Lights, camera, action!

THE simple act of writing a diary online, describing one’s thoughts and opinions, has evolved over the years to something more complex, fascinating and fulfilling. The bloggers of today are not content with simply making an account on Blogger and typing in a random entry every now and then. They want to do something more.

And this is where video blogging (or vlogging) comes in. The content of a video blog is essentially video clips which have been shot by the blogger in question. These clips can either be personal and completely random or they can follow a particular theme; for instance, education, environment or politics, decided again by the vlogger.

Vlogging is simple enough once you get the hang of it. All you really need is a digital camera with which you can shoot the video. Once it is shot, you can transfer it to your PC via your USB and after editing, upload it on one of the many websites which allow video hosting for free. And then, all that is required is a blog in which you can post the link of the video. Your readers can easily follow the link and get the video streamed to their PCs. For additional functionality, you can add an RSS feed so that all those who regularly come to your vlog can subscribe to it.

Vlogging is a fairly recent phenomenon if the dates and events associated with it are anything to go by. It was only in November 2000 when a blogger, Adrian Miles, and Australia-based teacher, introduced vlogging. You can go through his entry at http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/vog/vog_archive/000082.html. Hs vlog can be accessed at http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/vlog/.

The very first vlog, however, didn’t come until 2004 when Steven Garfield, a Boston-based blogger, launched the first ever video blog at http://stevegarfield.blogs.com/videoblog/. It is Garfield who is considered to be the father of video blogging. To date, his vlog has a wide assortment of video clips featuring interviews, seminars and much more.

Vlogging has now caught on with the rest of the world, with vloggers being a strong virtual community in their own right. A Vlogger Conference was held in January 2005 which brought together all video bloggers and podcasters on one platform to discuss the potential of this new and very exciting form of communication.

In May 2005, the present hub of video blogging was born. That was the month in which a preview of YouTube (www.youtube.com) went online. In the following months, YouTube become a raging success. People not only used it to video blog, but they also uploaded many different programmes from the mainstream media to share with their friends, something that resulted in copyright lawsuits for the YouTube management. However, YouTube is still surviving and a popular choice for those who want to upload their video clips or watch them at ease.

As the situation with vlogging now stands, video blogging is not just a fascinating way to interact with the rest of the world, it is highly effective too. It is basically doing away with the power that people in the mainstream media have to choose what information should be disclosed to the people and what should be withheld.

With video blogging, this power lays in hands of the public. An average person going about his business on a routine day can shoot whatever he deems would be interesting, informative and entertaining to his audience and put the video up for the entire world to watch at its leisure. There is the accountability factor too. One can also shoot all those things going on in the society which shouldn’t be and use the videos as evidence. At its best, this alternative medium is actually empowering people.

But the question remains, is this trend popular in Pakistan?

“Regrettably, there are no video bloggers in Pakistan, as per my knowledge,” says S.A.J. Shirazi, a prolific blogger. “I sometimes see videos posted on Adil Najam’s blog or Asad Raza’s blog – both are expatriates. Adil Najam cross-posted a video on my blog in his August 14 post as well. But that does not mean that they are necessarily video bloggers.”

This indicates that, unfortunately, the rate at which video blogging is diffusing in Pakistan is rather slow. There can be a variety of reasons for that, the major one being, of course, that many people simply aren’t familiar with the term video blogging and its advantages. In a country like ours, where internet literacy is already low and out of that only a handful of people have chosen to blog actively, the fact that video blogging hasn’t caught on doesn’t really come across as a surprise.

Even so, it is a pity, especially when one considers the potential for video blogging in the Pakistani context. We are living in a world where Pakistan constantly comes under fire in mainstream media for various reasons. Video blogging can actually be a very good way of dispelling some of the myths about Pakistan that people from other countries believe to be true. The advantage of video blogging is that the videos don’t really have to be about celebrities or “cool” hangout places. The videos can feature the daily lives of ordinary people going about their routine work, random people talking in public buses as if they have known each other for years, shopkeepers haggling with fussy females or the whole city preparing for some festive occasion. They would all be ordinary videos but they would give off a very strong message that ours is a country just like any other. People here actually have a life and they don’t go around wearing bullet-proof vests and brandishing weapons at those who don’t agree with them.

