<i>wadi</i> n Arabic; valley.<p> <i>wallah</i> n Sanskrit <i>pala</i>; protector. A person associated with something. Usually used in combination, as here.<p> Thus <i>Wadiwallah</i>; valley person.<p> <i>Wadiwallah</i> is a Saracen (n from the Arabic <i>Sehra Nasheen</i>; desert dweller) currently living and working in the Silicon Valley/San Francisco Bay Area; an engineering grad with a Masters' in a social science. These are his experiences, opinions, and thoughts...<p>noreply@blogger.com (iFaqeer)Fri, 8 Mar 2024 10:41:25 -0800Blogger http://www.blogger.com46125http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/en-usnoMost rights reserved. Identify source when quoting. For commercial use, obtain permission, rights, etc.life, technology and getting by in Silicon Valley...life, technology and getting by in Silicon Valley...iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashrafifaqeer@gmail.comiFaqeer/Sabahat Ashrafhttp://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/06/fon.htmlWed, 28 Jun 2006 12:06:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-115152160977486521http://en.fon.com/Related Technorati Tags: Enron - Enron and Silicon Valley - Silicon Valley0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/06/pilot-for-commentary-on-wbt-tv_14.htmlWed, 14 Jun 2006 11:30:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-115030989211509972I am starting a regular commentary segment on WBT-TV, a Business and Technology program on Comcast Channel 15 in San Jose, California. This is the pilot edition and will be reposted in final form next week.The online home for this commetary is on my own website at http://ifaqeer.wikispaces.com/Technology+Society+and+You Please drop by there and engage in the discussion&mdash;or leave comments 0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/05/enron-verdictsand-lessons-for-us.htmlThu, 25 May 2006 13:23:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-114860066345874547The Enron verdicts came down today. Just heard the Prosecutor in that case say that the jury had "sent a strong message to boardrooms" against "lieing to the shareholders" and "puttting themselves above the interests of their employees".Now that's an interesting message. I'd love to talk about how that kind of message, if really conveyed, and really received, means for Silicon Valley.Let's have a0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/05/personal-electronic-testament-on.htmlWed, 17 May 2006 11:36:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-114789102145625080Adil Najam's Pakistan- Based on Faiz Ahmed Faiz's "Hum Daiykain Gay".6 minutes and 35 secondsApril 24th, 2006Here's a personal testament from one Pakistani about his country. It's also a very interesting piece of electronic art incorporating one of the most popular pieces of Urdu poetry written in the 20th Century:http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6291983484610119600&amp;q=0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/05/hufftington-post-online-branding-and.htmlWed, 17 May 2006 11:06:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-114788985572548153Apologise for the stream of consciousness nature of this post. And for being MIA again. Been a little tied-up and distracted. (Moving to new digs this week! is the good news.)I went to this month's Stanford/MIT VLAB's monthly event in the Bay Area (thanks McGuj, for hooking me up!), which was on "How to Monetize New Media Channels and Make Ad Revenue Real". That's Silicon Valley-speak for "making0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/02/window-into-pakistan-karachi-photo.htmlTue, 14 Feb 2006 02:49:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-113991418264933893Friend and fellow writer/blogger Cemendtaur is in Pakistan for a while and has a photoblog providing a rather nuts and bolts stream from The Land of the Pure:http://karachiphotoblog.blogspot.com/My favorite post is the very first one; scroll all the way down to the bottom of:http://karachiphotoblog.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_karachiphotoblog_archive.htmlPS, February 15th, 2006: As a postscript to 0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/02/urdu-tech-news-marriage-of-google-mail.htmlSun, 12 Feb 2006 13:04:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-113977830708123980Back in September, I was invited to join a new blog in Urdu about technical topics. It's at:http://urdutechnews.blogspot.com/I haven't been able to contribute to it much. But the other folks are doing good work, if a little slowly. And they're having fun with it! Take the following post; a headline like the one at the top of this post would not be out of the ordinary, right? But Shoaib Safdar has0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/02/help-is-for-experts.htmlMon, 6 Feb 2006 13:22:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-113926111939573099Interesting insight, that. Friend of mine just forwarded the following link:http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2005/11/29/497861.aspx0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/02/irc-briefing-on-quake-relief-live.htmlThu, 2 Feb 2006 19:19:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-113893677975138415I am at the IRC briefing and will be posting updates on my blog--and will try to do as much as I can real-time:http://ifaqeer.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_ifaqeer_archive.html[See the bottom of the page for the posts from the event.]0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/01/wire-less-pc-less-and-other-tales-of.htmlMon, 30 Jan 2006 04:38:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-113862704482047420We've been spending weekends in a (relatively) small town an hour inland from San Francisco. I usually hang out with the kids, go fishing and the like. One thing I wanted to do was buy a laptop that we could use on the weekend and I could catch up on blogging and other sundry things I've been wanting to do.Which brings me to my trying to decide what computer to buy. Back on the 4th of July, I'd 0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/01/stop-badware.htmlThu, 26 Jan 2006 12:45:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-113830835770350191Interesting new initiative:http://www.stopbadware.org0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/01/outsourcing-plastic-surgeryto-pakistan.htmlWed, 