Can’t help but to hate

The recent incident at NSU puts a huge burden on a student body which was once known for setting the standards higher in this economy. But the absolutely terrible “preventive measure” taken by the authority to put a notice board up asking girls to be careful about what they wear is not only stupid, but an example of how awfully the management of this university are misleading the most prominent future power of our economy. Right now I would have been ashamed of, if only I didn’t have the chance to hate the administration’s reaction this much.

Together

Sometimes we look back, and don’t talk about
What we used to be and what we have become
Where we left each other, where we lost our dreams
Forgetting our way, becoming what we made each other to be

And then we look into the dreams we had
The times when we held hands together and stared at the sky
Why we couldn’t figure it out, why does it still ache?

Maybe I’m just proud to be ashamed of
But it still aches
You’d just never know, it still aches inside

And sometimes we look back, just to see if we had done it differently
Where we had the chance, but never saw it coming
When we hurt each other, but still believing on today
Only to realize, forever is too long to be

The hopes we gave each other, the storms we made through
The tears that had meaning, the warmth that gave us hope
Why can’t we still figure it out, why do we run away?

Maybe I’m just proud to be ashamed of
But it still aches
You’d just never know, it still aches inside

John Mayer’s new single

Got my hands on John Mayer’s widely talked about new song “Who Says”.  It’s short, smooth, and has a very New Yorker feel to it.  Got it out for you guys here, so check it out and have fun. If you love the song, do get the album!

When you’re bored and have the pen-tool around

Where do we go from here?

I tell you what this city needs – to get real. Have you tried looking into the eyes of people, and see the incredible amount of dissatisfaction and trauma?  I only live to see so many of us not living anymore. But what exactly happened to us?

Yesterday my cousin told me something that actually did made sense. (Now it’s hard not to talk about it, as you barely feel like that these days.) The thing with most of our generation is, we were lied to. Remember all that we were told, all the dreams that we believed in, the thing about growing up real and being the person we are supposed to be? How all of it is supposed to just work out and the perfect map to success? And then we grew up and saw those paths don’t exist, fairness is just a term, and no matter how hard you’ve worked, you’re lucky enough to even just exist when you’re trying to do it on your own. Did all of us just have the wrong dream? Or are we just way outnumbered by the losers every day?

I look around us, and can’t picture where this nation stands fifty years from now. The vision to believe in next five hundred years is even more difficult. I know we’ll build more bridges and construct even cooler skyscrapers, I know we’ll have talk-time that’s cheaper than water; but I can’t seem to find that sense of righteousness, I can’t seem to find a nation that would earn respect by their incredible values and distinctive passion to excel for a human cause. I can’t seem to see a time when the economy here will not be driven by a bunch of morons, or a time when the most incredible part of this nation, the youth, would have the chance to grow some real love for their country.

Save it for some other place, you gotta fake it to be someone here. That’s what I see when I look inside people. Try spending some time in the VIP lounge of Zia Airport, and just see where the people (who could’ve changed this nation) have shifted to. Then spend a night at Khulna town to find out how we have no clue about who else are in the bus. I’ve only got a handful of people who really are unique as they should be, and have an amazing way of thinking. But I live only to see them go away. Most people here has an idea of being something they are not, and it’s so naturally trendy here, you don’t even notice what’s wrong with you. And this is one of those first steps of literally losing a whole generation of incredible people.

I just find more and more people so shallow inside, you talk to them for a while and then you know there’s nothing more to them than the very typical un-sophisticated personality, often widely misguided ambitions, and an alarming amount of confusion with who they really are.

Does anyone care about making a difference anymore?

Have you tried looking into the eyes of people, and see the incredible amount of dissatisfaction and trauma? Yesterday my cousin told me something that actually did make sense. (Now it’s hard not to talk about it, as you barely feel like that these days.) He told me that the thing with most parts of our generation is, we were lied to. Remember all that we were told, all the dreams that we believed in, the thing about growing up real and being the person we are supposed to be? How all of it is supposed to just work out and the perfect map to success? So I asked myself, the people who told us such things, did they themselves believe in them? So we grew up and saw those paths don’t exist, fairness is just a term, and no matter how hard you’ve worked, you’re lucky enough to even just exist when you’re trying to do it on your own. Did all of us just have the wrong dream? Or are we just way outnumbered by the losers?

