Sunday, 12 January 2014
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Official by-election results: Voters put PML-N on top again
ISLAMABAD: Further consolidating its grip on power, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as a clear winner in the country’s biggest ever by-elections held on August 22.
The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced the result for most of the constituencies and PML-N is leading just like the general elections, with Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf coming second and third respectively.
The election authorities withheld results for two constituencies of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where women were reportedly disfranchised.
PML-N has secured five NA seats, 11 Punjab assembly seats and two Balochistan assembly seats. While PPP one three NA seats, two Punjab assembly seats and one in Sindh assembly.
PTI on the other hand won two seats in the Centre.
Friday, 23 August 2013
Meeting security challenges: Nawaz exempts IB from recruitment ban
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday exempted the Intelligence Bureau from a ban on recruiting, citing the sensitive nature of its job and the urgency of the current security situation.
In a visit to the Intelligence Bureau Headquarters on Friday, Nawaz was briefed on issues of internal and external security challenges, a release said.
The Prime Minister approved different proposals and recommendations which aim to build capacity of the organisation through better human resource induction and procurement of new equipment.
Nawaz was also briefed on counter terrorism initiatives and activities of the organisation.
Ministers of Interior, Finance and Information & Broadcasting also attended the briefing.
Iran-pakistan gas line progress
ISLAMABAD:
Setting aside fierce US opposition to the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project, in a strategic move, the pipeline may be stretched and connected to western China as Islamabad and Beijing have made it part of the planned economic corridor.
Earlier, India was actively involved in the pipeline project, but withdrew following a civil nuclear energy agreement with the US. Now, prospects have emerged that China will replace India and receive gas from the pipeline that will connect Iran, Pakistan and China.
According to sources, Pakistani and Chinese officials will discuss the laying of the gas pipeline from Gwadar to western China in a meeting to be held here on August 26. They will also take up a proposal about constructing an oil pipeline between the two countries.
The two sides will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the economic corridor, which had already been approved by the cabinet.
The upcoming dialogue is a follow-up to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to China in the first week of July. During the trip, Chinese companies expressed interest in laying the gas pipeline from the Gwadar Port to western China. Iran has also expressed interest in stretching the pipeline to China.
As part of the economic corridor, Gwadar Port will be connected through road and rail links to China which will help enhance trade between the two countries. Oil and gas pipelines will feature in the economic corridor, providing much-needed boost to economic activities in insurgency-hit Balochistan.
Pakistan government has asked Iran to bear the entire cost of the gas pipeline as it has found it difficult to arrange funds from some countries following pressure from the US.
The US is pressing Pakistan to shelve the IP pipeline and rather focus on the TAPI gas pipeline which will start from Turkmenistan and reach India through war-torn Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Iran has already committed $500 million for financing Pakistan’s side of the pipeline but Islamabad insists that Tehran should enhance the credit limit
Total cost of pipeline construction in Pakistan has been estimated at $1.5 billion. To cover part of the cost, the government will award a contract for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) to Iranian firm Tadbir Energy.
“We are waiting for a response from the new Iranian government,” an official said, adding Tehran had already assured the previous government that it could enhance the credit limit if required.
Under the project, Pakistan will import 750 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) with an option to increase it to one billion cubic feet. Of the import, the Balochistan government seeks to consume 250 mmcfd at the Gwadar Port, which may encourage the central government to purchase more from Iran to meet needs of the least developed province.
IPhone would let you check the status of another iPhone user
Apple has envisioned a way to see whether a fellow iPhone user is free to talk before you even complete the call.
Published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a patent appropriately called "Methods to determine availability of user based on mobile phone status," describes just that process.
How many times do you call someone only to get dumped into voice mail? Maybe the person isn't available or is in a dead zone or has just turned on Airplane mode. Apple's proposed invention seeks to eliminate that uncertainty by alerting you to the person's status right off the bat.
To accomplish this feat, a person's iPhone would talk to Apple on the backend to report its status and call preferences. Such settings as location, signal strength, battery life, and mode (Normal, Airplane, or Vibration) would be sent to Apple's servers. A fellow iPhone user who attempts to call that person would see the status of the callee's phone on the screen and can then decide whether to complete the call.
In essence, your phone would borrow a key feature from instant messaging in which you can see if someone is online, offline, free, or busy.
As Apple describes it in typical patent language:
A command is received at an operating system of a first mobile phone for displaying contact information of a remote user having a mobile phone number of a second mobile phone. In response to the command, a request is transmitted to a remote server from the first mobile phone over a cellular network requesting an operating status of the second mobile phone. The operating status of the second mobile phone is received from the remote server over the cellular network. The operating status of the second mobile phone is displayed on a display of the first mobile phone as a part of contact information of the remote user associated with the second mobile phone, where the operating status includes current locality of the second mobile phone.
Such an invention does bring up privacy issues. What if you don't want Apple and other people to know your status? Assuming this feature ever even sees the light of day, Apple would presumably offer you a way to simply turn it off.
Automatically Tune Any Guitar In Seconds
Throughout their 23-year history, automatic guitar tuners have remained stubbornly complex systems that cost thousands of dollars and require tedious professional installation. Chris Adams, CEO of Tronical in Hamburg, Germany, has figured out a way around these problems. Using an off-the-shelf microprocessor, custom tuning algorithms, and six lightweight motors, Adams developed the first system that musicians can retrofit onto nearly any guitar’s headstock—without any wiring, drilling, or soldering. Once attached, his $299 TronicalTune can make an instrument pitch-perfect in about five seconds.
ATTACH
The TronicalTune consists of a three-inch computer and six motorized tuning pegs, which screw onto the headstock in place of the existing pegs. On traditional tuning pegs, strings thread through holes—a technique that can cause breakage when strings rub against the edges. TronicalTune uses a gentler method: The strings coil around rods on the pegs.
TUNE
After selecting from 12 presets (e.g., standard, open E), a user strums all six strings at once. A piezoelectric sensor picks up the vibrations, and a processor separates out the tones of each string. When it detects an off-pitch note, it signals the servomotor in the peg to turn, tightening or loosening the string to adjust the pitch. Once all six strings are tuned, the system turns itself off.
REFINE
Different guitar bodies and strings create slight variations in timbre, so Adams programmed the TronicalTune to grow accustomed to a guitar over the course of 10 to 20 tunings. The processor tracks the overtones and adjusts its tuning accordingly.
TronicalTune
Tuning Time: 3–10 seconds
Weight: 9 ounces
Price: $299
Cause of China’s Infamous Black Carbon Smog
China’s cities are infamous for their thick haze of air pollution. Just this week, Hong Kong hit an extreme high of 187 on the air pollution index, prompting the government to issue a warning for children, sick people and the elderly to stay inside. Surprisingly, however, authorities struggled to pinpoint the main sources of the soot. Now, a new study reveals two guilty parties: traffic and home cooking. UPI reports:
A powerful carbon-14 identification method was used to trace fully four-fifths of the black carbon emitted in China to incomplete combustion of fossil fuel such as coal briquettes used in home cook stoves and automobile and truck exhaust, they reported.
“The current results suggest reduction measures in China should focus on domestic coal combustion (e.g., introduction of cleaner-burning cookers and heaters) and vehicle emissions (e.g., application of diesel particle filters),” the authors write in their paper. These sort of mitigation efforts, they say, could, over time, improve air quality and, by extension, the health of China’s residents. Mitigation would also reduce China’s contribution to climate change.
China says it’s on it. The country just announced a program aimed to cut air pollution by cutting back on coal consumption and increasing its capacity for clean energy, Business Insider reports. These efforts, the government estimate, will run around $277 billion USD, or 1.7 trillion yuan.
7 Things Really Persuasive People Do..........
1. They Are Purposeful
Truly persuasive people understand their power and use it sparingly and knowingly. They understand that most conversations do not require trying to get someone to do or accept something. Aggressive pushers are a turn-off and will put most people on the defensive. It’s the person who rarely asks or argues that ultimately gets consideration when they strongly advocate an idea, especially when they do it with power and persistence. Simply put, they pick their battles. Want to persuade more? Argue and advocate less often.
2. They Listen … and Listen … Then Listen Some More
People who know how to persuade also know that just pushing your own argument will get you nowhere. They certainly are able to articulate their position in a convincing way, but that is only half the equation. They are actively listening when in persuasion mode. First, they are listening to assess how receptive you are to their point of view. Second, they are listening for your specific objections, which they know they’ll have to resolve. Last, they are listening for moments of agreement so they can capitalize on consensus. Amazingly persuasive people are constantly listening to you and not themselves. They already know what they are saying. You can’t persuade effectively if you don’t know the other side of the argument.
3. They Create a Connection
It’s easy to dismiss people who trying to persuade you if you have no emotional stake in them or their argument. Really persuasive people know this, so they will be likeable and look for common ground to help establish emotional bonds and shared objectives. They show empathy for your position and make it known that they are on your side. They manage their impatience and wait for you to give them permission to advocate their approach. You’ll persuade people much more easily if they are open and aligned with your desires.
4. They Acknowledge Credibility
Really persuasive people understand that there is no sense wasting time arguing facts; most of the world does not function in black and white. They value strong opinions and will make sure that you are entitled to yours. In fact, they will make sure they give you full credit for every argument of yours that has some validity. This makes it harder for you to fully dismisstheir point of view. When you are persuading people, reinforce their credibility on facts and opinions rather than dismissing them outright. Then they’ll be more likely pay you equal respect in the exchange and be more open to the merits of your opposing view.
5. They Offer Satisfaction
Smart persuaders know that they don’t have to win every little battle to win the war. They are more than willing to sacrifice when it helps the overall cause. They are ready to find the easiest path to yes. Often that is simply to give you what you want whenever possible. In my old lending days, we would often deal with busy underwriters who asked for items we knew they already had. Instead of arguing the point, we would just resend the documents and save our energy for issues that were not so easily resolved. Give ground where you can and hold your ground only where it matters. Choose being successful over being right.
6. They Know When to Shut Up
Successful persuaders get that you don’t win the battle by constantly berating people with an unending verbal barrage. Wearing people down is not an effective strategy. They carefully support their arguments and check in with questions that will help to close the conversation. Then they step back. The great sales trainer Tom Hopkins still today teaches these decades-old techniques of his mentor J. Douglas Edwards. His most important lesson is “Whenever you ask a closing question, shut up. The first person who speaks, loses.”
7. They Know When to Back Away
Urgency and immediacy are often the enemies of real persuasion. It’s possible to close a less significant sale through urgency, but deep ideas require time and thought to take root. Great persuaders bring you along in your own time. And they give you the space and time to carefully consider their position. They know that nothing is more powerful than your persuading yourself on their behalf. That almost never occurs in the presence of the persuader. The next time you want to persuade someone of something truly important, follow the tips above, make your case, and walk away. If they don’t come around, you were probably wasting your effort in the first place.
Google's Newest Play Store Confirms Manual Updates When Updating All
Google's Play Store offers a lot of options for keeping your apps updated. However, if you've updated to the newest version, you may have noticed a new alert like the one above under certain circumstances.P
Here's how the new reminders work: if you allow the Play Store to automatically update apps in the background, but have disabled automatic updates for specific apps, you'll be prompted to confirm each one of those whenever you press the "Update All" button on your My Apps page. If you have the global setting turned off for automatic updates altogether, however, you won't ever see this prompt. It's a little confusing at first, but basically if you told Google that you always want to manually update a certain app, it will always give you a prompt to confirm for that app.
Android Open Source Project now has latest 4.3.1 fixes for most Nexus hardware
The latest Android 4.3 updates brought a slate of unfortunate software bugs to the party and to Google's own Nexus devices, ironically enough. Thankfully, the Mountain View crew is hard at work patching things up, as evidenced by the Nexus 7 update earlier today that resolved its multi-touch and GPS issues. Now those fixes are up on AOSP as well, not only with the aforementioned JSS15Q build for the 7-inch tablet, but also the JWR66Y for the rest of the recent Nexus clan. The reasoning behind having two fixes instead of one was the addition of an extra bit of code unique to the Nexus 7; they'll be incorporated into one patch as soon as the devs work out the kinks. Aside from patching those aforementioned bugs, the update resolved a clipboard crash issue, tweaked App Opps permissions and fixed a few extra bits of errata. If you're not afraid of a bit of tinkering, head on over to the source to update your Nexus hardware now, or just wait for Google to release Android 4.3.1.