Reason for Optimism in Palestine?

"We must expel the Arabs and take their places, and if we have to use force to guarantee our own right to settle in those places -- then we have force at our disposal." David Ben-Gurion, Israel's "founding father" and first prime minister, 1937.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18939.htm

الجواب الـــمُـــفـــحـــم

جواب الشهير برناردشو حين قال له كاتب مغرور :أنا أفضل منك ..
فإنك تكتب بحثا عن المال وأنا اكتب بحثا عن الشرف
فقال له برناردشو على الفور: صدقت، كل منا يبحث عما ينقصه...
------------------
سأل ثقيل بشار بن برد قائلا : ماأعمى الله رجلا إلا عوضه فبماذا عوضك؟
فقال بشار: بأن لا أرى أمثالك
------------------
تزوج أعمى امرأة فقالت : لو رأيت بياضي وحسني لعجبت
فقال : لو كنت كما تقولين ما تركك المبصرون لي

Nokia's Mobiles Timeline

Click on the photo to enlarge.

Photos of the Week!

"[This] is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mom to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development."

"If you are traveling a lot and don't always know the language of the country you are visiting, then this T-shirt is for you. It has a phrase book printed on it so just point a finger at the pictogram you need and then point it twice at the question mark, which means, "Where is it?" and in no time you have found what you were looking for... or not."

"This transparent toaster allows you to see the bread while it is toasting so you just have to take it out when the colour is right."

"Younger Muslims Tune In to Upbeat Religious Message"

Interesting article.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/01/AR2007120101803_pf.html
The website of the guy of concern:
http://www.moezmasoud.com

Pan's Labyrinth

In my opinion, 2007 was a year full of Hollywood over-bloated movies with Spiderman 3, Pirates 3, and Transformers each making around a billion bucks.
Amidst these puffed products lies a great creation, called 'El Laberinto del Fauno.' Yes, a spanish movie, with the title poorly translated to a more Americanized 'Pan's Labyrinth.'
This one got three oscars for the 2006 year though! Best cinematography, best art direction, and best make-up is all that a NON-AMERICAN movie is allowed to take!
A contrast between a real-world-like picturesque of 1944 facist Spain, and a little girl's day-dreaming, the movie has 'What happens when make-believe believes it's real?' for its tag, and you can't describe it any better!
It's a rest-of-the-world, MUCH improved and more interesting, version of 'Cronicles of Narnia' series. And according to Wikipedia, Pan's director refused to direct the second Narnia movie to focus on his 'Pan's' creation, literally. He is a producer and the writer of the movie!
I warn you, this is a bloody one, with many vigorous bashes, MUCH blood and real-time head-shots! If you would like a screening, I will be happy to provide you with it! Yes, I'm giving the movie free publicity!
My 2007 movie roundup: ( ***** 5 Stars: Sicko, Jesus Camp, Pan's Labyrinth, Zodiac, Ratatouille ) ( **** 4 Stars: Amazing Grace, Meet the Robinsons ) ( *** 3 Stars: Children of Men, Pirates III, Spidey III ) ( DISAPPOINTING: Transformers, 300, many others! ).

Great Words

• "They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." Carl W. Buechner
• "There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties, or you alter yourself to meet them." Phyllis Bottome
• "You see things; and you say 'why?'. But I dream things that never were; and I say 'why not?'." George Bernard Shaw
• "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is." Albert Einstein

Great Transportation Constructions!

"THE MILLAU VIADUCT is part of the new E11 expressway connecting Paris and Barcelona and features the highest bridge piers ever constructed. The tallest is 240 meters high and the overall height will be an impressive 336 meters, making this the highest bridge in the world."

Portugese Airport

"The airport's runway with a length of 2781 meters, which 1000 meters of the runway is supported by 180 pillars, each pillar 50 [meters] height (about 17 floors ). Surprisingly, the runway designs are for B-747."

