My Chronicles... http://www.asadasif.com/ My little world en-us Nucleus CMS v3.64 © Asad Asif Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.asadasif.com//nucleus/nucleus2.gif My Chronicles... http://www.asadasif.com/ More than 2 years of silence... http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=182 General http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=182 Sun, 2 Dec 2012 13:54:28 +0500 Happy Independence Day! http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=23

Image

A very Happy Independence Day to the whole nation!
]]> Events http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=23 Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0600 Model Airplane Club http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=178
MAC Logo


Keeping with the norm of most clubs abroad, the flying field for the club has been developed outside of the main city limits to ensure safety of public and property. The field lies in a picturesque location near the Motorway M1 Tarnol/Fatehjung interchange against the backdrop of the beautiful Margalla Hills. In the distance, one can see brick kilns and electricity poles dotted on the landscape with lots of small farms scattered all about the location. It can potentially be a great location for FPV enthusiasts!

Details about the club location and membership procedure can be had here on RCPAK.com.

Below are some pictures of the launch day of the new club:

People milling about...
First Flight


Happy Landing!


Helicopters are popular too! T-Rex 450 here.


Sun going down. Nearly end of flying day.


The club has a very helpful crowd eager to assist fellow fliers and new hobbyists. PIA once used to have a logo; "Come fly with us!" As a member of MAC, I would say the very same:

Come fly with us!]]> Radio Controlled Models http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=178 Sat, 15 May 2010 22:06:00 +0600 Corruption - A Democratic Right? http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=172 Corruption Is Our Right: PPP Minister.

Is it just me who thinks that supporting such a "democratic setup" which feels that corruption is its God given right is rather pointless? Or is it just reward for the Pakistani people to have such a government which deems corruption its right? After all, it was these very people who voted this government in through pity votes due to Benazir Bhutto's death.

And the final question which this leads to is: Is democracy a viable system of governance for Pakistan and its people? It hasn't worked for Pakistan in the past 60+ years. Do we have the luxury of time to wait another 60 years hoping that it works for us?]]> Politics http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=172 Fri, 4 Dec 2009 22:06:54 +0500 Worth of a democracy... http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=170
It is a sad incident and the reprehensible acts of the terrorists should be condemned. It was a time of mourning for the losses incurred. However, as is usual, the interior minister Rehman Malik paraded in with his entourage for his usual media whoring. The students protested against his very presence and showed deep anger over the failure of the democratically elected government. A video of this incident can be seen here (highly recommended!). As a common citizen of Pakistan, I fully agree with the sentiments expressed within the video by the students and Talat Hussain, as they relate to government officials.The widening disconnect between the rulers and the ruled reflects the ever widening difference in perceptions of the aforementioned parties.

I, for one, fail to see the benefit of democracy judging by the performance of the PPP led government since the elections. This government is the epitome of leadership failure, irresponsibility, lack of political savviness and utter disregard for public sentiments and aspirations.To put it forth plain and simple, former President Musharraf's quasi-democracy era was far better than this failed democracy because ultimately, the people and the country's progress matter far more than the imposition of a supposedly better political system just for the sake of the system itself. While the Pakistani media presents a differing point of view, the Pakistani public is becoming increasingly disenfranchised with democracy as a workable system.

The question which arises is this: How long will we keep dragging this democratic wreck with us?]]> Politics http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=170 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:41:38 +0600 Eid Mubarak! http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=44
eid milo

Eid Mubarak image

Spread as much love, peace, joy and prosperity as you can on this day of celebration.

For reading more Eid posts, click here.

Images taken randomly from Google image search.]]> Events http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=44 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:59:00 +0600 Seagate 7200.12 ST3500418AS HDD (500GB) benchmark http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=166
It is a Seagate 7200.12 ST3500418AS drive with 16MB cache (compared to 32MB on 500GB 7200.11 model) on nVidia nForce 4 SATA controller. Previously, the ST3500418AS drives were detected as ST3500410AS but this one is detected as ST3500418AS, just like the sticker on the top says. That's a relief! Internet forums are filled with talk about ST3500418AS being detected as ST3500410AS.

There has been a lot of talk about firmware issues with the 7200.11 series of Seagate's drives. The issue resulted in the drive suddenly dying without any reason. The 7200.12 series hasn't had any similar firmware issues reported as yet. For all intents and purpose, these drives are impervious to he firmware issues plaguing the 7200.11 series hard disk drives.

Anyway, enough talk... The read and write benchmarks by HD Tune Pro are given below. Click on the thumbnails to see the full image for either benchmark.