I look around us, and can’t picture where this nation stands fifty years from now. The vision to believe in next five hundred years is even more difficult. I know we’ll build more bridges and construct even cooler skyscrapers, I know we’ll have talk-time that’s cheaper than water; but I can’t seem to find that sense of righteousness, I can’t seem to find a nation that would earn respect by their incredible values and distinctive passion to excel for a human cause. I can’t seem to see a time when the economy here will not be driven by a bunch of morons, or a time when the most incredible part of this nation, the youth, would have the chance to grow some real love for their country.

Save it for some other place, you gotta fake it to be someone here. That’s what I see when I look inside people. Try spending some time in the VIP lounge of Zia Airport, and just see where the people (who could’ve changed this nation) have shifted to. Then spend a night at Khulna to find out how we have no clue about who else is in the bus. I’ve only got a handful of people who really are unique as they should be, and have an amazing way of thinking. But I only see them go away. Most people here have an idea of being something they are not, and it’s so naturally trendy that you don’t even notice what’s wrong with you. And this is one of those first steps of literally losing a whole generation of incredible people. I just find more and more people so shallow inside, you talk to them for a while and then you know there’s nothing more to them than the very typical un-sophisticated personality, often widely misguided ambitions, and an alarming amount of confusion with who they really are.

Does anyone care about making a difference anymore? I can’t imagine we would leave this world only wondering if we ever added any value to it at all.

“I can’t believe that we would
Lie in our graves
Wondering if we had
Spent our living days well
I can’t believe that we would
Lie in our graves
Dreaming of things that we
Might have been “

- Dave Mathews, The greatest artist I’ve ever known.

Easy online screen sharing and remote assistance

So you’ve been trying to get help online form another buddy or share your screen with someone else through the internet, or you actually want to control your PC from another PC elsewhere? – There has been many applications that do it one way or another, but nothign really beats TeamViewer.

It’s a free software for personal use and works in the easiest possible ways. Setting up is piece of cake and it works multi-platform (Windows/Mac/Linux). Even cooloer is the fact that you can also use this application from your browser. It does not require you to be a networking guru, has just about any option you would need, and has a small memory footprint and download size. It all just works!

Check this must have application out at: http://www.teamviewer.com/products/benefits.aspx

An audiophile’s quest to get the right sound experience on a budget

I’m a serious listener when it comes to auditioning any audiophile grade systems. Having auditioned hundreds for me and my friends, in pretty much many price segments, finding detail has turned into an addiction from hobby. But rest aside, I’ve long owned and searched for pair of speakers that is strictly budget level when it comes to my own crappy buying power, for which I have repeatedly expressed my shame. However, a man got to do three things in life, and one of these would be listening to some good music (I’ll tell you the other two later). My previous setup of Yamaha was no match for my taste in music, and I had long tried to look for speakers that don’t sound “artificial” or “over-processed”. I used to be a huge fan of JBL, but ever since I auditioned B&W and Quad, I knew I had the wrong dream (but the right intentions). While US and Japanese brands deliver powerful sound and strong “technical specs”, there’s nothing like listening to some great British audio systems to know just how real music can sound. If you are a fan of pop, rap, trance, or heavy rock, you are better off with those, but I’m considering acoustics, vocal details, jazz/blues sort-of stuff, the occasional instrumentals, slow rock, or a typical late-night alternative track.

