Google Eying Talent] [Google Talk] [Google Knows] FreeSpire, a free copy of Linspire (Limited Time) The people at Linspire are giving Linspire 5.0 away for free (digital download only) until September 6th. Simply go to purchase the $49.95 digital edition, and then enter coupon code ‘freespire’ to receive a $49.95 discount.” More on Freespire [Freespire Press Release] [Linspire] Intel's Disruption Trying to repeat the success of its Centrino brand for notebook computers, Intel said it will launch a set of technologies geared specifically for entertainment PCs. Look out for "Intel Viiv" sticker, coming to a computer near you. Intel also seems to have bought a stake in the in internet phone phenomenon Skype Tags: [iPod] [Linux] [Freespire] [Google Maps] [Technology News] [Intel] [Skype]

Reminiscing the Good Old Days: The Evolution of Mac

Such a difference a zero makes, the following site takes you back in time and demonstrates how Mac OS evolved from version 1.0 to 10.4 [Via Indigo 3d]

Google Eying Veteran or Fresh Talent?

Now here’s a creative way to snatch new talent. Adorn a page with a “Work at Google” ad upon a vanity search; or perhaps snatch up those interested in their careers? Google any of the following names:

• Udi Manber, head of Amazon.com's A9 search subsidary
• Prabhakar Raghavan, Yahoo's research head
• Or Susan Dumais, on of Microsoft's top search researchers.

A bold move to snatch away top talent from competitors and academia and those interested in them? It's a novel recruiting tactic!! Amazon.com serves up a similar ad alongside a couple of these names, but Microsoft and Yahoo are no where to be found. Reference: Google's Crafty Star Search By Ben Elgin: Business Week September 12th 2005 Edition

Contest: 25 Bucks for the funniest comment

Here's a challenging picture that I couldn't come up with a comment for. I’m dedicating a $25 USD Amazon gift certificate (or from another site if desired) to whoever comes up with the most humorous comment on the picture below. You have to make me laugh hard enough to pop my spleen. There must be at least 3 people that enter for a prize to be handed out. Otherwise, the only recognition will be a dedicated post for your humorous comment.

Note: Prize will be handed out in a week. Fairplay Baybee! Note 2: Please refrain from posting anonymously. If you're a none-blogger user please add your email address to the comment in the following format youraddress [at] somewhere [dot] com example:john.doe [at] gmail [dot] com. Invalid addresses and Anonymous Comments will be disqualified.

