Apple has more cash than the federal government of US..

As the BBC has reported, the software company Apple has more cash on hand than the United States federal government, according to the company's financial records.

Apple's quarterly financial report shows that the company responsible for the iPad, iPod and the iPhone now has $76.4 billion in reserve cash, while the Treasury Department is sitting on just $73.7 billion.

The feds could probably learn a thing or two from Apple's success. Congress remains embroiled in a debate over spending and whether the federal government, which currently owes trillions in debt, should be allowed to borrow even more. International credit rating agencies have threatened to downgrade the national debt for the first time in the nation's history if Washington doesn't come up with a solution to lift the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling while implementing a concrete plan to get the nation's financial house in order.

Meanwhile, Apple's financial report shows that the company's profits, even through the last recession, are booming.

NOTE: Resource taken from online website.

The Gmail man...

Now the battle is on between Microsoft and Gmail - with the "Gmail Man". Last week Microsoft conducted its annual Global Exchange sales conference and successful kept every attendees (12000 of those) from tweeting or blogging about its new secrets.

On last week, Microsoft launched its "Gmail Man" spoof, which meant to spur the troops selling office 365 against Google apps, and specifically Gmail. In the video, Gmail Man tracks the keywords from your email and shows how they run ads on your inbox against it. The message was simple: Gmail cares more about advertising revenues than privacy.

Google has acknowledged that Gmail scans content and context of email as part of its ad system. And some have real concerns over G+ privacy issues.

There’s been a lot of back-and-forth between Microsoft and Google in the Office 365 vs. Google Apps cloud app-suite debate. The two have taken pot shots at their competitor’s feature set, uptime record, pricing models and more. They’ve also both taken to publicizing their respective customer wins/steals from one another.

Here is the Gmail Man video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrkAuwaoFGg&feature=player_embedded .

So bottom line is: the War is On - once again.

When Linus complains about Apple! AGAIN...

Anyone who've heard or read Linus Torvalds - would know, he is pretty tuff when it comes to complementing someone's else work. Though Linux is amazing in its own but if you keep on bashing your competitor, someday it will strick you back. Recently, and previously he made a comment calling "Apple’s filesystem is ‘complete and utter crap". It's built on 25-year old technlogy that stood by the test of time, through multiple OS versions and a change in hardware technology culminating in a now UNIX-based architecutre. Mac OS X is an amalgam of FreeBSD and NexT. It's HFS+ filesystem isn't ext4 but it has its own features that are pretty good.

Here is a quick comparison between these two:

HFS+ Features

• Maximum number of files per filesystem: Four billion.
• Supports volume sizes to 8EiB.
• Supports file sizes to 8EiB.
• Journaling.
• UNIX file permissions and ACLs.
• Transparent Compression.
• Transparent Encryption.
• UNIX filesystem layout.

Ext4 Features

• Maximum number of files per filesystem: Four billion.
• Supports volume sizes to 1EiB.
• Supports file sizes to 16TiB.
• Journaling.
• UNIX file permissions and ACLs.
• No Transparent Compression.
• No Transparent Encryption.
• UNIX filesystem layout.

So, you see, by comparison on some significant metrics, HFS+ is comparable to or superior to ext4. I do find it considerable overkill on the part of both that these filesystems can address more disk space than is currently available on the entire planet. As an illustration, if you could magnetically format the Moon (1 Lunabyte (LB)) and find a USB cable long enough to reach it, you could use the Moon to store your illegally downloaded MP3s, movies and porn–for everyone on Earth.

Why did Linus make such an incredibly crazy statement? Jet lag? Hangover? iPhone malfunction?

Note: Source taken from CNET blog.

Android in serious trouble after Apple patent blew...

Late yesterday an ITC judge ruled that smartphone maker HTC has infringed two Apple patents, and it seems likely that every single Android device out there infringes the same patents.

The two Apple patents that HTC is infringing are as follows:

• U.S. Patent No. 5,946,647 on a “system and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data.”
• U.S. Patent No. 6,343,263 on a “real-time signal processing system for serially transmitted data.”

This is a very significant development since these two patents are also in dispute between Apple and Motorola and Apple and Nokia. This decision is also landmark in that it is the first legal judgement that finds Android in infringement of third-party intellectual property rights.

Just how serious is this ruling for HTC? Very serious. The worst-case scenario is that the ITC imposes an US import ban against all of HTC’s Android products. That’s how serious this is for HTC.

According to intellectual property activist Florian Mueller, Apple is unlikely to grant HTC a license for these patents and might make a damages claim.

But it gets worse. This also has severe implications for all Android products on the market, irrespective of the maker, as Mueller also pointed out:

It’s hard to see how any Android device could not infringe them, or how companies could work around them.

Mueller has put together a chart showing how all Android devices infringe the same patents that HTC has been found infringe.

HTC claims that is has found ‘alternate solutions‘ to these patents, but Mueller isn’t optimistic:

But can those patents really be worked around? Standing in front of the Great Wall of China, you can also vow to walk around it. That doesn’t mean it’s a viable option.

And it seems that it is going to get worse as Android is at the center of 49 federal and ITC infringement suits.

