MRf 500/- (42.19 USD)

Well today some dudes from the national disaster management center dropped by at my apartment (since i was hit by the tsunami) and gave me coffee money of MRf 500/- which is like 42.19 USD! Cool ey! Now i can save the coffee money for me and my friends for this week! Thanks dudes!

Shukurihyaa dhoa?

black

depressed; desperate and moody!

Hibaru (alpha)

ހިބަރު / Hibaru : swordfish in Dhivehi. In this case its not about fishing or diving. naaa! not even the movie swordfish. So? daaaa! don't joke, but it was the name I decided to give for a small scripting language i did for a project. So whats new? the thing is it was done back in 2002 or late 2001. And .. the language is based on thaana. Means you write the scripts in thaana itself. Whats the use? just for fun! I was going through my old backups and saw it, so thought i'd post about it!

What can it do? Simple things! hey it can do small mathematical "number" guessing games! It can do all the basic things like; compression, repetition, etc.. How does it look like? Well; nothing special again! But looks funny when u write in thaana.

This proto type was done using VB6 and yeah yeah! it was for windows.. but i am working on a port for c#. again the project is stalled! too lazy. Anyway here is a basic feel of it!

ހަދާ ހ
ކުރޭނަމަ (ހ) > ("5")
ހ = ހ + "1"
ދައްކާފޮޟި (ހ)
ނިމި

Here you will see that this prototype can assign/create vales to a variable (var h; h=h+1), can do small calculations like addition (h=h+1). Also it can do compression, repetition(loop). The script/program counts from 1 to 5 in this case;.

Click the image to zoom

And another screen shot. In this example ; it does a compression and displays the result based on it.

Click the image to zoom

Guilty again!

Seems this is my last days of the new year party, coming to an end. I will be starting my new job soon at wataniya maldives (the new mobile company). I am suppose to report to job on the 1st of Feb 2005. Taking a rest these days; though i am still working at ROL (focus infocom). Going a bit mallow. yeah yeah yeah! the whole point is that I am gonna miss my job and this company. I love it here, but for reasons that are a bit strange.. I have finally decided to give in to Windows! what ever that means.

Tonight I think i had a nice time as well; with the usual friends (the fantastic 4) and an other friend from old days of IRC (back in 1996/97). We had a nice time.. thanks dudes. I will miss these days once they pass by.

Fear, Obligation, and Guilt

All these is part of the weapons used in the common game of Emotional blackmail to manipulate you. "Fear, Obligation, and Guilt". Mostly this is done either directly or indirectly.

Who are you? A Victim or a Blackmailer?

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VICTIM

• Constantly seeks approval
• Does their best to avoid anger and keep peace
• Takes the blame for anything that happens to others
• Has compassion and empathy
• Tends to feel pity or obligation
• Believes they need to give in because it is the “right thing to do”
• Has self-doubt with no sense of their worth, intelligence or abilities

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EMOTIONAL BLACKMAILER

• Has great fear of abandonment and deprivation or of being hurt
• Feels desperate
• Needs to be in control of things
• Experiences frequent frustration
• Has thought distortions regarding the reasonableness of their demands
• Has had someone emotionally blackmail them and sees that it works to get them what they want

WHAT IS NECESSARY TO STOP EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL

• The victim must begin to look at the situation in a new way.
• They must detach from their emotions.
• They must realize that they are being blackmailed and that it is not appropriate for the blackmailer to be treating them in that manner.
• They must make a commitment to themselves that they will take care of themselves and no longer allow this abusive treatment.
• They need to see that a demand is being made on them and that it makes them uncomfortable.
• They must determine why the demand feels uncomfortable.
• They must not give into the pressure for an immediate decision.
• They must set boundaries to be able to take time to consider the situation and to look at all of the alternatives to make the decision.
• Finally, they must consider their own needs first for a change, in this process

source http://www.angelfire.com/vt/rcwn/Pagefifteen.html

MAJLIS ELECTIONS 2005

Today is the big day for a lot of people. Me? NO! I don't think I will vote "again!". I wish to remain a virgin when it comes to political vote'n until I think there is a fair and free election in the country! Till then I refuse (to put into practice my right NOT to vote) to vote and get disappointed! I am very emotional person! hahaha!

picture source www.haveeru.com.mv

RE: Dhivehinet Hacker!