OSx86: The Ultimate Guide on how to get OS X up and running on your Intel Box

Ever since I put up Screenshots of Mac OS X running under Windows a few weeks back, I’ve been bombarded with all sorts of questions on how to get it installed, what kind of machine is needed to get it up and running, and most importantly where do I find the files needed for this and so on. Here’s an attempt to answer all of your questions please let me know if there’s anything I’ve missed. Question 1: Where do I get MacOSx86? Authorized users should obtain the OSX files from Apple. It is illegal to obtain them from torrent sites by searching under and of the following keyword combinations: "VMWare files for patched Mac OS X Tiger Intel" or “Deadmoo” or “OSx86” Question 2: What kind of machine do I need to run Mac OS X? Any machines that has SSE2 is able to run OS X86, you will need SSE3 in order to run Rosetta, a workaround to run Rosetta on SSE2 is available. Its CPU intense however as it translates every SSE3 instruction into SSE2 Question 3: How do I find out if my machine has SSE2/SSE3? Download the About CPU-Z application and run it on your machine, it will tell you what kind of instructions your CPU has (see screenshot below). Question 4: I have a Prescott CPU and I’m unable to run Rosetta! I ran into the same problem on my installation, Mac OS X is unable to resolve whether you have SSE3 or not if your motherboard has an 865PE chipset. You can either replace your motherboard or run the SS3 2 SSE2 Patch Question 5: What’s the ultimate machine to run Mac OS X on? I’m not sure if this is the ultimate configuration, these are the specs for the machine that Apple is currently leasing to developers. CPU: must support SSE3 Chipset: Intel 915 chipset (others may work if they support ich4 or ich5) GPU: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 Motherboard: Intel D915GUXLK I would definitely recommend having at least 1 Gigabyte of RAM, although we ran this emulated on a laptop with 256 MB and several applications running in the background. Question 6: How would I know if my current hardware would run? Well there’s no official hardware compatibility list, OSx86 Project and several other sites rely on Wiki to report whether hardware would work or not. You can check HCL | NON-COMPATIBLE HARDWARE LIST Question 7: There’s no Networking or Sound on VMWare! Yes, VMWare was not designed to run bootlegged operating systems. There are no drivers for sound and networking on VMWare, I don’t think anyone has bothered to write drivers for it; as it can be run Natively. Here’s a list of soundcards and Ethernet cards that would work with a native OS X installation: Sound: -ADI AD1985 -Audiotrak Maya 5.1 USB Audio -C-media AC’97 -C-Media USB Audio -Creative SB Live! 24-Bit External USB -Griffin iMic -Intel ICH4/ICH5/ICH5R/ -Intel ICH6 AC’97 -M-Audio Revolution 7.1 (Uses OSX drivers) -Realtek AC’97 Audio for VIA a.k.a VT8235 (try SPDIF-output) -Realtek ALC650 -Realtek ALC655 -Realtek ALC850 (nForce4 Audio, needs edited kext) -Realtek ALC855 -Realtek ALC860 -Sigmatel C-Major Audio (copy over AppleAC97 kext from Darwin) -Sonica Theater (USB) -SoundMax Integrated Digital Audio (AC97) -VIA VT8233, VT8237 Ethernet: -3Com 3c900 (10mbit only) -3Com 3c905/3c905B/3c905C NIC -3Com 3c920 10/100 Integrated -Broadcom BCM4400 10/100 integrated controller -Broadcom NetXtreme BCM5705M Gigabit Ethernet -Intel 82559-based NIC (EtherExpress Pro/100+) -Intel PRO/100 VE and PRO/1000 -Intel 82557 EE PRO/100 -Intel 82540EM Gigabit Ethernet -Intel 82547EI/82562EZ -National Semiconductor DP83816 “MacPhyter” -Netgear FA311 - ( http://homepage.mac.com/yukidon/mac/en/dp8381x.html ) -Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC -Realtek 8100C -Realtek 8139 - D-Link DFE-530TX+, also many generics/onboard -Realtek 8169/8169S - Gigabit NIC’s (Netgear GA311) - -SMC-1211TX (Recognized as RTL8139 [Realtek] -Surecom EP-320X-R 100/10/M Video cards/chipsets: - Integrated i915G Intel GMA900 (works with all resolutions, Quartz Extreme, Core-Graphics and 2d/3d acceleration) - Almost all other video cards will work properly, but no hardware acceleration is used Question 8: How do I install OSx86 natively? There are several guides on to do this here’s one of my favorites http://www.xplodenet.com/blog/?page_id=11 Question 9: These look very complicated is there an easier way? Well you can replicate the tiger-x86 image onto a separate hard driver (Separate partition will not do). You can lookup the guide on www.osx86-project.org Question 10: But that requires Linux and looks complicated! Isn’t there a way to do this on windows? Well I’m not particularly a fan of making things complicated; again you will need a separate harddrive, a separate partiontion will not do! I repeat will not do. You can also use an external drive if you wish (make sure your BIOS supports booting from USB devices)

1. Obtain the OSX files from Apple. It’s illegal to get the from torrent.
2. Unrar the files to the root of your C Drive
3. Download the Forensic Acquisition Utilities or Rawrite DD (http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/rawwrite/dd.htm)
4. Unzip these files and copy dd.exe (as well as every file in that directory to the root of c: drive as well)
5. Download WMI Tools from Microsoft, and install them; go to programs > WMI Tools and run WMI Object Brower, an Internet Explorer page will fire up (if you have SP2 installed allow the blocked content)
6. Select WIN32_SystemPartitions.PartComponent in the left column then right-click on the drive device id (Disk #0, Partition #0, etc) in the right column and select Go to Object
7. The device window will open and click the associations tab
8. Exploring with this tool you should be able to match drive letters (Win32_LogicalDisk.DeviceID = “C:”) to its physicaldisk reference (Win32_DiskDrive.DeviceID = “\\\\.\\PHYSICALDRIVE0”)
9. Now that you know the Physical ID of the drive you want to use the following command to do it: dd if=c:\tiger-x86-flat.img of=\\.\PhysicalDriveSomething Where something is the Physical Drive ID
10. The command will seem to hang, but you’ll notice your drive is firing up, just let it complete it’s business, it would take anytime from 10 minutes to hours depending on your hardware configuration
11. Once it’s done, reboot and select the new drive as your boot drive, Voila! You’re done

