Helpopedia

Vector Masking using Adobe Fireworks.

2009-10-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

Wow fireworks make's vector masking a child's play, first of all I have to tell you what is vector mask "vector mask is a gradient mask which used to hide a portion of image with some solid color, this solid color have two transparency points in first point the opacity is 100 % and in second point the opacity level is on O% percent, the revealed area of the image is under 0% opacity”. Vector mask are usually used to merge more than two images in a single image.
Now we start this tutorial.

Step 1:

Select an image

Step 2:

Place a rectangle block using Rectangle Tool (or press U) behind the image, which is equal to the desired banner width.

Step 3:

Toggle image and rectangle block position, by using layer palette or Ctrl + keys

Step 4:

Use Marquee tool to select area of the image and crop it, we used ruler to make sure that we select required height.
Under properties panel we have all properties of a Marquee, which we can adjust as per our requirement.

After Cropping we have this result.

Step 5

Go to command select creative option then select Auto Vector mask.

After selecting Auto vector mask a panel open with following mask options

Select your desired mask option and press Apply button.
OK below image I have done few steps together but below image help you to find out what all I have done.
These two handles visible on image (we also pointed one of them a circle) are used to control mask position and opacity level.
Under the properties panel we have all vector mask options.
Vector mask layer is also highlighted in Layer Palette.

Step 6:

After final adjustment of Vector mask, we put some text on Banner.
Good Luck, I hope that you will learn Vector mask with this simple Tutorial. Please give your feedback to help me to make things better.

At the end of this tutorial i am thank full to Makeup Forever for their image contribution and Dafont.com for their fonts.

Building a Java Desktop Database Application

2009-10-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

This tutorial shows how to create a desktop Java application through which you canaccess and update a database. The tutorial takes advantage of support inNetBeans IDE for the following technologies:

The Java Persistence API (JPA), which helps you use Java code to interact with databases.

Beans Binding (JSR-295), which provides a way for different JavaBeans components
to have property values that are synchronized with each other. For example, you can use beans
binding to keep the values of cells in a JTable visual component in
synch with the values of fields in an entity class. (In turn, the entity class
represents the database table.)

The Swing Application Framework (JSR-296), which provides some useful
building blocks for quickly creating desktop applications.

We will create a database CRUD (create, read, update, delete)
application with a custom component used for visualizing the data (car design preview).

This tutorial is largely based on a screencast that was based on a development build.
Some of the user interface has changed since that demo
was made, so you might notice some differences between this tutorial and the demo.
You can view the demo (about 9 minutes) now
or download a zip
of the demo.

Setting Up the Database

Before you begin creating a desktop CRUD (create, read, update, delete) application
in the IDE, you should already have the IDE connected to the database that
your application will use. Having this connection set up in advance will
allow you to take advantage of IDE features that automate the binding of the
database to your application.

In this tutorial, we provide instructions for using a Java DB database, since
there is a convenient interface for starting and stop the Java DB database server from the IDE.
However, you can use a different database server without too much difficulty.

First verify that you have Java DB registered in the IDE.
Java DB is
automatically registered in the IDE in a number of cases, such as when
you have Sun Java System Application Server registered in the IDE
or when you are running on JDK 6. If Java DB is not registered in the IDE,
register it manually.

To verify whether Java DB is registered in NetBeans IDE 6.1:

Open the Services window.

Right-click the Databases > Java DB node and choose Properties.

If Java DB is registered, the Java DB Installation and Database Location
fields will be filled in.

If Java DB is not registered, fill in the following two fields:
- Java DB Installation. Enter the path to the database server.
- Database Location. Enter the folder where you want the databases to be stored.

Click OK.

To verify whether Java DB is registered in NetBeans IDE 6.0:

Choose Tools > Java DB Database > Settings.

If Java DB is registered, the Java DB Installation and Database Location
fields will be filled in.

If Java DB is not registered, fill in the following two fields:

Java DB Installation. Enter the path to the database server.

Database Location. Enter the folder where you want the databases to be stored.

Click OK.

Starting the Server and Creating a Database

Once Java DB is registered with the IDE, you can easily start and stop
the database server, as well as create a new database.

To start the database server in NetBeans IDE 6.1:

In the Services window, right-click Databases > Java DB and
choose Start Server.

If you do not already have a location set for the database, the Set Database Location
dialog box appears. Enter a location for the database server to store the databases. You can create
a new folder there if you wish.

To start the database server in NetBeans IDE 6.0:

Choose Tools > Java DB Database > Start Server.

If you do not already have a location set for the database, the Set Database Location
dialog box appears. Enter a location for the database server to store the databases. You can create
a new folder there if you wish.

Once the server is started, Java DB Database Process tab opens in the
Output window and displays a message similar the following:

Apache Derby Network Server - 10.2.2.0 - (485682) started and ready
      to accept connections on port 1527 at 2007-09-05 10:26:25.424 GMT

To create the database in NetBeans IDE 6.1:

In the Services window, right-click Databases > Java DB and
choose Create Database.

For the Database Name text field, type car_database. Also set the User Name and
Password to nbuser.

Click OK.

To create the database in NetBeans IDE 6.0:

Choose Tools > Java DB Database > Create Database. The
Create Java DB Database dialog opens.

For the Database Name text field, type car_database. Also set the User Name and
Password to nbuser.

Click OK.

Connecting to the Database

So far, we have successfully started the the database server and created a database.
However, we still need to connect to the new database before we can
start working with it in the IDE. To connect to the car_database database:

Switch to the Services window (Ctrl+5) and expand the Databases node to see
your new database.

Right-click the database connection node
(jdbc:derby://localhost:1527/car_database[nbuser on NBUSER]) and choose
Connect.

The connection node icon should now appear whole (), which signifies that the connection was successful.

Expand the connection node, right-click its Tables subnode, and choose Execute Command.

Copy the contents of the
car.sql file
and paste them into the SQL Command 1 tab of the Source Editor.

This is the SQL script which will populate the database with data about cars.

Click the Run SQL button ()in
the toolbar of the Source Editor to run the script.

Creating the Application

Choose File > New Project.

In the first panel of the wizard, expand the Java category and select the Java Desktop Application template. Click Next.

The Java Desktop Application template provides many basics of a visual application, including basic menu items and commands.

In the Name and Location page of the wizard, do the following things:
1. In the Project Name field, type CarsApp. The value of this field sets the display name for the project in the Projects window.
2. Select the Set As Main Project checkbox.
3. Optionally, edit the Project Location field to change the location of your project metadata.
4. In the Choose Application Shell field, select Database Application.
5. Click Next.

In the Master Table page of the wizard, select the database connection for the CAR database.
The listing for the database should look something like the following: jdbc:derby://localhost:1527/car_database[nbuser on NBUSER]

Fill in the password (nbuser) for the database and select the
Remember Password During This Session checkbox.

After the connection to the database is established, the Database Table field
should display CAR and
the Columns to Include list should include the names of
10 columns for the CAR database. For now, we will use only five of them in the application.
Select the bottom five column names (beginning with
SUN_ROOF and ending with MODERNNESS) and click the < button
to move them to the left column. Click Next.

In the Detail Options panel, click Finish.

The wizard then generates the a basic user interface with a table and a
database connection. This might take a few seconds as the IDE generates the
project and the code..

Running the Generated Application

At this point, you have a basic running application with a
graphical user interface (GUI) that has the following features:

Ability to view and modify values in five columns of the CAR database.

Basic menu items.

Persistence of its window state between sessions. When you
close the application, the window position and size are remembered. So
when you reopen the application, the window opens in the same position as
it was when you closed it.

An About dialog box, which you can easily customize.

.properties files containing the labels in the user interface. Using
.properties files is a good way to keep the logic of your code separate from the
text that appears in the user interface of your application. Such separation is useful
for making it easier to localize your program, among other reasons.

To see some of the features that are already built into the application, follow these steps:

Right-click the project's node and choose Run.

After a few seconds, the application stars and a window called Database Application Example appears.
This window contains a table and several controls that enable you to edit the CARS database.

Select the first record in the table (for the Acura).

Select the Price text field and replace the existing value with 46999. Then press Enter.

The value should appear updated in the table. (However, that value will
not be reflected in the database until you click Save.)

Similarly, you can update any other values in the table.

Click New to create a new record. Then fill in values for each of the fields (Make, Model, Price, Body Style, Color). For example, you can fill in
Trabant, Classic, 1000, wagon, and blue. Click Save to
save the entry in the database.

Click the Database Application Example title bar and drag the application to a different place on your screen.

Click the left border of the Database Application Example window and drag to the left to increase the size of the window.

In the Database Application Example menu bar, choose File > Exit.

In the IDE, right-click the project's node and choose Run Project.

The Database Application Example window will open in the same size and position it was in when you
closed the application.

Reviewing the Generated Parts of the Application

The connection between the master table (a JTable component) and the database is
handled with a combination of the following mechanisms, all of which have been
generated by the IDE:

The Car.java entity class, which is used to read and write data to
the CAR database table. Entity classes are a special type of class
that enable you to interact with databases through Java code.
Entity classes use Java annotations to map class fields to database columns. .

The META-INF/persistence.xml file, which defines a connection between
the database and the entity class. This file is also known as the persistence unit.

Using beans binding to connect the properties of the entity class
with the properties of the JTable component. Beans binding is a new technology
based on JSR 295 and which will probably be included in a future Java SE release.

The entityManager, query, and list
objects, which are defined in the CarsAppFrame class and
which are listed in the Inspector window.
- The entity manager object is used to retrieve and commit data
  within the defined persistence unit scope.
- The query object defines how the particular data collection is retrieved from
  the entity manager. (You can change the way that the query object works by selecting the
  query object in the Inspectory window and changing the query property in the property sheet.
  The query property uses JPA query language.
- The list object is an observable collection that holds the data from the query. An
  observable collection is a special kind of collection on which you can place a listener to
  find out when changes to the collection have been made.

Using the Inspector window and the property sheet, you can follow these steps to see how
the JTable is bound to data:

In the Inspector window, select the
mainPanel[JPanel] > masterScrollPane [ScrollPane] > masterTable [JTable]
node.
Then click the Binding tab in the Properties window.

Look at the elements property to confirm that it is bound to a list.

Click the ellipsis [...] button to open the Bind masterTable.elements customizer, where you can
further customize the binding between the table and the database. For example, you can see that the
customizer enables you to specify which table columns are bound.

Besides the Binding category in property sheet you can also use the
Bind menu in context menu.

Adding More Controls

We will now add controls to the form for some of the attributes we initially excluded.
Instead of using a table, we will add JSlider components (for the tire size and
modernness attributes) and JCheckbox components (for the sun roof and the spoiler).

Follow these steps to add the additional components:

Add the first slider by clicking the Slider button in the Palette window and
then clicking in the form just above the New button. Before clicking in the form
to insert the slider, make sure that no horizontal slotted guiding lines are shown.
These lines indicate that the slider will be inserted in the same line as the
fields or the buttons. See the figure below to see where you should drop the
slider into the form.

Note: If you drop the component in a place you do not want and thus
cause several undesired layout changes, you can use the Undo command
to reverse the changes. Choose Edit > Undo or press Ctrl-Z.

If necessary, stretch the slider to the left to align it with the left side of the text field components.

Stretch the slider to the
right to span the whole form width.

Add a label to the left of the slider and set its text to Tire Size.
(Click the label to make it editable.)

Add another slider below the first slider, and adjust its width and alignment where necessary.