25 Jan 2006 11:26:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-113821743907512205When we talk about "Outsourcing", especially here in Silicon Valley, we too often think almost purely in terms of IT. But here come a couple of stories about life beyond our little bailiwick. Interestingly, they both came in yesterday on the same list and, come to think of it, it is a list for people in Pakistan. I guess on the "receiving end", so to speak, there's life besides IT.The only other 0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/01/autocad-was-girls-software-all-along.htmlWed, 18 Jan 2006 17:50:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-113763546889560579Was reading in the 'Merc (San Jose Mercury News, hometown newspaper of Silicon Valley) that the AutoDesk was changing CEOs after fourteen years. Now this is the company that makes AutoCAD, one of the first pieces of software I ever heard of, and have had friends that use it all along. Most of them mechanical engineers. Why do I mention that last point? Well, the article revealed to me, so to 0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/01/american-jugni.htmlWed, 18 Jan 2006 10:56:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-113761150024692210Just caught a bit of a song I rather liked on BBC Asian Network (in itself a new phenom worth discussing--desi, South Asian, radio the way it should be done!) and went looking for the name I thought they told me at the end of the set (this late afternoon listening in the UK): American Jugni.I found another song by the same artist (Bikram Singh), and one which actually addresses the topic of an 0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2006/01/lets-try-this-again.htmlWed, 18 Jan 2006 10:54:00 -0800tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-113761056497508034I've had several starts and stops on this blog. I guess one issue is bandwidth. Namely mine. The other thing is that Silicon Valley is such a close knit community, that it is a little odd to talk about things in public. Or is it? Or rather, isn't Silicon Valley a bunch of close-knit communities that often don't mix with each other?But hey! Let's try this again; so here goes!0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2005/09/installing-urdu-or-other-script-on.htmlWed, 21 Sep 2005 03:16:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-112729789434125328I just posted the following on a few blogs I contribute to. It is specific to Urdu, but should apply to other scripts like Devnagri (for Hindi), Arabic, Farsi, etc...I have made a lot of noise along the way about blogging in Urdu and I promised instructions on how to install Urdu as a language that your Windows XP machine can handle. Here are the instructions, from the website of the Center for 0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2005/09/heckuva-deal.htmlFri, 16 Sep 2005 17:53:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-112691842913829923This has got to take the cake for cool devices...or just a sign of the times...http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/ROP/ads.aspx?advid=32664&adid=2010274&amp;subid=8681972Personally, I think I will wait till I have an urgent need--or we get up to about a terabyte for that price ;)0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2005/08/damn-small-linux.htmlTue, 30 Aug 2005 20:46:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-112546001172969885Just discovered this:http://damnsmalllinux.org/Interesting...0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2005/08/opera-gives-away-free-version-on-10th.htmlTue, 30 Aug 2005 18:42:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-112545254476417356Opera, the fastest browser around I am told, is giving away ad-free versions today. Go to opera.com or download.com and get it.0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2005/08/energy-efficient-mostly-hybrid.htmlFri, 26 Aug 2005 18:40:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-112510693553031163http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/fuel_efficient_vehicles.htmwww.smart.com0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2005/08/business-blogging.htmlFri, 26 Aug 2005 18:39:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-112510683848020759http://www.blogbusinesssummit.com/0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2005/07/is-urdu-ready-for-information.htmlSat, 23 Jul 2005 02:20:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-112211041906960507July's cover story in Spider magazine (the Dawn Group's Internet Magazine) is titled "Sifting Scripts: Is Urdu ready for the information superhighway?".Details and links are on the "Urdu ke Naam" blog:http://urdu-ke-naam.blogspot.com/2005/07/is-urdu-ready-for-information.html[Main blog at: http://urdu-ke-naam.blogspot.com/ ]The cover package includes a story on the Urdu blogosphere by yours 0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2005/06/down-is-upelectrical-engineering.htmlFri, 24 Jun 2005 14:49:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-111964985605548502The old cliche about down being up in certain cases just came up in my day job as a tech writer in the semiconductor industry; apparently, in this industry, sometimes, DOWN can be UP and UP can be GROUND.0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2005/04/craigslist-on-mapgoogle-maps.htmlWed, 13 Apr 2005 11:58:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-111341878741700762You have got to see this: http://www.siliconbeat.com/entries/2005/04/12/searching_for_a_home_try_craigslist_google_maps.html#moreThe site it talks about is at: http://paulrademacher.com/housing/0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)http://wadiwallah.blogspot.com/2005/04/my-mailbox-is-bigger-than-yours.htmlWed, 13 Apr 2005 10:57:00 -0700tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3994994.post-111341670801152816Used to be a time when one's work e-mail address was often the primary address you had. One of the main reasons was that Hotmail's 1 MB and even Yahoo's 5/6 MB just couldn't be where you could hang your hat and receive brickbats and bouquets (especially if they were high resolution pictures of bouquets). Of course, some people also felt that having the words "Hotmail" or "Yahoo" in your address 0ifaqeer@gmail.com (iFaqeer/Sabahat Ashraf)