I'm quite satisfied with my dSLR and the cost that came along with it, but I decided to make use of Circuit City's 110% price match offer and did little browsing to see if I can find a better deal (also because I don't have anything to do after work now that my semester's over).
So I went to Circuit City's website today and clicked on the camera I got. The price hasn't change but turns out there's a package where just for $50 more I can get 75-500mm zoom lense, which is couple of hundred less than its regular price. Plus, I could add a photo printer and few more things without any extra charge. After talking to sales representative I was able to get everything included in my package for only $50 more.
The new lense makes a huge difference. The standard 18-70 mm lense is improvement from regular point-and-shoot digital camera, but 75-500 mm takes pictures like professional. I can't wait for the weekend to go out for some photography.
I got my first SLR camera! It's Sony alpha A300K with 18-70 mm lense. I bought it from Circuit City. First I went to Best Buy but wasn't convinced with what the salesperson told me. So I went to Circuit City. They said Sony and Canon are the best in line and Nikon is catching up. I decided to go with Sony. It doesn't have a lot of options when it comes to lenses but I'm hoping Sony will come up with more in near future.
Picture quality of SLR is way better than regular point-and-shoot. Since it's my first SLR I'm not too picky about funcationality though easy of use and price were important factors in my decision. I know Sony's products are one of the best, if not THE best, so I didn't hesitate when the salesperson recommended A300K. It was on sale for about $540, which isn't bad for SLRs.
Specifications:
General Imaging Device : 10.2 (effective) APS CCD Sensor; 23.6 x 15.8 mm; RGB primary color filter
Megapixel : 10.2MP
Convenience Features AF Illuminator Light : Yes, On/Off Select
Clear RAW NR : N/A
Histogram Display : Yes - RGB, playback only
Live View : Yes
Movie Mode(s) : N/A
Multi-Pattern Measuring : 40 Segment, Center Weighted, Spot
Scene Mode(s) : Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Night View/Night Portrait
Processor BIONZ™ Engine : Yes (LSI with Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO/DRO+))
Optics/Lens EV Compensation : ±2.0 EV, 1/3 EV Steps
Focus : Auto Focus: TTL Phase Detection, Multi-point: 9 Area, 8 Line, 1 Cross Sensor, Auto Focus Mode: Yes, Adjustable Spot AF: Selectable Sensor, Visual Focus Confirm: Direct via Spherical Acute Matte Screen
ISO : Auto/100/200/400/800/1600/3200
Lens Type : Interchangeable A-mount
Shutter Speed : 1/4000 to 30 sec., Bulb
Software Operating System Compatibility : Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional, ME, XP Home and Professional; Macintosh® OS X (v 10.3 or later). OS must be installed at the factory.
Supplied Software : Image Data Converter SR ver.2.0, Image Data Lightbox SR ver.1.0, (all Windows & Macintosh), Picture Motion Browser Ver.2.1.02 (Windows only)
Operating Conditions Flash Effective Range : GN12 at ISO 100 (39 feet/ 12 meters)
Flash Mode(s) : Built-in Auto Pop-up: Auto, Fill-flash, Rear flash sync, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Wireless off camera flash (with Flash HVL-F56AM, F42AM)
Inputs and Outputs Output(s) : Video: Yes, NTSC/PAL Selectable
USB Port(s) : Yes, Supports USB 2.0 Hi-speed
Service and Warranty Information Limited Warranty Term : 1 Year Parts & Labor
I recently got into photography so decided to upgrade from my cell camera to some high resolution digital camera. You can find good digital cameras from $20 to $2000+ so the first question in my mind was what's good for a person with my expertise and wallet size. My first stop was www.cnet.com. It's the best site I know to check out average consumer's, as well as professional's, reviews. You can also get good estimate of price offered for the item for most products featured on the website. If you can't find anything suitable for you on CNET or if you are confused between multiple products with equal ratings then you can go to an electronics store like Best Buy or Circuit City and ask for assistance. I've heard they are not always helpful but if you bother them enough I'm sure they'll dish out some useful information, especially if you can impress them by using some technical jargon you just learned on CNET.
