Realistic Virtuality

Grand Architecture

2008-11-30T00:54:00.001-08:00

Grand Architecture, originally uploaded by HaMeD!caL.

2008-08-12T11:00:00.001-07:00

Designing the Future

2008-06-28T02:56:00.000-07:00

I am back!

I seem to have lost the exigency for writing, but its been a while so lets see how long i can pull this through.

I am currently watching an amazing series on architecture called e2 design, its about how designing green buildings is not just a new fashion trend but rather a matter of survival in the future.

let me know what you think.

Unforgetable Talk

2008-03-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

A beautiful talk given by Dr Tariq Suwaidan titled "The Future of Our Religion".

Wrong Answer

2008-03-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

I was speaking to an HP rep today. I was trying to get a new battery for my system, and the rep was taking an awful long time to pull the info on my laptop.
She kept apologizing several times during the conversation. Then she said something that really struck me. "I am running on HP computers and they're really slow." Now that's a good way of "blowing" away the competition.

Free Programs on non-free systems

2008-03-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

I never fully understood why developers of open sourced software would develop their software for non-free systems such as OS X & Windows. Would that not encourage people to stay on those systems?

Is the developers' goal to increase the user base of their programs? It might not be that big of a thing, as an example FireFox which is considered the jewel in the crown of the OSS movement is available in many platforms helping increase the programs user base. The question is though, does that not have a negative effect on the Linux?

If users of Windows & OS X cant find all the great free/open sourced Linux exclusive programs on their systems would that not tempt them to move to Linux?

I wondered what would happen if someone comes up with Compiz-Fusion to work on Windows what that would do to the Linux user base.

When someone is given a choice of working on a project, and finds all the great "free" software developed by OSS Dev's available on his non-free platform, why would he want to move to Linux.

I have faced similar issues in the past where I had to choose between using the OSS software on Linux, or taking the easy route and using Windows. Fortunately I am still a Linux user coping with the minor issues that Linux has that can only be solved when commercial companies see a a large Linux user base, forcing them to offer a greater Linux support.

I greatly admire the people behind Blender for their work on open movies, and games. They truly set an example of choosing the creation of projects using the OSS software on Linux. But on the other hand the blender Dev's provide OS X and Windows versions of their programs. should the users of Windows and OS X benefit from the work that essentially Linux produces?

I guess that question I was hoping to get an answer on was whether an increase of the OSS user base on Windows & OS X decrease the user base of Linux.

I ♥ Programming

2008-02-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

I have always dreamt of being able to program, and finally I was I able to do so.

I am taking this programming course and just programmed my first program using C++ under MonoDevelop.

Please give it a try and let me know what you think.

Link to the file------->>>> My First Program

Connecting to PennState's VPN using Linux

2008-02-12T21:25:00.000-08:00

I decided to write occasional tutorials for new Linux users. As a recent "convert" from Windows, I have been using Linux for about two years now.

I will not cover the basics on what Linux is, why one should or should not use it as I feel it has been covered by many. I will however guide you to several podcasts that can help you learn more on Linux.

> Linux Action Show

> Linux Reality

---------------

I decided to start with a tutorial on how to connect to PennState University's wireless VPN. I spent over a month maybe without be able to connect to the internet on campus. Later I discovered that there actually existed a VPN client for Linux. After a tedious play I was able to go online. The Linux VPN client is available through the university's website. But I recommend using another approach.

The problem with using the university CISCO VPN client is that one has to manually set it up on reboot, in addition updates could mess it up requiring a new installation. To solve this problem you could use a program called "vpnc" or the embedded version into the network manager "network-manager-vpnc". You can install it using your distro's package manager.

After successfully installing the program, run it and fill in the appropriate blanks. (Example for University Park Campus)

Make sure your on the University's network before running vpnc. As you connect you'll be asked for two passwords, the first will be your account password and the group password will simply be "pennstate".

Please let me know how helpful this tutorial was, and feel free to post any comments you have.

Open your mind, use Open Source Software!

A Deeper Understanding

2008-02-09T00:39:00.000-08:00

I am back again. I hope I would be able to keep up with my blogging though.

Anyway with all the buzz around the presidential race here in the US, I found it quite interesting how people's different views are not debated intelligently. A very interesting group is the right winged conservatives. As a Muslim I would naturally hold a very different point of view of several issues, yet I am really interested in understanding where they come from. Why they think what they do; because frankly some things they have to say seem so "crazy".

