How to search Google?

While searching for download links, I always wanted a way where I could limit the search so it doesn't include one of the many downloading services and includes all the rest. As I didn't know a way to tell google NOT to return the results including links that use say, "abc" download service, I used to put the name of the services that I did want google to return in the results. For e.g. if I want to download "Visual Studio 2008" I would request google to search [Visual Studio 2008 xyz], xyz being the service I want to download from. The problem was I don't know all such download services, I don't like downloading from abc for one reason or the other, but including xyz in the query would result in a limited set of pages, while the pages with other services would probably not be returned. I was at a big disadvantage here because there may be a possibility that xyz doesn't provide you to download Visual Studio 2008.

This is just one of the problem, if you are required to do extensive searches you may face a lot of such problems.

I always thought there should be a way, but unfortunately, stupid as I am, I never tried to look for one.

Then in my Text Mining class, the teacher asked us "Does anyone know what is the structure of a query when you want to search say, for "Algorithms" and "Operating Systems" with exactly two words in between". The class remained silent as a response. Then he asked another question "How many of you have read 'How to search google'?". I don't remember the exact name of the document he said but the next day I searched for a document and landed myself on the site:
Google Guide

This is an extensive site with good articles. Each article tells you about so many stuff that at least I didn't know about before. And reading just one article leads you to so many other links (mostly on the same site).
But the guide is very easy to read and understand.
I hope by the time I finish it I know the answer to the query "What do you write when you want to search for 'Algorithms' and 'Operating Systems' with exactly two words in between."

An Innocent Reply

A small boy comes to my place for tuition. He had proudly put on a badge (with lights). I decided to take his interview:
I asked him
"Who made Pakistan?"
The reply tough very true was something I wasn't expecting at all. He innocently and confidently answered "Allah miyaan ne" :D

Phir se jeevay Pakistan

This year we decided to celebrate a bit differently, trying to induce a feeling of love for the country into everyone. And letting people express this feeling with fervor.
So this year around, we decided to celebrate Independence Day with renewed enthusiasm.

The idea originator Rabia Sameem, floated an email amongst bloggers. I'll copy paste the email here so that you can all get an idea of it.

Assalam o alaikum my blogger friends,

Howdy? Well as each of you know that Independence day is just around the corner…and well I am about to ask you all a favor …in the name of Pakland :-)

Well everyone here is a request (read a very forceful request) to all of you to write a short, new blog post on the topic I am giving you below….Please :-)

“There is something Good about us….”

So as it is we all know that there are a whole lot of negatives about Pakistan and Pakistanis, the systems are corrupt and government is maybe good for nothing…and what not…but then again we all know that and talk far too much about it, so much so that we often overlook the nice things there are in us sometimes :-)

I read in a book somewhere that Oprah Winfrey once said in an episode of her show that a therapy to being happy is to think up 10 good things about your life each day and be thankful for them!!

Surely it generates positive energy!!

Taking up on that…I merely ask each of you to think up ONE good thing about Pakistan/Pakistanis that you have seen, know or think about…something that made you feel warm or you are proud of and write it on your blogs…but well there are a few simple rules:

•Please don’t pick up things that are fantastical or play word games…write something you know is reality based and actually there…. (people giving people lifts, someone helping someone cross road, neighbors helping, family values, respect for ladies) any incident you actually witnessed.

•And then write something you might want to do as your share, however little it might be…for eg: throwing garbage in dustbins instead of roads, following traffic rules, just telling anyone that despite all the short comings “I love my country” etcetera

Ofcourse none of your experiences will be applied to everyone for every situation but atleast it would be some chicken soup for the soul….I can think up a million things that cud be there, throw me an email if u need ideas :-)

We have www.teabreak.pk backing us up at this and so what I visualize is a collective effort of some 20+ then 30 + and then maybe even 80 or 90+ bloggers to say something good about Pakland (maybe end up practicing too) and tell it to the world around…and even if for a week or two we do something good, it still counts…because we count!!

And yeah I’ll really appreciate if you ask your friends ahead to do the same and of course do it before or lets say by “August 14th , 2008”!!

I hope that you guys will back me up on this one …Have a good Day all!!

Take care,
Allah hafiz

People hit back with ideas, and in the end it was decided that anyone interested can write a blog post as mentioned above, can change their blog color to green and append "Proud to be a Pakistani" to their blog names.

Teabreak.pk set up a site where everyone can post in their articles/post (even people who don't have their own blogs). The site's title is "Phir se Jeevay Pakistan".

Bloggers followed up with posts and change in blog. Some of the addresses are below:

Before Daybreak
Ali Raza Shaikh
Tehreer
Hinstance
Seed a brain

Don't forget to check out "Phir se Jeevay Pakistan" for all the articles/posts. You'll love what people have to share, and would feel the passion of independence.

Jashn-e-Azadi Mubarak.

Sab se phele Pakistan

Hmmmmm…one thing I love about Pakistan…

When I was told about this topic I got really excited. The patriotism running wild in my blood. I had recently stated that my patriotism has gotten cold somewhere along the course of my life. But suddenly hearing the planning from Rabia baji I felt maybe it hasn’t gotten that cold after all.

