tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63017532011-12-15T08:07:47.863+05:00Just some random words by a Mensan, do feel free to comment...Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-29393000960989227362008-05-31T13:40:00.000+05:002008-05-31T13:42:02.895+05:00

My fascination with small gadgets that pack a punch began with the Nokia 6600. That was the time I realized that it was technologically possible to package immense functionality into a tiny package. From the Nokia 6600, I switched to the iMate PDA2k, in search of a solution that would fulfill my needs. However, even the Windows Mobile path fell short of what I was looking for, and I gradually

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-65113921059823810132008-05-29T21:50:00.002+05:002008-05-29T21:57:24.437+05:00

The EEE, when it was announced, offered a killer combination of portability and functionality in a tiny package. True, there were more powerful ultraportables before it. I agree there were smaller ultraportables than the EEE. But where the EEE had an (immense) edge was price. No one had imagined that it was possible to produce a functional ultraportable at this price. Initially announced to be US

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-69352431761352712592008-05-29T21:46:00.002+05:002008-05-29T21:49:29.819+05:00

I must be one of the few people who have bought Asus EEE PCs'. I currently possess the following:Asus EEE PC 701 4G White (with nlited Windows XP SP2)Asus EEE PC 900 20G White (with original Xandros OS)Asus EEE PC 900 20G Black (with nlited Windows XP SP2)In the next few posts I will write about many aspects of why it ended up this way.

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-60896153071782923902008-01-09T12:35:00.000+05:002008-01-09T17:02:01.123+05:00

As anyone who knows me is aware, I have always hated iPods. I saw the first generation iPod on a trip to Dubai, and was intrigued by it. However, later I found out that Apple was getting away charging humongous amounts of money for essentially an MP3 player with less features than the competition. From that time on, I looked upon the iPod with disdain. However, I was intrigued during the 2007

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-50538039719613509702007-12-03T00:21:00.001+05:002007-12-03T00:39:19.185+05:00

I have just returned from a belated honeymoon trip from Malaysia. The trip itself was really amazing, and really special for me, but the real reason for blogging after this long is what I got from the trip. A new toy. The Asus EEE PC 701 4G. Big name for a small powerhouse!Those who know me know that I am a complete gadget freak, and a really big believer in portable devices, specially the UMPC

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-55099788158295900512007-09-13T18:24:00.000+05:002007-09-13T18:27:13.516+05:00

I just got back from GITEX 2007 held in Dubai, and saw some awesome gear. One of the best things I saw was the Samsung SPH-P9200 mobile PC. Here's a video of it in action. I will soon upload some pics there too.

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1164230875569579402006-11-23T02:24:00.000+05:002006-11-23T02:32:03.016+05:00

I was at GITEX the last couple of days, and one of the most amazing things I saw was this PC by Samsung, which they claim is available in Korea, but no word on when it will be released for the rest of the world. It also features cellular connectivity. I forgot to take a picture of the card next to it which listed the specs, but my sister did. I will upload that photo later. Meanwhile, take a look

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1144749340503194632006-04-11T14:46:00.000+05:002006-04-11T14:55:40.536+05:00

Been absent for quite some time, as my buddy Farrukh pointed out to me on my scrapbook. The reason was that my laptop got fried! I had a Sony Vaio S270B issued from the office, and that was a killer machine! However, just 4 months after I got it, the hard disk crashed. I sent it back to Dubai and the hard disk was changed. Another 4 months later, the processor burned. The guy at the service

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1133616378315433442005-12-03T18:07:00.000+05:002005-12-03T18:26:18.323+05:00

Best place in the plane to sit...Worst place in the world to visit...