Add another label below the Tire Size label and set its text to Modernness.

Add two checkboxes below the sliders. Set their text to Spoiler and Sun Roof.
(Make the display text editable by clicking the checkbox once, pausing, and then clicking
the checkbox again. You can also right-click the checkbox and choose Edit Text.)

The form should look like the screenshot shown below.

Binding Controls to Values in the Table

We will now use beans binding features to tie the values shown in table cells to
the state of the controls we have added. This will allow you to change the values
of cells in the table by using the sliders and checkboxes.

To bind the sliders to their corresponding table elements:

In the form, right-click the Tire Size slider and choose Bind > value.

In the Binding Source drop-down list of the Binding dialog box, select masterTable.

In the Binding Expression drop-down list, select the selectedElement > tiresize node.

In the form, right-click the Modernness slider and choose Bind > value.

In the Binding Source drop-down list of the Binding dialog box, select masterTable.

In the Binding Expression drop-down list, select selectedElement > modernness.

To bind the checkboxes to their corresponding table elements:

In the form, right-click the Spoiler checkbox and choose Bind > selected.

In the Binding Source drop-down list of the Binding dialog box, select masterTable.

In the Binding Expression drop-down list, select selectedElement > spoiler.

Click OK to exit the Bind dialog box.

In the form, right-click the Sun Roof checkbox and choose Bind > selected.

In the Binding Source drop-down list of the Binding dialog box, select masterTable.

In the Binding Expression drop-down list, select selectedRow > sunRoof.

Click OK.

You should now be able to change database entries using the slider and
checkboxes.

To verify that the sliders and checkboxes work:

Open the Services window.

Make sure the IDE has a connection to the database by right-clicking
Databases > jdbc:derby;//localhost:1527/car_database and choosing Connect.

Right-click the Databases > jdbc:derby;//localhost:1527/car_database > Tables > node
and choose View Data.

Look at the SUN_ROOF, SPOILER, TIRE_SIZE, and MODERNNESS values
for the first record.

Choose Run > Run Main Project to execute the application.

The running application should look similar to the screenshot shown below.

"

In the running application, select the first record.

Move the sliders and change the checkbox selections.

Click Save to save the changes into the database.

In the Services window, use the View Data command again.

The values in the database should reflect changes that you have made.

"Header already sent" error and other use of Header function in PHP

2009-09-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Using the Header() function you can do the following things

1) Redirect your user to some other page.

2) Tell the browser not to cache your files

3) Content Disposition.

"Header already sent" error

Most of the PHP learner (including me) has spent hours in debugging this problem. This problem happens while using session variables. While using session variables you must initialize the session using the function session_start(), and the problem occurs here.

This problem has got an unbelievably simple solution, just start the PHP block (where you have written the session_start() at the very first line of the page.

To illustrate this

<?php
session_start();
?>

is OK. But

<HTML>
<?php
session_start();
?>

is wrong.

Again , you can not even leave a blank line above the PHP code as it is considered as HTML code

<?php
session_start();
?>
As you can see there is a blank line above the PHP block , this will raise error.

Another example ,

<?php
echo 'Hello';
session_start();
?>

will give error as the statement "echo 'Hello' output an HTML on the page before "session_start();" is executed .

So , the bottom line is do not output anything before the session_start() is executed.

1) Redirect your user to some other page.

You can redirect you user to some other page using the code "Location" parameter of header() function.

<?php
header ( "Location: http://www.koderguru.com/" ); /* Redirect browser */
/* Make sure that code below does not get executed when we redirect. */
exit;
?>

This code will redirect your user to the page http://www.example.com.

Warning : The statement
"header ( "Location: http://www.example.com/" );"

does not generate 302 response, that mean the page will be redirected but it will not be counted as a hit to "www.koderguru.com", so the target page looses a hit count. To avoid this use the following code.

<?php
header ('HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently');
header ('Location: http://www.koderguru.com');
?>

This code generates a 301 status and hit count of "www.koderguru.com" will increase.

Also , you can redirect after some interval , using the code

// Redirects the browser after $sec seconds
header("Refresh: $sec; http://www.koderguru.com" );
should be:
header("Refresh: $sec; url= http://www.koderguru.com" );

2) Force the browser not to cache the pages.

You can do this with the code

<?php
// Date in the past , tels your browser the cache has already expired
header ( "Expires: Wed, 06 Jul 2006 05:00:00 GMT" );
// Here the line tells the browser that the last modification date of this page is right now
//So it must reload the page
header ( "Last-Modified: " . gmdate ( "D, d M Y H:i:s" ) . " GMT" );
// HTTP/1.1
header ( "Cache-Control: no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate" ); // do not cache/store this page
header ( "Cache-Control: post-check=0, pre-check=0" , false );
// HTTP/1.0
header ( "Pragma: no-cache" );
?>

3) Content Disposition.
You can also generate different type of content other than html , using Header() function

<?php
// We'll be outputting a PDF
header ( 'Content-type: application/pdf' );
// It will be called downloaded.pdf
header ( 'Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="downloaded.pdf"' );
// The PDF source is in original.pdf
readfile ( 'original.pdf' );
?>

The above code tells the browser the type of document is PDF.

So , that's all for now. I hope you find this tutorial useful. Thank You.

Hide .php extension with url rewriting using .htaccess

2009-09-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Using this technique you will see product.html in the address bar of the browser but the actual file name remains product.php and you don’t need to rename the file extension. Furthermore you can rewrite the URL like product.php?id=5 to product-5.html.

what is the benefits of rewriting URL?

When a search engine visits the dynamic url like product.php?id=5 it does not give much importance to that URL as search engine sees “?” sign treat it as a url which keeps on changing. so we’re converting the dynamic URL like the product.php?id=5 to static url format like product-5.html. We’ll rewrite the url in such a way that in browser’s address bar it will display as a product-5.html but it actually calls the file product.php?id=5. So that why these kind of URL also named as SEO friendly URL.

what is required for URL rewriting ??

To rewrite the URL you must have the mod_rewrite module must be loaded in apache server. And furthermore, FollowSymLinks options also need to be enabled otherwise you may encounter 500 Internal Sever Error. If you don’t know much about mod_rewrite module then please check this post to know how to check and enable mod_rewrite module in apache?
Examples of url rewriting for seo friendly URL

For rewriting the URL, you should create a .htaccess file in the root folder of your web directory. And have to put the following codes as your requirement.

1)Rewriting product.php?id=12 to product-12.html

It is a simple redirection in which .php extension is hidden from the browser’s address bar and dynamic url (containing “?” character) is converted into a static URL.

RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^product-([0-9]+)\.html$ product.php?id=$1

2) Rewriting product.php?id=12 to product/ipod-nano/12.html

SEO expert always suggest to display the main keyword in the URL. In the following URL rewriting technique you can display the name of the product in URL.

RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^product/([a-zA-Z0-9_-]+)/([0-9]+)\.html$ product.php?id=$2

3) Redirecting non www URL to www URL

If you type yahoo.com in browser it will be redirected to www.yahoo.com. If you want to do same with your website then put the following code to .htaccess file. What is benefit of this kind of redirection?? Please check the post about SEO friendly redirect (301) redirect in php and .htaccess.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^optimaxwebsolutions\.com$
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.optimaxwebsolutions.com/$1 [R=301,L]

4) Rewriting yoursite.com/user.php?username=xyz to yoursite.com/xyz

Have you checked zorpia.com.If you type http://zorpia.com/roshanbh233 in browser you can see my profile over there. If you want to do the same kind of redirection i.e http://yoursite.com/xyz to http://yoursite.com/user.php?username=xyz then you can add the following code to the .htaccess file.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^([a-zA-Z0-9_-]+)$ user.php?username=$1
RewriteRule ^([a-zA-Z0-9_-]+)/$ user.php?username=$1

5) Redirecting the domain to a new subfolder of inside public_html.

Suppose the you’ve redeveloped your site and all the new development reside inside the “new” folder of inside root folder.Then the new development of the website can be accessed like “test.com/new”. Now moving these files to the root folder can be a hectic process so you can create the following code inside the .htaccess file and place it under the root folder of the website. In result, www.test.com point out to the files inside “new” folder.

BCS Comsats Timetable

2009-09-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

Timetable for all classes of BCS Comsats is finalized.

Download Complete Timetable

Watch TV on your Computer

2009-08-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hey people Readon has made Best Web TV for the people how use computer and want to see TV on the Computer. Some people buy a device so that it can work both as computer and TV but now Readon give a nice Internet TV.

Respect to Readon.

Use there TV and enjoy almost all the TV channals according to the location.

For that i have uploaded its setup you can download it from following link:

ftp://helpopedia.ueuo.com@helpopedia.ueuo.com/Softwares/setupTV.zip

Note : Always use the Positive part of every thing.

Regards

Umair

A simple code to handle Time

2009-08-15T22:56:00.000-07:00



$time="08:05:00"; //for sake of example .initial time
$curtime="01:05:00";//end time

$t=explode(':',$time);
$h=intval($t[0]);
$m=intval($t[1]);

$add=1;

while($ntime!=$curtime)
{
    $h=intval($h);
    $m=intval($m);
    $m+=$add;

    if($m>=60)
    {
        $h++;
        $m=$m-60;
    }
    if($h>23)
        $h=0;

    if($h<10)
    {
        $h="0".$h;
    }
    if($m<10)
    {
        $m="0".$m;
    }

    $ntime=$h.":".$m.":00";
    echo $ntime."
"; //it will echo each minute
}

Publish Your Website in 3 Steps.

2009-08-06T03:40:00.000-07:00

The three essential steps to publish your website onto the web are:

1. Creating your website

First you have to create a website. Depending on your level on knowledge in web development you have the following options. Either you can create the site yourself through manual programming in an editor program like DreamWeaver, EditPlus or Notepad. Otherwise there are a number of open source alternatives available without any requirement of prior programming knowledge.

Using Wordpress

Wordpress.org is one free content management system that is used by millions of blogging laymen. With it comes a whole system that makes it easy to add new content to your site and already made web design themes for you to choose between. If interested, learn more about how to create your own Wordpress theme.

Using JOOMLA

Joomla is another free CMS software which basically creates the site for you and eases the task of content administration. The only thing you have to do is to install it properly. In addition to this, you are also normally granted free access to site-building tools when you sign up for a hosting plan.

2. Get a hosting plan

Next step is to find somewhere online to put your website files and assign an address to that somewhere. Any given hosting plan include storage space on a web server and a domain name registration. Depending on what size your website has and potential traffic volume it's going to generate, you get a hosting plan based on three factors - storage space, bandwidth and CPU. Nowadays, there are many qualitative and cheap web hosting plans to choose between.

For all of you into blogging, there are also many great WordPress web hosts offering cheap hosting that is tailored to support this CMS.

3.Upload your files/Publish your website

Upload your files to the root directory of your purchased web hosting server space. You can do this either by using your hosting account's inhouse file manager, but those are often slow and manage large file volume poorly. Our recomendation is to get your hands on a FTP client. More specifically, a FireFox add-on by the name FireFTP. It will allow you to access your hosting account directly in the web browser and transfer website files with ease.

How To Interpret Dreams

2009-08-01T15:43:00.001-07:00

The idea that dreams have meanings is not new. But despite this, dream interpretation continues to attract interest from a lot of people. Besides, it is really interesting to know what it means to dream of a lilac flower, big tidal waves, or snakes. So, how can one interpret dreams? The answer to that is as complicated as the dream itself. But one thing is for sure, dream interpretation varies from one person to another.

