babudom or babuism: the rule of babus

the dark ages

(disapproving) a time in the past considered to be not advanced and when people were unwilling to accept the beliefs or opinions of others:

I call this baksheesh culture of Hyderabad! LOL

(especially in some Asian countries) a small amount of money or a present that is given to someone as a bribe, to persuade them to do something, sometimes something dishonest

Babu: My Comments: I read somewhere that that's why Brits gave us education -- well adjusted, semi literate, slavish clerks!

Definition of babu
1
: a Hindu gentleman —a form of address corresponding to Mr.
2
a
: an Indian clerk who writes English
b
often disparaging : an Indian having some education in English

I coined this term: The Bodhi Tree Moment

The Bodhi Tree (tree of awakening)
I coined this term:
The Bodhi Tree Moment
It's actually when you begin to understand things -- all of a sudden.
Things just simply start to dawn...
Everything sinks in...

light-bulb moment

a moment when you suddenly realize something or have a good idea

checkbook journalism

the practice of paying someone for a news story and especially for granting an interview

calling

an activity that is a person’s most important job, esp. one in which the person has an unusually strong interest and ability

functional illiteracy

the condition of not being able to read or write well enough to do things that are needed for living and working in society

functional skills

basic reading, writing, mathematics, and computer skills that a person needs in order to be able to live and work in society

Prof. Kev Nair's recommended dictionaries http://fluentzy.com/

Linguistics: sounds used as interjections

Oh snooze button malfunctioned eh? Tsk, tsk...

My New Year’s resolutions are: “in sha Allah”

#1 Study fluentzy.com books (Thirty books)

and

#2 Upgrade my InfoSec and Ethical Hacking skills

Study these books:

CompTIA PenTest+ Study Guide
+
CEH v10 Certified Ethical Hacker Study Guide

smartphones for smarty-pants LOL

https://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/smartphone

Here's some unsolicited advice: stand on your own (two) feet

to be able to provide all of the things you need for living without help from anyone else
My comments: Otherwise: No self-esteem..no self-respect..no morale..no dignity.

A butterfly....

Today -- Just now: A butterfly sat on me -- as if it's saying: I'm alone and vulnerable but I'm not afraid -- God is there for me and for you -- Don't be afraid to be alone and vulnerable -- God is there -- Have faith -- Be unafraid. Be brave.

Dead-end to dotcom

Salaried job is like that -- we gotta be ambitious and start something: like a dotcom -- quit dead-end jobs. What do you folks think?

“You give a poor man a fish and you feed him for a day. You teach him to fish and you give him an occupation that will feed him for a lifetime.”

pen test (penetration testing)

Penetration testing, also called pen testing or ethical hacking, is the practice of testing a computer system, network or web application to find security vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit. Penetration testing can be automated with software applications or performed manually. Either way, the process involves gathering information about the target before the test, identifying possible entry points, attempting to break in -- either virtually or for real -- and reporting back the findings.

Read on:

https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/penetration-testing

Bookmark Syndrome :-)

I just coined this: Bookmark Syndrome! LOL Maybe it's already there!

I bookmark and seldom go to it again.

LOL
Just this nugget for now. Bye.

Mobile Menace...

It's okay to be incommunicado once in a while -- I read somewhere long ago that phone is for your aid / convenience, (I couldn't find a more apt synonym for this) not the other way round -- Take a break from Mobile Apps and Games -- A moment of quiet, solitude and serenity -- Allocate some time for yourself -- A sort of self-imposed curfew on selfies and social networking sites... --

Let's Log Off -- now.

Let's go back to . . . .

Homing Pigeons

Kiteflying

Shady nook under that old ban'yan tree . . . cozy, perfect place for reading

Let's Log Off -- now.

A guilt-tripping tale of Blood, toil, tears and sweat

I saw two persons today -- unloading truckload of cement bags -- backbreaking work -- I felt guilty -- then I came into my room -- and this's flashing on my computer screen:

Princess Diana's iconic blue velvet evening gown, which she wore to dance with John Travolta at the White House, goes on sale for £350,000

------------------x---------------------x----------------------------x-----

WFP's Hunger Map depicts the prevalence of undernourishment in the population of each country in 2016-18. From Africa and Asia to Latin America and the Near East, there are 821 million people - more than 1 in 9 of the world population - who do not get enough to eat.

------------------x------------------------x------------------------------x

The Prince is expected to spend upwards of $150 million to outfit the plane’s interior—this on top of the $310 million price tag he spent for the Airbus plane itself.

We need to rethink -- there's something woefully wrong with our priorities -- we need to introspect.

I thought I was the only one DEMENTED around! :-)

decision tree

I feel good when I make an intelligent, logical and informed decision. I read most probably in Pulling Your Own Strings by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer -- that life is all about making decisions -- one after another -- like choosing from a menu i.e. while ordering food -- or buying a computer or choosing your better half and so forth. I feel dreadful when I make bad, illogical and unthoughtful decisions -- particularly impulsive decisions -- Like going on a spending spree or being unduly philanthropic.

What's next...?