Question 11: My friend has Mac OS X86 installed on his machine, can I replicate it from there? Yes you can! You can even map a real hard disk to your virtual machine and replicate it from there check this guide: http://www.bombich.com/mactips/image.html Question 12: You mentioned windows applications running on Mac OS X86 is this true? Yes, buggy but true. I managed to run a few applications, nothing too hardcore. Darwine allows the Windows API to be created in x11 terminal, and thus run win32 applications through the help of Winehelper. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Darwine team for their great achievements of porting the open-source Wine (http://www.winehq.org) to Mac OS X. I bow to you guys!

Winston's Lego Computer

The lengths to which some Lego enthusiasts go to build their plastic sculptures are often as amazing as the structures themselves. From replicas of Taj Mahal to Homer Simpson. Below is probably the one that impressed me the most. A modded computer case built entirely using Lego Blocks. Lego Computer Case Documentation Site

Apple's Secret is Out

The secret is out, but is it JUST the iTunes phone? Would the be launching the video iPod too? Click the image for Apple Insider's Article == Update 1:25PM - Links have been updated. It should take you to the correct article now.

Only for today: Free Opera Browser

For those of you eager to switch from Internet Explorer; comes a one day only promotion from Opera. They're celebrating their 10th birthday and offering an Ad free version of their browser (Normally $39USD) via download.com Simply e-mail registerme@opera.com to obtain a registration code. Click here for more information

Microsoft & Nokia vs Motorola & Apple: New iPod phone on the horizon?

As you're probably aware Nokia licensed Windows Media technology from Microsoft last February; in an attempt to build a widely distributed iPod class contender and squeeze out any major MP3 player out of business. But why would Nokia choose one of its biggest competitors as an ally? If Nokia really wanted to go for market share in music, surely they would approach Apple? No doubt, Nokia tried and Apple nixed the idea. But, why would Apple say no to a partnership with the world's largest cell phone maker? If you consider the iPod as a platform for listening to music, the logical next step of the evolution is the cell phone? News started to surface on the internet about a possible iPod phone; the Motorola ROKR is set to launch next week. Nokia rolls out approximately 690 million phones a year, Microsoft Windows Media is subscription based unlike iTunes, and 3G is out in the open and on the horizon at many countries. Given the customer loyalty Nokia has and Microsoft market-share; I think this can be a possible iPod Killer. However, If there is one lesson CEO Steve Jobs has learned the hard way, it is that being first rarely pays in technology markets (remember Newton?). Part of the success of the iPod was exactly that it did not come first, and it is likely that Steve Jobs will play this game the same way. For More:

• Microsoft and Nokia Collaborate to Help Ensure Consumers Can Enjoy Digital Music Anywhere
• ROKR or New iPod on September 7^th

The wisdom of Malakha

Well everyone has been throwing quotes left and right, here's one of the wisest things ever said: “Give a man a link and he can waste an afternoon. Teach a man to Google and he can waste a lifetime.” Yazan Malakha (1979 - ) - Some MSN conversation

And the Plot Thickens: Windows Applications on MacOS X86

By adapting the Wine compatibility layer for Windows, a method to run windows programs under OS X for Intel has been developed. Could this be Apple's plot behind releasing a not-so-secure developers’ kit? Porting Wine to OSx86 requires serious tweaking, which still results in very unstable programs, work such as this opens a range of possibilities in the future. Since future versions of OS X will be built around the same Intel Processors that power Windows. Will we be able to run Windows apps as if they were native to OS X? Or perhaps the other way around? Will be able to double, or triple boot? It would be Apple’s dream come true if they’re able to actually have all Windows Applications available run under Mac OS X NATIVELY! I wonder what Bill Gates have to say about this, buy Apple Stock? More Here