If you really want to have the best interpretation for your dreams, then following the guide from psychics is the best you can do.

1. Create a journal for your dreams. Just write everything you remember, from the most obvious to the most obscure, in this journal. It is best to write dream journals as soon as you can so you still have all the dream details in mind.

2. Write down how you felt when the dream happened. For example, were you scared or not when a snake appeared in your dream?

3. Interpret the meaning of each object in your dream. What does the snake mean to you? If it's your greatest fear, then why did it appear in your dream? Perhaps you saw a snake in your garden and that made you feel so afraid. But dream interpretation will be a lot more complicated if there are more than two objects in your dream. For example, aside from the snake, your dream may have shown your child, a city, flowers, and a hut. Each of these objects must be representing something in your life. Try to give each object your own interpretation. Flowers could be a peaceful place. Your child could mean a reminder of your obligation as a parent. The hut and the city could mean your want to travel the world. These objects may have also appeared in other people's dreams. But their interpretation can be different from you because each of these objects could have different personal meanings.

4. Rewrite your dream with your own interpretation. For the example above, it could mean you want to go out and explore the world. However, you have the fear to leave your child alone because you know that she is your responsibility. If in real life you really want to travel but your responsibility hinders you, then that interpretation makes sense. Perhaps the snake in your dream is a reality bite telling you that you can't travel because you have to prioritize your obligations.

Telling your dream to someone else, like a psychic friend, can help in interpreting your dreams, too. Also, it's good to know that there are two kinds of dreams: physical or mystical. But they're more often physical than mystical. The latter happens very rarely for each person, once or sometimes never in a lifetime.

Some psychics even claim that mystical dreams are usually out-of-body experiences. If you believe that the soul is separate from the body, then you must believe that having this mystical experience is possible through dreams.

Keep in mind also that this dream interpretation guide is not new. It has been used by many psychics and just like them, you can be expert in interpreting dreams. You only need constant practice to do that.

Why We Dream?

2009-08-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs and wants to sleep. With sleeping you can revive your energy that you used throughout the day. Part of sleeping is having a dream. You may experience a very nice and beautiful dream like dreaming about your special someone or your goals in life but you may also have a tremendously bad dream, which is usually called as nightmare. You may wonder why people dream or where dreams came from or if your dream has any meaning.

You dream because you have a brain—a dream is just an output of your brain activity while you are sleeping. Your brain is in constant activity even when you're sleeping, so you dream. When your mind and brain are at rest, the brain tends to review your emotions, thoughts, ideas, actions and interactions stored in your short term memory. At the same time your mind is also processing your beliefs, principles and psychic intuitions. When you're in the subconscious stage this data is processed so it forms a mini screen play which is what you call a dream. Some may call professionals just to interpret their dreams but this article will clear the fog on your mind about dreams.

1. A dream is a chain of images, ideas, experiences, emotions and much more; though dreams don't have consistent series of images, experiences and scenarios. It usually portrays a different scenario from time to time; however, there are some people that dream about the same picture every time they sleep but still this phenomena doesn't last long. People who experience it may just think same thing is on their mind every time they sleep so the tendency is that their dreams re-occur.

2. Based on ancient time, dreams seem to be meaningful and a sign from God. Our ancestors believed that through dreams, they could discover the spiritual message of God or maybe predictions of the future.

3. Dreams are subjective, so contrary to what Sigmund Freud and ancient people believed, dreams don't have any symbols hidden, so no one can interpret your dreams. You're the only one who can discover why you dream a certain kind of vision. You may have a dream about past experiences or about your desires or even dream about weird things; all of these depend on you and the capacity of your brain and mind to process data.

4. A dream is just a product of constant activity of the brain so dreams can also be defined as the unity of body, state of being, mind, beliefs and religion while you sleep.

Don't be too intrigued about your dreams. It may or may not give you a significant meaning, but it's still a dream. What is more important is that you wake up each morning and fill your minds with some new, happy memories. Being alive and experiencing the blessings in this world are much more wonderful experiences than dreaming about your desires and goals. So don't just dream, do something to chase your dreams and you will definitely be happy.

How to Create a Wordpress Theme

2009-07-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

This tutorial is especially for:

1. People interested in learning how to build a Wordpress theme from scratch or, more specifically, for those interested in taking an existing design and converting it into a beautifully working Wordpress theme.

2. People interested in integrating Wordpress with their existing website. As touched on lightly in my first tutorial, the best way to go about integration, in my experience, is to take your existing website and build a Wordpress theme out of it, then apply that theme to your Wordpress blog and voila, if all has gone well you have a perfect integration. It can require some handiness with CSS, but the principles covered in this tutorial will get you well on your way.

For More....

Download Songs from a Collection of Audio/Video Songs (Pakistani)

2009-07-26T04:50:00.000-07:00

Some of songs which are very good and specially the songs by Roxen can be download form a collection of Audio/Video song. its free to download and no restrection. and there you can download the video of:
Allah hu and lal meri by junoon live in concert in central park in good qulity which rear on internet
To download and to see that collection list Visit:

http://bad-boy-4-roxen.ueuo.com/

Enjoy

How to Extract Audio (.mp3) From a Video

2009-07-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3 because i JUST tried this software out. Now you can extract the audio from the videos of your favourite songs which you cannot find in .mp3 format anywhere else!

1. First of all go to www.dvdvideosoft.com. Under the free audio/video conversion softwares, click on download link infront of "Free Video to MP3 Converter 3.1.3.51".

2. Click on the download link. A window will appear. Click on "Run". Another window will appear telling you that the publisher could not be verified. Ignore it. Click on "Run" again.

3. Now comes the part of installing the software. And trust me installing a software is not as hard as you think. A 5-year old can do it. Its only a process that asks you to click on the following: "next-next-I Accept-next-install-finish". So on the window that appears next has a next button. Click on it.

4. Then comes the location of the file. If you want to change it click on 'browse' and choose the location where you want to put the folder for this software. Click on Next.

5. Click on "Install". It'll start installing. Click on finish and the software will be launched.

6. Click on the browse button beneath the Input Files. Select the video file you want to convert to mp3. Beneath the output folder, the location of the mp3 version will be given. If you want to change it click on browse and select another location. Under Presets there are different quality types in which the output will come out as. I prefer standard quality. Choose as you like and click on convert.

7. Voila!! Enjoy the audio version.

Cheers!! :)

How To Validate Your Copy of Windows XP

2009-07-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

When you haven't installed an original copy of Windows XP [which you obviously haven’t because you got it from a Rs. 35 pirated CD :P], after a while you get a notification asking you to either validate it or get a genuine windows.

How to validate Windows XP without actually buying one is what I’m going to tell you in 10 simple steps:

1. Go to RUN by clicking on the START button, and type REGEDIT. A window will open.

2. Now expand HKEY LOCAL MACHINE on the left hand corner.

3. Then expand SOFTWARE
then MICROSOFT
then WINDOWSNT
then CurrentVersion
and then WPAEvents

4. Now on the right side of the windows, double-click on OBETimer

5. Another window will open. In the window, select everything and press delete. Then exit.

6. Go to RUN and type: %systemroot%\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a
[there's a space between exe and /a]

7. A windows will open entitled 'Activate Windows'. Choose Yes, I wish to call.

8. Click on Modify Product Key button which appears at the base of this window.

9. Type: THMPV - 77D6F - 94376 - 8HGKG - VRDRQ in the given key space and click on Update. Press 'Remember Later' on the windows that appears next and Restart your windows.

10. After restarting, perform the 6th step again. You'll see a message telling you that your Windows is activated!! :D

This is how i activated my copy of windows and it's still in working condition! Hope it works for you as well :) If it doesn't, leave a comment and i'll attend to it as soon as i can.

Cheers!

How To Use PHP to Interact with MySQL

2009-07-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

1. Introduction. This article will discuss how to connect PHP and MySQL, to create a dynamic database-driven website. I will assume that you already have a PHP and MySQL copy installed on your system and they all work. I will also assume that you have basic knowledge about PHP including PHP syntax and how to run a PHP script.

2. PHP and MySQL. PHP already includes a MySQL module in its distribution, so you won't need to install an additional software module.

3. Create MySQL user.

To create a username and password for your script execute the MySQL console application. You must login as root, then execute this SQL statement:

CREATE DATABASE db_test;
USE db_test;
CREATE TABLE tbl_phonebook
(
phone_id INT PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
phone_name VARCHAR(40),
phone_number VARCHAR(40),
INDEX phone_name_idx (phone_name),
INDEX phone_number_idx (phone_number)
);
GRANT SELECT,UPDATE,DELETE,INSERT TO db_test.*
TO 'test_user' IDENTIFIED BY 'test_user';

After you execute those SQL commands, MySQL will create a database called db_test which contains one table called tbl_phonebook. We will use this table for our sample web application.

4. Connecting to MySQL database.

To establish connection to a MySQL database, you need to call mysql_connect() or mysql_pconnect(). Basically they're all similar except the second one will create a persistent connection. A persistent connection is a connection that persists even if connection is closed.

$link=mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
$persist_link=mysql_pconnect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
?>

mysql_pconnect() is faster than mysql_connect() because it eliminates overhead to establish a connection to the MySQL database. If mysql_pconnect() finds that a persistent connection is already available for a user, it will use it, otherwise it creates new connection.

Upon connection completion, mysql_connect() and mysql_pconnect() returns a handle to connection.

5. Selecting a database to use. To select database to use, use must call mysql_select_db(). This function requires a database name and optional handle of database connection. If you omit the handle of connection, it will use the currently open connection.

$link=mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test',$link);
?>

Selecting a database is an optional step, which you can skip. However, if you do skip it, you must include the database name and table name to access a table. For example, to access tbl_phonebook you must provide the complete name db_test.tbl_phonebook instead of tbl_phonebook. Please note, you must use a period to separate the database name and table name.

6. Execute SQL statement. After you have a valid connection and have selected an active database, you are ready to execute the SQL statement to do some data manipulation. To execute the SQL statement, use mysql_query() function.

This function requires at least one parameter, which is the SQL command you want to execute. The second paramater is the connection you want to use. This parameter is optional. If you omit it, the currently open connection is used. If there is no open connection, this function will try to establish a new connection.

mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test');
$sql="SELECT * FROM tbl_phonebook";
mysql_query($sql);
?>

7. Inserting new data into the database. To insert a new record into the database, you must execute the INSERT statement. For example:

mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test');
$sql="INSERT INTO tbl_phonebook
(
phone_name,
phone_number
)
VALUES
(
'Johny Greenwood' ,
'+6281455632112'
) ";
mysql_query($sql);
?>

For the INSERT operation, to know whether the execution succeeded or failed, we use value return by mysql_query(). It returns boolean value, i.e, TRUE if it succeeded or FALSE if it failed.

