Quick Fix to Facebook Crashing on Mac OS X

I’ve been annoyed by my Mac’s continuous crashes with Facebook pages, ever so frequently. Try all 3 of these:

Tip#1: Chrome uses its own Flash, but somehow it was using 2 versions of Flash on my Mac OS X (SL). So the idea is to disable one of them (I kept the internal Chrome’d Flash version).

1. Go to your plugins page by entering ’chrome://plugins/’ in the URL bar.
2. Find your Flash Plugin(s). Mine was at the top of the list.
3. If it says ’Flash (2 files)’, Then you’re in luck! You just might be able to turn one off and make it work again!
4. Click the details link in the upper right corner. View the details of the flash listing.
5. Find your older / external version and click disable under the location section of the list and test out a page in flash and hit refresh. (*You may also try disabling the internal version if it doesn’t help.)

// The detailed discussion source is here. //

Tip#2: I’ve recently checked a few other things and found some additional culprits. First, check all your Safari extensions as well. Also see if Safari is constantly  using CPU/Memory to load preview images for your recently browsed and bookmarked sites. If you can’t do anything about it – uninstall Safari and check Facebook use in all other browsers. Also see if you have some third part bookmark sync working between Safari and Chrome – try removing those too! I am extremely busy at work and haven’t had the time to pinpoint you which one of these are the actual cause or why this  causes the crash – but, I’m certain now: it has something to do with Safari, bookmarks syncing, and fetching of preview images of sites.

Tip#3: This is the most accurate one. First check if you can manually disable extensions / add-ons  on your Safari and Chrome. If you can, disable all, and check one by one. I had a much worse issue. One of my Safari extensions were so bad, it made some files corrupt to the point that I would get a blank extensions tab – nothing in it! If this is the case, quit all browsers and delete the following:

1. /Library/Application Support/SIMBL
2. /Library/LaunchAgents/net.culater.SIMBL.Agent.plist
3. /Library/ScriptingAdditions/SIMBL.osax
4. ~/Library/Safari/Extensions/Extensions.plist
5. /Library/Safari/Extensions/Extensions.plist

Then log out and log back in. You may need to reinstall plugins, such as Flash and Java again. But it removes all the junk you get from nasty extensions.

UPDATE: Tip#4: I have further narrowed down this issue to corruption in system files caused by fonts. As a person involved in freelancing design projects, I have to work with a huge database of fonts. I’m suspecting some issues with the fonts library can cause this. Make sure to use a font management software on your mac, clean all font caches, and even remove any unwanted fonts to test this. I had a few issues with some Bengali fonts that was causing the crash. I haven’t found a real fix, but a workaround to remove those fonts.

Optional Tip: If you suspect Silverlight plugin is creating any issue – use directions in this video to remove the plugin.

Obviously, do make sure you delete all cookies / cache / data saved by websites, after each process.

Bangladesh Turns 40

Remembering the millions who scarified their lives for us, for this day, and for this nation. We remain proud and grateful for the freedom you brought us — we will, despite our tough times, continue to love and fight for this country. Here’s 160 million people celebrating this day in all its glory, from every corner of the world. Let’s talk about our pride, our history, and share the joys of victory — because this was the day when we proved there’s absolutely no possibility of bringing down an entire nation united for a cause by any military or force, regardless of how powerful they seem.

Yes, 16th December has many meanings in our calendar: some remember what sacrifices can bring, while some remember the glory of our Liberation War; some talk about the unity of people that shaped the birth of a nation, while some acknowledge the debt we owe to millions of martyrs. But it’s not just history of a country, it’s identity of who we are and what we stand for. It took 3 million lives and hardships of countless others to achieve the glory that we will remain forever proud of — because on this day, the world witnessed the roar of exceptional men and women of a nation, united for sovereignty, winning against unmatched supremacy. While today we turn only 40, we remain respectful of our past, proud of how far we have come, and resolute on continuing to stand together for our nation.

An artist for the chilly weekend – Hamza Jahangir

Alright dear readers, let me introduce you to an amazing and relatively new talent in our Bangladeshi music. Now located in US, Hamza Jahangir is an emerging folk / rock musician writing and singing wonderful songs dedicated to many of the most obvious surroundings we have. His album, Kothai Jabo, is set to release in Spring 2012. This generous dude has already shared a ‘taste’ of his talent on Soundcloud that I’m linking you to. Beautifully crafted tunes, smooth vibe, clean recording, and wonderful stories behind his songs are bound to set a mood for some great times whether you are travelling or staying home this weekend.

