Yugi's BlogYugi's BlogBlog of Issa a CS student in the Jordan University of Science and Technology, where he is also known as Yugi, which contains posts on politics, technology, Jordan and other stuff. Articles
Document Freedom
2008-04-12 16:39:00 I am sure you edit and open PDF and Microsoft Word Document files on a daily basis. But did you ask yourself how these types of files are stored on your PC? Or why you have to use specific software to utilize them? Take .DOC files for example, you have to purchase the Microsoft Office suite to fully edit this kind of file. No one, except Microsoft, exactly knows how these files are created and stored on a computer; also no one knows how they are elaborated and processed, this means that other programmers and developers cannot create their own programs to process this type of files without Microsoft consensus and without knowing the full specification of this format. However, there exists an international standard regarding electronic documents, it is the Open Document Format (ODF), it is standardized by ISO and it is considered an "open standard", this means that everyone can access this type of files and can develop applications which read and edit such files. Why using ODF? Norm... More About: Freedom
نعم لمقاطعة البضائع الدانماركية!
2008-02-23 19:59:00 قبل أيام سمعت واحدة من أحلى النكت في حياتي، حين ظهر "محلل سياسي" على قناة الجزيرة وبدأ يصرخ ويصيح مطالباً الحكومات العربية بقطع إمدادات النفط عن الدانمرك، وذلك رداً على إعادة نشر الرسوم الكاريكاتيرية، متجاهلاً تماماً أن معظم الطاقة المولدة في الدانمارك هي عن طريق المولدات النووية ومتجاهلاً أيضاً أن الدانمارك لا تحصل على نفطها لا من السعودية ولا الكويت إذ أنها تنتجه لوحدها وتعتبر من أكثر الدول تصديراً في أوروبا! أما نحن فنشتري "الجبنة" من الدانمارك! وصدقوني أن هذا الشيء لوحده يثير غضبي أكثر من أي رسم كاريكاتير؛ والذي يتسبب نشره (أو إعادة نشره) إ...
Angelina Jolie Is Now In Amman!
2008-02-06 19:00:00 Would we like to see more of these photos? Many sites are saying that Hollywood star Angelina Jolie is now in Amman , reports say she boarded a British Airways flight at the Los Angeles Intl Airport on February 4 to Amman's Airport. Jolie, whose partner is the well-known actor Brad Pitt, is a United Nations goodwill ambassador and this is not her first time in the kingdom, in fact, she attended the Arab Children Congress in Amman in July 2004. Recent articles on celebrity gossip websites and magazines revealed that Jolie is now pregnant with twins! The couple has also adopted three children "Maddox, Zahara, and Pax" along with the biological daughter Shiloh.Is there a chance the Jolie-Pitt twins will born in Jordan? Anyways, Ahlan wa Sahlan :)
وأما ضيف الله فلا بواكي له...
2008-01-16 09:29:00 لم يخلق الله داءً أشد من ألم أم على وفاة ابنها، وأن يتم القتل علي يد رجل لا ضمير له ولا دين فإنما يزيد ذلك الألم حدةً وبأساً، ,وإن كنت لا أختلف على حق ذوي المتوفى في معرفة هوية الجاني بل وأقف بجانبهم في حزنهم ومطالبتهم للعدل، لا بد أن أعترف أنه قد حيّرني الاهتمام المبالغ من الجميع في هذه الحادثة وأن يأخذ حادث سير وبشكل استثنائي هذا القسط الواسع من وسائل الإعلام. أنا متأكد أن هناك عشرات الحالات المماثلة تماماً تحدث سنويا في الأردن ولكل لم يهتم أحد بها، معظمها لم تذكرها الجرائد، وبعضها أدهشت المارة لبعض الساعات فأصبحت نسياً منسياً. وأما هذا الحادث ...
Open Source @ JUST
2007-12-27 20:22:00 If you are a Student in Jordan University of Science and Technology, you use or develop open source applications, and you are interested in spreading the open source philosophy please join us at: www.just.edu.jo/opensource More About: Open Source , Open , Source , Open-Source
"Shutting Out the Critics"
2007-12-25 14:53:00 These are the six most important points I have found on the Human Rights Watch report on Jordanian Laws: "Shutting Out the Critics ", you can read the entire report here (or download the pdf file). 1-Reality is in contrast with royal vision At his keynote speech for the World Economic Forum held at the Dead Sea in May 2007, King Abdullah emphasized the priority he places on developing and promoting civil society in the country. The stark realities in Jordan contrast with this rosy picture presented to the world. 2-Jordan has no merits to be elected in the UN HR council While the Jordanian government prides itself on its election in 2006 to the United Nations Human Rights Council and to be one of the council’s vice presidents, it has failed to live up to its pledge as a council member to “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights,” as the UN General Assembly resolution creating the Human Rights Council defined the responsibilities of Counc...
