Musings from the sky.

I wrote the following while I was on the plane to Qatar. I was reading "The Restaurant at the end of the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams, so all the quotes that follow are from the book. 

"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."

Douglas Adams wrote about me!

• Hmmm, the lack of taste of these sesame crackers almost make up for the foulness that is this cheddar cheese.

"If life is going to exist in a universe of this size, then the one thing it cannot afford to have is a sense of proportion."

• This flight attendant has the cutest British accent ever. And she keeps calling me "hun," or "lovie." I could get used to this.

"The function of art is to hold the mirror up to nature, and there simply isn't a mirror big enough."

• This guy sitting next to me is watching Prison Break season 3. He's either very late to the party, or a time traveler. Hmmm.

No fun at all.

I'm scheduled to go back home on the 24th of December. That's Christmas Eve.

I'm taking a flight all the way to Qatar, from New York. Even though my destination is Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, which I'll be flying over to get to Qatar for a 4 hour transit stay at the airport. After that, I'll fly back in the opposite direction from which I came, and reach where I originally wanted to be.

Yay. So the 12 hour flights back home that I hated with a passion not only got longer, but now there's a 4 hour stay in Qatar.

Isn't that great? It's absolutely fantastic. I can't believe my good fortune.

I could've picked a much more comfortable route for much more cheaper, and have transit at a country like France or even England. But much thanks to my Pakistani passport, and ''my fellow country-men's'' willingness to cause violence - not a lot of countries around the world like us.

And not a lot of countries like me. Just because of my passport, that is correct. Note that I don't blame them. I'm just commenting on my good fortune.

I'm also a little cynical and whiny because I'm depressed about going back home. Does that sound a little odd? I'm sure it does.

I'm actually looking forward to seeing my family. I actually miss them, and don't really get to talk to them while I'm here. I hate conversations on the phone, and I made a point not to spend too much time on the internet... which didn't help of course.

It's leaving behind life here which is depressing me. You've probably heard me say this before, but I hate this feeling of leading two lives that I've had to deal with for the past 2 years... It's like I don't really have a home anymore. I don't really know much about what's going on back home in the middle east, and my parent's don't really know much about here. Other than the fact that I'm going to college and what not, but isn't that about 20% of your life?

I don't know any of my sibling's interests anymore, for instance. They've always grown so fast that I'm surprised and shocked every time I go back home, every 6 months. I don't know what they're ''into'' or what they've been doing in the not so distant past.

In short, I don't really communicate a lot with people 'back home.' Unfortunately... but can I be blamed for trying to pay more attention to life in the country I am currently residing in?

I can either live life and indulge in it's abstractness that can't be verbalized. Or I can pass by it, jotting notes down, trying to keep track and narrate it to an audience that doesn't really exist?

Besides, audiences are like the Gods we create and place on high chairs. Then they fall one day, and we're just like, "aww man." Bummer.

I'm depressed because... I like it here. And I wish my family could come to me so they could see what I've fallen in love with, instead of me having to go there and trying to verbalize it.

It's depressing... I think I've already mentioned that. Maybe I just felt like it needed more emphasis.

It's no fun being depressed, is what I think I'm trying to say here...

No fun at all.

How to be famous and liked.

Consider this theory:

Someone narcissistic is truly, on the deep-down inside, a really insecure person.

To some this might just click as a faux wisdom, something that will click just because of the irony.

To others this might sound preposterous.

Narcissists usually love themselves and nothing else as much as they love themselves.

And to add to the fun of going against the grain, I'm going to take being insecure up a notch and say truly Narcissistic people hate themselves.

In short, the more someone displays Narcissistic behavior and traits, the more insecure they are and the more they hate themselves for it.

The kick here is, they just can't tell. It's a part of being the program and just playing on to ''who we really are,'' ... this, of course, isn't who we are at all. It's just the program, running us. And we're running on an even bigger program - planet Earth's program, so we're programs ourselves.

Operating System >> program >> script.
The World >> us (you and I) >> tunnel vision and the world we see due to it.

We wouldn't go on and talk about ourselves until we felt there was something that needed to be changed there. Or a change needed to be expressed.
No one lifts a finger unless they feel something needs to be done about something or the other. D'uh, right?

It doesn't matter if anyone cares or not, to the Narcissists' tunnel vision - all he sees is himself. And he talks about it and discusses it all day because he doesn't like what he sees. The root of all critique, or criticism.

Then again, aren't we all a little insecure?

Then again, doesn't this society, or the script, harbor insecurity to begin with? Because it's turned everyone into a borderline Narcissist - to say the least?

The way to go, man, is to not give a fuck about what anyone else says. Believe in yourself, son, everyone will keep hating no matter what. What matters is what YOU think of yourself. And nobody else.

Now go out there, you little Narcissist and show the world what you can do! Let's tear each other apart with our insecurities.

