Hi Everyone,

I just updated my old blog which is http://fatirsiddiqui.spaces.live.com to http://fatirs.spaces.live.com 

Here, I continue posting up new stories regarding new software, hardware, gadgets & music …

So keep me updated with your Music Requests, PC problems, comments and feedback, I will look forward to provide free and easy solutions or you can stay interactive with my new tech group which is http://geekscorner.groups.live.com/ …

regards,

Fa.S.

2. Sound of Goodbye

3. Zocalo

--

Fa.S.

Fatir Siddiqui

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July 11,2007

GLOBALLY WARMED

Live Earth is in the rearview mirror, and Mother Nature seems to be making a point of making sure we don't forget to go green. At URGE, we're doing our part by single-handedly eliminating the need for air conditioning. How, you ask? No, we haven't employed a team of scientists or started an iceberg delivery service. We don't just keep you cool; we make you cool. We've got new music from cool bands like Interpol and Against Me, interviews with cool rappers like T.I. and musical exclusives from cool DJs like Paul van Dyk and cool country hunks like Blake Shelton. No need to thank us. We know it's not easy being green. But keeping cool is a cinch with URGE.

URGE EXCLUSIVES

T.I. vs. T.I.P. vs. URGE
In this exclusive interview, URGE finds out what's eating T.I. We also find out what's eating T.I.P.
See More

Bringing the LAMC to U
Discover the sounds and stars of the Latin Alternative Music Conference. We've got exclusive playlists from The Pinker Tones and Zoé, an in-depth interview with Spanish rap sensation Mala Rodríguez and much more.
See More

Digital Decks: Paul van Dyk
Berliner van Dyk was making progressive-house beats popular when DJ'ing was but a gleam in Tiesto's mind. Check out his exclusive Digital Decks set, only on URGE!
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CMT's Studio 330 Sessions: Blake Shelton
In another performance you'll find exclusively on URGE, the country-music hunk plays his hit "Don't Make Me," as well as other fan favorites.
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NEW RELEASES

The Smashing Pumpkins, "Zeitgeist"

Billy Corgan's particular moment in the zeitgeist may have passed, but on this, the return of the Smashing Pumpkins, his mixture of shoegazer atmospherics, sugar-pop melodies and heavy-metal riffage proves timeless.
See More

Interpol, "Our Love To Admire"

The NYC quartet offers its maudlin, post-punk sound to the arena-rock hordes. The hooks are sharper, the beats hit harder, and the guitars cut deeper. Time to paint it black again -- this time, in widescreen.
See More

Justice, "Cross"

Imagine the rhythms of Daft Punk produced with the swagger and sweat of AC/DC and you come close to the sound of one of the breakout acts of this year. Justice may very well have found the perfect beat.
See More

Mark Ronson, "Version (Parental Advisory)"

The man behind the best of Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen's retro-soul moments offers an album of covers. Songs by the likes of Radiohead, Coldplay and Stone Roses as interpreted by Winehouse, Allen, Kenna and many others.
See More

Against Me!, "New Wave"

Don't let the title fool you. Against Me haven't gone synth-pop; they remain the most electrifying punk band working today. 'New Wave' is a lean version of this Florida band's astonishing take on the classic punk sound.
See More

TOP SONGS

1.
Umbrella, Rihanna

2.
Big S**t Poppin' (Do It), T.I.

3.
Like This, Kelly Rowland

4.
Act I: T.I.P., T.I.

5.
You Know What It Is, T.I.

TOP ALBUMS

1.
T.I. VS T.I.P. (Parental Advisory), T.I.

2.
Ms. Kelly, Kelly Rowland

3.
All The Right Reasons, Nickelback

4.
Minutes To Midnight (Parental Advisory), Linkin Park

5.
Daughtry, Daughtry

FEATURED PLAYLISTS

Hot Hot Hot

Huey's Lyrical Influences

Remembering Beverly Sills

Queens of the Stone Age's Butt-Shakin' Mix

FEATURED RADIO STATIONS

Radio Alterna

Futuristic or traditional, Radio Alterna has Latin music's "now" sound.