I thought, be coming from a very different environment I should read what they have to say and really understand their point of view directly from the source and then judging it. I mean in the end if you want to make a fair judgment of anything you have to listen to both sides of the story. this is why I ordered some "conservative" books and hopfully that will allow me to get a better inside into the conservative's right ideology.

I will hopefully then make a small conclusion and afterthoughts of this mini-research.

Unrealistic Offer on a PS3!

2007-11-25T12:45:00.000-08:00

Register at http://www.YourPS34free.com/index.php?ref=4376902 to obtain your free PS3!

The more people register the faster they can obtain a free PS3.

The catch? You do have to complete at least one commercial offer, but its no big deal, I mean had to pay 8 bucks only. Furthermore you need to refer at least 8 people to obtain reward.

Trust me this beats any Black Friday Deal out there!

Andalusia

2007-11-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

I recently finished watching an amazing documentary on Al Andalus (Islamic Spain) by the BBC. I really encourage anyone interested in history to watch it. It is around 2-hr long though, you might want to watch it in parts. Please comment on what you think. w420

A Special Comment

2007-11-03T01:48:00.000-07:00

Never have I heard someone this outspoken. Amazing. I wonder if this gentleman still has his job.

Chatting with an Apple rep

2007-11-01T19:37:00.001-07:00

I would like to share a chat I had with an Apple rep recently on their website live chat feature:

You are chatting with Lori A, an Apple Expert

Hi, my name is Lori A. Welcome to Apple!

Lori A: Hello

You: Type your response here and press Return to send it...hi

Lori A: How may I help you today?

You: Does the current Macbooks support LInux if I wish to instal it over OSX?

Lori A: Yes.

You: Will Apple still support my macbook then?

Lori A: We won't support the software if you remove it.

Lori A: If you have hardware issues we will support that.

Lori A: But if Linux causes any issues , we won't support those.

You: I understand but if I need technical support on Linux using Apple hardware will I reciecve support from the Apple Technical team when it comes to issues like hardware support on linux?

Lori A: Yes on hardware support.

Lori A: May I help with any other product or order questions before you proceed?

You: Does Xserve support multiple OSs or only Apple Server?

Lori A: Just a moment.

Lori A: Mac OSX.

You: Thanks! One final question why do think people still insist on using windows when OSX is available?

Lori A: Ha!

Lori A: I think that all that time when I get customers wanting to run windows on a Mac.

Lori A: But I can't say that !

Lori A: Glad to meet someone who understands!

You: Well...

You: Not exactly

You: I use Ubuntu Linux

You: you should give it a try

You: wont hurt

Lori A: Well...

Lori A: Ok.

You: Cool

You: Thanks a lot

Lori A: You are welcome.

You: bye

You: :-)

Lori A: Thank you for visiting the Apple Store. We appreciate your business.

Please don't be shy to leave any comments.

What Mathahb?

2007-10-31T00:43:00.001-07:00

Thought I share an opinion I gave recently, any comments?

ASALAMUALAIKUM,
I saw a friend from the York campus yesterday and we somehow ended up in our usual situation: that of a 'profound intellectual debate' or I would like to at least think of it that way. Pretty much this guy has a way of making arguments that sort of belittle you, and he asks his questions in a way that you sorta kinda don't really know what the hell he's actually asking, but you don't want him to think you don't know what you're talking about, so you answer the best you can. I've had so many debates with him on so many topics, I've lost count.

It started with an anthropology class, and because he's an agnostic, its moved to Islam. His last inquiry was (from what i understand) to ask about why Muslims are supposed to follow schools of thought, why we can't just interpret our beliefs for ourselves. He asked "who decided that you should follow a school of thought? who said you are not supposed to interpret Islamic ways on your own".

I explained what little i could but refrained from too much bc this is too scientifically-islam for me and i dont have the exact answers, i don't even know his question too well. Can someone explain some of this too me please? I would like to pass it on to him...

Assalm Alaykum,

I would be glad to answer his question with the little amount of knowledge that I have. But first we have to make sure that this "friend" is not asking the questions just for the sake of argument. If that is the case then there will be no point in trying to convince him.

When I first came to State College I did not really follow my Mathhab"School of Thought" strictly, and it was not until after I spoke to Sheik Abdullah who gave a speech last year at the IAW that i came to a realization that I have to follow my school of thought.I actually had a similar debate with two brothers here after I have started following my mathahb solely. One argument actually lasted till 2am!