The Story of Stuff

20 minute video of views on the story of manufactured stuff.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Middle East History Flashback

Oversimplified! Enjoy:
http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/EMPIRE17.swf

Autodesk Inventor

"Autodesk Inventor software is [a] foundation for digital prototyping."
A whole software environment for semi-final whole product design, I guess, but whole product prototyping. It contains sketching, mechanical and electrical layout prototyping. It can be linked to Ansys stress analysis software, but not to any electronic analysis :'( software. Check out the 'Demonstrations' page, but prepare to be amazed! (They protype a car in the first 2 minute video!).
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=9682461&siteID=123112

2007: The Year in Technology

Wireless Power Transfer, Paper Batteries, Electric Pulses Destroying Cancer Cells, Self-Healing Materials Mimicing Human Skin. These are some of the technologies showcased in NASA's Tech Brief's Article '2007: The Year in Technology'.

http://www.techbriefs.com/content/view/2472/36/

I Know Your Details, Dear Viewer!

Ferrari Dino Concept

3-D Processors

3-D transistors are being developed! This can be an amazing, especially from the guy who invented flash memory.
http://www.ime.a-star.edu.sg/html/highlights_200712_02.html

الواقع العربي المعاصر

Shared by a relative.

World's Craziest PC Processor Today

http://www.guru3d.com/article/processor/471/1/
Gamers... Meet your new friend/foe... Your choice...
Around 20,000 in 3DMark 2006 overclocked a whole GHz... No comment...

Photos of the Week!

First Apple Computer: the *prototype* Apple I

Oh! So we actually had inflation for a while now! hmmm...

عبد الباري عطوان: أنابوليس.. القادم أعظم

"اسرائيل خرجت فائزة من هذا المؤتمر الذي يتمثل نجاحه في انعقاده، فقد ظهرت امام العالم كدولة وديعة محبة للسلام لا تملك اكثر من ثلاثمئة رأس نووي، وتحتل ارض الغير بالقوة، وتحتجز اكثر من احد عشر الف اسير علي الاقل نسبة كبيرة منهم دون اي محاكمات قانونية "
http://anaharame.blogspot.com/2007/11/blog-post_28.html

Art?

Whether we agree with the views or not, this thing can reach a lot of people.
http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/persepolis/main.html
I aim to see the movie, or at least understand what it wants to say. Shared by a relative.

سهيره مطربة الراب الألمانية من أصل فلسطيني

حجابي لا يشكل عائقا في طريق فني
سهيرة: "الألمان يريدون معرفتنا وهم محتارون ولديهم حق في ذلك فنحن كعرب ومسلمين قصتنا قصة، وأنا أتحدث معهم بصورة مختلفة وجيدة" حضرت المغنية "سهيره" ذات ال28 عاما إلي مصر لأول مرة لإحياء عدد من الحفلات في إطار احتفالية نظمها معهد غوته تحت عنوان "فنانون مسلمون من ألمانيا..الفن والهوية" وأجرت نيللي يوسف معها هذا الحوار

http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-367/_nr-422/i.html?PHPSESSID=f28b413f6bdc330310b7e574ad856573

Within Temptation's "Memories" Music Video

I consider this is the best music video clip ever.

The Delta-W Theorem of Efforts (Part II)

To expand on part I. First let's see those magical individuals whose efforts make up today's technology, skyscrapers, politics, economies, etc...

These individuals, overall, are not much better than us. Should they be special, then it's because they had better education. Other than that, they face social, econimic, and most of all, spiritual and ethical problems, probably more than us (at least, we can finalize our problems by going back to our Islamic sources).

What I mean is that we lack enough will to improve and cope with today's new world order. Many things rush to my mind now. Do I mean that we should be totally independent? no, well not in the near future if we want to set a new model (check out globalization: Italian designers manufacturing in SE asia). But it is will that rebuilt Japan after WWII. Will that made those countries today feared by the US.

The Delta-W Theorem of Efforts (Part I)

*** This is a realization that I shared with my friend Eyas Al-Faris. It was originally dubbed the 'Delta-T Theorem.' It is a theorem because of its consistency and for our inability to disprove it ***

Here goes. The theorem states that:

What we startle at, then feel bad for ourselves (for not having it), such as the many things we see well-worked-on in the developed countries, is only the result of vast amounts, yet extremely well managed, of small efforts by individuals. These efforts build up and make the end product.

