PakFellows Blog » Computers

News of Bin Laden’s Death and Social Media’s Power of Communication

Sidrah Zaheer — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:01:42 +0000

I was about to sign out of my email account, when there appeared a new email in my inbox. I immediately opened it to check it out. It was from one of the citizen journalism social networking sites I am a member of. All it said without any details to the information was that Bin Laden died. He was killed finally. How was it all done, the email did not elaborate. Just as this email came to my inbox due to subscription to its newsletters, it went to many others too for revealing one the biggest headlines of the year.

I was intending to shut down my computer to carry on with the day’s routine. But when I received the email, I changed my whole plan of following on my usual routine, at least for the next forty minutes or so. All I was curious to know was how did Bin Laden meet his death. Indeed, it was good news, but not a relieving one. Since killing the name behind the terrorist attacks on 9/11 doesn’t finish off the evil intent his other co-networkers still hold.

I went to Google further about Bin Laden’s death to get the details. There was a whole stream of updates scrolling from the micro-blogging website, Twitter. Almost each second, people from all around the world, were tweeting their reactions about the news and their feelings on the matter. Everyone from journalists to news readers, all were there streaming their immediate thoughts. It is amazing how the breaking news of Bin Laden’s death was actually broken by Twitter. The world came to know of one of the greatest headlines in recent history, but not through mainstream news media, but through the social networking website, Twitter.

Although it does show the status Twitter has achieved and the importance of connectivity through social networking in this advanced era of fast communication, it also tells us how any news can be spread instantly without any detailed analysis. The first impact is obtained and a perspective fixed at the outset. This is the power of social media and it is growing ever more.

This year is the 10^th anniversary of the dreadful events in the New York City in 2001. Let us hope that just as the evolution of social media has given us such communicative power, different nations from around the world also evolve in their understanding of each other and learn to respect their differences in cultures and traditions. Though there are many different languages, but keeping in mind the essential purpose of a language, which is communication, let us negotiate and build bridges. Living peacefully together and co-existing in harmony is what I hope can attain such power of connectivity as social media has today.

Use Google Urdu Transliteration tool to convert Roman Urdu to simple Urdu text

Saeed — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:00:07 +0000

Just a few years back, designing and building websites or simply chatting in Urdu appeared to be nothing less than a Herculean task. The main difficulty that users came across was typing text in Urdu. As a result, most web users would resort to conversing in Roman Urdu, the typing of Urdu with the help of English characters.

However, things very soon started becoming much better, with the introduction of Urdu Unicode fonts and keyboard layouts.

Some enthusiastic developers also developed an “Urdu Pad” which became a very popular online tool.

Today, I’m introducing a very similar tool that has been started by Google quite recently by the name of Google Indic Transliterate. This tool can actually understand Roman Urdu and then transliterate it into a number of right-to-left languages, e.g. Urdu, Punjabi, Gujurati and Hindi among many others.

All you have to do is type in Roman Urdu and as you press the space bar, it converts it into actual Urdu characters. The rendered text can then be copied and pasted on to any place where you may desire.

I have found it to be pretty useful for users who have not set up their systems for typing in Urdu. A video tutorial by ProPaksitani is given below. Do give it a run and let me know what you think about it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvvugmzCx_k

Source: Convert Roman Urdu into Urdu

Microsoft releases hotfix (patch) for Pakistan 2009 Daylight Saving Time

Saeed — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 06:09:05 +0000

I wrote just 3 days back about Microsoft releasing a hotfix for Windows Vista and Windows Server users for Daylight Saving Time (DST) in Pakistan for 2009. Well, just a few hours ago, Microsoft announced that they have released a hotfix for Windows XP users too. If you’re running Windows XP and would like to install this fix, you may access it here.

P.S. This hotfix shall be automatically distributed via Windows Update in May to all Windows XP users.

Tutorial: Configuring your Windows XP systems for Daylight Saving Time in Pakistan

Saeed — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:27:14 +0000

Effective April 15, 2009, Daylight Saving Time (DST) has been re-introduced in Pakistan meaning that all watches, clocks and mobile phones needed to be shifted one hour ahead. The same goes for our computers at home and work as well. Microsoft has recently rolled out a hotfix for enabling DST changes for Windows Vista and Windows Server users in Pakistan but there has not been a release for Windows XP users yet.

I thought I would repost this short tutorial from last year, to help everyone to make the required changes to their computers manually so that they are synchronized with DST.

First of all, you would require a Time Zone Editor tool, which is available for download here. Download the file onto your system. After downloading, double click on the file and it would ask for a location to extract the 2 files within it. Extract them to a location of your choice. Of the 2 files, one is tzedit.exe which is the file you would require.

