Faridi Network http://faridi.net striving for a better way of life Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:28:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 en 1723558http://www.feedburner.com Pakistan, Forex and Musharraf http://faridi.net/2008/11/20/pakistan-forex-and-musharraf/ http://faridi.net/2008/11/20/pakistan-forex-and-musharraf/#comments Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:28:26 +0000 Nauman Faridi http://faridi.net/2008/11/20/pakistan-forex-and-musharraf/ With the current account deficit widening, inflation boiling at over 24% and foreign reserves dieing out at the rate of $1 billion a month. Pakistan’s economic indicators seem to have taken a nose dive. Where did it start and when will it end? Continue reading…  Posted by email from Nauman Faridi (posterous)
With the current account deficit widening, inflation boiling at over 24% and foreign reserves dieing out at the rate of $1 billion a month. Pakistan’s economic indicators seem to have taken a nose dive. Where did it start and when will it end?

Posted by email from Nauman Faridi (posterous)

]]> http://faridi.net/2008/11/20/pakistan-forex-and-musharraf/feed/ How to avoid recession! http://faridi.net/2008/11/03/how-to-avoid-recession/ http://faridi.net/2008/11/03/how-to-avoid-recession/#comments Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:11:18 +0000 Nauman Faridi http://faridi.net/2008/11/03/how-to-avoid-recession/ Here is what seems like the best suggestion among all the do this do that crap. From: [snip] Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 1:33 AMTo: [snip]Subject: How to avoid recession! Stock Index is constantly on the course down, many solid banks  are on the edge of bankruptcy, Wall Street is down in panic, WHAT SHALL WE DO?!!! Just keep [...] Here is what seems like the best suggestion among all the do this do that crap.

From: [snip] 
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 1:33 AM
To: [snip]
Subject: How to avoid recession!

Stock Index is constantly on the course down, many solid banks  are on the edge of bankruptcy, Wall Street is down in panic, WHAT SHALL WE DO?!!!

Just keep in mind that emotional stress would not help your health and take an antidepressant from our store, now twice as cheap as in any other one.

P.S And let the crisis help himself!

I (almost) always delete SPAM without reading it. This is the one I am glad I didn't miss. 

Posted by email from Nauman Faridi (posterous)

]]> http://faridi.net/2008/11/03/how-to-avoid-recession/feed/ Vietnam to ban small-chested drivers http://faridi.net/2008/10/30/vietnam-to-ban-small-chested-drivers/ http://faridi.net/2008/10/30/vietnam-to-ban-small-chested-drivers/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:59:57 +0000 Nauman Faridi http://faridi.net/2008/10/30/vietnam-to-ban-small-chested-drivers/  If you think we have strange laws in Pakistan, think again. Small-chested Vietnamese will soon be banned from driving motorbikes. Cool, eh? Posted by email from Nauman Faridi (posterous)  If you think we have strange laws in Pakistan, think again. Small-chested Vietnamese will soon be banned from driving motorbikes.

Cool, eh?

Posted by email from Nauman Faridi (posterous)

]]> http://faridi.net/2008/10/30/vietnam-to-ban-small-chested-drivers/feed/ Debugging the specifications http://faridi.net/2008/10/28/debugging-the-specifications/ http://faridi.net/2008/10/28/debugging-the-specifications/#comments Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:13:51 +0000 Nauman Faridi http://faridi.net/2008/10/28/debugging-the-specifications/ “The hardest part of the software task is arriving at a complete and consistent specification, and much of the essence of building a program is in fact the debugging of the specification.” – Frederick P. Brooks, No silver bullet , 1987. Posted by email from Nauman Faridi (posterous) “The hardest part of the software task is arriving at a complete and consistent specification, and much of the essence of building a program is in fact the debugging of the specification.”
– Frederick P. Brooks, No silver bullet , 1987.

Posted by email from Nauman Faridi (posterous)

]]> http://faridi.net/2008/10/28/debugging-the-specifications/feed/ Shame on Us http://faridi.net/2008/08/18/shame-on-us/ http://faridi.net/2008/08/18/shame-on-us/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:58:30 +0000 Nauman Faridi http://faridi.net/2008/08/18/shame-on-us/ Release Dr. Aafia Siddiqui Aafia Siddiqui: Another Daughter of Pakistan Sold to Americans Aafia Siddiqui appears in US court, denied bail Dr Aafia’s court appearance raises questions Aafia Siddiqui - Wikipedia Dr. Aafia Siddiqui: Another Daughter of Pakistan Sold to Americans

]]> http://faridi.net/2008/08/18/shame-on-us/feed/ Happy Independence Day 2008 http://faridi.net/2008/08/14/happy-independence-day-2008/ http://faridi.net/2008/08/14/happy-independence-day-2008/#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:20:07 +0000 Nauman Faridi http://faridi.net/2008/08/14/happy-independence-day-2008/ May Allah give us enough courage to stop taking from our beloved country and start giving back to it what it truly deserves. A very Happy 61st Independence Day to all Pakistanis. May Allah give us enough courage to stop taking from our beloved country and start giving back to it what it truly deserves.