What's next? If you and I'd predict what'd come next -- We'd be pioneer billionaires -- If we'd look into the future -- as I believe futurist Alvin Toffler did -- My believe is we'll have to switch to a new dimension -- For example: From Land-based transportation systems to Air-based -- This revolutionized everything -- One more example: Landline phones to Mobile Phones -- This again, changed the way we did many things -- So what's next...? We'll have to change the dimension -- once again -- That's for sure. Next....?

Hello, folks: Today is my birthday! :-)

My birthday gift to myself LOL I'm in my element in dungarees / overalls / cargo pants / also called combat trousers / combats and Turtleneck / Polo-neck T-shirts. That gives me a lot of spunk even without chaps, jodhpurs / breeches and riding boots! LOL For illustrative purposes, I'm a lot more debonair! LOL

By: Mike Chapple; David Seidl

CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-001 Certification Study Guide

How much is that eh? $744m -- Do you still think I'm crazy eh? Just for your whims, passing fancies and pseudo, false prestige? Your ego fodder?

A sale of post-war and contemporary art at Christie's in New York has generated sales of $744m (the highest total in art auction history, according to the auction house), with many pieces smashing their estimated values.

Rs. 1,100 CAN FEED ONE CHILD FOR AN ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR

https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-art-auction-ever-2014-5?IR=T

https://www.akshayapatra.org/feed-a-child

My journey: From Modem to Wi-Fi

From technophile to technophobic. From BBSes to the Internet. Have I come a long way? No. I didn't gain monetarily: Neither six-figure salary nor chief technology officer job. An intrepid futurologist to clumsy-with-gadgets conservative.

To be continued...

in a nutshell: People you're friends with...

People you know: Not necessarily VIPs like Sultan of Brunei or Mayor of Birmingham. No. It can be a peon at a court or a chap who works for your ISP. The point I'm trying to drive home is: Be friends with everyone; and keep the relationships fair and symbiotic -- as far as possible. Have a happy Buddy Day! Do we celebrate a day like this -- already eh? LOL

  

friends in high places: 
people who are powerful and important and who will help you

have friends in high places:
to know important people who can help you get what you want

people a person knows who have social or political influence or power

Could we ever fathom this?

There's no earth -- nor heavens -- God's throne was upon the water -- My question is where's that? -- what place? Could we ever fathom this?

Muslim (2653) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Allaah wrote down the decrees of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.” He said: “And His Throne was upon the water.”

Confessions of a skirt-chaser....

If we just could stop chasing girls -- Sounds a wee bit misogynistic eh? -- We'd be saving an awful lot of time, money; and loads of trouble and duress!

To be continued...

fall in love

fall in love is an idiom -- it means to begin to feel romantic love for someone -- but what I've observed is -- most of us interpret it literally -- like actually falling -- There's a movie -- the actor says: 'Don't fall in love -- Rise in love.

Were you building facebook-style communities while Mark Zuckerberg was still in grade school? :-)

http://www.netvillage.com/index.html

My comments: I think this applies to all women around the globe LOL

Lady Muck: a woman who thinks she is very important and should be treated better than everyone else

Excerpt: Chameleon

The chameleon's changing skin color plays an important role in communication among individuals. It changes under the influence of the lizard's mood, such as fear or anger, the amount of light, and the temperature or humidity. Males that can make themselves brighter are more dominant and attract more females. A submissive male displays brown or gray. Females use their colors to accept or reject a male; their color display can also signal a pregnancy.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/chameleon

burn the midnight oil

There's so much to read -- so much to learn. Fuzzy logic and Archimedes -- lots of real fun.

This post is a reprint: The Communistic SLANT!

I don't believe in class distinctions. I believe in a classless society. I believe that--fundamentally--all men and women are equal.

I believe in a classless society. Does that make me a Communist? I think I've a Communistic streak in me.

I think I've communistic leanings from the beginning.

This post is a reprint: classless society

I don't know much about isms -- Communism or this and that -- but when I see laborers -- I get guilty pangs -- in the scorching sun -- infants and toddlers -- playing in the dirt -- all of us see this almost everyday -- we pass by these construction sites -- immune to their sufferings -- 

guilt complex

a very strong feeling of guilt that you cannot get rid of

conflict (literature)

the forces that oppose each other to create the plot in a story, book, or film

external conflict

External conflict is a struggle between characters or between characters and nature or society.

internal conflict

Characters' struggles to change or understand themselves is internal conflict.

Are there social classes in Islam?

Praise be to Allaah.

Human societies have known all kinds of class systems. In some societies there is a class of princes, a class of warriors, a class of farmers and a class of slaves, and based on this there is a lot of oppression, abuse and trampling on people’s rights. But the sharee’ah or law of Allaah does not recognize such systems at all. Islam gives equal rights to all, rich and poor, noble and ignoble. The basic principle on which people are differentiated in Islam is mentioned in the Holy Qur’aan, in Soorat al-Hujuraat (interpretation of the meaning):

“O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allaah is that (believer) who has al-taqwa [i.e., is one of the muttaqoon or pious]. Verily, Allaah is All-Knowing, All-Aware”

[al-Hujuraat 49:13]

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people! Verily your Lord is One and your father [Adam] is one. An Arab is no better than a non-Arab, and a non-Arab is no better than an Arab; a red man is no better than a black man and a black man is no better than a red man – except if it is in terms of taqwa (piety)…”

(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 22391; al-Silsilat al-Saheeh, 2700).

