UET Techno Fest event,2011

UET Techno Fest event,2011

While working at MORE, I had a pleasure of covering an educational event at UET- University of Engineering and Technology Lahore. Here is the article, which i had been wanting to share with you people for a very long time. It was published in the MORE IT magazine in the issue of June,2011( I was horribly annoyed to see that instead of printing my name they credited it to the whole team though it was FULLY written by me. This was one of the reason that why I resigned from MORE")

University of Engineering and Technology Lahore is the oldest engineering instititution of Pakistan which was established in 1921. UET produces more than 30,000 engineering graduates per year and is ranked 281 in world’s best engineering universities. In Asian engineering universities UET is prestigious enough to enjoy 90^th position.

UET for the first time organized a four day mega “Techno Fest Event 2011” from May 18^th, 2011 to May 21^st, 2011.The event was organized in collaboration with the Technical Societies from the faculties of Electrical, Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering at University of Engineering and Technology Lahore (IEEE-UET, IET-UET, EC, WIE-UET, ACM-UET and ASME-UET). Different signature events of all the collaborating societies were featured including:

·        Wide variety of competitions,

·         Awareness conferences, and seminars on non-technical topics,

·        Women forum,

·        Job fair and improvement.

 The theme behind this mega event was to:

·         Foster the engineering students in both technical and non-technical fields by providing them with the opportunities of showing their engineering skills to the world in the form of competitions.

·        Pave ways to enhance the learning abilities of students by organizing student awareness seminars, workshops and by interacting with professionals from the industry.

Awareness seminars and conferences were aimed at providing guidance to the fresh graduates that how they can avail the best opportunities to grab the business niche at the right time. Assistance to those students who wish to continue higher education from foreign universities was also provided.

Event was officially inaugurated with the speeches of different speakers. While speaking to the audience, Dr.Hameed Ullah Mughal, chairman of energy technologies development, emphasized on the role of technologies in our daily lives. He said that today’s easy life has become possible because of the vibrant role of technologists who struggle hard to develop innovative products and e-devices for us. He was of the view that association with the challenging problems, we are to face with is necessary, in order to overcome them successfully.

 He exclaimed that Pakistan is suffering from serious crisis of energy shortfall; if we do not own this problem and integrate it with the resources available then we will never be able to survive in this challenging arena. Pakistan is blessed with wind power and other renewable resources, we only need to work together for the development of our country, he added.

Dr. Hameedullah also gave briefing on his “Energy alternate Project” which was capable of producing energy from solar heat directly, without converting it into electrical energy. The equipment consists of four batteries and a large sized dish which was made of aluminum strips. It can produce sufficient energy to run four energy savers, lights, fans and even TV. He explained further that the equipment must be installed in open-air surroundings whereas no other special care or requirements are necessary. His solar panel does not need to be charged separately, since it gets charged and consume energy side by side. There are no special maintenance charges while the total cost is only PKR 150,000. Foreign companies are offering the similar project in PKR 10, 00000.

He expressed his agitation that Pakistan is one of the rich states of the world. Being blessed with the treasure of Thar coal mines is another opportunity to beat the energy crisis. But unfortunately, Pakistan does not want to be benefitted from the available resources. “We do not have proper infrastructure to work on such mega projects”, he said. 

Professor Ali Hammad from the department of Computer sciences and Engineering department also shared his views. He highlighted the activities of his department and informed about various workshops and events which are organized by the department of computer sciences and engineering. He also told that different celebrities keep paying visits to UET and interact with students in order to boost up their mettle.

“There is a need to create a synergic effect of our efforts to help and develop original research in Pakistan”, he focused. 

Dr. Waqar Mahmood from AL-Khuwarzmi research Institute of UET mentioned that various IT labs have been established under Al-Khuwarzmi research Institute. Dedicated labs equipped with DSL, broadband, WiFi and WiMAX are working fully only by the efforts of Al-Khuwarzmi institute.

 He also informed that UET from Pakistan won Research grant from Nokia by defeating all other Asian countries. This makes the news as once again talented students from Pakistan managed to fetch the honor for their motherland.  This achievement led World Bank delegation to physically visit UET Lahore.

He said that various institutes are assisting with funds including ICT, HEC and funds from international platforms such as, Sysco, Huawei and World Bank funds.

