Vote for "Hope"

Here we stand united for a change. Here we stand wondering about our future. Here we stand confused about some of our brothers and sisters. Hope is all we have, and I am willing move ahead with that hope. Not standing up against anyone; just standing up for myself, my family and my friends. It's about me, my future. Like it is for the "others". I respect that, but lets put up a fair fight for what we believe in.

It's hard to change some people; like the "woman in the houses". I tried to understand them and the conclusion I came to was very simple. They know, but they don't want to admit. They don't want to admit that someone played with their lives for years an years. Worst of all destroyed the future of their children. End of the day who is to be blamed?, it's them. they who voted for him. It's hard to admit that they destroyed their own future. They simply cannot take this fact and are in denial. So I guess I won't even try, it will only give them more pain in their old age. It's not an easy guilt to carry around. Rather they'd watch "Kasotee" and the alike. Go with that flow and live in that box. A few will only give up and face the reality. It's sad but that's the truth.

The other type of "others" are who don't have much of a choice. They have lived off the system, and are living off the system. All they have; the power, the fame and the security is provided by the system. By "the one"; they don't have a choice. They have to back him up. It's a choice between loose it all or stand-up for what is right. Not many will choose the last option. It's easy to find an excuse to justify our stand and support the system. We all love our family, and won't want to see a future where they are taken to trial, etc. We must accept this too. It's a few of us, but they too are our friends and people we know, we should not alienate them or judge them. Maybe they too wish for the good of us; and understand what we are crying for. However if they have to choose; it's not an easy choice as well. At times it takes a lot of balls to accept or reject. Some of us did, some of us won't.

I don't want to debate on nifty details on the choices we have. It's very clear to me; I need a change and I had had enough. I don't see a bright future with the existing system that we have and I want to give the opposition a chance for hope. I fully support the idea of change. Why the change?. The answer is simple; I am not happy with the present system and have lost faith in the leadership. I believe we could do better, I believe we need fresh way of thinking. It's not about religion, or power to me. It's about a better life and more secure future. Maybe for different people they may see it in different ways. Today I don't know my future, what will happen to me when I get old. I don't know if I will be capable to take care of my parents when they grow old and are sick in bed. For me my choice is clear; I'd invest on a cyanide tablet and save it for future. When I grow old and loose hope, just pop the pill. That's the kind of future I see today here in "This Maldives"; "Mi raahjeyga".

They say this is the "sunny side of life", I say this is the "funny side of life". It is funny, and I mean it. We boast about GDP, and the development and yet we struggle so hard everyday. Our people don't have any hope; we just live for today. After we save 15,000 MRf, we invest on an iPhone and rest of the month don't even fill our patrol tanks. We have developed a culture where we simply don't care for our future. Why? Maybe simply because we don't have any "hope". Look around you; ask your friends and family. It is really depressing but we try to ignore that over a coffe' and a few smoke. Think about it. We have so much problems at homes, at work everywhere. Most we just choose to ignore.

Some may challenge our intelligence and try to label us as fools, but we are just standing up for what we believe is right. Not what our parents and others influence us to. Maybe they want us to be the zombies and just clap to their speeches. This won't happen anymore those days are over, no matter who wins this election. They may still have the power to play with our lives, but we won't go down easily. The same mistake that our parents and uncles did we won't make today.

Maybe again; this is just my view and I may not be aware of the "real good life" that our system has got to offer. The new heights that we can climb on to, but as of today "I just wonder". On 28th I'd act. I'd again vote for hope; cos I won't give up on that hope that things will someday improve for the better.

Maldivians have a short term memory

Like the football mania ; vote mania is here. Like always every Maldivian has transformed to be a political analyst and a freedom fighter. Which is good, it's our right and our future. I think this is the way to go. However at the same time; many of those who said "we don't give a fuck about politics", also are in the race now. Most of these people including some educated fools seem to have forgotten the past. Not just few years back history, but even things that happened few months back. This is really impressive, either we are so "forgive and forget" type or we are just plan stupid.

30 years back our parents and grand parents fell for a few points. Same points are raised today with different names and faces.

It does not matter who you vote for; as long as you know the choice you make is the right one. At the same time be responsible. Maybe the vote you give is for your relative, friend or neighbor. Or maybe your father-in-laws friend. Are these the reasons we should base our votes on?. I feel it should be for the right reason and cause, for the country not for our own benefit or good . It's not the "presidential" looks that we should be looking for, or a list of promises. It's time to base our votes on "trust" factor, to someone whom you know will fix things and you can depends on. For me this is important; I don't want someone who will wake up one day and would tell us "from today we are communists". Anyone can come on the stage and can run power point slides and make promises. Coming up with figures and documents is no big deal; we all can do that. "Talks" we had, had enough of. Is that what still we should be looking for?.

As for me I will not vote for anyone whom I feel I can't trust. They have to prove it to us with time, and history does matter here. If you say what was in the past is in the past; I openly say to those people go vote for Mr. Maumoon. He is the best choice if you are looking for experience and looks, etc. Why even consider anyone else; if that's what you are looking for. If you don't feel that way; then you should take a look at the list of the candidates and decide. Maybe in time we will trust some of the candidates, but now for me I simply can't trust most of the people on the list. Not at this stage, not unless they really prove beyond just words. I am sorry, but that's how it works for me.

Dr. Hassan is someone I've known from his time in Malaysia, so is Jameel. I never liked Dr. Shaheed and I never knew him personally. However is associations with the existing governments gave me real bad impression of him. I know from a few friends his parts in the web sites like factmaldives.com and others alike. I am not sure I true they are, but we all know he was one of the key figures of the system they oppose so strongly now. For me to trust them will take time. I hope they understand this. Maybe some of his supports; that includes many of my friends have forgotten those days or just don't know. Maybe they are good people and forgiven or justified those doings. That's ok; I respect them. I feel Dr. Hassan has got good plans and have some good people backing him. For me not this time, maybe next time (if he decided to stay in Maldives and survive the nation) I will vote for him.

For me it comes down to Anni and Ibra. I trust these two people. They have always said the same thing and worked for the same objective. If I vote for Anni; I will be voting for MDP; for the movement for the cause. If I vote for Ibra I will be voting for a good character; who says the right thing and has a vision and a proven track record. So my vote will go for one of them.

As for Maumoon; the simple reason why I won't vote for him very simple. He was the president for 30 years and yet I feel we the people suffer. I don't need to talk about the rest of the people, I just have to look at my own self. I have a decent job and a family. However I cannot afford to rent a two room apartment in Male', or save for the future of my kids or my retirement. Cost of living is rocket high, whole of youth is gone into hard drugs, level of education in the country is so bad, not much opportunities for youth here and basically there is no real life for us. We just live, work , drink coffee , ride a bike and die. I need a better life; or at least I wish for a better one. Maybe Maumoon is capable and will give us that day, but I guess he had his time. Asking for more is not fair in my point of view. Plus I belive "LOGICALLY" in a democratic system individuals are not given more then 2 terms of service. There is a reason why this law is implemented ; there is a logic behind this. Maybe the smart law makers and the well educated people of our country do not feel so, but I do. I feel why this is implemented in many countries is for a reason, and we totally ignored that "logic". Maybe by the book he can stand up as a candidate; which is right. Maybe.. but my logic does not say thats following democratic ways. Anyway nothing we can do about it, no one was good enough to come and fight for that point or bring it up. So let it be.. bottom line is I won't vote for Maumoon cos I wish to give others a chance and hope for a better future. He have contributed where he can; so lets thank him and say bye too. Some of my friends will vote for him; I respect them too and I understand the reasons as well.