This is the principle on which society is based in Islam. This is the global human society which mankind is trying to attain through its far-fetched ideas, but is failing to do so, because they are not following the one straight path that will lead them there, the way to God, may He be glorified, and because they are not standing under the one banner that could unite them, the banner of God, may He be exalted.

People live on this earth connected by all kinds of relationships, all of which carry some weight or have some attraction in their lives… these include lineage, power, wealth, etc. From these stem other connections, practical, economic, etc., where people have different positions and levels of status with regard to one another. So some people have more status than others in worldly terms… Then Islam comes and says: “the most honourable of you with Allaah [God] is that (believer) who has al-taqwa [i.e., is one of the muttaqoon or pious]” so it ignores all the values that carry weight in people’s lives, and replaces them all with this new value that is derived directly from the Revelation and is the only one that is recognized in the standards of God. This is piety and consciousness of God, which is manifested in the worship of God lone, with no partner, no son, no equal… obeying what He commands and avoiding what He forbids, seeking His pleasure and Paradise, and fearing His punishment and Hell-fire.

Allaah is All-Seer of His slaves.

Source: Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/3793/are-there-social-classes-in-islam

Hey hold on this is PDA What's that? Personal digital assistant? No! Public displays of affection Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code! What's that? Are you a lawyer eh? Nope. Repeat offender!

Oh yeah, it's in our history books -- our ancestors inspired this Timur guy Emperor whatever! Such a lame deserter shame! LOL

A RAT found in my computer! Just now. :(

I just found a RAT in my computer. I hope that it didn't do anything deviant -- It’s always so extremely difficult to undo the damage caused by it.

What is a RAT (remote access Trojan)?

A remote access Trojan (RAT) is a malware program that includes a back door for administrative control over the target computer. RATs are usually downloaded invisibly with a user-requested program -- such as a game -- or sent as an email attachment. Once the host system is compromised, the intruder may use it to distribute RATs to other vulnerable computers and establish a botnet.

Because a RAT enables administrative control, it makes it possible for the intruder to do just about anything on the targeted computer, including:

Monitoring user behavior through keyloggers or other spyware.
Accessing confidential information, such as credit card and social security numbers.
Activating a system's webcam and recording video.
Taking screenshots.
Distributing viruses and other malware.
Formatting drives.
Deleting, downloading or altering files and file systems.

The Back Orifice rootkit is one of the best known examples of a RAT. A hacker group known as the Cult of the Dead Cow created Back Orifice to expose the security deficiencies of Microsoft's Windows operating systems.

RATs can be difficult to detect because they usually don't show up in lists of running programs or tasks. The actions they perform can be similar to those of legitimate programs. Furthermore, an intruder will often manage the level of resource use so that a drop in performance doesn't alert the user that something's amiss.

To protect your system from RATs, follow the same procedures you use to prevent other malware infections: Keep antivirus software up to date and refrain from downloading programs or opening attachments that aren't from a trusted source. At the administrative level, it's always a good idea to block unused ports, turn off unused services and monitor outgoing traffic.

RAT also stands for remote administration tool.

https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/RAT-remote-access-Trojan

Let's go to the movies: The Man Who Haunted Himself

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Haunted_Himself

doppelgänger

a spirit that looks exactly like a living person, or someone who looks exactly like someone else but who is not related to that person

Fear is very debilitating... :(

I get a real kick out of Blogging. :-)

Note: I haven't seen this VDO completely yet. As they usually put in small print: I don't subscribe to this VDO! LOL

Why there could be many identical copies of you

We ask one of the hardest questions in the Universe, is there another you out there and if so, can we find our cosmic twin?

By Melissa Hogenboom and Pierangelo Pirak
24 October 2016

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161021-why-there-could-be-many-copies-of-you

Note: I haven't read the complete article yet.

Instead of finding their own food and caring for their own young, some ants simply make other insects their slaves

By Sandhya Sekar
28 October 2015

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20151028-a-few-species-of-ant-are-pirates-that-enslave-other-ants

Pigeon with German miniature camera, during the First World War

War Room at Stevns Fortress used in Denmark during the Cold War

You mean Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) was precursor to UAVs? (unmanned aerial vehicles) / Drones? Wowsers!

seesawing: I didn't know it's also called teeter-totter

think outside the box huh? LOL

think outside the box

to think imaginatively using new ideas instead of traditional or expected ideas

lateral thinking huh? LOL

lateral thinking

a way of solving a problem by thinking about it in a different and original way and not using traditional or expected methods

Yes yes, I'm a real princess but this's not orthopedic bed plus I've insomnia!

Reprinted with new caption -- Vikram: It's your turn to tell me a story! My favorite is Sisyphus!

Origin of conflict? Right-of-way? Collision course? Negotiations with both sides have not yet led to a resolution of the conflict.

Dive eh? Identical twin? Nirvana? No way! This looks like assisted suicide to me!

Indian Snake Charmers / Con Artists versus Kevin Mitnick and Chanakya versus Machiavelli

My point is: I often say this -- You'd learn more real-life / practical Social Engineering from our Snake Charmers and Con Artists than Kevin Mitnick's like books (The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security) We gotta go back to our roots. Everything is there. We shrug off our scriptures and cultures -- Everything is in there. We need to understand Chanakya first -- before learning more about Machiavelli.

