Captains Blog Supplemental

New Blog!

2008-10-10T16:02:00.002+02:00

I've been paying for hosting I've never used, so thought I'd give Wordpress a try, turns out it's pretty cool and easy to use, so I think I might move this blog over there. Give it a shot: http://www.yusufk.za.net/blog/

Of course we live in a special place! Bye bye dark matter.

2008-09-29T10:56:00.003+02:00

One of the theories that I was never to comfortable with is that of Dark Matter.

This article in Science daily has helped me make up my mind and now I am leaning towards being against the theory. Reason: We live in a special place.

Many things in nature demonstrate the words of the Quraan and Hadeeth wherein it is said that we are the best of creation. And everything we see around us is created for us as signs to the existance of Allah, if only we take the time to look.

Scientests have discovered that there are very few planets out there that can possibly support life. The ratio of water, oxygen, climate, etc. are all factors that are just perfect on earth.

There aren't many solar systems with planets circling in an almost circular orbit.

Then there are less obvious signs, like the relative size of and distance to the Sun and the Moon from the earth making both appear as if they're the same size.

Yes ofcourse we live in a very special place, and I therefore would not be surprised if the density of our area of space is just right to create this special environment. In fact, I would expect it to be unique.

The beginning of the Universe

2008-09-25T14:00:00.004+02:00

An interesting presentation on time and entropy, these two slides caught my attention:

The words "Our initial conditions were finely tuned, even un-natural, nobody knows why" specifically caught my attention. Many religious people do not like the word evolution because of the links to atheism and atheists. However, I've always had the view that if one defines a process or equation and then perhaps more importantly, sets the right preconditions to the process or equation, then one is responsible for whatever evolves to anything within the process.

In english, if kneading and baking is my process and the measured ingredients flour, water and yeast are my preconditions, then I am the creator of the bread that the dough eventually evolves into.

So, to the presenter, at least someone does presume to have an idea why.

And it is not all the Big Bangs fault, its the One that sets determined the equations of life and the important preconditions, our Creator, Allah.

The Independent: Robert Fisk: Six years in Guantanamo

2008-09-25T10:39:00.001+02:00

A friend (yusufk@mailbox.co.za) has sent you an article:

Robert Fisk: Six years in Guantanamo

Thursday, 25 September 2008

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-six-years-in-guantanamo-941479.html

Sami al-Haj walks with pain on his steel crutch; almost six years in the nightmare of Guantanamo have taken their toll on the Al Jazeera journalist and, now in the safety of a hotel in the small Norwegian town of Lillehammer, he is a figure of both dignity and shame. The Americans told him they were sorry when they eventually freed him this year ? after the beatings he says he suffered, and the force-feeding, the humiliations and interrogations by British, American and Canadian intelligence officers ? and now he hopes one day he'll be able to walk without his stick.

Prophet Yunus (Jonah's) prayer, from inside the whale!

2008-09-22T16:14:00.002+02:00

One of the prayers that have helped me along my way:

Three layers of darkness enveloped him, one above the other; the darkness of the whale's stomach, the darkness of the bottom of the sea, the darkness of the night. Yunus imaged himself to be dead, but his senses became alert when he found he could move. He knew that he was alive and imprisoned in the midst of three layers of darkness. His heart was moved by remembering Allah. His tongue released soon after saying: La ilaha illa Anta (none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) be You (above all that evil they associate with You), Truly, I have been of the wrong doers." (21:87 Quran)

Zapiro does it again...

2008-09-08T14:23:00.002+02:00

Interview with Zapiro:
http://multimedia.thetimes.co.za/audio/2008/09/zapiro-wont-apologise

Recipe: Julie (mums) Chicken Pie

2008-09-05T11:57:00.001+02:00

METHOD:
Cook meat in lemon , salt ,pepper and mustard. Break into small shreds. Make mash of 1 big potato.

Mix meat & mash , add about 1 tblspn chow chow or picallilly.

Layer both bottom of squared tin with half of dough. Spread with tomatoe sauce &mustard sauce. Than add meat filling and sliced boiled egg (egg optional). Lastly add grated cheese. Put second half of rolled out dough over. Make holes with fork, smear beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake for 30- 45 min @ 180……….( dough from Indian delights- Mince in scones)"

Recipe: Julie (mums) Macaroni Salad

2008-09-05T11:56:00.000+02:00

MACARONI SALAD:

1 pkt noodles (elbow, straight, or screws) , boil & cool ( salt)
¾ pkt mixed frozen veggies
¼ kg white meat cooked in salt, lemon pepper and mustard powder. shred into small pieces .

When cool mix all together in large dish.

Sauce:
1 bottle mayonnaise
1 heaped spoon crushed garlic
½ green pepper cubed
Salt to taste +/- 1 tspn
Dash of pepper
Dash fresh ground pepper
1 tblspn sugar
spring onions
parsely
mustard
½ cup oil

mix sauce thoroughly than add to other ingredients. Refrigerate.

Recipe: Julie (mums) custard slice

2008-09-05T11:48:00.000+02:00

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2cups b/p
Pinch of salt
½ cup milk
¼ cup sugar
2 oz butter (60g)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
Cream butter-sugar method.
Than roll 5-6 flat round cakes.
Bake in oven.

Custard:
1L milk 4 tblspn (level) custard sugar + condensed milk.

Official Google Mobile Blog: New Gears Geolocation API powers mobile web sites

2008-08-26T10:57:00.000+02:00

Official Google Mobile Blog: New Gears Geolocation API powers mobile web sites

Why are there no 3G modems with video call support???

2008-08-19T17:05:00.003+02:00

It seems like an obvious feature of a 3G modem, yet I can't find any support for video calls on 3G modems. It should be as easy as AT DV to initiate a video call but it isn't. No wonder 3G is not being utilized, some of the obvious use cases seem to have been ignored.

Or maybe I'm just not Googling properly....

Twitter Brand Index « Fluent Simplicity

2008-08-02T23:13:00.000+02:00

Twitter Brand Index « Fluent Simplicity

How to send a voicemail / voice mms with one simple call on MTN..

2008-07-30T08:24:00.003+02:00

Prerequisite: In order to send the voice MMS, the person you're sending the message to must be registered for the not so well known or advertised imail.

Next, dial the following number appending the last 9 digits of your friends number: 08314
For example, if your friends number is 0831234567 then dial 08314831234567

Leave a message and he/she should get either a voice MMS (if registered on imail) or a voicemail notification.

SIM card hacking..

2008-07-26T23:28:00.000+02:00

Citizen_Engineer from citizen engineer on Vimeo.