Dr. Waqar told that they have also established a centre for Language engineering whose sphere spreads around the languages of Srilanka, India, Nepal etc.

“Research and Development is not as famous in Pakistan, as it should be. We have taken some initiatives and arranged conferences to involve students as they put lots of energy in everything”, he said.

Ahmed Saleem Khawaja was the soul of the Techno fest event as he really had some news to break, at which every Pakistan can feel proud. Moreover, he sponsored this mega event and provided a platform to both academia and industry to get to know about each other in a productive way.

He informed the audience that he owns Asia’s second largest social games industry i.e “Game View studios”.

·         Game view Studios is a leading publisher of free-to-play games for iOS, Android and other mobile platforms.

·         It was founded in 2010; Game view develops high-quality games that are social, engaging and fun for audiences of all ages.

·         It was bought by Japanese firm DeNA, one of the world’s most successful mobile Internet companies with games and community products that reach 100 million consumers spanning mobile and PC platforms.

·         Some famous and appreciated games developed under Gameview studios are Tap Fish and Tap Ranch franchises, Tap Birds, Tap Town, Tap Mall and Titans vs Olympians.     

Game View develops real estate social business games that are equally interesting for all age groups. For the children of young age group, such games are responsible:

·         To enhance their learning skills.

·        These games do not have only entertaining value, but they also possess a value of infotainment in them.

·         Games such as “Virtual retailer system, Diary farm, Tap fish and Tap birds” create a sense of responsibility in young children.

·        These games should be a part of children’s routine life as they can play their role in an excellent character- building process.

He told that Gameview studio was started by just two persons, now they are working with 300 experienced and qualified developers.

“Talent in Pakistan is not less than any other country”. “Despite of all negativity, one should not lose hope, things get better by time”, he said. According to him Game View has 35 million customers worldwide. He informed the audience during a presentation that his company’s game “Tap fish” is ranked number two in Google’s Android whereas it has acquired top most position in the gaming industry for iphones. “Top five games for android and iphone belong to “game studios”, he told.

Not only this, Mr. Ali Saleem Khwaja needs to be more appreciated as he is also a part of producing trained engineers for Pakistan. A program “electrical phoenix” has also been initiated, which train students within a time period of three weeks. It does not charge any fees to student. This program solely aims at Pakistan’s future without any considerations of “money-making agenda”.  Gameview has also opened 1000 vacancies for software engineers. According to him, top five students from UET, FAST, etc become the part of “game studios” per year. It also organizes free workshops in UET, NUST and FAST.

He opines that game studio has huge potential to bring revenues in Pakistan as one game has approximately 10 million customers from US who generate US$250 per month. “Game view studio is the only company of Pakistan which is processing all works itself from character conceptualization to the final product”, he told.

“We want to make gaming industry, the best industry of Pakistan”. “To counter the lead in IT, which India has taken, is our top most agenda”. He emphasized.

In UET Techno fest event, various competitions for the young engineers were also arranged. “Control the controller was one of the competitions arranged for young engineers, in which they were assigned to program a microcontroller chip according to their needs. It is a readymade chip but one needs to program it himself as per his needs. Therefore, the one who would program it in the most efficient way was supposed to win the competition. 

According to Waseem Ashar, one of the judges of the competition, Micro controller chip is an important device. If there was, no microcontroller chip, there would be no electrical devices invented today. Microcontrollers are used in automatically controlled products and devices, such as automobile engine control systems, implantable medical devices, remote controls, office machines, appliances, power tools, and toys.

There were three prizes for the competition. First prize was Rs 5000, whereas RS 3000 and RS 2000 for second and third respectively. Moreover, there were certificates for all the participants of the competition.

Some of the other competitions were Hunt for the punt, step from 2D to 3D, extreme coding software exhibition etc.

The success of this mega event suggests that our students are fully equipped with talent and all the skills required. The only thing they need is a platform where they could showcase their abilities to the whole world. Pakistan sends the best of its students to foreign countries and calls it “EXPORT”. Instead, these students should be encouraged to stay in Pakistan and work for Pakistan. Nothing in this world is unachievable. Khwaja Saleem, owner of Game studios, who preferred to work for Pakistan, is one of the best examples for the up-coming students of Pakistan.