Guys this is a funny one. I was just browsing through the maldivian blogs when i came across this one Truth Hurts!--Realism Ahead..:who cares? by someone named Ismail Shaukath. This blog had a post titled Dhivehinet hacker reveals First time the hacking and... a link to this blog; who claims and titled The Day I Hacked Into Dhivehinet so.. I read through and found out this was such a big bluff and more this was a modified copy of this document. The html version is here. This was so much fun.

A pic of the blog (dhivehinet hacker) hehehe LOL

So whats the story! I believe this so "famous" hack was done by some Brazilian kids who were just having fun. Out of the two known hacks; This is a screen shot i took of the last one. While it was hacked (defaced).

says Ka0tic Lab Group. Click image for the screen shot

So who were they who who is this Ka0atic Lab Group? I found out that this was an irc channel. I did visit it too. Just to checkout and find out on this. As far as i know there was 3 successful hacks into the dhiraagu web server. Also the 3 was done by the gangs who hang on this irc server. #ferror, #DaemonOptic and #ka0tic.

Again here is the proof! Click for a screen shot

So need more? ok follow this link as well to Zone-H So I suggest all those script kiddies and wanna be's out there should think about what they publish before they do it.

Eid Gift

Yeah why not? I mean if people think about Christmas gifts, why not eid gift. Just kidding. Anyway what if it was the case? What will I wish for today? hmmm!

An Apple Mac Mini

Its the new thingy by apple(some fruit company) after the iMac and the iPod. The Mac Mini has been the talk of a lot of people now. This thingy only costs $499. So what is it. It's a computer, but it's what they call a "BYODKM" (bring your own display, keyboard and mouse) kinda computer.

The Mac Mini and an iPod

So what can I do with it? hmmm! I still don't know. I am not a Mac guy so far. But I have always admired mac's. Maybe this is my big chance to own one. What can you do? ah haa! If you are not so poor like me and even own a car. Then you can even use this to convert your car to a car like the "Knight rider"; the famous 80's TV show. Remember KITT; the onboad computer on the car? . With a Mac mini ; your car can be a good brain for your car. Which can talk and accept voice commands.

Hmmmm! Tastes Like Chicken?

It's a common term. After you eat anything exotic,like say rattlesnake and come to the conclusion that it tastes like chicken? It seems that people say everything tastes like chicken. Like recently I had two of my very close friends who went to Thailand for new year party. After they came back and we went for a coffee' there was the talk of advantage and stuff. And it popped up they had frog legs. So what did it taste like "Chicken"! So why is that? While browsing I found this site.. Which will give you most of the answers you'd need about the topic. According to a chart(tree) on the site, we (humans) will or maybe will taste like pork.

I Took A Ride

The sound of the metallic engine; with a constant speed of 30km/h. I was cursing.. Every person that passed by and I noticed; had something to wonder about them. Vehicles hiss by; and the smell of the ocean wind. What was I doing? "Taking time on my own"; yeah I was.. I have never gone out like this on my own just to enjoy the ride, for like maybe 8 years. Strange! And I wonder why...People with sports shoes, t-shirts and shorts and fat tummies, jogging by.. Why not I? .. Where was I before that?.I was with some friends and feeling good; was sitting and enjoy'n for maybe a few hours, before everyone decided to part.. So.... I was all alone.. So I left too.

aaaah! My eyes! Please

Noooooo! I think my vision has been permanently damaged by having seen these images! Take my eyes please.

Who is she?

Every watch cartoons (well almost) and Tom and Jerry is for sure a favorite. Remember the female cat? Toodles? Sure you do. Tom has a major crush on this chick. I think she first appeared on the "Zoot Cat" , 1944. She is also referred to as Tom's girl friend.

an't TOM lucky? ;)

So I thought i'd find out more on her. But nothing much. Except that she is toodles; but I found an interesting picture from one of the Tom and Jerry sites. This might be a lead to find out on stuff a bit more. William Hanna & Joseph Barbera seems to have had someone in mind when they came up with this character.

Popular Maldivian Web sites of the year 2004

A little research was put into this and what I feel and found out was, most maldivian sites are not popular at all. But maldivians do browse; mostly for porn, followed by news. This is the most popular two. Forums was one major hit of the year 2003/4. It started off with www.lockforum.net the trend and standards was followed by a lot of others. But www.kk4rum.net seems to be the most active now. Forums are not mostly used for any other purpose; just a place for people to upload pics of maldivians and a place to look for these pictures. Also talks about "love and sex" seems to be active to some levels. So to conclude I will say the web mostly is used for just these two purpose by most maldivians; for sex and news.

