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May 2nd, 2009

I HATE PTCL

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I know you all too, but just a careful reminder they will also terminate your DSL connection if your PAID phone bill is not forwarded properly by banks or nadra kiosks to them, my home dsl is down since 4 days, every other day there is a holiday and their dsl officer needs to be contacted by going to local exchange in order to reactivate your phone or dsl connection, now this is what i call an Internet company where nothing can be resolved online. I wonder we ARE living in a third world country so we should be accustomed to a third class service, period!

April 23rd, 2009

Just saw this video on youtube, its very disgusting but again the west has got the chance of pointing guns on muslim world and islam, why because for every bad they see islam and muslim in it. This is clearly a stupidity by one person and western media has pointed guns on the faith.

I know these Arab shiekhs will rot, because apart from few they all are the same. Muslims will never learn and groas will never stop!

Here is a link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpPphQm3tq8




April 18th, 2009

We had our dsl services from Maxcom for which we were paying Rupees 7500 for a dedicated 1mb line. So i thought about purchasing another dsl connection on second phone line as i was not completely satisfied with the speed i was getting, so i bought a linkdotnet dsl line for our company after getting assurance that they have improved their quality ( see my last post about linkdotnet to get the earlier story ). After all the cost was 1400 rupess only for 2mb shared connection , but the speed i got was double that of maxcom, so far so good.

But keeping in view my previous experience was linkdotnet i though about degrading my maxcom connection and thought of using it as well by making dual connections instead of one so i can have some redundancy as well.

So i started doing some research and finally from AUnet got a linksys cisco 4 port vpn router with dual wan connection and VPN capabilities through which you can either share a dual internet connection via load balancing or make your second dsl line as backup line so in case one of them is down the router will shift the load to second connection. Please note that with this solution your overall bandwidth will increase but this will not increase your connection speed. As a result i was able to download a file last time at around 320kb/s by paying Rs.3500 combine for two shared connections then getting a download speed of 100k/s earlier by paying a hefty some of Rs.7500, so a saving of more then half with more then double bandwidth along with redundancy benefit of having two ISP's. This is ideal solution for small companies like mine . This solution involve only one time cost but you can cover that cost within few months.

I will also make a more detailed blog entry by explaining how to set this up, because its a bit tricky if you don't know how to configure your connections and router. I will also add some pictures as soon as i get some time.
Just went back home from the bloggers conference which was held in this city for the first time. Not sure about the enthusiasm of the host who made a point that this is the first bloggers conference in South Asia? But overall the effort made was worth appreciating and keeping in view the current atmosphere in the country , it needs to be appreciated.

Overall the bloggers who made their presentation were very well versed and their hard work was evident from their presentation and arguments which were very professionally made and most importantly they were to the point. The only big disapointment was the pro-mqm host who act stupid most of the time and i was barely able to understand what he was buzzing all the time. The lady host was great however!

As per our Pakistani culture the conference started late that is after more then one hour. The chief guest was IT minister of Sindh who seemed more enthusiastic in presenting the laptop gift to young girl then the overall conference. The girl was deserving though as she had made a mark by completing several courses at only 11 years of age, but again i was unable to link that aspect with the blogging conference.

Anyway, Mr. Cowasjee was there as well, he woke up late and forgot to change his night suit and shorts. The man was there to make a point, not sure what that was though :)

Mr. Farooq Sattar , the chief guest arrived at around 6:30pm, mind you the conference time was 4:00pm

Coming back to the conference, the topics were widely  organized with categories of speaker who covered topics such as introduction to blogging, free speech and technology blog. Similarly the photo blog covered by Mr. Raja Islam was the most entertaining part of the conference which gave the hall some time to cheer and he got his share of applause for his work.

Similarly the comments made by PASHA chief were more personal then engaging. But again some points made were very positive.

The Urdu blog presentation by the last speaker was not allowed to have his share of time, he got the same treatment our national language got in this country, he was the last one to come in, made good points in his brief presentation, however much more was expected to be heard from him but the poor man had to cut back his time as Mr. Sattar was in a hurry....

This is a short commentary but i again feel that this is the right step in the right direction, if you eliminate some politics which was discussed by some politicians in the conference, i believe overall this was a great effort!

January 14th, 2009

Happy New year, its been some time since i have posted something here, but now is the good time.

We were working on our new project since past few months. The website is all about branding and corporate identity creation. We have completed the logo design and website development sections of this website. Checkout the website and logo design work here. Originally the idea was to make the website for a specific demography, however after starting work we thought about implementing it on a global scale. The content and work you see right now is just for demo purposes. The new layout will be here shortly with hundreds of logo design and website design samples. Other areas which this website will cover includes flash and animated logo design, character design and illustration, brochure and newsletter design sections.