My favorite, of course, is the song called ‘Amar Shohor’ where Hamza talks about his is memories in Dhaka city. I don’t think our experiences of Dhaka would differ much, making this song a treat for all who miss our city both in good and bad times. Why don’t you try putting the track on your portable gear and listening to it while sitting at your rooftop?

There are two more great songs in Hamza’s trial play – Kothai Jabo and Amar Haar Kala, both showing amazing potential for his talent and capability to make unique music. While Kothai Jabo is a great treat, it’s to be noted how diligently Hamza worked on remaking Bengali folk singer Abbas Uddin Ahmed‘s song in Amar Haar Kala. I particularly note how our generation continues to respect and reinvent past talent.

Can’t wait for his full album release!

One of the greatest human beings I’ve known has left us forever

Whether the countless times we played together since childhood, the wonderful taste in music you shared with me for years, or the ways you told me about reveries of possibilities – I admired your vision and am blessed to mold my perception of life from you. Always looking up to you as my elder brother, I planned to spend so much more time with you. You were a great philosopher, an amazing brother, and a wonderful human being – thank you for giving us a lifetime of moments that’ll never fade away.

In loving memory of the best cousin / brother I was gifted – Ashik Bhaiya (Ashiqur Rahman). He died in a road accident on 4th December 2011, around 1am at Chittagong. He was only 32, married 1.5 years, and working hard to settle his life. He will continue to be one of the biggest inspirations of my life.

Memories

Memories – scattered recollections of events, feelings, and emotions that make us sad, smile, or cry. We’re left frozen through remembering a few, or warm, picturing others. It sometimes makes us feel empty, question what went wrong, or develop strong introspection.

Memories – help embrace the past. When we close our eyes and look into the simplest of times, when we were careless, free, and innocent. When everything seemed bigger and we feel what it felt to dream big and aspire to reach unreal limits.

Memories – colorless, but not just black and white. Amazing how the ordinary shades of gray talk so much about who we became and how we came where we are today. It’s more vivid than reality, addictive to remember, and unchangeable despite having so many perspectives.

Memories – places we visit when we are alone, broken, or wondering. Places that bend the laws of time and space, yet make more sense than what’s real. Where we see ourselves and others, where we like to walk, and where we find ourselves lost in known places. Where questions aren’t asked and answers are everywhere, where everything means what it’s supposed to mean, and where we find doors to hide ourselves from the dark realities.

Memories – limited yet timeless. Where we stay eternally, where we build what can never be broken, where  forever is possible, and spaces are not rented but earned through emotions. Where silence can speak more than words and thoughts run deeper than seas. Where the silliest of deeds have reasons to be remembered and time, despite all its claimed divinity, has no power to age us.

Udaan (The ‘Human’ Flight)

I know people find me speculative about Indian creative industry, but my lack of discussions on those content has nothing to do with my interests or impression. I’m very open towards any media and like to explore and learn without talking like a stereotype moron. So I do take the time to go over many of the wonderful music and films my neighboring country has made over the last decade and have always found uber thoughtfullness in many of those works. Needless to say, my admiration for works of A.R. Rahman and Javed Akhter is paramount. But I also check out many new works that other artists bring up.

Today I was thinking of a particular song, that might not have appealed to me as the best musical composition, but have delighted me with its sensational meaning. It’s from a very well reputed film ‘Udaan’, and this title song beautifully sums up the underlying message of the film. This message is for all of you – young or old. As a guy addicted towards finding ’Key Take Away’ from anything he is exposed to, this movie has served a big purpose of mine. I have the meaning saved on a scratch paper and would take a peek on it anytime I’m looking forward to recharge myself or boost my confidence. This song, however, comes second compared to the overall vibe created by another track from the film, known as ‘Aazaadiyan’.

The language isn’t as easy to understand for a non-native like me, so I hope today’s post help those who wondered about the complete meaning! I guess this song gives hope to all of the young professionals and entrepreneurs struggling to make a difference. Thanks to Harshit Gupta for sharing the translation. The song is written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and the music is composed by Amit Trivedi.