Project Capuchin Docs and Tools

2008-07-26T21:39:00.000+02:00

Project Capuchin Docs and Tools

25 Free Applications For Nokia N95 | HitsGarden

2008-07-21T10:39:00.000+02:00

25 Free Applications For Nokia N95 | HitsGarden: "Give"

Coincidence that moon keeps one face to Earth? » Ask a Scientist | Earth & Sky

2008-07-17T22:20:00.000+02:00

Coincidence that moon keeps one face to Earth? » Ask a Scientist | Earth & Sky

God does not play dice with the Universe....

Coincidence that sun and moon are same size? » Radio Podcasts | Earth & Sky

2008-07-17T22:19:00.000+02:00

Coincidence that sun and moon are same size? » Radio Podcasts | Earth & Sky

God does play dice with the Universe...

Obama fails to see the funny side of cartoon satirising American fears - Americas, World - The Independent

2008-07-15T12:02:00.000+02:00

Obama fails to see the funny side of cartoon satirising American fears - Americas, World - The Independent

My Island

2008-07-09T11:28:00.000+02:00

launching browser - Developer Discussion Boards

2008-07-08T15:57:00.000+02:00

launching browser - Developer Discussion Boards: "public class Launcher extends MIDlet {
Alert alert;
public void startApp() {
boolean b;
try {
b=platformRequest('http://www.mytoday.com/');
destroyApp(true);
notifyDestroyed();
}
catch (ConnectionNotFoundException ex)
{
ex.printStackTrace();
}

destroyApp(true);
notifyDestroyed();

}

public void pauseApp() {
}

public void destroyApp(boolean unconditional) {
}
}"

What was Vernon doing at Vodaworld? Answer..Breaking the Internet!

2008-07-01T09:07:00.002+02:00

Vodacom has broken the Internet, some they they did it using a proxy, I have another theory:

p.s. Lookout for Vernon Koekemoer in the background, only Vernon can break the Internet (and Chuck, coz he knows Vernon).

noknok PC Client

2008-06-30T13:33:00.000+02:00

The noknok service, still in it's infancy is by no means the best out there, especially in South Africa. However, the PC client is one of the best pc based messengers I've used, if you get it to install that is ;)

Tip: Do not use the link provided by the install application if you don't have .Net framework installed. The link provides you .Net version 1.1 while the application requires version 2.0, daft oversight. Use this link instead or install version 3.

The reason I think it's cool is that it allows you to send SMS and MMS messages straight from your desktop.

The SMS's are free, but MMS's are charged.

Best feature though in my opinion, is the fart nudge, which I never get tired off, much to the dismay of many of my ref-faced colleagues.

Johnny Lee demos Wii Remote hacks | Video on TED.com

2008-06-28T23:20:00.000+02:00

Jill Bolte Taylor's powerful stroke of insight | Video on TED.com

2008-06-28T23:10:00.000+02:00

Quote

2008-06-24T16:27:00.000+02:00

"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom."

FW: SIGNS..................

2008-06-17T16:51:00.000+02:00

Sign over a Gyneacologist's Office:
"Dr. Jones, at your cervix."
**************************

On a Septic Tank Truck in Oregon:
Yesterday's Meals on Wheels
**************************

On another Septic Tank Truck:
"We're #1 in the #2 business"
**************************

On a Plumber's truck:
"We repair what your husband fixed."
** ************************

On a Plastic Surgeon's Office door:
"Hello. Can we pick your nose?"
**************************

At a Towing company:
"We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want tows."
**************************

On an Electrician's truck:
"Let us remove your shorts."
**************************

In a Nonsmoking Area:
"If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."
**************************

On a Maternity Room door:
"Push. Push. Push."
**************************

At an Optometrist's Office :
"If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."
**************************

On a Taxidermist's window:
"We really know our stuff."
**************************

On a Fence:
"Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive!"
**************************

At a Car Dealership:
"The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment."
**************************

Outside a Muffler Shop:
"No appointment necessary We hear you coming."
**************************

In a Veterinarian's waiting room:
"Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"
**************************

At the Electric Company:
"We would be delighted if you send in your payment.
However, if you don't, you will be."
**************************

In a Restaurant window:
"Don't stand there and be hungry, Come on in and get fed up."
**************************

In the front yard of a Funeral Home:
"Drive carefully. We'll wait."

**************************
At a Propane Filling Station ,
"Thank heaven for little grills."
**************************

And don't forget the sign at a Chicago Radiator Shop:
"Best place in town to take a leak "

NOTE: This e-mail message is subject to the MTN Group disclaimer see http://www.mtn.co.za/default.aspx?pid=34411

[all variants] The Great Desktop Effects FAQ of 2008

2008-06-12T23:20:00.002+02:00

Enable 3d effects on Ubuntu

CNET's Quick guide: Cell phone radiation levels

2008-06-12T18:18:00.000+02:00

Check it out at http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6602_7-5020355-1.html

What it all means
According to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), specific absorption rate, or SAR, is "a way of measuring the quantity of radiofrequency (RF) energy that is absorbed by the body." For a phone to pass FCC certification, that phone's maximum SAR level must be less than 1.6W/kg (watts per kilogram). In Europe, the level is capped at 2W/kg while Canada allows a maximum of 1.6W/kg. The SAR level listed in our charts represents the highest SAR level with the phone next to the ear as tested by the FCC. Keep in mind that it is possible for the SAR level to vary between different transmission bands and that different testing bodies can obtain different results. Also, it's possible for results to vary between different editions of the same phone (such as a handset that's offered by multiple carriers).

It's important to note that in publishing this list are we in no way implying that cell phone use is or isn't harmful to your health. While research abounds and some tests have shown that cell phone radiofrequency (RF) could accelerate cancer in laboratory animals, the studies have not been replicated. Cell phones can affect internal pacemakers, but there is not conclusive or demonstrated evidence that they cause adverse health affects in humans. Conversely, there is not conclusive or demonstrated evidence that they don't cause adverse health affects in humans. So, in short, the jury is still out, research is ongoing, and we will continue to monitor its results.

If your phone isn't listed here (U.S. customers) and you've purchased it within the last few years (the FCC Web site currently does not provide information on models certified before 1998), you can request the SAR information from the manufacturer or your carrier. You'll need the model number and FCC ID number, which is usually but not always listed in your owner's manual or under your phone's battery (you must pop the battery out). For links to the FCC's Web site, please see the More Resources section below. We'll continue to update the list as new phones are announced.

NOTE: This e-mail message is subject to the MTN Group disclaimer see http://www.mtn.co.za/default.aspx?pid=34411

Marc Lottering - "Why coloureds can't be terrorists"

2008-06-12T12:23:00.001+02:00

Why Brain-Ows can't be terrorists

- Ons is altyd laat. We would have missed all 4 flights.

- We talk loud and would bring attention to ourselves.

- Met free kos en cooldrink oppie plane, we'll sommer forget why we're there.

- We praat with our hands, so we'll continually be putting the weapons down.