Gasim; I don't think he really cares for the people the way he claims. I will not trust a business men to be our leader. That's as simple as that. That once again I say for the Laura. I don't know any of my friends who will vote for Gasim and I would not even understand why..

The results; I don't know. Maybe Maumoon and Anni will lead this things. One of them will win it too. Lets hope for the best.

Vote Market

No matter how many statements or interviews are given, we cannot disagree to the fact that presently there exists a vote market in Maldives. Trading have started and I am not sure about the current market value. I have been told by many that "Business is good". Many are involved in the trade, many making investments too.

No matter how clean you would want to make it; it simply won't. The reality is politics is dirty and money is part of it. Who wins at the end of the day is totally a different story.

Should we stand up against this? if so against who?. The buyer or the seller?. There is no way to stop this. There can be many methods involved, direct money is one of them. Asking for returns on what people did for others is another (by financial means and others), etc.

There is nothing wrong with it; logically you are selling your votes anyway. To whom ever you feel will give you the best deal. Maybe someone who would give you and your kids a better future, security, etc. As a candidate you need to "buy"/win the trust of the people. Maybe this is the right approach but how many Maldivians will consider those factors?. I am not sure, I have no answer.

Only thing I know is that the biggest benefit out of such a democratic system goes to the business community. To narrow it down; to the Maldivian business companies and individuals who are backing the candidates. Some may want to strongly come out and justify this; but I don't care. My view is simple. We don't have many candidates out there who can "fix" even 20% of the wrong and suffering here. Everyone (most) have some "hope(s)" alone.

I too like many, would also have to conclude with the common and general statement which is "Insha Allah, Insha Allah"...

Change we need?

This might very possibly be the kind of "change" we might be getting if we decide on the wrong person.

Source: digg.com

DO

I can't think of any other title. Back in 2005 I posted this (website of the year 2004) . Since then we come a long way. A lot have changed and so much that most of us even have forgot the recent history. Basic ideologies, theories and ethics have been redefined. All in the name of "Change".

Today officially the website which have played a major role in the "Change" process is also changed. Maybe it's not a change for some; for others it is. I don't know where to place my view. I would say it does not matter. Sappe' always was close to Mr. Gasim and it's no surprise to me. For people who are against the idea; I would say why are you so disappointed?. Anyway today some people refuse to believe that Internet played a major role in this reform process but I strongly stand against that statement. I like to believe that all this started off from the Internet. Sappe' of DO had his contribution too. That needs to be acknowledged. His choice is his freedom, we should respect that regardless of our own belief and views. Maybe I never fully agreed with the method of name calling and all the cartoons but guess that did work for the people of Maldives. There was some entertainment, jokes, news, etc. I know a few people who only went on the Internet just to read DO. Many other web sites followed DO to counter attack DO, which proved that DO did have an impact. Anyway I guess we are almost at the end of that stage of media. Things have evolved a bit, more blogs are up. People expressing the individual views, etc. I guess this is a better direction then with anonymous names.

Sappe' has officially published a press release endorsing Gasim Ibrahim.

Another movement has started off in the name of New Dhivehi Observer. (the yellow color bar at the top says to me it's backed by MDP supporters)

Now it's more like the kids have grown and the business is split.

However I like to believe that popularity of these kind of web sites will fade in a few months and new media will take over. Introduction of new TV, Radio and Newspapers have certainly started to change things. I guess it's time to thank the people on all sides (gov and opposition) for the time, entertainment and wish them luck. Though this is not the end of political news on the Internet I guess the days of DO and alike are over. Thank you.

iPhone or Android?

I guess this will be a choice we have to make soon. With Google leading the Android platform, Google has teamed up with 34 companies (including Motorola, HTC, T-Mobile and chipmaker Qualcomm) under what’s been dubbed the Open Handset Alliance to manufacture a number of different phones that will run the Android operating system.

Maybe the Apple iPhone still lacks a lot of "normal mobile phone" features but that did not stop the iPhone. The user interface is one of the plus points of the iPhone, with the new iPhone 3G it's one of the best hand held internet devices. These are somethings that the Android would need to be good at. I guess the biggest advantage for the Android based phones is the openness. The Android software stack is expected to provide handset makers and wireless operators an open platform they can use to develop innovative applications. One other factor will be the looks. Presently the iPhone has just one look, however the Android based phones are expected to have different looks from different vendors.

I personally don't feel that Google will be able to hype the Android platform has much as Apple did with the iPhones. The Android based phones will take time to be accepted in the market and it will speak for itself.

The way I see it end of the day, it's more a competition to the Windows mobiles then the iPhones. So lets see ...

Mr. Experience ?

Lately I have been hearing talks by some people about "experience" on the presidential campaign topic. They say one candidate has got experience which is the key. I say screw them. Now why do I say so? Here is why.

Like many others I think experience is not the keyword here. It's good judgment. What good is experience if you can't make the right choices. Let me be very basic and simple here, lets go way back a few years when the the roads of Male' where being constructed. First they (whoever they/he is) use cement and coral , then that did not work, then the bricks, now back to the tar. So we finally decided that for the new developments like Hulhumale', the tar roads are the best. They (whoever they/he is) finally learned from experience. Good very good. But my question here is did we not have those tar roads in Gan, did we not know of them?. Did we have to waste so much money to come to this point, waste so much resources and time and in the process destroy our environment too?. Was this the right choice? or the right judgment? This is a simple example. (anyway the argument here is not about roads..)

I don't need to debate on this, it's a stupid argument. Furthermore we also don't need someone who takes 30 years to learn and understand us. That's half of one mans life time. That's too long a time to give for a leader for leadership training. We already done that, and the results are obviously not good. We need fresh blood, fresh ideas. We had enough bad experience to know what is right and what is wrong. The experience which these people talk about each and everyone of us had our shares in it for the past 30 years. It's not just "that one man" who got the experience, we the people had the better share of that experience. So "old farts in their late 40's and above" don't talk to us about the experience factor. You guys brought this down on us, and from you we have got enough experience. For 30 years you guys have failed us with your votes and support, now we need a change. We don't need a change from you, we need to change you.

iPhone 3G speed tests

Below are the average speed test results for a few countries using iPhone 3G (source is http://www.testmyiphone.com)

Finland (355.54 kbps)
France (480.51 kbps)
Great Britain (1072.3 kbps)
Hong Kong (653.97 kbps)
Italy (723.71 kbps)
India (343.25 kbps)
Spain (612.02 kbps)
United States (795.77 kbps)

I tested here in Male' and got the following result..


According to which our current speed is at 704 kbps. Which is in comparison very good.

Presidential Q & A : My views.

This was good. A few years back we would not have thought that we will witness such a day. It was not long back; even if you state the name "Maumoon" (even behind closed doors) you should fear for your life. Days have changed now. Tonight we saw 6 presidential candidates live on TV expressing freely and openly. This is major achievement; however this is result of a lot of sacrifice and hard work of a lot of Maldivians.