So back to my hunt for the perfect camera. From editor and consumer reviews, I decided to go with Nikon D90 SLR. It's pretty impressive with 12 some mega pixels, live view and all those things. Average price for the camera is about $1000, which is way out of my budget so I decided to search online. Like 99.9% webbies out there looking for information, I went on google.com. The first link it turned up was ShopDigitalDirect.com where camera was $589. It came with USA Warranty and had the certification of secure site. Without wasting another brain cell I gave up my credit card information and ordered the camera.
The next day I got an email saying they are out of stock. I tried two more websites, www.ontimedigital.com and one more site. They responded in similar way so I called up the last website I tried. This drunk guy answered the phone and mumbled he's got a $1290 camera package or something. I was like 'what's on your website then?' He replies, 'that's nothing'. Before I could ask anything else he hung up. This is when red lights went off in my mind and again I turned to google.com. This time in search area I typed the website name and the word 'scam'. My fears turned into reality when it brought back 200,000+ hits with people giving warning that these websites are actually frauds! I contacted my bank and explained what had happened.
So lesson of the day is, do your research if you don't want to take risk with online shopping. When you find a deal too good to be true, then usually it is. Search for the reviews on the website from multiple sources. Many electronics sold online are not intended to be sold in USA because of defects. Many websites take away the standard accessories and will sell them to you for extra charges. If you'll try to return the item you bought for refund, they will deduct "re-stocking fees", which is usually 15% of the price.
In the end I'd say it's better to pay few dollars more than to compromise your personal information to these scams.
Yesterday was Eid Al-Adha. Muslims celebrate this Eid to comemorate the sacrifice of Prophet Abrahim.
The way Eid Al-Adha is celebrated is we go for Eid prayers. Then we slaughter an animal like cow, sheep or even camel. The meat is then divided and shared between family and friends, and poor and needy.
According to Wikipedia.org:
"Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى ‘Īd ul-’Aḍḥā) or the Festival of Sacrifice (Turkish: Kurban Bayramı) is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims (including Druze) worldwide in commemoration of the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey God and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, God intervened and instead provided a lamb as the sacrifice. This is why today all over the world Muslims who have the means to, sacrifice an animal (usually a goat or a sheep), as a reminder of Ibrahim's obedience to God. The meat is then shared out with family, friends (Muslims or non-Muslims), as well as the poor members of the community."
I went to the D.C. Convention Center in Washington D.C., for Eid prayers:
It was nice. Many Muslim businesses had setup stalls. But one thing it didn't have was halal FOOD! That's the main attraction at any Muslim event over here. At least for me. I mean, you can get clothes from anywhere. But you can't find good halal food so easily. So that was one major disappointment. Otherwise it was nice to see so many Muslims gathered to celebrate and pray.
My friend emailed me this video. If you know Urdu you can understand it better but you'll figure out what's going on even if you're not familiar with Urdu. Enjoy!
I made my first sale on Half.com. Yayy! I sold couple of text books for about $50. It's not much but better than I had expected. Now I need to get the books packed and shipped.
I also got inventory for my online store, Lines of Style. I need to finish the website fast and get it up and running but problem is I'm still not sure about it's links and exactly what it offers. I mean it is a store so offers a bunch of things but I initially wanted it to do a little more and be e-magazine for Muslimahs. But running an e-zine is beyound the capabilities of single person so I guess I'll have to skip the idea. At least for now.