FEATURED INFORMER BLOG

Alternative Informer

Matthew Perpetua on the summery indie pop of Rilo Kiley.

Check this out ...

Fatir Siddiqui

Microsoft's anti-piracy efforts will undertake a major overhauling. The Redmond company plans to take down both the Windows Validation Assistant and the Office Validation Assistant.
However, Microsoft is going to fill in the empty spaces left by the discontinuing of WVA and OVA with Windows Comparison Guide (WCG) and the Office Comparison Guide (OCG). Additionally there is also the Windows Genuine Advantage and Office Genuine Advantage that will survive the anti-piracy cancelled services. Still, this is not the end of the upgrades in store for the Microsoft anti-piracy programs. Feature updates and additions are also planned to be introduced.
"We're finally taking down both the Windows Validation Assistant and the Office Validation Assistant. The WVA was a prototype for WGA; it was the first tool launched that offered a web-based validation that could help find evidence that a copy wasn't genuine that otherwise might be hard for the average person to find (such as bad or leaked product keys, etc.) The good news is that we're replacing the WVA with the Windows Comparison Guide (WCG) and the Office Comparison Guide (OCG). These guides offer much of the same functionality as the WVA did by walking users through a quiz that helps them match the anti-piracy features of the products they have, but without the web-based validation. For that we're pointing people directly to WGA," revealed Alex Kochis, a senior licensing manager on the WGA team.

Fatir Siddiqui

New features we should be seeing include:

• Multi PC management - designate a hub PC and then add additional PCs to your OneCare circle using a common Windows Live ID. You can then see the status of the other PCs within the group.
• Printer Sharing - share your printer with all the PCs in your OneCare circle
• OneCare Online Photo Backup - paid storage is available online for photo backups (we're hearing 10GB but that could change by the end of the beta)
• Securing wireless networks - if your router is supported OneCare 2.0 will allow you to secure your wireless network.
• X64 support.

Fatir Siddiqui

Fatir Siddiqui

The Microtrix

You think everything you read about Microsoft is real, but it’s not. They are all apart of a computer simulation, an illusion, called The Microtrix. This is a story about a rebellious group of Microsoft bloggers who wants to find the truth, and won’t let anything get in their way.

Dear Sinofsky,
I know you’re out there. I can feel you now.
I know that you’re afraid… afraid of bloggers.
You’re afraid of delays and leaks.
I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end.
I came here to tell how it’s going to begin.
I’m going to write a blog post, and then show these people what you don’t want them to see.
I’m going to show them Vista SP1 and Windows 7.
A world without NDAs or embargoes.
A world where anything is possible.
Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.

Update: Added three additional images.

Fatir Siddiqui

AP

Co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates, center, laughs with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., right, as Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, left, looks on before the start of commencement ceremonies at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday.

Billions of excuses later, Gates finally gets degree

Harvard bestows honorary doctorate after 32 years

By BRIAN K. SULLIVAN
BLOOMBERG NEWS

Bill Gates has joined George Washington and Benjamin Franklin as the holder of an honorary degree from Harvard, 32 years after he dropped out of the school.

Gates, the philanthropist and Microsoft Corp. chairman, urged Harvard University students and alumni to take on the challenge of eliminating inequity, ending deaths from preventable diseases and remaking capitalism.

"We can make market forces work better for the poor if we can develop a more creative capitalism, if we can stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or make a living, serving people who are suffering," Gates, 51, told an audience of more than 10,000.

"We can also press governments around the world to spend taxpayer money in ways that better reflect the values of the people who pay the taxes."

Gates left Harvard, in Cambridge, Mass., in 1975 to work on his company, now the world's largest software maker.