Everyone heard the candidates; it's up to us to judge now. It's our own freedom and right to choose. As for me, two of them are already out of my vote. The pick is still not easy. I would short list Ibra, Hassan and Anni. Umar had good policies, however I am not very sure about this and if he can execute. I saw Hassan showed good qualities tonight and proved he can talk and lead. Ibra was strong, as for Anni he was being too poetic and could have done better. I did notice that Anni did not bring himself to display him as the president; but more the image he tried to show was if the MDP candidate got to lead kind of an image. He was very much representing the party; rather them himself. Which I think was good and I appreciated that. Lately people were accusing him of being power hungry, but in his talks he displays that he only represents MDP and working for MDP. I don't know if many will appreciate that.

Gasim was nothing close to anyone. I think if ranked he would win the 6th place but then again his words does not matter to people who have decided to vote for him.

Hassan tried to prove the allegations against him regarding Islam was wrong, by reciting from the holy Quran and quoting from Mohamed (PBH). I guess that worked.

Maumoon tried to bring the point not to point and talk about the last 30 years and think ahead. At the same time he talked about 30 years before stuff. Maumoon's point was when he took office Maldives did not have a proper education, health system, etc. Which will work with some stupid Maldivians. I guess my view on it is, 30 years back what was the population, what was the income we get. Then see what we were provided with. If he was referring to president Nasir, I guess he does not have much to say in that regard. Nasir; laid the foundation for today's economical developments like the airport, tourism, etc. I guess back then Maumoon was not very much in favour of Tourism, but takes credit for the tourism we have today. What we really need to think about is compared to what we get today what benefits did the general population get?. It's nothing close to where we should have been, and where we could be. True there are developments. With time that would have come anyway; but then again the real question should be is this the best we could have had?.

Anyway I guess it was very obvious that difference we saw tonight between Gasim, Maumoon and the rest of the guys. We need to get rid of these old guys and bring new blood and fresh thinking into this nation. If I have a say I would look for Anni and Hassan to team up, this would make them both strong. It's not about who can be the president; it's about 'us' the people and the 'change' we need. They need to stop fighting and set aside the differences and team up. I don't think Ibra would agree for such an alliance, but if he would that would make more sense too. Between the three of them if two of them team up that would sure change things a lot. Now is the time to fight for the people, for a better Maldives, it's not about who gets the title. They need to understand that.

The best part of the Q & A was the 'Bridge' by Maumoon. That was shocking. I did not really get pissed by that same old trick; but more it was really entertaining. We already have one Bridge between Villigili and Male', tonight I enjoyed the 2nd one. The view was excellent when I was in sea house having a coffee'.

Emperor of the Galaxy.

Vader continues over looking into the space then wonders again. "This is one thing my master and I have always shared: a common penchant for a scenic view". Only difference is the throne and the name "Emperor". The view is Impressive. Most impressive. The day is here; Darth Vader has broken away to fulfill his destiny. No longer serves his master, but always impressed and inspired by him.

He was interrupted by the lieutenant who came in to report the terrorist fleet; which does not hold much meaning to Darth Vader. His mission now is to conquer the Death Star, not to worry about the rebels and the low men...... The Jedi's are no longer a threat; Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi no longer fight as one.

"Your service will be remembered, and rewarded," spoke Darth Vader . The Lieutenant bowed his head and walks out. As Lord Vader continued his lunch with leek soup and toss salad. He usually takes his meals alone in his chambers, as he enjoyed the view.

Past reference from my previous post from May 2007..

Barack Obama; Democratic Convention Speech

I know so many of you already head it, seen it and read it... however here it is again just for the record (post for historical reasons)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/28/barack-obama-democratic-c_n_122224.html

For those of you who did not check it out. This is inspiring and makes you wonder why we don't have people like Obama in nation(s) like ours.

Some of the key things which we should also think about from his speech (for me) are..

Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land - enough! This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough."

For me I'd change the numbers and names and apply for my vote in my country.

For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.

Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.

You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.

We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President - when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work.

Those are the kind of words I long to hear from my leaders. However unfortunately I know we don't have such kind of people (or rather leaders). Sad but true.

To conclude I'd like to note this one which was in his speech that, "the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington.". Interpret it which ever way you want; for me it's very simple. "Change" means "CHANGE", total change of ideas and faces.

Money, Politics

Politics and Money go along very well. This is true to all nations, ours is no exception. Skinned by nationalistic talks or 'Huhbul vatan' speeches; a lot of times there is a shades of green.

I wonder how much money will be dumped to buy votes this time. Some will switch sides to please the bosses, some will switch sides in hope that they will get some benefit by standing by a group, etc. This is a nice show to watch. 'Change' is the keyword today. Change for what? better or worse; I have no clue nor does many.

One thing I will be sure is no matter whom I vote for nothing much will change for the good. At least not in the next 10 years. I think we are in for a major crisis. It's already bad and it's not improving. They say 30 years back there was no electricity, 30 years back few people were educated. I say 30 years back their hair was not gray or white too. Some things are bound to happen; does not mean some people can take all the credit for those things. Furthermore it's not a favour that they have done on us; it's a must. It's the responsibility and job of the leadership. Who ever it maybe. The question should be how well that job was carried out? next question will be how well it will be maintained/sustained and improved?. Today we are at a point where there is so much social issues, like basic health care and housing issues, etc. How well were they addressed. Could we have done a better job; was this the best we could have had? These should be the questions that should be asked. Next question will be; will it get worse in the future. Will the so called "Change" that we seek make things better?. I sure hope so, but I want to know before I decide my vote. I want to see a clear roadmap, I don't want to gamble. If not I won't vote. I don't want to vote based on face or name. No matter who he/they are.

The sad thing I know is; even if I have those idea's it does not matter. Votes will be sold and bought. The people who will be willing to spend the most stand the higest chance. It's sad, but thats how it will be. I hope there will be a few who will at least think before they will vote. It's not a choice you make for your ownself. It's a choice you make for the future of a lot of people. We have to be responsible when this choice is made.

progress and prosperity

Tonight I took a walk and decided to rest and have a smoke near the 'Masvaringe park'. While I was sitting near a 'Dhoni' an old man approached. He sounded really polite and asked me if I worked for the Dhoni behind me. He wanted to know if he can sleep in it; since it was kinda of rainy. When I told him it had nothing to do with me and would be best if he asked the people who were sleeping in it. Then he requested if I would ask those guys for him; he was shy requesting that from me. I could tell that from his tone. I did all I can, but unfortunately poor man was not allowed on it. Finally he thanked me and told me he'd sleep on a bench and if it rained he'd find some way. I walked back home to my bed. Here I am blogging about it knowing I could not help and worst of all the rest of the country is happy about the progress we made in the last few decades.

I guess I should thank those people for that. The whole generation of people who are in their 40's /50's and 60's who made this happen. I won't blame one individual for all the bad things which is here and all the good things which could have happened to this nation. The responsibility should be taken collectively by the whole generation of 'bodu kaafu' people. Thank you once again. Good night.

Mobile social networking

Much like web based social networking, mobile social networking occurs in "Virtual communities". Basically this can be implemented in two ways. We all are very familiar with the existing web based social networks like facebook or twitter. The same portals are extended to the mobiles, via WAP, MMS, SMS and other means such as Java, BREW, etc. The advantage is you don't need to be always online near a PC to be connected to social networking portals. You can tweet about something while you are walking, post a video or a picture as it happens to facebook, all are examples of advantages on mobile social networking. Fortunately today we have this here with us, with some services you don't need to be depended on the operator for others you do. Example you can tweet via SMS with all operators in Maldives (until recently twitter decided to make tweeting one way... still you can send your tweets to twitters UK number via SMS). Other examples include take a picture/video and MMS to mobile@facebook.com which gets updated into your facebook account, or send notes to notes@facebook.com again via MMS.