To know how what records were affected by the execution of this SQL command, we call mysql_affected_rows(). This function needs one optional connection parameter. If it is omitted then the curently open connection will be used. This function returns the number of rows affected.

mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test');
$sql="INSERT INTO tbl_phonebook
(
phone_name,
phone_number
)
VALUES
(
'Johny Greenwood' ,
'+6281455632112'
) ";
mysql_query($sql);
print('Number of rows affected : '.mysql_affected_rows());
?>

8. Retrieving data from a database. To retrieve data from a database, we use SELECT command. This example was displayed previously. Here, we show it again.

mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test');
$sql="SELECT * FROM tbl_phonebook";
mysql_query($sql);
?>

The above piece of code did nothing useful. To make data available for viewing, we must fetch rows. If we use mysql_query() for the SELECT operation, it will return resources to rows by the SELECT statement. To fetch data from this resource we use mysql_fetch_row(), mysql_fetch_assoc(), mysql_fetch_array() or mysql_fetch_object. Everytime mysql_fetch_***() is called, the database cursor is increment to the next data. If these return NULL, the cursor is at the end of file (EOF), so there is no more data to return.

mysql_fetch_rows() will fetch data and return data as a numeric array. For example:

Use of mysql_fetch_rows():

mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test');
$sql="SELECT * FROM tbl_phonebook";
$res=mysql_query($sql);
if ($res)
{
while ($data=mysql_fetch_row($res))
{
print("

Name : ".$data[1]);
print("Phone : ".$data[2]."

");
}
mysql_free_result($res);
}
?>

Data from the phone_name field is returned in index number 1, because we selected all fields. So index 0 will contain data of phone_id field whereas phone_number field will be returned in index 2.

mysql_free_result() frees resources returned by mysql_query(). PHP automatically frees all resources when the script is finished, so calling mysql_free_result() is optional, but surely a good programming habit.

mysql_fetch_row() will fetch data and return data as an associative array. For example:

Use of mysql_fetch_assoc():

mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test');
$sql="SELECT * FROM tbl_phonebook";
$res=mysql_query($sql);
if ($res)
{
while ($data=mysql_fetch_assoc($res))
{
print("

Name : ".$data['phone_name']);
print("Phone : ".$data['phone_number']."

");
}
mysql_free_result($res);
}
?>

Note that the name of the field is used to index the array.

mysql_fetch_array() is a combination of mysql_fetch_row() and mysql_fecth_assoc(). It returns a numeric array as well as an associative array.

mysql_fetch_object() fetches rows and returns data as an object. For example:

mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test');
$sql="SELECT * FROM tbl_phonebook";
$res=mysql_query($sql);
if ($res)
{
while ($data=mysql_fetch_object($res))
{
print("

Name : ".$data->phone_name);
print("Phone : ".$data->phone_number."

");
}
mysql_free_result($res);
}
?>

To know how many rows have been returned by mysql_query(), you call mysql_num_rows(). It requires one parameter, i.e, resource returned by mysql_query().

$tot_record=mysql_num_rows($res);

9. Updating data. To update data you execute the UPDATE command.

mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test');
$sql="UPDATE tbl_phonebook SET phone_number='0135928549' WHERE phone_id=1";
$res=mysql_query($sql);
if ($res)
{
print('Update succeed');
} else
print('Update failed');
?>

Similar to INSERT, the UPDATE command doesn't generate a result set but only the boolean value; TRUE if it succeeds of FALSE otherwise. To find out how many rows are affecteded by the UPDATE command, use mysql_affected_rows().

10. Removing data. To remove a record you can use the DELETE command:

mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test');
$sql="DELETE FROM tbl_phonebook WHERE phone_id=1";
$res=mysql_query($sql);
if ($res)
{
print('Phone ID =1 deleted');
} else
print('Unable to delete');
?>

11. Closing connection. To close what we have opened, we call mysql_close(). It requires an optional parameter, i.e. a connection to close. If we wanto to close the currently open connection, omit the optional parameter.

$link=mysql_connect('localhost','test_user','test_user');
mysql_select_db('db_test',$link);
$sql="SELECT * FROM tbl_phonebook";
$res=mysql_query($sql,$link);
if ($res)
{
while ($data=mysql_fetch_object($res))
{
print("

Name : ".$data->phone_name);
print("Phone : ".$data->phone_number."

");
}
mysql_free_result($res);
}
mysql_close($link);
?>

12. Conclusion. We have discussed basic steps to let PHP interact with MySQL, including how to establish a database connection, how to select an active database, and how to execute an SQL command.

How to Avoid Photo Red Eye

2009-07-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

"Red eye" is caused by flash lighting reflecting off the back of the retina.

Red Eye can be avoided in Photos by :

Turn on the lights in the room so that your subjects' pupils will decrease in size.
Ask them to look to the side of your camera rather than straight at the camera when you snap the picture.
Divert babies or pets so that they look away from the camera.

Program a Fake Computer Virus in 60 Seconds =)

2009-07-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

Today we will create a Program which is a fake virus that will reboot your system even bypassing Anti virus.

1. Open your notepad and write down the following code, shutdown -r -t 5 -c "Your computer is diseased.LaLalaLALALaLlala.Byeeee!! Byee!!!"

The " -r" tells your computer system to restart or reboot.
the " -t" command determines how much countdown time before system reboot, the number that follows the command in " -t 5" is the specified time in seconds you allot before the system automatically reboots. The number could be anything you want to specify like 10 seconds, in this example we put in a 5 second countdown.
The " -c" command in the program, lets you create your custom error message, think of something that would alarm the owner of the computer.

2. Save the program. Select file on your notepad and click "save as." On the dialogue box think of a file name that would catch a person's curiosity and compel that person to click on our little program. In this example we'll use "secrets", and then you need to append the name with ".bat", so you'll saving the program like this, secrets.bat. Click the save button.

3. Test the fake computer virus. Click the shortcut or icon of the program you just saved to run the program. You'll get the custom error message you created and a countdown timer. At the end of the countdown your computer will automatically reboot.

4. To stop the program select Start then click Run. You can stop the program from rebooting your computer by selecting Start then select Run. In the dialogue box type in "shutdown -a", this will prevent the program from continuing.

This fake computer virus is a harmless prank you can pull on your friends. Copy and transfer the file to their computer, hide it somewhere other than the desktop. Once it is hidden, right-click the file and choose "Send To" then select "Desktop (create shortcut). Go to the shortcut you created on the desktop then right-click it and select properties. On the Shortcut tab click the "Change Icon" button and choose an icon like the internet explorer icon. This will make it look like an innocent icon =))

Or you can attach this program with startup of users computer. User will never b able to start his/her computer or you can attach it in autorun.inf file of any drive or Flash Drive wheneva user will click on drive his/her PC will restart =)) i m saving this for next tutorial =D

P.S. batch files can be very dangerous Programs. They Can shutdown, Restrat, or even Format Your Hard Drive with out and prompt message. I m not sharing format commands as they can be dangerous. Just Enjoy with these fun commands.

Install a Free Message Board PHP Script

2009-07-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

Having your own website is a good way to get your message or opinions out and share them with other people. You can market your own products through your website or offer services. For whatever reason you want to have a website, it is always good to have a way for people to communicate their thoughts and opinions with you and to others who may find their way to your website. In the old days offices, institutions, clubs or schools would have a bulletin board or a message board for people to post anything they want to share with other people. But now as we use the computer and the Internet more often, message boards take on a new venue, one where the whole world can join in. People on the Internet can post topics and get a discussion online when people reply to the topics. To put up a message board on your website you can install a free message board PHP script.

1. Download a free message board PHP script. Find websites offering free message boards to download. You will find numerous sites with free download-able message boards, pick the one you prefer and download the files to your desktop. Once it is downloaded to your computer, open the folder containing the files and search for the read me file. It will contain the instructions you need to install the message board to your website. Follow the instructions to set up the settings, like the administrative password, the title and URL of your website in your text editor.

2. Upload the message board through FTP. You’ll to open your FTP program to upload the message board files on to your server. Create a folder and name it board in your server
’s directory. Publish or transfer the message board files to the board folder you created on your server.

3. Create a directory called msg. Once you have all the files on your server, create another folder called “msg” then right click the folder to change the folder’s file attribute giving it a 777 numeric value. Locate the threads.txt and count.txt, give it a 666 numeric value in the file attributes for each.

You can now text the message board on your website. You can customize the message board through the CSS file in the mboard.php file.

Downloading and installing a free message board PHP script on your website is the best way to have a simple and effective message board on your website, and as a bonus it won’t take up too much space on your server.

Learn PHP on 15 Minutes

2009-07-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Step 1:

To be able to execute PHP scripts, you need at least a working PHP installation+ web server. Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP are the best combinations. PHP also can run under Microsoft Windows, too.

PHP installation and configuration can be made easy with tools such as Apache2Triad or XAMPP which automate web server and PHP installation.

PHP script is stored in text format file so you need text editor. Notepad and Notepad++ are enough for your PHP development needs. However, you may opt to invest in more advanced tools such Dreamweaver or Eclipse.
Step 2:

PHP script is anything between pair. You can also use . The first is most widely used.

print '

Hello this is my first script

';
?>

Output of the following code will be same as the previous code:

print '

Hello this is my first script

';
?>

Step 3:

The power of PHP lies on the capability to change how HTML code will output. The following code will output different HTML codes when you change the name.

$aname=$_GET['name'];
print '

Hello '.$name.' this is my first script

'; ?>

Save this script as welcome.php in the document root directory (for Apache web server, this is usually htdocs directory). Open your web browser and type http://localhost/welcome.php?name=Zamrony

Step 4:

$_GET is a predefined variable which stores lists of parameters passed to the script. It is an array. If you change http://localhost/welcome.php?name=zamrony&country=Indonesia, $_GET will contain more items.

$aname=$_GET['name'];
$acountry=$_GET['country'];
print '

Hello '.$name.' from '.$acountry.' .
this is my first PHP script

';
?>

It will print Hello Zamrony from Indonesia. This is my first PHP script.

Step 5:

$aname, $acountry and $_GET are all variables in PHP. Any variables in PHP should be prefixed with dollar sign. Variable names must only contain alphanumeric and underscore characters where the first character in variable names should be alphabet characters or underscores.

This is invalid variable name:

$123
$1aname
$*jskk

This is valid variable name:

$k123
$j
$_
$_test
$k123k
$KK

PHP is case sensitive. Variable $kk is not $KK.

Learn MySQL in 15 Minutes

2009-07-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

A database organizes data so that it can be easily accessed, altered, and managed. Like virtually all database software, MySQL uses Structured Query Language (SQL-pronounced sequel), the standard language for requesting information from a database. It is an open-source software, meaning that its free to use and modify for your personal use. Despite it's low price, MySQL has increasingly found wide adoption in industry because of its fast performance, reliability, ease of use, and versatility in working with programming languages. Join the 5 million active users of MySQL including NASA, FedEx and the computer nerd down the block by learning to use the basic asdcommands of MySQL.

1. Make sure you have installed MySQL correctly. Once you have done so, go to the command line application of your operating system and enter: 'mysql -u root'. This opens up MySQL in the root username. If you have already set another account, use that log-in information.

2. Create a Database. Now the commandline will read 'mysql>' and everything you type after it will be processed by MySQL. We will use the "create database" command to create a database called first_database. Notice that there can be no space in the filename.

mysql> create database first_database;

3. Create a Table. A database is a collection of data organized into tables. The following code mysql> creates a table with 5 columns:

mysql> create table first_table
-> (ID int not null primary key auto_increment,
-> last_name varchar(25),
-> first_name varchar(25),
-> email varchar(25),
-> date_joined timestamp(14),
-> about text);

* Line 1: Creates a column labeled ID that generates a unique integer (int) number that increases by an increment (auto_increment) of one for every new entry. This is known as a primary key because every record (or row) has a unique id to differentiate the rows (useful when several people have the same last name).learn mysql

* Line 2 and 3: Creates columns labeled "last_name" and "first_name" that contain the last names and first names, respectively, of entries. The maximum number of characters is 25 ( varchar(25) ).