- We would ALL want to fly the freaking plane, ending in a mo**se
fight with each other.

- We'll sommer argue and start a fight in the terminal before we even
get on the plane & one of us is bound to say out loud: "Gaan k*k man!
Dan hijack jy die f**kken plane alleen!!"

- Ons kannie 'n secret hou nie. We would have told everyone a week
before doing it, telling them: "Moet vir niemand sè nie, ho!"

- We would have insisted that the plane fly past Strandfontein Pavillion.
- We would have all lined up to get our photograph taken by one of the hostages.

- When we enter the cockpit, we would have used the intercom system
for a karaoke session, with one d**s trying to sing 'I did it my way'.

- We would first rob everyone of their Ray-Bans, cellphones and gold
teeth, just before we crash the plane.

- Our whole freaking family plus neighbors would have been at the
airport to see us off, crying their bleddie eyes out, and your mother
saying to the white ou next to her: "I'm so proud of him. It's the
first time he's hijacking a plane!"

- We would have dressed like terrorists for our airport go-way
clothes: balaclavas, jumpsuits, karate skoentjies, dark glasses, en 'n
mo*rse attitude.

- Two of us would have forgotten our passports at home.

- Three of us would have overweight luggage.

- All of us would have luggage.

- We would have all wanted to watch the in-flight movie first.

- Before we went into action, we would have all queued up at the
toilet to first gel our hair.

- We would have taken the plane for a joyride first, played the music
at full blast and try to park the plane somewhere where the chicks
could see us.

Fwd: VK

2008-06-09T14:37:00.001+02:00

Vernon Koekemoer makes onions cry

Vernon Koekemoer can delete the Recycle Bin.

Ghosts are actually caused by Vernon Koekemoer killing people faster
than Death can process them.

Vernon Koekemoer can build a snowman..... out of rain.

Vernon Koekemoer can strangle you with a cordless phone.

Vernon Koekemoer can drown a fish.

When Vernon Koekemoer enters a room, he doesn't turn the lights on, he
turns the dark off.

When Vernon Koekemoer looks in a mirror the mirror shatters, because
not even glass is stupid enough to get in between Vernon Koekemoer and
Vernon Koekemoer

Brett Favre can throw a football over 50 yards, Vernon Koekemoer can
throw Brett Favre even further.

The last digit of p is Vernon Koekemoer. He is the end of all things.

Vernon Koekemoer does not know where you live, but he knows where you will die.

Bullets dodge Vernon Koekemoer

A Handicap parking sign does not signify that this spot is for
handicapped people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot
belongs to Vernon Koekemoer and that you will be handicapped if you
park there.

The Vernon Koekemoer calendar goes straight from March 31st to April
2nd, no one fools Vernon Koekemoer.

If you spell Vernon Koekemoer wrong on Google it doesn't say, "Did you
mean Vernon Koekemoer?" It simply replies, "Run while you still have
the chance."

Vernon Koekemoer can do a wheelie on a unicycle.

Once a cobra bit Vernon Koekemoer' leg. After five days of
excruciating pain, the cobra died.

When Vernon Koekemoer gives you the finger, he's telling you how many
seconds you have left to live.

Vernon Koekemoer can kill two stones with one bird.

Vernon Koekemoer was once on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and was the
first to spin. The next 29 minutes of the show consisted of everyone
standing around awkwardly, waiting for the wheel to stop.

Leading hand sanitisers claim they can kill 99.9 percent of germs.
Vernon Koekemoer kills 100 percent of whatever he wants.

There is no such thing as global warming. Vernon Koekemoer was cold,
so he turned the sun up.

Vernon Koekemoer can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass. At night.

Vernon Koekemoer has a deep and abiding respect for human life unless
it gets in his way.

It takes Vernon Koekemoer 10 minutes to watch 60 Minutes.

Vernon Koekemoer once shot down a German fighter plane with his
finger, by yelling, "Bang!"

In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Vernon Koekemoer
could use to kill you, including the room itself.

Behind every successful man, there is a woman. Behind every dead man,
there is Vernon Koekemoer.

Vernon Koekemoer destroyed the periodic table, because Vernon
Koekemoer only recognises the element of surprise.

Vernon Koekemoer got his drivers licence at the age of 16 Seconds.

With the rising cost of gasoline, Vernon Koekemoer is beginning to
worry about his drinking habit.

The square root of Vernon Koekemoer is pain. Do not try to square
Vernon Koekemoer, the result is death.

When you say "no one's perfect", Vernon Koekemoer takes this as a
personal insult.

Geeks "I love you"

2008-06-08T16:22:00.000+02:00

(x²+9/4y²+z²-1)³ - x²z³-9/80y²z³=0

16 Things it took over 50 years to learn:

2008-06-06T22:21:00.002+02:00

1.Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

2.If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

3.There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

4.People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

5.You should not confuse your career with your life.

6.Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
(This one is very important)

7.Never lick a steak knife.

8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

9.You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.

10.You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

11.There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.

12.The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.

13. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to a waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It NEVER fails.)

14.Your friends love you anyway.

15.Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

16.Thought for the day: Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes; and it's up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

Xenophobia Spreading

2008-05-29T10:11:00.002+02:00

JOHANNESBURG, 23 May 2008 - Community leaders have announced that Durbanites will not be forcefully expatriated from Gauteng soil, as is the case with the recent violent attacks on foreign nationals. The announcement follows days of negotiations between the Lenz Observer Group (LOG) and the Chatsworth-based Check My New Car Foundation.

Tensions between Gauteng locals and Durbanites unexpectedly rose last week in the wake of the province's violent Xenophobic attacks. Independent analyst Sarah Friedman says while the root causes were similar, there are some fundamental differences. Friedman says it's unlikely that locals are distressed about their women being drawn

to the Durbanites, as is the case with the national Xenophobic tension. She refused to elaborate further.

Check My New Car Foundation's Kevin Naidoo insists it's a matter of professional envy. " Hey, check here… they jus jealous because why ? because we more sharp upstairs.. just look at who got all the top jobs " said Naidoo. Naidoo stopped short of dismissing claims

that Durbanites have an inability to subtly show-off.

Spokesperson for the Lenz Observer Group Yugan Veeran told a press briefing on Thursday that reports suggesting that locals were hacking into computers to confirm the birth place of Durbanites were "ludicrous". Veeran said such espionage activities were hardly necessary. He listed easier forms of establishing identity, which include, a dramatic change in accent upon arrival in Gauteng; conspicuous overdressing in back-firing attempts to seek attention; and an overly emphasised nightlife to demonstrate social progress.

Both sides however maintain that they have reached common ground following the weekend negotiations.

By JUSTIN TIME

the most "powerful"? leader? in the world

2008-05-18T00:19:00.001+02:00

When it's okay to say $%#@!