Nadi mein talab hai, Kahin jo agar
Samandar kahan door hai

If a river has a wish (to flow) somewhere,
Sea is not far away

Damak ki garaz hai, sone mein agar
To jalna bhi manzoor hai

If gold has the wish to shine,
Then even getting burnt is acceptable.

Ik udaan kab talak yoon kaid rahegi
Roko na chhod do isse

Till when will a flight (of a human) be captured
Don’t stop it, let it go.

Ik udaan hi sapno ko zindagi degi
Sapno se jod do isse

A flight only will give life to dreams,
Connect it to (your) dreams..

Purani daleelon, rasmon ko sabhi, abhi se kahen alvida
Badalte dinon ke tareekon se, Seenchein hum naya gulistan

Let’s say goodbye to all old reasons and customs from now itself,
Let’s water the new garden with the styles of changing times.

An Artist for the Rainy Season

Every once in a while, I’ve come across artists who completely redefined a genere for me. 2011 will clearly be the year of Susheela Raman in that category. I had to dig up my collection to recommend this for my readers, this fabulous rainy season is just perfect for some soul searching music after all.

While it would be hard to categorize Susheela Ramans songs into any one category, if you’re into jazz, folk, or blues, expect to be intimidated by her amazingly awesome music. (Do note my use of both the words amazing and awesome to emphasize the fact.) The British-Tamil musician has a very strong capacity to blend the artistic rhythm and rhyme into the  beautifully crafted words – musical, smooth, and neat are just the few adjectives to define. I was listening to her on a quite rainy afternoon in Dhaka, struck by the truly warm musical sensation. Susheela Raman is deep, her voice melts in your ears and whispers like wine to your heart. The wonderful use of instruments and vocals leave you lost in the deep ocean of thoughts and rusty benches of memory lane. You can do little but picture the music in your head, the eccentric fusion of southern tunes and western vibe will have you discover nifty details that has been taken care of with such attention. Whether it’s a classic sang differently, a mixture of two worlds, or a remarkable musical masterpiece -  play her tracks on a rainy day and you’ll see how the sound of raindrops will gently sync with the melody of her voice.

Susheela Raman sings with unmatched strength – her words and deep voice allows you to look inside her soul, connect, imagine, and feel. If you have some good audio gear, her musical work will bring out the best out of your hi-fi system. Her voice, magical words, beautiful tunes, or unbelievable fusion – whatever maybe the source, if she is new to you, this will be the most original musical experience you can come across this year.

The One Thing You Should Never Overlook

In life, we choose how we want to be perceived. Some of us try to showcase our intelligence, some like glamor, while some represent achievements. But the only real thing that deeply and honestly can make a difference in the other person’s perception is how we make them feel.

We usually recognize that it’s challenging to show compassion, courtesy, and gratitude; but I wonder what is it that makes it so difficult for us to smile and warmly greet anyone from our heart or just tell someone that s/he is doing a great job? Why is it so difficult for us to just send a “Thank You X” as a reply email? Isn’t the smallest of the effort worth praising or does thanking someone make us seem weak?

The best people I like being with have never been the folks with the best grades, best jobs, best talents, or best sense of fashion; I believe it’s the people who can get excited about the briefest of our actions, people who never wait a second to make us feel great about ourselves, and people who can appreciate the smallest of our achievements.

Don’t get me wrong – no one should encourage something that isn’t right. But I request you guys to sincerely believe in one thing: the least everyone deserves from us is respect and appreciation. It’s really a moral obligation to tell others how good they are doing and how much the tiniest of their efforts mean. If you practice this, you will not only make others feel good around you, but also have a lot of energy inside yourself.

The greatest of men and women have been those who made others feel good and were able to emotionally encourage them to perform. No other quality can match the strength of that emotional energy within us.

My today’s post is all about this request: go ahead, tell people around you about every good thing you see in them, share a hug, send that extra reply with a small thank you note, or pick up that phone and call up an old friend to let him(her) know how much you adore something about him(her).

“People will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Must Watch: MTV Coke Studio

So I’ve been very picky over the years on what I get on TV. Stupid reality shows, pointless drama, and annoyingly frequent commercial breaks left me tuning between news channels for long. But every once in a while, things change. Thanks once again to MTV for coming up with something original and soulful – The MTV Coke Studio.