Other method include social networks limited within the operators. These are limited to the operator you are using and the methods vary. Maybe over SMS/MMS, WAP or simply via Java based applications, etc. It's been exciting to watch such communities grow and watching people adopt these technologies in Maldives.

Digg and Politics

Recently www.digg.com the popular source of news for geeks has been taken over by John McCain and Barack Obama. Its understood as many of the diggers are from the states and the presidential election is of high concern.

This election is different in many ways compaired to the rest; in a sense that the internet has played a major role in influensing hot tops. www.digg.com is no excuse. For the rest of us I guess it's important too. As 'who wins' does matter and will influense our lives too. Maybe this is one reason why the topic is hot and so many follow these news.

Talking of election our own local election is due soon too. It's not so compatitive as I assumed it would be which is/was a bit of a disappointment. My only request to who ever wins is "don't f*ck us up"! It's short but that's all I have to say on the topic.

Mobile Banking

The World Bank has approved a US$7.7 million credit to Government of Maldives designed to improve access to financial services by allowing users to access any bank account using their mobile phone.

I sometimes wonder if this is worth it. However I am sure people who know better have approved these funding and project has started off.

My personal view is when it comes to mobile banking , I see two parts in it

1. Mobile Network Operator(s)
2. Bank(s)

Those are the ingredients needed. The investment can be made by the two (MNO and the Bank) on agreeable terms and it can be easily implemented. Bringing in a middle party does not serve a practical purpose (looking at present trends).

BML has successfully launched internet banking and present mobile operators have other infrastructures (or invest a bit on it) which easily should be able to implement a mobile banking platform. Its true maybe trying to involve ALL the banks needs a regulator or a clearing house; but question is how practical is it. We don't pay using SBI , BOC and Habeeb Bank Cards, etc to Point of Sales terminals at shops and other EFT points. However we are dreaming of getting that done with mobiles, its good (in a way). Maybe its being fair (on all Banks) but is the US$7.7 million justifiable?. Maybe it is, or I am missing somethings here. However this is my view on it. I still feel it would be more practical if BML and the local mobile operators got along to implement mobile banking / mobile commerce.

Mobile 2.0

We all have been living through the web 2.0 for a while (even though different people define web 2.0 in different ways). Now the focus is on the mobiles. Web 2.0 for me has brought about a major change; which for me is the ability to develop applications to the web very much like the conventional applications. Its not just one technology which have enabled the change; but a convergence of many.

At a time when the dot com boom has ended and still many companies seek to become the next youtube and google; the focus is slowly changing. For every internet connection in the world; there is ten or more mobile phones. Obviously there are more mobile users and we are already starting to realize this and trying to bring the same technology on the web to the mobile. Mobile 2.0 is more then accessing internet with broadband speeds and better browsers. For me mobile 2.0 is much more then that.

Furthermore at a time when operators are looking into more ways of increasing the ARPU and mobile value added service providers are coming up with more services there is an increasing competition in this arena. Obviously the charges on basic voice is dropping and might even become totally free; the focus is on data. with the introduction of services like HSDPA access to high speed data will soon become a reality to a lot people world wide.

Past year or so I have been very much involved in mobile VAS arena, and I have met a lot of service providers and from what I can tell; there is going to be a lot of new exciting things which is on the way. Soon we are about to experience a convergence and offering multimedia specialties on the mobile in a way which we never would have thought of. The introduction of devices such as apple iPhones is strong indication to the road ahead.

Vote for Nobody

I found this pic while browsing through reddit and thought its a good one....

Steve has taken the stage

I never expected this, but my guess is the iPhone hype did not end.. it just started. As I blog I am listening to the live audio feed of WWDC.

Seems Apple iPhone just become the next best thing. So far I did not want to own one. But now I do. Its come a long way "Starting with enterprise. Exchange support out of the box -- push email / contacts / calendars, auto-discovery, global address book, remote wipe."; thats just a few I guess... "Core Services includes everything from a complete database layer to core location, for easily building location-based functionality into applications. Also a very fast implementation of OpenGL." .. those are few comments from live bloggers.

Seems Apple is providing with a damn good STK for developers of iPhone, enabling or facilitating easy and great application development platform. This will result in loads of cools app's. Which will really matter with such a cool device like iPhone.

So guys I say the iPhone mania just started.

Update

1) 3G network support 2) Enterprise support 3) Third party application support 4) More countries (joking about unlocked iPhones in countries not officially supported) 5) More affordable 6) GPS

Now now the best part...

Started at $599 for an 8GB iPhone, now $399. The iPhone 3G 8GB will sell for... $199.

Naviyani

I remember the comments 'Bulhaa vakiahlhaa fa' (ބުޅާ ވަކިއަޅާފަ) when referring to my hand writing in dhivehi/thaana. Back then I just thought well what the hack, I just can't improve on it and I never even tried.

Well; what the hack. The script we see today is not original anyway. It was a form of script which has been adopted by us to become more 'Abaric' like. I don't know for what reason. Thaana as we all know came after Gabulhi Thaana and before that we had Dhives Akuru. Dhives Akuru looked something very close to Sinhala or Indic letters. Or maybe the origins were Tamil.

Anyway Thaana was another one of the moves; where we the Maldivians wanted to become more holy and related to Arabia. Well, that's just my view. So I wonder if the transformation is complete now?.

The missing links are being forgotten and no one dares to find out or take alternative thinking. Scared to become outcasts of this society maybe. The truth about who we are and where we come from is lost like the letter 'Naviyani'.

Ok, Soadhube (ސޯދުބެ) now you can shoot me! :)

tweets

We had had geocities, hotmail, yahoo, google , blogger, flickr and facebook. These are some of the outstanding stuff which came along on the internet. Now its twitter!

Some of us are already on it; and if you are not... its highly recommended to check it out and join in. Its a simple concept and its amazing and addictive.

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send "updates" (or "tweets"; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via the Twitter website, short message service (SMS), instant messaging, or a third-party application such as Twitterrific or Facebook. - from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter

Amazing Muslims

Firstly this does not apply to all Muslims, however the growing number of this group amazes me. I am not a religious person and I have to confess to that but I guess I can always comment on what I see and hear.

The story goes like this; One fine morning a guy wakes up and finds himself enlightened by the light of God; and he follows his brothers in Islam and grows his beard. Then his dress code changes to some Pakistani "Kuruthaa" kind of style, when asked why his answer is simple and straightforward. "Mohamed (PBOH) use to dress this way"; for me that becomes news and information, and I question my Islam teachers from School, cos all these years I was told that Mohamed (PBOH) was born and raised in Arabia NOT Pakistan; as far as I know the Arab dress code was not some odd "Kuruthaa". Anyway that's not a major issue; I can't comment on peoples fashion plus they have the freedom to choose the dress codes. However the whole thing gives /creates some interesting questions for me.