2008-05-16T11:49:00.000+02:00

NOTE: This e-mail message is subject to the MTN Group disclaimer see http://www.mtn.co.za/default.aspx?pid=34411

Sony Ericsson's new Project Capuchin bridges Java ME and Flash Lite

2008-05-06T11:21:00.000+02:00

Sony Ericsson's new Project Capuchin bridges Java ME and Flash Lite

This has lots of potential, watch this space!

As well as the Flite project integrating Flash Lite and Python on S60.

Ilkone i800: Mobile Islamic Handset

2008-04-25T14:43:00.000+02:00

Ilkone i800: Mobile Islamic Handset

Al Jazeera English - News - 'Us Plot Against Hamas' Revealed

2008-03-04T16:37:00.000+02:00

Al Jazeera English - News - 'Us Plot Against Hamas' Revealed

The Test (My encounter with Miller Fisher Syndrome- Guillain Barre Syndrome)

2008-01-22T03:22:00.003+02:00

Prelude

I always feel a connection with Allah while listening to the weekly Friday lectures before prayers. Many times it is as if Allah has inspired the speaker to add in a little message for me or sometimes the topic is exactly related to whats happened to me in the week. During one of these lectures at the Bosmont Masjid in December, the last Friday before my long awaited week off work, the words that caught my attention were about the various ways that Allah tests people. The speaker pointed out that Allah tests people in order to bring them closer to him. These tests present themselves in many ways including financial difficulties, health problems or the death of loved ones. A person is scored according to his/her reaction to the situation. The ideal reaction being Sabr (Patience), asking Allah for help and Tawaqul-illAllah (Trust and Faith in Allah).

At that moment I thought to myself, "My life has been going great for a long while, I wonder when and what my next test will be? Hopefully it won't happen in the next week or two, because I really need the upcoming holiday!". I "spoke" to Allah and asked that if there are any tests planned, that they be held off until after my holiday and that He does not burden me with a test that I cannot manage, after hearing the speaker say, "Allah will not burden a person with a test greater than he can bear". I felt guilty about trying to tell Allah when it will be suitable to be tested and retracted the request and asked instead that the test manageable and that I pass the test.

The Journey

I took my 1st day off from work for the year the following Thursday for Eid ul Adha. The day started fine, but I found myself in bed by the afternoon with a bad flu. I decided to take the Friday off from work so that I'd recover sufficiently to make the planned journey to Wilderness for my week long holiday with my family. I had a terrible headache by Friday evening and had to take a Voltaren injection in order to allow me to pack my bags and the car. As usual I refused to take any antibiotics because "I know that they don't have any effect on Viral infections and we spoil our immune systems.....doctors don't know anything....I know everything....".

We set off for Wilderness early Saturday morning and together with my box of tissues, I felt confident I'd be ok. The 12 hour journey was taxing, I refused to turn on the Air-conditioner despite the 30 degree heat because it was making my throat sore. Besides the routine stops every two hours, I ended up stopping another 3 or 4 times because my 3 year old had diarrhea and timed the bouts between scheduled stops and where it would be most dangerous to stop. I still feel bad about the way I treated him out of anger, knowing that it was not in his control. All in all a stressful day.

Once in Wilderness all was great, except for my flu which hadn't gone away yet. I finally gave in to the pressure and started a course of Betamox(Amoxilin) antibiotics on Monday. I felt a little better by Tuesday, except that I think one of the prawns I ate for lunch left me with a slight stomach ache.

On Wednesday morning I woke up and felt a strange sensation in my eyes. I told my wife that "it feels like one eye is lower than the other". I suspected that it was sinus related and took a Sinumax. I spent that afternoon on the beach with my son. It was a really great afternoon, theres nothing like watching a 3 year old being introduced to the beach and sea. While sitting on the beach I watched as people walked by. At one point two Muslim looking boys walked by with fishing rods and I considered greeting them. After figuring that it didn't take much effort, I greeted them with Salaams. A minute later another Muslim man walked by with his son and also greeted him with a smile. I didn't realize the value of the gesture. With the sun almost set, I had to drag my son off the beach, promising to return the next day.

I didn't feel any better that evening and asked my wife for something strong and she suggested that I take an Allergex. After taking the Allergex we went our for supper to a nearby mall. Once I reached there, I felt like I was drugged. My legs and body suddenly felt weak and I asked my wife to drive us back to the hotel.

I woke up on Thursday morning not able to see things further than an arms length away. Everything further had blurred edges or were double depending on how far away it was. I also felt very weak and was walking with some difficulty. After a weird breakfast, where I couldn't see anything beyond my table, I asked my wife to drive me to a clinic because I suspected that I was allergic to either the Sinumax or Allergex or both.

George Medi-Clinic

At George Medi-Clinic, I told the Doctor about my suspicion and because of a previous personal experience that she had with Allergex, the Doctor said that it was probably as a result of low blood pressure and she gave me an injection and some blood pressure medication saying that I would be ok in a few hours. I thanked her and was on the beach with the kids in 30 minutes. However, my sight did not improve, in fact it seemed to deteriorate in the hour or two that we spent on the beach. I struggled climbing up the stairway that led back to the hotel and decided to return to the clinic.

By the time I returned to the clinic I was very weak and could barely walk. One of my biggest worries at the time was that I would probably be admitted. Since this was supposed to be our last night in Wilderness, I stressed about how my wife and kids would manage to get back to the hotel if I was admitted and what would happen if I had to stay on for more than a day. In the midst of my stressing, I was greeted by someone, who I could not recognize at 1st. He introduced himself and said that he remembered greeting me on the beach the other day and asked what was going on. Ebrahim Sibdah was to me a gift from Allah for the small deed I did two days on the beach, I greeted my fellow Muslim. After explaining why I was there and listening to the reason why he was there (his nephew had accidentally fallen into a pool), he comforted me and assured me that all would be ok and that he and his family would be around to help my wife and I should we require any. We both knew that our meeting was no coincidence and at that point I remembered Allah and realized that my test had begun.

I was examined by a doctor, who immediately admitted me and sent me for blood tests and a CT scan. The blood tests did not reveal anything and the CT scan showed severe sinus pressure, but nothing else Shukr Alhumdulillah. The doctor said that they would assume that the problem was sinus related until they carry out further tests, but that they would put me onto a broad spectrum antibiotic in case of Meningitis or Encephalitis. With a heavy heart I sent my family back to the hotel and prayed that Allah assist my wife on the 20 minute journey, late at night with the 2 babies. Allah alone knows how she managed with all the stress and the crying kids. I called my parents and let them know about the situation.