The Palestinian Lyrical Front: A Step in the right direction

It’s times like these that I wish I poses a journalist’s writing skills and reach to describe the revolution taking place on the Palestinian end, for decades Palestinians have been outgunned and never outspoken, but not anymore. Armed with powerful words, singing in Arabic, English and Hebrew with topics ranging from history and politics to love; The Palestinian Lyrical Front, comprising of 10 rap artists/bands aims to break the silence with Slingshot, a Hip Hop documentary focusing on the struggle and daily life of Palestinians living in Gaza, the west bank and Israel. Their willingness to experiment with a new medium, the absence of religious scrapping, and the ability to differentiate between Zionism and Judaism is awe inspiring. These kids know their & peace’s enemy. Here’s a sample of their lyrics حرام يا شعبي حرام, عشان جدادنا اذا بشفونا بتألبوا بالقبور كيف هم اخترعوا الصفر واحفادهم صاروا صفور For the benefit of non-arab readers this means (it’s a pity how things have turned, if our grandfathers saw us they’d roll in their graves, they invented the zero and that’s what we’ve become) Although their music may lack the immediacy of other rap songs, it’s still a veritable storm of apt samples, grumbling percussion, memorable riffs, and powerful lyrics. Songs like “olive trees” describe the uprooting of the Palestinians from their land, much in the same way Israeli settlers are uprooting olive trees today. Ironically, olive trees are an international symbol of peace. Here's a list of some of their songs. Right click and select Save as to download. By the way (DAM stands for Da Arab Mc’s not Blood as I initially thought) 1- Slingshot A Hip Hop Documentary (Trailer) (Windows Media Quicktime) 2- MBS + DAM – Boomerang 3- DAM - Meen Erhabe? (Who’s the terrorist) 4- DAM - ANA EW INTI 5- DAM - BORN HERE (ARABIC VERSION) 6- DAM – BORN HERE VIDEO (A MUST SEE) 7 - IRON SHEIK -OLIVE TREES 8 - IRON SHEIK - THE TALE OF THREE MUHAMMEDS (A MUST) For More Visit: Iron Sheik, DAM, Slingshot Please feel free to copy this into your website if you don't feel like rewriting.

How To: Google Talk Tips & Tricks

Yet Another Google Post! How To: Setup Google on Mac OSX iChat Several people have been complaining about not being able to get Talk to run on their iChat despite following Google's setup guide step by step. Well apparently iChat doesn't translate the IP for talk.google.com properly and connects to the website IP instead of the Jabber service. By using 216.239.37.125 as the server I was able to connect to Talk (Screenshot below) How To: Run multiple instances of Google Talk This might not be useful for all of you, but for those who keep two addresses; or like messing with their friends by claiming to be a hottie, starting multiple instances of Talk is quite easy. If you have a desktop shortcut for Google Talk, right-click on the icon, go to ‘Properties’, and find the ‘Target’ field. Add /nomutex to the end of the target string. See the screenshot below. Now simply double click on the icon, and another Google Talk instance will fire up. How To: Replace Google Talk's Logo? By using Resource Hacker, I was able to replace Google's Logo with a different logo, or remove the logo all together (Not exactly legal). How To: Find Chat History Location Chat logs are stored here: C:\Documents and settings\[username]\local settings\application data\Google\GTalk\chatlogs

Let's talk about Google Talk!

Alright, privacy issues aside; Google Talk's GUI design is very intuitive and nothing short of brilliant! The application allows you to circulate between your contacts using a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+tab); you no longer have to go through the million browser windows open to get to another contact's window using the keyboard! Other than that the ability to stick chat windows to each other and to the primary window is amazing. You can pretty much arrange windows whichever way you like, check out the screenshots below. By double clicking on a contact's window, it would either open/close the chat window! If contact windows are minimized and stuck together, clicking on the person's name in the main window, will enlarge their window, clicking on another perosn's name will minimize the open one and enlarge the person you've clicked!

On a Further Note: Google Talk

I never thought I'd actually say this, but what about a Mac OSX Client?! Let me stress the fact that Google Talk is a JABBER based IM Client which means it would work with any JABBER client that already exists. You'd be able to login and chat, but you won't benefit from other features of the client. I was able to log on to the Google Jabber server using my existing Google username and password few hours before its launch. When checking my offline contacts using Google’s Jabber server, it lists email addresses I’ve emailed within the last few hours. How to setup Google IM on Jabber based clients?