It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman

Who's this Jetman anyways? --- oh that guy? -- No No This is not Yves Rossy's Wingsuit :-) This is a Flying Carpet! Go back to folklore folks! :-)

Open sesame! Wow! Voice authentication huh? Cool.

Are aliens real?

They said: ‘We believe in the Lord of the ‘Alameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
The Lord of Musa and Harun.’”  [7:106-122]

'all that exists' My question is: Who are they? Aliens? Other worlds of the unseen?

Made in India

When I was a young adult I thought indigenous meant Made in India! LOL

Ha ha you said you're an escape artist?

Don't let stronger adversary intimidate you (Let me know if you'd think up a better caption for this) :-)

This is what I call: Crow logic :-) (Ingenuity and perseverance)

My comments: the Second World War

World War II, also called Second World War, conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during the years 1939–45.

The 40,000,000–50,000,000 deaths incurred in World War II make it the bloodiest conflict, as well as the largest war, in history.

Correct me if I'm wrong -- but I read somewhere that US nuked Japan to stop / end the war and to avoid more casualties (on both sides?). I'm not a political pundit but my question is: Didn't they foresee this right after Pearl Harbor attack? Had they nuked 'em then -- zillions of lives would've been saved? -- on both sides.

What do you guys think eh?

first world problem

: a usually minor or trivial problem or annoyance experienced by people in relatively affluent or privileged circumstances especially as contrasted with problems of greater social significance facing people in poor and underdeveloped parts of the world

catch-22

an impossible situation where you are prevented from doing one thing until you have done another thing that you cannot do until you have done the first thing:

a catch-22 situation

Marxism

a social, political, and economic theory that is based on the writings of Karl Marx

Navy SEALs motto

The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

This applies to me too.

apolitical

not interested in or connected with politics, or not connected to any political party:

The organization insists that it is apolitical and does not identify with any one particular party.

Leninism

the social, political, and economic principles and theories developed from Marxism by the Russian politician V. I. Lenin, supporting direct rule by workers

communism

the belief in a society without different social classes in which the methods of production are owned and controlled by all its members and everyone works as much as they can and receives what they need

liberal elite

a group of people with education, money, and other advantages, often living in cities, who have liberal political views and are seen as not understanding the problems and views of ordinary people:

monosyllabically

in a way that involves saying very little or using very short words, often when this is unfriendly or rude:

She said nothing, and replied to questions monosyllabically or not at all.

I seldom find anyone who will answer this question monosyllabically.

walls have ears

something you say to warn someone that it is not safe to speak at that particular time because other people might be listening

Reprint: India -- Mental retardation

I'm just one of 'em. So please stop name-calling. It hurts me like anything and I feel dreadful.

Nearly 2% of the general population in our country is affected with mental retardation. There are presently about 168 lakhs of mentally retarded people in our country. -- National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India

http://www.nimhindia.org

validation

the feeling that other people approve of and accept you, or something that gives you this feeling:

As human beings we crave validation from the outside world.

The Railway Man by Eric Lomax

Inevitability . . . .

"Mackellar's painting is about the inevitability of separation, the cost of journeying. And we have never created any sound so evocative of a steam locomotive, that high note of inhuman relief as vaporized water is blown off and meets the cold air." -- The Railway Man / Eric Lomax

the complete picture

Twister (1996 film)

storm chaser

a person who follows extreme weather events such as violent storms in order to experience, photograph, or study them:

People often ask storm chaser Joe Quayle what is it like to chase tornadoes.

I'm like Desmond Morris

I'm a self-styled / self-proclaimed / self-professed social scientist (someone who studies society and the way people live).

Book of bad decisions

I keep a journal -- in which I record bad decisions -- Then next day or next time I try to undo that.

Quran: An-Nas -- Sura # 114, Verse: 6

114:6
From among the jinn and mankind.

My question is: Who are those from mankind?

https://quran.com/

Quran Sura # 38, Verse: 80

quran.com
[ Allah ] said, "So indeed, you are of those reprieved

islamqa.info

(Allaah) said: ‘Verily, you are of those allowed respite

I'm trying to understand this -- does this mean there were others as well? If yes, who were they?

Sink in (phrasal verb)

Definition of sink in

: to become completely known, felt, or understood

I had to tell him what to do over and over before it finally sank in. 

The fact that she's left me still hasn't really sunk in.

MIA

—often used figuratively for someone or something notably or unexpectedly missing, absent, or inactive

missing in action

: missing and unable to be confirmed as captured or killed following military action

missing person report

: a document that officially reports that someone is missing
They've filed a missing person report with the police.

blogosphere

Blogosphere is a term some writers have used to describe the grassroots and interactive journalism made possible by participants in blogs (logs or journals maintained on the Internet) and the symbiotic relationship between bloggers and traditional journalists. In this relationship, bloggers often cite and link to mainstream news articles and mainstream journalists often get story ideas from blogs they monitor. 