Another benefit is that many people who come online can’t really read the extensive text on webpages or blogs without getting a severe headache. A blogger who is simply writing has to consider keeping his entry short and to the point. In contrast, a video blogger has the advantage of letting his audience see what he has to say.

In the light of the above reasons, vlogging does seem like a promising addition to the world of blogging in Pakistan. All one requires is some time and effort. For those who want to disseminate information which would never find a place on the airwaves, here is a fast and convenient way to reach out to a large number of people.

Webwatch

Path of the moon

http://mistupid.com/astronomy/moonphase.htm
Yes, we all know the path of the moon and have studied it numerous times in the science classes. But how would you like to see its simulation on your PC? Check this website out which has an animation showing the moon going through different phases in a month. There is a great deal of related information as well on the solar system and orbits of planets in case you are interested in astronomy. So do visit this website to learn more on the subject.

Safety first

http://www.foody.org/atomic/atomic01.html
With countries around the world becoming embroiled in one conflict too many, the information on this website is something that is worth looking at. Basically this website will tell you how you should protect yourself when your city is being bombed by keeping organised and defending yourself effectively. It also delves into the way it works and the scale of its destruction along with various lesser known facts about atomic bombs. This website is definitely worth taking a look at in this day and time.

Monopolising Monopoly

http://www.tkcs-collins.com/truman/monopoly/monopoly.shtml
Are you a die-hard Monopoly fan yet keep losing one game after the other? This website will let you know how a simple program written in C and the way knowledge of basic mathematics can help in figuring out the probability for each square and income. It’s a bit technical but if you are really into monopoly, read through the whole thing, and relive your experiences of Monopoly.

Goodies galore

http://www.ventrella.com/
This website has something of everything. You can simply point and click to download an array of stuff from interesting Windows programs to animations and simulations on scientific phenomena. There are detailed notes and technical details provided with each so you can figure out exactly how a specific tool was developed and how it works.

Webwatch

Supplies galore

http://www.flinnsci.com/search_MSDS.asp
Short of supplies for your research laboratories? This is one website where you can get all the information on the latest supplies that are available for laboratories. All equipment and supplies are divided into different science categories which makes it easy to identify what is required. So whether you are looking for basic or more advanced stuff, everything is easily available here.

High voltage projects

http://www.electronicpeasant.com/
The voltage is definitely running high on this website. Featured here are a variety of electronic gadgets made as part of advanced electronics. You can go through them and read up on their functionality. But a word of caution: do not try making them yourself if you are a student. If you are a researcher, however, then it’s a different story. There is a whole section on do-it-yourself projects for you to check out.

Tutorials all around

http://www.totaltutorial.com/
When it comes to computers and the internet, you can never learn enough. There is always something new and exciting out there to master. This website has loads of tutorials on a wide variety of topics related to computer software and the internet. You can use these tutorials to learn almost anything from new programming languages to making your website interactive.

Science trick

http://pomonahistorical.org/12times.htm
How do you fold paper in half 12 times? Believe it or not, this is actually a paper folding problem which has baffled mathematicians for years. But now a student, Britney Gallivan, has solved this puzzle. You can go through this website to discover what exactly the problem is and the mathematical equations that have been used to solve it.

Mass media on the web

ONE consequence of contemporary technology is that differences between various mass media are gradually diminishing. There was a time when dramas and sitcoms were the domain of television. Now it is a different story altogether.

Media forums, and official websites of television channels, are all the rage. Put together, they ensure that the average television viewer goes beyond the idiot box and delves a bit more into whatever s/he chooses to watch. The internet, of course, has made that job extremely easy.