ST3500418AS read benchmark thumbnail
Read benchmark


ST3500418AS write benchmark thumbnail
Write benchmark


This disk has an average transfer rate of above 100MB/s for both reading and writing! I reckon two or more of these disks in RAID configuration (mirroring) will work beautifully.The only thing negative is that starting with the 7200.12 series drives, Seagate has reduced its warranty on non-enterprise products to three years from its previous warranty period of five years. This decrease in warranty is a bit troubling...

If you have got this hard disk, please comment on its performance and idle/load temperatures. Is your hard disk drive detected as ST3500418AS or as ST3500410AS? How do you feel about the reduction in the warranty period?]]> Computers http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=166 Wed, 4 Mar 2009 18:40:00 +0500 Stay Away from BrainNET's DSL Service! http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=163 WCCK Forums reports that BrainNET is using false advertising to lure potential customers to its unlimited home DSL packages when in fact, these packages are capped at 3GB per month. If you require more bandwidth you are charged more or else, your account is locked.

Maverick's post is quoted below as a matter of record and so that the reader's understand this matter better:

---

Sadly I have come to know after a bitter experience lasting 10 days that Brain Net gives you only 3GB of downloads even though they advertise unlimited downloads....That's correct folks regardless of what anyone else says Brain Net reserves only 3GB for their 'unlimited' advertised accounts.

So I am in day 12th today and early in the morning I receive an sms message that my account was due for Rs. 2300. Confused I called up the local office only to be advised that the message is erroneous and that I should ignore it. Around 1pm my internet got disconnected and wouldn't connect again, Modem error message was "Authentication Failure"!

Called up the office again only to be told that they will fix it, 3 hours later I called them again and I was quite upset this time, demanded their address and told them I will pay them a visit to which they provided me the number of their toll free number and told me that they too contact the same number as the troubleshooting is only done in Lahore.

Called up the toll free number and the CSR told me that my account was blocked because of non payment, I told him it was impossible as I had already paid in advance for the whole month which started only 12 days ago, He checked again and then told me that my downloads had exceeded the set limit consistently hence the account was locked. The guy told me that he will restore the connection within 10 minutes.

Pretty upset with all the nuisance I called up the regional head of sales department, Mr. Ayaz told me that I was downloading too much and that they cannot keep my account any more. I told him that they had advertised unlimited downloads to which he gave me stupid excuses:

Ayaz: You are not downloading like a home user rather like a corporate user
Me: It does not matter how I download as you have advertised unlimited downloads.

Ayaz: But we have a 3GB Limit for home users (30GB for 1:10 shared connection)
Me: Then why haven't you mentioned the same and why do you advertise unlimited downloads?

Ayaz: 3GB Downloads are enough for any household that is why we advertise unlimited downloads. What do you download anyway?
Me: I download HD Movies off torrents, why do you not advertise a 3GB download limit? Why do you misguide customers like me, why do you think I pay almost Rs. 2400/month for a 2MB connection?

Ayaz: All ISP's do the same, your downloads will be restricted regardless of which ISP you use.
Me: That still does not justify your false advertisement which attracted me to you in the first place. Be also advised that I am an active member of quite a few Forums and I will post about your LIE. Please refund me for the days remaining.
Ayaz: Let me arrange that when I get back to office.

Brain Net advertisement about unlimited downloads is a fucking lie, Beware!

---

What makes it all the more alarming is that BrainNET seems to be doing this deliberately. Proof of this is found when one looks at its website describing the packages available. You can go to the package details page by clicking here. There is no mention of any volume limit for the packages. On another page, they advertise these packages as being "24 hours unlimited". I would call this a clever use of words to state that the connections remain connected 24/7 which is sort of an implied meaning of a broadband connection. However, the potential customer (most not understanding a lot of English) takes this to mean that the packages don't have any volume limitation. Even on the above linked page, there is no mention of any bandwidth/volume limitations for the end user. The customer is thus deliberately misled into believing that the packages have no volume limitations.

In the quoted conversation with the regional head of sales department, Mr. Ayaz lies blatantly and unashamedly to Maverick. First, home users these days download huge amounts of data. This is evident with the increasing popularity of video sites like YouTube and MetaCafe which consume a major portion of internet traffic these days. In fact, I would venture very confidently to say that in Pakistan's scenario a corporate connection generates less traffic than one installed at homes of any avid internet user. 3 GB download is not enough for any household. With increasing size of web pages, and increasing multimedia content in websites, most often one finds that the [non-advertised] volume limit is crossed quite easily. Calling a 3GB limit package unlimited is lying to the customers and false advertisement.