Read on:

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/blogosphere

Definition of slash-and-burn

extremely ruthless and unsparing
slash-and-burn tactics
slash-and-burn criticism

McDonald's and Me

I ate my supper at McDonald's just now -- That place is ritzy -- rich people and all that -- girls and all...I was so conscious -- Everybody speaking English and in chic clothes -- I felt extremely uncomfy -- I'm happy amongst blue-collar workers -- Chai Wallas and Paan wallas -- People below poverty line/poverty level -- I'm not confident as I once used to be when I was in Abu Dhabi.

God willing

Definition of God willing
—used to say what one hopes and expects to do or happen if no problems occur
We'll be able to move into our new house next week, God willing.
God willing, I'll finish my degree this year.

My review of D-Day Hindi movie

Will write real soon -- God willing.

mixed blessing

Definition of mixed blessing
: something that is good in some ways and bad in other ways
Living next to your in-laws can be a mixed blessing.

Reprint: Indian rope-trick--er--ahem--I mean Indian hack-trick! :-)

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Indian rope-trick--er--ahem--I mean Indian hack-trick! :-)

Here's your chance to hack with legal immunity -- My objective is multipronged:

#1. You and I: Both of us would be learning the nitty-gritty of real-life Ethical Hacking.

#2. This sort of setup would keep you off of illegalities -- I mean like hacking into other networks and all that.

There's no fee -- but you'd always buy me a Pizza! :-) (I abhor the practice of vegetarianism!)

No early-bird offers--either.

My goal is to give you a free of charge platform / environment with plenty of elbow room to hone your hacking skills.

And, there're no hunting trophies.

Dust off your consoles -- vie for root.

Girls: Expect a red-carpet welcome -- Let the boys accuse me of unabashed favoritism -- Lenient policies! :-) If you happen to spot a gray-haired guy -- hunchbacked -- in his early forties -- wearing extremely sober suspenders -- scuffling to cross the street -- you'd safely approach him -- with absolutely no caution (put that pepper spray in your clutch bag, please!) -- that's me! :-)

Posted by Maqsood Qureshi at 8:24 AM

Posted by Maqsood Qureshi at 10:25 PM

Reprint: Let me turn rookies into Alpha Geeks...

Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Let me turn rookies into Alpha Geeks...

My Ethical Hacking / Penetration Testing Lab

Hardware:

1. Laptop: vgc (very good condition)
2. Laptop: Oldie
3. Desktop: Oldie

I shy away from hardware so not giving you specs -- By the way, I'd mug up CompTIA A+ guide(s).

I'd sign up for a dedicated high-speed Intenet connexion.

In the not too distant future: I'd also sign up for a dedicated IP address.

I'd also get a Hardware Firewall (dirt cheap) but sturdy -- should deflect attacks -- though I just adore those groovy Check Point's UTM appliances.

Software:

1. Windows Server 2012 (Evaluation copy)
2. Honeypots
3. BBS

What's your role?

You've to attack my systems viciously (no-holds-barred). This a real live Ethical Hacking exercise. Relentless -- knock-down-drag-out -- distributed attacks.

Posted by Maqsood Qureshi at 2:32 AM

Reprint

Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Parent and child inventions / discoveries

Parent and child inventions and discoveries:

Let me give you an example: Let's say ocean is a parent; Would it be possible to have a ship without it? Would you be building it? There's no point in it, right? How about social media without the Internet? Isn't it possible that at least some of us are futurists -- We'd be ridiculed for doing something which might not appear logical now in this era -- Our theories perhaps are not compliant. What if there's no computer? Like this: No this No that? Got it? No parent invention / discovery -- and, No child invention / discovery.

Okay -- How about discoveries? Just imagine we find some planet -- say, Mars, for instance, is inhabitable for us -- Just image -- just one discovery would change everything.

Or, let's say we find something -- gain something from The Uncontacted Tribes -- What if they've a cure for AIDS?

Flying cars are real now -- at least quite promising prototypes. Individuals flying donning backpack-like gear -- Doesn't this tell us that Superman isn't a cartoon character anymore?

One more thing: Just don't be a good end-user -- If you can't invent -- discover anything -- at least make exhaustive use of present technologies to catapult your child inventions etc.

In a nutshell: Domino effect. If there's an OS  - so you create an add-on  or variant of it-- so on so forth.

Maybe all those make-believe stories about Venus are true! Who knows --   Go get your telescope!

The Hunchbacked Whirling Dervish

Latitude and longitude coordinates are: 17.387140, 78.491684.

These're real GPS coordinates: Just don't nuke me! LOL

Posted by Maqsood Qureshi at 3:28 PM

excursionist

a person who travels for pleasure
a list of things to do for weekend excursionists in the city

abstruse

difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand
you're not the only one who finds Einstein's theory of relativity abstruse

Folks: My Ham Radio Call sign: 57HS1835

A spider caught in its own web!

Writing...

DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo (DDG) is a general search engine designed to protect user privacy, while avoiding the skewing of search results that can happen because of personalized search (sometimes referred to as a filter bubble).

Read on:

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/DuckDuckGo

Definition dark web (darknet)

The dark web, also referred to as the darknet, is an encrypted portion of the internet that is not indexed by search engines and requires specific configuration or authorization to access. Although the dark web is sometimes portrayed as a domain frequented by criminal elements, it is also created and used by people who require privacy for entirely legal reasons, such as the exchange of proprietary business information. In such a case, information may be exchanged through an encrypted peer-to-peer (P2P) network connection or by using an overlay network, such as Tor.