Let’s start with media forums. There are many reasons why you may miss a few episodes of your favourite soap or sitcom when they are aired on television. So what do you do?

Of course, you can watch reruns that are aired at various times during the day. But sometimes the timing may not jive with your schedule. What next? With the proliferation of media forums and websites, you can simply go online and download your favourite episode to watch at your own leisure.

There are many websites, with more mushrooming by the day, which have members geared up to providing media content to internet surfers. These members watch the show, tape it and then upload it to many of the free video-hosting websites that are available. They then post the link on the website of the forum where users may download it free of charges.

And in case you are wondering how in the world can anyone manage such large downloads, things have been made easy with all the download accelerators and video downloader software that are available. And if you happen to visit some of the websites hosting videos of media content, you will notice that the number of downloads will be well over a thousand. This means that the file size is no longer an issue.

So what’s the advantage? First and foremost, this is a wonderful way of watching everything at one’s own convenience. Plus, there are days when the timings of different programmes clash, thanks to the wide range of channels.

Also, one is not bound by the timings of the programmes. Downloading can be done at any time. And the downloaded versions, though low in quality, are always free of advertisements which does save a lot of time.

Moreover, if one visits these forums, one finds that most of the internet users there are Pakistanis living abroad. Since most of them cannot subscribe to all Pakistani channels, they do the next best thing, which is downloading and watching programmes on their computer.

But there is the very important underlying issue of piracy here. There is talk of software piracy and books’ piracy, but what about film/television piracy? One can’t help but doubt whether these websites which are either offering free downloads of Pakistani dramas or streaming them to their users are actually making payments to the concerned production house. Also, why would anyone bother subscribing to a channel when they are getting all the content right there on the websites?

However, the average internet user is concerned only with content. Issues of piracy are lost on most people, who simply want to watch all media content that they can get free and at their convenience.

But one shouldn’t belittle these media forums because of piracy. They are actually a wonderful means of interacting with fellow Pakistanis on issues relating to mass media and their content. One cannot only discuss a specific drama serial or its characters but can go a step further and talk about why dramas are declining, why all nauseating soaps are so popular and why the comedy isn’t funny?

The comments of expatriate Pakistanis regarding Pakistani private channels make for an interesting read. It is apparent that these expatriates do not feel that the private channels are airing anything worth watching these days. And they use online forums to get their opinions across to a more media literate audience.

It is also these very Pakistanis who actually mobilise the audience. When a well-known private channel started telecasting Indian soaps, there was an uproar on the forums. There were quite a few people who discussed the issue, voiced their strong opinions and then not only did they send emails to the concerned channel, they made sure everyone else did the same. In this way, forums can build public opinion.

When it comes to online media, the official websites of private channels have also played their role. Internet users can watch promos of the programmes on these websites, view picture galleries and, of course, check the schedule of the numerous reruns. A great feature of these websites is the feedback option available. Now users can communicate directly with the media personnel through their websites and voice their issues and concerns. Some websites also offer a free download of the title tracks of various dramas.

Not to be left behind, production houses now have separate email addresses for every programme of theirs which goes on air. At the end of the credits, they invite feedback through an email address and this, of course, is another convenient way viewers can let their opinion known to the content providers of mass media. When one can send out a dozen forwarded emails a day, why not send one to the concerned production house?

Hence, it is the contemporary media websites and forums which have changed the entire concept of a media audience. There are now many different ways that one can use to relay their voice of dissent or encouragement directly to the production house or channel. The concept of silent and personal bashing is fast disappearing.

So the next time you see a drama or soap and think you would rather have done something else than watch it, log on to any of the official websites or forums and let the concerned people know that you didn’t like it. Voice your opinion and give your suggestions. There is, now, no excuse for being passive.

Unions be gone!

IT was the second semester of the 2005 academic year at the University of Karachi. The semester examination was well under way. In the Department of Geology, however, the chaos prevailed during the exam when a student who was refused admission into the examination room, came with his gang and beat up a teacher.