* Line 4: Creates a column for the e-mail addresses of members. Again the maximum number of characters is 25.

* Line 5: Creates a column that records the date (timestamp) the member joined. The number 14 'timestamp()' refers to the most commonly used display format: YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.

* Line 6: Creates a column with a short description of the member.

4. Insert Data. Now we will manually add data to the table:

mysql> insert into first_table

-> (ID, last_name, first_name, email, date_joined, about) values
-> (NULL, 'Doe', 'John', 'johndoe@emailaddress.com' ,now(),
-> 'This is a short description of John Doe.');

* Line 1: Tells MySQL that you want to add a record to the table.
* Line 2: Lists the names of the columns in the order we will use to enter the values.
* Line 3+4: Lists the values for the columns in the order listed previously. The value 'now()' makes the timestamp record the time and date when the row was created.

Repeat this until there are a total of four records so that we can run a query.

Now that there are a total of four records we can run a query, the database term for requesting data from a table. We use the 'select' command to query 'first_table'. Here we specifically want to see the last and first names and email addresses from the database.

mysql> select last_name,first_name,email from first_table;

The asterisk after the 'select' command is known as the universal selector meaning that you want to query every column.

mysql> select * from first_table;

6. Updating an Entry. Let's say John Doe has changed his e-mail address because of too much spam. The following code uses the 'UPDATE' command and 'SET' subcommand to change the email addresses of a person whose last name is 'Doe'. The 'WHERE' subcommand is important because it determines which person's email address should be changed (where the last name is Doe). Without the 'WHERE' command all records in 'first_table' would have the same email address (johnnydee@emailaddress.com).

mysql> UPDATE first_table SET email = 'johnnydee@emailaddress.com'
-> WHERE last_name = 'Doe';

7. Deleting a Record. Let's say John Doe dies (I couldn't resist), or maybe he just opted-out of an email subscription list. To delete a record, no surprise here, we use the 'DELETE' command. 'FROM' determines the table you are working with and 'WHERE' determines the specific record you want to remove.

mysql> DELETE FROM first_table WHERE lastname = 'Doe';

Now you have learned the MySQL commands to perform basic database tasks. The MySQL documentation website is a great resource for learning about new commands. While it's probably more practical to use a GUI based database administration program, knowing the basics of SQL will be very useful to you especially if you want to work with a programming language or want to perform some maintenance tasks manually.

How to Create a Basic Login Script in PHP

2009-07-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

Interested in creating your own forum page, blog, or even a shopping cart? A login area is the first step. Here is how to create a script for it in PHP.

Steps:

1. Create the login database and table. For the purposes of the code examples below, we will assume the database name to be "test" and the table name to be "members". The database and table can be created through the control panel of your webhost. The "members" table will store the username and the passwords of all the people would be allowed access via this login script. The table should have a unique id field as the primary key, a username field, and a password field.

2. Create the login interface. This is an html page containing a form, two text boxes for the user name and password, and a submit button. As long as you have these elements, you may design the layout however you wish.

Example:

3. Create the php script that will check the login input against the database. This script will connect to the database, send a query and retrieve the result, check to see if the username and password is correct and send you to the next page depending on the result of the comparison.

Example (connecting to the database):

$host="localhost"; // Host name
$username=""; // username
$password=""; // password
$db_name="test"; // Database name
$tbl_name="members"; // Table name

// Replace database connect functions depending on database you are using.
mysql_connect("$host", "$username", "$password");
mysql_select_db("$db_name");

Example (submitting query and retrieving results):

// username and password sent from form
//NEVER Remove the mysql_real_escape_string. Else there could be an Sql-Injection!
$myusername=mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['myusername']);
$mypassword=mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['mypassword']);

$sql="SELECT * FROM $tbl_name WHERE username='$myusername' and password='$mypassword'";
$result=mysql_query($sql);

Example (checking results):

// Replace counting function based on database you are using.
$count=mysql_num_rows($result);
// If result matched $myusername and $mypassword, table row must be 1 row

Example (direct user based on result):

if($count==1){
// Register $myusername, $mypassword and redirect to file "login_success.php"
session_register("myusername");
session_register("mypassword");
header("location:login_success.php");
} else {
echo "Wrong Username or Password";
}

4. Create the page that will display after login success. This script will start your session and display an html message of your choosing.

Example:

// Check if session is not registered , redirect back to main page.
session_start();

if(!session_is_registered(myusername)){
header("location:main_login.php");
}
?>

Login Successful

5. Create logout script. This step is optional as sessions can time out. If you wish to create one, you will need a button or link to initiate the script and a message to confirm the success of logging out.

Example:

session_start();
session_destroy();
?>

Tips

* Replace the database functions in your script with the appropriate functions for the database you are using (e.g. SQLITE, Microsoft SQL, etc.)

* Depending on your requirements, add security checks to your script.

* Try using CSS and various HTML elements to create an interesting look for your login and message pages.

How To Make Your Lipstick Last Longer

2009-07-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

Applying lipsticks can definitely accentuate your lips. However, you need to choose the right shade and brand that will suit you. Now, if you already have the right lipstick, the next challenge is making it stay longer without constantly re-applying. You want to look fresh the whole day, but you might not always have the opportunity to reapply lipstick after each meal or snack.

As a solution, most manufacturers have come up with lipstick products that are made to last longer than the regular products. However, if your favorite lipstick is not specially formulated to last long, here are some tips to help you.

* Exfoliate your lips. Your lips also have dead skin cells, and it is important for you to remove these before applying lipstick. This will result in a smoother finish, and will definitely make your lipstick last longer. To exfoliate, gently swab your lips using a sponge or a soft brush.

* Use powder. One of the best ways to make your lipstick stay longer is by applying a thin layer of loose powder on your lips before applying the lipstick. The powder helps prevent smudging and will keep your lipstick in place. Dab a bit of loose powder on a cotton swab or sponge and apply to your lips, including the lip line. You may remove excess powder using facial tissue.

* Use a lip liner. Using a lip liner will help in precisely outlining your lips. This is also a good way to make your lipstick last longer. The lip liner is usually made of material that is drier than lipstick, to prevent it from smudging. It is important to choose the right lip liner for your lipstick and make sure that it will blend well. If possible, use the same lip liner brand as your lipstick. Or, choose a skin-colored or nude colored lip liner so you can use it with any of your lipstick colors.

* Use tissue to remove excess lipstick. To remove the excess lip stick, get a tissue and place it in between your lips. Then, apply a second layer of lipstick. This layering will result in longer lasting lipstick, so you don't have to reapply often.

* Choose a good brand. A lot of brands are available and you need to choose a brand that provides a good quality of gloss and longevity. Although a good brand would cost more, in the long run, you can actually save because these will last longer, and you won't have to constantly reapply, as with cheaper brands.

* Store your lipstick properly. Storing your lipstick properly will help maintain its quality. You need to make sure that the temperature where you store it is regulated. Keep it away from direct sunlight, extreme temperatures and extreme humidity.

Wearing lipstick may not exactly be challenging. But reapplying every so often can be a hassle, especially if you're busy with work. Making your lipstick last longer may be a minor thing, but if it can help reduce your worries about how you look, then it's a good thing to try these simple tips.

50 Intresting Facts

2009-07-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

1. If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on your right side. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side.

2. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. For when a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.

3. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

4. Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it.

5. The Mercedes-Benz motto is “Das Beste oder Nichts” meaning “the best or nothing”.

6. The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal.

7. The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing.

8. The average person who stops smoking

requires one hour less sleep a night.

9. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

10. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.

11. Dalmatians are born without spots.

12. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

13. The ‘v’ in the name of a court case does not stand for ‘versus’, but for ‘and’ (in civil proceedings) or ‘against’ (in criminal proceedings).

14. Men’s shirts have the buttons on the right, but women’s shirts have the buttons on the left.

15. The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their lower eyelids.

16. The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it’s already been digested by a bee.

17. Roosters cannot crow if they cannot extend their necks.

18. The color blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones.

19. Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.

20. Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart.

21. The verb “cleave” is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.

22. When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red.

23. When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.

24. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903, and used a tomato can for a carburetor.

25. The lion that roars in the MGM logo is named Volney.

26. Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros.

27. Switching letters is called spoonerism. For example, saying jag of Flapan, instead of flag of Japan.

28. It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it.

29. The attachment of the human skin to muscles is what causes dimples.

30. There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

31. The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting.

32. Human hair and fingernails continue to grow after death.

33. It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body.

34. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

35. Most soccer players run 7 miles in a game.

36. The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It takes in oxygen directly from the air.

37. Every day 200 million couples make love, 400,000 babies are born, and 140,000 people die.

38. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand of the watch (and make it look like it
is smiling).

39. Colgate faced big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command “go hang yourself.”

40. The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning its head are the rabbit and the parrot.

41. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

42. The average person laughs 13 times a day.

43. Do you know the names of the three wise monkeys? They are:Mizaru(See no evil), Mikazaru(Hear no evil), and Mazaru(Speak no evil)

44. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

45. German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog.

46. Large kangaroos cover more than 30 feet with each jump.

47. Whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound.

48. Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two hapless protesters to death.

49. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural cause.

50. The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to squirt blood 30 feet!!

Pakistan's Rich List of 2008

2009-07-14T04:01:00.000-07:00

Short-listing Pakistan's most influential business magnates or Groups has
never been an easy task because there are the people who have been very
powerful in nearly every regime that has held this country's reins since
the last 60 years and then we have had those seasonal species that
maneuvered their voice to be heard better than most within the power
corridors, but later vanished into the oblivion for one reason or the
other. We have selected only those tycoons who have made their presence
felt for a better part of country's history, have earned consistently, have
been setting up units at regular intervals or have been legends in stocks,
currency or real estate business.

The list excludes many names that have previously qualified and all of
Pakistan's most prominent feudal land lords who would definitely make it to
the top 10, expect the few land owners which have declared their assets and
work force and registered with the CBR Islamabad. In order to promote the
new and "unknown" Pakistani magnates we have excluded in previous entities.

Unfortunately, our extensive research does not currently include the names
of a few stars that shone brightly amidst the galaxy of the influential
creed of yesteryear like C.M.Latif of BECO- the Steel Man of Pakistan- who
did make a lot of name once, but then got gifted with contentment somehow,
although the late business wizard got very badly hit by Bhutto's
nationalization of 1970 which had inflicted an astounding thud to everybody
in business then. Had it not been the case, many of our tycoons may well
have managed to gain the kind of status greeting the likes of Birlas and
Tatas in India today, if not the one saluting Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.
Among these gifted individuals, you will find
politicians-turned-businessmen, businessmen-turned-politicians or even the
businessmen-cum-politicians. With malice towards none and with no intention
to decorate somebody, We thus takes the pride of announcing these names. We
hope this document will go a long way in serving as the most authentic
endeavor of its kind for a very long time to come. It has been prepared
very carefully in consultation with leading real estate barons, stock
moguls, business leaders of virtue and senior bureaucrats at the Central
Board of Revenue.

1 - Mian Muhammad Mansha Yaha Pakistan

Ranking: 1 Worth: £1.25b ($2.5billion)Industry: Businessman

Mansha has around 40 companies on board. Mansha, who owns the Muslim
Commercial Bank is also setting up a $ 17m paper mill. He is one of the
richest Pakistanis around. Nishat Group was country's 15th richest family
in 1970, 6th in 1990 and Number 1 in 1997. Mansha is on the board of nearly
50 companies. He is deemed to have made investments in many bourses,
currency and metal exchanges both within and outside Pakistan. He could
have bought the United Bank too, but then who doesn't have adversaries.
Nishat Group comprises of textiles, cement, leasing, insurance and
management companies. If Mansha was bitten by Bhutto's nationalization
stint of 1970, his friends think he was compensated by Nawaz Sharif's
denationalization programme to a very good effect. There is no stopping
Mansha and he is still on the move.