Last year, he announced he would stop working full time for Microsoft -- starting in 2008 -- to devote more time to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. That entity has a $33 billion endowment, larger than Harvard's $29.9 billion.

He joked that the student-run Harvard Crimson newspaper called him the school's most successful dropout.

"I guess that makes me valedictorian of my own special class," Gates said. "I did the best of everyone who failed."

Gates spoke the day after former President Bill Clinton, who has partnered with him in fighting AIDS, told the undergraduates to remember their humanity and shun their differences. Clinton used Warren Buffett's $30.7 billion donation to Gates' foundation as an example showing that a person could embrace humanity.

Gates has been a director at Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the Omaha, Neb.-based insurance company led by Buffett, since 2004.

As Clinton did yesterday, Gates urged the listeners to embrace their humanity. He also told them what his mother said to him before he married his wife, Melinda.

"She said from those to whom much is given, much is expected," Gates said. "When you consider what those of us here in this yard have been given, there is almost no limit to what the world has a right to expect from us."

Gates' speech was made at what is officially the meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association in the Tercentenary Theatre, an open area between the Widener Library and Memorial Church.

Harvard's News Office said 6,871 graduate and undergraduate students received diplomas and 138 more students received certificates in the school's 356th commencement.

Fatir Siddiqui

On Saturday, June 9, at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, Microsoft let the public see, touch and test-drive the Surface interactive tabletop system that the company unveiled at the end of May.
Surface - the product formerly codenamed 'PlayTable', and later 'Milan' - is a hardware-software bundle that Microsoft is building itself. The first models are slated to debut this coming November in Starwood Hotels, Harrah's Resorts and T-Mobile retail stores.
This weekend, Microsoft allowed the public to get their hands on four Surface prototypes. And the demo attendees seemed quite intrigued with what they saw.
Starwood, owner of the Sheraton chain, is planning to make the Surface part of the set-up in its 'The Link' areas, where guests can make use of plasma TVs and terminals. Starwood also is planning to make Surface systems a feature in the Club Level lounges of five to ten of its properties later this year, Microsoft officials said.
'This is our first product in the category of surface computing,' Jeffrey Gattis, director of product management for Surface Computing, told me. 'We have a roadmap for a variety of form factors. Many people want thinner products and more vertical implementations.'

View: Surface Tabletop Photos

Fatir Siddiqui

 Microsoft has released version 6.1 of the Windows Mobile Device Center, which most notably adds support for the Redmond company's newest Windows Mobile 6 platform. The update also enables a PC to access the Internet over a connected phone.

Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1 only works with 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, and Microsoft Office is required to synchronize contacts and calendar items. The software does not currently support syncing Windows Calendar and Contacts items.

Download: Windows Mobile Device Center 6.1

Fatir Siddiqui

    Shall I compose an elegy on thy death,
    Or a sanguine lyric from mine tulip’s cud,
    Milord --- may fall like mild dew on wreath
    Of the claret buds to nip in the bud;
    The love, the sweetest love of a crown-prince!
    The greatest king, ah, killed the fated calf!
    Shall I compose an elegy, when I mince –
    And cut the ‘feet’ in syllables, one and half,
    Two hundred beads the hermit tells and takes
    The chaplet of his rosary in his hand:
    A tragedy of the weaker-vessel make
    The epilogue, the moon-lit night, the sand;
    On shivering throne of marble sits the kings,
    Milord – and ‘all’s well that ends well’ doth sing.