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1126891585916959982005-09-16T22:13:00.000+05:002005-09-16T22:26:25.923+05:00

I've been meaning to update my blog, but I'm not much of a writer, hence the delays. Don't be surprised at the title. I am currently in Singapore, having just finished my company's three day training.Now that I've mentioned the company, I'd like to say that I think this company is really great. And this job is certainly different, and another one of those things which I feel I can excel in. My

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1123432778312648042005-08-07T20:48:00.000+05:002005-08-07T21:39:38.350+05:00

I have to admit, I had always looked up in awe at people who could claim that they spent their entire academic career in one school. It's something I have to try hard to fathom. The reason is that I've been to quiet a few more schools. From the start of my academic career till I got out of schools (Class 10 or Matric as it is called), I had studied in 10 schools! It may sound amazing, but let me

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1122623721621022352005-07-29T12:52:00.000+05:002005-07-29T12:55:21.626+05:00

My Ufone service has been blocked again! When will these people learn! Or rather, when will we, as customers, learn our rights? We ought to boycott everything for a couple of days. Everyone turn their cellphone off and not use it for 2 days. Then we'll see who's boss!

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1122579095605375012005-07-28T23:56:00.000+05:002005-07-29T00:31:35.613+05:00

Here's another tale of woe to add to the thousands (if not millions) out there, regarding the pathetic cellphone operators in our country.I'm a pretty heavy user of my cellphone (service from Ufone), and my monthly bill is around 3000-4000 Pakistani Rupees. I thought that since I am spending so much, why not opt for a postpaid connection, as it will cost me less. I had done the math, and

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1118665028312994652005-06-13T17:02:00.000+05:002005-06-13T17:17:08.450+05:00

I've got some new gadgets, and will write in detail about them soon. First of all, let me tell you what they are:1) Sony Vaio VGN-S270B laptop I got this from my new job. It is one beautiful machine. The specs of this baby are: 1.6GHz Intel Penitum M (Centrino) 256 MB RAM 40 GB HDD CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive802.11 b/g Light weight (4 pounds / 1.8 kgs) 2) Linksys WRT54G WiFi Router + Acces

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1110457045472846372005-03-10T16:59:00.000+05:002005-03-10T17:17:25.486+05:00

What an array of smartphones! I bought the PDA2K a few weeks earlier. My cousin Kashif bought a Jam a few days ago, and my friend Qazi Ahmed bought a Nokia 9500 a couple of days ago. All of the phones are amazing. The PDA2K has a boatload of features. Nothing can compare to the Jam in size and looks. And Nokia 9500 has the stability that comes with Symbian, as well as the best screen of the

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1109315924958638682005-02-25T12:14:00.000+05:002005-02-25T12:18:44.966+05:00

OK, now for some thoughts on my newest gadget yet. Yes you got that right, the iMate PDA2K! First of all, let me say that I would not call it an awesome phone. 'Awesome' is too small a word for what I feel about this device. It has really changed my perception of how I view a cellphone. Now, I have come to believe that cellphones come in 4 categories: Idiot phones : Idiot phones, are the

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1109163617210512312005-02-23T17:53:00.000+05:002005-03-10T17:24:18.106+05:00

My PDA2K has arrived (all thanks to my little sister!)! Expect more developments soon! Take a look at all the accessories!

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1107462731258604632005-02-04T01:03:00.000+05:002005-02-04T01:39:37.800+05:00

It's finally here... The one gadget which I can say has *almost* everything I ever wanted. It's the T-Mobile MDA-IV, and I guess should be out by new names like XDA-IV and what not soon enough. It's availability is predicted to be around mid of 2005. But this sure looks like a winner... like my Nokia 6600 was in its time. Once, I had been thinking of getting a separate PDA, because of the

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1107174520446142702005-01-31T17:10:00.000+05:002005-01-31T17:28:40.446+05:00

I've heard a lot of bluejacking, bluesnarfing and bluebugging. Bluejacking is pretty harmless, because it consists of sending messages via bluetooth. But bluesnarfing (discreetly copying data from a mobile phone trhough bluetooth) and bluebugging (initiating phone calls from another bt-enabled phone, again discreetly) is really sisnister. There are a lot of papers available that discuss these

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1105606560493686662005-01-13T13:49:00.000+05:002005-01-13T14:01:38.093+05:00