Santa Claus Beaten Up By Israeli Soldiers
2007-12-21 20:58:00 An Israeli soldier tackles a Palestinian protester dressed as Santa Claus or Father Christmas during at a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the village of Umm Salamunah near the biblical West Bank town of Bethlehem. Israeli guards beat five demonstrators during the protest on Friday, organisers said. [Source] It doesn't matter, no presents for Palestinian kids anyway. More About: Soldiers
Unusual Eid Greetings
2007-12-18 20:30:00 In an unordinary email received by all the students of my university, Prof. Sameer Bataineh has sent his best wishes to them on the occasion of Eid al Adha in a very unconventional way. Prof. Bataineh, the dean of our faculty and instructor of computer ethics, has sent an email attached with a greeting card, but rather the Hallmark-style sentences the card was saying: People may endure tons of oppression, but the oppressor does not tolerate a single word said against injustice, and who says this word is slaughtered on the day of sacrifice Is there any reference to Saddam's execution on Eid al Adha last year? Or is it a generic phrase coined for every single Arabic dictatorship? By sure the political tone is quite high here, I greet Prof. Bataineh, who is well admired in our faculty, and I will ask him about any other hidden meanings in this unusual greeting. And Happy Eid to all!
Khaled Touqan Is No More!
2007-11-26 14:48:00 I am sure all you have seen that FORMER Minister of Education, Khaled Touqan, was kept off the new government formed by Nader Dahabi. Touqan, who received a PhD from the MIT, is more likely to hold a position in the new nuclear power committee, established after Jordan's intentions to develop nuclear reactors for pacific use. Well, we do not need exact statistics to realize that Touqan is one of the most hated public personalities in Jordan. His educational plans were considered 'catastrophic' by the majority of students as well as instructors, in fact, the 'cowboy' minister who loves excitement and likes to try anything new used to change the Tawjihi system at least once a year; the thing that made us feel like laboratory mice . How did the net react with this exciting news? By sure several Facebook groups will be closed, one of them is the "Against Khaled Touqan" group, first created for "everyone who suffers learning because of Khaled Touqan Decisions in Jordan" as his adm...
Bye Bye Bakhit
2007-11-21 19:57:00 There is a good thing about the last parliamentary elections, PM Marouf Bakhit will be forced out, I am looking forward to hearing about his dismission :) So let's give Mr. Bakhit a warm Bye Bye, Adios, Sayonara.. And forever we will remember the five most important achievements of his government: 1- Freedom of speech in Jordan is even worse, all online sites are now under government's censorship, the close-down of ATV, a former MP and right-wing politician, Owaidy Abbadi, is now in jail for some declarations he made on a website (well, in reality no one knows of what he was accused). 2- No political freedom.. frauds in municipal elections, rejection of Toujan Faisal's candidacy. 3- Too much poisoned water, shawerma and falafel. 4- Indifference toward workers' demands, under Bakhit's government we had many riots and demonstrations in which poor citizens and workers were brutely thwarted by police, the government's cruel actions against sheep farmers were more appropriate to...
How Many Chinese Are There in Jerash Theatre?
2007-11-16 17:51:00 This is the new Pepsi's Chinese commercial that was shot in Jordan. It is known that Pepsi always makes exciting ads, they spend a lot of money to get famous actors or footballers, and their ads often have special effects and a fine scenography, but this one is really amazing! Take a look.. Note that the Chinese "fighters" are well-known actors in China, by the way, I can't realize how the kid ran away from Jerash to reach Petra... yeah it's a long distance! More About: Theatre
خواطر تسممية
2007-11-01 17:47:00 • اختلف العلماء في سبب التسمم، منهم من قال أن السبب هو الحمص والفول ومنهم من يلوم الحكومة ومياه الحنفية، أنا شخصياً لا أثق بالحكومة وأشك في روايتها، ولكنني أستغرب كيف أن في بلدة سكانها 15000 نسمة لم يتسمم منهم سوى 300!!! والأغرب في ذلك أن في نفس العائلات ناس قد تسمموا وناس لم يصابوا بأي أذى! • كثير من الناس يشكّون برواية الحكومة قائلين أن لا يوجد مطعم في الأردن يبيع 300 صحن حمص (أو فول) في يوم واحد. لا أعرف إذا هؤلاء مقتنعين بإدعاءاتهم وأقوالهم وبتطبيق معادلة شخص مصاب = صحن حمص. (على حد علمي المتواضع يأكل أكثر من فرد من صحن الحمص نفسه). • ال...
