Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Quantum Computing

As per our office rule I had to conduct a seminar yesterday. Lot of things was in my mind but I was little bit busy with other stuffs so I choose the most convenient one. Shehab’s thesis paper was in my table so I had decided why not it is about that? His thesis was about Quantum Computing. My seminar title was Quantum Computing – Bits n’ Bytes. It was great fun because I learned how difficult it is for an ordinary person to visualize Quantum Physics or Quantum Computing. But Wahid Bhai was there, he had completed his M. Phil on Quantum Physics. But others were terrific.

Anyway I had built a presentation; probably it covers all you need to know about Quantum Computing at first glance except physical phenomena. This is most obvious as I am not a student of physics. However I have uploaded my presentation if you are interested you can see them. So have fun with Quantum Computing.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Visual Studio vs. Eclipse

My professional career starts with Java. It has been long time I detached from Java. In fact all of large scale project build by Java or C++. I was familiar with java from my second semester so it becomes quite a long time that I am in this arena. I used Kawa and JBuilder as Development IDE but never eclipse. In fact eclipse is much newer and by this time I become habituated with JBuilder. Last two years I was rambling in Microsoft Arena and detached from Java.

Today, I installed eclipse for an open source java project. As I never use eclipse I thought, why not try this project with eclipse as I heard a lot about eclipse. I knew that it got a tremendous pluggable architecture but what I didn’t know was it’s extend. I installed eclipse classic that comes with few plug-ins (thanks God!!!) but when I opened the IDE and started a project I was really shocked. The number of initial plug-ins is too few to start. Actually anybody comes from Microsoft’s arena will be shocked. Microsoft build their product from dumb people and if start using them, eventually you become dumb as well. You need to know too little to work in Microsoft environment whereas you need to know a lot to work in such environments.

If you think your users are idiots, only idiots will use it.

So there no wonder that I became dumb over the time and it takes me three hours to open a java file in design mode… lolz… Probably this is a common problem for those who come from Microsoft Visual studio. The most interesting things there is lot of plug-in for the same purpose even when I start downloading them there are lot of mirror sites for the same content :P.

Visual Studio is too friendly and it prepares everything for you whereas in eclipse you have to prepare everything for yourself. It will provide nothing and you have to choose the right one from millions. So life is not easy here for the beginner at the very first time. Anyway you have to struggle initially but surely you will love it over the time.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Google Search History

Have you ever tried Google Search History? It’s pretty cool!!! I like its “Treads” feature. Google is good at generating trends for user so they give this feature in their every product. Anyways as I am online 24/7; it reflects my days very well. Google is my portal to the net.

Usually I search most when I am at office. Why? As a software engineer I need to know where are the codes rather than how to write the code. I can’t remember last time when I wrote an interesting code. Eighty percent of my codes are copied from internet, thanks to codeproject!!! This is why I search most when I am in my office.

My second busiest time is night when I finalize my personal tasks and so on. At that time I search variety of things and topics on my own interest and I spend more time on every result. Usually I spend few of my time with my books before going to bed at that time I googled few items regarding books and relating stuffs.

It's simple; Just enable Google search history and login before any search you will get an idea about your days. There are other cool features too, like suggest!!! They will suggest different items relating your search patterns. You can get idea about anyone by seeing suggested idem to him… lolz… However, all are cool features but one thing, they are tracking you. Sometime Google behave so strangely that it seems they know me better than me. Obviously they doing that from my track record; sometimes it’s helpful, sometimes it’s irritating.

The Manchurian Candidate

The Manchurian Candidate” - A complete waste of time. I dislike it completely but the man Denzel Washington was as usual perfect. It was released in 2004 but unfortunately I watch it yesterday and it seems like waste of time. It was according to a novel by Richard Condon published in 1959 and it was chosen for movie two times, 1962 and 2004. May be it is a great one for 1962 but not for 2004 and worst for 2008… lolz… Actually I was interested about this movie because I subscribed a blog titled “I am a Manchurian Candidate” and I was interested to know a bit more about the title. And obviously Denzel Washington was also a strong reason.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica subscription is now free for the Blogger subscriber, actually for all web publishers. Web publishers mean every one who has a personal blog or website or any other kind of web portal where he publishes articles regularly. Encyclopedia Britannica is the only source of information at early days and still it is a good competitor of Wikipedia. As anyone can write in Wikipedia many people does not like Wikipedia as a reliable reference but Britannica is free from this blame. No encyclopedia contain detail information about anything this is also true for Encyclopedia Britannica; Britannica’s information could be good appetizer but not more than that.