For the sake of listening to pure audio, I had sacrificed my previous multi-channel crap receivers. There’s one thing I had done right, I stayed away from receivers and moved to Stereo Integrated Amplifier. Note that, Integrated Amplifiers are very different from receivers. They don’t use the all built-in together concept; rather work like two independent units: dedicated pre-amp and another pure amplifier. My purchase of NAD C200-BEE “Signature Series” Stereo Integrated Amplifier has been one of the best things I’ve go in this life. I just love the way it produces music, with pristine clarity and that perfectly “warm” feeling sound, my Integrated Amp has provided me with a lot more that what I thought of getting at such price (at 499 euro back in ‘05, it was a steal). With its mere 50 Watts per channel rating you will be easily underestimating the immense “quality versus quantity” concept made into the heart of NAD engineers. At .03% total harmonic distortion across the full 20Hz-20KHz range for exceptionally fantastic Class-A grade amplification that can challenge many of the top-of-the-line systems at my friends and relatives places, there’s really little I can do but not to love them. The 320-BEE has been a master piece and I was lucky to pick them some time ago as they are one of those rare discontinued classics now. I have been saving for a matching NAD CD Player, but my Pioneer DV-355 (that had become useless for being region locked) turned out to have some amazing level of detail grabbing quality from audio CDs. In fact, some people have repeatedly compared this unit to be as good as the “Rotel RCD965” CD player (No Kidding!). My admiration for a NAD CD Player still lives, though.

But the source and amp aside, here comes the issue with my wallet when it comes to speakers. And once you have auditioned some super-cool stuff for your friends, it’s very hard to choose crap for yourself; yet it’s a practice I’m trying to get good at. So a poor man’s journey begins at review sites, then countless questions on forums made me decide on 6 major models from B&W, Quad, Wharfdale, Mission, and Axiom. One of the crucial factors behind these selections was based on the fact that they were available here at a decent price tag, apart from being seriously good speakers for sound stage. I was more looking for monitors, as my sole ambition was to have the smooth sound with good vocal level and a perfect sound stage that works with my NAD. I auditioned them for nearly two days, at four different stores, probably two of which owned by the same person, and was not reluctant to try out other speakers in store. On the 2nd day, I met this other old man who had been a customer for a long time, asking me what I was looking at. He saw I had brought my own amplifier and CD player with my favorite CDs, so he figured I was seriously auditioning the speakers. The electricity went out, and the store owner was reluctant to switch on the system on generator power, so we waited. I had a long talk with this man, who seems to have some of the most interesting facts on speakers, including all the rubbish people talk and read about on magazines and how reviews can be highly flawed as they might not be as honest as one’s own ears. So he asked me to check out Cambridge Audio and a few other brands that I didn’t have in my list – I thought why not. So when the power was back, I asked them for the Cambridge Audio S30 monitor speakers. Although I had been a bit picky about the selection process, they didn’t mind at all. Their audition room’s setup was changed again, this time with selection of similar priced Cambridge Audio mini-monitors. I threw in John Mayer, Norah, Ray Charles, and when things started to sound too amazing I threw in Antonio Forcione, Dave Mathews, Sushi Suh, and even Flunk. I was wowed, couldn’t believe what I was listening to. Every track I played had that warm and natural touch to it. I loved the way the high tones sounded, it was so clear and airy, yet not harsh at all. I haven’t heard such highs in a long time. The bass response was more fantastic than the tower speakers I tried earlier, I couldn’t believe myself. While the guitar strokes were played with details that I didn’t even notice on a B&W, I could accurately visualize the position of the singer and the drummer, not just horizontally but with great depth in how far behind one was to another. The sound was amazingly detailed at low volume levels – something I always try to notice. Voices were open and in depth, and instruments – from acoustic to electric – had incredible character and real “vibe”, they were purely musical, “sweet” sounding. I smiled while sitting on the sofa, how I misjudged these bookshelves. But I marked the tracks and the timelines, and put back previous speakers to check again. There was something missing in all of them, I knew what I wanted. So I marked the speakers out and after a 4 hour long audition on the 2nd day, I went back home without any speakers – the shops still didn’t mind. I went home and spent a hefty hour of time reading reviews, I found out I wasn’t the only one speechless by these speakers at this price point.