My aquarium is in better shape now. It had developed micro-algae that multiplied rapidly so water turned green and murky. At one point you couldn't see through the 20 gallon aquarim because water was so cloudy. I went to pet stores. Every time I'd go to a store they would hand me a bunch of chemicals to add to water. Nothing helped. Then I searched online and got the diagnoses straight. Solution is to change water every other day for about a month or till it gets completely clean. If any amount of algea is left behind it would multiply again. So now I'm close to getting clean water. Here's a pic:
I had to do report on two museums in Washington D.C so I went there yesterday with a friend. I didn't take many pictures but here are few to sum up my trip.
This is from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
This picture is taken in Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
The underground train station (metro/subway/tube).
The metro train.
The train was packed!
By the time I got home it was almost dark. I could'nt resist capturing this amazing view of twilight.
Here's video of flight I took from Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C to Heathrow Airport in London, England.
I love airtravel and looking at the video you'll understand the reason. The view is simply unbeatable. I wasn't planning on editing the video when I was recording it so it did take some time to find the right clips to compile together but eventually it turned out better than I had expected. Not exactly a professional material though. I'm taking a course on Digital Media Editing. Hopefully it'll improve my movie-making and photography skills.
I first discovered the abilities of Movie Maker when I got interested in Youtube. Art is actually the only thing that can make a lazy soul like me to forget my ADD (attention deficit disorder) and work for hours otherwise I'd block out "information" even if a person is giving his last speech before jumping off a cliff.
The first time I used the Movie Maker was to create a video as an evidance that I went on a FOURTEEN hour train ride in Pakistan from Lahore to Karachi. For those of you who are no familiar with transportation system in Pakistan, imagine being couped up in a room with 30 some people for 14 hours with only one bathroom. Yup! The horror. My friends couldn't believe a sane person like myself would do such a thing so I loaded this video for them.
Then I worked on editing some wedding videos for my friends but because of privacy reasons I can't show them here.
At the moment I'm working on editing the movies I made with my little camcorder. I'll load them up as soon as I'm done with them.
I'm starting to work on a new website, Lines of Style (www.linesofstyle.com). As far as the name goes, I heard it somewhere and it just clicked. As far as the concept goes I'm still confused. I initially wanted it to be online boutique. I did a bit of research and seems like it requires too much time and finances to put it all together so I have to put that dream on hold.
I've had the domain for a while so I just need to develop a website that makes sense with the domain. It's sort of going backwards. Normally people create something then give it a name. I've named something that I need to create.
Here are the steps I need to follow to create the website:
1: Firgure out what I want
2: Website Map - make a map of all the links on website (basically focusing on what information I need to add to website) and how they'll be connected to each other
3: Layout - align the web page content
4: Design - add details and graphics to layout
5: Program - JavaScript, PHP, CSS and whatever's needed to make the website function properly
6: Publish - load it to the server
7: Publicity - if they know it exists, they will come
In the Name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful Imaam Nawawi says, “One should be especially observant in reciting Surat Ya Sin (36), Surat al Waqia (56) and Surat al Mulk.(67)”
The Benefits of Yasin (36) Recitation:
Surah in Arabic and English translation: http://www.ahlesunnat.biz/holyquran/holyquran036.htm
1. The Prophet (SalAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, ‘Surely everything has a heart, and the heart of the Qur’an is Yasin. I would love that it be in the heart of every person of my people’[Bazzar]. (S.Muhammad Ali Sabuni, Tafsir-al-SabuniVol.2)
2. The Prophet (SalAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, ‘Whoever recites Yasin once Allah will record the reward of reciting the Qur’an ten times.’[Maqal, Tirmidhi 2812/A & Dhahabi]
3. It has been reported by Aisha (radiAllahu anha)that the Prophet (SalAllahu alayhi wasalam) said that there is a surah in the Qur’an that intercedes for itsreciter and forgive its listener. Know! It is Surah Yasin. It is called ‘Mu’amma’ in the Torah. It was enquired, what is Mu’amma? The Prophet (SalAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, ‘it embraces the person with the goodness of this world and removes the dismay of the Hereafter’[Hashiya of Tafsir Jalalalayn , pg 368].