Then he moves on to the next stage; disconnects from his friends and chooses to be with his brothers in Islam and considers the rest of the people "Musriks". Amazing again. Slowly he learns the real meaning of life and decides to go on Gods way. Now this is the most amazing part, whats the choice; "To go JIHAAD in the name of God", simply what this means is to go kill in the name of God. I don't know from where or who creates these ideas. When there is so much suffering in the world; instead of going and helping the poor and sick; this guy chooses to go "kill in the name of god". That was his first choice; he leaves the helping part to his fellow Christian enemies (let them make the red cross, etc and go help the poor and the suffering; why should he do that. He is a worrier; his destiny is to go kill and be killed?). Amazing I say. I am sure the poor guy is missing a lot of chapters. His religion started and ended in only the "Badr" war. Maybe he did not look before that event or after.

I simply do not believe religion should be chosen due to the "fear factor" for god. Rather it should be the other way around. You can flood me with thousands of Arabic verses against my theory; but I'd stick to what I feel is logical.

Adobe opens up Flash on mobiles

For those who read tech news will know that Adobe has open up Flash on mobiles. So what does this mean?. For me this means more content for mobiles. Best way to visualize this to imagine something like youtube on your mobile. Already there are some mobile TV and streaming applications; but this sure does bring a major improvement. Presently RealPlayer is the most commonly used player on most mobiles.

Even right now the technology is their but now the difference is that Adobe has opened up the technology and will stop charging for the license for using the player on mobiles; this will result in more mobiles with built in flash players. This should be a good news to content providers and media companies alike.

Dream

Should I say more?

Check out some more inspirations @ usersetup.com

Windows, Mac OS X and Linux

Anyone who says M$ Vista is good, must be kidding. It was one of the most anticipated OS's recently, however it did not make it. Still most people prefer to use XP over Vista, for what ever reasons.

Apple did a good job with leopard, even the M$ Vista was very much influenced by it; no matter how much M$ tries to deny that. Thats on the desktop end. As for the servers, *nix and others are rapidly gaining over this market too. Most of the very high end markets are still dominated by *nix like the HP Superdome servers. This is one area where M$ has been struggling and will continue to loose.

The case with desktops is changing as well, where better and stable OS's have come into play. Most importantly at a time when corporate and enterprise applications are moving to web based solutions, dependency on a specific OS for desktop is slowly fading away. Adding to that with the recent developments into the desktops on *nix based OS's like Linux has given it a good exposure and acceptance into the home users as well. With benefits like having a more secure, stable and customizable platform.

With applications contributions by the open source community, no longer one is limited to one OS anymore. There is FREE applications today that can cater to almost all areas. In the recent 2 years or so the acceptance of OS's like the Mac OS X and Linux has had a good uptake even in Maldives and I assume will continue to do so more. I like to believe this is a new start of an end of one dominant OS ruling over our desktops and the future is good. Still a lot of people don't understand what FREE software means , it does not mean its only FREE but it means FREEDOM too. Furthermore I guess this same concept is started to spread all around the world, and slowly we might see a huge decline of Windows users in a near future. This is very possible.

Friend and Foe

First there is trouble, no one is happy. Looks bad on Mutt; obviously then comes Jeff to the rescue. Jeff always saves the day. No, Jeff will save the day?; when the time comes (which is soon, very soon).

Mutt could have done the same that Jeff did. No big deal, but why not? That you have to figure out.

So my understanding is the poor Mutt is left to be hated and Jeff to be loved. There is a lot of advantages to this, if one would give it deep thoughts.

A for Apple (part 2)

The very first Apple's logo.

Now don't get me wrong, this whole process of trying to get things going and keeping myself busy I have come to a funny point. A point where I am visualizing myself to really take a break, its not being overloaded or that I am not happy. Its about just simply taking a break. So I made a list of things I can do

1. Music, maybe try and learn how to play piano
2. Cooking; yeah I love that, but been long since I've really cooked anything
3. Meditation , never ever tried this but so many of my friends have suggested I should try.
4. Dancing - Wow now i would really like to imagine me doing that. Jeez!
5. Art - Paint a wall or something; well anyone can do it ey?
6. Travel ; I have been planning that for long.
7. Reading , guess i do that often even now, but no books. I need to start with a book and finish it.
8. Redoing this blog. hmmm, maybe not
9. Volunteering; for what? maybe I'd think more on it.

I am not sure if any of the above is possible, but making a list is no harm.

Mobile BroadBand to replce xDSL and Cables?

It's already started to happen in most developed and developing nations. The concept of mobile office has been adopted and in use. No longer fixed, but more freedom is provided to the users by these technologies. Not only freedom but it makes the internet more personnel.

Just plug-in your USB Broadband modem and you are online, anywhere. No question about this, this is the future. Some of the operators provide speeds ranging from 3.6 Mbps, 7.2 Mbps to 14.4 Mbps on these terminals.

facebook on mobiles

No question, facebook is the most popular social networking portal for most Maldivians. Most of us do have facebook accounts; all most all of us carry a mobile. This is where a relationship can be started. A good one.

Already facebook provides a WAP portal; but just browsing facebook via WAP might not give the full mobile user experience. Example; what if you can sign up and identify yourself via your mobile number instead of your email address, send a MMS and change your profile picture, or even change your status via a SMS and even poke directly to the mobile.

One of the advantages of facebook is its open API's. You can build applications using the the facebook developer platforms, so developers can take advantage of these functions. There is a lot of possibilities using these advantages. We all know the number of applications that stormed us during the last few months on facebook, very creative stuff indeed. Imagine if you can bring it all to the mobile as well. Then you don't need to go to your computer every time to interact with these applications, etc.

Already there are applications you can install on your handset and do some of the above, but not everyone likes installing additional applications on the handsets. The best approach I feel will be good old SMS,MMS and WAP with some kind of connectivity with the local MNO's. That sure will make a difference on the user experience.

"Flickr Turns 4"

"Nice Shot", "Wonderful colors", "Amazing", I would have to admit too. Inspiring ...

Congrats guys and keep on posting those pictures.

オーバーロード

行くときは、あなたの心の中で最良のループやるべきことは、野生の残りと逃げ込む。最良のときにやるべきことを実行することはできませんが、ガラスを破ると消防隊を呼ぶ。最良のオーバーロードする場合は、やるべきことはただ行くだけでたばこに火を付けると、あなたの意見を取るに乗っています。ファックの人には、物事が始まったばかりのキック与えています。人生はいいが、何も問題をもっと自分自身を証明してください。

...джазовых ритмов и страниц и страниц текста с линиями и ящики из концепций. слишком много дайджест и развертывания. Как нет ничего, и пользоваться потом работает под нагрузкой. это не идеальный способ жить, и убить время, однако жизнь дает мало выбора. когда вы вниз ниже 6 футов, вы знаете, достижение этого не возможно. да уверен, кто-то будет делать это рано или поздно, но затем вновь сделать этот выбор, что вы будете уверены, что человек делает разницу.

happy new year

Hopefully a year of changes and revolutions (daaa, naa; no way?)

anyone?

Anyone remembers this one?

OLPC

I know many won't care about such a project. But still it's a good idea. Our aim is to give it a try early 2008 to raise funds for the project. The project is aimed in providing One Laptop Per Child between 6 and 14 in one atoll (for a start). Here is a previous post on the same topic.


It might sound crazy and unrealistic, but we don't see a harm in trying. Aim of this post is to get anyone who is interested on-board the project.