Encyclopedia Britannica is used as a case study how new technology can disrupt a business. Every thing was great for the nearly 250 years for old privately held company until the internet came around. You can purchase the 32 volume Britannica, which has 65,000 articles and 44 million words, for just $1,400. Or you can access it on the web for $70 per year. Now here is the new site to get free access to Britannica called Britannica Webshare.

Anyway I got a one year free subscription as because I am the owner of this Blog. Remember nothing is worthless. It is not a huge thing but it is something like you.

Seasons In The Sun

Goodbye to you, my trusted friend.
We've known each other since we're nine or ten.
Together we climbed hills or trees.
Learned of love and ABC's,
skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.
Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Pretty girls are everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed
were just seasons out of time.
Goodbye, Papa, please pray for me,
I was the black sheep of the family.
You tried to teach me right from wrong.
Too much wine and too much song,
wonder how I get along.
Goodbye, Papa, it's hard to die
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Little children everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the wine and the song,
like the seasons, all have gone.
Goodbye, Michelle, my little one.
You gave me love and helped me find the sun.
And every time that I was down
you would always come around
and get my feet back on the ground.
Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die
when all the bird are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
With the flowers ev'rywhere.
I whish that we could both be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the stars we could reach
were just starfishs on the beach

(Terry Jacks'1974) [YouTube][wiki]

Sunday, April 20, 2008

The Eye of The Prophet

I have completed a book titled “The Eye of The Prophet” by Khalil Gibran. He is one of my favorites and this book (1995) is posthumous collection short essays on different human aspects. All the articles are taken from his prose, poetry and letters but this is a wonderful collection articles. If you are familiar with Khalil Gibran then probably you know about his views. It covers almost every item that could come in your head at very first time.

As he is well known for his controversies there is a high chance that you could like him or completely dislike him. However, I like his view so I like this book.

The name might seem misleading at first glance. The title is chosen as “The Eye of The Prophet” which suggests that content should be views of Prophet on different stuffs or other way how things are seen by the eye of prophet. But actually it is a collection of his views and thoughts. So who is the prophet? Actually he depicts prophet differently. “The prophet is known and loved by people around the world, as an inspirational guide to everyday life it has become a source of strength to millions.” So here is the voice which is source of strength and indeed it is.

I have compiled couple of his article in my blog labeled as Khalil Gibran. Those are very selective fews I like to share with you. I suggest this book as must read.

"The perfect companion to Khalil Gibran."
This is how the publisher depicts!!!

Selling idle CPUs

I got an interesting idea today. Probably you would be glad if you could sell your idle CPU, right? Few giants in the software industry recently start selling computing server. This is like they will compute the information from given data and return it back to user. All they do is doing CPU intensive part for you. What if everyone can do the same business? At least if everyone can sell their idle CPU?

Probably you guys know about SETI. This is the largest distributed project looking for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. This is a very CPU intensive task and so that they build a large distributed system and any personal computer can join in this network and donate their idle CPU to compute.

Here we can build a similar type of distributed system which will be able to perform specific task on request and count the total CPU work done. Anyone can join that system and will be paid according to CPU work done by his computer. Your computer participates in this only if it does remain idle. So that normal work will not hamper.

All these tasks will be executed in a different sand box so that your computer is free from any kind of malfunctioning attacks. Computation intensive softwares are the good choices for this system but the bandwidth drawbacks still remain.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

St. Martin

This is too late but better than never. Here is the images taken at St. Martin.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Beauty

Beauty is not in the face.
Beauty is a light in the heart.

Have we then never heard it said, or seen it ourselves, that superficial beauty is sometimes responsible for many unknown but terrible calamities, and for so many profound and painful afflictions?
Is that moon which inspires poets not the same moon that breaks up the calm of the waters with ebb and flow?