A very Happy 61st Independence Day to all Pakistanis.

]]> http://faridi.net/2008/08/14/happy-independence-day-2008/feed/ Some Blood Found in Pakistanis http://faridi.net/2008/07/15/some-blood-found-in-pakistanis/ http://faridi.net/2008/07/15/some-blood-found-in-pakistanis/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:40:35 +0000 Nauman Faridi http://faridi.net/2008/07/15/some-blood-found-in-pakistanis/ As if there was any blood left in the already beaten up Pakistanis, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources is proposing a yet another hike for petrol and diesel. And that is after Saudi Arabia decided to give $6bn worth of oil on deferred payment. This is what, 100th time they are increasing the price [...] As if there was any blood left in the already beaten up Pakistanis, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources is proposing a yet another hike for petrol and diesel. And that is after Saudi Arabia decided to give $6bn worth of oil on deferred payment.

This is what, 100th time they are increasing the price of petroleum this year? Why don’t they just make it a even 100 and go on vacation for a while?

]]> http://faridi.net/2008/07/15/some-blood-found-in-pakistanis/feed/ A Missionary School Renames NWFP http://faridi.net/2008/07/08/a-missionary-school-renames-nwfp/ http://faridi.net/2008/07/08/a-missionary-school-renames-nwfp/#comments Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:25:33 +0000 Nauman Faridi http://faridi.net/2008/07/08/a-missionary-school-renames-nwfp/ Off and on we Pakistanis discuss the right name for the province that the British inconveniently named North West Frontier Province or NWFP. Meanwhile, St. Francis School of Excellence, Murree, has put up an ad for 2008 admissions and have conveniently named it, on their own, Pakhtunistan. Cool, eh? The ad appeared in paper version of The [...] Off and on we Pakistanis discuss the right name for the province that the British inconveniently named North West Frontier Province or NWFP. Meanwhile, St. Francis School of Excellence, Murree, has put up an ad for 2008 admissions and have conveniently named it, on their own, Pakhtunistan.

Cool, eh?

A Missionary School Renames NWFP

The ad appeared in paper version of The News of 6 July 2008.

]]> http://faridi.net/2008/07/08/a-missionary-school-renames-nwfp/feed/ CNG Prices Goes Sky High http://faridi.net/2008/07/03/cng-prices-goes-sky-high/ http://faridi.net/2008/07/03/cng-prices-goes-sky-high/#comments Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:55:04 +0000 Nauman Faridi http://faridi.net/2008/07/03/cng-prices-goes-sky-high/ First they raised the price of CNG from Rs. 38 per kg to Rs. 52 per kg, an increase of 31%. Then, after everyone started shouting and threatening (more here and here), they retracted their statement the next day, citing some weird calculation error (hmm…), and set it to Rs. 43.63 per kg. Even after the second [...] CNG Goes Sky High

First they raised the price of CNG from Rs. 38 per kg to Rs. 52 per kg, an increase of 31%. Then, after everyone started shouting and threatening (more here and here), they retracted their statement the next day, citing some weird calculation error (hmm…), and set it to Rs. 43.63 per kg. Even after the second announcement, the CNG station owners continued charging Rs. 52 for the whole day. Some continued this overcharge on the third day as well.

While some people are demanding resignation from Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s resignation for this royal screw up, most likely the reply would be: “Why me? I am just the Foreign Minister covering for someone else”. If there would be a reply at all.

So we the unfortunate people of Pakistan get raped one more time.

]]> http://faridi.net/2008/07/03/cng-prices-goes-sky-high/feed/ Geocode Pakistan, will ya? http://faridi.net/2008/06/25/geocode-pakistan-will-ya/ http://faridi.net/2008/06/25/geocode-pakistan-will-ya/#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:43:41 +0000 Nauman Faridi http://faridi.net/2008/06/25/geocode-pakistan-will-ya/ Google unveiled Google Map Maker on June 24. Map Maker allows users to contribute Maps data for regions around the world. Pakistan is one of the only 18 countries available for geocoding through Map Maker. Others 17 are: the Caribbean (Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, [...] Google unveiled Google Map Maker on June 24. Map Maker allows users to contribute Maps data for regions around the world. Pakistan is one of the only 18 countries available for geocoding through Map Maker. Others 17 are: the Caribbean (Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago), Cyprus, Iceland, and Vietnam.

Leaving all the conspiricy theories aprat, it should be a fun project. Just don’t waste too much time and bandwidth while at work.

Start geocoding Pakistan NOW, will ya?

Here is more for your reading pleasure:

  1. Google Press Release
  2. Some details about Google’s Maker
  3. Mapping Pakistan Collaboration Site
  4. Maping Pakistan Discussion Group

Thanks Butt sb, Osama, and Nash.

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