This post, for me, was food for thought. A guy just finished 52 books in 52 weeks, i.e. the year 2004. Why can't I do the same in 2005? I'm on my way. It's a coincidence that I just finished one book, and am about to finish one tonight. Let's see how far I can take this. I'm going to track my progress on this blog, and if anyone has any good recommendations, I'd welcome them (the hard- or

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1105349944078541772005-01-10T14:35:00.000+05:002005-01-10T14:39:04.076+05:00

Some "unbelievable" and "too-good-to-be-true" deals really are so. Here's a story about "pudding guy", a Californian civil engineer named David Phillips, who spent $3140 on pudding, and as a result got 1,253,000 frequent flyer miles. The articel says: "In the end, David and his family collected 1, 253,000 miles from his puddings and soups. He split 216,000 of the miles among Delta, United,

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1104925863122989322005-01-05T16:43:00.000+05:002005-01-05T16:51:03.123+05:00

Regarding my last entry about unsecured webcams, I just googled around a bit, and discovered that there are lots of such URL's, and they're also listed on some websites. Here's a good website which shows a lot of such 'Google Hacks'. And here's an ebook in PDF format which explains the methodology behind such attacks. No doubt about it, Google is all-powerful in the internet world!

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1104913735394707532005-01-05T13:20:00.000+05:002005-01-05T13:28:55.393+05:00

Got this interesting tidbit from BoingBoing: Use this search string below with Google, and you will find dozens (hundreds?) of unsecured webcam feeds (most seem to be security cams). inurl:"ViewerFrame?Mode=" Click here for the Google search. Click here for a forum discussion regarding this topic. I was able to find some security cams for warehouses, some in people's homes, some in daycares,

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1104838275519391902005-01-04T16:12:00.000+05:002005-01-04T16:31:15.520+05:00

Here are some nice quotes I found: Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open. Elmer G. Letterman Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Thomas A. Edison Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1104830922225335732005-01-04T14:24:00.000+05:002005-01-04T14:28:42.226+05:00

Joel Spolsky has another amazing article, this time on pricing and economic theory. I know all this may be old stuff for you MicroEconomics buffs, but I found it interesting and very well written. "I'm going to start with a little economic theory, then I'm going to tear the theory to bits, and when I'm finished, you'll know a lot more about pricing and you still won't know how much to charge for

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1104127840833074242004-12-27T10:58:00.000+05:002004-12-27T11:11:39.376+05:00

OK, so I'm officially engaged as of 25th December, 2004. 'Thank you' to everyone who could make it. It was loads of fun. It's the first time ever that I've wore a ring, and it feels really odd. We got at the venue around 10 p.m. Dinner was banned, so we had chicken sandwiches, chicken soup and Kashmiri tea on the menu. The thing I ate most was gulaab jaamun. Even had 3 whole gulaab jaamuns

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1104076258989066092004-12-26T20:41:00.000+05:002004-12-26T20:50:58.990+05:00

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1103009540101704482004-12-14T13:27:00.000+05:002004-12-14T12:32:20.103+05:00

Preparations for my engagement on 25th December are going fine. For those of you not in the know, the venue is Sabzazar Lawn 3, located on Shahrah-e-Faisal, Karachi. Me and my mom just went there last night to pay up 50% advance on the hall expenses, which comes to around Rs.30k. The remaining preparations are to get a ring for my fiance-to-be :) I think the rest is all handled. My father is

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1102682085493673432004-12-10T17:29:00.000+05:002004-12-10T17:40:17.136+05:00

Speaking of dream cars... I finally found the Lamborghini showroom in Dubai this time I went. It's near Deira City center. Got a chance to take a few pics. Here's the best one: it's a Lamborghini Murcielago in the front (red), and a Gallardo at the back (yellow). I've liked almost all Lamborghinis I've ever seen (too bad I've only seen them in Dubai and Saudi Arabia; No Lambos in Karachi yet!).

