Blog about the Net, Pakistan and more

Web Blogging

I haven't had a chance to check out so many recent phenomenon, such as Twitter, but there's been a lot of buzz lately about friendfeed and I easily got started with it. It was just so very simple and could be the social networking and blogging consolidator I always needed. For now, I've just added my blog on it though should be adding more stuff soon. Catch me and my friends at http://friendfeed.com/sajjad.

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Posted at 14:27pm PKST  Comments | ¶

Islamabad Entertainment

This weekend, I got a chance to attend probably my first real rock concert (in Pakistan at least). Held at the auditorium of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, it featured some of the finest guitarists and progressive rock artists that this country has produced.

Though most of the pieces were originals, composed by the artists themselves and quite new to me, the one moment that convinced me of their talent was was when Zeejah opened with Misirlou (from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack). It was done so well that if I had heard their performance anywhere else, I could have sworn it was the Dick Dale version, performed for the movie.

Faraz Anwar is undoubtedly the most talented guitarist I have ever seen perform and I have no trouble believing that he is Pakistan's numero uno guitarist.

A drummer who can capture your imagination in a solo must truly be something. That's what Feef achieved, after huge public demand for a drum solo. Feef is quite impressive in person as well. Tall and well-built, with long, wavy hair, he really carries that "larger-than-life" rock-star look.

One major thing I noticed about the crowd was that it didn't appear as young and energetic (or as rowdy) as what you would expect in a rock concert. There were even families with toddlers attending. And once it was over, there wasn't a surge of fans rushing towards the stage or the stars being evacuated through a secret doorway. Most people just got up and left, giving the rest of us a chance to mingle.

Thank you Tayyab for introducing me to the local rock scene. As per our agreement, you owe me a guitar for every future event that I miss due to you.

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Posted at 00:00am PKST  Comments(4) | ¶

Pakistan

Looking at the news headlines (using Viigo) for the past couple of days, I was relieved not to find anything about Pakistan since there has hardly been any good news the last couple of months.

It was a pleasant surprise to open the news item titled "art frenzy" and end up staring at an article about Pakistani art and how the demand has skyrocketed lately.

Pakistan's art market has gone crazy over the past year, with prices multiplying 10 to 20 times over.

This increased interest (or trend) and all the exposure is quite a jump from the old days when Islamic calligraphy and some forms of classical music were the few art forms to be found, tolerated and appreciated. These days, there's so much more happening. Like the well-performed plays which I'm glad haven't fallen victim to the doom and gloom now rampant in other walks of life.

Most of my family members seem to have inherited some artistic traits. My dad used to paint for a hobby a long time ago (maybe I can help him start again) and my aunt still comes up with some beautiful stuff.

My brother even took up design as his career and has created a few cool things (this skull I blogged about a long time ago was painted a long time ago by him). I used to do some nice sketches as well until the bits and bytes invaded and fully consumed me. Now I'm challenged, even to come up with a good website design.

Hopefully the trend of rewarding artists will continue and allow more talented people to take it up, either as a hobby or as a career. Now should get ready for tonight's rock concert.

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Posted at 17:54pm PKST  Comments(1) | ¶

Internet Blogging

Was reading about Blogged on TechCrunch and submitted my blog to be included in the directory (still awaiting confirmation). While poking around, I found some really interesting blogs on it, including Cracked.com (some parts may border on NSFW).

If you're a comics and movies fan (or simply a science nerd), you'll enjoy such articles as 5 Terrible Life Lessons Hollywood Loves to Teach You or 6 Supposed Action Heroes You Could Probably Take In A Fight or even 7 People From Around the World With Real Mutant Superpowers.

Tough to stop reading once you start.

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Posted at 00:04am PKST  Comments(2) | ¶

Islamabad

I heard a distant bang about an hour back and assumed it was another bomb blast. Suddenly there was speculation that it could be in retaliation to the recent renewed offensive against militants by the Army. The news said there were two explosions somewhere around the Army House in Pindi, but nobody could figure out where exactly.
(BBC post)

I started to suspect it could have been the sonic boom from a jet. Called my mom and she said the booms were really loud around my house. That must be at least 20km from the suspected epicenter of the blast so if it was a bomb, it would have had to be a really big one. Else, the Air Force probably has a better explanation.

Still no confirmation on what happened, but I hope it really was just a sonic boom.

Update 23:00 PKST The Pakistan Air Force has confirmed via an official statement that it was indeed a sonic boom, created by one of their jets on a routine test flight. Amen for that.

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Posted at 13:06pm PKST  Comments(1) | ¶

Islamabad

A good friend of mine has launched another construction project by the name of PakHuts. Their focus is on the futuristic design and construction of huts in the beautiful mountainous region around Islamabad. The chalets are quite affordable and can be great for weekend getaways or as ideal places to live in peace.

Friendship aside, I'm really impressed with the designs and the previous projects that these guys have done. Everything is so futuristic and unlike most local contractors I've come across, they pay meticulous attention to detail. I've stayed in a couple of places designed and built by them and the average Pakistani house just can't compare.

Best of luck with everything guys. Hope I'm able to move to one of these soon.