Read Online at  More Magazine PDF format at page 20

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E-waste : A Threat to Environment

E-waste : A Threat to Environment

E-waste is a common term for the “soon-to-end” electronic products. Computers, televisions, VCRs, refrigerators, laptops, photocopier etc are common electronic products. The most tremendous in amount is the waste of telecom sector i.e. towers and cellular phone infrastructure. To decrease the harmful effects emitting out from the waste of these electronic devices, their reuse, refurbishing and recycling should be encouraged. However, it’s a question that at final stage where does e-waste end up?
According to “Global futures foundation”, electronic waste is responsible for 70% of the overall toxicity found in landfills. US EPA reveals that more than 4.6 million tons of e-waste ended up in US landfills in 2000 and in Hong Kong it is estimated that 10-20 percent of discarded computers go to landfill and incinerators.
When e-waste is dumped in landfills it can contaminate soil and drinking water which is extremely hazardous for the human health. In addition to the valuable materials like aluminum and copper, electronic devices contain harmful elements like mercury and lead. The second option, Incineration is even a more harmful process. This is a process by which e waste is burned. Incineration releases heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium into the air and ashes. Mercury released into the atmosphere can accumulate the food chain, particularly the fish. To minimize the harmful effects of e-waste, the principle of “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” should be applied.

The rapid increase in the usage of cell phones, computers and HD/smart TVs is a great threat to the future’s eco-system. Following are some of the most harmful elements found in these three most common e-devices.

Cell phones:
Though cell phone does not contain as much electronic waste as larger electronic devices like TVs and computers, most of the e-waste is comprised of cellular wastage. Since the shelf life of mobile phone is just 18 month for an average consumer, the e-waste being generated continuously from cell phones and BTS infrastructure may prove itself a great danger to the upcoming generation. It is estimated that there are 500 million used cell phones ready for disposal. Cell phones contain two harmful components i.e lead and battery.

• Lead:
The coating of mobile phone is made up of lead. Therefore, if these 500 million mobile phones are dumped in a landfill they will be producing 312,000 pounds of lead which is harmful for human health if mixed in water or soil.

• Batteries:
Cell phone batteries are the most dangerous element present in them. If not disposed properly, they may cause cancers since it contains Nickel and Cadmium. Cadmium is considered as a carcinogen which completely destroys human liver and lung.

TVs:
TVs contain CRT cathode ray tube which includes a generous amount of lead in it. Lead destroys human immune system to a great extent. It is believed that almost 20% of the CRT is composed of lead. Along with lead CRT include many other harmful elements such as Cadmium, Berylium, mercury and brominated flame retardants.

Computers:
CRT is also present in computers, hence they are as harmful for human health and environment as TVs are. In addition to this, many laptops have a small fluorescent lamp on the screen that contains mercury which is a death threat when inhaled or digested. Computer circuit boards also contain mercury, along with cadmium and lead. They may also contain mercury made batteries and switches.
According to Earth911.com the total amount of global annual e-waste is about to reach 40 million metric tons. Since e-waste is increasing with three times more in speed than that of the municipal waste, it is expected that this global amount for e-waste will increase quickly. It will be responsible for 70% of toxic materials in landfills where 40% will be the lead only.

Reuse & Recycle of e-waste:
The best way to tackle e-waste is to increase the life span of electronic devices by reusing them. However, it still has its harmful nature to affect human lives. Every year, millions of e-devices are exported to developing and under developed countries. If at one place, export of e-devices is responsible for increasing the lifespan, it is also creating troubles in the proper disposal of e-waste. Often, these countries have no proper systems or dump facilities for these hazardous waste products.

Export of e-devices:
Export of e-devices from developed countries may be a boon for the developing ones if it is done by following the Export laws properly. Unfortunately, developing countries only get scrap on the name of electronic devices per year in export. “Inspections of 18 European seaports in 2005 found as much as 47 percent of waste destined for export, including e-waste, was illegal. In the UK alone, at least 23,000 metric tons of undeclared or 'grey' market electronic waste was illegally shipped in 2003 to the Far East, India, Pakistan, Africa and China. In the US, it is estimated that 50-80 percent of the waste collected for recycling is being exported in this way.” Says a report on Greenpeace International forums.
Those e-devices which can neither be reused nor refurbished should go through a safe and well-protected recycling process. However, here too only developed countries possess the safest methods of recycling. Developed countries recycle e-products in purpose-built plants under controlled conditions, whereas in developing and under developed countries recycling is done by workers in scrap yards, often by young children. The hazardous elements can harm workers, neighboring countries and environment.