مظاهرات تكناوية
2007-10-26 13:13:00 لقد اندهشت يوم الأحد الماضي وأنا متوجه إلى بوابة الجامعة مغادراً إلي البيت، توقفت عن المشي بعدما سمعت من مكان بعيد صراخات غضب وهتافات قليلاً ما تسمع في جامعتنا التي تمتاز بالهدوء. اقتربت شيئاً شيئاً حتى لاحظت مجموعة غير قليلة من الطلاب الواقفين أمام بوابة الجامعة ينددون بشعارات ضد "العروبة"... مظاهرة في التكنو ضد العروبة... ومن يعرف جامعة التكنو يعلم أن "العروبة" ليست المقصود بها "الشعور بالقومية العربية" وإنما هي الشركة الخاصة التي احكترت منذ 2005 خطوط النقل من الجامعة إلى عمان وجرش والمفرق وعجلون، والتي اتخذت في الأسبوع الماضي قر...
B.a.H!!!
2007-10-10 13:59:00 I haven't watched any Arabic drama this Ramadan, so... I don't watch it... I hate its stupid old-fashioned stories.. I detest people who talk about a TV drama ad nauseam.. I don't put up with TV-based social phenomena... I don't know who Abo Essam is... I don't like its name "Door of the Quarter"... So please, do not send emails, Facebook messages or start pesky discussions regarding Bab Al Hara with me!!!
Top 10 Strangest Lego Creations
2007-10-08 18:02:00 The three creations I liked most are: 1. Lego HarpsichordThis Harpsichord was constructed entirely from Lego parts (over 100,000!), including keyboard, jacks, jack rack, jack rail, plectra, soundboard, bridge, hitch pins, tuning pins, wrestplank, nut, case, legs, lid, lid stick, and music stand. It has a range of 61 notes and weighs 150 lb. 2. Lego Volvo XC90Built by Lego Master Model Builders, this Volvo XC90 is the official car of Legoland California. 3. Han Solo Frozen in CarboniteNathan Sawaya used over 10,000 Lego pieces and spent 3 months making this "Han Solo in Carbonite" masterpiece. You can discover the other seven by visiting this blog. More About: Tran
Vote For Aroub Soubh
2007-09-25 20:23:00 From Waqt Al Farah To Jordan's Parliament One of my childhood memories I remember with more lucidity is a JTV program called Waqt al Farah; I am sure this program has largely affected all Jordanian youth of that time. The program was quite innovative, with a naive design and a fancy red-fish mascot, all mixed with a high dosage of childish happiness, meaningless songs I still remember and a cute young presenter named Aroub Soubh. A few years later, I have suddenly started to read her articles on Ad Dustour newspaper, which reserved her a right column on its last paper… the result was extraordinary, as her strong opinions and brilliant thoughts were going well with the other Ad Dustour's sarcastic writer Youssef Ghishan. Aroub was expressing a new idea on different political and social issues everyday, and although I didn't expect that, the articles were well written. By sure I was not the only one who liked her personal method of exposing opinions. I don't know the reas... More About: Vote
Arabic Graffiti
2007-09-22 16:16:00 This is my first attempt to draw something similar to a graffiti in Arab ic . Thanks to my friends (Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop) the result is, in my own opinion, quite good. By the way, I will post what "A7la Shabab" is, and the reason I'm so busy these days in some future posts :) More About: Graffiti
Israeli-Jordanian Team Set Up First Artificial Coral Reef in the Red Sea
2007-09-10 09:06:00 From isreal21c.org (click for full article) Take a dive off the coast of Eilat these days and you're liable to find yourself swimming around a huge yellow concrete and wire construction that stretches four yards up from the seabed, is four yards wide, and is full of holes. No, this isn't some strange new structure left behind by an alien race, or cargo dropped from a sinking container shop, this is the first artificial coral reef in the Red Sea. The reef, which was developed by the Israel Nature Parks Authority and a team of academics from the National Center for Mariculture at the Eilat campus of Ben Gurion University, the Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, the Hebrew University, and the Marine Science Station in Aqaba, is a unique new approach to conservation in the Red Sea and part of a joint co-operative project between Israel and Jordan. "The number of visitors is large and the size of the reefs is limited and too small," explains Dr. Nadav Sh... More About: Coral , Team , Reef , Coral Reef , Israeli
Our Retarded Democracy
2007-09-08 18:01:00 The speaker of the Lower House, Abdel-Hadi al Majali, advised Kuwaiti politicians to put on a legislative model similar to our two-house parliament in Kuwait , he said that such model could help the Kuwaiti democracy. After less than a day, Majali was fiercely attacked by many members of Kuwait's parliament, he was accused to interfere in Kuwait's internal affairs and one MP accused Majali to have converted the Kuwaiti democratic government into an "anti-costitutional, illegal and police government" , while other MPs criticized "Majali's intentions to arrest the development in Kuwait" . The cruelest declarations where from four MPs who said they are now afraid for the Kuwaiti democracy after the Majali's statements, the same MPs asked Majali to keep his advice for Jordan (? Jordan already has a Senate) and said the democracy in Jordan is retarded . By sure Majali is not the man I most like on the earth's surface, I have respect to all other countries and ... More About: Democracy , Retarded
Jerash Or Haditha?