The next day, as I was being taken by wheelchair for an MRI scan, my parents arrived. They were visibly shocked by my state. The MRI was much more uncomfortable than the CT scan I discovered. I wasn't told how long I'd be in the narrow tube and after what seemed like 15 minutes, I began experiencing some claustrophobia. This got worse until I discovered a solution...Salaah (Prayer)! There was nothing more calming than performing my Zuhr Salaah, in my mind, slowly and carefully. I hadn't finished my Salaah, when the radiographer pulled me out of the tube and told me that there didn't seem to be any good reason to perform the contrast MRI. I was more than happy to agree with her decision.

Since nothing was found on the MRI, and I felt worse the next morning, I was asked to consider a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). The treatment would remain the same regardless of the outcome but at least the cause would be known. I decided that it was not worth it and decided to give it another day. The following day, with no improvement I greeted my wife and kids before they left for the airport to return home and as they left the hospital, I gave the Neurosurgeon the go ahead to perform the spinal tap.

I began praying as the surgeon prepared the area on my back and shukr Alhumdulillah, much to my surprise and relief, it was over before I knew it! I was told to lie down for at least 6 hours to prevent a head-ache and I gladly complied. Alhumdulillah, there was no headache and the results showed no sign of meningitis or encephalitis. There was an increase in some protein or lymphoid said the surgeon and he theorised that it could be as a result of a n infection in close proximity to the brain, possibly sinusitis.

I wasn't confident in what I had been told. The surgeon talked about "nearby syndrome" caused by sinusitis, the ENT didn't looked convinced that sinusitis could cause my symptoms and the surgeon was neither here nor there. I was becoming more depressed and worried and I knew that it is never a good idea to get depressed while ill because it just makes matters worse. Allah made it easy for me to see that there were people much worse of than me, because next to me was a man that was in for his 10th operation! Despite the fact that he was not allowed to eat or drink for a week and had tubes sticking out from everywhere, he remained cheerful and positive. Opposite me lay a man that came in because the chemotherapy he was on for cancer, was making him too ill to eat. I made shukr that I could still eat, drink and relieve myself.

I noticed that I had no feeling in my bowels or bladder when I needed to relieve myself. I just felt strangely uncomfortable and knew that I had to go. Also, I had to try and look at what was happening because I couldn't feel whether I was done.

After 5 days in hospital and 3 days away from my family, I decided that it was time to make my way home. My parents, who were with me all the time, every day, arranged a flight for me and I greeted my new friends at the clinic as I left the clinic in a wheelchair. I could not walk more than a few meters and could not see anything further away than my hands clearly. Travelling by car was awful, the whole world seems to shake. I was the last person to board the plane and could just feel the stares and looks of sympathy from the passengers and crew as I stumbled to my seat. It was horrible.

Back at home
After a 2 hour flight and 1 hour drive, I arrived at my in-laws house where I was greeted by my wife, kids and sister in law. She was literally dumbfounded at what I looked like and just stared in shock. I was relieved to be back home, but felt weaker then ever. My wife arranged an appointment with a local ENT, who sent me for another MRI. Once again, I passed the time reading Salaah. The MRI showed that the sinuses had cleared quite a bit and the ENT was not very keen on the "nearby syndrome"/sinusitis theory and tried in vain to refer me to a neurologist. They were all on holiday!

At this point, I began using my mobile to surf the Internet and tried to find answers for myself. A HUGE mistake. I urge anyone with GBS or MFS who is reading this, to take heed of this warning, DO NOT LOOK FOR ANSWERS ON THE INTERNET, read this and be done with the Internet! The symptoms I Googled for included "double vision, weakness, numbness" and the results more than often pointed to one scary disease, which I won't even mention for the sake of any MFS/GBS sufferer reading this. The disease in question does not share the good prognosis that MFS and GBS have and there is absolutely no reason to go through the stress and depression I went through as a result of finding this unnecessary information. I became so distressed and depressed that I spent many hours crying and making my wife cry with talk of the hereafter and death.

This was the low point at which I remembered to ask Allah for help, sincerely. I started realising what I had been doing wrong all along. I had been putting my trust in everyone except Allah. I expected doctors to know what was wrong and to cure me. It was only now that I had lost all faith in doctors that I started realising that my faith was misplaced. I started praying that Allah cures me and started praying that Allah guides me to a cure.

My prayer was answered when my wife informed me that her uncle, an ophthalmologist had offered to see me on a Saturday. He calmly went about examining my eyes, explaining every step as he went along. He pointed out to me that I was unable to move my eyes upward and that whenever I looked to the sides, the eye on the other side dropped down instead of moving across. There were more than two muscles that weren't working properly, an oblique muscle and the muscle that pulled the eyeballs upward. He correctly identified the problem as a nerve problem and immediately called a neurologist colleague of his, Prof. G. Modi to make an appointment for me. On the telephone, he mentioned the symptoms and a brief history and I heard him say "Guillain Barre or Miller Fisher".

The following Monday, 13 days after the 1st symptoms, I visited Prof. Modi at his offices, accompanied by my father-in-law who held my arm as I walked. I began by explaining to him the sequence of events and symptoms and he proceeded to examine me. I was given some shock tests in my arms and legs and he then tested my eyes and my reflexes. He pointed out that I had no deep tendon reflexes! He said that I had typical symptoms and history of Miller Fisher Syndrome. He suggested that it was going to be a long road to hopefully full recovery and suggested that I begin the journey with a treatment of either Plasmapheresis or Intravenous Immunoglobulins (IvIg). He said that he had more success with IvIg, but mentioned that I may need the other should he not see results soon after treatment. I was very relieved that someone knew what was going on, but had to be careful not to forget that Allah had led me to him and that Allah had given him the knowledge and signs to make the diagnosis. There was already an improvement in my Allah-consciousness, albeit not nearly enough!

I was admitted to hospital again, for a 5 day, 34 gram a day IvIg treatment. By day 3, my eyes began feeling strange again and the numbness in my toes had disappeared. The neuro was happy to inform me that my eyeballs were able to move upward again! There wasn't much more improvement except for the weird sensations in my arms disappearing also by the end of the treatment.

A week later I was back at home and from then began a cycle of improvement, scary and depressing down periods and more improvement that continues till today (5 months later). I noticed improvements every two weeks.

I made up my mind to correct several things in my life:

My Salaah (prayer), which was reduced to simply doing the motions before I fell ill. I decided that I would perform my prayers, with concentration, at the appointed times, to the best of my ability, in congregation.
Reading of the Quraan, I had been trying to get myself to read Quraan regularly, but this never happened. I began reading the Quraan daily, 1st in Arabic, then in Arabic and English. The Quraan is truly a cure and blessing for mankind!
My relationship with my parents, I neglected my duty to my parents and decided to improve my relationship with them.
The use of my body, I had abused my eyes, my fingers, in fact every paart of my body. I aimed to stop using them for wrong and to appreciate the use of my amenities for doing good instead.