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Posted at 19:30pm PKST  Comments(2) | ¶

Pakistan

Playing football has been the most enjoyable thing I've done within the past week. Though I've played it on and off for quite a while, this must be the first time I've actually been good at it. And I'm not even talking about competing against my above-30 (and overweight) friends. These are my current and ex-colleagues, mostly in their 20s, who aren't all that bad at footy (maybe it's due to the cool new shoes).

Football, however, still isn't the most enjoyable sport I've ever played. It's been over 5 years since I last snowboarded and have longed to do it again, yet any plans to explore the wonderful slopes of Pakistan's Northern areas have suffered a serious setback.

Pakistan's sole ski resort, the one at Malam Jabba, has been burnt to the ground. It appears that the militants who have lately terrorized the beautiful Swat valley, decided that the resort was too good a thing to leave alone and torched it completely.

That shouldn't stop an avid snowboarder, but it's unlikely that I'll have the time, money or the company to organize a trip to the still safe and untouched mountains up north. A trip that will involve searching for a suitable slope, mapping a route down and a way to get back up again. Another trip to Hokkaido will probably be easier.

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Posted at 17:52pm PKST  Comments(3) | ¶

Internet Web

Today is the day Firefox 3 is released and a campaign is underway to set a new record for the most downloaded software. So far it has managed about 1.7 million downloads.

Though I may not be switching over completely yet, it looks a lot better and I'm hoping it'll solve some of the stability and memory issues of previous versions.

I'll try to post a detailed review of it after I've used it a little more. For now, download and be counted.

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Posted at 04:42am PKST  Comments(4) | ¶

Technology

With no end in sight to the severe power shortage across the country, I was thinking about what could be done to make the darker hours easier. With the cost of generators touching the sky (not to mention the maintenance hassles, noise and air pollution and the all-time high fuel costs), other forms of energy look very attractive.

This HOWTO on building your own Wind Turbine was an interesting read and could be useful if you live in a windy area and can get your hands on a few good DC motors (or a full-fledged generator).

It just came to me that we may even be able to use one of those used kabuli car generators for this. They are readily available with most car mechanics and should be a lot cheaper than a commercial generator, though I'm unaware of their actual efficiency.

The same person also constructed a cheap solar panel system though it may be quite difficult to make use of it on a bigger scale.

I wish I had the time to thoroughly study and try out something like this. Maybe an enterprising Pakistani could take this up as a project and open up a lucrative business after ironing out the kinks.

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Posted at 01:39am PKST  Comments(2) | ¶

Mobile Security

I recently got a call on the BlackBerry number informing me that I had won a million rupees in a lucky draw conducted by Mobilink and that I should call back on the same number to claim the prize.

Mobilink actually does have such a scheme for their Jazz customers, but the fact that my package doesn't fall into that category and the manner in which I received the call aroused my suspicions. Why would Mobilink be calling me from another, recently released mobile number instead of through a call center? And why should I have to call them back to claim my prize? Why did the person on the other end sound more like a kabaddi wrestler than a customer support rep?

A search for mobilink cash prize revealed a number of stories on such scams, like this one by The News and this blog post by The Pakistani Spectator. The usual tactic is to get as much of the victim's details as they can and then ask for pre-paid scratch card numbers or a small amount to facilitate the transfer of the cash prize. That's a lot like the Nigerian 419 fraud emails we receive every day, but with a more local and personal touch.

Convinced that it really is a way to swindle money out of people, I thought I'd have a little fun and see where things would lead, so I called them back. The first attempt resulted in a busy signal (they could have fixed this part to make it more believable). The second call connected me to a new person who put me on hold with the real Mobilink jingle being played.

After I had listened to the full ad, another person came on the phone and greeted me in broken English with something along the lines of "Mobilink customer support. How I may you help today?". I pretended not to understand English and he simply guessed that I was calling about the prize.

Another warning sign with such scams is that they emphasize on the urgency of the matter. That's what this guy did by telling me how late I was in calling back and how I should quickly contact their "MD sahib" (the actual prizes can be claimed within 30 days). While giving me the MD's contact, he tried making casual chit-chat about what my name was and what I did, but I finished the conversation without revealing anything useful.

After calling the new number, another person with a similar accent answered and put me on hold again with the Mobilink tune playing. This call was cut off and I didn't want to waste more time on this so just let it be. However, the earlier person called me after a few hours and asked if I had talked to their Managing Director. I said that the number got cut off, but that I'd be willing to pick up the prize in person from any Mobilink office.

This put the goon on the back-foot and he asked again where I was calling from. When I said Islamabad/Rawalpindi, he said that I would have to go all the way to the Mobilink head office in Karachi and that it'll be more convenient to just talk to their managing director and get it finalized over the phone. After the call, I was tempted to call them again in a few hours and tell them that I had taken a flight to Karachi (who wouldn't do that, given the money involved?), but then decided that it was enough fun for the day.

A lot of people regularly fall for these kinds of scams so be wary and don't get suckered into losing even a penny to them. If you really have won something, you'll know about it through more reliable means. If there's anyone who I can help in catching these guys, please get in touch.

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Posted at 00:12am PKST  Comments(3) | ¶