1. Add an account, select "Jabber" as the protocol
2. Your screen name is everything before the "@gmail.com"
3. Server is "Gmail.com"
4. Click "Show more options" and make sure "use TLS if available" is checked.
5. Leave "Force old SSL" and "allow plaintext.." unchecked for now
6. Connection port should be 5222, connection server should be "talk.google.com"
7. Ta-Da! You're good to go

For a list of clients for other OS(s) go to: http://www.google.com/talk/otherclients.html

Google Introduces Google Talk [Instant Messenger]

Let's face it, Google wouldn’t have been “complete” without one right? I mean, Yahoo, MSN, and AOL have it. Why not Google? Let’s face the truth. Hello, Google’s photo sharing application, can’t really be considered a chat application. It’s not like anyone says “hey I’ll be on Hello when I get home, send me a message.”

I really can’t imagine what it’s like to work for Google right now. They’re churning out services like Oompa Loompas candy at Charlie’s Chocolate Factory. I’m still amazed by the recent Google Desktop Search application with an interegrated sidebar complete with developer extensibility.

I’ve spent the last hour or so playing around with the new Google IM client and have a few thoughts. First of all, although not as "pretty" or "feature full" (look below) as other chat clients I've used; I’d like to commend Google for creating a clean, ad-free, Gmail integrated chat client. Gmail contacts are indexed and easily accessible through the chat client. Multiple chat windows make use of a slick sliding “tabbed” interface navigated using the Tab and Ctrl + Tab combo. The client also serves as a Gmail notification utility.

As of today, you’re only able to text chat / audio chat with other Google users. According to this Google Talk help page future support for mutli-protocol chat is being worked on. I’ve also discovered that inviting non-Google users to Google Talk will send them a Gmail invite. That means unlimited Gmail invites. Who doesn’t have a Gmail account that is still looking?

I’m sure Google will slowly integrate all of its online services into the Google Talk client within the next few months. Download your copy here!

--- Edit (12:00 PM / 24th August 2005) Talk's interface is very simple and doesn't have rich features such as emotion icons, winks etc. Simple is good of course! A very intuitive feature that I liked was; if you place two Talk windows underneath each other they would glue, and you'd be able to drag them both around.What's missing? Multiple party chats and file transfers! It also could use a video conferencing feature. VOIP quality is fair; although a trial with a friend of mine, Karim, resulted in static and irreversible damage to my ear.

--- Edit (1:03 PM / 24th August 2005) Privacy Anyone? I'm not exactly sure if this is true, so please feel free to correct me; Google Talk has the "save chat history" enabled by default; no where do they state where the files will be saved. I checked the registry and my hard drive and was unable to find saved history files; which leads me to believe these are actually stored on google's server!!!!! If true, I wouldn't be surprised if they get slammed with a privacy lawsuit.

Google Knows!

Back in 2004 searching for "Paris Hilton isn't a whore" would trigger google's suggestion as seen below! The bewildering amount of people that have blogged about it eliminated the need for the suggestion; that or her publicist

On the other hand.. has anyone tried to google "failure" recently? Try it and check out the first result.

Governmental Job Title Generator

Senior Accountability Orchestrator? Huh? Have a new hiring rec? Can’t think of an exciting title? Have a friend or relative you want to hire but they have no skills? Generate their title right here! Job Title Generator

Screenshots of Mac OS X Running Under Windows XP

As I'm about to clone this into a harddrive (OS X runs painfully slow when emulated under Windows; although this can be fixed.), I thought I'd take a few screenshots. Behold, Mac OS X Tiger running under Windows XP SP2.. what word can be used to describe that? Setting up VMWare [Memory / Harddisk / Floppy Image / etc.] Apple Bootloader Firing Up Apple OS X Loading First Click On The Apple About OS X Advanced Diagnostics Harddrive Content Note: MacOS X On a sub $300 PC (Celeron 2.66 Ghz) can outrun a MacOS X running on a G4

Microsoft patents Apple iPOD's Interface

Bloggers have dubbed Microsoft's move an "iPOD killer". If someone was talking bets, I'd wager that Apple never pays Microsoft a cent; bloggers and other tech pundits snickered at the prospect of Steve Jobs having to pay Bill Gates royalties on the beloved iPods. Back in 2002, Microsoft outraced Apple to the patent office to patent technologies that support the iPod's rotational wheel interface; after which it stated that it has a it has a long-standing policy of licensing its patents to others. Putting at stake the millions of iPods Apple has shipped. Fear not though Apple still has loads of options from a legal perspective; first Apple and Microsoft signed a five-year agreement in 1997 to share technology. When the deal expired in 2002, the music-player patents in question may have been covered. Second; this is not a supreme-court decision, Apple can file a declaration stating that it invented the technology before Microsoft filed its patent request, as evidenced by the fact that iPods were already on the market at the time. In such a case the patent office will have to start an investigation and determine who invented the technology. For more on this check: http://news.com.com/Microsoft,+Apple+in+iPod+patent+tussle/2100-1047_3-5830435.html