So I got really excited in the beginning but then I thought what would I write yaar. Everything in my mind is too childish, but well I’ll still go with it. It might be childish but these are the things that I really do love about Pakistan, my Pakistan. And I’ll go on and write more than one thing, why restrict myself?

1. I used to state to my friends “I can’t possibly live anywhere besides Pakistan”. Why? they would ask. And I would simply say “I won’t get these bun-kababs, gol-gappas and gola-gandas anywhere else”.
And believe me, this is the reason, at least one of them. Sometimes these bun-kababs seem more tastier than KFC Zinger. They do to me. And gola-gandas…. just don’t ask about them.




2. We, Pakistanis have an amazing history. This is a land which came into being without any war fought, not a war with swords and tops, but it was a war of courage, bravery and patriotism, patriotism for a country that hadn’t been born at that time, but people still had patriotism. They still loved it, without it existing. The love which led them to sacrifice everything for Pakistan. This country may have been won without any actual war, but still so many things were lost in the process. This is the beauty of this country, an amazing history depicting stories of great, brave people, who fought the fight against all odds. I love it when people talk about Quaid-e-Azam and what a great personality he was, or about Allama Iqbal and his unforgettable inspiring poetry, or any other hero and their heroic acts. This is what separates us from others but unfortunately this is exactly what we have forgotten.

3. And I love the fact, that somewhere deep down we all are patriotic people. That Pakistanis become jazbati for Pakistan. (Sometimes this characteristic of ours is used against Pakistan). That even if we keep on complaining about Pakistan, we can still find some good things to say about it. That when this idea was floated around, no body, not even a single person backed out, they all agreed to, they all loved the concept, and then they all chimed in. That we can take out time from our so-called busy schedules to pass on text messages wishing “Happy Independence”. That I could hear our National Anthem in the morning (today). That the National Anthem was followed by National Songs. That we still love hearing these songs and feel patriotism. That we are still proud of this country, our country. That no matter what we say about it, we still call it “Our Country, Our Pakistan”, the our showing our love for it.


Happy Independence!!!

The Countdown has begun.....

Yup, the countdown has begun. You ask what countdown??? If you are really asking this question then better wake up yaar, get yourself detached from your work load and look at the calendar. It's that time of the year again... yup it's August, the month when we got our independence.
But yeah I know this countdown doesn't seem as exciting as your own birthday. But I still like it when the tv channels show 10 days to go etc. I simply love this countdown.
I remember how I used to proudly attach a batch to my uniform back in school, how we sang songs in the 14th August function every year, how I decorated my home's gallery with flags and all.
Don't do that now. I guess my patriotism has damned a bit with my age.
Any ways, to honor this month, I have changed the look of my blog. It's the month when you see green flags everywhere, and thus my blog should reflect it. :)

Happy Independence Month!!! :)

And yeah, 6 days to go. :D

Class of 2008

Last Saturday, this time, I was getting ready for my convocation.
Finally.... the day I have waited for my entire life.
I also wanted to be there, you know, up on the stage, receiving a degree amidst ceiling-bursting clapping. But I never got a chance in school or college. And prayed that they don't decide not to have it after Bachelors as well. But thankfully, they didn't, in fact we got our convocation the next month we graduated. And I was so so excited. I got through the entire week just thinking that I have my convo on Saturday, and I'll be going for rehearsal on Friday. The rehearsal seemed charming because all of us friends will be meeting there, it wasn't like we have been apart for long, but still yaar......
Any ways, finally they day came for which I was waiting my entire life. And I was getting ready for it... But we reached a bit late, as we had anticipated that the convocation would definitely start late as the chief guest never arrive on time but well this one did, right on time. And this time I was late. But no worries, nothing very very important had happened before I reached.
First other departments were called for conferment of degree. Then it was time for the CS Batch, that would be us. We all were told to stand up and make a queue long before our turn so that we were ready when it was finally our turn. And then we all walked up on the stage... girls in the center, guys on both side and we have so many guys in our class that they made a second row behind us. So many people stood there taking our pictures.. ahh it was amazing, absolutely amazing... and our Rector conferred us the degree and said Congratulations...... it was again amazing. Four years of effort finally paid off. Those assignments, the tension of projects that got you close to killing everyone around you, the days before your exams... all of that.. all of that hard work, and wishing and praying finally paid off. We have finally graduated.
We are officially "Class of 2008".

And the day went fabulous.... there was one room where photographers were sitting so that any student can go and get himself or herself photographed.
The lunch was good too, pretty good.
And then of course, being our selves, we had our own photo session. :)

But the day ended... as all things and all days do... but it was a day thoroughly, utterly, completely enjoyed, and too it's fullest.

The next day I woke up and searched the entire news paper for a news about our convocation, I wanted the entire world to know that we have graduated that we are the "Class of 2008", but there was no news :(
Next day, my batch mate and now my colleague told me that Daily Times has published OUR news :)