E-Waste in Pakistan:
According to the research of Greenpeace, thousands of tons of e-waste including discarded PCs, mobile phones and TVs are dumped in Asia and Africa every year. Some of the waste is exported to Pakistan. It is reported that in Karachi workers including teenage children dismantle the electronic scrap to collect valuables from them for selling. No special care is taken while dumping-in the e-waste. Large piles of garbage are set to fire at night in the middle of residential areas to collect the remaining metals after the burning process. Sometimes this fire goes wild and destroys nearby shops and houses.

Abu Bakar and Asad ali who are just 12 and 14 years old respectively, work in a scrap yard. According to them they cannot get any other job because they are poor and uneducated. Zaboor khan, who is 14 years old, also works in a scrap yard. His income has bought his family a fridge, washing machine, a TV and a CD- player. Also, he affords the expenses of education on his younger siblings only by the blessings of scrap yard. It is saddening, that in Pakistan there are no better options available for these young innocent teenagers to earn their livelihood. Serious diseases which are a threat to their health may cause even more severe issues once they grow up.

Greener Pakistan Initiatives:

Some 20,000 mobile phone and internet towers in the country will also need a safe and secure disposal in Pakistan in near future. In Pakistan, unfortunately no special care is taken even in the installment process of these towers. Towers are often erected on weak bases and the material used including pipes is of poor quality, which later results in the collapse of the towers. Last year, an 18m tower of an internet providing service, Wi-tribe collapsed due to above mentioned reasons.

However, certain initiatives have been adopted. Nokia is the first company to realize its duty towards “Greener Pakistan”. Nokia recently launched a campaign in collaboration with Ufone, Unilever, Radio FM 91, ARY Music, Orient Advertising and United Media to improve the environmental awareness in Pakistan. The purpose of the campaign is to provide an easy solution for the recycling of old and broken mobile phones, batteries, chargers and all other accessories of all available brands. The process is simple. One only needs to pay a visit to any one of the 33 Nokia Care Centers or Ufone Sales and Service Centers across the country. On dropping a mobile phone for recycling, a person will have a chance to win a gift hamper from uni-lever and a brand new Nokia N8 device.

Talking about Nokia’s contribution to environment in Pakistan, Adeel Hashmi, Communications Manager, Nokia Pakistan & Afghanistan, said, “Nokia has a comprehensive sustainability and environmental strategy and recycling is one of the key aspects covered. We understand that leadership means responsibility, that’s why at Nokia we consider the environment in everything we do and even go beyond our own operations and products: we want to give that chance to our consumers as well because we understand that a power of a billion people can do a lot of good to our environment. If the 4.6 billion people using mobile phones recycled just one unused phone at the end of its life, together we would save nearly 370,000 tons of raw materials and reduce greenhouse gases to the same effect as taking 6 million cars off the road.”
Moreover, Telenor Norway has also taken initiatives for the sensible recycling of old mobile phones and BTS sites in their homeland. The recently launched campaign is a door-to-door campaign in which old mobile phones will be collected for recycling. Telenor aims to collect some 200,000 mobile phones in 2011. The campaign will end in 2012. Telenor has also made its way for the nomination of “Green 15”awards for 2011.
Mobile devices, accessories and its infrastructure contain raw material which if recycled in a highly-responsible-standard process, can be reused in many ways to make new things, such as musical instruments or even dental fillings.

As global warming is increasing, all the authorities on the global level should join hands and highly intellectual brains who could figure out ways for sensible disposal and recycle of e-waste. These joint efforts, as a result will not only reduce harmful effects of the heavy metals present in e-waste but will also serve as a move towards a “Greener world”!

This article was published in MORE IT/Telecom Magazine for the month of June, 2011

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My blog : In Google Suggestions!

My blog : In Google Suggestions!

I am so glad to find out that my blog has been added by Google in Google suggestions. I don't know much that on what basis Google adds and remove sites from suggestions, but still I am happy. I made a search for some other famous blogs but i was surprised to see that Google suggestions has no place for them :-s

Can anyone tell me that how Google adds or remove sites from its suggestions list?

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Those who exist in memories.. ...

Those who exist in memories.. ...

