Jan 5, 2011
Posted by arif in GTD and Productivity, Reviews | 3 comments
It’s the best Rs.48,000 I have spent. The iPad. What an amazing invention. Telecommunication, the computer and the internet finally come to a full circle in this outstanding device.
I had been debating for months whether to shell-out almost half-a-lakh for this screen. Afterall it was just a big iPod Touch and I just couldn’t use that because of it’s damn keyboard. However I kept observing myself away from my laptop for longer parts of the day and yet felt the need to either check something on the web, clear a couple of my emails and misc tasks such as those. Tasks that my Blackberry couldn’t yet cut it. Thanks to motivation two friends (Rahul and Saira, thanks guys :-), I said what the hell and ordered it off from ebay. And boy, has it worked out for me.
What do I use my iPad for:
1. News and Wikipeida
The iPad wouldn’t be such a great device, if it weren’t for 3G. Thanks to 3G being out in India, I am now online, all the time. A rarely have the time or motivation to read the traditional newspaper. Furthermore when I am at my desk, a plethora of tasks and interruptions jump out at me, that I can’t check out the Top Stories of the day. Thanks to the iPad the little pockets of time I get before, after or even during meetings, I can scan headlines of the BBC and Times of India website and I am done with my critical News reading.
I am a huge Wikipedia fan. I often check out wikipedia articles several times a day. Whenever I come across a term, word, an event, that I want to know more about when reading a book, in the middle of a conversation, while hearing a podcast, even while watching TV, I snap out my ipad and do a lightening wikipedia search and bam I get to know, what I want to know in a matter of minutes. At times it so fast that I’ve even used it from my car in between traffic signals!
2. Processing my Email
Today, the Blackberry is not enough to process one’s email. These days my emails comes with loads of recommendations to visit certain sites or watch Youtube videos. I can’t do those on my blackberry alone. But I can do that on my iPad and in style.
3. Processing my Tasks/To-dos (GTD Style)
Thanks to Upvise, the best web-app I’ve found for managing tasks, I now often use my iPad to process my To-Do lists. More about Upvise in an upcoming post.
4. YouTube!
Need I say more. I can watch YouTube videos anywhere and everywhere. I now use it to keep my daughter entertained, or just myself entertained. Whenever I am on my Mac and come across a YouTube video I need to watch, I file it under a ToWatch playlist. Then when I’m away from my Mac, but have the time and access to my iPad, I open that playlist and watch that same video then and there.
5. Reading
The iPad is an amazing reading device. I often would choose to read books on my iPad than a physical book. You’ve got to try it to believe it. I can highlight passages, see what passages others have highlighted, search across the book in seconds, the dictionary is just a tap away and best of all I’m always carrying an entire library with me.
Other than books, it’s fantastic for reading RSS Feeds too. Just yesterday Ali discovered Flipboard. A brilliant app for reading one’s Rss Feeds from Google Reader.
6. Other stuff
I am not much of a gamer, but there is a game or two that I really enjoying dabbling in. A couple of days ago I found that the ipad has a prayer compass as well, very useful for me as I’ve often need to know the Qibla (prayer) direction when travelling. Furthermore, I also realised I don’t need to carry my Quran with my at my Weekly Quran Class, just the iPad would do. The uses of the iPad just keep growing.
Conclusion:
The iPad or any tablet is a device, that you buy presupposing certain uses for it. But then you start discovering new ways to use it. You begin to ask yourself, “hmm I wonder if it will do this too”. For those of you considering the Samsung Galaxy, I’ve tried that and have found that to be acceptably good too. If you’re set your heart upon the iPad and since it’s not released in India, you can pickup your iPad from Ebay (thank you Rahul for this tip). Make sure you pick the official apple carry case with the iPad, because without it, it’s not practical to carry it around.
If you do decide to buy an iPad, do let me know. If you already have an ipad and have an app to recommend do post it in the comment below.
Nov 29, 2010
Posted by arif in Reviews | 2 comments
I just heard these two hilarious tales by Mark Twain:
1. Extract of Adams Diary
2. Eve’s Diary
What did Adam really think of Eve? And what did Eve think of Adam? What exactly happened when they ate the forbidden fruit? Did they ever get along with each other? All is revealed in Extracts from Adam’s Diary and Eve’s Diary which were discovered and translated by eminent Archeologists.
These classic pieces were written in the year 1904. 1904! I’m just amazed how relevant these texts still are inspite of being written over a Century ago.
I heard these tales at my oft-recommended Classic Tales Podcast. The site seems down now, but it may be up by the time you get this email. If you rush you may be able to download these stories. These audio tales don’t stay on the Classic Tales for long. After a couple of weeks, B J Harrisson has the tales removed and up for sale at Audible.com. It’s best to subscribe to the Classic Tales Podcast using iTunes which will automatically download the new stories as they become available, hence ensuring that you have an archive of all these wonderful classic stories for free. Thereby whenever you’re on a long drive to the airport or are in the mood for some light hearing, select the story that tickles your fancy on your ipod and listen away. That’s what I do.
Here’s an excerpt from Adam’s Diary. Enjoy!
MONDAY.–This new creature with the long hair is a good deal in the way. It is always hanging around and following me about. I don’t like this; I am not used to company. I wish it would stay with the other animals…. Cloudy today, wind in the east; think we shall have rain…. WE? Where did I get that word– the new creature uses it.