Nishat group assets are $4.4Billion. He is sometimes even regarded as the
richest Pakistani around by his friends claiming he does not "show it off".

2 - Asif Ali Zardari Pakistan

Ranking: 2 Worth: £900m ($1.8billion) Industry: Politics

Asif Zardari dubbed "Mr 10%" an unknown happy-go-lucky son of a small-time
businessman who struck gold by marrying one of the worlds most glamorous
women Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benzair Bhutto. Taking advantage of
his wife's authority he is known to have taken kickbacks from many deals
inside and outside of Pakistan. The most famous was a $4 billion deal to
buy 32 Mirage jets from the French company Dassault. Documents, which
include letters from Dassault executives, indicate an agreement was reached
to pay a 5% "remuneration" - about $200m - to Marleton Business, a BVI
company controlled by Zardari. Besides these many more kickback deals were
taken with companies such as ARY Gold, Société Général de Surveillance
(SGS), Cotecna, and ZPC Ursus, a Polish tractor company.

Zardari assets holding amount into hundreds of millions of dollars easily,
Having 8 prime properties in the UK, of which once is the famous Rockwood
Estate 365 acres in Surrey, worth £4.35m has now been sold and money sent
back to the Govt. of Pakistan. Also 14 multi-million dollar mansions in the
USA, including owning Holiday Inn hotel Houston, Texas Owned by "Mr 10%"
and Iqbal Memon and Sadar-ud-Din Hashwani.

They (Zardari and B.Bhutto) also have huge business ventures in the Middle
East running into hundreds of millions if not billion mark. Mr Zardari also
has huge stakes in sugar mills all over Pakistan,which include: Sakrand
Sugar Mills, Nawabshah, Ansari Sugar Mills, Hyderabad, Mirza Sugar Mills,
Badin, Pangrio Sugar Mills, Thatta and Bachani Sugar Mills, Sanghar.

3 - Sir Anwar Pervaiz UK

Ranking: 3 Worth: £750m ($1.5billion) Industry: Businessman

Chairman of Bestway Group. The Bestway Group started in 1976 with its first
Bestway cash and carry warehouse opened in London. Today the have in total
around 50 Cash and Carry's. Including their recent takeover of rival group
Batleys for around £100m. Bestway Group ventured into Pakistan's huge the
cement business in 1995 and set up cement manufacturing plant in Pakistan
at a cost of $120 million.

Taking Advantage of Pakistan growing economy they also acquired a 25.5%
stake in United Bank Limited in 2002. Today, the Bestway Group has
interests in cash & carry wholesale, property investments, retail outlets,
milling of rice, lentils and pulses, cement production and more recently
into banking. The group's total sales amounted to in excess of £ 2 billion.
The group provides direct employment to thousands in the UK and Pakistan.
The have many interests in Pakistan too. Sir Anwar Pervaiz and his his
partners sheer hard work has bought them to outstanding international
levels, which definitely makes him an ideal role model for many young
Pakistanis today. He still on the move!

4 - Nawaz Sharif & Shahbaz Sharif family Saudi Arabia/Pakistan

Ranking: 4 Worth: £700m ($1.4billion) Industry: Politics/Businessman

Mr Sharif Businessman turned politician the former Prime Minister of
Pakistan. He was ousted in a military coup in 1999 and was forced to
forfeit $9million dollars and some of his assets including his $5m Mansion
is Raiwind near Lahore. Before becoming PM he was a major share holder
along with his brother and cousins of Ittefaq Group, having assets well in
excess of £50m in the 90's. However he got richer when he took commissions
from foreign companies for construction in Pakistan. He build the first
motorway and many new roads and took heavy kickbacks. He then also stole
$100m from the Iqra funds, he started a new scheme "Ghar Apna" in which he
again looted around $40m, the "Mulk swaaro" scheme involving public & govt.
money collections to help pay pf Pakistan's debts also was pocketed. Today
he lives in exile in Saudi Arabia where it is known he has a new huge
business empire in various sectors.

5 - Saddaruddin Hashwani Pakistan

Ranking: 5 Worth: £550m ($1.1billion) Industry: Businessman

Saddaruddin Hashwani is Chairman Hashoo Group is known for his dominance in
Pakistan's hotel industry, though Hashwanis are have huge strength in real
estate business too. Hashwanis are involved in trading of cotton, grain and
steel and till the nationalization of cotton export in 1974, they were
widely being dubbed as the Cotton Kings of Pakistan. Today, this group has
excelled in export of rice, wheat, cotton and barley. It owns textile
units, besides having invested billions in mines, minerals. hotels,
insurance, batteries, tobacco, residential properties, construction,
engineering and information technology. In 1984, Hashwani defeated the
Lakhanis in the bid for Premier Tobacco but was arrested along with his
brother Akbar in 1986 for allegedly evading customs duty on cigarettes.
Sadarduddin's brother Akbar and the children of another late brother Hassan
Ali Hashwani together manage around 45 companies. Akbar runs the second
Hashwani Group. He is one of the most well-known magnates in Pakistan who
is a regular invitee at the Diplomatic Enclave. The list of local and
international bigwigs known personally to Hashwani is unending.

6 - Nasir Schon & family U.A.E/Pakistan

Ranking: 6 (tied at 6) Worth: £500m ($1billion) Industry: Businessman

Nasir Schon is a prominent business leader of Pakistan and the CEO of Schon
Group. Nasir Schon is the son of Captain Ather Schon Hussain, an ex-pilot
of PIA. The Schon family is one of the few striving Muhajir Urdu business
families in Pakistan. Starting off in Singapore in 1982, the peek of Schon
group was in 1995 when they owned National Fibres, Schon Bank, Schon
Textiles and Pak-China Fertizilers. Famous for the trend-setting
roundabout, Schon Circle, Nasir Schon is also known to be one of the first
people to have a Rolls-Royce in Pakistan. Directors of Schon group flew to
Dubai in 1997 in exile after the dismissal of ex-Prime Minister Benazir
Bhutto. The directors of Schon group were known to have close contacts with
the husband of former Prime Minister, Asif Zardari. Many assets of the
Schon group were auctioned by the Nawaz Sharif government. Schon Group is
the only group in Pakistan who has paid the government over 3 billion
rupees ($65m) in order to return from exile. Living in Dubai gave Nasir
Schon an opportunity to start businesses there. Currently working on an
$830 million real estate project known as Dubai lagoon, Schon group is also
fighting to get back the assets they once lost. Currently, the Schon group
operates a pilot training center in Pakistan known as Schon Air.

7 - Abdul Razzaq Yakoub & family U.A.E

Ranking: 6 (tied at 6) Worth: £500m ($1billion) Industry: Businessman

Mr Yakoub is a prominent Pakistani expatriate businessman based in Dubai.
He is the president ARY group ($1.5Billion turnover) and World Memon
Organization (WMO). He is one of Pakistan's biggest media barons
controlling around 7 channels. Besides this he has a huge property holdings
in Karachi, Islamabad and Dubai amounting to over $200m. He is major in the
gold market also having around 20 outlets in Asia. He has also been
involved in paying Asif Zardari $5m in 1990's for allowing him to
import/export gold. Which he denies and claim's is government forgeries.

8 - Rafiq Habib & Rasheed Habib Pakistan

Ranking: 7 Worth: £450m ($900) Industry: Businessman

Legend has it that the Goddess of Wealth has been in love with the seasoned
Habibs more than anybody else in Pakistan. Most pundits believe that Habibs
own at least 100 companies throughout the world, but these content
mega-tycoons never boast off, something which has made it uphill for most
to predict about their financial standing. This industrial group was
founded by Seth Habib Mitha, born in 1878 to Esmail Ali-a factory owner in
Bombay. The financial strength of the Habibs can be gauged from the fact
that Muhammad Ali Habib gave a cheque of Rs 80 million to Quaid-e-Azam in
1948 at a time when Pakistan government was penniless owing to delay in
transfer of Pakistan's share of Rs. 750 million by the Reserve Bank of
India. They had offices in Europe in 1912. They incorporated the Habib Bank
in 1941. They own the Habib Bank A.G Zurich, Bank Al-Habib, Indus Motors
assembling Corolla cars and many dozens of units in sectors such as jute,
paper sack, minerals, steel, tiles, synthetics sugar, glass, construction,
concrete, farm autos, banking, oil, computers, music, paper, packages,
leasing and capital management. Habibs today are headed by Rafiq Habib and
Rashid Habib in two distinct groups. What makes them extremely influential
players of all times is the fact that for dozens of top businessmen today,
Habib were a myth once.

9 - Tariq Saigol & Nasim Saigol Pakistan

Ranking: 8 Worth: £425m ($850) Industry: Businessman

Hailing from Jhelum. The pioneer of the Saigol dynasty in 1890 was Amin
Saigol who established a shoe shop that eventually transformed into
Kohinoor Rubber Works. And then times saw them shining literally like the
Kohinoor until their progress was halted by Nationalization in which they
lost two-thirds of their wealth. Saigols got trifurcated in 1976 and 15
descendents of Amin Saigols four sons got a share. The name of the Saigols
has been used in this part of the world as similes describing quantum of
wealth. Yousaf Saigol, along with his brothers Sayeed Saigol, Bashir Saigol
and Gul Saigol then nourished an excellent crop. In 1948, Saigols
established the Kohinoor Textile Mills with a cost of Rs 8 million and this
group happens to be the first to open an LC with the State Bank of
Pakistan. They bought the United Bank in 1959 and then witnessed five of
their units getting nationalized. They lived in Saudi Arabia during the
Bhutto regime. Today, cousins Tariq and Nasim are holding the family's fort
together and have risen to unprecedented heights in individual capacities.
NAB did haunt Nasim but Tariq spent more time either accepting or refusing
prized slots everywhere. Tariq is the one of the finest business brains
around.

10 - Dewan Yousaf Farooqui Pakistan

Ranking: 9 (tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman

Mr Farooqui. The mentor of this group has been the Sindh Minister for Local
Bodies. Industries, Labour, Transport, Mines & Minerals. Dewan Mushtaq
Group is one of the Pakistan's largest industrial conglomerates in sectors
like polyester acrylic fiber, manufacturing and automotives. Six of their
companies are listed at the Karachi & stock Exchange and one at the
Luxembourg bourse. Dewan Farooqui Motors assembles around 10,000 cars
annually under technical license agreement with Hyundai and Kia Motors of
Korea. The Dewan Salman Fiber is the pride of this empire as it ranks 11th
in the world in total production capacity. The group owns three textile
units, a motorcycle manufacturing concern and the largest sugar unit in the
country. Dewans also have business interests in India. They possess dozens
of millions of shares of Saudi Cement and Pak land Cement. They also have
the franchise licence for BMW in Pakistan and now Rolls Royce showrooms.

