Waruna's Weblog

Velvet revolution

warunaino — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:41:22 +0000

Sri Lanka may not have the internet penetration rates that some of the industrialized countries have but our cell phone ownership rate is among the highest in the developing world. With new communication technologies, Sri Lanka could, in the future, be susceptible to a so called “Velvet revolution.” In this type of revolution, small highly organized groups using tools such as social networking sites (e.g., Twitter or Facebook or text messaging) attempt to destabalize established governments. These efforts are backed by western powers who are keen on regime changes for ideological reasons. After recent western attempts to cause regime change in Sri Lanka using the UNHCR, we should be vigilant of such efforts.

‘Velvet’ or ‘colourful’ revolutions… are methods of exchanging power for social unrest. Colourful and ‘velvet’ revolutions occurred in post-communist societies of central and Eastern Europe and central Asia. Colourful revolutions have always been initiated during an election and its methods are as follows:

1. Complete despair in the attitude of people when they are certain to lose an election…

2. Choosing one particular colour which is selected solely for the Western media to identify (for their readers or viewers). Supporters wear this colour on wristbands, scarves and bandannas.

3. Announcing that there has been advance cheating before an election and repeating it non-stop afterwards… allowing exaggeration by the Western media.

4. Writing letters to officials in the government, claiming vote-rigging in the election.

It’s interesting to note that in all such ‘colourful’ projects – for example, in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan – the Western-backed movements have warned of fraud before elections by writing to the incumbent governments. Another study demonstrates that vote-rigging will be alleged on the very day of the election and that victory will be claimed by the opposition hours before the counting is finished and before their own defeat is announced. The results will therefore will already have a “background” of fraud. “In the final stages… supporters gather in front of the regime’s official offices, holding colourful banners and protesting against vote-rigging. This part of the demonstration is run by the foreign media who are the opposition movement’s supporters so that they make good pictures and mislead the international community.

The Truth…..!!!! The Absolute Truth……….!!!!!!!!!!!! about Sri Lanka

warunaino — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:17:11 +0000

I SALUTE THE PATRIOTIC AUTHOR OF THIS ARTICLE.

Really true……………………sorry for the hard language at the bottom

Tamils, Sinhalese, British and Yankees
Posted on June 9th, 2009

A Sri Lankan

Tamils –

How many Tamils are employed in southern Sri Lankan companies? (See the number of high caliber Tamils in Sri Lankan banking sector, see hotel trade, see film trade, see other industries)

Do they experience any hardship professionally due to ethnicity? If so, how come they hold such high positions?

See how many Tamil kids are getting educated in International schools? They have outnumbered other ethnicities.

Royal college has Tamil medium, DS has Tamil medium. So many Sinhala major government schools have Tamil medium and they share equal opportunities. How many Tamil major schools have Sinhala medium?

Private schools like St. Thomas ‘, Trinity etc have quite a large number of Tamil students.

Travel Wellawatte, Dematagoda, Dehiwala, Kotahena etc and see the number of Tamils sharing the comforts.

Go to Pettah market and Fort. Walk along the streets and see how many Tamils are doing business there.

Start from Kotahena and travel passing Dehiwala. Sinhala shops are outnumbered by Tamil traders. I don’t see any hardship put on them.

Get into a bus and listen how many speak in Tamil.

Try to find a single Sinhala board in Wellawatte. All are Tamil and English.

Go to a government campus. Let’s say Colombo campus. See the number of Tamil students. See the number of Tamil lecturers. They share equal opportunities. I never saw them being humiliated except they themselves had divisions saying Batticaloa Tamil, Jaffna Tamil and Upcountry Tamil. They have a separate Tamil Union, their cultural events, their religious events.

How many kovils are there in Colombo ?

See the number of Sinhalese visiting kovils and Tamil shops. Doesn’t it display the harmony?

How many Tamil representatives are in the parliament?

See the number of Tamil youth musicians in Colombo .