Note: Source taken from CNET blog.

When you're doomed!

My friends (Allah inn sab ka bhala karay) never gave me a good opinion about marriage (in fact one - Saeed offered a full support and his car keys to run away from my nikkah (marriage) ceremony - let's see it turns out to be a good decision to stay or I would regret why I didn't took the blue pill - surprisingly his car color is blue), they always have some stories or warning when we talk about marriage or WIFE :-s not be mention, the tension I've seen in my friend's face when they receive calls from their so-called better half (pata nahe who and why they started calling like this). Let's try to compare the 2 lives - bachelor and married.

• Azadi (Freedom): well, there is no doubt you've more freedom being bachelor - can go anywhere, anytime - all the time, unless you don't have an Army dad at home :-s if your father is/was in Army then you can feel the pain I'm referring.
• FUN/Joy Factor: here I think, one has a 50/50 chance. So let's call it a tie.
• Responsibility: feeling of responsibility or personality change is better at married side which again is good not to feel too happy about if you're a casual going type.
• Care: You somehow tends to start care about your wife and less about your friends... waisay why you do this, when you know God has made wife to make sure you don't spend a relaxed minute in your life - this is what I think, Afif will agree but we've others like Sohail, which sometime confuses me if he is married at all - nothing has changed in his life after marriage and everything is changed for Afif... why Afif why? And we're friends like Saqi007 who're waiting for Pakistan to pass law like some in Europe and American states about marriages, maybe.. :)
• Professionalism: Well, surely... you change after becoming only better-HALF when earlier you were better FULL.. ;-) You start to care more about your job security and stuff when earlier you were only cared about where to spend your money and now how to save your money..

People are right when they say, girl/woman changes in your plans of life and sometime, it works for good.

Best of luck who want to be married and Best of luck who wants to be bachelor again - of course and unfortunately you can't enjoy 2 shows in 1 ticket.

Beware of "Mouse Thieves"

I am working in my current workspace from last 5 years and in just 6 months, there're 3 incidents when my computer mouse is stolen - not going missing like missing people in Pakistan. And guess what, I'm not the only victim... People have lost their head phones, pens, shoes, lip sticks, makeup kit, vanity bags etc. (The list is long for girls) but for boys - they just loss either pens or computer mouse.

You must have heard many different types of thieves who specialize in specific areas or items. But luckily in software houses, you'll not find them but thieves with multiple dimensional irritating skills - some have habit of borrowing pen and not returning it, some would come to your desk and take your notepad and will forget to return. Married people can't buy their own computer mouse, pens, note pads as they are overburdened by daily pampers purchase for kids and ever demanding WIFE... and bachelors have tendency of following the seniors.

This is unfortunate that in our society we do socially/morally offensive things without realizing how this act would affect others. I don't want to go into religious aspect of it as we first need to become human.

Just for anyone or everyone - Hamid sb. is a great guy and I can promise, he will give you 10 computer mouse if you ask him that you need to sell them to cover pampers cost or pay the rent of your flat. :)

And please stop taking my laptop mouse - this is office property and let this remain within office and don't sell it outside, I can buy at 2 rupees higher price.

Shoaib Mansoor's BOL

Of course when we talk about film industry - you would either be talking about Hollywood or Bollywood (generally producing the urdu versions of Hollywood movies). But what about Pakistani productions? There're not many names in Pakistani film industry which can be compared with top film makers of the world, luckly in Pakistan, we've one - Shoaib Mansoor.

I've been watching movies regularly for 12 years now and would say, have developed a pretty good sense of movie making and its all aspects. Being able to compare movies with each others and identifying small or big mistakes by producers, directors, writers, cameramen etc., I'm able to recommend good movies to people and can easily judge whather one would like certain movie or not. So if at the end, I recommend you to watch this movie - just go to the cinema and watch it.

The story of a movie is something which many writers and directors would not even dare to touch. He has addressed so many issues in this movie that at certain stage, you actually lost track of all. From women position in society - where one curse them of being there and other depending their livehood on them. From Religion - where you interpret it for your own profit and then practice it on choices sometimes made by you or you're forced into them. From Gender, where society totally reject transgenders and how they're exploited by few sexually. From Sectarian division, where our society is still divided on pitty issues of believes which may not be of any important to Allah. From Education, Law, Ethics, Sports, Parenting... in other words, the everyday life and deals - the movie has touched so many aspects that it has become a must see for anyone who wants to see a true art movie.

If you don't like to be criticised on yourself, believes or anything that is around you then you might find many grounds not to like this movie but I'm sure, you'll still like it. :)

Movie evolves around a Hakeem sb. (sort of a doctor) and her elder daughter, the performance of both are applaudable. Plus of course, role of prostituation and religious believes have played a central role in it. How the parents are ready to go to certain extremes if someone is born transgender and above all how sexual obsessed this society is... (just want to make a point here that still, American or Indian societies are far ahead from ours but this doesn't mean we should not discourage the ills)

So, just go to cinema and watch this movie.

And one important NOTE: do not go along with children under 18, there are some touchy issues/scenes which you'll not find comfortable watching in presence of kids.  

Overall, both thumbs up for Shoaib Mansoor!