11 - Sultan Ali Lakhani & family Pakistan

Ranking: 9 (tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman

The Lakhanis are currently having a hard time at the hands of NAB. Sultan
Lakhani and his three brothers run this prestigious group and the chain of
McDonald's restaurants in Pakistan. NAB has alleged the Lakhanis of having
created phoney companies through worthless directors and raised massive
loans from various banks and financial institutions. Sultan is currently
abroad after having served a jail term with younger sibling Amin, though
the latter was released much earlier. NAB had reportedly demanded Rs 7
billion from Lakhanis, but later agreed they pay only Rs 1.5 billion over a
10-year period. Lakhanis, like their arch-rivals Hashwanis, are the most
well-known of all Ismaeli tycoons. Their stakes range from media, tobacco,
paper, chemicals and surgical equipment to cotton, packaging, insurance,
detergents and other house-hold items, many of which are joint ventures
with leading international conglomerates. Though Lakhanis are in turbulent
waters currently, the success that greeted them during the last 25 years
especially has been tremendous. They have rifts with large business empires
despite being known fur their genteel nature. Whether it is any government
in Sindh or at the Federal level, Lakhanis have had trusted friends
everywhere, though the present era has proved a painful exception.

12 - Malik Riaz Hussain Pakistan

Ranking: 9 (tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman

Malik Riaz Hussain heads the massive project which is currently developing
state-of-the-art schemes in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi/Islamabad.
Emerging out of the blue, this developer has reportedly developed
tremendous connections where it matters in Pakistan-One of the few reasons
why his constructed projects get completed in time without hindrance.
Whether he has gifted bungalows free of cost of country's bigwigs or
offered them at highly concessional rates, the reality on the ground is
that Malik has managed to mesmerize most through his generous wallet. His
land-holdings both within and outside Pakistan amounts to nearly a billion
dollar. He is the man behind the Bahria Town. Irrespective of who is in
power; he continues to build house after house-swelling his wealth. He is
also the first man to drive a Bentley car on Pakistani soil.

13 - Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid Pakistan

Ranking: 10 Worth: £390m ($780) Industry: Businessman

Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid. He is one of the most resourceful
developers/builders in the country owning vast stretches of land in major
cities. On this land worth many billion of rupees, Seth has constructed
residential schemes under the brand name of "Green Fort." Seth came into
this business after decades of notoriety as being one of the spearheads in
cross-border smuggling. While many remember Seth for his allegedly illegal
trading stints, a lot of informed circles still say with conviction that
he, along with Dr.Qadeer and former Premier Bhutto, was the brain behind
the success of Pakistan's nuclear programme. About three dozen of Seth's
very close relatives, friends and nephews are members of country's bourses
and for many years now, the Seth Abid group assumes the role of king-makers
during the annual polls of these stock exchanges. He is a leading investor
in stocks, metals and currency but what gives him immense pleasure is his
philanthropic institution Hamza Foundation that he sponsors for the welfare
of deaf and dumb children. Pakistan has not had a single ruler, politician,
bureaucrat or Army General who doesn't know the Seth who is more of a myth
for most. The Seth, throughout his life, has avoided publicity-a fact known
to most journalists.

14 - Mian Mohammed Latif Pakistan

Ranking:11 Worth: £350m ($700) Industry: Businessman

Chenab Group Mian Muhammad Latif supervises this group along with his
brother Mian Ashfaque- a legislator in the National Assembly of Pakistan.
Founded in 1975, Chenab Limited set up its first fashion outlet "Chen One."
Chen One has seven outlets throughout Pakistan. After establishing its
retail chain stores in various cities of Saudi Arabia, the group is now
planning to establish its new retail chains in Bahrain, UA.E, Qatar, Kuwait
and Central Asian Republics. While Chenab Group is an eight-time Export
Trophy winner, its Chief Mian Latif has won the 'Businessman of the Year
award on four different occasions from various business bodies. Chenab is
principally engaged in manufacture and distribution of clothing, furniture
goods, including non-iron suit, quilt cover and curtains etc. Chenab
processes 50 million square metres fabric weaving and 75 million square
metres fabric dyeing every year and has established a global sales network
spanning across five continents. Chenab is licensed to the Swedish Texcote
Technology in the manufacturing and sale of textile materials, garments and
textile house-hold goods. The group's textile products have been awarded
the Oekotex 100 accreditation.

15 - Haji Abdul Ghafoor & Haji Bashir Ahmed Pakistan

Ranking: 12 Worth: £330m ($660) Industry: Businessman

Sitara Group Started its activity with textile weaving as early as 1956,
under brothers Haji Abdul Ghafoor and Haji Bashir Ahmed. It is now its
textile cloth finishing and processing, textile spinning, chlor-alkali
sector and in power generation. The units owned by this establishment
include Sitara Chemicals, Sitara Chemicals (Textile Division 1) and Sitara
Chemicals (Textile Division 11), Sitara Textiles, Sitara Energy and Yasir
Spinning. The charities being managed under the aegis of Sitara group are
Aziz Fatima Hospital, Ghafoor Bashir Children Hospital and Aziz Fatima
Girls School. Sitara's name with the industrial City of Faisalabad is
synonymous. They are the decades-old veterans in business, who have
excelled in leaps and bounds. At their units, the owners of Sitara use
technology imported from Japan, UK and Germany and are export leaders in
bedding and fabric collection to South America, USA, Canada, New Zealand
and Europe. Their textile divisions together operate at strength of 33,984
spindles. The Sitara (group, to a common man, is more famous for its lawn
brands like Sitara Sapna and Mughal-e-Azam. The men at helm of affairs in
Sitara hardly believe in setting up dozens of units, of which they are
otherwise very much capable of.

16 - Sheikhani Family Pakistan

Ranking: 13 Worth: £300m ($600) Industry: Businessman

They are one of the most reputed land developers in the country. The
Sheikhani, although not a very big industrial establishment by any means,
are led by Abu Bakar Sheikhani. The Sheikhanis are famous for their
construction and land development-related errands. Abu Bakar is deemed to
be one of the largest investors in real estate trade at Gwadar Port. He has
all the right connections that are required to be in such business. Despite
being well known to the national political circles, the man in street knew
more of him during March/April 1991 when he surfaced as the single largest
contributor to then Premier Nawaz Sharif's Debt Retirement Fund with a
donation of $ 8million. Today, his adversaries dub him a land mafia man,
alleging him for selling his Gwadar land at only $ 4000 per acre only to
senior Army officials while the same was being sold at $ 2,50,000 per acre
to ordinary investors. But that is the way Sheikhani runs his vast
land/construction empire. Accusations don't disturb Sheikhani, who
according to many large developers is a man who has managed to create
tremendous impression in land business. The rumours of his landing in any
Pakistani City for land acquisition purposes, helps the price of real
estate surge unprecedented overnight

17 - Razzaq Dawood Pakistan/UAE

Ranking: 14 (tied at 14) Worth: £250m ($500) Industry: Businessman

Razzaq presently heads one of Pakistan's biggest construction and
engineering conglomerate know as Dawood group/Descen group. With a roaster
of impressive clients. His group has won many contracts in Dubai, Saudi
Arabia and Iraq and employ's over 1,000 people directly. His name was more
prominent among the top 22 richest families in 1970 until the Bhutto
nationalization which then made him set up abroad, he returned to Pakistan
in the early 90's and started from scratch and today makes it in the top
easily. The group also has investment of $300m in Bangladesh in investments
in fertiliser, energy and infrastructure and development sectors.

18 - Byram Dinshawji Avari Pakistan

Ranking: 14 (tied at 14) Worth: £250m ($500) Industry: Businessman

Byram Dinshawji Avari is a prominent Pakistani Parsi tycoon in Karachi,
Sindh, Pakistan. Together with his sons Dinshaw and Xerxes and their direct
families, he owns and operates the Avari Group of companies, of which he is
the chairman. Hotel management is the Avari Group's core business. In
Pakistan, the group owns and operates Avari Hotels which includes 5-star
deluxe hotel in Lahore, the 5-star Avari Towers and the seafront Beach
Luxury Hotel in Karachi. The group is also actively pursuing opportunities
for owning and/or managing 3 and 4-star properties elsewhere in Pakistan.
The Avari Group is the first Pakistani company to have obtained
international hotel management contracts: they operate the 200-room 4-star
hotel in Dubai in United Arab Emirates and manage the 200-room Ramada Inn
in Toronto at Pearson Airport in Canada.

19 - Rafiq Rangoonwala Pakistan

Ranking: 15 (tied at 14) Worth: £240m ($480) Industry: Businessman

Mr. Rafiq Rangoonwala, Chief Executive Officer Cupola Group of Companies,
was born in Karachi, did BA (Hons.) from University of Karachi, went to
United States of America in 1979, and did Executive Development Course from
Whittemore School of Business, University of New Hampshire along with
several management courses from U.K, U.S, Canada, Australia and Singapore.
In 1980, he started his career in Fast Food restaurants from KFC in
Houston. Since then he has managed several other brands alongside KFC like
Pizza Hut, Harry Ramsden's, TGI Fridays, Pizza Express etc. e joined Artal
Restaurants International as CEO in October 1999 and is currently heading
Cupola Group of Companies who has franchise rights in Pakistan for KFC,
Indulge, Freshens and Casa. The associate Investment Company of Cupola is
AL ABRAJ, with approximately US $400 million under management.

20 - Shimmy Querishi USA

Ranking: 15 (tied at 15) Worth: £240m ($480) Industry: Businessman

A jet-setting international businessman who fly's by jet and swings a polo
mallet with some of the world's top players, Qureshi seems a model of
successful enterprise. Shimmys business interests are mainly property,
which with the boom and his holidings has took his wealth to a new level.
Although people may remember him for his stunt in the early 90's with
George Lindemann, the billionaire founder of Cellular One, when Lindemann
took him to court claiming he has cheated them in to a deal to buy their
home on Hurlingham Drive in Wellington for $3.5 million. A year before the
Lindemanns filed their suit, Qureshi bartered with another wealthy family -
the al-Thanis, who rule the Arab country of Qatar - to buy Gulf Union Bank
in the Cayman Islands.
In May 1997, the al-Thanis agreed to sell Gulf Union to International
Business Holdings - a Cayman Islands company owned by Qureshi - for $4.5
million, according to court records.

While Cayman Islands officials were reviewing the deal, Qureshi named an
associate, Kazmi, to run Gulf Union and a subsidiary, First Cayman Bank.
Within three months, Kazmi, acting at Qureshi's direction, had shunted more
than $5 million from First Cayman into his own account and into accounts
held by Qureshi and the al-Thanis. Shimmy Qureshi also fully manages all
the properties in the USA owned by Asif Zardari.

21 - Faruque Khan Pakistan

Ranking:15 (tied at 15) Worth: £240m ($480) Industry: Businessman

The late Khan Bahadur Ghulam Faruque Khan (1899-1992) was a politician and
industrialist of Pakistan. He belonged to the village Shaidu in Nowshera
District, Nowshera is the home of the famous Pashtun Tribe the Khattaks of
the NWFP Province in Pakistan. Because of his contribution to Pakistan's
Industrial development he is sometimes described as "The Goliath who
Industrialized Pakistan., today his family own Cherat Cement Company Ltd.
Cherat Papersack Ltd. Cherat Electric Ltd. Mirpurkhas Sugar Mills Ltd.
Faruque (pvt) Ltd Greaves Air-Conditioning(pvt) Ltd Greaves Engineering
Services(pvt) Ltd Unicol Ltd.- A JV Company Madian Hydro Power Ltd. - A JV
Company Zensoft (pvt) Ltd and prime properties around Pakistan

22 - Shahid Luqman UK

Ranking: 16 (tied at 16) Worth: £230m ($460) Industry: Businessman

Shahid Luqman, born in Gujrat, is a financier from Manchester and has
founded 'Pearl Holdings' for the property finance market He is a prominent
property developer in the UK and in Pakistan is projects run into
multi-million pounds. He also runs a loan facility. Although in the past it
has been noticed of him filling bankruptcy and pocketing huge unpaid loans.