Urooba Rehman Qazi(LATE)-LEFT

Sweet cuddly face, decorated with a never-forgetting smile, chubby cheeks and a long waving pony tail at the back- No one in our family can forget this girl who has always brought smiles to everyone's face. She was the girl full of love, shy and respect for all the elders. Though was naughty at times, she would love to tease the younger ones. This young girl who was just 13 years of age has left all of us in tears, cries and memories...

Lahore is in the clutches of deadly virus DENGUE. News bulletin daily breaks horrible news of dengue engulfing many innocent lives in the city of Lahore alone. Markets, schools, colleges and universities have been shutdown due to the fear of this cursed epidemic Dengue fever. Every where its only the "death" dancing around.. It feels even more horrible when you yourself are the one to lose a beloved, a blood relative.. to experience a loss that can not be recovered..

How shameful it is that our government cant even control or tackle a mosquito?a mere mosquito? And to the hell, government is importing mosquito killing chemical from India when it is present in the country in sufficient quantities. I mean what the heck? Honestly, government is equally responsible in the murder of these innocent lives. I don't know why aren't they afraid of THEIR time. Why just they have forgotten ALLAH? Why don't they think that how will they face Allah? I was so surprised to find out that Imran Khan who apparently is working for this poor nation sincerely is also busy in looting the people at such bleak times. His laboratories in Shokat Khanum were accused to charge patients with heavy fees for CBC reports. when contacted, he replied that they are not a government ruling body, so how dare govt point us out? He said that since Shokat Khanum Hospital is a Cancer hospital, cancer patients get full treatment free of cost. Dear readers, tell me does this attitude seem sane? is this justifiable? shokat khanam hospital is being run with the help of funds, zakatas and sadqas, then who has given him a right to charge patients heavily? Dengue is a fatal disease and people like Imran are busy in taking the benefits of the situation... shame on all the politicians and on the blind followers..

Dear readers,
In 5% people dengue may be dangerous, but in other cases it is treatable. Remember prevention is better than cure. Always use a mosquito-repellent lotion, wear full sleeves and avoid capris, short shirts etc. Do not go out during maghrib and fajar times. If unfortunately you develop fever and symptoms like eye pain, head ache, and rash donot panic. Go and get yourself a CBC report. Your platelet count must not be less than 50,000. In normal healthy person platelets range from 1,50000-4,50000.

Take very good care of yourself and pray that our dear Pakistan gets free from all such shackles.Amen

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BnB Clutch Review

BnB Clutch Review

Ihad been planning to make a review post on the clutch i ordered from BnB for such a long time but unluckily i couldn't find enough time.I ordered a clutch from BnB (Bags 'n' Bangles) collection.Here is a brief review of the product HB-531

I am seriously in love with this clutch. The fabric used is black cotton-satin and tissue for the cute biggy rosette. To open the clutch, you will find a metallic stud adorned with little diamond-ties placed closely together.

Closer look of the rosette

 

  

The only thing i disliked about the clutch is its weight. Unlike  other clutches it is quite heavy and will get more heavy if you put some load in it other than your simple cosmetics. However, it is very spacious as you can see in the pic. I was very happy to find out that it can keep my Q mobile she phone safe in it :)

Specifications :

Size: 7*4 inch
Weight: 0.60 kg ( I doubt it is more in weight)
Fabric: Satin and Tissue

You will also get one chain free with your clutch. This is pretty long  and you can keep it safe for the time when your first chain gets faulty or broken :) Or you can use both the chains together. One for carrying it in hand and the other longer one for carrying it on your shoulder.

It is available in Rs 1790/= including delivery charges. BnB send their parcels through Pakistan Post, so have patience you will get your ordered product within a week or more.

Me carrying it, looking fabulous aint it?Loads of MashaAllahs :)

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No spamming please!

No spamming please!

                                    

I had been away from my blog for a long time and i found it quite annoying to see so many SPAMMING comments awaiting my moderation.They definitely mean no praise to my blog though apparently they seemed so. Kindly donot bother to leave comments just for the sake of YOUR promotion. All such comments are deleted by me.

NOTE: Since my blog is a family blog, all porn stuff and websites/ blogs be warned, you are not going to get any traffic from my blog. My humble requests to all INDIAN blogs, kindly do not spam my site with your filthy porn stuff. I already know what your culture  is.

Thanks.

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