4. The Prophet said, ‘Whoever recited Surah Yasin in the night seeking Allah’s pleasure, Allah would forgive him’[Ibn Hibban, Darimi 3283/A, Abu Yala, Tabarani, Baihaqi & Ibn Mardawaih]
5. Ma`qil ibn Yasar (Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, his family, companions, andfollowers) said,”Ya Sin is the heart of the Qur’an. No one reads it intending thereby Allah and the Next Abode except that Allah forgives them. Recite it for your deceasedones.” [Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i (this wording is his), and Hakim, who deemed it rigorously authenticated (sahih)]
6. Imam Ghazali explained that this is because soundness of faith rests on acknowledging Resurrection and Judgment, and Surat Ya Sin details this in the most emphatic of ways. Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi concurred.
7. Imam Tibi explained in his commentary on Mishkat al-Masabih that Surat Ya Sin was called ‘the Heart of the Qur ‘an ‘ because of what it contains of overwhelming proofs, decisive signs, subtle spiritual meanings, eloquent admonition, and stern warnings.
The benefits of Surah al Waqiah (56)
Recitation:
Surah in Arabic and English translation:http://www.ahlesunnat.biz/holyquran/holyquran056.htm
8. The Prophet said, ‘Whoever recites surah al Waqiah at night would never encounter poverty’ [Ibn Sunni 620]
9. The Prophet said, ‘Surah al Waqiah is the Surah of Wealth, so recite it and teach it to your children’[Ibn Asakir]
The Benefits of Surah al Mulk (67)
Recitation:
Surah in Arabic and English translation: http://www.ahlesunnat.biz/holyquran/holyquran067.htm
10. The Prophet said, ‘There is a surah in the Qur’an which is only thirty verses. It defended whoevere\recited it , until it puts him into paradise ‘ i.e.Surah al Mulk[Fath al Qadir 5/257, Sahihul Jamiea 1/680, Tabrani inAl-Awsat & Ibn Mardawaith]
11. The Prophet said, ‘Surah al Mulk is the protector from the torment of the grave ‘[Sahihul Jamiea 1/680, Hakim 2/498 & Nasai]
12. Jabir (radiAllahu anhu) said it was the custom of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam not to go to sleep until he had read Tabarakalladhi Biyadihil Mulk and Alif Laam Meem Tanzeel. [Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Darami]
13. Anas (radiAllahu anhu) reported Rasulullah (sallallahu alaiyhi wasalam) as saying, “There is a Surah which will plead for its reciter\till it causes him to enter paradise (Tabarakalladhi Biyadihil Mulk).”[Tabrani]“
I guess the best way to start is from the beginning or, in this case, how I got to be who I am today.
I'll skip my baby years, adventures I had as a toddler, my tween years, crushing hopes of teenage and disappointments I faced stepping into adulthood. So fast forwarding to development of my current goals and career as a Graphics Designer.
I started website designing way before I had even set a foot in graphics designing class. My freshmen years (yeah yearS, thanks to my amazing councelor who put me on wrong program) were spend studying Business Management. At the time I totally HATED computers. That was till I saw a website created with flash. The impressive sound effects, the impressive images, the impressive animation. Needless to say, I was impressed. I started learning Macromedia Flash on my own. My friends loved my work and encourged me to pursue a degree in graphics. I showed my work to the councelor of Arts department who actually thought I got talent. Long story short, I quit Business Admin. as soon as I got Associates in it and now doing my bachelors in Information Technology with Computer Graphics as concentration.
Many people think Computer Graphics is more related to arts than "science". I guess in some institutes it may as well be the case but at my school (George Mason University) I have to endure the toture of sitting through boring lectures on how computers work and what does it take for the whole information web of hardware and software to show my work to the world. I suppose it's good information to have, plus, it's always impressive to say 'I'm in technology' :D
So this was little bit about why I chose to do what I'm doing.