Please consider these statistics. If somebody can come up with numbers and percentages, it would reveal the truth. This is what we should call rational. Our generation should not waste time on arguing what’s unknown to us and what’s not experienced by us. Live today, not yesterday.

Jaffna and Trincomalee have ports, heavy industries, bus stations, railway stations, radio and TV broadcasting stations, universities and so many other facilities.

Now Sinhalese

How many Sinhalese are in Northern and Eastern part of Sri Lanka ? (North none, East, 25%)

How many Sinhala medium schools are there in Northern Sri Lanka ? (None)

How many Sinhala employees are in Northern Sri Lankan offices and industries? (None)

How many temples are there in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka ? (One, at Nagadeepa)

Can a Sinhalese travel unharmed in Northern Sri Lanka ? (only now, after the defeat of the LTTE)

How many Sinhalese are in Northern and Eastern universities? (None)

Now, answer me. Where is ethnic cleansing? Now, for the US Congress and the British Parliament:

It is up to you to analyze and understand the real facts ,rather than just believing propaganda like ” GENOCIDE ” that is just “invented propaganda” to mislead your tiny minds .

Americans didn’t know they were under attack by Osama Bin Laden, until it happened! The British forces started shooting innocent people, mistaking them for terrorists (they couldn’t inotice the difference!). ( try convincing the loving mother of Charles Menezes!) So, as a matter of fact, how on earth could they understand what’s happening thousands of miles away, in Sri Lanka ?!

First of all ,stop what you originally started ,by “clearing off ” from Iraq and Afghanistan ! Even with all the power and money you posses, you have proved beyond doubt ,that you are still unable to solve your own problems! Sri Lanka can do without dumb, swollen headed Yankees and heartless brutal killers of Britain ,who had slain millions of innocent Sri Lankans of former ” Imperial Ceylon ” they pillaged and plundered!

If you cannot understand basic facts and wish to display a total lack common sense, we suggest you MIND YOUR OWN BLOODY BUSINESS.

You are still working on the “theories” of Terrorism, whilst hundreds of innocent folk are being killed by ruthless,fanatical son’s of bitches.

BUT LOOK MATE….

Here we are in a relatively poor country, with no oil and other commodities, that all of you worship, but went on to prove that

WE DESTROYED THE BASTARDS WHO CREATED HAVOC IN THE MOTHERLAND WE LOVE AND CHERISH!

p.s.None of you have the “balls” to admit that we in Sri Lanka , destroyed “Terrorism”!

The Hills Girls Analyze the Large Hadron Collider

warunaino — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:27:36 +0000

from Gizmodo by Erica Ho

http://gizmodo.com/5071639/the-hills-girls-analyze-the-large-hadron-collider

PopoutI don’t watch The Hills, but that doesn’t mean I’m not entertained when I see Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt prancing around and pretending they aren’t posing for the cameras: in this clip, Audrina attempts to get scientific with the Big Bang theory and the Large Hadron Collider. Her friend explains that the Large Hadron Collider is used for colliding subatomic particles together—but maybe it can be used to see if there are any particles in that organ that lies between Audrina’s ears. [GeekSugar]

Super Skinny OLED Display Is Thinner Than a Sheet of Paper

warunaino — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:22:02 +0000

from Gizmodo by Elaine Chow If you thought OLEDs were thin already, researchers at the Universal Display Corporation (whose factory we visited last year) have made a flexible display that’s positively anorexic. The ultra-thin metal foil screen is less than 50 micrometers thin, which means it’s even thinner than a sheet of A4 paper. The UDC folks also claimed that their new invention exceeds the industrial target of 1,000 hours and the lifetime of conventionally sealed glass packaged OLEDs. The researchers said they were able to get better lifetime ratings after identifying a flexible, highly impermeable barrier layer, which helps keep the OLED screen from degrading because of oxygen and water. Flexible, amazingly thin and with a very decent lifespan? It sounds like we’re two steps closer to handing out Young Lady’s Illustrated Primers. [AVS Symposium via Slashgear]

