Double U Blog

What is Right?

Waleed — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:59:46 +0000

Governor Salman Taseer’s murder at the hands of his own bodyguard has certainly rocked the proverbial Pakistani boat. Just four days into a new year—which the astrologists on TV told us would be a good one for Pakistan—a police guard turned his gun on the Governor, riddling him with 46 bullets. The assassin was led away, smiling ear to ear at his accomplishment and leaving a trail of utter madness in his wake. Pakistan has had its share of turbulent times, and through the years we’ve found surprising ways of coping. We deny involvement, blame ‘invisible hands’ and eventually move on to the next news story that’s breaking on TV with unfortunate animations and impudent musical scores. The situation this time has resulted in a divide between ultra-religious hardliners and the self-proclaimed modern and free-thinking public. With large and influential religious groups condoning and even applauding the assassin for his deed, the shocked and confused free-thinking public is left questioning their ideals of right and wrong.

Acing the Search

Waleed — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 09:36:53 +0000

The Internet is an unimaginably vast and infinitely valuable resource of the world’s most remarkable information. Updated by the millisecond, it holds around 500 billion gigabytes of data and even as you read this a few more have been uploaded and downloaded several times. It is often simply described as ‘a network of networks.’ However, the internet is much more than just a series of tubes. From traditional Aboriginal recipes and fashion advice to the musings of a teenager from rural Kentucky–-the Internet (or the Web specifically) is everyone and everything. It is the collective consciousness of all humanity; a record of everything we were, are and want to be both as individuals and as a race. You can, quite literally, find anything you want on the Internet. But how exactly do you find a microscopic needle in a haystack the size of a planet?

The Android Revolution

Waleed — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:54:45 +0000

When Google unveiled their mobile operating system, Android, back in November 2007 alongside their announcement of the Open Handset Alliance they were met with a mix of excitement, surprise and skepticism. The open-source software platform was, after all, just another in the fragmented list of mobile operating systems. And with Google’s history of losing the initial enthusiasm on ambitious projects such as this (*cough*wave*cough*), many feared it wouldn’t turn out to be all they hoped. Google was—and still is—primarily an advertising company, but over their 12 year history, they have tried out a multitude of ventures. They now have their toes dipped in almost everything a web user does online; operating system (desktop and mobile), web browser, ads, email, social network, microblogging and blogging, instant messaging, search, video, photos, navigation, analytics, documents, web & software development – the list goes on. Could Google, with their vastly expansive business structure, really focus on a smartphone operating system and deliver the promised goods? With Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, Palm and the then newly released iPhone, all vying to dominate the smartphone market, could Android carve out a piece of the pie for itself?

OS Playgrounds

Waleed — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:32:47 +0000

Hear the word “operating system,” and the first thing that pops into mind for most of us is the Windows logo in all its multi-colored glory; peer a little harder and you might see a big shiny Apple and maybe catch a glimpse of the Linux Penguin hovering around the corner, each with their band of devotees carrying their respective banners passionately onwards. The operating system (OS) development space of today though, is arguably getting a little stale. Windows 7, OS X Snow Leopard and Ubuntu 9 – the latest incarnations of the Top Three – have all seen no huge innovation in the way OS are designed and used. They’ve been by and large maintenance and performance improvement releases; and while it’s great to see faster boot times and improved stability, they are far from being the revolution in computing we’ve been waiting for. For many, the story ends at the operating system that comes installed with the computer we buy and “dual boot” is another name given to more than one shoe. Diving into the world of formatted hard drives, BIOS updates and driver incompatibilities in search of “the perfect OS” is certainly not a job for the faint-hearted. But what about BeOS, or Haiku – or even the many flavors of Linux that never get the attention of the mainstream? What if these relatively obscure operating systems are better suited to the evolving trend of computer use in the home – or even the school and office? What have you left when we take out Windows, Mac OS and Ubuntu from the picture? Chaos? Pandemonium? World peace?

Hor Vi Neevan Ho

Waleed — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:39:43 +0000

Some more beautiful music from Coke Studio. Vocals: Ali Noor & Ali Hamza with their mother Noor Zehra playing the veena. Lyrics here.

LOST – And Never Found

Waleed — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:10:18 +0000

In the latter half of its last season, Lost turned from an intellectual challenge and thought-provoking look at free will, destiny and faith to an outrageous and gaudy sham. Faithful viewers, who had kept up with the show for six years were left to pick up the pieces, of which there were many, and attempt to fill the holes in the expansive plot themselves. A successful show, but a failure to its viewers.

When Will We Learn?

Waleed — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:46:14 +0000

Nothing can move our countrymen into a mad frenzy quite like the mention of the words "Zionist" and "conspiracy," especially if they're in the same sentence. Rampant corruption, social decay, food and water shortages - when it comes to public outrage, none of that compares to our so-called and temporary unity over any and all attempts to fend off the obvious international plot to undermine all Muslims. The "blasphemous content" fiasco sparked by the misappropriated "Draw Muhammad Day" on Facebook has had our whole country foaming at the mouth for some time now; so far nearly 800 URLs have been banned at the orders of the government and while there is no word on any official list, a petition in the Lahore High Court resulted in sites like Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Amazon being added to the ever-growing list.

Life in Unlikely Places

Waleed — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:16:00 +0000

The discovery of microorganisms that can thrive in harsh environments without the need for oxygen or sunlight throws a new perspective on the search for extra-terrestrial life and the belief that other planets are too inhospitable for living organisms.

Just a thought

Waleed — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:31:12 +0000

To say the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team this morning was a revolting and heinous crime, and to hope for the severest punishment for whoever is responsible for it would be stating the obvious. The attack is a crime not just against a sport, two different countries, the people who were injured [....] Read the rest →

Recycling Old Cellphones

Waleed — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:33:50 +0000

Recycling is almost fiction to most Pakistanis, and the wave of eco-awareness has only swept across a startlingly small percentage of our population. You’ll see several street corners here with a pile of trash that’s been set alight to dispose of; it’s a major health hazard, and it would be stating the obvious to point [....] Read the rest →