Easily put through calculus terms, the end product is the result of infinitesimally small efforts by people, hence the usage of the physical quantity of work (W) in the name... Nuff said... Well, easier said than done, that is.

Can we rise to achieve above our expectations? Humanity, over its extended history, has proven this affirmable. In physics, work is the effort, which is very closely related to energy. In fact, energy is work over its time lapse. In our daily awareness, using one's energy results in work done. Physics is no Chinese. The question is, can we keep having a productive energy a goal we perceive at all times?

This is the beginning of a series. More to come ISA.

DisplayoMania!

The difference between 42" and 50" displays may not seem much looking at these numbers, which may frighten people away given the big price jump, which is around the double. I saw lately a 50" display and felt it was significantly bigger.
I calculated the difference to find out that a 50" is 41.72% larger in screen size than a 42", although the diagonal measurements, 50" and 42", are only different by 19.05%. I used the fact that the screens have a 16:9 ratio, and the well-know phythagorian right triangle rule. I also converted from inch to cm to get a feeling of the numbers!
I guess the best size that 'fits' is determined by the size of the room where the screen will be used.

Gracias Cesc!

"It's nothing to do with money - if it was I would have gone to Real Madrid last summer.
"I am playing and I am happy. Being a Gunner is very special, something that I am proud of.
"This is a small club on the inside, like a family, but it's huge on the outside."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/7096471.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/7061547.stm

"72 Processor Cluster for [Only!] $15000"

From the people who ran a supercomputer on bycicle generated power!
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/17/sicortex-intros-sc072-catapult-72-processor-cluster-for-1500/

Physically Ultimate Computing!

"we could have the whole universe simulated in a computer in 600 years provided that computational power increases according to Moore's Law.
"Computers are physical systems: the laws of physics dictate what they can and cannot do."
Who said there's no philosophy in computing? Check out:
http://puhep1.princeton.edu/~mcdonald/examples/QM/lloyd_nature_406_1047_00.pdf

Pistol-Grip Camcorder

Another Sanyo Xacti. This time called the Sanyo Xacti VPC HD1000.

this one can shoot at full HD. Stills at 4MP. Review says good on results but not excellent.

Check out a quick review at:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/camcorders/review/2007/11/17/Sanyo-Xacti-VPC-HD1000/p1

John von Neumann

For those who are inspired with great tech-minds, please check out John von Newmann (1st article) and his significant contribution (2nd article).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_von_Neumann
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Neumann_architecture
When will we have our own John von Neumann? Soon Insha' Allah!

Overmars - Out of This World!

The roadrunner of soccer wingers!
The great Marc Overmars (AKA Flying Dutchman), former player of Ajax, Arsenal, and (unfortunately, like the late Henry) FC Barcelona!

For Those of Crueler Hearts

Fun for he (or she) who may, at some stance, find himself (or herself) with murderous intentions!
http://www.gamesloth.com/play.php?game=ragdollavalanch
http://www.gamesloth.com/play.php?game=kittencannon

The Irony in Sciene

• Philosophy is a game with objectives and no rules. Mathematics is a game with rules and no objectives.
• The speed of time is one second per second.
• Life is complex. It has real and imaginary components.
• Biology is the only science in which multiplication means the same thing as division.

Currency-Dependency Catastrophe Affecting You and Me!

I read from another article that Kuwait has cut its direct dependency on the US dollar last May.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18675.htm

Tops Your Office?

http://www.officefurnitureexpress.co.uk/6-coolest-offices.htm

Offices with employees' on mind!

Stackable Car

Check out this electric car designed by an MIT group:
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19651/

Beautiful Demoiselle

Ratatouille

I saw this movie, and all I can say is that Pixar has widened the gap between today's rendered and top real time graphics. Story is okay. First half of the movie is great.

Art from Fruit!

Sleepy Head!

The News

I sometimes choose to not look up the news. This is because nearly everytime I do listen to the news, I feel either sad, humiliated, or depressed.
The pictures that come onto our screens along with the words, often coming from Iraq, the occupied Palestine and the rest of the Muslim world show how ignorant some people are to allow these disasters to take place, stay there and worsen over the years. I feel guilt as if I am part of these people. So I choose the easy way out: dump the news for good!
This is wrong. One should pushed towards change upon hearing bad news. "And if you want to help your fellow man, you better start with what is in your hand," as Yusuf Islam chants.
May Allah bless us with constant change towards the better in all of our earthly times!