Does there truly exist an insuperable contradiction between religion and science? Can religion be superseded by science? The answers to these questions have, for centuries, given rise to considerable dispute and, indeed, bitter fighting. Yet, in my own mind, there can be no doubt that in both cases a dispassionate consideration can only lead to a negative answer. What complicates the solution, however, is the fact that while most people readily agree on what is meant by ‘science’, they are likely to differ on the meaning of ‘religion’.
    As to science, we may well define it for our purpose as ‘methodical thinking directed towards finding regulative connections between our sensual experiences’. Science, in the immediate, produces knowledge and, indirectly, means of action. It leads to methodical action if definite goals are set up in advance. For the function of setting up goals and passing statements of value transcends its domain. While it is true that science, to the extent of its grasp of causative connections, may reach important conclusions as to the compatibility and incompatibility of goals and evaluations, the independent and fundamental definitions regarding goals and values remain beyond science’s reach.
    As regards religion, on the other hand, one is generally agreed that it deals with goals and evaluations and, in general, with the emotional foundation of human thinking and acting, as far as these are not predetermined by the inalterable hereditary disposition of the human species. Religion is concerned with man’s attitude toward nature at large, with the establishing of ideals for the individual and communal life, and with mutual human relationship. These ideals religion attempts to attain by exerting an educational influence on tradition and through the development and promulgation of certain easily accessible thoughts and narratives (epics and myths) which are apt to influence evaluation and action along the lines of the accepted ideals.
    It is this mythical, or rather this symbolic, content of the religious traditions which is likely to come into conflict with science. This occurs whenever this religious stock of ideas contains dogmatically fixed statements on subjects which belong in the domain of science. Thus, it is of vital importance for the preservation of true religion that such conflicts be avoided when they arise from subjects which, in fact, are not really essential for the pursuance of the religious aims.
    When we consider the various existing religions as to their essential substance, that is, divested of their myths, they do not seem to me to differ as basically from each other as the proponents of the ‘relativistic’ or conventional theory wish us to believe. And this is by no means surprising. For the moral attitudes of a people that is supported by religion need always aim at preserving and promoting the sanity and vitality of the community and its individuals, since otherwise this community is bound to perish. A people that were to honor falsehood, defamation, fraud, and murder would be unable, indeed, to subsist for very long.
    When confronted with a specific case, however, it is no easy task to determine clearly what is desirable and what should be eschewed, just as we find it difficult to decide what exactly it is that makes good painting or good music. It is something that may be felt intuitively more easily than rationally comprehended. Likewise, the great moral teachers of humanity were, in a way, artistic geniuses in the art of living. In addition to the most elementary precepts directly motivated by the preservation of life and the sparing of unnecessary suffering, there are others to which, although they are apparently not quite commensurable to the basic precepts, we nevertheless attach considerable importance. Should truth, for instance, be sought unconditionally even where its attainment and its accessibility to all would entail heavy sacrifices in toil and happiness? There are many such questions which, from a rational vantage point, cannot easily be answered or cannot be answered at all. Yet, I do not think that the so-called ‘relativistic’ viewpoint is correct, not even when dealing with the more subtle moral decisions.
    When considering the actual living conditions of present day civilized humanity from the standpoint of even the most elementary religious commands, one is bound to experience a feeling of deep and painful disappointment at what one sees. For while religion prescribes brotherly love in the relations among the individuals and groups, the actual spectacle more resembles a battlefield than an orchestra. Everywhere, in economic as well as in political life, the guiding principle is one of ruthless striving for success at the expense of one’s fellow men. This competitive spirit prevails even in school and, destroying all feelings of human fraternity and co-operation, conceives of achievement not as derived from the love for productive and thoughtful work, but as springing from personal ambition and fear of rejection.
    There are pessimists who hold that such a state of affairs is necessarily inherent in human nature; it is those who propound such views that are the enemies of true religion, for they imply thereby that religious teachings are utopian ideals and unsuited to afford guidance in human affairs. The study of the social patterns in certain so-called primitive cultures, however, seems to have made it sufficiently evident that such a defeatist view is wholly unwarranted. Whoever is concerned with this problem, a crucial one in the study of religion as such, is advised to read the description of the Pueblo Indians in Ruth Benedict's book, ‘Patterns of Culture’. Under the hardest living conditions, this tribe has apparently accomplished the difficult task of delivering its people from the scourge of competitive spirit and of fostering in it a temperate, cooperative conduct of life, free of external pressure and without any curtailment of happiness.
    The interpretation of religion, as here advanced, implies a dependence of science on the religious attitude, a relation which, in our predominantly materialistic age, is only too easily overlooked. While it is true that scientific results are entirely independent from religious or moral considerations, those individuals to whom we owe great creative achievements of science were all imbued with the truly religious conviction that this universe of ours is something perfect and susceptible to the rational striving for knowledge. If this conviction had not been a strongly emotional one and if those searching for knowledge had not been inspired by Spinoza’s Amor Dei Intellectualis, they would hardly have been capable of that untiring devotion which alone enables man to attain his greatest achievements.