SATURDAY.–The new creature eats too much fruit. We are going to run short, most likely. “We” again–that is ITS word; mine, too, now, from hearing it so much. Good deal of fog this morning. I do not go out in the fog myself. This new creature does. It goes out in all weathers, and stumps right in with its muddy feet. And talks. It used to be so pleasant and quiet here.
The cute picture has taken without permission, courtesy: Coromandal
Nov 29, 2010
Posted by arif in Reviews | 4 comments
I have received one of the best Madressa educations. We were taught the deeper meanings of the Quran and other Religious Scriptures. We were taught, the Methodology and Philosophy of Namaaz, Fasting and other rituals. Best of all were were taught to practice the highest morals, such as courtesy to parents, charity, having the love of Knowledge. My years at Madressa years were one of the best educational years of my life. But inspite of having such an excellent Madressa Education as well as having the subject “Islam” at my Day-Time School, my knowledge of the history of Islam was very sketchy and highly incomplete.
Here are couple of examples where I was lacking:
1. How is it that Islam that was started by one man, in a little town in Saudia Arabia, exploded to 1.5 billion? There are Muslims and mosques where ever you go. From China and Japan right through Europe and America. From all the way North in Canada to the Southern parts of Africa there are devout Muslim communities that any Muslim can find himself home in. What exactly happened for the numbers to swell like this in short span of just 20 generations?
2. I had first heard of the Crusades when I was ten, in Walt Disney’s Robin Hood. But what were the Crusades? When did it happen? Why was it such a big deal?
3. Me and Ali are great fans of Sufi Literature (duh :-). But how and when did the Sufis come about. We hear the illustrious names of Rabia Basri, Ibn Arabi, Mevlana Rumi, Al-Hallaj, Kabir, but who came first, who came second etc. What spawned their coming? We hear some were revered and others persecuted. Why? The great Mevlana Rumi spoke and wrote in Farsi, then why is he buried in Turkey?
4. I often hear of the Golden Age of Islam. The Age where Muslims Scholars, excelled in Geography mapped the world, exceeded in Mathematics, excelled in Optometry so much that they even performed successful Cartact Surgeries! But when did these take place. What happened to bring about their decline in these sciences.
5. Historically, Islam was never Extremist. It was the more accommodating and tolerant of religions. What gave rise to the hard-lined ideologies practiced in Afghanistan, Kingdom of Saudia Arabia and parts of Pakistan?
I had all the above questions and tonnes more answered in the engaging narrative by Aga Tamim Ansary in his brilliant book Destiny Disrupted. An unbiased account from the birth of Islam 1400 years ago right through the various Caliphate regimes, covering the Mongol Raids as well as the Glory days of the Moghuls right down till the 2003 invasion of Iraq. I don’t think there’s a country or major event in the tale that Aga Ansary has left uncovered. The writing style is fluent, engaging and at times witty one just eagerly keeps flipping the pages to know what happened next. It’s certainly not a book only for Muslims. It’s for all those who have had the above questions and were curious on any aspect on the History of Islam.
If you are ever in a bookshop, ask for Destiny Disrupted. It may be a difficult find. But if you do get it in your hands, do open the book anywhere in the middle and read till the end of that page. If you find yourself drawn into the story, go ahead and buy the book. All of it is really that good.
Sep 1, 2010
Posted by arif in Reviews | 2 comments
I had once blogged that to live a life of no-regret and to maintain a sparkling conscience, you need to follow just two steps.
1. Always do the Right thing.
2. Give your best at it.
But what is the Right thing to do? Is majority always right? Does one always follow the principle of the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number? If so, then you are justified in killing one person to take his organs to save five others who need them. If that doesn’t make moral-intutional sense because you feel individuals have rights that are greater than the majority, then you have no right to support a ban on Alcohol, Smoking or Prostitution, if certain individuals want to indulge in the same, while the majority don’t.
I’ve asked these questions to myself several times, I’ve read philosophical books on these and have even attended classes on the same. I have finally come across the best explanation in this fabulous series of lectures by Harvard Professor Michael Sandel on What’s the Right Thing To Do. The first few were simply riveting and am eagerly looking forward to completing the series. I am on Lecture 4, Titled: Consenting Adults. Watch or Hear the first lecture here and if you’ve ever thought about the above questions, I guarantee you’ll be hooked. Professor Michael’s practical examples of what’s the right thing make this so engaging and relevant, I wish I had learnt this stuff back in school.
Oh by the way, I bumped into this lecture, because I am subscribed to the Learn Out Loud Free Resource of the Day Email. I LOVE this Email Service. I get access to incredible wealth of Audio and Video material without searching for it. I highly recommend subscribing to it.
May 8, 2010
Posted by arif in Reviews | 3 comments
There’s a new search engine in town. It’s Called Aardvark. It trumps over Google for the following reasons:
- You may just post your question and forget about it.
- In a short while, your answer will be sent to you, instead of you peering through pages of search results for it.
- The answers are highly personalised for you.
The way Ardvark has been executed, is just beautiful. Once you register at Aardvark, simply post your question there and shortly you’ll have answers emailed to you. How it works is that it emails that question to other registered members whose interests correlate with the subject of your question. Ofcourse there’s a catch, you would be emailed questions on subjects that you have mentioned are your areas of interest. But it’s so worth it. When you start receiving great answers, you want to and feel like reciprocating and responding to others who have queries on stuff that you are good at and know the answers to.
So next time you want to search for best flight options to a place or the best deal on any product or any other search query, dump Google and give Aardvark a shot.
Here are some questions that I’ve asked and the correspondingly great answers that I’ve received.
By the way, Google has bought Aardvark.
