May 31, 2007
The following is the list of the songs I listened to most this month, not necessarily ones that were released this month though: » Cupid's Chokehold - Gym Class Heroes This is the first song I've heard by the Gym Class Heroes, and I really like it, it's a cool song, fun and light. » All Good Things (Come To An End) - Nelly Furtado One of my favourite songs off Nelly Furtado's latest album "Loose"; A light ballady pop song with a catchy chorus. » Save Room - John Legend I really like John Legend's smooth R&B musical style;...
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May 30, 2007
Today, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be taking the wraps off "Milan", a project five years in the making, and the first of what the company is calling a "surface computer". The Microsoft Surface tabletop PC, for which the company has created both the hardware and software, turns an ordinary tabletop into a dynamic surface that provides interaction with all forms of digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. The surface computer will be able to recognize physical objects and allow hands-on, direct control of content such as photos, music and maps. Although these computers will be...
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May 29, 2007
Posted on May 29, 2007 04:20 PM under:
Tunisia
On the occasion of the International Day against Smoking on May 31, 2007 , Tunisia has launched a campaign to fight smoking. The slogan adopted this year is “No smoking in public spaces”. TV and radio ads, conferences, study days and student awareness sessions will be taking place throughout the country, coupled with graphic presentations emphasizing the high cost of this addiction. One of the major goals of this campain is to lower the percentage of all categories of smokers by 25% in the next ten years all the more so as smoking is widespread among both men and women....
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According to the latest statistics released by w3counter.com, Firefox’s market share has risen to over 25 percent of the browser market. W3Counter found that IE6 was used by 49.5 percent of visitors, while IE7 was favoured by 16.8 percent. This gives Microsoft a 66.3 percent share of the overall market, a significant drop if compared to the 85 percent penetration it enjoyed according to a Web Analytics study in November 2005. Hooray... Long live Firefox... google_ad_client = "pub-4495843892691656"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; google_ad_format = "468x60_as_rimg"; google_cpa_choice = "CAAQ8aaVzgEaCEys199bP_E2KOm293MwAA"; google_ad_channel = "9305504264"; //-->...
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May 28, 2007
Posted on May 28, 2007 10:15 PM under:
Islam
In 628 C.E the Prophet (pbuh) sent a letter to the monks of St. Catherine Monastery in Mt.Sinai. This is what he wrote: “This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to...
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May 24, 2007
The following is the list of the world's major religions ranked by the number of believers adherent to them: 1. Christianity: 2.1 billion 2. Islam: 1.3 billion 3. Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.1 billion 4. Hinduism: 900 million 5. Chinese traditional religion: 394 million 6. Buddhism: 376 million 7. primal-indigenous: 300 million 8. African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 million 9. Sikhism: 23 million 10. Juche: 19 million 11. Spiritism: 15 million 12. Judaism: 14 million 13. Baha'i: 7 million 14. Jainism: 4.2 million 15. Shinto: 4 million 16. Cao Dai: 4 million 17. Zoroastrianism: 2.6 million 18. Tenrikyo: 2 million 19. Neo-Paganism: 1...
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Posted on May 24, 2007 04:27 PM under:
Tunisia
E-commerce never really took off in Tunisia, and a lot of people I know think that it'll be a while before it even starts to work. There aren't that many Tunisian websites that offer possibilities to pay online, and on the other hand not that many Tunisians are willing to use these possibilities if they exist. I think it is important to try and understand why Tunisians aren't ready or willing to pay online in order for businesses to search and find solutions to making the internet into another effective sales and services channel. Some of the factors that could...
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May 21, 2007
I found this really interesting list of 10 ways you can avoid messing up your life; the list goes as follows: 1. Stop taking so much notice of how you feel. 2. Let go of worrying. It often makes things worse. 3. Ease up on the internal life commentary. 4. Take no notice of your inner critic. 5. Give up on feeling guilty. 6. Stop being concerned what the rest of the world says about you. 7. Stop keeping score. 8. Don't be concerned that your life and career aren't working out the way you planned. 9. Don't let others...
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I just loved these two cartoons on Gaping Void, they totally reflect the relationship between the user and the software developers, a reality I've lived in the development environment ever since I started my professional career. On one side, you have the users who do everything wrong and then blame the software for their mistakes; and on the other hand you have the developers who blame everything on the user in order to defend their code and software even if it's full of problems. The everlasting cycle... Very amusing at times, and very annoying at others......
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May 18, 2007
A list of the nine biggest myths of the workplace by Penelope Trunk: 1. You’ll be happier if you have a job you like. 2. Job-hopping will hurt you. 3. The glass ceiling still exists. 4. Office politics is about backstabbing. 5. Do good work, and you’ll do fine. 6. You need a good resume. 7. People with good networks are good at networking. 8. Work hard and good things will come. 9. Create the shiny brand of you! Over the past years and through my experience working at a number of companies, I have more or less come to...