My 1st Jummuah (Friday) prayer after the treatment was difficult. I had to sit down and pray and couldn't see people next to or in front of me. The week after was spent at home because I had a bit of a dip. But every 2nd Jummah thereafter unveiled some improvements, such as being able to look to the sides, then straight ahead (but not sides again) and being able to walk and stand for longer.

8 weeks after the treatment, I could see properly again in most directions. I could not focus on objects while walking because everything seemed to bounce. This also improved within another 2 weeks.

What remains till today (5 months later), are weird sensations in my arms, legs and eyes, especially when I'm tired. These seem to come and go in cycles and are accompanied by anxiety, whether the cause or result, I'm still not sure.

All in all, it was a frightening experience. I am not invincible, I am human, Fragile! I think of death evey day and as a result, I think of life after death and as a result I remember God.

Taqwah = Piety, Piety = Awareness of Allah

My prayers have been answered, my taqwah has increased, I have cryed in prayer, I read Quraan in Arabic and English every day. Thank you Allah, you are the Greatest.

My prayer: "Oh Allah, please let all the good that I have gained out of this experience remain. Please remove all the bad that I am left with after this experience. Oh Allah, please grant me good health and strong imaan (Faith). Oh Allah, please grant me physical, mental and strength in imaan., Ameen"

More Information:
Guillain Barre Syndrome
GBS for Dr.'s
GBS for Patients

Miller Fisher Syndrome

To be continued....

noknok

2007-12-04T17:36:00.000+02:00

Finally, some competition to Mxit (MTN noknok), it has a long way to go to catch up, but it looks promising ;) . There was much press hype about meep from Vodacom, but there doesn't seem to be anything available?

How-To Recover password under Ubuntu -- Ubuntu Geek

2007-11-27T10:56:00.000+02:00

How-To Recover password under Ubuntu -- Ubuntu Geek: "If you forgot you password for your ubuntu system you can recover using the following steps Turn your computer on. Press ESC at the grub prompt. Press e for edit. Highlight the line that begins kernel ………, press e Go to the very end of the line, add rw init=/bin/bash press enter, then press b to boot your system. Your system will boot up to a passwordless root shell. Type in passwd username Set your password. Type in reboot"

My new fav series on TV...Ultimate Survival

2007-09-09T09:01:00.000+02:00

iMac, iPod...

2007-08-20T10:05:00.000+02:00

YouTube - Danny's fully automated Lego Rubik's cube solver

2007-07-31T21:29:00.000+02:00

Quotes for Software Engineers

2007-07-27T21:43:00.000+02:00

"Python: executable pseudocode. Perl: executable line noise."

Interesting stats and visualisation thereof

2007-07-17T11:46:00.000+02:00

500kV

2007-07-11T10:50:00.000+02:00

Water as fuel?

2007-07-09T11:13:00.000+02:00

MapMyRide.com | Add cycling Route to Blog

2007-07-08T21:03:00.000+02:00

MapMyRide.com | Add cycling Route to Blog: " "

Intro to Python, by Google

2007-06-30T01:30:00.000+02:00

The original treadmill vid used in MTN's advert

2007-06-24T11:52:00.000+02:00

Microsfts Table PC

2007-06-22T10:14:00.000+02:00

The most amazing Battle at Kruger

2007-06-15T11:04:00.000+02:00

How To Be A Successful Evil Overlord

2007-06-10T08:51:00.000+02:00

I've been considering a change of career and have always been intrigued by the thought of ruling the world. However, there doesn't seem to be a very great success rate in the industry so I looked around on the Internet for courses to help me get started and found this:

How To Be A Successful Evil Overlord

Wireless power, finally!

2007-06-08T11:59:00.000+02:00

This is exciting stuff, the final frontier in my opinion, wireless power is about to become a reality, see:
Wireless power could have cellphone users beaming - tech - 07 June 2007 - New Scientist Tech

What do Shabir Shaik and Paris Hilton have in common?

2007-06-08T09:15:00.000+02:00

Shaik taken to hospital

Paris Hilton out of jail

If they were'nt as famous, they might just have got away with it!

Imagineering in Wonderland

2007-06-07T09:44:00.000+02:00

Attending a lecture titled: 'Imagineering in Wonderland, a Nuclear world around us, are Electrons really blue?' by Dr Kelvin Kemm."

Learned a few things:

South Africa was one of the 1st Nuclear countries because of our Uranium resources.
Palindaba is going to deplete it's uranium from weapons grade to 19.5% fuel grade.
Global warming is just another one of those "keep control by instilling fear" tactics, i.e. bird flu has had its turn.
Refreshed my interest in the Quantum nature of electrons and Heisenburgs uncertainty principle. Quantum electron pairs will choose opposite spins instantaneously, even though separated by space.

Questions in my head:

What happens if an electro-magnetic waves' frequency is increased to a point that it approaches infinity?
Can an electro-magnetic wave fold in on itself? Would this result in a particle?

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

2007-06-05T00:22:00.000+02:00

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
[In regione caecorum rex est luscus.]
Desiderius Erasmus, Adagia (III, IV, 96)
Dutch author, philosopher, & scholar (1466 - 1536)
Yes, the camera does rule the west..

Dajaal has just one eye doesn't he?

'60 die' as Afghan boat sinks - CNN.com

2007-06-02T10:25:00.000+02:00

It's quite interesting to note how much of this article centers around the tragic drowning of 60 people and how much of it reminds the reader that the Taliban are bad people. I would feel offended if I were american, that CNN has the impression that my IQ cannot be more than 30.

Read between the lines people, somebody did something terrible here and once again, the Afghans have had to pay the price.

RIP SMS

2007-05-29T04:58:00.000+02:00

The Internet has a new arsenal against the telecoms world; Web 2.0.

With a combination of twitter and either:

Widsets with the twitter widget

or

a Gtalk account with a mobile IM client like mxit

one can send free sms's from a mobile!

All you need to do is use the IM client/ widsets widget to send a direct twitter to a friend and he will receive the message as an SMS, thanks to twitter!

Matrix Spoof

2007-05-11T09:57:00.000+02:00

Via: VideoSift

Google Co-op - Islamic Search Engine

2007-05-08T11:18:00.000+02:00

Another cool, useful tool by Google. Personalized search engines allow you to define the topic being searched as well as the sites indexed.

I present to you my 1st two search engines, the Islamic Search Engine:

, the Famous Search Engine of Food and Recipes:

, the Telecommunications Search Engine:

and now the Mobile Device User Agent Profile (UAProf) Search Engine:

The actual searches can be found on the right hand side panel under the usual Google search widget.

Linux evolves for mobile phones

2007-05-08T02:18:00.000+02:00

Ubuntu on a mobile! I can't wait....

"The Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded project aims to create the open source platform for initial release in October 2007.