We love to hear your comments on the design work once it is ready. We are also very much excited and hope to complete all the design and database work by February this year.


September 26th, 2008

Zardari would do what he did yesterday if Benazir was alive? Its been hardly 1 year since her death and Mr playboy or 10% is on his way to tarnish the name of Islamic Republic Of Pakistan by offering a hug to the Republican VP candidate on his UN tour. Whats so interesting is that he is touring as an all powerful president of Pakistan and this humor may cost him more then what he might have thought.

He might have improved his image by hiring an image consultant but who is going to teach him some diplomatic ways of greeting. Quaid-e-Azam rightly said that each successive President that Pakistan will get will be the worst of its kind!!

April 3rd, 2008

all time favourite movies

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Thought about compiling my list of all time favourite movies. So here they are, its not final as i might have forgotten some good ones.


- Spy game - Robert Redford at his best! 


- Schindler's List 


- Constant Gardener


- Thomas Crown Affair - One of the best soundtrack


- Syriana


- Gladiator


- Munich 


- Austin Powers - The original one only! 


- BraveHeart - An epic with one of the best score! 

and not to forgot the Indian classic "Sholay"

image coutesy: Yahoo movies

March 31st, 2008

Harnessing an opportunity

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Everyone says opportunities come by luck, well i believe with luck there is also a factor involved which is called willingness. If you are committed then opportunities will come by itself. Talking about opportunity i am taking it in general terms whether its a job opportunity, a project opportunity or opportunity given to complete any task.

An example which i have tried myself many times works brilliantly. This also involves the willingness factor as well. I called it "critigation" which is combination of word critique and suggestion/solution. What involves here is to find a gap and then suggesting the solution in filling it. Let me provide you a good example.

As most people apply for job, what they do is pretty same what company ask them to do, fill an application form provide documents and all the other blah's...Now what the job seeker do is fulfilling the requirements that are put against them by filling up the open holes. So far so good, but in the end what company gets is a solution provider, not innovator.

In real world scenarios the problem isn't the same because sometimes you need to identity the problem and then propose a solution. So why always asking for a solution for a problem which is already identified? So will you hire an identifier and a filler both?

Now talking about "Critgation" my self invented term ( patents pending :) ) the approach should be a different one wherever applicable. What i suggest is to build up some willingness to grab the opportunity. By explaining this i will say if you find a problem somewhere ( not necessarily related to you ) but if you can identify the problem and have a solution to it then don't ever hesitate to share it with the concerned person, i am 110% sure the opposite side will be willing to give you an opportunity to solve it, because after all you are the one who have identified the problem, it was not a pre-written task, right?

If you take this case from a different perspective i would suggest that from an employer's perspective the hiring procedures should not concentrate entirely on how a candidate provides a solution to a task, but instead it should concentrate on encouraging the candidates to identify the problem first and then providing a solution. This can be engaged without writing anything on a paper nor it requires a degree. Simple willingness to work and in depth information of the system is enough you need to figure out by talking about it with the employee.

From an employee's point of view ( considering he see his career as a brand visualizer ), lets say if he see an ad campaign for a company by an ad and branding agency and see a potential problem in the branding strategy of the company or any element which it lacks then he can grab this task and turn it into opportunity by moving forward this problem along with a concrete idea to rectify this issue with a valid solution and execution sample backed by solid examples to justify it. I bet this person don't even have to ask the company to employ him, they will make the offer themselves.

The only thing important is to never hesitate in making a proactive approach. Its not necessary that you only apply to companies which ask you to apply. With your abilities you can turn a proactive approach into an opportunity. The only need is to identity one!

March 18th, 2008

Here are a couple of pictures of the shop Nomad located in Zamzama commercial lane 4 next to united mobile which is selling custom designed t-shirts and other accessories.



The sign board

 

Nomad Custom designed t-shirts

March 11th, 2008

A crap called linkdotnet

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If you see this name then its my advise to stay clear from these people, dancom sold their company to these orascom guys for money, but i am not sure how long they'll be able to make money by running the company the way they are doing right now, their support is crappy and non existant, staff ( no words ) and best of all i tried to call them to close my dsl services and in return they keep telling me different numbers where i need to dial just to cancel my services ( my fault, i was a corporate client ) and finally after hectic effort the lady just hung-up the phone. Guess the way to shut your services at linkdotnet is to stop making monthly bill payments, this way the services can be closed ( one of their employee suggested ).