Fatir Siddiqui

INTRODUCTION

    This article addresses the following questions related to ‘professionalism’ in teaching in Pakistan. 
    1. Can teaching be considered to be a profession in Pakistan? 
    2. If not, what must occur before it can be considered to be a profession in this country? 
    3. If not, how might one proceed in making it become a profession in Pakistan (assuming that such a move is desirable)? 

    The article is divided into three main sections. The first section defines ‘professionalism’ and enlists the factors responsible for lack thereof in the teaching profession in Pakistan. The second section looks into these factors in some detail and suggests remedial measures. The last section relates to the question of how one might proceed in taking these measures effectively. 

I. Factors responsible for lack of professionalism in teaching 

    1. ‘Professionalism’ refers to that peculiar nature of a specific occupation which entails, for commencement as well as continuation, maintenance, individually and collectively, of certain standards in relation to knowledge, skills and behaviour, which standards are such that they ensure the user of the services the profession provides a high, expected and usually objectively measurable level of competence and commitment, and which standards afford the profession a legitimated status, established right to privileged communication and relatively great autonomy, on the basis of the general confidence in the individual and collective maintenance of standards in the profession, from societal supervision or control. 
    If this definition of ‘professionalism’ is accepted, there is not doubt that it is in acute shortage in the profession of teaching in Pakistan. 

    2. A number of factors contribute to this lack of professionalism. Of these factors, some rather important are: 

    i) Absence of any effective system of accreditation, licensing and certification. 
    ii) Absence of appropriate standards for the above mentioned system. 
    iii) Lack of appropriate pedagogy, curricula, didactic resource base and personnel for teacher training and development. 
    iv) Lack of incentives for competent and dedicated people to join the profession. 
    v) Inadequacy of work environment, that is of schools, colleges, etc., to provide a congenial atmosphere and appropriate set-up for the growth and development of ‘professionalism’. 
    vi) Multiplicity of prevailing systems of education and the lack of interaction, which hinder standardisation in the teaching profession. 
    vii) Inappropriateness of the pedagogy, curricula and examination techniques used for the education of students. 
    viii) Non-availability of funds for  dealing with many of the above mentioned problems. 
    ix) Socio-cultural constraints. 
    x) Lack of seriousness and concern by policy makers in the government. 

 

II. Analysis of ‘the factors’ and remedial measures

    This section analyses each of the factors mentioned in the previous section and suggests some remedial measures. 

    1. In the U.S., accreditation, licensing and certification are done at the government levels. There is a growing movement there to improve these methods for the development of teachers and teaching programmes. In Pakistan, however, the very concept of such standardisation is virtually alien. 
    What may be described as ‘accreditation system’ of a sort does exist, but it is highly ineffective. Schools which are ‘registered’ do not show any marked difference from un-registered ones. Those that offer matriculation and intermediate classes can easily get ‘recognition’ from the relevant ‘boards of education’ without meeting most of the standards set by these boards. Similarly, ‘affiliation’ is granted to colleges by the University Grants Commission even though many of these colleges do not actually fulfil the legal requirements. 
    It was reported to the writer of this paper by a prospective entrepreneur that on evaluation, about six years ago, the entrepreneur calculated the cost of setting up a commerce college in accordance with the legal requirements for affiliation around seven million rupees, whereas colleges with ‘affiliation’ from the Punjab University had been set up at costs ranging from Rs. 600,000 to Rs. 1.5 million. Corruption and nepotism have pervaded the system. 
    Furthermore, the standards themselves need to be updated. 

