Archive for the 'Tech' Category
Saturday, May 17th, 2008
From Literacy To Digiracy
What do you say? Are we on the road to dissertations written in txt msg speak?
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
i’m a cereal killer.
» It makes me sad that the JB seems to be losing steam. [Also, that I can't get my paragraphs to separate, no matter how many <br> tags I stuff in.]
» What do you fellows make of things in Pakistan these days? I’ve been out of touch, but I’ve heard about the dilly-dallying over restoring the judiciary. Although, I don’t know if that would really matters. Scandalous, considering I was briefly involved with the Student Action Committee, for whom the judiciary is a major concern.
» The job search is — or should be — go. Any tips?
» Here are the Arsenal Ladies.
Saturday, April 19th, 2008
we can has rapidshare!
i think it’s a source of great pride that pakistan has its very own official reseller — Aekpani Networks ["To Lead You At The Peaking Edge"] — for rapidshare.
Thursday, April 17th, 2008
wacom
» they have a slick website here. i think i’d rather like a bamboo fun.
Sunday, March 30th, 2008
the sound of music.
"Why Records DO All Sound The Same", in the March 2008 issue of The Word [best music mag around], which i was thumbing through today at a Barnes & Noble.
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008
consumption vs creation
al-tahafut, you’re analysis of tourism as a consumer industry is spot on. i think visiting historical sites is particularly overrated unless you use it as an excuse to actually read up on some history. i think nature sight seeing is ok as long as its not marketed as ‘eco-tourism’, which is just a horrible, horrible word.
first of all, cities are just as fascinating if you are trying to understand the human condition. secondly, pursuing a better understanding of nature is fine, but you should acknowledge that you are satisfying your curiosity in a way which might be harmful to the planet rather than spinning it to give yourself a sense of moral righteousness.
anyways, i think our discussions of music, films and tourism go the heart of what it means to be a consumer in the modern world. for instance, do we watch films because it is a shared cultural reference point with our friends, because it simply gives us pleasure or because we gain a deeper understanding of the human condition and thus lead more satisfying lives?
while i was pondering these questions, i fortuitously came across this brilliant lecture by Larry Lessig. definitely must-watch.
Also check out this interesting write up on Prof Lessig. I think it would be great if he made it Congress/Supreme Court.
Thursday, February 14th, 2008
nothing of the kind.
yeah, i’ve heard lewis recently on conan o’brien etc. and he didn’t sound up to it. i don’t know much about him, but i do know he was one-fourth of the million dollar quartet.
lewis is the one on the left. those other fellows - now a heavenly trio - went by the names carl perkins, elvis presley, and johnny cash.
ah, the powerpoint - in my experience, equally terrifying to those who wield it and those subjected to it. i haven’t had much use for slideshows and stuff. at college, i preferred not to use it, when given a choice. i found html to be a good alternative. i’ve got openoffice on my pc now - seems all right, but i haven’t really used it much. but it’s free!
i’ve used linux briefly, in the depths of the misery that was statistical & thermal physics (!), so i can’t say much about it. the mac os is excellent. the new macbook air looks lovely - as does most apple hardware - but i’m not sure it’s worth the cost - again, like most apple products. i don’t think it even has a cd drive. if you want to go all fruity, i’d suggest a standard macbook, or go all out and get the pro version. i nearly bought a mini while shopping around for a pc last year, but settled on a gateway-vista notebook. ugly & crude - fits perfectly into my life.
oh, inflection is fun! “in fect”, i reckon, it’s almost as much fun as the jumping, dancing … queen of our country.
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008
mali music
i’ve heard some of ali farka touré’s stuff before. and i’ve heard about diabaté, but i’d never heard any of his stuff. fantastic. there are two other bands from mali that i’ve heard: tinariwen - a band of touareg soldier-musicians - and tartit - five touareg women and four men who formed in a refugee camp in burkina faso. i’ve heard tinariwen’s 2007 album, aman iman, is fantastic, and tartit’s 2006 album abacabok, too. i first heard of tartit thanks to “ansari” being included on a free disc i got with the january 2007 issue of the word - probably the best music magazine out there - which i picked up in transit at amsterdam schiphol. check the song out on tartit’s myspace, or just ask me for it. mesmeric is the right word.
also, damon albarn - of blur, gorillaz, the good, the bad & the queen, and the recent monkey: journey to the west - released an album in 2002 entitled mali music, collaborating with toumani diabaté and other musicians. i haven’t been able to get my hands on that album either though. all royalties from the sale of the album go to oxfam. as an aside, i’ll throw out the suggestion that damon albarn is the most creative british musician of his generation.
on microsoft, i guess they’re getting desperate now. i fear they’ll end up messing up yahoo! and wait, i just realised: that means ms will own yahoo! mail too! maybe i’ll have to switch. =( i wonder how long it’ll be until apple’s os outstrips overtakes windows in terms of sales.
atomsmasher, what guitar did you get?
[edit: i've just started listening to tinariwen's aman iman. three songs in, it's absolutely amazing.]