http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/ A pinch more than a blog, recipes from aafia's little black book, a track of where we've been trotting off to and pictures to go with. en Copyright 2008 Sat, 18 Oct 2008 10:20:53 +0400 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Where we were once threatened to be bombed back the stone age, it occurred to me today that we are already nearly there. And no bombs needed; thank you! A place where you can play on people's insecurity to such an extent that just by creating a false shortage of any commodity (be it wheat, rice, oil, fuel or Euro) you can make loads of money out of it. And this has actually happened in the last three months with each of the items mentioned in this exact order. http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/10/no_bombs_needed.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/10/no_bombs_needed.php JustMyImagination Sat, 18 Oct 2008 10:20:53 +0400 Interestingly the media only focused on how our president ogled at the vice-president nominee and flirted with her. Probably it can simply be dismissed as a ridiculous attempt at impersonating an 'american attitude' where he tried to over compensate his 'ghunda' impression. The only other explanation is to believe into all the rumours being spread on SMS these days (and if you don't know what I mean, get on somone's distribution list!). http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/10/perisident.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/10/perisident.php RealLife Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:08:44 +0400 Eid in Lahore this year was certainly everything I had expected it to be (no pun intended!). From the late announcement just before midnight, to the sweltering heat, the hustle bustle of Lahore and totally crappy Eid programming by Geo; it was anything but uneventful. I tried to make the most of my first Eid in Pakistan after a couple of years, so for a change didn't spend Eid day at work or in bed. http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/10/eid_saeed.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/10/eid_saeed.php JustMyImagination Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:10:33 +0400 This book is about the internals of Sun’s Solaris Operating Environment. The rapid growth of Solaris has created a large number of users, software developers, systems administrators, performance analysts, and other members of the technical community, all of whom require in-depth knowledge about the environment in which they work. Since the focus of this book is the internals of the Solaris kernel, the book provides a great deal of information on the architecture of the kernel and the major data structures and algorithms implemented in the operating system. http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/09/solaris_internals_core_kernel.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/09/solaris_internals_core_kernel.php ReadingRoom Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:32:54 +0400 Last night, a couple of frantic phone calls and text messages assured that none of our friends and loved ones were at the Marriot when the terrible blast took place. But still it wasn't quite enough. For anyone who has lived in Islamabad, Marriot has been a frequent stopover whether its for dinners, conferences, meeting up at the coffee shop or just some wierd totally expensive exhibition where you'd go anyway. Much didn't happen in Islamabad those days :) http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/09/this_changes_everything.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/09/this_changes_everything.php RealLife Sun, 21 Sep 2008 08:07:00 +0400 Ever heard of the new revolution on the popular social scene? I'm talking about the mass SMS chain messaging where everyone gets the chance to vent their disgust at general happenings in the world and enjoy anonymity behind the argument that they were just forwarding a chain message. It was deemed an excellent way for movements to gain popularity during the chief justice drama (rather a soap opera with about 200+ episodes). Now there is a new player in town and his name is Faraz! http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/08/faraz_reborn.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/08/faraz_reborn.php RealLife Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:15:07 +0400 The mysterious doctor who starts with the mock reality drama in House MD Season 4, is really good looking and a very talented actress. Of course the whole mystery thing about her not even having a name helps create the drama but still she plays it really well. The ultimate competition to stay in the show with CB and subsequent unraveling of some of the enigmas around her are cool. http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/08/thirteen.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/08/thirteen.php Hooked Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:45:58 +0400 This is a book for people who want to use the Internet everywhere—not just in the office or in the room at home where there’s a telephone or cable connection, but in the backyard, at the public library, at a highway rest area, or in a hotel lobby. In this book you will learn how to choose the best wireless data service for your particular needs, how to set up your computer for wireless, and how to design and install your own wireless network. http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/08/the_book_of_wireless.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/08/the_book_of_wireless.php ReadingRoom Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:09:51 +0400 Imagine 770 kilometers of almost non-stop driving, spanning over 18 hours and covering both ends of the salt range; in a saloon car! This was last weekend. We set off looking for a far flung wet land bordering Sakesar mountain and ended up traveling through mountains and valleys visiting numerous villages and exploring new roads/tracks. It was quite an unexpected adventure indeed. http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/08/salt_range_expedition.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/08/salt_range_expedition.php RealLife Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:58:55 +0400 galaxy. Probably the only Pakistani retailer who has a website with prices getting updated on a daily basis! So I finally decided to burn some more money on an upgrade, quite falsely convincing myself that this one will last for atleast a couple of years, atleast!]]> http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/07/time_for_an_upgrade.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/07/time_for_an_upgrade.php TechExtreme Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:32:54 +0400 The ever growing mystery shrouded in confusion and misdirection has run to the end of its fourth successful season. I started watching it in a very skeptic mood, but by the 10th episode, I'm unwillingly hooked. Specially now that some of the answers are apparently making their way through to the audience. Although I fail to guess how JJ Abrams will make a connection to some of the mysteries shown in the early days. http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/06/lost.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/06/lost.php Hooked Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:33:57 +0400 Quite a disaster, one would say, that an agricultural country runs short of domestic wheat demand. Add to it, the fact that some projected a mega bumper crop this year; based on which the powers that be, exported our actual wheat produce to other countries. End result, queues of people at stores, short fall of wheat supply to flour mills and typical hoarding and looting scenarios that follow any shortage in our society. But the big question is; does all the hoo-haa of post election triumphant politicians actually amount to anything tangible for the people? http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/01/as_you_sow_so_shall_ye_not_rea.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/01/as_you_sow_so_shall_ye_not_rea.php JustMyImagination Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:51:27 +0400 The recent post Benazir assassination events have proved to be shocking to most, if not all, Pakistanis. The surge in violence in the north, pathetic looting and inexcusable murders in the south, country-wide political instability and a warranted overall mistrust in the people are enough to dampen anyone's mood at the start of this year. But I'm sure there must have been many who'd have kept the newly formed 'tradition' of getting drunk and celebrating the advent of another foreseeable misery-filled year for Pakistan. http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/01/happy_new_year.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2008/01/happy_new_year.php JustMyImagination Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:00:49 +0400 assassin). These high profile killings of the ruling/opposing factions were thought of as a newly created weapon at that time and caused great political turmoil. The leader of this militant sect was held solely responsible for all acts and it is still quite unclear who motivated those assassinations. All of this sounds dangerously synonymous to what is ongoing in Pakistan these days.]]> http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2007/12/deadly_juggling.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2007/12/deadly_juggling.php RealLife Sun, 30 Dec 2007 08:11:10 +0400 These days it looks like only one political party is participating in the elections. This is quite evident from the heavily biased posters, banners, huge advertising campaigns on TV and in the streets. Maybe its taken the opposition by surprise, or there is a twist to the tale. But without publicly 'contesting', the other parties cannot blame the government of any electorial conspiracy. http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2007/12/the_return_of_the_king.php http://www.bilalrafi.com/artesia/2007/12/the_return_of_the_king.php JustMyImagination Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:15:29 +0400