    As far as ‘licensing’ for teaching is concerned, the idea is essentially an alien one in Pakistan. ‘Certification’ on achieving advanced levels in teaching has never even been considered. In government institutions, some tests are conducted for entry into the profession and there are certain ‘in-service’ academic requirements for promotion, but these tests and requirements are inadequate or inappropriate in most cases and also suffer from corruption, nepotism and favouritism. 

    It is recommended that a national body comprising eminent educationists be formed, which should have adequate staff, to oversee registration and affiliation of educational institutions and selection and promotion of teachers in government institutions. Moreover, the body should also devise an effective system of accreditation, licensing and certification so that non-governmental schools, colleges and institutions also have to conform to certain accepted standards and teachers in the private sector cannot exploit students as they do now, especially through private tuition and coaching. 
    Divisions or branches of this body should be formed to cater for the educational needs at various administrative levels. 

    2. Professional teaching institutes for teacher training need to be set up. At present, there is very little realisation by employers of teachers that even a high level degree is not guarantee that a person is an effective teacher. ‘Teaching’ is still not regarded as a separate and distinct field. Institutes as AIE (Ali Institute of Teaching) need to be set up to train teachers and teacher trainers. Also, curricula for this purpose in relation to specific needs of teachers in Pakistan need to be developed and continually updated. 

    3.Teaching is generally an ill-paid and often disparaged profession in Pakistan. In this country revenue expenditure on education has rarely been more than 2.5%. With the present constraints of the ever growing cost of debt-servicing (about 54%), this situation is unlikely to change. Since there is an education emergency in Pakistan (where the literacy rate is estimated at 40% -- a high inflated figure and totally out of line with international standards), some radical solution is required, for example entailing part time teaching by highly qualified government servants, mandatory teaching service for a certain period of time to obtain university degree to get government employment. Effective control mechanism will also be required, which can include ‘examination results produced’ by the students of these ad hoc teachers as basis for successful completion of requirements for the mandatory service. Organising voluntary help must also be considered. ‘Social rewards’ of various kinds, for example certificates of appreciation, tax benefits, etc., can also be used to motivate volunteers. These teachers can fill in the void created by lack of high quality input in the teaching profession. Training curricula for these teachers should include such things as the trainees might also find useful in their own vocations, for example communication skills, science, mathematics, languages, linguistics, general knowledge and management. These disciplines can, with modification, be applied to almost any other vocation especially where administrative and managerial skills are required. 
    4. Work environment in most educational institutions is not conducive to professionalism viz-a-viz the following: 
    i) the curricula and pedagogy do not entail a professional approach and are rarely  updated. 
    ii)  performance and competence of teachers is rarely used as an effective basis for remuneration and promotion. 
    iii) In-service training programmes are usually not encouraged in the real sense of the word. 

    Accreditation standards should include existence of programmes in educational institutes to deal with the above mentioned problems and to ensure that the teachers: 

         are committed to students and their learning 
         know the subjects they teach and how to teach them 
         can and do manage and monitor student learning 
         think systematically about their practice and learn from them 
         regularly contribute papers on their subjects, curricula development and pedagogy 
         periodically attend approved teacher training programmes 
         are involved as proteges or as mentors with their peers and colleagues for professional development 
         are members of learning communities and clubs. 

5. Qualified people in the government and among celebrities should take part in voluntary teaching and in training programmes so that the existing disdain in our culture for teaching as a profession can be replaced with the highest regard for this ‘nation making’ profession. Gradually, more funds should be allocated for making teaching a highly paid and rewarding career. 
    Furthermore, teachers who have received a high level in their profession must not be ‘cut off’ from their real work -- teaching, teacher training and development of curricula, texts and pedagogy -- by involving them more in administrative jobs and positions. Cancellation of certification might even be considered an option where continual contribution to their work is deliberately avoided by such teachers under the cover of privileges afforded them in the wake of their achievement. 

