May day May Day !!! Facebook is down !!!!

It all started from 13th of May, I started receiving invitations to join Groups condemning EDMD which I declined as I didn’t want to be an idiot and promote that day which people who were joining that group did. I did not know about it until I got these invites. I knew about the South Park controversy in states but didn’t have a clue about EDMD, so I was informed about this group from the groups condemning it (I know people who joined those should be feeling a bit sick that they promoted that day). Knowing a bit about Pakistani Politics and Religious Parties I knew this would get out of hand (My thoughts were with McDonalds in my home town Hyderabad Pakistan). Some parties thrive on such issues and destroy our own property. Something similar happened when the Dutch Idiot drew the cartoon, when geniuses of these parties thought burning KFC and damaging infrastructure in Pakistan will help in getting back at the Dutch and the brilliant emails telling people to stop using Dutch products (I need to tell people of Pakistan a secret “They didn’t give a Damn if u stop using their product”) . In comparison to those events I think this time it was a little better and we destroyed less of our own infrastructure. From 15th of May I started receiving don’t use Facebook for 20th and 21st may as a sign of protest and cause Facebook to lose advert money (Again Pakistan, we are peanuts for Facebook and without peanuts Facebook would be able to control its blood pressure i.e. load on their site, so in a way if u don’t come on Facebook for two days you will be doing Facebook a favour). Then the D-DAY 18th May 2010 I receive a BBM from my cousin in Pakistan that Facebook has been banned in Pakistan. The Lahore high court ordered PTA to ban Facebook (The same court which talked about civil liberties, freedom of speech and democracy a year back when they were banned in Pakistan). I seriously hope that people who wanted the ban were not aware of the fact that if Facebook is banned in Pakistan that page will still be available for rest of the world. Then it turned out Pakistani internet users were among the toughest to stop from doing something, Facebook statuses started coming “BLOCKED WHAT BLOCKED I AM STILL HERE” ( Actually I was not amazed about that we get top Software for Rs.30 !!!! we use Adobe Photo Shop for simple Image Cropping, so finding ways to access Facebook for users wasn’t that hard). Then there were those who accessed Facebook bypassing the ban and updated their statuses in support of the ban. A cat and mouse game began, people accessed facebook and PTA(Pakistan Telecom Authority) with the help of some traitor mice started banning proxy site, mobile access and finally BB(Back berry)services were cut off. That stopped allot of people from accessing Facebook for a day. After that Twitter became Pakistan’s Facebook ban crises centre with tag #FBBANPK. People started having fun with the ban with clever one liners like “I totally support PTA for teaching us a lesson of having an actual life outside facebook…life of real frandships #fbbanpk” “I think PTA and LHC just wanted some publicity or they just love to annoy us. #fbbanpk”and my favourite “I tell you this whole facebook block conspiracy is by twitter #fbbanpk”, then there was ganging up on people who supported the ban with occasional how to access Facebook advice. Then PTA(Pakistan Telecom Authority) high on its newly found power banned youtube too because of some anti-islamic vdos which were there for years (PTA you know if u report abuse on a vdo it gets removed from you tube fairly quickly). Next wikis and google blogger were banned (I think PTA were on google and wrote anti islam and started banning complete sites instead of those pages Good Plan next ban google!!!). After these bans some people who were in favour of the ban started to realise what many anti ban people feared from the Beginning that PTA(Pakistan Telecom Authority) would ban any website without any explanation. Rumours started to emerge twitter was next but no more bans were imposed and to relieve of majority of Pakistani internet users Porn was still available on Internet. If they banned porn Pakistani internet traffic would be zero (let me get this right PTA you banned all things that were taking Pakistanis off porn addiction). While writing this I came to know youtube ban has been lifted and limited access to wikis is available in Pakistan now and Yes porn is still available.

By
Adil Raza Shaikh
Currently living in UK

Audiggle helps you figure out what song is used in THAT video

Audiggle is a program designed to let you answer what song was that. Installation was a pain; you must open a free account, and the username has to be at least six characters long. However, once I got that out of the way, the program worked beautifully.
You can select one of several audio sources: computer line-in, microphone input, or “Audiggle recorder,” which is the program’s own loopback option (it listens to whatever is currently playing on the computer).
You watch the video in question and hit the Search button as soon as you hear the music. Audiggle then listens for a while, searches, and voila.
I also tested it with the final scene in the Matrix, and it correctly identified “Wake Up” by Rage Against the Machine. It’s quite a neat little toy!

(Source: Download Squad)

In 20 Years

‘In 20 Years’ is using advanced face detection and morphing technology to predict what your face would look like in 20 years from now. This magical engine turns your face old automatically. All you have to do is upload your photo.

(Source: Presurfer)

9 Unintentional Inventions

Did you ever wonder how some of your favorite foods, products or toys came about? Believe it or not, they may have been an accident, coincidence or failed version of some other intention. Below, we found nine mistakes we’re thankful turned out to be what they are. Read on, and tell us: What products are you wondering about? If we get enough responses, we just might dig up the answers for you.