March 6th, 2008

the welthiest of allSo finally this morning Forbes has released its much anticipated list of the World billionaires, and guess what Bill Gates is no more at the top, this time its Buffets turn who is at the top backed by his investment arm of Berkshire Hathaway. Though he may not retain this post in the long run because of his commitment to donate most of his wealth to charity, specifically to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Another guy who might top the next years list is Carlos Slim of mexico, who is backed by the power of his telco coglomerate and ranked 2nd this year. Next comes the wave of Indians, Mittal retaining his rank along with long time foes, the Ambani brothers.

Interestingly 4 Indians dominate the 4 positions out of top 10 which shows the parity in rich and poor of this state. The next winners are the Russian oligarch.

Prince Waleed of Saudi Arabia is pushed back to 19th position, may be his citi gamble not working well this time, we'll see this after some time ;)
On a side note there are few tech guys and innovators who have made the list, the google guys are rocking along with the young 23 year old Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and not to mention Hind Hariri the daughter of the late Rafik Hariri who is the youngest female billionaire and inherited his construction and banking behemoth which is shared among his brother and sister.
In contrast this list highlight the power of money and those who have either got it by luck or by working hard no matter how much downturn the financial crisis bring. However it also highlight the huge rich/poor gap which exists in this world. According to some estimates these richest folks own 1% of the total world wealth.

February 25th, 2008

So govt has banned youtube presumably because of the cartoon issue, so lets see how long this will last. For now say bye to the time killing and bandwidth munching baby!

As mentioned in my earlier post of our recent bad experience with linkdotnet which is still going on ( 25 days ), i have come up with a conclusion. Un-trained and highly uncompetitive staff of this company withot any tiers of customer approach is the reason they will loose me tomorrow *i hope* when i'll swicth ISP to Maxcom as they are preparing our other phone line for dsl. Linkdotnet was not able to sort out problem in this huge time span and they had so many lame reasons as an excuse that i ran out of memory to count them.

February 7th, 2008

The DSL Dilema

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Our company was one of the satisfied user of Dancom online services since past two and a half years, but ever since Dancom and WOL are acquired by Orascom ( presumably linkdotnet ) things have changed, the support is getting worst, you need to hold on to your phone for 15 mins just to get in tocuh ( if you are lucky enough ). On the other hand support staff is unaware of what to do. The speed they commit has been severly downgraded and all they do is just send their bill on time.

I need to point out there needs to be a regulation authority who monitor when such mergers occur, orascom which is notorious for such tactics should be dealth with an iron fist , they have done this with mobilink previously, they are doing something similar to these two companies as well and i am sure like us their other corporate clients are also facing hardship.

September 29th, 2007

 Finally after months of preparation, the flagship store of our design house named "NOMAD" is open where we will be selling custom designed t-shirts for men and women. The shop is located on 4th zamzama commercial lane next to United Mobile and showcase some creative work put forward by our designers in their past time.

The designs are made creatively with subtle humour and showcasing some funny side-ups to present a whole new idea and to denounce the fake brand culture of dolmen center with t-shirts tagging brand names all over them. Similarly socializing some topics through a simple yet unique "t-shirt message". The website named club-nomad.com will be completed soon while pics of the shop will be uploaded to the blog as soon as possible.

The t-shirts are priced nominal with a Rs. 399 price tag to promote custom wear tradition and denounce the fake brands which we proudly wear and advertise for no obvious reasons!

May 24th, 2007

Recently our office staff purchased NIDO powdered milk for tea whitening instead of Everyday, upon consuming it for the first time it appeared as if something is wrong with it as the powderred milk is forming crystals instead of disolving. So the staff contacted the shopkeeper and interestingly instead of offering any refund or replacement they claimed that they have received a similar complain from some 3 to 4 people, however its strict company policy of Nestle not to offer any refund or replacement so he can't help or exchange the product.

It was very disappointing to hear that these multinational companies just know how to mint money out of ordinary and provide products which are sub-standard and not guaranteed to be in their original form, and this can only happen in Pakistan. There is no customer care contact number on Nido bag where a protest can be lodged. So these words are here just to make sure that a protest is registered, instead of sitting idle and accept the wrong practices conducted by Nestle.

Nestle is enjoying a good share of profits in Pakistan. Its milkpak brand is always in such a demand that they put its pricetag above all and most of the time its demand outrun the supply, same is parallel with other products like infant cereals and powdered milk where there is not much of a competition. These people even didn't stop minting money during the earthquake back in 2005, so you can't expect much.