Implanted Microchip Will Monitor Your Health, Deliver Drugs From Under Your Skin

warunaino — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:12:19 +0000

from Gizmodo by Elaine Chow

One of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with a chronic illness, such as diabetes or lupus, is the need to test your body constantly to make sure you’re healthy. MicroCHIPS is looking to alleviate that with a new device that’s implanted under the skin of a patient. The “chip,” about the size of a dime, senses changes in body chemistry and releases medicine when needed. It can also be remotely activated to drop medication as well.

The chip is much more precise than the finger pricking method for monitoring blood, and in diabetes sufferers, can minimize the risk of complications like blindness and kidney failure. The first glucose-monitoring and osteoporosis drug-releasing chips will begin human clinical trials next year. MicroCHIPS is looking into developing more advanced versions that can predict heart or kidney failure, biodegrade in the body, and release multiple vaccine or drug doses over time. [

Stantum “True Multitouch” Lets You Use ALL Your Fingers

warunaino — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:10:26 +0000

from Gizmodo by Elaine Chow

In case the two-finger multitouch seen on the new Macbook Pro and Fujitsu’s upcoming notebook wasn’t enough for you, French tech company Stantum recently showed off a ten-finger technology that it’s calling “true multitouch.” On Stantum’s 15.4-inch screen, you can use as many points as you want to control the screen. Judging by the smears in the picture, a lot of people found that appealing and took advantage of their chance to feel the new technology up.

Azentek SmartMirror heading to “major retailers” by end of the year

warunaino — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:21:26 +0000

from Engadget by Donald Melanson

Azentek apparently managed to get a few of its SmartMirror rearview mirror replacements out the door back in August, but that brief spat of availability promptly gave way to back orders and waiting lists, and no doubt a few disappointed customers. According to the company, however, it’s now not only ramping up production of the GPS-packing mirrors, but promising that they’ll be available at “major retailers” by the end of the year as well. In case you missed it the first time around, the $800 device crams a 4-inch GPS unit up alongside an apparently standard-sized rearview mirror, and it surprisingly doesn’t skimp on too many features, with it boasting handsfree Bluetooth calling, a built-in speaker, text-to-speech functionality, and an SD card slot for expansion (a 2GB card is included). For some true redundancy, you can also use the mirror as a monitor for a rearview camera.

Zero-Cost Gadget Upgrades For the Next Great Depression

warunaino — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:19:13 +0000

rom Gizmodo by John Herrman

Hanging out at sites like Giz may have instilled in you an insatiable, pocket-emptying gadget habit. But now we’re entering a new era—the old guys on the TV are saying that soon we may not even have pockets, let alone money for them. Don’t panic though: You’ve probably got a wealth of gadgetry sitting underutilized in your living rooms, closets and basements, just waiting to be given powerful new (not exactly authorized) features. For free.

I’ve collected the best firmware replacements, software mods and homebrew hacks from the DMCA-flouting, EULA-hating frontiers of gadgetland that’ll breathe new life into your stable of hardware and maybe—just maybe—let you feel that lusty new-gadget rush again.

Turn Your Xbox, Old PC or Apple TV into a Genuine Media Center

Xbox Media Center is about as refined as an unauthorized hack can get, playing back virtually any audio and video format, running a bevy of console emulators and still playing your Xbox games. To be honest, this should almost be viewed as a natural update for every Xbox, which at its core is a slow but functional PC with an easy TV connection. (Any actual PCs you have lying around can run a PC-ported version of XBMC.)

Boxee is a very slick fork of the XBMC project for Mac, and it’s available for Apple TV. As shipped, the Apple TV works fine within the closed iTunes ecosystem, but Boxee’s support for virtually every video codec and free online video like YouTube, CNN, BBC, and Revision3 will suit your new, more destitute lifestyle a bit better.