Read on:

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/dark-web

deep Web

The deep Web, sometimes called the invisible Web, is the large part of the Internet that is inaccessible to conventional search engines. Deep Web content includes email messages, chat messages, private content on social media sites, electronic bank statements, electronic health records (EHRs) and other content that is accessible over the Internet but is not crawled and indexed by search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing or DuckDuckGo.

Read on:

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/deep-Web

Effects of cyberextortion

The cyber economy research firm Cybersecurity Ventures predicted that the annual global cost of damage from ransomware would be greater than $11.5 billion by 2019, up from $325 million in 2015. In its "2017 Annual Cybersecurity Report," Cisco reported that ransomware is growing at an annual rate of 350%. While Cybersecurity Ventures estimated that ransomware damages would exceed $5 billion in 2017, that is still just a fraction of the nearly $600 billion cost of cybercrime in 2017 estimated by McAfee.

Read on:

https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/cyberextortion

Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a digital currency (also called crypto-currency) that is not backed by any country's central bank or government. Bitcoins can be traded for goods or services with vendors who accept Bitcoins as payment.

Read on:

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Bitcoin

command-and-control server (C&C server)

A command and control server (C&C server) is a computer that issues directives to digital devices that have been infected with rootkits or other types of malware, such as ransomware. C&C servers can be used to create powerful networks of infected devices capable of carrying out distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, stealing data, deleting data or encrypting data in order to carry out an extortion scheme. In the past, a C&C server was often under an attacker's physical control and could remain active for several years. Today, C&C servers generally have a short shelf life; they often reside in legitimate cloud services and use automated domain generation algorithms (DGAs) to make it more difficult for law enforcement and white hat malware hunters to locate them.

Read on:

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/command-and-control-server-CC-server

cyberextortion

Cyberextortion is a crime involving an attack or threat of an attack coupled with a demand for money or some other response in return for stopping or remediating the attack.

Read on:

https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/cyberextortion

ransomware

Ransomware is a subset of malware in which the data on a victim's computer is locked, typically by encryption, and payment is demanded before the ransomed data is decrypted and access is returned to the victim. The motive for ransomware attacks is nearly always monetary, and unlike other types of attacks, the victim is usually notified that an exploit has occurred and is given instructions for how to recover from the attack. Payment is often demanded in a virtual currency, such as Bitcoin, so that the cybercriminal's identity is not known.

Read on:

https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/ransomware

History and Etymology for celibate + My comments: Sanskrit and Arabic

Note: The traditional hypothesis that caelebs goes back to a compound *kai̯elo-libh- (with the first element compared to Sanskrit kevala- "exclusively oneʼs own, alone, whole" and the second to Gothic liban "to live," English live entry 1) is now considered dubious.

I think Sanskrit and Arabic are the roots of all languages. I think Sanskrit should be revived. It's a treasure trove -- would undoubtedly change the way we think and all that. Moreover, like Arabic, it's a very sacred language. 

hello girl

Definition of hello girl
late 19th and early 20th centuries : a woman working as a telephone operator

huh

English Language Learners Definition of huh
informal
chiefly US —used at the end of a statement to ask whether someone agrees with you
—used when you have not heard or understood something that was said

—used to show surprise, disbelief, or disapproval 

Definition of huh
—used to express surprise, disbelief, or confusion, or as an inquiry inviting affirmative reply

Promotion (chess)

Promotion in chess is a rule that requires a pawn that reaches its eighth rank to be immediately replaced by the player's choice of a queen, knight, rook, or bishop of the same color.[1] The new piece replaces the pawn, as part of the same move. The choice of new piece is not limited to pieces previously captured, thus promotion can result in a player owning, for example, two or more queens despite starting the game with one.[2] Pawn promotion, or the threat of it, often decides the result in an endgame. Since the queen is the most powerful piece, the vast majority of promotions are to a queen. Promotion to a queen is also called queening; promotion to any other piece is referred to as underpromotion (Golombek 1977).

If the promoted piece is not physically available, FIDE rules state that the player should stop the game clock and summon the arbiter for the correct piece. Under US Chess Federation rules and in casual play, an upside-down rook may be used to designate a queen (Just & Burg 2003:16–17).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promotion_(chess)

Happy Independence Day, everyone! :-)

...At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.... (Tryst with Destiny)

Tag Questions

Prof. Kev Nair's Fluency Development Course -- Book # 9 -- Page # 58 -- Topic: Tag Questions

Soviet MS-61 Cockpit Voice Recorder from a MiG-21 interceptor

My comments: question tag

In India -- in Indian English, we say 'No?' as a question tag with everything. But that's not correct. Or we say 'isn't' with everything. That's incorrect either.

I devised 'eh?' to make any statement interrogative.

Example: You speak English eh? Keyboarding? Repetitive strain injury (RSI) eh? No! LOL

Definition of eh
—used to ask for confirmation or repetition or to express inquiry —used especially in Canadian English in anticipation of the listener's or reader's agreement

question tag

question tag
a short phrase such as "isn't it" or "don't you" that is added to the end of a sentence to check information or to ask if someone agrees with you:

In the sentence "It's hot, isn't it?", "isn't it" is a question tag.