Geek My Run: Sneakers vault into the digital age

Shoes have seen countless changes over the millennia - from the grass stuffed goat and bearskin coverings of Stone-Age to Carrie Bradshaw's Manolo Blahniks. Sophisticated designs let athletes run faster and jump higher, but the unique hybrid Adidas shoes lept into the future. Computer hardware built into the $250 adidas_1 sneakers adjust cushioning levels for any runner in any environment, turning ordinary footwear into highly-enhanced digital running gear. Adidas_1 features a 20 Mhz microprocessor placed under the arch, capable of processing up to 1000 readings per second from the heel compression sensor. A motor receives command from the CPU and drives a transmission with a 1:50 ratio, turning a lead screw, that in turn adjusts a cable connected to the heel's cushioning element, when the cable is tighter, the element has less cushioning as a result. Lower tension allows vertical force to compress the element more. The mechanism uses power only when making adjustments. Besides measuring compression, the system tracks the time between peak readings, deriving other dynamics such as force, velocity, acceleration and deceleration. The two 3-volt CR2450 lithium cells will need to be changed after 100 hours of use, the company says the computerized parts will work beyond the shoe's 1000 kilometer lifespan. What's next? Presumably, GPS and bluetooth techology, hooking up the shoe to some analytical program that would give you information on your route, calories burnt, average speed.. and a designed for Windows XP Tag perhaps? hmmm.. Adidas_1 Official Website

Mars, Earth - Closest Approach in Recorded History

"Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as a large full moon to the naked eye. This will culminate on Aug. 27, when mars come within 34.65M miles of Earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27, 12:30 am. It will look like the earth has 2 moons. The next time mars come this close is in the year 2287. Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again" I've been receiving this email from several parties during the past couple of weeks, unfortunately this email is misleading and nothing but a hoax, someone apparently resurrected an email message the circulated around July/August 2003, when Mars and Earth were the closest they have been in 60,000 years. Mars was indeed a spectacular sight in the night sky Fact is that Mars will pass close to earth once again in 2005, however it'll be at it's closest on October 31st rather than August 27th, and even then it will be 9 million miles further than it was in 2003 (34 Million Miles in 2003). That won't make much of a difference for the casual observer, Mars will still be a compelling sight at night. Claiming that "No one alive will ever see it again" is a little misleading; there will several other close encounters. Mars won't be as close as it was to earth in 2003 till 2287, perhaps our descendents will be observing the close encounter from a Martian Perspective Based On: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/18jun_approachingmars.htm For some Martian Fun check: CBS Late Night Show

Serves me just right for rubbing it in

Coming late to the office can have dire consequences! My car has been hit, perpetrator unknown. Although not as serious as Rob with an A's hit I'm sure the price tag well be much steeper, especially since it'll be coming out of my own pocket. Just yesterday I was rubbing in the fact that she can no longer drive due to her accident, and here i have one. Fortunately rear sensors are still working.

OSx86 Project: Mac OS X on a sub $300 USD Intel "White" Box

Your next Mac could cost you only $300 USD or less, and run faster than any G4 or G5 you've ever used. The future is already unfolding! Based on the Apple OS X x86 Developer Kit, the OSx86 Project offers a hack designed to over-ride TPM Chip (Trusted Platform Module), Apple's anti-competitve chip intended to prevent the system from running on Ordinary PCs and stifle innovation. By removing the TPM Kernel extension (AppleTPMACPI.kext) and writing the drivers (Known as Kernel Extensions) so that they can run your own Non-Apple-Gadgets such as Wi-Fi cards, VGA Cards, etc. Mac OS X can now be run on any x86 Box (Intel or AMD) that offers SSE 2, although you will need SSE3 if you plan on running Power PC Applications on Rosetta. Many believe (although I'm highly doubtful) that Apple wanted to demonstrate the weakness of TPM security, and may have plans to eventually license the operating system to PC Makers eventually. The setup can be done in 30 steps or less (if you happen to download a ready made VMWare image for instance) a guide on how to setup Max OS X on an intel box can be obtained from http://www.xplodenet.com/?p=guide the OS through BitTorrent, my test setup ran perfectly and much faster than a G4 with 1024 MB of RAM on a humble box I purchased primarily for testing Mac OS X, an Acer Power F2 (Intel Celeron 2.66 Ghz with 512 MB RAM) I wouldn't have believed it if i didn't run both systems back to back! Of course there are several reasons why you should wait for Apple to realease it's own Intel Boxes, the current legal-status of OS X intel is one, and the uncompleted developer nature of OS X for intel is another. For more information you can check: http://osx86project.org/ http://www.osx86.classicbeta.com/wiki