I first saw the show at my cousin’s place last week, finding it very promising. The show puts together a brilliant fusion of artistic talents who boldly explore musical depth and rich vibes of emotion.  MTV India rightfully claims the quote “Music is what feelings sound like” with the airing of this well thought hour-long show every week.

My favorite so far has been the collaboration of ‪Murtaza, Qadir, and Rabbani Khan, with Divya Lewis performing the track “Maula Maula”.  The song has been composed by Lesle Lewis (Music Director of MTV Coke Studio) – combining the famous song “Angel”, originally written and performed by Sarah McLachlan, with the magical words of a 17^th century Sufi poem by the legendary poet Amir Khusro. (Just the though of that fusion blows me away!)

The show is aired every Friday night on MTV India, so everyone in Bangladesh can easily follow. This is one great show that deserves lots of appreciation for the effort its team has given to bring the original idea from Coke Studio Pakistan, and producing the Indian version. Absolutely high quality stuff!

Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There’s always some reason
To feel not good enough
And it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
Oh and weightless and maybe
I’ll find some peace tonight

In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there

Maula Maula Ali Maula
Maula Maula Ali
Maula Ali

Man kunto Maula
Fa Ali-un Maula
Dara dil-e dara dil-e dar-e daani
Hum tum tanana nana
Nana nana ray
Yalali yalali yala
Yala yala ray

Man kunto Maula
Maula Maula Ali Maula
Maula Maula Ali

In the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
Maula Maula

Are You Paying Taxes for Tanks?

I was peeking through the news of hunger, poverty, and education issues while I bumped into the info that our government recently has finalized to purchase 44 tanks from China for BDT 1,201 crore. This is bizarre and, quite frankly, nuisance for a country that tops in poverty and been recently kicked out of ADB’s list of promising underdeveloped economies. Our future growth in GDP has lower potential than that of Nigeria, our kids are begging in the stress for food rather than attending primary school, our ‘so-called’ educated society continues to flee away from real issues and settle abroad, our stock market is going through historical catastrophe, our field of politics has dried up all talent pipelines, and we are under the major threat of facing the most severe climate change effects – yet, here we are, putting our taxes out to purchase tanks.

Don’t get me wrong; this government has been bold in taking good steps. Pushing IT into practical fields, building flyovers, and investing heavily in power generation – all great steps. However, it still doesn’t justify spending so much for tanks, especially when you are talking about 44 tanks that really have little impact on protecting an area of about 57,000 square miles. If this budget must go for defense spending, why not spend on R&D? Why not collaborate our defense budgets with 20 universities in the country and work on advanced research? I can bet we have enough engineers, scientists, and professors, well qualified and eager to spend their life in research. And since we are a lot behind in R&D, working with Army in such fields can actually benefit both academic and defense sectors.

Just for the sake of salary alone, we can spend BDT 1,200 crore in the following manner: 300 high profile researchers - BDT 300,000 per month (avg) salary for a 10 year contract. Just imagine the kind of people we could get together, the kind of possibilities we could have, and the strength we can build. R&D has far more benefit than the immediate research results – it would keep talent, provide strong academic atmosphere for assistants as well, and create collaborative work among engineers, students, experts, and military personnel. The number of additional possibile outcomes result in so many new areas of improvement. The government can further add costs of equipment and facilities and create truly transformative defense spending that would actually make sense. In today’s world, 44 tanks won’t save us on most days – our intellectual strength will.

Now, even if for some ‘mysterious’ reasons we had to spend this money for our Army, could we not at least spend it on something more multi-purpose? What if we used the same amount to purchase either helicopters, trucks, or SUVs? Why? Well, you see, often we use Army to help us in critical situations such as: recovery activity in flood and cyclone hit areas, national emergency, or assistance after other severe environmental disasters. These alternate options could at least be of some use; when we are talking about tanks, their use is limited to an act of war only.

I think the hardest part for anyone is to see past immediate success, stop blindly following what everyone tells you, define long term vision, and be persistent in solving real issues. Just a note, 44 tanks aren’t the only items on purchase plan – I’ve heard the government actually has a BDT 12,000 crore budget for total defense spending in 2011 – 2012.

This is my earnest request to the government: Please, spend in education, research, and creating jobs. I work hard to pay a lot of taxes, and I do care.