English Language Learners Definition of tag question
grammar : a brief question (such as "don't you?" in "You know him, don't you?") that comes at the end of a statement usually to ask if the statement is correct

Definition of tag question
: a question (such as isn't it in "it's fine, isn't it?") added to a statement or command (as to gain the assent of or challenge the person addressed) also : a sentence ending in a tag question

Thirty seconds vocab challenge LOL

schadenfreude

You've got 30 seconds to look up / Google this word and tell me its meaning! Your time starts now.

Dalek

an imaginary creature that talks in a strange voice and kills people:
The Daleks were the most frightening characters in Dr Who (= a television programme about a man who travels in space and time).

English Vinglish

Hindi movie actors speak in English off-screen -- I find that quite queer and whacky! LOL

bounty hunter

Definition of bounty hunter
1
: one who tracks down and captures outlaws for whom a reward is offered
2
: one who hunts predatory animals for the reward offered

eh

Definition of eh
—used to ask for confirmation or repetition or to express inquiry —used especially in Canadian English in anticipation of the listener's or reader's agreement

powwow

Definition of powwow
an American Indian medicine man
an American Indian ceremony (as for victory in war)
an American Indian social gathering or fair usually including competitive dancing
informal, now offensive
: a social get-together
: a meeting for discussion

teleconferencing

Definition of teleconferencing
: the holding of a conference among people remote from one another by means of telecommunication devices (such as telephones or computer terminals) 

English Language Learners Definition of teleconferencing
: the use of telephones and video equipment to have a meeting with people who are in different places

Definition of shock jock

: a radio personality noted for provocative or inflammatory commentary

Buddhahood

My definition of Buddhahood is when you start understanding -- when you've answers -- Bodhi tree moment -- Nothing is perplexing anymore --

Daisy Bell

Daisy, Daisy,
Give me your answer, do!
I'm half crazy,
All for the love of you!
It won't be a stylish marriage,
I can't afford a carriage,
But you'll look sweet on the seat
Of a bicycle built for two!

gallows humor

Definition of gallows humor
: humor that makes fun of a life-threatening, disastrous, or terrifying situation

Definition of old school tie

: an attitude of conservatism, aplomb, and upper-class solidarity associated with English public school graduates

a necktie displaying the colors of an English public school

clannishness among members of an established clique

black humor

Definition of black humor
: humor marked by the use of usually morbid, ironic, grotesquely comic episodes

been-there done-that

an exclamation expressing familiarity and boredom with a situation, experience, etc

has-been

informal : a person who is no longer popular or successful

dinosaur / dinosaurian / dinosauric

one that is impractically large, out-of-date, or obsolete
The factory is now a rusting dinosaur

Definition of sahib

: sir, master —used especially among the native inhabitants of colonial India when addressing or speaking of a European of some social or official status

Bildungsroman

: a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character

OMG

OMG is the written abbreviation for 'Oh my God!', used especially in emails and text messages.

omg

written abbreviation for Oh my God: used when someone is surprised or excited about something:
And then, omg, I saw Johnny Depp in Starbucks!

How much do we spend on mosqitoes yearly? Now that's a nail-biting question! LOL

I got the refill today for 72 or 74 rupees
Let's say we consume 1 refill per month
So 12 months x 74
It's 888 rupees annually
Let's say 1k

Mosquito menace -- My comments:

My million dollars question is: How much do we spend on mosquito repellents annually?

Mosquito menace: Check out these facts please

Mosquito borne diseases are prevalent in more than 100 countries, infecting 300-500 million people and causing about 1 million deaths every year. In India, more than 40 million people suffer from mosquito diseases annually. There are a number of diseases borne by mosquitoes.

In India, malaria, filaria and dengue are the most prevalent diseases spread by mosquitoes. Over two million cases of malaria alone are reported. Even more astonishing is the fact that India spends 100 million dollars on malaria.

https://www.medindia.net/articles/mosquito_diseases.htm

Rat Zapper

Pest control is at least as old as agriculture, as there has always been a need to keep crops free from pests. As long ago as 3000 BC in Egypt, cats were used to control pests of grain stores such as rodents.[1][2] Ferrets were domesticated by 500 AD in Europe for use as mousers. Mongooses were introduced into homes to control rodents and snakes, probably by the ancient Egyptians.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pest_control

Mosquitofish -- Biocontrol -- Figure out the gender LOL

On 24 February 2014, Chennai Corporation in India introduced western mosquitofish in 660 ponds to control the mosquito population in freshwater bodies.

Movie script

Everything -- from start to finish happens on the train.

Writing...

Note: Please let me know if there're any movies like that already?

Definition of troll

: a person who intentionally antagonizes others online by posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content
Internet trolls
In the late 1980s, Internet users adopted the word "troll" to denote someone who intentionally disrupts online communities.
— Mattathias Schwartz

How to deal with sihr (magic/witchcraft)

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/11290/how-to-deal-with-sihr-magicwitchcraft

Ruling on seeking help from the qareen on the part of some of those who treat sickness with ruqyah

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/121234/ruling-on-seeking-help-from-the-qareen-on-the-part-of-some-of-those-who-treat-sickness-with-ruqyah

Ways of Treating Magic

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/12918/ways-of-treating-magic

Every person has a constant companion from among the jinn

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/26226/every-person-has-a-constant-companion-from-among-the-jinn

201120 - Who are Banu Qurayzah? What happened to them?