Open-Source Beer! Free Beer for Geeks!

Beer always tastes better when it's free, or so the saying goes. A group of students at the IT University of Copenhagen find a way to make sure their beer is free. Well, at least the recipe they use to brew it is. The recipe and brand of their beer is published under a Creative Commons license, which means anyone can use the recipe for pleasure or profit. The only catch: If you make money selling their unique beer, you have to give them credit and publish any changes you make to the recipe under a similar license. Although not an open source fan myself. I find the idea to be inspirational if not revolutionary, it's quite interesting when someone takes an Analog Product, for the lack of a better term, and apply an open-source structure to it This would actually provide a way for several skeptics in the IT Industry (such as myself) to see if a product out in the open gets better as it travels from one hand to the other. For More Information check: http://www.voresoel.dk/main.php?id=70 http://creativecommons.org/

Deviriginizing my imate PDA

To all engineers matter in this vast universe can be analyzed, categorized and placed into one of these categories:

1. things that need to be fixed
2. things that will need to be fixed after you've had a few minutes to play with them.

My iMate Pocket PC Phone Edition fell into the second category this morning, I woke up and decided to listen to our latest jam. Tired, looking & acting like a zombie I ended up hooking the wrong earphones into it, and they broke inside, leaving me with a phone I couldn't make or receive calls on (as it was under the impression it still had the earphones stuck inside) Unable to send it off to a repair shop, as I had purchased it from Dubai and wasn't willing to mail it and wait a week for it to be returned. I decided to fix it myself. You wouldn't believe just how hard it is to crack open the case, it took approximately 25 minutes to do so. First off, You will need to backup of your device as the backup battery might deplete during the course of this.. then you will need to take off the back cover and remove the battery. Underneath it you will see 4 slot small screws, and 2 TROX screws (6-point star shaped pattern), one of which is concealed under the void sticker (removing this screw will void your warrantee), then you gently have to remove the black back cover (near the camera) by gently pulling it and pushing it outwards toward the SD slot, underneath you will find the built in antenna, which is mounted by another set of TROX screws. After unscrewing those two, you will need to gently separate the back and front part of the case.

The fixing part didn't take a very long time about 4 minutes as I had to sharpen one of my screw drivers to fit in the small opening between the ends of the soldered jack. Having done so I realized how similar this is to having sex with a virgin, you have to take it slow and be ever so delicate, it might take sometime; but it’ll be fairly easier the next time, and she/it will never be the same.

Kilogram: Out of fashion?

The Kilogram (as with the meter*), the basic unit of mass in the SI system, equal to 1000 grams or 2.2046 lbs is moving towards a new definition based on a universal constant. The intention of the scientists working on this is to switch the kilogram from being defined by a physical model to a constant. A paper released on Monday proposes redefining the unit via fixing the values of one of two well-known universal constants. Avogadro’s Constant Matter is made of molecules, which are the smallest division that share all the chemical properties of the bulk material. Those molecules are made of atoms that are comprised of protons and neutrons. To a very good approximation, protons and neutrons have the same mass which is one AMU (Atomic Mass Unit). Since atoms and molecules are built from these protons and netrons, their masses are expediently measured in these units. Simply put Avogadro’s number is nothing more than a conversion factor between AMUs and grams. Planck Constant Planck constant on the other hand states the mathematical relationship between the frequency of an electromagnetic wave and the energy in that wave, and is often used to explain the sizes of quanta, which are tiny electromagnetic packets. Planck is represented by the letter h and has a value of 6.63 × 10^−34 J-sec. The combination h/2π, denoted by h (called “h-bar”), occurs frequently. So what’s wrong with our current model? In 1889, a cylinder of a platinum-iridium alloy was declared the international standard of measurement for the kilogram. It's kept at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures in France, and several copies were distributed around the world. It's unclear if the principal cylinder's mass is increasing or decreasing, scientists said, because it is the object used to measure others. Still, this poses a concern. Another worry is the possibility of the main model's destruction, come a natural disaster So the idea is to have some kind of definition to be able to construct the kilogram just given this information, without an object. Interesting. You can read more about it http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/Met --------------------------------- * Back in the days when the meter was a pair of lines on a bar kept in a box in Paris, the speed of light was a number that was measured. When it became clear that our distance standard (the physical bar) was limiting the precision with which we could measure the speed of light, we changed the standards to something more precise and repeatable than the use of this physical artifact. The first change was to specify a certain number of wavelengths of a particular transition frequency, but this defintion was found wanting. So eventually the meter was defined in terms of the speed of light, because that allowed for the most precise and repeatable definition of the meter.