This incident received widespread condemnation from both the students as well as the teaching staff all over the city. But it was only when the Karachi University Teachers’ Society (Kuts) sprang into action and demanded immediate disciplinary action that the student involved in this incident was rusticated.

This incident is one out of thousands where one appreciates the existence of unions and associations that are formed by teachers in educational institutes. In many cases, these unions are the sole respite of the teaching staff, a platform which is exclusively theirs, from which they can stand up on certain issues and take coordinated action. Simply put, a union gives teachers representation in any educational institute.

Unfortunately, it is these very unions that are now under attack thanks to the government of Sindh. On July 21, 2006, a notification issued by the Sindh education department effectively banned all forms of unions formed by its employees. These employees, unfortunately, include teachers as well, which means that unions for teachers of government-run educational institutes along with those which come under the district governments are now illegal (Dawn, July 22, 2006)

In the aftermath of this ban, many different associations formed by teachers have issued statements condemning this unjust clampdown. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Pasban, All-Pakistan Professors and Lecturers’ Association and the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) are some of the bodies which have termed this ban as unjust and a means of further weakening the position of teachers who are already working in deplorable conditions.

In the wake of such extreme action, one is forced to ask the obvious: what have the unions done to merit such severe laws against them? In the ‘80s, it was the student unions which bore the brunt of oppressive educational policies when they faced a complete ban. Now, it seems, the noose has tightened and teachers’ unions have come under attack.

In this regard, the notification issued by the Sindh education department has cited various reasons for banning teachers’ unions. According to this notification, these unions were being misused by teachers. For example, teachers often went on strikes as a reaction to the government’s inability to meet their demands. In fact, according to well-placed sources, they often employ this method of non-cooperation as a way of negotiating for higher salaries.

It appears their concerns are not entirely misplaced for sometimes, unions do stand up for rather strange causes. A case in point is that of a female student appearing for her LLB examination in Karachi University who was allegedly harassed by a few employees. When students intervened and beat up the culprit, the employees’ union staged a protest, left their duties and threatened dire action. It is bizarre cases like this that show that employees’ unions do have the ability to misuse the power given to them.

Of course, one can’t help but wonder if unions are really as bad as they are made out to be. Many believe that unions, even though they may stand up for the wrong cause at times, are an absolute necessity in any educational institution and so, this sudden ban is really uncalled for.

Among teachers, there is a consensus of sorts — maybe unions have been banned because they were the sole voice of dissent on some of the policies pursued by the Sindh education department to date. The process of recruitment of teachers in government-run educational institutions which began during the previous city government’s rule was abruptly ended by the present regime. Bribery, political appointments and personal contacts are playing an increasing role in getting people employment in the educational sector. Moreover, there is a huge imbalance in the strength of teachers across different schools. In some public schools, there are 20 teachers for 25 students. In others, there are no teachers at all.

Teachers’ unions constitutes one group that actively pursues these issues and is all for a massive reform in public sector education and a quick look at some of the major events in the past few months confirms this. For instance, on April 29, 2006, more than 7,000 college teachers across the province went on strike to protest vandalism in Karachi’s colleges and the inability of the Sindh education department to deal with the perpetrators (Dawn, April 30, 2006).

But apparently, this form of protest didn’t go too well with the higher authorities. Instead of paying heed to the root cause of the dissent and trying to eliminate them, they decided to attack the unions and silence them once and for all.

Another opinion which prevails is that unions and associations of teachers are really a non-issue. They exist, hold their meetings and give their statements to the press. It is best to leave them as they are. This school of thought believes that there are more important matters related to education in Sindh. There are other atrocious and widespread practices like cheating, for instance, which need to be banned first instead of unions.

Specifically, some teachers, when approached had the following to say:

“There shouldn’t be a ban on teacher unions because teachers have rights, too, and unions help enforce those rights,” stated Zareen Ahmed, a teacher at a private school. “Of course, when we talk practically, some unions are used for a political purpose. So you never know.”