The most subtle beauties of our life are invinsible and inaudible.

Believe in the divinity of Beauty which inspires your cult of Life and your aspiration to Happiness.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

I live to hate

I don’t know how I become a sadist day by day. These days I get cruel satisfaction after evil deeds. What I am sadist? Yes it is. I become a sadist. I hurt people without any reason and it gives me contentment. Nothing is left in my heart except deep hatred. Hatred? Hatred to whom? Hatred to everyone? I told before, “I don’t know how to love.” So what left inside a heart? Hatred, profound hatred. Anyway I am not that much worst as it sounds. Still there is a good, juvenile human being inside me but that don’t know how to love as well… lolz…

I am telling all these because I hurt one today and after that I am not repentant. What I am doing is writing an article about what I deed. Is that cruelty? If it is then I am helpless. I can't do better than that. May be I become a sadist day by day and that’s what I don’t want to evade… :-( I am fine!!! I am fine!!! I am fine!!! I am fine!!! I am fine!!!

Life

Life is like an island lost in the ocean of solitude, an island where the rocks are our hopes and the trees our dreams, where the flowers are our solitude and the streams our aspirations.
Your Life is an island separate from all the other islands and regions. However many vessels leave your shores for other countries, however many fleets sail to your ports, you will always be a separate island, suffering the pangs of solitude and aspiring to happiness. Other men do not know you at all and they are far from pitying your solitude or understanding you.

My brothers, your life is like an isolated house, far from any human dwelling. A house which no gaze from outside can penetrate.
If it were deprived of light your neighbour’s lamp could not illuminate it. If the house stood in the desert you could not transport it into the garden of other men, ploughed and cultivated by other hands.

My brother, the life of the spirit goes by in solitude, and without this solitude and this isolation you would be in no way what you are, neither would be what I am. Without this isolation and this solitude, I should come to believe on hearing your voice that it is my voice which is speaking, or on seeing your face that it is the reflection of my face in a mirror.

Life without rebellion is like the season without spring. And rebellion without right is like spring in a barren desert. Life, rebellion and right are trinity which can neither be changed nor separated. Life is like the charger of night: the faster it gallops the sooner will come the dawn.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Pohela Baishakh

Today is the Pohela Baishakh. One of the gorgeous Bengali festival observed in West Bengal, Asaam, Kerala, Manipur, Nepal, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil and Tripura. It is the first day of Bengali solar calendar. Bengali year is on the basis of lunar Hijri. Fatehullah Shirazi is the man who formulates the calendar. The first day of Bengali calendar is same as the Arabic calendar. This is the amalgamation of Gregorian and Bengali calendar. This calendar was introduced to ease the taxation mechanism during the Mughal Emperor Akbar. So, few festivals tied with Pohela Baishakh. In Dhaka people try to enjoy this day in different ways. Couples of programs are arranged by different cultural organization. As this is the first day of new Bengali year 1415,
Shuvo Noboborsho [Happy new Year]”
to you all. Hope all of you enjoy this day at your extreme extend. So, best of luck for New Year and enjoy…

Few images from last year Pohela Baishakh. If you are not a Bengali then you can never know what a rocking day it is...

Quest for the Return

I have lived from the alpha of creation and I shall live until the omega of Eternity. And my existence shall never wither away.

I have floated in the universe of the infinite and flown in the upper air of the imaginary world. There I was close to the circle with its divine light; here, I am in the prison of matter.

I have listened to the teachings of Confucius and the wisdom of Brahma. And I have been with Buddha in the shade of the Knowledge-Tree. And now I face ignorance and apostasy.

I have climbed Mount Sinai where in the past Jehovah rose up before the eyes of Moses. I have purified my body in the Jordan and I have lived through the miracles of the Nazarene. And at Medina I have listened to that Messenger repeat the Word in Arabic. And now I am undecided.

I have known the strength of Babel, the glory of Egypt and the splendour of the Greeks. And perpetually I see weakness and servility, always present in all these creations.

I have kept company with the magicians of Ayn Dour. Elsewhere I have been the guest of the Assyrian hermits, and I have followed the prophets in the land of Palestine. And still I am searching for the truths.

