N. | One Or The Other

In exactly two weeks, on October 15th, you can make a difference. A huge one. The opportunity is here, all you have to do is post and entry on your blog on that day!

What I’m talking about is BlogActionDay. On this day, thousands of people will post on their blogs about a certain topic. Last year, we talked about the environment, and this year, the topic is poverty.

The biggest question you may have is: How will I make a difference by posting an entry on my blog? Let me tell you how.

• You can influence people.
• You can motivate people.
• You can motivate yourself, giving yourself an initiative.
• You can make people aware.
• You can spread the word.

Ever heard of the butterfly effect? As you may have heard this in a movie, or somewhere else; the butterfly effect is when a small action, can start a whole range of chain reactions that create huge change in the world.

Look at inventions for example. The discovery of oil was an important catalyst in leading people to travel using jet planes. Every action in this world usually has an effect that further affects the world we live in today. We can influence these actions. We cannot guarantee the effect, but we can try to act, and hope that it does create a positive influence in the world.

We act based upon what we know and what we hope to achieve right? If we do not act, things don’t usually happen on their own.

This is your chance to act, to spread the word, to make a difference. Speak up, and let yourselves be heard.

For more information please visit the Blog Action Day website, where you can submit your blog URL and sign up for the cause. [http://blogactionday.org/]

Day of Action: October 15th.

Ramadan is over. It’s like it started yesterday. This has been one of the most eventful months in a while, many of these events I cannot share, not now at least.

I have not been around much, for those who expected me so, I apologize. I have had some time to reflect on so much and especially the path I wish this blog to take. It is not all too clear but I hope it will be soon.

For now I wish you all a pleasant and lovely Eid.

P.S. Posted using the worspress app on my new iPod touch.

Based on an idea by MJKout who also provided the numbering data, I’ve completed creating windows application which will modify your Windows Address Book (not your Outlook Address Book).

You will need the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 to successfully get this application to work.

I have a web installer up, you will need to use Internet Explorer to install it by going to the following web address.

Install from: http://apps.oneortheother.info/areacodes/

NOTE: Please back up your contacts before attempting to use this program.

I have tested it using my Sony Ericsson w850i and the PC Suite included with the Phone and it is working flawlessly. If you come across any problems leave a comment below.

If you are using Microsoft Outlook then export the contacts to the Windows Address Book, use the program, the re-import them into your Microsoft Outlook.

UPDATE: If you want to convert contacts in Microsoft Outlook you can use Wataniya’s Microsoft Outlook Contact converter.

UPDATE 2: For a MAC OS X version you can download a Contact Converter written in AppleScript by G.

UPDATE 3: Another AppleScript by MJKout is available on his website, go check out his Kuwait Numbering Plan Changer.

Many of the expatriates in Kuwait, are in the lower income segment of Kuwaiti society. What this means is they can not afford many of the luxuries we (Kuwaiti citizens) entertain ourselves with. We see them everyday, everywhere, and it is not easy not noticing the difference between a relaxed well-dressed Arab, and a tired foreign low income worker.

There is one place where these social classes disappear, and that is currently at the mosque. We all stand in lines, before God and pray, together. We are equals in front of God. I was sitting pondering this today and thought, “Who are we to not see others as equals, when to God we are all equal?”

To my left, was a man, from an African country. He was dressed in rags, and seemed a little dirty, probably from working out in the sun during the day. On my right, was another man, who was also from an African country. He too, was dressed in what seemed to be an old, somewhat torn, colored (signifying home casual attire) Dishdasha. I, on the other hand was wearing a clean white Dishdasha, had also applied some musk and incense oils before leaving to the Masjid.

Socially, the difference is obvious, but I didn’t think of it that way, at least I don’t anymore. It took some time to get used to. It was always an us-them sort of thinking. It was easy to think of the foreign workers as less, especially in our society. Growing up and seeing how servants are treated, how supermarket workers are sometimes scolded, you grow to think that that is the norm.

I learned to change that within myself. It took time, but it is changing still. I had always thought and considered that these men around me, were probably better people than I am. For all I know, they could be working really hard, and yet, be doing such great things, maybe not on a grand scale but still, great things nonetheless. They could be supporting a huge family, taking care of a stray pet, donating money, putting smiles on other’s faces.

Usually it is only what we see that we think about. There is a whole world out there, one which we do not really see but exists in people’s lives that means much more to the current world we live in that we take for granted. 