Hiss like a Python!

I've started my own linux blog here; Fuck Yeah, Ubuntu!

I've started to learn how to program! It's been crazy fun, progressing doesn't seem like work at all, it's more like a game. I started with Python, and plan on studying Java, Javascript, and PHP next.

I don't know what to blog about. I'm just going to be honest and say that.

I feel like I just can't do it anymore. I don't remember how I used to... I don't remember what I used to write about, or even why... maybe that proves that it was just useless ramblings like I thought?

I also blog here ; daanish.tumblr.com

Or tumbl... actually... heh. Go check it out?

My list of top 5 Ubuntu applications.

Ubuntu has been really good to me lately, and so I thought I'd talk about the applications I frequently use in Ubuntu to get things done!

The beauty of using Ubuntu, in my opinion, is the fact that almost everything seems to work out of the box. I actually prefer looking for native applications that I can use, rather than 3rd party applications. They look better, they're simple and minimalistic (keeping with the Ubuntu way,) and they just plain and simply work!

I do, however, have a few 3rd party applications I use to get some added functionality. Just don't think of this as a guide to what applications you should get as alternatives for the native installed programs.

This is my list of the applications I run the most frequently in Ubuntu, and find to work for me. Think of it as a list of suggestions. =]

"5 Applications in Ubuntu that everyone should try at least once."


Google Chrome
I was a strong advocate for Firefox when it first came out. But that was before Google Chrome was released, and I got a chance to take it for a spin. Ever since I tried Chrome for the first time, I've never looked back. I was ecstatic when I learned Chrome was officially released for Linux! I had been running Chromium (an unofficial, open source browser based on Chrome.) It's fast, and it's minimalistic and doesn't hog up system resources.

Tomboy Notes
A native application found in Ubuntu. I am in love with Tomboy Notes! The ability to create 'notebooks' and manage your notes using them is just amazing. I used to create endless text files on desktop to archive all the useful information I run into on the Internet. Tomboy Notes is a much cleaner and simpler way of doing so, and it also has the ability to link your notes together! Every time you type the name of an existing note in a note, Tomboy will automatically create a link to that note. It's amazing!

Ex: You have a note file called "Cheesecake recipe." Every time you type ''cheesecake recipe" in any other note file using tomboy notes,
it will automatically turn into a link to the Cheesecake recipe file.

XChat
Do a lot of IRC? Or maybe since you're running Ubuntu, you need constant help finding and fixing things? The #Ubuntu channel at irc.ubuntu.com is home to fellow Ubuntu users just waiting to help!

You can use the native Empathy IM client in Ubuntu to connect to IRC servers and such, but I find it easier if IRC is run using a seperate client than the one managing all your other IM services.

Runner ups: IRSSI - IRC chat in terminal windows.


Twhirl
A lightweight adobe air based twitter client. There are many, many, many air based twitter clients out there today. I don't know why I particularly picked Twhirl, but it does what it says and isn't very complicated. Plus, I think the color theme just changes automatically based on the current ubuntu theme, which I think is pretty neat.

You could use the native application for twitter called Gwibber, but it's just plain ugly.

You could also use Tweetdeck, but I never found myself that dedicated to Twitter.

Destroy Twitter is another application that is very similar to Twhirl, in that it is also adobe air based.

Runner ups: Tweetdeck, destroy twitter


Liferea
RSS feed reader that automatically becomes a part of the Ubuntu messaging panel in recent Ubuntu releases. Does what it says and just joins the gtk look, which is why I love it! Simple and easy to use, as well as lightweight.


That's it for now. Look forward to similar lists and application reviews in the future!

"Operation Failed," in Ubuntu while using the Software Center.

Just fixed my very first ubuntu solution for someone else! And on Reddit/r/Ubuntu [Link], too, at that. I'm pretty proud of myself. =]

Give Reddit a look if you don't already know what it is.

"Maybe some of you Ubuntu veterans can help me out with some problems that are keeping Ubuntu from being my main OS.

I've got ubuntu on an HP dv4 laptop.

Here are my issues: -Skype sound doesn't work -Can't stream Netflix online -Whenever I install something I get an error that says "Operation Failed," but it doesn't actually fail (this is just an annoyance).

Maybe you guys can help me out?"

The Solution:

"The operation fail thing - my girlfriend was getting that on her laptop too, but it got fixed fairly easily.

The problem was, her cache was out of date, all she had to do was update it. ("sudo apt-get update" in terminal without the quotations.)

If this didn't work (didn't for her either at first,) you need to change the server you're getting your updates from. Go to Update Manager in System>>Administration from the panel, and click on Settings.

Go to the Ubuntu Software tab and click on "Download From:"

From the drop down menu, select "Other" and click on "Select Best Server."

This will download dummy files from every server until it figures out which one is closest/the best server for you.