The operating system will be developed by members of the Ubuntu community, along with staff from chip giant Intel.

Its development was prompted by the growth of power hungry portable devices that place new demands on software.

"It is clear that new types of device - small, handheld, graphical tablets which are Internet-enabled - are going to change the way we communicate and collaborate," said Ubuntu CTO Matt Zimmerman.

"These devices place new demands on open-source software and require innovative graphical interfaces, improved power management and better responsiveness."

Mobile firms such as Nokia are already using open source technologies in some of its products...."

Israel 'routinely tortures prisoners' - Independent Online Edition > Middle East

2007-05-07T09:57:00.000+02:00

They do?

Check out the tits on this:

2007-04-24T10:08:00.000+02:00

FICA Sucks

2007-04-23T10:14:00.000+02:00

After painfully submitting proof of residential address docs for FICA to Standard Bank thrice already, I just received notice that my account is not FICA compliant. AAAArrrrghhh!!!

To make matters worse, I receive utility bills either via email or to my postal address because I don't trust the post-box at my house, like most South Africans.

THEY (Standard Bank/FICA) don't accept pdf documents as proof of residence! How backward can you be??? Its just ridiculous in this day and age. They want the "original" documents. I would change banks if I didn't know already that the other banks suck as much.

So what exactly is north shore?

2007-03-30T00:44:00.000+02:00

The Maelstrom trail at Logwood Bike Haven

2007-03-28T00:13:00.000+02:00

This is an old pic of what is now known as the Diadora Dropoff at Logwood. Trust me, it looks much scarier from the top!

www.howmuslimspray.com - How Muslims Pray and What They Say

2007-03-23T20:54:00.000+02:00

This is a pretty cool guide for kids as well as non-Muslims that are curious about what it is that is done during the 5 daily prayers.

The universe is a string-net liquid - fundamentals - 15 March 2007 - New Scientist

2007-03-15T16:04:00.000+02:00

I love theories that bind the universe, especially if they bring maxwell to the equation!

Quote of the day....

2007-03-14T09:39:00.000+02:00

"To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it." GK Chesterton

Google Trends: fring

2007-03-12T04:10:00.000+02:00

Yep, the voip wave cometh!

Regarding wearing trowsers above the ankles..

2007-03-09T09:46:00.000+02:00

I think that the hadith below clearly shows that it's all about the persons intention, if you're wearing your trouser/robe below your ankle out of pride then it's wrong, otherwise it's fine.

Narrated Abdullah bin Umar: That Allah's Apostle said, "Allah will not look on the Day of Judgment at him who drags his robe (behind him) out of pride." Abu Bakr said "One side of my robe slacks down unless I get very cautious about it." Allah's Apostle said, "But you do not do that with a pride." Shaih Bukhari (5:57:17)

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israeli army 'used human shields'

2007-03-08T09:05:00.000+02:00

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israeli army 'used human shields'

Israeli army 'used human shields'

An Israeli human rights group has accused Israel's army of using two young Palestinians as human shields during a recent raid in the West Bank.

The B'Tselem group said it had testimony from a 15-year-old boy, his 24-year-old cousin and also an 11-year-old boy.

They said soldiers had forced them at gunpoint to enter houses ahead of the troops during the raid in Nablus.

You won't believe your eyes: The mysteries of sight revealed

2007-03-07T10:32:00.000+02:00

Independent Online Edition > Science & Technology

You won't believe your eyes: The mysteries of sight revealed

Did you know that certain women see colours that no one else can? Or that some children have developed specialised underwater vision? Simon Ings peers into the world of sight

Published: 07 March 2007

HOW MANY COLOURS ARE IN A RAINBOW?

Human colour vision is a relatively recent acquisition. It is, at most, 63 million years old, and it may be a lot younger. On a genetic level, it is a mess: misalignments and redundancies in the genes that code for our "red" and "green" colour perceptions account for 95 per cent of all variations in human colour vision, and it is quite usual for up to nine genes to cluster together in an attempt to code for these colours. This is why the perception of colours - especially blues and greens - varies so much between individuals.

Humans perceive colour through three types of colour-sensitive cell, called cones, but some have four types. Equipped with four receptors instead of three, Mrs M - an English social worker, and the first known human "tetrachromat" - sees rare subtleties of colour. Looking at a rainbow, she can see 10 distinct colours. Most of us only see five. She was the first to be discovered as having this ability, in 1993, and a study in 2004 found that two out of 80 subjects were tetrachromats.

WHY YOUR EYES NEVER STAY STILL

If our eyes did not move - if they simply "drank in" the view before them - we would go blind. Our retinas can only process contrast, and soon become exhausted looking at the same thing for too long. They must tremble constantly in order to bring still objects into view.

THE SIGHTS WE ALL MISS

Human vision captures only two degrees of the world with any clarity, so we tend to miss things that happen outside our focus of attention - and the more we concentrate, the more extreme our "attention blindness" becomes. This makes us easy prey for psychologists such as Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris, whose notorious experiment of 1999 asked its viewers to score a three-a-side, 90-second basketball game. Afterwards, the viewers were told to relax, put down their score cards and watch the video again. Only then did the game's most remarkable feature come to light: the invasion of the court, a few seconds in, by a 7ft-tall pantomime gorilla.

A VISION OF THE FUTURE

Our eyes stay several steps ahead of us, whatever we happen to be doing. When negotiating a turn in the road, for example, a driver's eye will provide motor information to his or her arms almost a second before he or she makes any movement. By then, the eyes will already be looking elsewhere. Visually at least, we operate in the world not as it is, but as it existed half a second ago. This raises a not insignificant question: how does the eye know where to direct its gaze next?

THE CURE FOR BLINDNESS

The concept of a bionic eye is nothing new. In the 1970s, bio-engineer Paul Bach-y-Rita, now at the University of

Wisconsin-Madison, was turning different parts of the body into eyes. His prototypes were vests containing hundreds of mechanical vibrators. Pixelated images from a low-resolution video camera, worn on a pair of glasses, were translated into mechanical vibrations against the skin of the chest or back. Bach-y-Rita's volunteers were able to recognise faces using the system. Proof that they could see came when Paul threw balled-up papers at them: they ducked.

SEEING BENEATH THE SEA

Because light behaves differently in water and air, land-adapted human vision is lousy in water. Someone, however, forgot to tell the Moken - gypsies who ply the Burmese archipelago and Thailand's western coast. Moken children, who spend days diving for clams and sea cucumbers, can see twice as much fine detail underwater as European children. While the pupils of the latter expand underwater, in response to the dimness of the light, Moken pupils shrink to their smallest possible diameter, improving acuity underwater. Mokens also use the lenses of their eyes more, squishing them to the limit of human performance.