    6. At present, commercialisation has improved existing standards of education and of teachers owing to competition. However, commercialisation results in such improvements as is not related as such to excellence in education. Quite often it exploits students as well as teachers. In a system of education full of flaws, commercialisation which stresses more on ‘higher grades’ than on anything else a ‘professional teacher’ if often out-competed by what may be called ‘gimmick teachers’ who stress on the rote, ‘guesses’, ‘model answers’ and ‘selective study’. This un-professional attitude needs to be checked and better, more effective, and universal standards need to be applied to check exploitation by commercialisation. Non-conformity must be punished by taking away the permission to operate. 

    7. For rural areas, better didactic resource base may be communicated through T.V. and radio to enable the teachers there to catch up without actually coming to the city to update their knowledge. One T.V.  set can of course be used with better management by a whole group. 

    8. Seminars must be conducted to increase the awareness and enhance the sense of responsibility in the public and government regarding professionalism in teaching. Intelligible literature must also be published in this regard. Fund raising should also be done with the help of seminars, articles, books, pamphlets and other programmes to finance various teacher development programmes at the government as well as private sector levels. 

 

III. How to proceed?

    The measures suggested above must be adopted in a systematic manner to make them effective. In this regard, the following suggestions are made: 

    1. As the third International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS) tests (the largest ever international education research) has shown, teaching methodology is far more important than the time or money spent on a subject. It is also not necessary in all cases to have small class size, which may be financially impractable in a country as ours. The greatest need therefore is the development of pedagogy, curricula and teachers. In the first two -- pedagogy and development of curricula --, a lot can be done if the government spends on these areas rather than on setting up new, ineffective schools and on other palliatives. A national level team should be formed to develop the curricula and the pedagogy for students and teachers as the first step. 
    2. These curricula and this pedagogy should be used as a standard throughout the country for accreditation, licensing and certification. 

    3. These curricula and the pedagogy should continually be updated on the basis of feedback from use and on the basis of further research work. 

    4.Great emphasis should be given in the curricula on developing language skills and mathematical ability in primary and secondary education. 
    5. Other suggestions given in the previous sections should be put into practice gradually and only after work on the above mentioned points (in Section III) has been completed and consolidated. 

 

 

 

Fatir Siddiqui

Video of the week!

Fatir Siddiqui

Photosynth

Photosynth takes a large collection of photos of a place or object, analyzes them for similarities, and displays them in a reconstructed 3-Dimensional space.

With Photosynth you can:

• walk or fly through a scene to see photos from any angle;
• seamlessly zoom in or out of a photograph even if it's gigapixels in size;
• see where pictures were taken in relation to one another;
• find similar photos to the one you’re currently viewing;
• explore a custom tour or see where you’ve been; or
• send a collection to a friend.

For futher information and to view a demonstration video visit the Photosynth web site.

Fatir Siddiqui

June 5, 2007

IT WAS A BLOCKBUSTER SUMMER

We're friends, right? Let's be honest then: There's nothing cool about summer. Sure, you imagine summer as a series of lazy, barbecue-intensive days, soaking up the sun and taking the odd dip in whatever body of water happens to be handy. But who are we kidding? Summer's hot, and it's only getting hotter. That's why summer is the season Hollywood rolls out all its Biggest Movies Ever Part II. They know we'll watch pretty much anything in exchange for air conditioning. With that in mind, we have a modest proposal for you: Rather than run off to a multiplex this weekend, why not cool off with some blockbuster music instead. This week sees a cavalcade of stars parading their sonic wares for your enjoyment: T-Pain, Rihanna, Daddy Yankee, Bruce Springsteen. Here at URGE we're leading a rebellion against Hollywood's vice grip on summertime free time. You make the popcorn, we'll bring the tunes.