Anyways the way I understand it is as follows if you have two presidential candidates and they both support different agendas, you like agendas from both the candidates but you can only choose ONE. One has the freedom of choosing his mathhab but he has to stay with it because they have been put by VERY knowledgeable scholars that understand our deen, who are we know say we are going to follow "what makes sense"? Going back to history all the big scholars of our Ummah who came after the four Imams(of the four mathahbs) followed a single mathab. What prevented them for starting their own mathahb or for that matter follow what makes sense to them? It is because they understood that the four Imams were very knowledgeable that they were the best people to interpert the Sunna. That's basically it! The mathahabs are merely different ways of interpreting the Sunna and looking at it from a different perspective.

Mathabs are important because they allow us to follow our religion in good manner that is "approved" by the Sunna. In other words Mathahbs are here to make life easy NOT vice versa.

As for why we have to follow a Mathahab strictly, it is because if "mix & blend" rulings from different Mathahabs then we would be following our nafs and taking an easy path, creating a "fake" Mathab for the pleasure of ourselves. This is not to say that there are instances when one is allowed to take rulings from a different Mathahb when he is in a difficult postion; but one should not make it a habit for the reason mentioned above.

However there is ABSOLUTELY no discrimination between the four schools of thought as all the imams respected each others. Moreover we should NEVER say to someone who is not following a Mathahab that he is not Muslim.

I apologize for the lengthy reply, and I hope that your friend comes to an understanding to why we should follow a Mathab. May Allah guide us to his straight path and grant us the Firdows, the highest of the seven heavens. Amen.

P.S. Articles that might be of some interest

http://ammanmessage.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=34

http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/madhhab.htm

http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/madhhabstlk.htm

http://almuttaqoon.com/index.php?showtopic=821

Memory I

2007-10-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

I recently started using my Filofax personal organizer again. I hope it will help me get back on track and become organized. I now that were in the age of technology but in my opinion Filofaxes are more personal. I feel that it creates a personal connection with me, a connection that no electronic device can achieve. Moreover Filofaxes don't run out of battery and their data doesn't get corrupted. The biggest advantage that I think that my Filofax has is that information can be written easily with a pen rather than having to type everything down into a small screen.

As I started using my new Filofax I came across a note I wrote a while ago and would like o share with you. I wrote in my final year in high school, yeah the good old days. Please feel free to leave your comments about my post or about my blog in general, enjoy.

After receiving my class photo at [the] 13th of May 2006 I had a strange feeling. I just remembered That soon I will never see any of my classmates as we will all departure towards our dreams. This thought made me really sad. I have studied with some of them at MPS [Muscat Private School, now known as Muscat International School] for over thirteen years. I feel connected to them with a strong bond.

I really feel sad for not sitting at classes with them anymore. Each and every lesson in grade 12 is an adventure. Knowing that I shall never attend a lesson with them anymore just makes me utterly sorrowful.

It was like yesterday when in eighth grade that Mr Brimo our music teacher told us as we were watching the clock eager to leave the classroom "You will think back of these days when you graduate and you'll want to come back and live them again"[not exact quote, but man he was really right].

Leaving MPS after thirteen years of studying under its roof...I don't think its an easy thing to endure for anyone. Saying good bye to teachers who taught us valuable things. Saying goodbye to our friends who put smiles on our faces every day. Just few days to go and MPS will become a mere memory. But a beautiful memory nevertheless.

Coming Soon...

2007-10-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not updating my blog. I am really busy preparing for midterms, I should be able to write soon though inshaAllah. So stay tuned.

In the mean time you could visit OpenSuSE project at opensuse.org

A Story That Must Be Played...

2007-07-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

Kojima Productions have just recently released the new Metal Gear Solid 4 Trailer from Sony's conference at E3. Yes, Metal Gear Solid is a video game; but it is unlike any other video game you might ever played. The MGS series is unlike any other game because it offers entertainment in a dramatically different aspect.

The MGS series games' storyline is really something interesting. It consists of many political and social themes. I have definitely learned a lot from Mr Kojima's games. If your a fan of conspiracy theories you'll love Metal Gear Solid.

On the other hand, MGS is not your typical storyline as many of its parts have a very strong links to events happening around us. In other words Metal Gear open your minds to new possibilities of why things in the world happen the way they do.