Maldives Slip dress

Thats the name they gave that dress. What more to say?

from www.whatcelebswear.com

Great graphics don't make great games

I recently got the Wii Sports for the Nintendo Wii. I never thought the experience will be this good, it an amazing game.

Wii Sports offers five distinct sports experiences, each using the Wii Remote controller to provide a natural, intuitive and realistic feel. To play a Wii Sports game, all you need to do is pick up a controller and get ready for the pitch, serve or that right hook.

There is a collection of sports games includes golf, boxing, tennis, baseball and bowling. Best part is its physical activity. I enjoy tennis and boxing the most. I think its kinda exercise as well :) and its a fun game to play with the family, my youngest sister is my biggest competition.

The little guys on the screen don't even have arms. But it's hilarious, and it shows off the power of the motion-sensitive Wii controller to put you right in the game, sweating and yelling and trying crazy spins and lunges and angles.

One thing I realized was for console games graphics is not the key, its the playability and the gamer experience that counts. At least that applies for me. Its no surprise that Wii Sports has won a lot of attention and has been considered one of the best games of the year.



Maybe I like Wii better cos I am not really good with pressing buttons as fast as you could to win a game. Wii really provides the gamer a totally different user experience.

Future of interconnectivity?

We all take it for granted that we are all connected. We don't care how, but when things go wrong we really get frustrated. Example if our internet gets slow, the voice quality drops, etc. I guess the magic word here is interconnectivity. Till now we have different ways for different services for interconnectivity. Example your internet goes through something else, your voice on different channels and maybe stuff like MMS/GPRS (GRX interconnect which lets you interchange MMS and enable GPRS roaming, maybe even IM) on others. So its really not really the ideal way if you look at the whole things. On top of all this some connectivities are just exclusive to Mobile Network Operators, etc thus restricting openness into these networks.

If we look at the whole thing and apply the case to todays world, its obvious IP is the solution. Why not over conventional IP via the internet? Well I guess the problem here is quality of service. Initially the internet was not designed to be commercial; it was just designed to be used by US defense department and a few universities. This resulted in not so ideal design. Some might disagree with me on this, but thats the reality. Some times the quality of the internet we experience is really not what we are promised by the ISP's and what we pay for. This has been kinda accepted by almost everyone, without complains.

IP based services on the mobiles is the future. No question about it. It can deliver voice, images , rich content to innovative messaging solutions. To enable all this while ensuring quality of service and which is commercially feasible and manageable IP Interconnectivity the the proposed solution. IPI is the new proposed solution by worlds GSM association. This is presently at a development and a trial level. A few carriers and operators are active in making this a reality. Few trial runs have already been conducted since OCT 2007. Mostly its just voice which is being currently being trailed on and from what I was presented today, its really promising. The IPI will carry everything and anything. The beauty of it is IPI will ensure that the needed quality of service is maintained between each IPX, meaning it will enable end to end QoS for all IP Services enabling consistent and predictable service delivery between end customers. IPI is designed to maintain different levels of QoS for different services. Example services like SMS, emails, etc can be at a different QoS level and other more demanding services like Voice, Video and other content can be maintained at other higher levels. This promised the end customers the expected quality of service ensuring a rich user experience.

On top of the user experience, there are other many advantages to the operators. Such as a more secure network, a sustainable commercial model, universal interoperability (not just limiting the network to MNO's, but even ISP's and ASP's can connect in) and other advantages like being highly efficient and scalable. Its just at the infant stage as of today but what I can tell you is this is the future, this is what will enable us to go for the real "eat all you can" model. And yeah it was also interesting for me to find out that on IPI I guess voice is delivered via SIP-I (after all its IP based anyway). So again, its almost clear that IPI will replace GRX, or rather its gonna enhance the current GRX over IPI. The other biggest advantage I see is that if I am not mistaken, it makes things so simpler for interconnectivity where once you are connected to one IPX you are connected to the all the rest of the operators who are connected to that IPX.

Even though I am not into switching, its kinda interesting to follow up on this which gives you a better idea on where the industry is heading and forecast somethings.

Club Penguin

A few months back my son asked me if I can buy him membership for a game portal called club penguin, I was kinda shocked cos; he was just 7 and here here is asking me to purchase an online membership. I mean when we were seven what were we doing? Anyway after about 3 months; I find him and my youngest sister and their cousin gang really into this game.



What I knew or kinda figured out that it was flash based and little penguin's are in the game. Its like a small virtual world; where they can have their own pets; own igloo and even earn money by playing games (score points) and buy stuff for the igloo and bla bla. Was a cool thing for the kids. To my surprise I find that this company now has even been bought over by Disney for $700 Million. Amazing. Seems they have have 700,000 paid subscribers (I paid $29.95 for six months for my son as well, and I am sure I'd have to renew that too).

That Apple

Ok, here is a controversial story of Adam and Eve. I am not interested in the religious aspect of it at this moment. What I would like to point out is that, we are talking of heaven here; I mean if we refer to the time before they ate that apple. So there was it; "Heaven", what more can I tell you. Everything you needed was there; or at least it should be.... but Eve; she had to greed for this "apple" (or the forbidden fruit). I don't understand it. Just this apple. Again we are talking about heaven and the human population of just 2; meaning they had the whole place for themselves as well. :) However Eve was not happy, she somehow had to convince Adam to bring her this fruit and eat it. Thats it. The rest is up to you to conclude and apply.

Now don't plan to kill me, I am just thinking out loud. One thing, which comes to my mind is they were in heaven and yet they did break rules or they wanted more? So for all the people who work so hard to go to paradise, I hope the same won't happen to them. ooops. After all, still we are talking about humans here.

How to add a facebook badge to your blog

Simple thingy but thought I'd make a post on it. Firstly this assumes you have a facebook account and have a blog .

A badge is a customizable clip of your Facebook profile that you can share on other web sites like blogs, personal web pages, or forums. You can choose what information to show on your badge. The badge will be automatically updated and visible to anyone you want, even non-Facebook users.

So moving on; easiest way is log in to your facebook account and go to your profile scroll down and just click on the "Create a Profile Badge". On this page, select the "Create Badge" option or just visit http://www.facebook.com/editbadge.php . Next Create a VERTICAL, JAVASCRIPT format badge and click SAVE.

Once you get to the next page copy the outputted HTML code and go to your blogger template. Just append the code into your template. Thats all.

Leopard

The new Mac OS X, Leopard is almost here. Just a few more hours to go. Already the current OS X version is amazing, with the new OS I am sure it will give generate more hype for Mac's.


Its good for Microsoft too, since they have another OS to copy the features and feel from. So its a good news for everyone, even the windows users.

Dialog Introduces MMS Morphing

MMS is boring, people hardly use it. However it can be used as a very good tool for value added services. Examples like mobile emails, etc. Recently Dialog GSM of SriLanka has introduced another value added service called MMS Morphing in partnership with ORG Telecom.

Dialog also introduced Color SMS along with the new service.

Jazz the Bulbul

I usually don't comment on music; but when I hear something good I appreciate it. I don't find the Maldivian singers good (least not most of them), but this song by Fathimath Lubaina Rasheed is too good to be ignored. The tribute to the song "Bulbul ehee dheynuhey" sung in a jazz feel is a good start to Maldivian Jazz. I love jazz and always wondered when Maldivians will come up with good jazz, this song did make me happy.

Wii want to play!