The next day, I went to the ATM booth and then straight to the store. For the very last time I had to audition the S30s again. With the same setup, they amazed me again. I checked and confirmed the speakers were made in England – there are very few of them you get with that labeled on. There was a cheaper chinese made, but that wasn’t what I wanted to have. That was it, one last minute bargain and I also got myself a pair of Bose 9 series speaker cables for free with these babies (44k total). It’s been 4 months since I got them, and I just couldn’t be happier. It’s like they sound better every day, and the speakers have really opened up to an even amazing sound stage and depth. They entertain by being fast and precise, powering music along whether with rock or dramatic classical pieces. These speakers are damn good looking, superb sounding, and offer an amazing alternative to many of the established favorites at this level – perfect match for a broke audiophile. Music has never sounded this first-class from my NAD, thanks to Cambridge Audio. I know I got to have the NAD CD player now to complete this dream. Even today after retiring from my friend’s place and switching on the system, I have that smile on my face. While you can buy anything in the world if you are rich enough, I guess there’s just a thrill to it all when you have a budget issue and how you still make it right. The feeling of even challenging it to those systems that cost 8-10 times more is good enough to make you realize just how far entry level has come.

Full Solar Eclipse over Bangladesh

In case you missed the news, don’t forget to set your alarm clocks tomorrow to wake up around 6:45 AM. We will witness a solar eclipse (23°43′N 090°25′E to be exact) starting from 6:59 AM. The fourth contact will be at 9:04 AM over Dhaka (maximum around 8am). Full (max eclipse) would likely last for around 6 minutes, which is pretty damn good. Besides, all four contacts would perfectly take place in Dinajpur, Rongpur, Saidpur (when considering Bangladesh border). You should be able to see a well over 90% Eclipse. And just so you know, it would be a long time (year: 2132 ?) since you see the next one, so don’t miss it!

Keep your UV protected sunglasses and camera around. For details check this document provided by NASA.

Still have time for Facebook?

Let’s face it, facebook is becoming boring, as more of us are realizing life does exist outside it. When talking to two of my other friends, they think the “spark” is definitely not there anymore, and too much unwanted apps and uncool news feeds are sort of making the habit to skip it. Others say that people who really have to put up with the real world everyday have less time for it than they did before. I personally use it for the sole purpose of staying in touch, more than anything. But then again, duplicating the whole day on FB at the end of the day ain’t one of my things these days. Put it this way, when the cool kids start to leave – it’s totally over. While list of users continue to grow, I’m trying to figure just how much time people still have to do all the things they used to do in FB. In addition to that, a recent study shows Facebook is more of an old people’s game now, as young users have started dropping out. And those who have so much happening in life would have a hard time portraying all that in this virtual world anyway.

Let’s face it, facebook is becoming boring, as more of us are realizing life does exist outside it. When talking to two of my other friends, they think the “spark” is definitely not there anymore, and too much unwanted apps and uncool news feeds are sort of making the habit to skip it. Others say that people who really have to put up with the real world everyday have less time for it than they did before. I personally use it for the sole purpose of staying in touch, more than anything. But then again, duplicating the whole day on FB at the end of the day ain’t one of my things these days. Put it this way, when the cool kids start to leave – it’s totally over. While list of users continues to grow, I’m trying to figure just how much time people still do all the things they used to do in FB. In addition to that, a recent study shows Facebook is more of an old people’s game these days, as young users have started dropping out. And those who have so much happening in life would have a hard time portraying all that in this virtual world anyway. While everyday checking up on people continues, activities for many I personally know have dropped.

We will miss you, Moonwalker.

When I think of evolution of the music industry, MJ ain’t just the king; he is one of those very few sent to change the world, all of it. Though there are many stories that we have seen and heard of, at the end of the day I can’t deny the immense power and charisma of Michael that revolutionized the industry forever. His recklessness was perhaps a part of his image, a signature style of the “King”, a part of him that too stays with his memories. Michael redefined what being a “superstar” really meant. This is the saddest day for all music lovers since the death of Elvis.

I hope the world remembers Michael Jackson for what he really was, an artist that created a whole new generation of people and mastered what was once thought impossible.