After you're done with this, it should automatically search for updates, and update your cache too. If it doesn't, just use the command earlier mentioned (in terminal,) or use the update manager.

Hope this fixes that problem. =]"

And it did! Here's a link to the Reddit thread: [Link]

So if you're having similar problems in either 10.04 or 10.10 (because it seems to be common,) give that a shot and maybe you'll be good to go.

Terminal based Web Browsing and Instant Messaging in Ubuntu 10.10

I've been having a hell of a time learning how to use Terminals in Ubuntu. Some fun things I've picked up in the past day or two are using command line based instant messaging and web browsing!

Two programs easily available on Ubuntu that let you do this are:

Finch - terminal based IM client and W3M - terminal based web browser!

They're both extremely lightweight since they run in a terminal window and don't hog up any system resources! Here's what you have to do to get them:

W3M:

W3M is already included in Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick) and if you're running it right now than you probably already have the packages! I'm not certain, but previous releases probably also carry it, at least 10.04 would I'm pretty sure.

If not, in terminal:

sudo apt-get install w3m

After w3m installs, all you have to do to browse the internet from a terminal window is:

w3m http://www.daanish.tumblr.com

Whereas you would replace this blog's address with the website you'd like to browse (d'uh!)

Finch:

Terminal based IM client that runs using the same technology as the popular IM client found in older versions of Ubuntu - Pidgin!

To install Finch, in Terminal:

sudo apt-get install finch

After it installs, type ''finch'' in terminal to get it up and running. Here are some useful shortcuts:

Switch between windows: ALT + N (next window) ALT + P (previous window)
Resize selected window: ALT + R (use arrow signs on keyboard)
Move selected window across the screen: ALT + M (use arrow signs on keyboard
Quit: ALT + Q

Here's a screenshot of me having some fun with Finch in Ubuntu 10.10:

Ha Ha Ha ...

Download your facebook.

From the download page itself:

Download Your Information
Get a copy of the data you've put on Facebook.

This tool lets you download a copy of your information, including your photos and videos, posts on your wall, all of your messages, your friend list and other content you have shared on your profile. Within this zip file you will have access to your data in a simple, browseable manner. Learn More about downloading a copy of your information.
Security
This is a copy of all of the personal information you've shared on Facebook. In order to protect your information, we will ask for authentication to verify your identity.
WARNING: This file contains sensitive information. Because this download contains your profile information, you should keep it secure and take precautions when storing, sending or uploading it to any other services.

Here's how to do it:

Sign on to Your Facebook Account

Click on Account >> Account Settings >> Download your information (click on learn more)

That's it. =]

Rawring Pandas!

Here's an ubuntu screenshot for you to enjoy. It's what I've been doing over the weekend:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs781.snc4/66120_10150346125595441_689045440_16177916_3691774_n.jpg

Here's a side project for all of you to look into. Instructions are at the link. Maybe you can be a part of it. Leave a comment if you're interested.

[Rawring Pandas]

Down with the sickness.

I've been sick for the past 3+ days. I fell sick on Sunday, and I haven't quite recovered yet. Damned chronic tonsillitis. When I was about 15 or so, a doctor checked on my tonsils and told me I had a case of 'chronic tonsillitis.' What that meant was, apparently, that my tonsils had grown to such a point, and the inflammation (the pain, in simpler terms) had gotten so bad, that I juts couldn't feel it anymore.

Of course, apart from the fact that - that sounds extremely fucking badass, specially when you're 15, a doctor telling you something like that always sticks in your head.

So, I don't know if I really do have chronic tonsillitis or if the doctor liked making 15 year olds feeling like badasses.

Whatever the case, I'm pretty certain I have a throat infection. Evidently so, by the fact that my left ear popped closed last night. It's back to functionality now, but that shit was pretty freaky. Specially when I couldn't hear all the special notes on all my favorite rap songs. Bang, bang, skeet, skeet.

Oh, baby, you give me fever. Specially when you have the flu and we're making out. That shit always gets me sick.

So I tried making myself tea. Not being able to figure out why the tea was never strong enough, I emptied out two tea bags for 1 cup of tea. That's a lot of tea bags. I later found out I was trying to make tea like my momma used to, using Lipton iced fucking tea.

Iced tea is for jackasses that wear loafers and white shorts on beaches. That drink Bacardi with older women while they listen to slow sex music in the white sand.

Jackasses.

And if you know me by now, you're probably aware of the fact that I'm not a jackass. See, contrary to popular belief, it does not take one to know one. At least not all the time.

You could be as straight as a stripper's pole and know Parez Hilton is as gay as all living rainbow colored hell. Couldn't you?

Unless you live in a world where heterosexual men love to poke their noses in other people (none other than celebrities') affairs. And even write about them.

Oh, wait. Dammit.