Its almost 22 years after (1985) I had my very first Nintendo game console. It was a Nintendo NES, I loved the games Super Mario and contra. They were my favorites back then. Geee! and today; again I've got down another Nintendo, the difference is last Nintendo I had was given to me by my dad, this I got it for my son.

When I heard about the new Nintendo Wii, I got really excited from the day one. Unlike most I am not a very big fan of Play Stations. Most would say and did say, why not a PS3? Well I think a Wii is much better; thats my view. Its more creative and innovative; the games are much exciting and its value for money. Sure PS3 may have better graphics and superior hardware; but come on, I personally don't care much about Blu-Ray so Why should I spend THREE TIMES AS MUCH on the PS3?. I want something completely different and fun to play. Sure Sony has implemented the idea of the new Nintendo controller but I guess the experience we have with Wii can't just be copied. But thats yet to be seen for me. I might give it a try too. Its been really long since I've tried console games; but I guess as time allows I'd give it another shot (damn! I was never good with games).

GSM Mobile Watch Phone

The concept of Mobile Watch Phone was around for long and even recently we have seen a few as well. Like the M300 and M500. They were really impressive products but this new one is amazing.

The M600 or the IMOBILE's Flying C1000 is a tiny phone with a touchscreen, Bluetooth support, 60MB of RAM, a video / audio player, a mini USB jack.


Here is the specs a supplier sent me

Modes: GSM 900/1800/1900
Net weight: 35 g
Dimensions: 2.3"*1.80"*0.65"(61mm*43mm*17.1mm)
Battery: Li-ion battery 450mAh
Standby : 100--130 H (Depends on local network)
Talk: 2-3 H (Depends on local network)
Phone Type: Watch mobile phone
Display: 1.3" Touch screen
Support :Bluetooth,mp3,midi,wav,wma
Languages: English, Chinese
Ringtone: MP3, 64 Polyphonic tone MIDI
Support: SMS/MMS
Main function: WAP, GPRS, MP3/MP4/Multimedia
Other Applications: Alarm,Stop Watch,Calendar and Games
Color: White and black

You can use the bluetooth headset so it won't be odd for others when u talk to your watch. Holy geekiness; I need this. Best part is its cheap too. Only about USD 300 to Male'

ok, thats not it. If that was cool. Check this one out.


I have not got details much and the price, but here is the specs.

Brand Name : Hyundai
Model No : W100
Network : Tri Band (GSM850/1800/1900) or 900/1800/1900GSM/GPRS
Weight : 50g
Colours : White, Black with Silicon Strap
Talk Time : 3.5 hours
Standby Time : 80 hours
Display Type : TFT, 1.33" color touch-screen
Display Size : 128 x 160 pixels
Camera : 2.0 Megapixels, VGA Camera
Ringtones : MP3/AAC
Messaging : SMS/EMS/MMS/WAP
Others : Support MP4, Video Play and Recording Memory: up to 1GB Micro-SD Card Slot Bluetooth 1.2.1 (A2DP) Web Cam Function USB: Data Transfer and Recharging Micro SD Card Reader

hmmmmm!

my music, my taste!

nop, not CRBT. Presently its last.fm for me. Its the source of music for me now.

Using a unique music recommendation system known as "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm builds a detailed profile of each user's musical taste by recording details of all the songs the user listens to, either on the streamed radio stations or on the user's computer or portable music device. This information is transferred to Last.fm's database ("Scrobbled") via a plugin installed into the user's music player. The profile data is displayed on a personal web page. The site offers numerous social networking features and can recommend and play artists similar to the user's favourites.

A History making IDD rate

1.99 MRf, for any country; any time. This is the cheapest IDD rates ever promoted in the Maldives. Point being that compatition has really made things better for the people. Fair compatition will still make things even much better, not just in the telecoms field but any.

iPhone fever

Seems everyone is after an iPhone these days. Some got em already; some dream about it and others are desperate to own one. ebay is the place to get em I guess. Its confirmed that some people even have spend 15,000 MRf for an iPhone too. I guess a reasonable price will be 6500 for a 4gb and around 8,000 for a 8gb at present. Price will drop for sure.

Its become so popular that there are even iPhone closes now. Like from China, the CECT P168. The CECT P168 looks really like the iPhone, even the wallpaper has been copied. The CECT P168 has a 3.5-inch QVGA LCD touchscreen, a 2 Megapixel camera (actual resolution: 1.3 Megapixel). It has integrated music player, video player, dictionary.


The CECT P168 has two SIM card slot, unfortunately you can’t use the two SIMs at the same time but have to switch between them.



And this is damn cheap!!!

work off work

The momentum is on. Been really occupied with work lately. Had only almost only two weeks to launch new products for the Ramazaan, which included coming up with ideas and making them a reality. Anyway; it was good, managed to get 3 services up for the Ramazan. I never thought I could manage them in such a short time and get the teams to develop and get the needed communication done. The good news for me is, its all done locally and by just a handful of guys.

Now what I need is to find some time to get back to my own development works. Its been too long since I've worked on any coding. I really want to experimenting with Ruby on Rails, but I guess I have not spend enough time to get anything real done. Manage to get a small setup done at home to work on. Applied for Focus Infocom for Internet and still counting, almost 2 weeks now and no connection still. Presently I am using GPRS/EGDE/UMTS at home, which is good. I get incredible speeds, but then I its too expensive to be used as a 24/7 thingy. I think moving to male' was a good move :)

Blog revamp

Just removed the blog feeds function. Wanna go back to the old style of blogging which I enjoyed a few years back. Kinda want this blog to be more a personal log like thingy.

Been away from blogging since I've been too busy lately with work and other stuff. There are new stuff that I am experimenting around with wanna make logs of them here as I get time.

Moved back to male' after almost 2 years, so hope I can be more social and can take up new projects outside normal office work.

What do we get?

We have been debating and fighting over political issues; like what kinda of system we will have, the injustice, etc. Hardly we talk about the social benefits we the people should have and get. Hardly this question is ever asked by anyone or answered. Mostly its just "Golhaaboa". All focus is given on that word.

I think now it might be the right time for one to question things like social welfare and other related issues. Starting from things like how the state taxes the people, be it a flat tax, regressive tax or a progressive tax system, and should the higher earners be taxed to a greater extent? The amount of taxation is also crucial, as lower tax rates can be more business friendly, generating jobs and reducing unemployment, whereas higher taxes can be used to fund public services, state pensions and unemployment benefits.

Other key issues like how the state implements benefits for the unemployed, pensions, maternity leave and disabilities. Other issues like should services such as health care can be almost entirely state funded at one extreme, private insurance-based on the other, or somewhere in between? Another element can be public transport and education. I guess education is a key element which needs real attention.

One of the great challenges of sustainable development is to combine society's desires for economic prosperity and social security. For decades economists and politicians have debated how to reconcile the undoubted power of markets with the reassuring protections of social insurance. Presently we the Maldivians hardly demand anything from the governments till today social benefits provided by the state is seen something more like "sarukaaruge haasa inaayah" or "raees ge hey yofulhukan". Question is will it remain the same; even after the so called political reforms. What will the people gain after all these flights and struggle? At the end will all the benefits end up in bank accounts of the parliamentarians or the president and a few privileged, like it has been.

I feel these are not questions that should be left out or ignored saying I don't want to be political, etc. These are basic rights of everyone to know about them and to have those rights.