Gates of New York

So pretty much everyone has heard my exuberant ranting and raving about "The Gates" since I first learned of it a couple of months ago. Although I didn't get the chance to see it up close and personal, I can only imagine how much of a breathtaking experience it has been seeing the thousands of orange curtains flowing in my favorite place in the preeminent metropolis (and my favorite city). You can tell how much of a profound effect it had on people by simply looking up "The Gates" on Flickr Today we'll finally witness the plug being pulled off the project, I thought I'd commemorate the magnificent work of art by posting a picture. I look forward to seeing Christo's and Jean-Claude's next project "The Arkansas River Project", perhaps personally this time.

Little Green Men.. Life On Mars?

It’s been a little over a decade since I came across the scientific TV blockbuster “Cosmos” and its human star Carl Sagan; whose enthusiasm for the universe and engaging screen presence awakened the astronomer in me. Ever since I’ve been fascinated by the vastness & wonder of space, the future of space travel and the possibility of extraterrestrial life forms. It’s been a very long time since I first saw Mars as a little red dot on my humble telescope. The intensive scrutiny of the red planet and the vast assortment of spacecrafts currently exploring it was an idea far fetched for me back then. Needless to say that with orbiters scanning the Martian landscape and the Spirit and Opportunity rovers have assembled what might be described as a MASSIVE FLOOD OF SCIENTIFIC DATA. The discovery of jarosite and other mineral salts on a rocky outcropping by one of NASA’s rovers “Opportunity”, and the evidence of large blocks of water ice just beneath the Martian surface by a European space probe contributed to a recent joint statement by Carol Stoker and Larry Lemke of the NASA Ames Research Center claiming they have found strong evidence that life may exist today on the red planet, hidden away in caves and sustained by pockets of water. Although their findings lacks direct proof of life on Mars, the methane signatures and signs of possible biological activity similar to those recently discovered in caves near Rio Tinto River (Called so because of its reddish tint, the product of iron being dissolved in its highly acidic water), can only make you wonder if life does exist over there. In response, NASA issued a statement calling the reports incorrect: “NASA does not have any observational data from any current Mars missions that supports this claim. The work by the scientists mentioned in the reports cannot be used to directly infer anything about life on Mars, but may help formulate the strategy for how to search for martian life. Their research concerns extreme environments on Earth as analogs of possible environments on Mars. No research paper has been submitted by them to any scientific journal asserting martian life.” Makes you wonder, ey? If life exists elsewhere it would most probably obliterate the GOD theory, GOD didn’t mention making aliens did he or she for that matter? I look forward to reading the Rio Tinto research, and its implications for present life on Mars.

So Bloody Tired

I'm tired. No, no, no wait I'm exhausted. For almost a decade I've been blaming it on poor blood circulation, bad diet, lack of vitamins, pollution, global warming, and a about a dozen other maladies that make you question the significance of living. Looking at the Department of Statistics website earlier on today; I found it isn't any of that at all. I'm exhausted because I'm overworked; let me demonstrate. If the population of this country is 6 million, and half a million are retired. That leaves 5.5 million, there are 2.5 million in school, that leaves 3 million out of which 1 million are unemployed, and another 1 million are employed by the government and/or army, 534,998 work in farming/county councils, 400,000 working abroad, 45,000 in hospitals, 20,000 in prison, which leaves just TWO people to do the work. YOU and me!! And you're sitting on your bloody arse reading this! It's no wonder I'm so bloody tired.