2007-09-02 08:07:00 Do you remember the movie they shot in Jerash about war in Iraq? I've found its trailer and the behind the scenes on YouTube, both clearly shows the downtown, Jerash citizens in their daily activities and even the famous Mitsubishi pickups used in Jordan. All this makes the film's location more similar to Jordan than Iraq. (Yes, I know there's little difference, but it is so evident they are in Jerash!!) This is the link to the trailer cut to run at Cannes Film Festival in May. Movie is supposed to premier at the end of the year. The springy atmosphere and the green hills do contrast the tragic story, which reveals the massacre of 24 men, women and children in Haditha in Iraq, allegedly shot by 4 U.S. Marines in retaliation for the death of a U.S. Marine killed by a roadside bomb. The movie follows the story of the Marines of Kilo Company, an Iraqi family, and the insurgents who plant the roadside bomb. New York Times asked if this film will be the Iraq's Apocalypse...
Masra7yeh
2007-08-22 18:53:00 I've recently read a post of Roba who was clearly criticizing the Jordanian theatre scene. Well, she built her opinion after watching a low quality play at Masrah Il-Thaqafeh in Amman. I think Roba went by herself to see the actors and their "artistic" performance, but my experience of Monday was quite different.. I was normally walking down University St. (Irbid) when I was surprised by a big crowd standing in the middle of the road and on the sidewalk in front of Gloria Donuts. I came close to that crowd and asked one of the guys about what was going there.. He answered with a shining smile: Masra7yeh At first, I've thought he was kidding me, I'm quite pessimistic and I suppose that's more probable to see a fight or a theft attempt in Irbid's streets, anyways, the guy was right, that thing looked like a theatre play with two guys and three women putting on their techniques in stage acting. I've watched some acts for nearly ten minutes, all-amazed by the big group of people w...
Luma Mufleh, a Jordanian Heroine in the States
2007-08-18 17:59:00 The lives of the young refugees of Clarkston, Georgia, have drastically changed since their first meeting with Luma Mufleh, a Jordanian immigrant from Amman, and now a multi-million Hollywood movie will tell her story to the world. In Clarkston, soccer is not only a game, it is a political issue. Last summer, Clarkston's Mayor has issued a decree to ban soccer in the city fields, he said he will only allow baseball in his city; the difference between his city and others is the high percentage of refugees that Clarkston hosts, most of them escaped from wars in countries like Kosovo, Liberia, Gambia and Iraq. As you can imagine, these refugees are not so estimated by original citizens, who think their American lifestyle is in danger after the new coming traditions, even soccer was accused to be something stranger and threatening, this was the time Americans discovered their fear of soccer . When Luma Mufleh had first known about the refugees' community of Clarkston, sh... More About: States , The State , Dani
JUST Scientists Discovered Potato Chip Flavoring Protects Concrete
2007-08-10 21:43:00 From ScienceDaily.com: IRBID, Jordan, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Jordanian scientists have discovered potato chip flavoring can increase the longevity of concrete. Awni Al-Otoom of the Jordan University of Science and Technology found sodium acetate -- the ingredient that helps give salt and vinegar-flavored potato chips a tangy snap -- is the key to a new waterproof coating for concrete. Al-Otoom and colleagues note concrete -- the world's most widely used structural material -- is so porous that water soaks in, corroding steel reinforcing bars and meshes that strengthen concrete roads and buildings. That, in turn, causes cracks as water expands and contracts during freeze-thaw cycles. But the scientists discovered sodium acetate easily seeps into concrete and swells when exposed to water, blocking entry of additional moisture. Under dry conditions, the crystals shrink to their original size and allow moisture to evaporate. The net result is "a significant reduction in water permeability (t... More About: Potato , Scientists , Chip , Concrete
Municipal Elections and the Theory of Legal Fraud