So which was the most talked and most famous; hmmmm! Some people will not like this at all; but I feel www.dhivehiobserver.com (DO) was the No.1 for the year 2004. I don't know about the CONTENT. I don't frankly care. But seems this is a source of news and gossip for a lot of people. From the very TOP to the very bottom. This site is so famous that there are other sites which are just there to fight back to this. Now one will totally say this is not true. But if you look into these sites, you will find that these sites main objectives are to fight back on the content of this so called "DO" and to it's creator. Proof? Read the news titles; about 40% or more of the content will be just about "DO"; why? I don't have an answer. These sites include. www.themaldivian.org and www.factmaldives.com. The rumor has these two sites are gov sponsored sites. I don't know how true this is; but this is the "story" (this mean i am not say'n so.. just the "rumor") on the net and on the streets. Seems that www.themaldivian.org is a project lead by one Dr.Shaheed or someone and the other site by the NSS or the Police. www.themaldivian.org is improved; it's changed from normal static HTML site to a more dynamic site using PHP and mysql back ends. DO and www.factmaldives.com still needs to improve on it. I think very soon www.factmaldives.com might do the same; move to a better content management system. But what ever the case is these 3 sites have people who just work on these alone, or they have a lot of free time. I mean they are so into it. Maybe the 3 are paid just to do this. But it's a nice show to watch and laugh at. A lot of drama is involved. Like when one party does a cartoon the others or the other will follow and attack back.

DO (www.dhivehiobserver.com run by sappe')

So what do i think of all this? I think it all comes down to "power" and "money" what ever those people talk; I don't think i'd buy half of it. There is not much interest given to the "ordinary" maldivian "futhaa" and "kabulo". We still suffer and I think we will for a long time to come. We are caught in the middle of the power struggle. Damn it guys! What's the fight for? Most of these fights won't have any "logic" behind them. "you hit!; I hit back too" that's the game now. I pity these guys. I think if they invest their time on helping people and try'n to contribute to the country it will be much better. But then agin, this is just my view.

The Maldivian (www.themaldivian.org)

Computer Dinosaurs

Anyone out there who remembers the old Commodore Sixy fours? or maybe Sinclaire ZX Spectrum series of computers? How about the BBC Micro Computers? click click, ding dong!

The BBC Micro

The old BBC Micro will be a famous one and a known one to most if they did computing back in school (1990 to maybe 1995/6). I LOVED these machines, this was the very fist computers for many of us. This is where the "code'n" started off! BBC Basic! Hacking through the codes; trying to draw pictures. Yeah! That's how it worked back then. We never had such tools like coral Draw or anything, there was a few software's but then mostly none. So we typed or programmed the thingy to draw us lines and paint it! "PLOT" and "DRAW" commands. I still remember them. I guess the very first programs I did was on the ZX Spectrum. But I would say it started off with the BBC's. It was magical back then, everyone will be all excited about the computer class. Waiting to try out the codes they wrote on papers after u plotted the pictures on graph papers and took the coordinates.

The BBC Micro was launched to coincide with a computer literacy drive by the BBC. The machine had possibly one of the best versions of BASIC out of all of the computers at the time and also had good expansion capabilities including networking (Econet), a disc interface, and a second processor.

The BBC Console with BBC Basic (remember that screen?)

Model A

• Processor: 6502A, 2MHz
• 16k RAM
• 32k in ROM
• Sound: 3 channels + noise
• Text display: 80x32
• Graphics display: 640x256, 8 colors + flashing
• Keyboard: Typewriter-style
• 8-bit parallel port
• Expansion port
• Cassette interface
• RGB socket (6 pin DIN)
• RF interface
• Released: 1981 at £299

Model B

As the Model A, with the following changes:

• 32k RAM
• Released in 1981 at £399

Model B+

As the Model A, with the following changes:

• 64k RAM
• Released in April 1985 at £499

anyway I found sme links to BBC Micro Emulators, this might be fun. I did try BeebEm a few years back. It is fun. Getting back the feel of making double height chars; using the CHR$(141) and trying to hack through the old game codes like the snapper.