After the sun set, and we were sitting to eat. Somehow the issue of the chicken and the rooster came up; how we always only have chicken for lunch, or in sandwiches, but we never have rooster.

So the question was asked: Whatever happens to those roosters? And to our own shock and disbelief — it turned out that when roosters die, they become chicken!

You may say, “But, that is how it is, it is normal!” However, I would say, “Why does the male rooster die to become a female chicken? Isn’t that just wrong? It is wrong, very wrong.”

And there you have it folks, that is what happens…

…to the rooster.

Isn’t this the coolest design ever? I found it through, toxel.com who got it from geekologie.com who got it from http://antoinettejcitizen.googlepages.com/home.

I know I’ve been stagnant for quite a while now. I haven’t been updating here as much as I have liked. For reasons that a little but escape me.. . Now, for latest list of random thoughts.

I was going to write about random thoughts, but something dawned on me while I was preparing the list. There are things that I prefer not to say, because of anticipated comments I’m bound to get on them. No, I don’t have a problem saying what is on my mind, but I tend to mostly avoid the obvious post, yielding the most expected comments.

I have been talking with a friend about this issue, and have a few times decided to close off comments, or just keep them as a comment (without needing a reply) on each post. But… one day I decided to put up that poll on the right, just to get a feel of how many people feel that comment replies are important.

I’m quite surprised that there is about a huge 25% of you who would feel offended if I (or on any other blog, the author) did not reply to your comments. I’m used to replying though sometimes I cannot be bothered.

As far as content goes. I’m hoping to freshen up, with content that comes really from within, though I don’t know what type of content it will be, but it will be deep.. probably.

My question now for you is, if you are a blogger; Do you write for yourself? Or do you write for others (your fans readers)?

Esdh3wa.. tra ermothan 3ugub bacher (enshalla) o em6arshen msgat, o emailat men youmain? ;p

Eshd3wa.. akeed 3endek/ch msg men el sena ely 6afat taby edez-ha, o tawek leget el fur9a.. embacher eshway, bs maykhalef ;p

Eshda3wa.. men cham sena, edegon o egolon embarak 3alekom el shahar.. o ba3dha eb cham sena msgat, o al7een.. msg o y’Allah ba3d.. ;p

Allah kareem ;P o Salamatkom..

O EMBARAK 3ALEKOM el SHAHAR

My password expired. I haven’t logged in for a while (a couple of months) and my password expired. Of every institute that I have ever dealt with, in Kuwait and internationally never has there ever been an expiry on my password!

For those who don’t know, Watani Online, is NBK (National Bank of Kuwait) Online banking service.

Now, if you’d ask, they’d probably say this is added security. I don’t think this is added security at all. It is an inconvenience to the customer. I am not an idiot. I can take care of my passwords, and if I can’t then it is my own problem. Why does NBK have to make it a harder experience for everyone to use their online service!

After I got the notice that my password had expired and that I had to create a new one, I clicked on the link to follow the instructions. I entered my banking information and a new password. My password was the same as my older one, since there is no way ever anyone can guess it, and I am pretty confident about that!

I got an error that my password has to be new, not something I had used before, and should combine letters and numbers and be between 6 and 8 characters. Now, why can I not use my old password? I understand again, that this is a security feature but come on. This only makes it worse for us who seem to have to change their password every few months because we don’t need to/want to log in!

Talking about security, why is the limit between 6 and 8 characters? Doesn’t that limit the number of password one can “create” that he/she can remember? Just imagine this, how many of those people use their 7 digit phone number, and a letter at the end of beginning as their password? Or, how many use a 4 number significant year and a 2-4 letter related or meaningful word? Also, being a tight community, it becomes easier to socially engineer these password being of that length.

Back to the new password form, two new fields popped in! I also needed to include my Civil ID and my account number to create a new password! Oh you have got to be kidding me. I do very much understand security, I am a System Admin, but this is crossing the line into annoyance and customer frustration!

If you’re like me, then you love taking notes. I write down on paper, notebooks, notes on my phone, emails to myself, text files, Google documents, and nearly any place I can write.

Evernote has made it easier for me to take notes and finally get them organized! I can write notes now in one place, online and offline and be able to sync them and access them from my Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX machines. The very cool thing that really makes their services distinct is that if you add images to your notes, or take pictures as notes, the image is processed through OCR! Which means when you search you can also search through the images!

You can see a screencast demo on their web site and you can sign up as well! The service is free up to 40mb of monthly bandwidth, but you can also upgrade your account if you need to!

Link: http://www.evernote.com/