Federer's Backhand

At 1:45, a miracle happens!

Blast Beat Mania!

What is a Satellite Receiver?

Here, you get beyond skin deep in one:
http://www.st.com/stonline/products/applications/blocks/consumer/cona003.shtml
Hover over any block to get component types. Each component type will give you related products. In order to get it all, you will have to download the data sheets and read them. Heheheee.

Creativity

• "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." Albert Einstein
• "The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out. Every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it." Dee Hock
• "To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." Joseph Chilton Pearce
• "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." Pablo Picasso

عيــــــــــدكــــــــــم مـبـــــــــــارك

Eric Johnson's "Manhattan" at G3 '96

Nano-Storage

Future, here we come.
http://physorg.com/news109253804.html

Chocolate Mania

Touching Story

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.
It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.
That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday she gave each student his or her list.
Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments.
No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.
Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before.
The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin. As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."
After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.
"We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it." Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times.
The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him. "Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."
All of Mark's former class mates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list It's in the top drawer of my desk at home." Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album." "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary."
Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times, " Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists."
That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.
The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.

The Crime of All Crimes

Rich/Poor Divide

Amazing, how humans think! more at:

http://deputy-dog.com/2007/09/19/extreme-rich-poor-divides/

Photos of the Week!

Movies

This week, The Kingdom, the massively anticipated movie, opened in US theater. This movie depicts, somehow, an fictional scenario of a terrorist bombing in Riyadh, inspired by a bombing that happened a couple of years back.
I wonder why this movie should be made with such recognizable (and thus believable) faces?
If you want to see a more realistic depiction of some of the *terrorism* that happens in the US, you might want to watch one of the two documentaries that I saw over the last two days:
1) Jesus Camp: which is about a summer camp for evangelical christian children that teaches them awful *extremism*. Remember that Steve Martin movie?
2) Terror Storm: Here it is! watch the beginning to know what it's about:

Check Mate, US!

Garry Kasparov, former world-champion chess player, may be the next Russian presedent. If this happens, it's gonna take more than deep blue to beat him!

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/09/30/russia.kasparov.ap/index.html

30 Years of Gaming Consoles

Several generations of integration followed this effort. Check out this link and the links it has!

http://www.retrothing.com/2007/09/the-atari-2600-.html

Photos of the Week!

More at: http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/1299

Aerodynamics in F1

The front wing of a late McLaren F1 car. Yes, this front wing may be the result of the illegal posession of Ferrari designs; but I dunno if this is worth close to 100$million (which is the fine McLaren had to pay because they - illegally - had Ferrari plans).
Nevertheless, I've been to this year's Bahrain F1, and the aerodynamics of this years cars are outrageous! Go Massa!

Ancient Hadramout

The one who added this on YouTube says these buildings are in the "old city of Shibam, Hadramout," and that these buildings are "600-700 years old, the city itself is way older than that."

Jumping Over Camels!

Yes, there were ramps. So what?

Michael Schumacher's Last Race - Brazil 2006

Michael starts with Fisichella at 6:20. Greatest pass ever.

Photos of the Week!

An Italian village

Innovations of Muslims

Subhan Allah, how we lost the control of cutting edge sciences!
إن الله لا يغير ما بقوم حتى يغيروا ما بأنفسهم

http://www.1001inventions.com/

More on Those in Need

Data Storage Costs Over the Years

Poverty in Yemen

More in the article's link:

http://www.daralhayat.com/business/09-2007/Item-20070912-fae136d0-c0a8-10ed-00c3-e8c4295516fb/story.html

To visualize, I have prepared this pie chart. Please remember that 1US$ = 3.75SR. 500$ is 1875SR.

شهــركـــــم مبـــــارك

Web 2.0... Artistic, Serious and Lovable Presentation

An iPod Timeline

I think the iPod is overrated. The models were never worth the prices. Notice that the vertical axis is Apple's stock price. 14X in 6.5 years! Also notice the maniac surge around the iPhone's release!

Photos of the Week (part2)!