Modern Cultural Slavery

The cultural diversity with in a culture... yes! hard to grab? but it does exist here in Male'; Maldives. I am not referring to traditional cultures, but some thing a bit of a more then that. More to do with life styles and stuff. Basically we are very easy going and fun loving people by nature and have always enjoyed the life style we lived. Imagine this.. Islands: sun, sky, sand and tsunami.. Oops I mean sea. No mountains no hills no tigers or snakes; just tiny islands.. A hut, coconut trees and fish to eat. What more would I man ask for? But.. Most people think there is a lot more to life then that! Maybe earn a lot of money; work all day from 8pm to maybe like 9pm, most week ends in office as well. Hardly get time for even a coffee'. "man i am a busy guy"; thats the answer u get. Hardly any time for the family.. so whats the good part of it "Money", "cool cars" , "big bikes", "latest mobile phones", wow ey! makes me always wonder and compare between dolphins and us humans; who are happy? us or them?

Anyway I don't wanna go on talking about it! cos each of us has our own views about life and what has to be achieved.

Getting back to this culture I guess here; we find a few of them; maybe the top of the chats will be the "Harudhanaa" type of people. Next might comes "the surfer dudes", followed by "Death golaain" and maybe finally "casual easy go" types. And people inbetween.

So who are they? "Harudhanaa" / ހަރުދަނާ is the new trend. Where they have a very interesting life style. These guys wear office wears and tie and all. they carry the latest mobile phones (of which only they use 20% of the functionality), ride on "waves"; Honda wave series bikes. Or now it's evolving to cars. Not just any cars but top of the line cars (I'd hope to talk about these laters on some other day; hehe). And "they are always busy"; you call them they are always busy or at a "Meeting". People look up to these people and refer to them as "Harudhanaa" people. Maybe meaning stable/solid guys. Or maybe "they are rich or will be rich soon". Late night almost everyone goes for the daily "buru": ride along the beach road of the island; which a chick at the back or next to you. And at the start of the month drop in to "Thai wok" for a tomyaam soup. These are the guys that your parents or your wife wants you to be. They are the people to whom people look up to. hahaha. yes! it's true. You go to office at 8 or maybe 9 sign in; take a break at 10; etc.. i don't know what most of these people do all day, but i hope to dig in more. Does not matter how productive you are or creative you are; if you come late to office; you are no one! bad example on others! It's not the quality it's the quantity that matters here. I can go on and on. But I wish to cut short.

by the way these two does not in reality fit to any of what i said above; just using this pic to show off the dress code. But unlike this pic the guys of this type does not carry the girls hand bang on them.

So what about the rest? hmmm! well they are no bodies.. they kill the time ! total waste! yeah! they are. Thats what this society says. One very commonly used term is "Paartey" for most others. Creativity and the rest of the qualities in people are not valued much. Even if they are and people know they are who they are, still they are referred to as "total wastes". Know the reason? Cos they don't make money or they don't work their back off to help someone else get money or make money out of them.

A surfer dude or how they are mostly referred to as a "Paartey"

Sad fact is people really think this way. And they kinda follow these trends. Or is it some thing wrong with me? I guess so. Always the majority is right? right? Where do i fit in? No where; maybe in the type "stuck in the middle", but thats my personnel view. Again i can't judge on that. Or should i? hmmmm!

More than Money

Ordinary programmers write code to pay the bills. Great hackers think of it as something they do for fun, and which they're delighted to find people will pay them for

These are quotes from Paul Graham Reilly Open Source Convention (2004). After I listened to it; I thought of high lighting a few points he made. Which is worth looking at if you are into IT or comment on geeks; like a few people i know. And to all those guys who think... hmmmm! and ask the big question "why are these guys like this..."?

• If you want to get real work done in an office with cubicles, you have two options: work at home, or come in early or late or on a weekend, when no one else is there. Don't companies realize this is a sign that something is broken? An office environment is supposed to be something you work in, not something you work despite.
• Great hackers also generally insist on using open source software. Not just because it's better, but because it gives them more control. Good hackers insist on control. This is part of what makes them good hackers: when something's broken, they need to fix it. You want them to feel this way about the software they're writing for you. You shouldn't be surprised when they feel the same way about the operating system.
• Hackers like to work for people with high standards. But it's not enough just to be exacting. You have to insist on the right things. Which usually means that you have to be a hacker yourself. I've seen occasional articles about how to manage programmers. Really there should be two articles: one about what to do if you are yourself a programmer, and one about what to do if you're not. And the second could probably be condensed into two words: give up.
• The distinguishing feature of nasty little problems is that you don't learn anything from them. Writing a compiler is interesting because it teaches you what a compiler is. But writing an interface to a buggy piece of software doesn't teach you anything, because the bugs are random. So it's not just fastidiousness that makes good hackers avoid nasty little problems. It's more a question of self-preservation. Working on nasty little problems makes you stupid. Good hackers avoid it for the same reason models avoid cheeseburgers.
• It's a mistake to use Microsoft as a model, because their whole culture derives from that one lucky break. Microsoft is a bad data point. If you throw them out, you find that good products do tend to win in the market. What VCs should be looking for is the next Apple, or the next Google.
• It's hard to tell good hackers when you meet them. I can't tell, even now. You also can't tell from their resumes. It seems like the only way to judge a hacker is to work with him on something.
• If it is possible to make yourself into a great hacker, the way to do it may be to make the following deal with yourself: you never have to work on boring projects (unless your family will starve otherwise), and in return, you'll never allow yourself to do a half-assed job. All the great hackers I know seem to have made that deal, though perhaps none of them had any choice in the matter.