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(...) Until the spring of 2004, its parliamentary government was increasingly controlled by right-wing Hindu extremists who condoned and in some cases actively supported violence against minority groups, especially Muslims. (...) If we really want to understand the impact of religious nationalism on democratic values, India currently provides a deeply troubling example, and one without which any understanding of the more general phenomenon is dangerously incomplete. It also provides an example of how democracy can survive the assault of religious extremism. (...) The real "clash of civilizations" is not between "Islam" and "the West," but instead within virtually all...
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May 16, 2007
I just came across this really interesting and true quote: ... Because you are in control of your life. Don't ever forget that. You are what you are because of the conscious and subconscious choices you have made. -- Barbara Hall It's amazing how this simple fact slips the minds of so many people, and how they forget that it is up to them to make their lives whatever they become based on the different choices and decisions they take in various situations throughout life....
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I just came across a list of the seven lies that prevent people from getting to powerful results in whatever they do in life. The list of lies goes as follows: Lie #1: Expect Quick Results Lie #2: Complaining is ok Lie #3: Fix it later. Lie #4: Having an *idea* instead of a plan Lie #5: Ignoring your talents Lie #6: Elusive Goals instead of Do-able Goals Lie #7: Adopting a “what I do doesn’t matter” attitude. I personally couldn't agree more, we keep lying to ourselves, trying to convinces ourselves of certain things that do nothing but hold...
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May 15, 2007
- I wouldn't nag and nag and then nag some more... - I wouldn't talk simply for the sake of talking... - I wouldn't spend over two hours getting ready to go out for only half an hour... - I wouldn't go into panic mode at the slightest hint of a wrinkle starting to form on my face... - I would always be on time... - I wouldn't be a bimbo... - I wouldn't be insanely addicted to shoes... - I would only go shopping when I needed to... - I wouldn't obsess on how big or small a certain...
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May 11, 2007
Posted on May 11, 2007 12:54 PM under:
Books
Last night I finished reading Steve Gottry's book Common Sense Business : Starting, Operating, and Growing Your Small Business--In Any Economy! I guess the title says it all and pretty much explains what the book is about. I went through this book pretty quickly, it's an easy simple read, in which the author pulls from his business experience and the ups and downs he's been through to share his experience with the reader and give advice on how to start, operate and grow a small business. It covers the whole life cycle of a small business, how to build on...
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May 10, 2007
Why were we created? That's one big question; one that doesn't necessarily have one exact answer, but well depending on who you ask, you'll be getting a range of different answers. For example, A pious person would tell you that we were created to worship God. A scientist would tell you that we were created to discover the amazing secrets of our world. A philosopher would tell you that we were created to think. An artist would tell you that we were created to simulate the perfections and imperfections of the world through art. A philanthropist would tell you that...
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May 09, 2007
A couple of days ago, I came across this great post on zen habits with 12 tips on how to be a great dad. The list goes as follows: 1. Put your children's interest first, always 2. Protect them 3. Spend your spare time with them 4. Give them hugs 5. Play with them 6. Do the “mom” stuff 7. Read to them 8. Stand by mom 9. Teach them self-esteem 10. Teach them about finances 11. Be good to yourself 12. Be good to the mom I couldn't agree more. This is all very important stuff. For more details,...
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May 07, 2007
So, yesterday was big presidential election day in France, and Nicolas Sarkozy won; he got 53% of the vote. I was expecting this, and it came at no surprise to me; I haven't followed the campaigns closely, because after all it is not a story that is of any special importance to me, but I caught some bits and pieces of debates or talk shows here and there, and Sarkozy is simply put a better salesperson and speaker than Ségolène Royal; even though it's obvious he's just playing on all sides and trying to fakely warm up to all constituencies...
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May 02, 2007
You live, you learn You love, you learn You cry, you learn You lose, you learn You bleed, you learn You scream, you learn You grieve, you learn You choke, you learn You laugh, you learn You choose, you learn You pray, you learn You ask, you learn You live, you learn These great words come from one of my favourite Alanis Morissette songs "You Learn", and the big important keyword here is "learn", because going through life without learning from our different experiences is basically nothing but a huge waste of time. Everything that happens to us happens for...
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Posted on May 2, 2007 10:32 AM under:
Books
A couple of days ago I finished reading Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point", another business book about how the littlest of things can make a big difference. The book explores the concept of "epidemics" and how ideas, products, messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do, and what it is that makes them tip over and become an epidemic; starting from the influential kinds of people who can spread the message, to the stickiness of the message itself and the context in which it came to exist. It's a very interesting read and provides a new way of thinking for...
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