4th August 2007

My conclusion from the event on 4th August 2007 is simply 'NO hope'. I waited there for long with a friend; after the end of the saga. I talked to a lot of people there; friends and just fellow country men. I realized that only about 5% of the people I talked to cared about what system we will have in Maldives. I feel this is mainly because they do not have the information on the effects such a system will have on them and the future of their children.

Everyone knew the names of the 'Nizaams' (Systems). Most very strongly knew the system they were standing up for. The no.1 reason on both sides was the party which the individual supports; supports a particular system or just standing up against the system which the other party supports. Some has very clearly stated this. I can fully understand their arguments on one aspect but I wonder; if they are really doing the right thing? We can't really blame the individuals on these views. We have not had a very good or any kinda proper political system to date and people are not aware of these or educated on these issues. Every one talks political; go to a caffe or even inside homes; people talk about the injustice, corruptions and other issues; but hardly people talk about what we need as far as a positive change is concerned. The solution I feel is not electing a particular party; or over throwing another. I agree it matters to certain level; but there are other more important priorities first; like implementing a system; which reduces corruption, dictatorship and what will more likely work in Maldives where people will have a better life as humans.

The planned debate ended up in a big drama; after the end there was more drama. Conclusions where being made same old words were being said; people where enjoying the drama. It was a sad thing to see; I felt bad to know that most people did not care at all. Back early 1990's the biggest entertainment was a show held very often in male' called 'galaxy' now the name of the show is changed to 'politics'. Point being for most this is just a pass time and a matter of entertainment for the rest its about power and 'my group'.

To conclude; I simply felt there is no good future politically for Maldives in a near future. Things will remain very much the same or will get worse; I know most will stand up against me on this statement but this is my view. My biggest fear is the 2008 elections; I don't want to see blood shed or a civil flights. It will be our brothers and sisters who will loose I know some are looking forward to this drama; but I don't support it. I am totally against this, but I know this might be inevitable.

First the people, then Maumoon. Please!

We all know that MDP has been having a major fight against Maumoon since it was formed. This has lead to some very good reforms. I use to think the flight was for the people. The talks was so; and some of the action too. We all have to admit the fact that the change we see today; should mostly be credited to MDP and the individuals who supported this change.

Today; I am very disappointed on MDP. For the current referendum where we get the chance to decide which system is best; it looks like MDP is not putting its priorities for what is best for people. Rather it seems MDP is trying to test its popularity among the people by supporting against Maumoon. Not considering what is right and wrong. I feel this should not be the case. The people are mislead now, by the actions of MDP. Most of us has trusted MDP for this change and will continue to, but when they are wrong it is also our responsibility to voice out our concerns. It should not be 'eylhi haa batha kah riha' be it Maumoon or even MDP.

MDP has voiced comments like "because Gayoom is supporting Presidential System"; when asked why they are supporting a parliamentarian system. I feel this should not be the reason. Also there is comments by some of MDP supporters like "if qayoom and his supporters loose it shows that MDP is stronger than all 3 parties put together..". This is not an election, its a vote we decide on the system we will be adopting. I think the vote for who will get be the president or for the parliament is yet to come , but this is not that time now. Other such comments by supporters been things like "THIS REFERENDUM is the only FORECAST for us on the 2008 elections. if we want this dictator to be overthrown we need to make sure that the barulamaanee (MDP) wins."

So I guess we need to understand that this is not the time for elections or a test vote. This is more serious then that; and more important. The leaders will fall; the people will die off soon, but the system that we decide on is highly like to stay for a long time. So which is most important; fight against Maumoon or to support which is good for the future of the people? Is it your own personal choice; mine is very clear, in this vote; I will stand up for which system is best for the people of the Maldives, regardless of what system Maumoon or MDP supports. This is not about them at all.

MDP singing a new song now

Since the start of the current political reform process, MDP has been advocating towards a presidential system in Maldives. Clearly shouting out for separation of powers in the country. Now the song has changed. Why? I think MDP should be very clear why they took this stand. So in future any thing that MDP stands up for might change for the "benefit of the party"? These are all questions that should be answered without excuses.

following is from http://www.minivannews.com/news/news.php?id=1397

MDP is willing to accept the reform package proposed by President Gayoom in June 2004 provided that it includes a clear set of outcomes with a mutually agreed timetable.

MDP requests the government to open multi party talks on the reform package and to follow an inclusive process for further developing the reform agenda. We expect such an agenda to include critical milestones such as creation of an independent media, an independent election commission, a revision of electoral laws, constitutional amendments on multi party system and separation of powers, and a provision for early elections. All these reforms must conform to internationally acceptable standards and should not be subject to arbitrary executive interpretations.

Constitutional reform must result in the separation of powers, especially clear separation of the Judiciary from the Executive. Similarly, judicial and penal system reforms are urgently needed to conform to the Constitution and international practice.

More links

Anni on Why Maldives Needs Separation of Powers

Separation of Powers in Maldives

Democracy in the Maldives: Fact or Fiction?

Maldives situation `worsening'

All of the above links states clearly that MDP took a stand for separtion of powers in Maldives.

I Vote for Separation of Powers.

A lot of hype and debates recently on what system we should vote for. As far as I am concerned I will vote for a system which will have separation of powers; as in a presidential system. I would not want one party to dominate almost everything about the system. I would not want to place cabinet ministers in the parliament. I would want to be able to vote for the leader of the nation and I would want that leader to have 2 terms of 4 years or just one term of 5 years. I want a system where the minority party has a say in the governance and legislation. I want a system where the people as a nation has the power to choose; not the people of a particular party only.

And I strongly don't want to go for a system blindly; just cos some people tell me this is the only way to get rid of a dictator. I feel this is not about choosing a leader its about a choice we make about the future of our nation. Its not about a personnel flight that the parties been having for the last two or three years. Its about making a choice; which will be the best system for Maldives; not UK , India or Japan. We are talking about Maldives here and its future. Its not an election where we get to choose who gets to lead. If thats the impression some are having; I ask and request them to wake up. This is about selecting a system. So choose after thinking and researching. Choose what you feel is best for you. Not because I or DRP or MDP says so. You make your choice. That is your right. Don't let others influence you because they have other objectives to achieve.

As a moral and social obligation the parties must educate the people on the systems. Which has not happened. Mostly what we have seen so far; was just parties trying to promote which systems they want to go for. Never educating the people of the advantages and disadvantages of both the systems. Its sad to know the people we trusted and thought were the heroes of our nation has turned out to be just immoral 'business men' only.

If you still need further readings below are some links that might help.

PRESIDENTIAL VS. PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT

Governing Systems and Executive-Legislative Relations(Presidential, Parliamentary and Hybrid Systems)

Last days of the Old Republic

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, helped the Emperor hunt down and exterminate the Jedi Knights during the last days of the Old Republic and the opening moments of the Empire. Later, he was sent to help Governor Tarkin develop the original Death Star battle station. Once the Rebellion demonstrated that it posed a significant threat to the New Order, Lord Vader was put in charge of the Imperial fleet assigned to find and destroy the Alliance leaders.

Neo is the one: the first freed phone.

Since early this year I have been waiting for openmoko, the first world open source phone. Its out and looks promising. I guess its not the ideal phone for most average users, but I guess this is what I would go for. Maybe the iphone is nice to have, but lets see.