I have learnt wisdom revealed in India and poetry breathed forth in Arabia. And I have heard the melodies that formed in the hearts of the countries where the sun is dying. And I see myself as still blind and I remain deaf to the sound of my unspeaking lips.

I have endured the ferocity and greed of conquerors and I have suffered beneath the yoke of tyrants. And I remain a force which fights at the stroke of every minute.

I have seen and heard all that when still a child, and I shall continue to look at and listen to all the shallow deeds of my youth. Once my hair is white I shall brush against the fringes of fulfilment and I shall regain the dwelling of Allah.

If you are dead, he will restore life to you.
And if you die again, he will raise you up until the hour comes for your return to him.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

No more Alcohol

Well I am not an alcoholic even I never like alcohol at all. But I am not a teetotaler. Why? I don’t have any good reason for that. It could be fascination-for-forbidden-stuffs, it could be desire-for-drunken-state or it could be because of my time and age. Last year I attend almost all alcoholic party and avoid all non-alcoholic party… lolz… But I don’t know why I never like any kind of alcohol except few wines and champagnes.

Anyway I have decided not to drink anymore. My intension is not to be innocent rather it does not suit me. It gives me sort of bad buzz and I don’t like it. Hopefully it will save my money as well. So, no more alcohol. Last year my doctor suggested me that my liver is not in good condition so it becomes a mandatory decision for me. However, Hope for the best!!!

Friday, April 11, 2008

Mathematician Artist

Probably most of you know about Maurits Cornelis Escher also known as MC Escher. Sujoy first told me about him and showed few pictures. He is on of the greatest Mathematician Artists. Most of his work is mathematically inspired Woodcut, Lithograph and Mezzotint. One of his arts is widely used to represent recursion pictorially. Few of his art based on fractal, relativity, perspective, metamorphosis and so on. He sketches few landscapes with irregular perspective that are impossible to visualize. Most of his art work is inspired by Mathematics and very strict on Mathematical perspective. He writes couple of papers on Mathematical Approach to Art work Creation. Most of his art work can be easily depict as Visualization of Mathematics. He is more Mathematician than an Artist. I have compiled few of his art work here.

Self Portrait
Here is the official website for his works. Thanks to Rassel for bringing him back from my oblivion.

"To have peace with this peculiar life; to accept what we do not understand; to wait calmly for what awaits us, you have to be wiser than I am"
- Maurits Cornelis Escher

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Lady In Black

She came to me one morning
One lonely sunday morning
Her long hair flowing
In the midwinter wind
I know not how she found me
For in darkness I was walking
And destruction lay around me
From a fight I could not win
Ah ah ah ...

She asked me name my foe then
I said the need within some men
To fight and kill their brothers
Without thought of love or god
And I begged her give me horses
To trample down my enemies
So eager was my passion
To devour this waste of life
Ah ah ah ...

But she wouldnt think of battle that
Reduces men to animals
So easy to begin
And yet impossible to end
For shes the mother of our men
Who counselled me so wisely then
I feared to walk alone again
And asked if she would stay
Ah ah ah ...

Oh lady lend your hand outright
And let me rest here at your side
Have faith and trust
In peace she said
And filled my heart with life
There is no strength in numbers
Have no such misconception
But when you need me
Be assured I wont be far away
Ah ah ah ...

Thus having spoke she turned away
And though I found no words to say
I stood and watched until I saw
Her black coat disappear
My labour is no easier
But now I know Im not alone
I find new heart each time
I think upon that windy day
And if one day she comes to you
Drink deeply from her words so wise
Take courage from her
As your prize
And say hello from me
Ah ah ah ...

(Uriah Heep - Salisbury'1970) [YouTube][wiki]

"Munia"

She is the cutest girl I have ever seen. You know, God is very much unfair with this girl or may be inverse, I don’t know. I like her so much, basically I like all the kids but she is very special to me. Sometime I wish if I had a girl like her. If I got the chance to choose one as my kid, I will choose "Munia".