According to Zainub Qaimkhani, a teacher at a religious school, this is “really a non-issue. Teacher unions don’t have any constructive role as such.”

Students, however, have mixed views on the subject.

“I haven’t really been following the news but in my opinion, of course, there shouldn’t be a ban on teacher unions. They get paid such a meagre salary. They have a right to form unions. I say it’s absurd to put a ban on such unions,” said Sarah Abdul Rehman, a medical student.

Bushra Anwar, a Bachelor’s student, voiced her thoughts on the subject: “It depends on the institution. In schools, unions might be troublesome because those are smaller and closely run set-ups. But in universities they are needed because that’s where the administration is ineffective.”

Mahwah Ajaz, a Master’s student is in favour of the ban. “I feel it is a good decision. Unions are being used for entirely the wrong reasons. It is a good thing to have a stronger hold on pressure groups’ activities,” she said.

Nayyara Rahman, a business student, concurs. “I don’t know when and why the ban was placed. But I do feel that it’s about time some checks and balances were imposed. Of course, the ban will squash the freedom of expression, but it will also prevent malpractice and exploitation of already-depleted resources. It will put the greedy teachers in their place and will make sincere and devoted people truly stand out.”

At this point in time, one is again reminded of student unions and the useful role they were playing, not only in channeling the energy of the youth towards a constructive activity, but also in producing future political leaders. Once the ban on them was put in place, the entire process went haywire.

Of course, political groups exist all the same but since there are no official union elections, there is no central authority to control them. The results are clashes between different groups, resulting in strikes in public sector educational institutes. More than a few students have been critically injured and a few innocent ones have even lost their lives.

Banning all unions, no matter what the reason, is extreme behaviour. Granted that unions often give people reason enough to pull their hair out in frustration but removing them from the scene altogether won’t really solve anything. At best, it is going to give those at the helm of affairs a false sense of security but the political climate in educational institutions will steadily deteriorate, just the way it has happened because of the so-called ban imposed on students’ unions.

Myron Lieberman, author of the book The Teacher Unions, once said: “Let us not forget that teacher unions were established to promote teacher welfare, not educational achievement.” With the ban on teachers’ unions, here in Pakistan, the well-being of educators is threatened.

Webwatch

Engineering blues

http://www.efunda.com/home.cfm
For all professional and would-be engineers, this website is an absolute godsend. There are links to publications and software related to engineering. Plus, there are forums where registered members can interact with engineers from all over the world. There is also a wealth of information categorised into different engineering-related topics like formulas and mathematics.

Views and news

http://www.cbc.ca/science/
Don’t get enough science-related news? This website will definitely satisfy your curiosity about what’s new in the world of science and health. Featured here are detailed news reports on things like avian flu, tsunami and stem cells. Also worth reading are the opinions of different columnists writing for their own sections.

How‘s my page?

http://v03.browsershots.org/
How many times has it happened that you have designed the perfect website or web-page only to be told that it is looking absolutely horrendous on other browsers? Bookmark this website to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. All you need to do is enter your URL and this website will show you how your work will look on different browsers. You can then adjust your source code accordingly.

Tracking business

http://www.n2yo.com/?s=23192
Have you ever wondered what sort of pictures do satellites send back once they are in space? Here is your answer. Featured on this website are a number of satellites and you can see real time photos which they are capturing right now. You can also go through the news and analyses featured at the site.

Does your PC need help?

It is impossible that your PC doesn’t act up every once in a while. Everyone’s PC loves to act up — whether it is a problem of the computer shutting down every five minutes, browsers not working (where messengers are), pop-up windows appearing every two seconds, the computer slowing down to an almost agonising speed, and so on.