Note: Since the government of Pakistan has not yet announced when DST shall end this year, dates used in the tutorial below are from last year. (Update on 18th April, 2009: DST shall remain in effect in Pakistan till October 31st, 2009)

To manually modify time zone settings by using the Time Zone Editor, follow these steps:

1. Start Time Zone Editor [tzedit.exe]

2. In the Time Zones list, select a time zone, and then click Edit. For example, for Pakistani’s to make the required change, click (GMT +05:00) Islamabad, Karachi and then click Edit.

3. In the Edit Time Zone dialog box, click to select the Automatically set Daylight Saving Time check box.

4. Specify the correct daylight saving time start date and end date. To do this, follow these steps:

a. In the Start Day box, click the number of the day, the corresponding day of the week, and the month that you want. e.g. for us in Pakistan, click First, click Sunday, and then click June.
b. Select the time that you want to start daylight saving time. For example, select 12:00:59 A.M.
c. In the Last Day box, click the number of the day, the corresponding day of the week, and the month that you want. e.g. for us in Pakistan, click Last, click Sunday, and then click August.
d. Select the time that you want to end daylight saving time. For example, select 12:00:59 A.M.
e. In the Daylight Bias list, select how long you want the time to change when daylight saving time is in effect. To set the clock forward 1 hour, leave the default setting of +1:00.
f. Click OK.

g. Click Start, point to Settings, point to Control Panel, and then double-click Date/Time.
h. Click the Time Zone tab.
i. Select a different time zone than the (GMT +05:00) Islamabad, Karachi time zone, and then click Apply.
j. Click (GMT +05:00) Islamabad, Karachi and then click OK.

Note: Steps 4i and 4j are required for the new changes to take effect.

In this example, steps 4a through 4f update the time zone database. Steps 4g through 4j force Windows to read the time zone database and copy the updated information into the TimeZoneInformation registry key in the current control set.

I hope the following screenshots help you as well. Before saving, your changes should look like those shown in the second image. Click on the images to view them in full size.

Update (18th April, 2009): just a few hours ago, Microsoft announced that they have released a hotfix for Windows XP users too. Further details are covered in this post.

References:

Tutorial: Configuring your Windows XP systems for Daylight Saving Time in Pakistan

How to configure Daylight Saving Time (DST) for Microsoft Windows operating systems in Pakistan

Killing time online with flash games

Saeed — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:25:22 +0000

For a change, I thought I’d give some food for relaxation, rather than thought, to all of our dedicated readers out there. I mean, we do need a break once in a while!

I’m sure you’ve all played online flash games while at work, either out of sheer boredom or then perhaps addiction. Here’s a list of The 150 Best Online Flash Games that I came across yesterday. For your convenience, the games are sorted into the following categories:

Action Games
Aim and Shoot Games
Arcade and Classic Games
Tower Defense Games
Escape the Room Games
Graphical Adventures
Guitar Hero Games
Logic Games
Multiplayer Games
Physics Games
Puzzle Games
Reflex Games
RPG Games

Please feel free to add and share your favourite flash games with us all as well. And if you enjoy these games, please share the list with your friends and colleagues by e-mailing, stumbling and digging it! Ciao!

Windows 7 is now officially… ‘Windows 7’

Saeed — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:08:25 +0000

It has been recently confirmed by Microsoft that the upcoming version of Windows will now officially be called as ‘Windows 7’.

This was revealed by Mike Nash, Corporate Vice President, Windows Product Management in a blog post at the Windows Vista Blog. For as far as we know, this is final deal and perhaps its the first time ever a Windows release has been officially named after its codename.

This is what Mike had to say.

…since we began development of the next version of the Windows client operating system we have been referring to it by a codename, “Windows 7.” But now is a good time to announce that we’ve decided to officially call the next version of Windows, “Windows 7”…

More details on Windows 7 will be revealed and discussed at PDC 2008, where supposedly Microsoft’s new Windows Cloud OS is to be announced too.

According to Mike, Microsoft selected ‘Windows 7’ as its official name because of of its simplicity and the fact that it is the seventh release of Windows.

Windows 7 will basically be ‘Vista on steroids’ or more simply a more evolved version of Windows Vista with new applications, refinements and technology. A pre-beta developer-only release is to be shared with the attendees of both PDC and WinHEC.

Original post at: Windows 7 is now Officially… ‘Windows 7’

Opera 9.6 is officially out

Saeed — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:00:44 +0000

As the browser-competition heat grows with the launch of Google Chrome, Google’s Free and open-source web browser, other browsers like Opera and Firefox have already started planning strategies to out-throw Chrome in any possible way they can.

Today! Opera declared its war against Chrome by releasing the new Opera 9.6 which promises some unique new features and capabilities for the Opera cult.

It follows the same old black-luster design which was recently introduced in Opera 9.5 but with certain new features.

Features

Here go some of all the unique new features in Opera 9.6.