If I would describe MGS with briefly I would say its a game with a mind twisting story that incorporates many realistic facts inside it. It is truly worthwhile playing, if not at least one should read the story.

A Beautiful Nasheed

2007-06-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

I heard an amazing nasheed the other day on YouTube. I immediately ordered the Album and I am enjoying it a lot.

The Album is called Rahma by Talib al-Habib.

The following is the nasheed from the YouTube, as for ordering you can get it at: nur al-habib productions website

Why buy a Mac?

2007-06-14T04:57:00.000-07:00

A post a wrote in ubuntuforums.org

I think that Apple is the IT innovator of our time, however innovation is not the only factor that matters in the IT world. When the open source community comes with a better solution to what Apple "invented" that sure makes FOSS a better alternative to OS X and Windows.

I think Apple's existence is crucial to bring innovation to the IT world however, innovation is only the first step towards building the pyramid. The concept behind open source software is extremely important where the open source community can collaborate in building upon this innovation, in which the structure of the open source community enables it build amazing application. Needless to say innovation within the Open source community is not non existent.

I was planning to buy a macbook last summer and dual boot OS X and Ubuntu, however I later acknowledged the fact that for the same price I could get a PC with higher specs. Sure the macbooks look cool; however I believe that even though looks are important, they are not the only factor that comes to place to buying a new computer.

If I was to buy a laptop only for its looks than VooDoo PC would be my first choice. Whats important is achieving that balance between looks, power and of course cost. I highly respect Dell's move towards offering ubuntu; however I think that there PC's are dull when it comes to design.

Proprietary software is surly an issue within a Mac. Even though it might not seem as big of a deal right now but the extend that barriers are being incorporated is insane, I mean just look at DRM for example.

One thing that I dislike about OS X is it's over-simplification. I feel that it dumbs people down. I mean are people so dumb that they cant handle two buttons? Its great to have application that are simple to use; however OS X apps has reached a level of simplicity that makes it complicated if you understand what I mean. If two kids work on two platforms for their entire life, one on GNU/Linux and the other on the Mac, who would you think would have a better understanding of his computer's infrastructure and capability? With Linux you can push your computer's limit by your self, no Steve Jobs needed.

Finally I think that the most amazing thing about the open source world is the amount of choice that is offered that no other OS can offer. The level of customization within the open sourced community is just unbelievable. I mean it reaches an extend where it is just it truly makes your PC personal. More over absolutely any one can contribute in the making of his operating system.

To brief, buying a Mac book is like marrying a person solely for his/her looks rather than their personality.

I am a happy proud owner of my PC running ubuntu. I do however pop to Apple.com once in a while to check what the other guys are offering.

Industrialized Tree

2007-06-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

I submitted this picture as part of my art and technology class' final project. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. The picture is titled "Industrialized Tree" and was composited using GIMP, an open and free image manipulation program.

Please visit my Flickr account and comment on my pictures. Finally check out this video I uploaded to youtube.

A beautiful Ayah

2007-05-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

I wanted share a beautiful Ayah that I really like and find strong inspiration from every time I read it :

وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ
الكهف:٢٨

"And keep yourself (O Muhammad ) patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, etc., and other righteous deeds, etc.) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost." (18:28)

This beautiful Ayah shows the importance of having good companions who assist us in jihad al-nafs (jihad of the soul) and also emphasizes on sabr (patient) in the way of Allah . Companions who remind us if we start straying from the right path. May Allah help us all follow his straight path and sweeten eman in our hearts.

Ameen

Whats underneath my couch?

2007-05-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I noticed the that something has been chewing on the carpet beneath my room's door. Later I saw something moving underneath my couch. I went to the office and told them that there was a rat in my apartment. They were amazed as they never had a rat in any of the apartments before. Its no strange fact that our apartments are surrounded with all kinds of animals from rabbits to birds; but rats...?

Anyways the guy came and started looking underneath the couch. He suddenly said "Yup I saw something". At that moment I was expecting to see a big fat ugly rat come out. To my amazement the thing responsible to the funny noises underneath the couch happened to be one of the cutest animals I have ever seen. It was a chipmunk!

The poor guy was stuck in my apartment for three or four days. Anyhow we released him outside after a short pursuit inside the apartment. If I knew it was a sweet chipmunk not an ugly rat I would have probably kept him as a pet.

A lesson I learned? Never turn a guest away, he might not be that bad after all.