Amongst all ISPs in Pakistan providing broadband connections, it is well assumed that they will be unlimited in both connectivity and volume. Out of all the Pakistani ISPs I have read about (and I read about them quite a lot), Nayatel is the only one providing FTTH which has volume limited home packages which makes their packages unappealing and utterly crappy. Other Wimax packages from Wateen are also volume limited for the most part. Take any of PTCL, LINKdotNET, Micronet, Maxcom or other popular ISPs providing DSL service. All offer home DSL packages which have no volume restrictions. This proves that the contention of Mr. Ayaz regarding other ISPs "doing the same" is another lie.

This underhanded maneuver by BrainNET is a patent example of how to defraud a customer. I would recommend to potential DSL subscribers currently looking for a new connection to stay far away from BrainNET's service until this issue is satisfactorily resolved either way. You can trace progress of this issue on Wired Pakistan Forums, WCCK Forums or on PKFORUM.

Stay alert and protect your rights as a consumer.

Everyone who uses BrainNET or any other internet service provider is welcome to share his or her experience in the comments section below. Good luck to you all in finding the internet service provider which provides internet packages fitting your needs at a reasonable price and great after-sales customer service.

Edit [1/7/2009]: Maverick adds:

Hey Asad, do you know I wrote that post on wcck about BrainNET, the one your turned in to a blog and have in your signature They refunded me 2 weeks later as their GM was out of the country and no refunds could be made before his return (well actually the CS at the office paid me earlier but out of their own pockets which they told me will be refunded once the GM returns!).

All's well that ends well. Congrats to Maverick for getting his money back.]]> Reviews http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=163 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:44:00 +0500 Realizations about Israel - Part 2 http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=160 Realizations about Israel, I found something today that further points to positive changes taking place in Europe regarding Israel. People in Europe seem to be awakening to the fact that they don't need to oblige irrational demands from people of Jewish faith out of a feeling of pity and guilt over what Hitler did during the Holocaust.

What I found today is news from France saying enough is enough regarding the sense of guilt ailing Europe over the Holocaust. Times Online reports:

'Jewish war victims have had enough compensation' French court says

Some excerpts from the article are given below in italics with my commentary added in between in plain text.

The French State was responsible for deporting Jews during the Second World War, the top judicial authority ruled for the first time yesterday, but it dismayed families of victims by declaring that they had already been compensated.

It was advising on a case brought by Madeleine Hoffman-Glemane, 75, one of hundreds of victims who have sued recently for damages over their arrests and deportation during the Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1944.

Even though the admission comes forth because President Sarkozy's ties to people of Jewish faith, I find this encouraging in the sense that the French have stopped pussy-footing around the issue.

The Holocaust happened over 65 years ago and compensation is being asked now? What for? A majority of the people who tragically suffered and the ones who inflicted the suffering are dead by now. On a human level, one can sympathize with the victims who faced the horrors but to try to milk it for all its worth saps away any sympathy one feels for the sufferers of the Holocaust. In fact, asking for compensation here undermines the suffering of the people who suffered through the actual events. While there are lessons to be learned from history, what is the fault of the present generation which is one or two generations removed from those who indirectly caused the suffering?

Since taking office in 2007 President Sarkozy, whose mother is Jewish, has ordered acts of remembrance of the French role in the Holocaust but during his election campaign he said that France should stop apologising for itself because it had never been involved in a policy of genocide.

To the anger of campaigners the council advised the court dealing with Ms Hoffman-Glemane's case that deportees had already received enough compensation. “The different measures taken since the end of the Second World War have made reparation as much as possible,” it said.

While Obama promised change, not many changes have been forthcoming on policies relating to war in Afghanistan. However, true positive change can be seen from the French in the underlined portion of the excerpts. Obama should take heart from this and bid farewell to his 'appease AIPAC' policies and make the US a truly neutral party in the Middle East conflict by not supporting either party in the interests of fairness. I can guarantee that this would tremendously boost American reputation in many regions of the world where America can ill afford a further loss of its image. America needs to stand true to its values; to be indiscriminate and to freely allow all parties a chance at expressing their arguments on an unbiased platform. But I digress... Coming back to the topic at hand...

For more than a decade Holocaust survivors and their families have been waging legal battles in French and US courts. In 2007, however, an appeal court reversed a Bordeaux court conviction against the railways for holding and robbing two Jews. The court ruled that the SNCF was not an arm of the State.