Here is the link for the full Convention

Now there's three cigarettes in the ashtray.

Two cigarettes in an ashtray,
My love and I in a small cafe.
Then a stranger came along,
And everything went wrong.
Now there's three cigarettes in the ashtray.

this is a song by Cline Pasty. But this is not about love this is about Ashtrays. Usually or rather everyday i start off with a cigaratte and along with it comes the ashtray. So today i wondered about it, while i was having my morning cigaratte, and here i am talking about it as well.

" އަޅި ކެޑި "

So why is it such a big deal these "ashtrays" thats what i want to know too. Like i got three. One in my living area, one in my room and the last one in my toilet. I guess it's cos of the ash you need the ashtrays, and the ash comes from the cigarattes. and i do smoke! but then again anything or a lot of things can be subsituted as ashtrays. At time the empty cigarette packs, etc.. empty cans. Like the other day we went to this cafe' (ice corn) near my current office. They don't really support smoking but since people smoke at times they keep the ashtrays and other times they don't, so whats the result all the ash goes to the floor and the butts. Anyway on this day; i guess it was like two days back. They got down empty tuna cans , as ashtrays. Yeah! they did.


This is a pic I took some months back at ice corn; when they use to provide the ashtrays

Anyway ashtrays are very helpful; if you keep em'. What ever form they maybe. Like late night when you are out of cigarattes; you go hunting the ashtray; and very creative things can happen. :D "saves the night" or when you are dead broke!


Another pic I took at a local resort : an ashtray made of coconut

But you can't imagine ashtrays comes in all sort of forms you even get USB ashtrays! yeah you do get them as well. Maybe I might get one of these.

Zoroastrian faith and philosophy

I have been doing a bit of reading on Zoroastrians; i have been very much impressed by zoroastrian philosophy..some years back a friend of mine (Mohamed) use to read a book by a celebrated German pholospher, Nietzsche; and talk about Zarathustra; I use to joke about it; but.. here i am now... use to joke about the famous quote:

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

anyway, i think i like teachings like not praising a god who is a bribe taker. The teachings say a true god is not a bribe taker; where he/she (god) is bribed by worship and then he/she rewards his worshipers with a part of paradise. Also in their belief the almighty god is not a dealer, he is neither a buyer nor a seller, and does not need also be flattered by his/her creatures. God must or is the initiator of justice, kindness, and truthfulness and guides his/her creatures to the same principles. Mostly Zoroastrian teachings are based on good reflection, good word, and good deed.

Zoroastrians are some times called "Parisi" /ފާރިސީ (thanks to anisha for correcting the name) too; some of these people live in India. The origin is from Iran; but due to the Arab' invasion they have emigrated to Inida in the ninth century.

Mr. Tsunami from Sumatra, Indonesia

tsumani ... yeah! the freeking thing did say hi to me last year!...and...

This was the view i saw when i got out of my apartment.. and this picture is all over the net..including Wikipedia

so what did it do to me..

This was my place before and after the wave..

and this is my door

and what did i do... nothing.. some how it's fixed now; during the process, my aunty did all of my laundry... hehehe.. so i should thank her for that.. and my cousin Ashfaam who helped me all the way and still does.. and my friends namely Ashraf, Uvey, Fazu and Buttercup.. who came in for the rescure.. :P well what else.. after the event simon suggested that we should help in some way; so we came up with the web site www.tsunamimaldives.mv. It was great team work. Namely Inn. I think his contribution to the site must be noted.

life is not what it use to be

by the way! just wanted to add; "life is not what it use to be" ... ah aaaah!

hello world : AGAIN!

after a year or so i thought of my blog; i type "hello world" again.