May 19th, 2007

The "Bhairchaal" effect

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I just posted this in other forum and thought that this is something which speaks from my inside. After working with Goras for past 5 years, i realize their mentality and when i compare it with the masses the difference is very clear.  Most of the goras are honest in what they do, they are not emotional, but they are very dedicated, they are not cheaters but they do try to re-invent the wheel and when facts lie in front of you then they accept it.

When a Pakistani will stop cheating, stop stealing and become dedicated in what he/she do then they 'll be in par with all other nations.

Most Pakistanis follow others track, they never try to reinvent the road or make their own path. They set others as example everytime and thats what i call "bhairchaal".

If i'll start something and it becomes a success, the other day 100 people will line-up doing the same thing? Thats the mentality which persist here and without changing it we can't come in par with others.

My opinion is very realistic, by mentioning a bunch of people you can't pride yourself and start blaming "kay ager yai na hota to hum yai hotay". Thats rubbish!

In last 50 years give me a single innovation that has its name assciated with a Pakistani? And we still say "bohot talent hai hamary pass". Yes we have allot of talent and we keep it in pendora box? Stop day dreaming, you have nothing unless you prove it, so its useless to give yourself false hope.

Some of those who does something exceptional choose the wrong path. Take Agha hasan abidi, one who was considered best banker, with his skills he sky rocketted BCCI, and see what happened in the end? A FRAUD that tainted Pakistan with black color.

May 7th, 2007

LOGIC

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It is widely beleived and observed that we always follow some sort or pattern or logic in everything we do? i'v heard someone asking this question, whats the logic behind a successfull business. To answer it you have to follow several other logic or create your own logic because its not possible to provide any logic to this logic?

To maximize growth there are certain key elements that needs to be considered. However its not necessary that growth always is a result of logical explanation.

I'v read a story that google is increasing its headcount by almost doubling it every year and in reply to that Steve Balmer at microsoft exchanged his "All Guns at Google" reviews during a recent conference by pointing its disadvantages. So mr. Balmer google's per employee revenue is still 1 million dollar as compared to Microsoft's 300k any logical explanations to these?

April 26th, 2007

Logoworks acquired by HP

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A subsidiary of Logoworks shows a message that the company has been finally acquired by HP, seems like the heat is on in this sector and lets see how many more to go?

As the need for affordable logo design is in demand and companies like HP sees a much broader vision by expanding their core business to SME's through this platform, after all you'll be going to print your stationery after getting the logo? So this seems to be a perfect match.

Guess our company will be looking for opportunities after this as it has its firm feets in this business since 2002 and considered one of the best and oldest online logo design and corporate identity firm around.

April 21st, 2007

I have a deep insight in this industry, to be precise since 98' when i first launched one of my website. Those days were meta tags and keyword stuffing days and these days are link buying and exchanging days? So is something changed yet? Yes, the method of making SE fool ....

In Pakistan this field is still in its early stages, i can frequently see dawn classified ads in which IT companies are specially looking for SEO personals, however what criteria do they look for is a big question mark. From what i see they are usually recruited to link harvest and link farm which is taking this industry in wrong direction and those working in this field are almost considered as bots whose job is to simply send emails and do link harvesting. However in contrary the SEO is much dependant on the onsite factors like the page optimization, keyword relevancy and proper distribution which is ignored or overdone is most cases, the secret juice at googleplex is to make a perfect blend where everything is balanced and we lack this when considering onsite factors.

In other words being Pakistani as we enter this field either we are following the "bandwagon effect" or just relying on the typical ways without factoring some other factors which are very important in this case.

Recently i have seen applicants providing 3 days SEO workshop certificates as a reference to show thier qualification. BOOM! i learned SEO in a 3 days workshop. So why goto university and complete your bachelor in 4 years , learn SEO in 3 days and become rich ( as far as classified ad is considered Axact pays 40k to SEO guys, pretty huh! ). A gold mine for those conducting such workshops and those attending it... 

Rightly said " Content is King", a great example of natural optimization is Karachi Metblog website which ranks on top with most of the searches which includes the word "Karachi" as the blog covers several Karachi related topics, therefore content and its proximity ranks it on top, thats a very usual behavior and can be followed as an example.

As far as website design and optimization is considered, recently i was looking for a candidate who can do some content writing and optimize the website design project that we were working on, but failed miserably to find the perfect soul. There are some good white hat companies who are making progress and training good people, but again black sheeps and black hats are everywhere , infact more then the white ones, so prepare your long term strategy wisely, the black hat tricks may work for the short time but will not last long.
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