Those of us who are computer-literate to the point of efficiency can easily locate the problem and solve it. The majority of us who are not so fortunate have to dissemble the PC, load it into the car and cart it off to the nearest computer shop, where we are politely told that our hard drive will have to be re-formatted for the problem to be solved. No matter what the problem is, every time the PC has to be re-formatted. But, is it really so?

If you know the symptoms, then you can easily locate the problem yourself and hunt down the solution through a search engine. There isn’t any hard and fast course on “Tracking down the symptoms of an infected PC and dealing with It.” But there are loads of websites which you can visit any time your PC looks like its come down with something (except when it is facing browser problems). That’s when you’ll have to rely on your friend’s or library’s or computer lab’s PC.

The best website to begin learning more about computers and related problems is http://computing.net/ . A very comprehensive website, this one has clearly categorised sections for efficient browsing. If you are researching certain symptoms your PC is showing, then the best section to visit first is the forums’ section. The different forums are categorised by the Windows’ Operating Systems as well as Linux, Unix, DOS etc. There are separate rooms for security and virus and gaming as well. Once you’re in the appropriate room, simply scroll through the messages to determine whether or not your area of concern has been covered already or not. If it hasn’t, you can simply register yourself as a user, and post your query. And someone will definitely solve your problem.

If, however, you want to learn a thing or two about computers in general then the “Articles and Opinions” section containing a range of the same written by technology experts and analysts will definitely suffice. Then, there is an extensive how-to section. If you find that installing or updating certain software caused your PC to ‘crash’ then better check out this section, before carrying out any sensitive action on your PC. How-to articles have been divided into simple and advanced form for your convenience. A related section is “Novice Section” where you can access how-to guides related to purchasing PC stuff, using the Internet and accessing digital music. And finally, check out the FAQ section to ensure that whatever query you are about to post on the forums hasn’t already been covered.

Another resourceful website is that of CNET Forums at http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-7600_7-5565323-1.html?tag=txt . All you need to do here is sign up to become a part of a very diverse set of forums. There are many categories here along with the standard operating system category. Some of the interesting ones include Digital Media and Design, General Help and Software. It goes without saying that if you’re stuck with your PC, the best place to point your mouse and click is the General Help Forum.

Also, there is always the Microsoft Knowledge Base website at http://search.support.microsoft.com where you can search for any specific problem or piece of information using a very elaborate input form. You can also download critical security updates for various Microsoft products as well as your operating system to avoid any virus attack or hijack attempts. Moreover, you can access help and support regarding various Microsoft products as well by poring through the troubleshooting guide and how-to articles.

A useful search engine to pinpoint problems and locate solutions is http://answerpoint.ask.com/ . Simply write down your problem in a phrase and you will be directed to the appropriate websites to get your PC scanned and download the necessary software. If you already suspect your PC of being infected with spyware, for instance, you can directly access http://www.spywareinfo.com/ for remedies, for anti-viruses check out http://www.antivirus.com — and to fight homepage hijackers and irritating pop-up windows you can visit http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html.

An important thing to remember at this point is that there are certain occasions when a hard drive format becomes inevitable. To safeguard against such a time, when you run the risk of losing your important data, the best thing is to keep a backup of all the important files. Here, Yahoo’s briefcase at http://briefcase.yahoo.com becomes very handy. With 30 MB storage and a facility to create folders, you can easily upload your files there, categorise them in folders and access them if you lose the same on your hard disk.

For more sophisticated methods of file recovery, you can check out http://www.filerecovery.org/index.html . This website details the various different ways in which you stand at risk of losing your data such as mechanical and environmental factors, and then guides accordingly as to how to create a backup file and store data. It also has a comprehensive guide on how to maintain your computer so you stand at the minimum risk of getting it infected with some unknown problems. Some of the steps mentioned here include avoiding cluttering up your hard disk with unnecessary stuff, checking occasionally for viruses and worms, and shutting down the computer properly.

Hopefully, now you won’t have to suffer through loss of important data and other multimedia stuff unnecessarily. And even when a hard drive format becomes inevitable, you’ll have a backup.