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. Installation is pretty straightforward in most cases, with simple Boxee and XBMC setup programs available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Before you load XBMC, though, you have to mod your Xbox with one of these methods, many of which require a specific game. After that it’s all install wizards and lollipops.

Installing anything on the locked-down Apple TV used to take some serious finagling, but there are now tools that will create an automated Boxee installer on a flash drive. Just plug the drive in, restart and you’re good to go.

XBMC Online Manual

Boxee

Make Over Your iPod, Archos, iRiver or Sandisk with Rockbox

It’s hard to look at the current generation of media players and not admire their diverse capabilities and extensible software platforms. That’s not to say that your 5th-gen iPod doesn’t play back music perfectly well, or that your iRiver H10 still isn’t a kickass media player, but they do feel a bit dated. Rockbox replaces your MP3 player’s operating system with something more substantial, effectively making it a completely new device. You get endless codec support, advanced audio options, dozens of games, useful apps like a calculator and a text editor, plus you can choose from tons of different interface skins for a unique look and feel. Rockbox’s tweaking possibilities mean you will earn admiring “what is that?” questions from friends, and it won’t cost you a thing. If your player isn’t supported yet just hold on—everything from the Zen Vision:M to the Toshiba Gigabeat S has a fairly active dev team.

Difficulty: Easy. Rockbox has an automated tool called the Rockbox Utility available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It does the work for you. Even better, it often automatically configures your player to dual boot with its original OS.

Rockbox Official Site

Convert Your PC or Notebook Into A Much More Expensive Mac

It’s undeniable that Macs are too expensive. For many, they are considered a luxury item whose added cost doesn’t justify the benefit. Luckily Apple’s switch to an Intel platform opened up a world of unauthorized OS X installations which can turn your existing PC into a powerhouse Mac Pro workstation, or morph your MSI Wind or Asus EeePC into the Mac netbook that should be in their goddamn product line anyway. Check the hardware compatibility list to see if your PC is eligible for the upgrade.

Difficulty: Moderate to Hard. If you’re not morally opposed to downloading iATKOS and Kalyway, which are pre-patched Leopard install DVDs (this is bit torrent territory), then the process is much like installing any other OS. If you insist on building your own patched install from a DVD you own, then, well, good luck. Always check hardware lists first, though, because driver support is everything.

OSX86 Project Page

Flash Your Crappy Router Into a Top-Line Piece of Hardware

The DD-WRT project exists for a simple reason: Most routers are physically very similar, but are priced differently because of functionality derived from software. The DD-WRT firmware unlocks the potential of the most basic routers out there—too many to name but damn if yours isn’t on the list. As it turns out, your budget model is kind of impressive: Program-specific traffic throttling, professional level wireless security and radical signal boosting are just a few of the dozens of new features that can be enabled.

Difficulty: Easy. If you can’t manage this one, then you don’t deserve a router—installation just takes a few clicks on the device’s default configuration pages. A word of caution, though: Make sure your router configuration page is totally compatible with your browser before the operation, as some choke on Firefox and can botch firmware upgrades. Stick to IE if you have the choice.

DD-WRT Project Page

Download Updated Maps For Your Old GPS

I’m referring of course to capital ‘D’ downloading here, mainly because at the moment GPS map updates are a racket. You could spend hundreds of dollars on map data that is freely available on Google Maps, Microsoft Live and MapQuest, among others, or you can just, you know, not. Map packs for Garmin, TomTom and Magellan units are floating around torrent sites and usually don’t require much more than a simple CD image mount and run routine to set up. (Guilty conscience sold separately.)

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. If you’re just running a copy of a CD, then you’ll be able to use the installation wizards. Some more involved methods for Windows CE-based devices require some SSH file transfers, but these are relatively rare.