Fireworks
Most historians speculate that the Chinese invented fireworks in the 9th century when they discovered how to make gunpowder. Legend has it that a Chinese chef accidentally mixed together what were then considered common kitchen items—potassium nitrate or saltpeter (a salt substitute), sulfur (a flammable solid) and charcoal (from charred wood)—and noticed they ignited. When compressed in a bamboo tube and lit, it blew up. Another legend credits Taoist monks with a similar discovery 1,000 years ago. Photo by Shutterstock.

Potato Chips
In 1853, chef George Crum at the Moon Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York, attempted to satisfy a customer’s demand for crispier fried potatoes. Going to the extreme, Crum sliced the potatoes paper-thin, baked and then fried them to a hardened crisp. Following the happy accident, “Saratoga Chips” became a regular item on the menu, and in 1860, Crum opened his own restaurant, at which potato chips were placed in a basket on every table. Photo by Shutterstock.

Saccharin
Chemist Constantin Fahlberg is credited as the accidental inventor of saccharin—the sweetener in the ubiquitous Sweet’N Low pink packets. The story goes, in 1879, Fahlberg was testing coal tar at Johns Hopkins University for his mentor Professor Ira Remsen. One night he didn’t wash his hands before dinner and he noticed the substance coating them tasted sweet—saccharin is 300 to 500 times sweeter than real sugar. Photo by iStock.

Coca-Cola
In May of 1886, a prohibition law prompted John Pemberton, an Atlanta-based pharmacist, to rewrite the formula for “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca,” his popular nerve tonic, stimulant and headache remedy. Containing sugar instead of wine as a sweetener, the outcome became the syrup base for Coke, which was later mixed with carbonated water. Pemberton’s bookkeeper suggested the name Coca-Cola because he thought the two C’s would look good together, and scripted its very first logo in his unique handwriting. Photo by iStock.

Silly Putty
In 1943, while attempting to create a synthetic rubber substitute, General Electric researcher James Wright dropped boric acid into silicone oil. The result was a polymerized substance that bounced. It took several years to find a use for the product, but in 1950, marketing expert Peter Hodgson saw its potential as a toy and renamed it Silly Putty. The substance has been manufactured by Binney & Smith, Inc. ever since. Photo courtesy of Crayolastore.com.

Microwave Oven
During World War II, scientists at the University of Birmingham invented the magnetron—a critical heat-producing component of the microwave oven. While working for Raytheon Corporation after the war, American engineer Percy Spencer was testing the magnetron when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He went on to test other foods including popcorn kernels and an egg (which exploded), and found it to be a much more efficient way to cook. In 1947 Raytheon came out with the first restaurant microwave oven, which was six feet tall and weighed 750 lbs. Photo by Shutterstock.

Velcro
Though not an unintentional creation, the inspiration was purely accidental. One day in 1948, Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral returned home from a hike with several burrs clinging to his pants. After microscopic examination, he surmised that the small hooks on the burr, if combined with a piece of fabric comprised of loops, like his slacks, could work as a fastening strip. Shortly after, what we know today as Velcro—a combination of the two French words “velours” (velvet) and “crochet” (hook)—was born. Photo by iStock.

Bubble Wrap
In 1957, two Hawthorne, New Jersey–based engineers named Marc Chavannes and Alfred W. Fielding set out to invent textured plastic wallpaper. Though their product wasn’t well-received, the two turned their misfortune into fortune—literally—when they realized it could be used as packaging material. In 1960, they cofounded Sealed Air Corporation, which now makes a variety of packaging material systems and equipment, bringing in over $3 billion annually. Photo by Shutterstock.

Post-it Note
In 1968, Spencer Silver, a researcher for 3M, accidentally created a glue formula that was weaker than normal. Six years later, irritated by repeatedly losing the bookmark in his church choir hymnal book, Arthur Fry, his 3M colleague, applied some of the low-strength, nondamaging adhesive to his page-savers—it proved to be the perfect solution. Fry sold his supervisor on the idea, and trial marketing began in 1977. Photo by Shutterstock.

(Source: Womansday)

Nintendo Announces Black Wii For US, Includes Extras

If you’re tired of your Wii being the only thing in your living room that doesn’t match your black TV, then listen up. Nintendo has finally announced the release of the black Wii bundle here in the US. It has already been available in Japan for nearly a year, so it’s not a huge surprise to finally see it hit our shores.

What is a bit surprising is that now the new black console will include Wii Sports Resort and the Wii MotionPlus adapter in the box. This is a great value, as you had to purchase those separately for $50. These additions will also be found in all newly-shipped white consoles as well. These new ones won’t hit stores until May 9th, so you might want to hold off on purchasing a new Wii until then. If you decide to buy the white version, double-check that Wii Sports Resort and Wii MotionPlus are in the box, as there will likely be plenty of older bundles still on store shelves for some time.

By Chris Scott Barr

(Source: Oh Gizmo!!)