URGE EXCLUSIVES

Careerspan
In this editorial feature, we give you a road map to the plentiful and brilliant catalog of that Paul McCartney bloke out of the Beatles.
See More

Up North Trip
Paris Hilton is in prison. It's not funny. Okay, it's kind of funny. We've got a special playlist just for the incarcerated heiress.
See More

I Can See Clearly Now
The New York avant-jazz celebration Vision Festival gets its very own URGE Nights concert featuring jazz giants like William Parker and Marc Ribot. Familiarize yourself with many of the artists playing this year's fest with our exclusive playlists.
See More

NEW RELEASES

Rihanna, "Good Girl Gone Bad"

Memorial Day is still in the rearview mirror, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better candidate for single of the summer than Rihanna's "Umbrella." On her third full-length, she works with Justin, Jay and Timbaland, delivering more infectious R&B-meets-new-wave bliss.
See More

T-Pain, "Epiphany (Parental Advisory)"

Been looking for T-Pain? You can find him in da strip club. Still! The Florida soulman returns with his vocoder and predilection for exotic dancers in tow.
See More

Big & Rich, "Between Raising Hell And Amazing Grace"

What do you get when you mix humor, heart, line-dance-ready beats, honky-tonk twang, arena rock, John Legend and an AC/DC cover? What else?! The new album from the dynamic country duo Big & Rich.
See More

Dizzee Rascal, "Maths + English (Parental Advisory)"

The flagship artist of England's grime genre returns with another ferocious album of tweaked electro beats and, dare we say, grimey Brit slang. Fix up, look sharp.
See More

Von Südenfed, "Tromatic Reflexxions"

Mark E. Smith, the legendary frontman and mouthpiece of The Fall, teams with the glitch techno sounds of Mouse on Mars. The result is a dancey shout of a record that should appeal to rockers and ravers alike.
See More

TOP SONGS

1.
Umbrella (Radio Edit), Rihanna

2.
If I Never See Your Face Again, Maroon 5

3.
Makes Me Wonder, Maroon 5

4.
Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin'), T-Pain

5.
Big S**t Poppin', T.I.

TOP ALBUMS

1.
It Won't Be Soon Before Long., Maroon 5

2.
Minutes To Midnight (Parental Advisory), Linkin Park

3.
Double Up (Parental Advisory), R. Kelly

4.
Daughtry, Daughtry

5.
Black Rain, Ozzy Osbourne

FEATURED PLAYLISTS

This Thing of Ours

Super Playlist: '00s Alternative

Lil Boosie's Favorites

Producer Resume: Phil Spector

Deepfish

Deepfish is a new type of mobile browser, which provides a full 'as designed' view of web pages on mobile devices.  The unique user interface loads an overview image of the entire page layout and allows a user to zoom in and out on the parts of the page they are interested in.  Deepfish loads the overview image first and then the more detailed sections are loaded as requested or in the background as the overview is browsed, resulting in a much faster page load experience as well.  All together, it provides a more intuitive, desktop-like experience than traditional mobile browsers.  More information and a technology preview are available on the Deepfish site.

Fatir Siddiqui

Seadragon is an incubation project resulting from the acquisition of Seadragon Software in February. Its aim is nothing less than to change the way we use screens, from wall-sized displays to mobile devices, so that visual information can be smoothly browsed regardless of the amount of data involved or the bandwidth of the network.

If this sounds a little vague, consider the following four "promises" of Seadragon:

1. Speed of navigation is independent of the size or number of objects.
2. Performance depends only on the ratio of bandwidth to pixels on the screen.
3. Transitions are smooth as butter.
4. Scaling is near perfect and rapid for screens of any resolution.

The Seadragon team is currently tuning its DirectX implementation, making the most of the new Windows Media Photo format, and cranking on the Photosynth Technology Preview.

labs.live.com

Fatir Siddiqui