The Dawn of a New Operating System

2007-04-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

Mark Shuttleworth just announced the codename for the next ubuntu release. Actually the one after the next as Feisty Fawn has not come out yet. The name is Gutsy Gibbon (aka 7.10) which is coming in October 2007.

I think one of the most important factors that lead to ubuntu's success is the leadership behind this project. Mark is truly a great leader. Not only him but his group of distinguished men as well, also known as the "Warthogs". I have noticed that Mark has various connections with the open sourced community. As an example ubuntu's ultra-free version coming next October will made in collaboration with the Free Software Foundation. Linspire has partnered with Canonical and their distribution is going to be based on ubuntu.

All in all more and more people are going to be aware of ubuntu. Which would hopefully help speed the progress of fixing Bug #1. As an example of ubuntu's rapid groth is the recent announcement by the French parliament that they are going to be implementing ubuntu into their systems.

What I admire the most about the philosophy of ubuntu, is how people are encouraged to help the project in any way they can. There are many ways in which you could help ubuntu's development. You can design artwork, program programs, test for bugs or even just answer new users questions. I personally, am a member of the Arabic application translation team at launchpad. What this
involvement creates is the sense of true ownership of the distribution. In brief, ubuntu is not a one man's OS; but an OS that is a contribution of thousands of people.

Just six days to ubuntu's next realease Feisty Fawn!!

Beryl...The Jewel in Ubuntu's Crown

2007-03-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

I bet every one who has used a computer before must have encountered a situation where he had over five windows open on his screen, and found it difficult to switch between them. What if I told you that ubuntu has a solution that surpasses anything out there.

Beryl is a composite manager that offers you tons of cool three-dee effects. Burning windows, rain effect, opacity, wobbly windows and my favorite the rotating cube. These effects offer an amazing experience with ubuntu. Not to mention the unbelievable freedom of customization offered.

When you first start using beryl you can feel the organic feel of your OS. You feel the freedom of moving your work around the 4 workspaces spread around the cube. Hardware is not a problem either. You can run Beryl on a simple Intel graphic card. Oh, and you pay absolutely nothing for it. Be warned though that after running Beryl you might have so much fun that you'll neglect your work! X-D

Try Beryl and experience the real WOW.

Switching to the Orange Side

2007-03-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

My first encounter with Linux (or GNU/Linux) was at about the age of 11 when my dad told me about it and I vaguely remember that he showed me the desktop of RedHat Linux (which frankly has not changed much since that time).

But the first time that I got really interested in Linux was when I saw the Linux kit for PlayStation 2 on the web, and I thought that it would be great to explore the other side and free my self from Windows limitations. However I never got to try linux as the myth of linux being hard to use persisted. That was until my friend told about ubuntu and I tried it. Trying ubuntu was an amazing experience. I was amazed by the ease of use of ubuntu, how the OS was organized. Now ubuntu is getting very popular, as more and more people are exploring the freedom that open source software has to offers.

Ubuntu is not just an operating system it's a philosophy. One of the features that attached me to ubuntu was it's community. When I first started using ubuntu I, like any beginner had many questions and the ubuntu community was like the black knight that help me through the transition phase. Its wonderful to have a community like ubuntu's that is like your family in the time of need. This is the major difference that I see between the open sourced ubuntu and the closed sourced Windows. When you encounter problems in Windows you end up calling your computer manufacturers. This limits you to a formal/business-like relationship when dealing with the most personal thing in your life...your computer. On the other hand ubuntu's community offers you the freedom of interaction and expression between the community members.

Your probably thinking that this freedom talk is a bunch of trash, but let me tell you this. You never know how tasty an orange is until you taste one. In the same sense when you do decide to visit our orange side you will understand why we value our freedoms, why we support open software and why we enjoy sharing our experiences with others from the other side.

The biggest different between Windows and linux users is that linux users choose their operating system where Windows users in most cases are users who are stuck with OS that was shipped with their computer. Alas that most people are not aware of the free alternative OS's to the infamous Windows. From my viewpoint PC manufacturers that say that they care about their customers are untruthful towards their "customers". The way I see it is that PC manufacturers that ship their PC's with Windows should at least say "Hey we recommend Microsoft Windows but their are other free alternatives that you might want to consider.

Trying new things might be frightening, exploring new realms can be demanding but you will always be rewarded for your efforts. So the question is, will you be brave enough to explore the taste of this fruit that they call Orange?