When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) returned from the battle of the Trench, and laid down his weapon and did ghusl – as narrated by al-Bukhaari (4117) – Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to him and said: Have you laid down your arms? For by Allah, we (angels) have not laid down ours; go out to them. He said: “Where to?” He said: Over there – and he pointed in the direction of Banu Qurayzah. 

https://islamqa.info/

What conditions should be met by a “raaqi”*?

Praise be to Allaah.
The correct view is that it is permissible for every reader who can recite the Qur’aan well and who understands its meanings, has a sound belief, does righteous deeds and is of upright conduct to use ruqyah. It is not essential for him to have knowledge of minor matters or to have studied all branches of knowledge in depth. This is because of the story of Abu Sa’eed and the man who had been stung by a scorpion, “… and we did not know that he ever did ruqyah before that incident”, as is stated in the hadeeth.
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2276; Muslim, 2201). The raaqi must have a good intention and want to benefit the Muslim; he should not be concerned with money or payment, so that his reading will be more beneficial.
And Allaah knows best.

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/7874/what-conditions-should-be-met-by-a-raaqi

Example of a QR code

A QR code (quick response code) is a type of 2D bar code that is used to provide easy access to information through a smartphone.

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/QR-code-quick-response-code

deduce

English Language Learners Definition of deduce

formal : to use logic or reason to form (a conclusion or opinion about something) : to decide (something) after thinking about the known facts

Kids Definition of deduce
: to figure out by using reason or logic
What can we deduce from the evidence?

She deduced, from the fur stuck to his clothes, that he owned a cat.

Holmesian

Definition of Holmesian
: of, characteristic of, or suggestive of the detective Sherlock Holmes

fishy

Examples of fishy in a Sentence

There's something fishy about that guy. 

something's fishy about the way he's acting 

informal : causing doubt or suspicion : likely to be bad, untrue, dishonest, etc. : causing doubt or suspicion 

The story sounds fishy to me.

smell a rat

to recognize that something is not as it appears to be or that something dishonest is happening

My comments: I waited for this sequel for like zillions of years! LOL OMG Coup!

Late Ved Prakash Sharma. My favorite Hindi writer. This is my homage to him.

Vibes -- no such thing eh? -- my protagonist in this novelette works for a clandestine govt. org -- but he doesn't exist -- there's no record of him -- Some people deduce that he works for R&AW -- Insiders keep mum -- He came into the spotlight when he pointed out a mole in CIA -- or more than one -- it's on the grapevine that -- He sent a self-destruct email or series of 'em to 'em -- parapsychologists find it difficult to shrug off him as some charlatan...

Writing...

Confessions of a Ghostwriter by Andrew Crofts: This book is on my wish list.

Shooting the messenger: I didn't read this article fully.

"Shooting the messenger" is a metaphoric phrase used to describe the act of blaming the bearer of bad news. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_the_messenger

don't shoot the messenger

said to warn someone not to be angry with the person who tells them something bad

I'm going to get this Cowboy Tie real soon -- InshaAllaah :-) Yippee Not exactly like this one. This is for illustration purpose only. LOL

Grammarly says this about my writing...yippee! You're quite the word-wonder!

You were more productive than 75% of Grammarly users.
You were more accurate than 66% of Grammarly users.

You used more unique words than 83% of Grammarly users.

57,699 total words checked by Grammarly since Aug 24, 2018 (2,020 last week)

veterans' preference

: preferential treatment given qualified veterans of the U.S. armed forces under federal or state law specifically : special consideration (as by allowance of points) on a civil service examination

over and out

said when you are talking to someone by radio in order to end the conversation:
"Thank you, control tower. Over and out."

Over

said when you are talking to someone by radio, to mean that you have finished speaking and will wait for their answer:

"This is flight 595X. Do you read me? Over."

Sura: An-Naml, Sura # 27 Verse: 38 -- 40

[Solomon] said, "O assembly [of jinn], which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?"

A powerful one from among the jinn said, "I will bring it to you before you rise from your place, and indeed, I am for this [task] strong and trustworthy."

Said one who had knowledge from the Scripture, "I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you." And when [Solomon] saw it placed before him, he said, "This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful - his gratitude is only for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever is ungrateful - then indeed, my Lord is Free of need and Generous."

Sura: Al-'Ankabut -- Sura # 29, Verse # 41

The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like that of the spider who takes a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew.

Quran: Sura: Al-Qasas -- Sura # 28, Verse # 38

And Pharaoh said, "O eminent ones, I have not known you to have a god other than me. Then ignite for me, O Haman, [a fire] upon the clay and make for me a tower that I may look at the God of Moses. And indeed, I do think he is among the liars."

$3 trillion to $6 trillion -- yeah, you got it right!

Global annual cybercrime costs will grow from $3 trillion in 2015 to $6 trillion annually by 2021, according to fresh forecasting.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/annual-cybercrime-costs-double-6/

Would-be President of America?

I'm not a political analyst but my intuition is that Hillary Clinton should be the first lady President of America.

I don't know the nitty-gritty of politics. This is just my hunch.