2007-08-10 17:23:00 In my last Arabic post I've talked about my conviction of evident frauds in the municipal elections. I have also noticed that I was the only blogger to explicitly say that, most of the others did not report anything on these elections and some of them had different opinions, which I hope they represent personal convictions and not acts of auto-censorship. "Oh my God! They are coming!" All's well that ends well! Municipal elections in Jordan ended blissfully, if we take apart some healthy political bagarres between Bani Rusheid and Bakheet, we can state that everyone is happy and definitely there are no losers; starting from Islamists who are trying to regain some of their lost popularity. After seven hours into voting, the 'Front' came with their decision to boycott the elections, a scheduled and well-thought political move that allowed the Islamists to withdraw the elections, say goodbye and to mantain an optimal reputation. The decision aided them in regaining a little part of... More About: Elections , Fraud , Legal , Theory
انتخابات نزيهة وشفافة 100%
2007-08-01 18:40:00 أقسم بالله العظيم أن انتخابات أمس كانت في قمة الشفافية، لا أحد يمكنه أن ينكر... عمليات التزوير أمامك (عينك عينك) وكأنه الوضع طبيعي، مئات من الجنود ألزموا على إدعاء الأمية والتصويت علنا لصالح مرشحين معينين. كل هذا كان يجري أمامك في وضع النهار، تزوير علني غير مخفي!بالأصل ماذا كنا نتوقع من الانتخابات؟ إذا أردنا النزاهة فوالله كانت نزيهة والقوائم ذات الأسماء المكررة كان معلن عنها قبل 3 أشهر! إذا أردنا الشفافية ها قد وجدناها فوالله أمس لم يكن شيئاُ مخفياً فالحافلات أملأت البلد! أما إذا أردنا الديمقراطية .. نعم الديمقراطية.. فلا بد أن يستجيب القدر! الحر...
The World Will Never Forget...
2007-07-31 08:34:00 ...That Jordan's most popular king was King Hussein, look at how ADNKrons, an Italian press agency, reported a news story of the last two days: More About: World , The World
18 Reasons Why The Tawjihi Is Not So Wrong
2007-07-28 11:35:00 I have waited until 120,000 students finally get their marks, and reach today the end of the 'tragic' path of Tawjihi, to reply to the estimated blogger Saned and talk about the Jordanian general secondary certificate (Tawjihi). Despite the fact that I agree with a large part of Saned's post, especially the social pressure and the necessity of changing the system, there were some points I find unfair and exaggerated, and some personal points that have no coincidences with my personal experience of Tawjihi. First of all, I'm one of the Tawjihi students who made their exams in 2004, the year of the Tawjihi-gate , when some exams were stolen and sold to nearly all Jordanians students (except me), that was surely a cheap shot to the Jordanian education system, but although I agree with the need of changing something of the Tawjihi and I believe we need a total renovation of our obsolete educational system, there are some points I will discuss to explain that Tawjihi itself is like ... More About: Reasons , Wrong
فضائية الغاز المسال - 2
2007-07-19 12:57:00 الأموال هي التي تطلق الألسنة وتحرك الأقلام، وقناة الجزيرة كغيرها من القنوات التجارية لا تخرج من هذه القاعدة. وأنا متأكد أنكم لاحظتم في الآونة الأخيرة وخاصةً الشهر الماضي تركيزاً من قبل هذه القناة على الجمهورية التركية. كنا نرى تقارير عن تركيا في جميع نشرات الأخبار، وبعض منها كانت تقارير وأخبار مطولة، بالإضافة إلى برامج خاصة كانت تبث من أنقرة أو اسطنبول أثناء حصاد اليوم والجزيرة منتصف اليوم والجزيرة هذا الصباح كل هذا كان مصطحباً بإسهامات من خبراء وساسة وعلماء ومثقفين أتراك عبر البث الفضائي وعلى الهواء مباشرة، بالإضافة أنه كانت هناك برامج خا...
JUST New Website
More articles from this author:2007-07-17 18:09:00 The guys of the Computer Center have made a good job, after the more-than-six-months beta test, the new website of JUST has been officially launched : A cutting edge look, better performance and more functionality! If you are a JUST student and you enter www.just.edu.jo on your web browser you will get a surprise, the old ugly site of Jordan University of Science and Technology changed look definitely, it has been replaced by a new site with a better choice of colors, styles and an enhanced functionality. The user-friendly interface provides two menus, the one on the top with services for students, alumni and visitors, and the right one for academic services, this one changes as you visit different sections of the site. Based on ASP.NET technology, with a relevant utilization of AJAX features, the new site offers some newer technologies and, for sure, a more innovative design compared with the previous site, however there are a few things I think the Computer Center should work on: ... More About: Website 1, 2, 3 |
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