Must-have Windows utilities for 20 essential tasks

Alright, its Windows. I get that, but still lots of people use it on everyday basis (including me). But, if you don't have some "must-have" utilities, then your time on Windows is really going to hurt you. So, save that burn for some other time, and see this computer world article. It contains links to few quite useful but still open-source windows utilities, e.g. IrfanView (image viewing software), TrueCrypt (file encryption), FileZilla (FTP browser), CutePDF (PDF writer) etc.

Lal Masjid -- finally it ends

yet, at very sad note. Clearly, no body wanted a deadly end to a 6-month long problem. I feel very sad about all those innocent people (including civilian and military) killed or injured. But, my feeling from the start was very bad about that. Also, Muslims easily become victim of "shahadat" (martyrdom) with no strategic planning in mind. So, I guess its not too unexpected and unshocking for this to end this way.
At the last days of siege, I was hoping that the problem would be solved if somehow a legal agreement can be reached between the two parties. My thinking for an agreement was (which I guess was quite logical and convincing, considering the situation): surrender all arms which is inside mosque, safe passage to Maulana Aziz and his family to wherever they want to go, but have to be in some kind of house arrest, they should not be allowed to give any Jumah khutba or any public speech (for atleast an year or so), government will prosecute all those who were involved in kidnapping and public property damage, mosque and madressah will go back to Auqaf dept or some other cleric from Waqaf Madaris (the top organization of Madressahs in Pakistan) will take charge etc. I guess this could have been agreed upon by both parties pretty much. You ask me: hey what are you thinking, dude: whats the benefit. The point is that it could have saved many lives, including Maulana's. If you are thinking that some agreement could have reached in which Maulana gets free next day having dinner at food street Islamabad, you are living in Alice's wonderland. They had to be apprehended.
But, I guess Maulana Aziz wanted everything for him and his militant associates (even after they have done every against-state act that they could have done). Perhaps he was thinking that he still has all that support in intelligence agencies that he used to enjoy few years back. I wonder this incident would ever have happened if military did not deliberately support taliban and mullah culture in country. Ok, whatsoever you think was the reason (lots of people have very good reasons for Pakistan supporting taliban and mullahs before 9/11), no argument can be accepted in favor of doing a fundamentally wrong thing (allowing chief clerics to grab land illegally etc, while they provide us with young but brain-washed pupils ready for "jihad" against kufaar). Now what government needs to do is to act swiftly on Madressah reforms, make sure that modern subjects are taught in Madressahs (that will bring them into mainstream), and making sure that no body will ever again harass or kidnap people or damage public property. Like everybody else, I think that the best time to stop Lal Masjid affiliate was when they occupied a children library in January. But, god knows what were the motives of government at that time, that it did not move at all.
The last and final question of how to teach Muslims (including Pakistanis) that they don't need to enforce (their own understanding of) Islam or shariat (or some other ideology) is still at large, and unless it is addressed in an intellectual way, I don't see a long term solution to these kinds of activities (and other which happen everyday but are not at that large scale, e.g. you go to mosque and somebody comes to you and ask that you should do this and not that etc) in Pakistan and around Muslim world.

iPhone Dissected

Here is the link. It shows several of its components, including the Samsung SoC with ARM core, NAND flash, phone's "motherboard", screen etc. I have heard that Intel's NOR flash is also in there, but could not find that in this article. Another article on the web quotes iSuppli (a market research firm) which estimates manufacturing cost of iPhone around $250. That means, Apple is getting around 50% pure margin on $500 iPhone. Good for Apple. The truth is: I am also impressed with this phone, and after a really long time, I am dying hard to get my hands on it (well, not so hard.., just waiting for the price to drop below $300 ..-:) )