HOW RETINAS WORK

A rod cell is the commonest form of light-sensitive cell in the human eye. When it is exposed to light, it expands like a Slinky toy to twice its length. In the dark, it contracts again. Rods behave like muscle cells, and muscle fibres expand and contract in response to electrical stimulation. The retinal rod, too, is responding to an electrical signal - one that comes from a biochemical reaction to light.

The working retina is a glorified Pin Art machine. On 16 November 1880, in the German town of Bruchsal, a young felon was beheaded by guillotine. A short while later, in a gloomy room, its windows screened with red and yellow glass, Wilhelm Kühne, professor of physiology at Heidelberg, dissected the dead boy's eyes. Ten minutes later, he showed colleagues a sharp pattern on the surface of the left retina. This, Kühne said, was an optogram: a dying vision, preserved as a chemical pattern on the retina.

WHY ANIMALS HAVE NO WHITES IN THEIR EYES

Few animals risk making a feature of their eyes. The "whites" of most vertebrates' eyes are dark, concealing the direction of their gaze. Only a social animal - a parrot, say, or a human - would make its eyes noticeable. Our bright whites enable us to use gaze-direction to convey emotion. A downward gaze indicates sadness; looking down and away suggests shame; looking away is a sign of frustration or disgust. The lateral rectus eye muscle is labelled "amatoris" in early anatomies because lovers use it to flirt.

HOW MOLES CAN 'SEE' UNDERGROUND

The nose of the star-nosed mole, Condylura cristata, has evolved into a mobile fleshy organ only about one centimetre across. Its nerves - five times as many as run through the human hand - are arranged across the nose's 22 "fingers", so that the mole's nose is most sensitive at its centre. The whole distribution of nerve endings bears a more than passing resemblance to the retina of a mammalian eye.

WHEN EYES SWITCH OFF

Although our eyes can move smoothly when tracking a target, they more usually snap from position to position to capture a selection of "stills". To avoid disorientation, our optic nerves fall silent while our eyes are moving between stills. This leaves us blind for about 10 per cent of our waking lives.

THE CRYING GAME

Crying is difficult to fake. Even actors have to generate some feeling before they cry. The Israeli evolutionary biologist Amotz Zahavi proposed that you can infer the honesty of a social signal by measuring the cost of the expression. Harvard's Marc Hauser, applying this principle to the eye, regards tears as the human equivalent of a dog rolling belly-up to show submission. "Unlike all of the other emotional expressions, tearing is the only one that leaves a physical trace," he says. "It blurs one's vision, therefore it's costly."

WORLD'S BIGGEST EYE

Arguably, the largest eye in nature is currently lying on a slab at the Te Papa museum in Auckland, New Zealand. It belongs to a colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni. Identified in 1925, the colossal squid evaded capture for years until, this February, the trawler San Aspiring snagged an adult male on a fishing line. It is about 39 feet long. To be the biggest ever measured, the squid's eye will have to beat the previous record, set by a giant squid, found alive and stranded in Newfoundland in 1878. It had eyes 40cm across - wider than my computer screen.

MORE THAN A MYTH

About a week into a baby's development in the womb, a single eye socket appears in the middle of its forehead. Soon, it splits into two. The Cyclops - the one-eyed giant of mythology - has inspired many explanations, but the most likely is also the saddest. Very rarely, a developing child's brain fails to divide into two, and the central eye socket doesn't divide. This happens a handful of times each year.

WE'RE ALL LOSING OUR FOCUS

In 1996, about 60 per cent of American 23- to 34-year-olds were short-sighted, compared with only about 20 per cent of people over the age of 65. In Asia, things are worse. The Singapore National Eye Centre estimates that more than 80 per cent of the country's 18-year-old men are myopic. In the developed world, severe myopia is the leading cause of blindness. Evidence suggests that children grow more short-sighted in term-time than during the holidays.

Gain-assisted superluminal light propagation : Abstract : Nature

2007-03-06T04:41:00.000+02:00

Gain-assisted superluminal light propagation : Abstract : Nature

Dictionary of Difficult Words - je ne sais quoi

2007-03-02T06:47:00.000+02:00

Dictionary of Difficult Words - je ne sais quoi: "je ne sais quoi
'I do not know what'; indescribable attractive attribute or quality; 'a certain something'."

Why Does E=mc2? | Cosmic Variance

2007-03-02T06:46:00.000+02:00

Why Does E=mc2? | Cosmic Variance

Installing and setting up Eclipse with Sun's Java

2007-03-01T10:50:00.000+02:00

Ubuntu Forums - View Single Post - Installing and setting up Eclipse with Sun's Java

Global Rich List

2007-02-27T09:40:00.000+02:00

Sometimes we loose perspective when it comes to how much we earn. The
Global Rich List will give you an idea of what the rest of the world earns. Makes you think twice when you know how fortunate you really are, thank God.

'UK fears US will attack Iran': World: News: News24

2007-02-23T09:42:00.000+02:00

'UK fears US will attack Iran': World: News: News24

*sigh*, surprise, surprise...

It would be the next (il)logical step now wouldn't it?

Quote of the day

2007-02-23T04:02:00.000+02:00

"Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end.
- Jerry Seinfeld"

Medieval Islamic tiling reveals mathematical savvy - fundamentals - 22 February 2007 - New Scientist Environment

2007-02-23T03:11:00.000+02:00

Medieval Islamic tiling reveals mathematical savvy - fundamentals - 22 February 2007 - New Scientist Environment

This is what your greed for oil means to Iraqi's

2007-02-22T11:12:00.000+02:00

This is a report of a sickening incident in Iraq. Makes you wonder what other atrocities go by un-reported. And all this so that Bush and co. can wallow in more oil. Shame on those of you that support this war with your taxes or even your silence. All of this in the name of stupid patriotism.

May that family be blessed with Jannah and may those guilty pay for their sins in this life and the next.

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: The Prophet sent Mu'adh to Yemen and said, "Be afraid, from the curse of the oppressed as there is no screen between his invocation and Allah." Shaih

Visited Countries

2007-02-15T05:32:00.000+02:00

What the Quraan says about dieting

2007-02-13T02:46:00.000+02:00

O you who believe! do not forbid (yourselves) the good things which Allah has made lawful for you and do not exceed the limits; surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits.
Islamicnet.com: Translation of the Quran in English

In summary, moderation!

Sounds familiar?

2007-02-11T00:03:00.000+02:00

Yay or Nay?

2007-02-02T05:50:00.000+02:00

After a recent accident and the more importantly the subsequent dealings with my insurance company and trying to find a decent panel beater, I decided that what I and probably many other South Africans need is a website where one can find information about service providers in South Africa. I was also curious about low budget hosting sites and domain name registration etc. so I put up yayornay . Ok, so the name is quite lame, but it's been quite a learning experience using the Xoop cms.