Opera Link – Synchronize custom searches and browser history across PCs and devices.
Feed Preview – Preview feeds in a clean layout even before subscribing to them.
Speed Enhancement – Its better and its faster.
Low Bandwidth Mode – For the low-end users, it provides them a faster email access.
Follow Thread – Keep a track of all your conversations and discussions on the web.

Legendary Opera features such as Speed Dial, Browser sessions, Notes etc are already there to make your browsing experience even more interesting.

As always, it is free and is available for download for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Get Opera 9.6

Original review at Download Opera 9.6! Its Official and its Out

Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 is out

Saeed — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:24:17 +0000

After months of beta testing, Yahoo! has officially released the final version of Yahoo! Messenger 9.0, which means no more betas!

Just after a week after Microsoft released Windows Live Messenger 9.0, Yahoo releases its popular IM for Windows XP and Vista, and comes packed with many new features including the new and improved user-interface.

The most interesting feature that I would like to mention first is the Pingbox, a new application that you can embed into your blog, website or social network page where visitors can IM you anonymously (or they can identify themselves) and you can also reply them back without revealing your Yahoo! ID.

Features:

Three new skins
Smaller, original emoticons
Ignore list bug fixed
Embed YouTube videos, Flickr images
Six new emoticons
Import Contacts wizard
Yahoo! Updates (similar to WLM personal message)
Share files and photos up to 2GB in size
Yahoo! Games are back!

There are lots of other features that Yahoo! Messenger fans would like in it. I’d recommend everyone to update their Yahoo Messenger to the latest version and have a treat with its new features.

Download Yahoo! Messenger 9.0

Original review at: Download Yahoo Messenger 9.0

5 killer Firefox tips that you should know

Saeed — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:09:36 +0000

So you think you’re Firefox savvy? Are you using the browser’s capability to the fullest? Read on and see if you are already doing the tips below.

1. Using Control-H (hold control then type H) shows the current profile’s browsing history. The tab should appear on the left part of your browser:

The history panel has many use but the best would be to recover a forgotten URL you visited a few days ago.

2. Using Control-T opens a new Tab. Instead of opening a new Firefox window, you should use Tabs as much as possible. Firefox eats a lot of resources like RAM and CPU (not to mention the screen) so maintaining a single Firefox window with multiple tabs is better than opening several Firefox windows. You can close a tab using Control-W

3. Using Control-B opens up the Bookmarks toolbar on the left part of the window.

I also use the Bookmarks toolbar a lot. I drag the URL of the website from the address bar to a folder in the Bookmarks toolbar to instantly bookmark the page:

Pressing Control-D also lets you bookmark the page but it will still ask you which folder you want to put it. It is practical to create folders to categorize and organize your bookmarks. Do not put everything on a single folder unless you are prepared to untangle them in the future.

4. Use the Error Console to find out code mistakes or probable future errors on a website. The shortcut is three buttons: Control-Shift-J

The categories of all types of messages are helpful. You can also evaluate a line of code using this tool. This is very helpful for web developers. I use it a lot to debug my Javascript and CSS codes.

5. Use Control-J to access the download history. Sometimes we forget where we saved our downloaded files. If you forgot where you saved the downloaded file, use the downloads window to access it – do not re-download the file because that will be un-savvy. You can also resume paused downloads here. Clear the list every time or so depending on your need.

Do you know more Firefox tips? Post your killer tips here in the comments section!

Source: Online Tech Tips

Google Chrome Browser

Saeed — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:50:42 +0000

And so it seems that a new browser war is inevitable. Yes, Google enters the browser arena with Google Chrome. Google has released their open-source web browser named Chrome today.

Built upon Webkit, the same rendering engine as Safari, and with some features from Firefox, Google Chrome poses as a serious competitor to current browsers. Still in beta, some of its eye-catching features include:

Instant access to your favourites
Suggestions for web pates and searches in the address bar
Private browsing
Shortcuts for your favourite applications right on your desktop

Users can download the new browser at http://www.google.com/chrome.

PakFellows Blog » Computers

News of Bin Laden’s Death and Social Media’s Power of Communication

Similar Articles at PakFellows Blog:

Use Google Urdu Transliteration tool to convert Roman Urdu to simple Urdu text

Similar Articles at PakFellows Blog:

Microsoft releases hotfix (patch) for Pakistan 2009 Daylight Saving Time

Similar Articles at PakFellows Blog:

Tutorial: Configuring your Windows XP systems for Daylight Saving Time in Pakistan

Similar Articles at PakFellows Blog:

Killing time online with flash games

Similar Articles at PakFellows Blog:

Windows 7 is now officially… ‘Windows 7’

Similar Articles at PakFellows Blog:

Opera 9.6 is officially out

Similar Articles at PakFellows Blog:

Yahoo! Messenger 9.0 is out

Similar Articles at PakFellows Blog:

5 killer Firefox tips that you should know

Similar Articles at PakFellows Blog:

Google Chrome Browser

Similar Articles at PakFellows Blog: