Version 6 Online

Yep, finally, version 6 is online!

I won't say much about it here, all you need to know is on the website. So i present to you, ladies and gentlemen:

www.NadimKobeissi.net

Expected Rising

"Wal I'll be damned, mary jane, if it ain't only but a few days till the rootin' tootin' css rebootin'"

Yup! Only a few more days until I get to stun the world with my incredible design talents and release V6 (oh, I really wish that were true)!

I've just put the finishing touches. I really hope it's good enough this time. I'm fairly happy with it, and damn well should be, with the amount of work and time I've put into it. At least, I think it will last more than the other designs (versions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 all lasted less than a month before I started redesigning) So, set your clocks and plan your next few days around my release of version 6, the chaos emerald, at May 1st, 18:00 GMT.

The emerald will rise.

Oh oh oh, in other news, I finally realised a long-set goal and bought myself an official Star Wars lightsaber replica. Shoul arrive in a few weeks, will write a review then. But from what I've heard those things are great.

Ice Frontier: 2

DISCLAIMER: Due to some offensive response to my last Ice Frontier article (mainly through the internet), I declare here that I DO know that this is “just my opinion”, no need to tell me. Also, all philosophical theories inside ALL of my articles are completely original. Please include my article in your reference if using them inside a publication.

Yesterday, I was going to a restaurant. I decided to take a Taxi.

It so happened that the taxi that agreed to deliver me to the specified location had a man carrying a bird cage with two birds inside it. I was interested by the two birds because of their beauty and cuteness.

After a while, one of the birds started nibbling fiercely at the thin cage metal bars. His companion, after staring at him for a while, followed suit.

They were doing quite a progress together at weakening the metal bars and escaping before the cage owner realized and shooed them off the cage bars with his hand.

This incident engendered a great deal of thought. If you were to imprison animals into a perfect prison, how would you do that?

By, of course, not letting the animal know that they are being imprisoned in the first place.

Imagine if a small bird called Bubbles was bred inside a cage, which is a cube of glass, with only some tiny openings at the top for air and food. So Bubbles was born and lived inside his cage, without even knowing that an entirely different and huge world lay outside it. But Bubbles, through his glass walls, saw men, trees, etc. But he would think that this is exactly like we think the sky is.

Bubbles would not know he was imprisoned in the first place because he did not know any world other than his glass cage.

Now, how do you perfectly imprison a human being? Most human beings have brains that are developed more than any other animal, And driven by curiosity and much-higher-intelligence than Bubbles, will certainly break Bubble’s glass wall and venture outside the world.

So, you have to outsmart the humans to not think they are being imprisoned. What do you do? I now present to you Uncle Kobeissi’s home-made guide for pet humans!

1-Create an illusion so unfathomably huge with innumerable stars, and incredible perfection. Call it a universe.

2-Now this is a very tricky part. You need to somehow fast-forward a few billion years. I don’t know how In the world to do that, but I’m sure the reason we’re here does.

3-After a favorable planet has been created, call it Earth. Now, open your “Primitive organisms, just add water!” Sachet included with your Junior Universe Making Kit, and pour it into the planet’s water.

4-Fast forward a few million years.

And now, you have your own humans, who are ingeniously tricked to believing that they are free!

But, If we are created in this matter, I seriously don’t believe we are made to be pets. We have some more serious purpose. Study, maybe? No idea. But my point is, we are with no doubt doing what we are supposed to be doing, because the creator did not bother even telling us our purpose.

OK, time to end happy fun article. Before I go, I must say that there is a possibility that my theories are all wrong, and that all philosophy theories are wrong, because our brains may not function and our logic may be incredibly different comparing to the logic of the creator(s). Their logic could be so different that we could not even understand it. We may have been created for reasons that may appear so crazy, illogical and random to us, but not to them. Ultimately, our mathematics can be incredibly odd and illogical to them.
Cheers.

YShout - Finally a good AJAX Chatbox!

Digg has this great post about Yshout, a small package of AJAX chat that finally works.

A few months ago I was searching for such a package for my chess server, and the best package i could find would lag about 20 seconds, and doesn't even display nicknames. Whereas YShout has:

• Fast loading time
• Tiny, easy install
• Nickname support
• Flood control
• Nickname entering control
• Checks IP's to determine the owner of the site and highlights his nick to prevent impersonation
• Standards compliant, everything can be styled via css to your liking
  

All that in a bundle that's less of 25KB large. No. I'm not kidding. This script is here to be in the ranks of lightbox and moo.fx when talking about usefulness and efficiency.

Get it!

It's finished!

"At laaaaaast, My greatest invention is compleeeeteeeed!!!"

Yup. It's done. Version 6 is no longer in production stage. And it will be released in time for the css reboot at May 1rst, 2006.

Whee!

But since I know you can't possibly wait till then (as well as i know that no one actually visits this blog) I will leave a small screenshot of the site! Yes, your dream has come true!



Too bad it's too blurred to actually see anything! MWAHAHAHA!! Yup. I'm so evil. Yes I am.

As the incredibly egoistical coming soon page on nadimkobeissi.net says, Expect astonishment.

Cascade

I know you probably have had enough of my muslim-religion-defending-by-an-atheist diatribe, but I just got this sent by email and i swear i'll make it my last muslims-are-being-prosecuted-unfairly post. Just please, read it.

EVER WONDER WHY?
Why a Jew can grow his beard in order to practice his faith
But when Muslim does the same, he is an extremist and terrorist!

Why a nun can be covered from head to toe in order to devote herself to God
But when Muslimah does the same she oppressed


When a western women stays at home to look after her house and kids she is respected because of sacrificing herself and doing good for the household?
But when a Muslim woman does so by her will, they say, "she needs to be liberated"!

Any girl can go to university wearing what she wills and have her rights and freedom?
But when Muslimah wears a Hijab they prevent her from entering her university!

When a child dedicates himself to a subject he has potential.
But when he dedicates himself to Islam he is hopeless!

When a Christian or a Jew kills someone religion is not mentioned, but when Muslim is charged with a crime, it is Islam that goes to trial!

When someone sacrfices himself to keep others alive, he is noble and all respect him.
But when a Palestinian does that to save his son from being killed, his brother's arm being broken, his mother being raped, his home being destroyed, and his mosque being violated -- He gets the title of a terrorist! Why? Because he is a Muslim!

When there is a trouble we accept any solution? If the solution lies in Islam, we refuse to take a look at it.

When someone drives a perfect car in a bad way no one blames the car.
But when any Muslim makes a mistake or treats people in a bad manner - people say "Islam is the reason"!

Without looking to the tradition of Islam, people believe what the newspapers say.
But question what the Quran says!

Makes sense, i guess..

Resonance

My Mosque article has been featured on bamapachyderm. One of the comments was interesting:

I clicked on the link to your friends website and read his post.This young man obviously hasnt been indoctrinated in Islam.The library is a great draw for the mosque.(I remember the “childrens outreach” the local church had when I was growing up)This young man felt obligated to purchase a compass so he would know the direction of the prayer stone of Islam.(Kaaba)Why?
I think its naive’ to believe he isnt going to be influenced by his heritage.Its the same naivete’that prompts women to marry muslim men only to discover the woefull mistake later.When that teaching comes to fruition,I believe you will be dissapointed.The nut doesnt fall far from the tree.



Comment by Spazzmomma — April 9, 2006 @ 10:22 am

After reading, i decided to reply with the following:

Dear Spazzmomma:

The region i live in is the most extremist region in all of Lebanon. I live with devout muslims daily, and out of curiosity I have read the Koran in arabic and in english, and i have also read the life story of the muslim prophet Mohammed. Do not think that I am an igonrant who does not know islam or what he’s writing about. I read the muslim book throughly before making my decision to be an atheist.

As for the compass, i bought it because simply because i wanted a reminder to this trip. It’s simply a “souvenir”.

Plus, I must say that most of the muslims i live alongside with do not have any bad thoughts of the american people, they respect them, but dislike the american government strongly for what it has done to them.

Plus, the argument of islamic terrorists:

If Billy Bob blew himself up outside my house, would the news report him as a “mad terrorist” or as a “christian terrorist”?
Please think about it. The terrorists here in the middle east are simply using religion as a cover and to attract more idiots like them. American governments adapted the title “Islamic terroriost” because they want something to differenciate us from you, and what is more differentiating than religion! so, bush and co. probably thought: “Hey, lets make our people rightly hate those islamic terrorists, and subconsciously dislike all the other peaceful, rightful muslims in the middle east! It’s like hitting two birds with one stone! what a wonderful idea!! [That way we can make america hate the middle east and we can earn votes and support to attack middle eastern countries for our own profit! whee!]”

I have no more to say.

In the comment above, the text in between brackets was not in the original comment but was added by me just now.

I thought i needed to post this as it is quite interesting.

Beyond the Network

A hand typing on a keyboard. Breakneck speed.

There is no light yet it finds its way around the keys. Like a trained samurai swinging his sword. The mind navigates through the magic of the internet, through his fingers sending impulses to the computer through the letters of the keyboard...

The internet. The great medium where minds meet without masks. The great literal sharing of human genius, Where minds meet in their tryue form, converse without physical limits, without distances, master and apprentice as equal, all learning and all connected...

The wonder of creation, the surfing of the minds on the way to interconnectivity and marvel at the intellect of each other, and the wonders hidden in that great expanse of knowledge, that great unrestrainted medium of communication and truth, the internet.

By itself, it can be counted as a universe. A network beyond the networks of sociality. A network of genius, a network of pure beauty by the exposure of knowledge for us to ravenously feed on. The communication of all humans through the world, through this network.

The network beyond the network.

Gemstones

OK, I simply have to write an article about my love of gemstones just to let it out.

When I really really really like a loose gem and consider buying it, people say "Nadim, it's just a rock. It's pretty, but it's still a rock." OK, no problem. Gems are rocks. But that's exactly like saying that books are papers, beautiful women are cells, or that genius is thinking. Yes, they are rocks. But they are the incredibly beautiful elite of rocks. I've seen gems that are so perfectly cut, flawless and lustrous that they would bring tears to anyone's eyes.

Rubies, for example. Most people that shun gemstones as stupid have never seen a ruby. Or they might have seen rubies, but those heavily imperfect ones from the thrift shop. Even though most gemstones are very ugly I admit, Each ruby or other fine cut, no or rare inclusions and vibrant color (thus beautiful) gemstone is a living testimony to perfection. While of course for most people gemstones are incredibly expensive to own, owning it to me is like owning a piece of art, a great, beautiful testimony of nature's greatness that shines its beauty upon me.

For example, please look at this:





Pay attention to the first pic. This piece of Garnet shines with so many different reds that all perfectly fit with each other, and at the same time it has that air of blackness and luxury. I can really give a personality to this beauty.

Gemstones are the universe's artistic medium.