Jailbreak Your iPhone for Wi-Fi Internet Tethering

Two internet plans are enough, but to sign on to a mobile internet contract when you’ve already got unlimited iPhone data feels kind of stupid. Jailbreaking your iPhone is now about as easy as performing a firmware upgrade, and there are actually multiple tethering apps. PDANet and iPhoneModem both work a treat, but keep in mind that excessive usage could draw AT&T’s attention and ire: Tethering is not allowed on the data plan, even though it works fine. Both apps are available in Cydia, where you can also find a limited assortment of other apps that don’t have a place in the app store.

Difficulty: Moderate. Jailbreaking can be managed through the Dev Team’s fantastic Quickpwn tool, but it does take a few minutes and can go wrong if instructions aren’t followed closely. After jailbreak, Cydia and Installer fill the role of the gray-market app store, functioning as simple package managers that are arguably as polished as their more legitimate younger brother.

PDANet and iPhoneModem take different approaches to tethering, but neither requires more networking expertise than it would take to, say, set up a router.

iPhone Jailbreak

PDANet

iPhoneModem

Turn Your Wii Into a Free Emulation Machine

It’s more than a little infuriating to have to repurchase your childhood library of console games from the Virtual Console, especially when free PC emulators and accompanying ROMs abound on the old intertubes. All you need is a copy of Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess, an SD card and an SD reader and you’re ready to install A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia, which is pretty much all anyone has ever really needed since this whole “Video Gaming Television Machine” thing got under way in the first place. Throw in extended media playback and some helpful widgets for an extra value-add.

Difficulty: Moderate. This is one of the only hacks here that needs additional hardware to work, even if it’s basic. The good news is that once you find a copy of Zelda and load up your SD card, the process pretty much takes care of itself. Further app installs are taken care of through a intuitive dedicated channel.

WiiBrew WIki

A great resource for similar projects is our industrious sister site Lifehacker, where you can find a veritable treasure trove of tutorials and tricks. Have you postponed any gadget purchases until you’re sure your bank is solvent? Have any other budget hardware resurrection techniques that we missed? Let us know in the comments.

World’s largest computing grid lives to go live

warunaino — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:22:14 +0000

from Engadget by Darren Murph

Contrary to popular belief, the world as we know it didn’t implode after the Large Hadron Collider was flipped on. Sure — someone, somewhere is growing a ninth arm and trying desperately to land a cameo on Fringe, but the planet at large is still humming along just fine. Now, the world’s most ginormous computing grid (the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid, or WLCG) has gone live, and the gurus behind it are celebrating the beginning of its momentous data challenge: to analyze and manage over 15 million gigabytes of data each year. The Grid combines the IT power of over 140 computer centers, 100,000 processors and the collaborative efforts of 33 countries. Unfortunately, there’s no word on when the official WLCG-based Call of Duty 4 server will be green-lit for action, but we hear it’s pretty high on the priorities list.

Sony’s Bendy Organic Screen Means Video Clothes, Animated Cereal Boxes At Last

warunaino — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:05:11 +0000

from Gizmodo by Wilson Rothman

OLEDs are pretty much awesome, but the coolest application, the bendy one, is still tricky, because flexible plastic is more porous than stiff glass, and OLEDs get really upset when they come in contact with oxygen. Apparently, though, Sony and Germany’s Max Planck Institute have cooked up a flexible and transparent organic display that will do alright, when it is released in the undisclosed future.

Since it’s see-through, it will be able to be seen at all viewing angles (uh, including those greater than 180°) and because of its low power constraints it will be able to run with minimal battery support. Applications discussed by the Daily Mail include the usual roundup of not-entirely-brilliant suggestions, such as clothing-mounted displays, roll-up digital newspapers and cereal boxes with animated ads. The good news is, all of this brings us much closer to my idea of a good product: wallpaper TV.

There’s a video of the above rabbit jumping along the 3-inch screen to prove the video capabilities; my problem with the vid (besides the fact that I couldn’t embed it for you) is that while it shows the display bent, it doesn’t show it being bent. That’s what I’d like to see. [Daily Mail UK]