The 'legal battles' as mentioned in the excerpt, represent a systematic abuse of the legal systems in France and the US to gain monetary compensation and sympathy through guilt, which as the news article notes, has been going on for decades. If I were a citizen of France amongst the working class, I would question the state on why my tax money is being spent to compensate someone's suffering in which I had no direct involvement.

Moving on to comments given on the article, I see this positive trend repeated again and again. Jonathan L. from Tel Aviv, Israel notes:

[...]

The French behaved better then most other nations in Europe and rescued many Jews: only 25% died. That they accept responsibility for those shows their decency.

This represents the change I mentioned in one of my previous articles on Realizations about Israel. This is very encouraging coming from someone in/from Israel.

Paul Gibbons from Milton Keynes, UK comments:

My Grandfather was locked up by the Germans for over 4 years in WW2. He never asked for or was offered any compensation. His son (my father )who along with the rest of his family never asked for compensation either. Like millions of other non-jews (the majority) they just got on with it.

This is the exact way to honor the suffering of Jews during the Holocaust! Do NOT beg for pity or compensation. Tell the world of the suffering and remember it but do it with honor and with respect to the ones who suffered instead of trying to cash in on the suffering. Cashing it in just cheapens the suffering and it is a disservice to those who truly suffered.

Tom from London, UK comments

..."The existence of laws that punish anyone who disagrees with the official account " when used in any context is truly terrifying and I think what got some European countries into this mess in the first place.

I couldn't agree more! Pete Cottrell from Memphis, USA states:

Reparations, seems the only qualifiers are jews. Many other ethnic groups went through tolls and death. What about them or do they not count. Lets discuss reparations for some other races!

Yasser Hanif from Manchester, UK adds:

Justice has to be equal and balanced. Did Israel pay any compensation to the destruction & cluster bombs in Lebanon? Did Israel pay a penny for the napalm they used in the sixties(not so long ago)? Did Israel pay a nickle to the families of the 400 children they killed in Gaza a month ago? Justice here?

I end the article with the following comment given by Eric from US:

I am an American Jew who has worked hard his whole life...served my nation in the military in Iraq and I agree the time for restitution is over. All who were interned deserved compensation but for descendents it is rediculous. Repayment is done....let the dead rest in peace.

And the comments go on stating argument both; for and against this decision by the French court. I would encourage readers to visit the linked page on Times Online and read the comments for yourself to get all arguments in more detail.]]> Politics http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=160 Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:10:35 +0500 Realizations about Israel http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=158
I am not stating here that Israel is the only party to be blamed but the minimal response potential of both targets of Israel is not a winning argument in Israel's favor. The settlements in Palestinian lands annexed by Israel were a deliberate provocation and puts the residents of those settlements at risk. It's as if one knows that an area is prone to severe earthquakes and still makes sky scrapers on that land and then selling it off as being a safe place. This kind of provocation is designed to get a response and Israel is no stranger to crying wolf. Only a fool would be lured by this again and again.

Hamas' rockets definitely didn't kill as many Israelis compared to how many Palestinians were killed by Israel. Some would rightly call it a genocide; ironic considering that Jews themselves faced a genocide at the hands of Hitler. Is it a psychotic dysfunction that has Israel blaming the Palestinians and Arabs, by extension, for the Jewish genocide and consequently committing a counter genocide? Lest Israelis are forgetting, they were persecuted by Europeans. And Hitler certainly wasn't a Muslim!

It's no wonder that Israel is hated so much by the Muslim world. Take note of the use of the word "Israel" and not "Jews". Muslims don't really have that much of a beef with Jews. After all, according to Islamic scriptures, Jews, Christians and Muslims are folloowers of the the three religions of the Books. There are Jews in Iran; plenty of them but they aren't hated, unlike the Jews in Israel. The same is true for the most part, for Jewish communities in America and elsewhere. The oppression created by Israel is a major cause for the hate against it.

Unfortunately, America's unending support for Israeli oppression results in America being tarred with the same brush as Israelis. That is unfortunate and unfair but the reasoning for it is understandable. Supporting a wrong incriminates you with being a a part of the wrong itself. I don't expect a change to occur with regards to America's support for Israel considering how Barrack Obama had to appease AIPAC in the recent election campaign in America. AIPAC's political clout is undeniable and the "Change" Obama promised will certainly not be applicable in this instance unless the American public opts for looking after their own interests rather than those of Israel's which is earning them global dislike. That's a thing that has been long overdue.