Monday, April 7, 2008

Rate my Professors

This is great that most of my batch mates are trying for this graduate study this fall. This is great because we still posses that much spirit to study further more. Hopefully everyone will get teaching assistantship or research assistantship under supervision of different professors. Experience with different professor is quite different (as I heard from senior guys). I got an interesting site (http://ratemyprofessors.com) today where different students leave their feedback about the professors. This is interesting because only those guys leave their comment have bitter experience about different professors. Surely you will get few interesting comment about your professor. So just have a look before you go there to work with them… lolz…

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Generation Gap

I am trying to be good these days to my parents. They always consider me as a stupid, confused human being. Yes, I am confused, confused about life, confused about myself. I am not good at expressing my emotion, may be I don’t have any. There is one thing I usually tell about myself, “I don’t know how to love”. So I can’t love anybody.

Anyway, I was talking about my days and I am trying to be good to my parents. But interestingly I am completely unsuccessful in that because the more I try the more complex situation I create and to resolve them I create few mores and the cycle continues. Sometime I feel that there is big gap between me and them. We think completely different way probably this is called generation gap.

I can’t understand their way of thinking conversely they don’t understand mine. This is sort of helpless situation. You can’t do anything in this regard. This is what called life. I heard a lot about it but I never imagine that it will appear in front of me. But the only positive part of the story is they will exonerate me, no matter what I deed. They love me too much, more than I can guess.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Xenophobia

Most the people of our country are suffering for xenophobia. Well this is not xenophobia in general, it is kind of curiosity about white skin. Still we are not habituated with white skin in our streets. I have an interesting finding about this. We, the south Asians are ruled by British for two hundred years. And they treat us like a slave and we treat them as our king. Eventually the white skin becomes the king. It is very natural that everybody is curious about their king and that why we are. We still could not erase them from our mind, from subconscious mind.

Most of our foreign currencies are earned by manpower. But they are not skilled so they are employed at very low category job in different countries either legally or illegally. They don’t get the proper behavior from their employer. They still maintain a emperor-slave relationship. We always feel like west is the land of opportunity. Life is different in west. We always try to mimic their lifestyle and so on. And the people of west got white skin, then why not we will be a bit more curious about them? Sometime we are so curious that we embarrass our guests. I found few of our guest’s blog; they depict their experience in their own way.

I had explored a blog, titled “The Never Ending Adventures of Auggie”. She is a girl, came here to teach in Asian University for Women. I don’t know where she comes from. I have read her all the posts, some are interesting, and some are offensive. You should go through her last post, “Still Alive”. Think about the thoughts in her mind. She is not special, most of the foreigner share the same kind of weird feelings about us.

We are going toward age of globalization. If we still possess this kind of thoughts in our mind how could we fight against them in international open market. Now time has come to change our thoughts, our way of thinking, we are not destitute anymore. We have to be prepare for the fight, the world gonna be an open market within next ten years, we have to get ready for that.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Blowin' in the Wind

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' 1963 [wiki]

He is the man drive me toward western music. Later in my life I get to know a bit more about him. He was one of the leading humanist artists. His unannounced appearance at Concert for Bangladesh was appreciated by all. He visited Jessore road with Allen Ginsberg and made few compositions. I have played this track millions of times...

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

It is not worthless...

Wahid Bhai [CTO, KAZ Software Ltd] shows an interesting perspective of programming today. “Every time I write a single line of code actually I am generating wealth, I bring few revenues for the company. They are important in business perspective.” Well, I never think that way like my every line of code has a monetary value. Interesting isn’t it, have you ever think about your code that way. Truly I never did before. So today I did an interesting thing, I count the line of code I write today and calculate its monetary value. Can you guess how much it is? In my case it is around 50 BDT. Huh… really interesting. Do you ever think prior writing a line of how worth of it? Calculate the monetary value of you line of code, surely you will be surprised!!!

Think this in broader context; every thing I do in IT has its own monetary value. Even my posts are not worthless. Every time I write an article it increased the blogger hit may be traffic as well eventually it increased blogger market share so the company wealth and stability. So these are not completely worthless. Whatever I write, satirical, funny, moribund or encouraging it has a value. Interesting perspective isn’t it?

It is not that we should calculate everything in scale of money but surely it has a monetary value. In this business world everything got its own value otherwise the world itself will eliminate it. Apart from that personally I believe everything should judge with its gratification value not monetary value... :-)