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1102680889177281292004-12-10T17:11:00.000+05:002004-12-10T17:24:47.153+05:00

My sister's husband got himself his dream car, a Honda S2000 a couple of weeks back. I was in Dubai all of last week, so I got lots of opportunities to ride in it. Here's a couple of pics of his car that I took at the Dubai Autodrome. (Click each pic for a full size version)

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1101472883719502722004-11-26T17:39:00.000+05:002004-11-26T17:41:48.550+05:00

After a long absence, I'm back. The long absence was because I didn't have anything to write! Still more 'long absences' to come! I've just started a group blog for MEnsa Pakistan, the organisation for which I'm the Joint Secretary. Take a look at it here.

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1098854556434147522004-10-27T10:17:00.000+05:002004-10-27T10:24:28.593+05:00

This morning, I got the following email from one of our fellow Mensans. As I'm very interested in smartphones, I thought I should reply. First off, here's the original email: Ok, this question goes out to all you smart phones enthusiasts out there especially to members of our smart phone sig. DO you guys actually check your email or browse internet or avail any other smart" functionalities

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1098419831756704772004-10-22T09:26:00.000+05:002004-10-22T09:37:11.756+05:00

Statement 1: "Why do you always have to listen to maulanas (or muftis)? Can't you read the Quran yourself and decide what's right?" I guess many of us have heard that before! Now what about this: Statement 2: "Why do you always have to go to a surgeon? Can't you read a surgery book yourself and operate?" I'm pretty sure that we've all heard statement 1, but statement 2 sounds pretty stupid.

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1097572582702602062004-10-12T14:13:00.001+05:002004-10-12T14:16:22.703+05:00

Here's another one of my favorite poems, and it's also written by Robert Frost Whose woods these are I think I know, His house is in the village though. He will not see me stopping here, To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer, To stop without a farmhouse near, Between the woods and frozen lake, The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1097219585022400012004-10-08T13:10:00.000+05:002004-10-08T12:13:05.023+05:00

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. One of my favorite passages in English verse. The whole poem can be found here. The truth is that although this is a very beautiful piece of verse, Urdu contains far more beautiful poetry. Beauty lies in

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1096966044119096092004-10-05T13:43:00.000+05:002004-10-05T13:47:24.120+05:00

As I've already posted, I bought a 256MB MMC a week ago. Before using it, I formatted my cellphone, which resulted in me losing my GPRS and MMS settings from the phone. I had the GPRS settings in mind, and Ufone also sends you GPRS settings over the air if you SMS with SETGPRS in the a text to 120, so no problem there. Didn't remember the MMS settings though. At work, there was some issue with

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1096886361592698332004-10-04T15:29:00.000+05:002004-10-04T15:39:21.593+05:00

Cellphones have become very common over here in Karachi since Ufone started their operations about 2 years back. Since then lots of people have cellphones, and the majority of them are Nokia and Samsung. I've seen most of the people over here going towards Samsung, due to good polyphonic support, excellent screens and sleek designs. Sadly, this is all Samsung has to offer. I went for a Siemens

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1096873167498845012004-10-04T11:53:00.000+05:002004-10-04T13:07:59.123+05:00

I got a 256MB MMC for my Nokia 6600 a few days ago. I was holding out until I had enough money because most of the shops here had it for around Rs.3500 (around $60US). Then I found this shop where they were selling it for Rs.1800(around $30US)!!! Me and my friend Farrukh snapped it up, needless to say! Not only does it work faster than my stock 32MB MMC, it also comes with a life time warranty.

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301753.post-1096869324354939512004-10-04T10:52:00.000+05:002004-10-04T10:55:24.353+05:00

Hello people! This is my first post on Blogger. Finally decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon after being just a part of the audience for around a year. Right now I'm just playing around witht he settings and everything to check what works and what doesn't. If there are any people who can help me out or provide good tips, you know where to find me! Take care... Khurram.

Khurramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11470955367557194007noreply@blogger.com2