Coming to Europe, the laws in certain countries about Holocaust denial are evidence of Europe's hypocrisy. Let the evidence about Holocaust stand up against the deniers instead of providing state sponsored legal support for an academic debate just to curtail the guilt Europe feels for the Jewish genocide.

On a positive note, changes and realizations seem to be coming forth from within the Jewish communities themselves about Israel. This is very encouraging.Below is an article showing some positive changes:


Disowning Israel, best way to combat anti-Semitism: Jewish professor

London, Feb 7, IRNA – A British Jewish professor suggested to his co-religionists on Saturday that the best way to prevent the rise of so-called anti-Semitism is to stop sanctioning Israel’s imprisonment and massacre of Palestinian civilians.

“The simplest, most effective and most moral method to combat anti-Semitism is for British Jews, many of whom unhappy about shameful Israeli policies, to disassociate themselves publicly from those policies,” said David Mond from Warwick University.

“It will help put paid to the truly dangerous falsehood that what Israel is doing is somehow inherent to Judaism,” the professor of mathematics said.

Hi call comes ahead of the British Foreign Office hosting a two-day international conference of parliamentarians from 35 countries later this month to combat what is said to have been identified as the “escalating global threat of anti-Semitism.”

Publicity about the event, co-organised by the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism, is being boosted by the attendance of several British cabinet ministers and members of the US Congress.

But Mond said that if there is any anti-Semitism in some of the recent criticism of Israel, “Jews publicly disassociating themselves from Israel's actions will not legitimise or encourage it.”

“There is no lingering, millenarian anti-Semitism, waiting to spring out if we lower our guard,” he said in a letter to the Guardian newspaper.

“What there is,” the professor said, “is bafflement, and of course anger, that British Jews appear to sanction the imprisonment, starvation and, now, massacre of defenceless civilians when they are carried out by our brethren.”

Speaking from his own experience, he said that when he identified himself on demonstrations and in meetings, “as a Jew who calls for justice for Palestinians, I have encountered nothing but warmth and appreciation from otherwise angry Muslims.”

“In Coventry, where a number of members of the organisation Jews for Justice for Palestinians have been regularly attending meetings and vigils in opposition to the onslaught on Gaza, there is a growing rapport and warmth between our group and the Muslim community,” Mond said.

“The pleasure and relief the largely Muslim demonstrators feel at the presence of Jews who can say "We understand; we sympathise" is palpable,” he said.

A link to a video is also given below. Brief portions of the transcript follow but I would recommend that the video be watched.

UK Jewish MP: Israel acting like Nazis in Gaza

"Israel was born out of Jewish Terrorism" Tzipi Livnis Father was a Terrorist" Astonishing claims in the House of Parliament. SIR Gerald Kaufman, the veteran Labour MP, yesterday compared the actions of Israeli troops in Gaza to the Nazis who forced his family to flee Poland.

During a Commons debate on the fighting in Gaza, he urged the government to impose an arms embargo on Israel.

Sir Gerald, who was brought up as an orthodox Jew and Zionist, said: "My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town a German soldier shot her dead in her bed.

"My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. The present Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploits the continuing guilt from gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians."

He said the claim that many of the Palestinian victims were militants "was the reply of the Nazi" and added: "I suppose the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw ghetto could have been dismissed as militants."

He accused the Israeli government of seeking "conquest" and added: "

They are not simply war criminals, they are fools."

On a more humorous note, the shoe flinging spree has caught on and the latest victim was the Israeli ambassador to Sweden. It can be read about here. The video can be seen here. Sweden is an excellent example of how to protest the illegal and inhumane activities of Israel. They have boycotted Israeli events and it is being done peacefully. Best of all, Sweden doesn't has a predominantly Islamic population. While protests by Muslims are dismissed by the West under the "they hate us" mentality, the countrywide protest in a non-Muslim state highlights the point that something is rotten in the state of Israel.

I see these as positive signs of change. Only a realization of the truth will lead to fair treatment for all parties involved and a lasting peace. So long as the unfair treatment and one-sided rhetoric continues, there can be little hope for a lasting peace.

It's high time that the realization be made that criticism of Israel's actions is not anti-Semitism. The anti-Semitism label is not a license or a tool to use when someone disagrees with the Israeli POV. If that happens, anti-Semitism as a term loses its meaning just like what is happening with the Jewish holocaust. The entities gunning in support of holocaust denial laws certainly don't want that to happen, do they?]]> Politics http://www.asadasif.com/index.php?itemid=158 Sun, 8 Feb 2009 16:43:17 +0500