23 - Mukhtar Ahmed Pakistan

Ranking: 16 (tied at 16) Worth: £230m ($460) Industry: Businessman

Late Haji Sheikh Mohammad Ibrahim, founder of the Ibrahim Group, settled in
Faisalabad after partition of India in 1947 and re-established his
ancestral business of cloth trading by the name of "Ibrahim Agencies". What
is known in business today as Ibrahim Group with diversified business
interests from Spinning to PSF, Financial Institutions to Banking and
Energy, started off as a mere cloth trading agency just half a century ago.
Recently Mr Ahmed bought a stake in the Allied Bank at $300m.

24 - Aqeel Karim Dhedi Pakistan

Ranking: 16 (tied at 16) Worth: £230m ($460) Industry: Businessman

Starting from interests in real estate and stock-broking in the year 1947,
the late Haji Abdul Karim Dhedhi (may he rest in peace) laid the foundation
of what today is the AKD group of companies, one of the largest domestic
business enterprises in Pakistan with a combined net worth of over US$ 1
billion, of which Mr Karim share is at $400m. Mr. Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, son
of (late) Haji Abdul Karim Dhedhi, is the Chairman of the AKD Group. He has
built the AKD Group as a leading and vibrant set of business enterprises
operating in key sectors of Pakistan's economy, ranging from stocks and
shares, media, textile, real estate and Oil and Gas exlporation. Yet AKD is
still on the move!

25 - Syed Family Pakistan

Ranking: 17 (tied at 17) Worth: £220m ($440) Industry: Businessman

Listed on all three stock exchanges in Pakistan, Packages Limited has
maintained a long-time credit rating of AA. The joint ventures and business
alliances with some of the world's biggest names reflect our
forward-looking strategy of continuously improving customer value through
improvements in productivity. The group also acquired a good number of Coca
Cola plants in Pakistan. Its famous brands include Nestle Milk Pak, Treet,
Mitchells and Tri Pack Films. It has stakes in the textile, dairy,
agriculture and rice sectors too. The group's contributions towards the
cause of an independent Pakistan are unprecedented are the only packaging
facility in Pakistan offering a complete range of packaging solutions
including offset printed cartons, shipping containers and flexible
packaging materials to individuals and businesses world-wide. They employ
over 4000 people.

26 - Saif Family Pakistan

Ranking: 17 (tied at 17) Worth: £220m ($440) Industry: Businessman

Is owned and operated by the sons of famous NWFP lady politician Begum
Kalsum Saifullah. Her eldest son Javid Saifullah heads this very powerful
business group. Javid obtained his Master degree in Business Administration
from the University of Pittsburgh, USA in 1973, followed by diversified
experience of over 30 years in textiles, telecommunication, cement and
Information Technology. He also remained the Chairman of All Pakistan
Textile Mills Association (APTMA) for two years and NWFP for seven years.
He has also been the member Task Force IT & Telecommunication Advisory
Board, Ministry of Science and Technology, Member of Task Force
(Liberalization & Privatization of Pakistan Telecommunication Company
Limited), Ministry of Science & Technology) Javed Saifullah Khan is looking
after the group businesses for the past 20 years. Saifullahs are in power
always, in one form or the other. Javaid's brothers Anwar Saifullah Khan
(Former Federal Minister), Salim Saifullah Khan (king-maker in NWFP
polities) and Osman Saifullah (another APTMA & wizard) have very close
family ties with a lot of key politicians in the country, besides being
related directly or indirectly through marriages to the families of a few
leading and famous Army Generals who ruled Pakistan.

27 - Jehangir Elahi Pakistan

Ranking: 18 (tied at 18) Worth: £200m ($400) Industry: Businessman

Jehangir Elahi is brother in law of Mian Mohammad Mansha and is ranked
among the tycoons in Pakistan. He has launched several projects as joint
ventures with Mian Mohammad Mansha, as for example Genertech, one of the
earliest private sector power plants conceived in Pakistan. Independently
his group has four companies listed on the stock exchange.

28 - Sherazi Family Pakistan

Ranking: 18 (tied at 18) Worth: £200m ($400) Industry: Businessman

This group was founded by Yousaf Sherazi, a former Income Tax official andjournalist in 1962 with a capital of Rs 03 million only. The first company
set by the Atlas Group was Sherazi Investments (Pvt) Limited and since
then, there is no looking back. The East Pakistan tragedy, however, nearly
crippled Sherazi but he never lost hope and went out forming numerous joint
ventures with leading Japanese concerns like Honda. Atlas-Honda today is a
name to reckon with in country's engineering sector and associated with
this just one name are hundreds of vendors. He holds stakes in insurance,
financial services, information technology, leasing, warehouses, office
equipment, motor cars and motorcycle-assembling units, besides running a
renowned firm that manufactures batteries. Sherazi owns the Atlas
Investment Bank too. The Federal Budget 2004-05 is perhaps the only budget
in country's history that has hit the very influential car manufacturers on
the head, otherwise people like Yousaf Sherazi have always managed to
dictate terms where it matters. The Atlas Group owns no less than seven
companies quoted on the stock exchanges of Pakistan. The group's assets are
believed to have touched the hundreds of millions dollars mark and so have
the sales.

29 - Noon family Pakistan

Ranking: 19 Worth: £190m ($380m) Industry: Businessman

Noon family comes from Tiwana family from Mitha Tiwana. The Tiwana family
lives in an old historical village in Khushab district. The Tiwana caste is
a very popular landholding and influential political caste in the Khushab
district. The Noon Family own 27 villages in Bhalwal and Bhera. The fields
of these villages are very cultivated and fertile. The Landlord Noon family
created many bankers, industrialists, ambassadors and politicians for
Pakistan. The Noon family is very popular in the area because of their
character , their attitude,their behaviour with the people and helps the
poor and needy people in the area without any prejudice so Noon family is
very well-wisher,well-behaved ,sympathetic with the area. On their land
they own over 40 factories on total ranging from brick manufacturing to
cotton farms and production. They are a tax paying landlords for this
reason they are the only feudal lords including in this edition.

30 - Mian Abdullah Pakistan

Ranking: 19 Worth: £190m ($380m) Industry: Businessman

One of the largest manufacturers and exporters of textile products in
Pakistan, Sapphire technology comes from Europe, Japan and USA.
Capitalizing on the region's principal crop, cotton, we source this
locally, and augment our offerings by providing imported fiber from the
world's best crops. We work with specialized fibers bringing in the newest
innovations from major fiber and chemical producers, and our manufacturing
from yarn to finished fabric is performed in our facilities in Pakistan.
Synergies are formed with offshore garment manufacturing companies. Our
products are marketed to the industry's biggest names in Asia, Europe,
Australia, and North America. Over 14,000 employees ,Annual turnover US $
500 Million

Headed by a veteran industrialist Mian Abdullah, this splendid empire owns
11 yarn spinning plants (producing 60,000 tonnes of yarn annually), 3 woven
plants of greige fabric ( producing 50 million metres annually), one yarn
dyeing plant (capacity 5 tonnes per day), one knitting unit (10 tonnes per
day), one knitted fabric dyeing plant (10 tonnes per day), one woven fabric
dyeing and finishing plant (1.2 million metres per month) and three power
plants having the capability to produce 40 MW of energy. Sapphire forms
synergies with off-shore garments companies. The group markets its products
in biggest brand names in Asia, Europe, Australia and North America.
Sapphire started with one spinning mill in 1969 and employs over 10,000
people. Mian Abdullah's repute can be gauged from the fact during the
October 2003 minis at APTMA, more than 1000 textile millers bad tendered
their resignations against incumbent Chief Waqar Monnoo to him. Dozens of
leading tycoons had proposed his name to head APTMA in case of an interim
setup. Having an influence among textile millers is no easy job but Mian
Abdullah stands privileged in this context He is often seen part of the
entourages of key business leaders to foreign countries and provides input
to fellow colleagues whenever requested.

31 - Shahzad Family Pakistan

Ranking: 20 (tied at 20) Worth: £170m ($340m) Industry: Businessman

Shahzad Group is a reputable name which takes pride in being identified as
a beacon of business development involved in almost all avenues of Nation
building activities i.e. Energy, Communications, Minerals, Construction,
Geophysical survey, Security and many other ventures. Shahzad Group has ,
by itself, and in some cases in collaboration with foreign and local
partners, who are the leading brand names in the world, identified,
initiated, supervised and successfully completed major business ventures.
Shahzad Group prides itself for its accomplishments during almost three
decades of business activity. The Group has actively participated in
enhancing Pakistan's international competitiveness and social development,
and for promotion of foreign and domestic investment in business ventures.
It takes pride in delivering quality products, solutions and services that
obtain a competitive advantage over others.

The Group is a wholly owned Pakistani establishment with offices in Calgary
(Canada), Houston (USA), London, Kuwait, Beijing and Singapore, with a
strong presence in various other metropolises all over the world. Shahzad
International Group of Companies,Oil and Gas,Gold and Minerals
Mining,Geological surveys,Defence supplies,Travel and Tour Operators,Flash
security services and Trading Worldwide.

32 - Nazir Family Pakistan

Ranking: 20 (tied at 20) Worth: £170m ($340m) Industry: Businessman

One of Faislalabads most prominent families is the Haji Nair family. Owning
Masoos textiles, Mahmood Textiles, Asim Textiles and power generation
plants. Son of Mr Nazir Shahid Nazir is also a prominent politician.

33 - Abdul Bhati UK

Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman

Bhatti, 71, is a director of London-based wholesaler Bestway, which saw
profits up 27% in 2005-06 at £73m on a turnover up 26% at £1.7 billion.
Bhatti and his family have a stake worth £140m as well as other assets.

34 - Adalat Chaudhary UK

Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman

Director of the London-based Bestway cash-and-carry business established by
Sir Anwar Pervez.

35 - Younis Sheikh UK

Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman

Bestway director Sheikh, 70, London cash-and-carry business Bestway
continues to thrive.

36 - Chaudrey Zameer UK

Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman

Finance director of the London-based Bestway cash-and-carry business
started in 1976 by Anwar Pervez . In 2004 Pervez stepped down as managing
director, Choudrey took over. In 2005-06 Bestway profits rose 27% at £73m
on turnover up 26% at £1.7 billion. Choudrey and his family have a 10.1%
stake. They also own 70% of the Buybest supermarket chain in UK

37 - Zafar Iqbal Khwaja Pakistan

Ranking: 21 (tied at 21) Worth: £150m ($300m) Industry: Businessman

Zafar Iqbal Khawaja (born January 3rd, 1952) is a prominent Pakistani
businessman who owns a number of companies around the world. He is better
known in Pakistan as the "Prince of Sargodha". Also referred to as the
"Shaheen of Sargodha" (The Eagle of Sargodha). Zafar Iqbal Khawaja, is the
son of a significant military commando Muhammed Sadiq Khawaja, who worked
with Muhammed Ali Jinnah (The Founder of Pakistan) during the 1947
partition of India and Pakistan. Zafar Iqbal Khawaja is most widely known
as the Managing Director of a multi-million dollar company called Inter
Equipment. It's Head Quarters are located at the Jebal Ali Free Zone, Dubai
which is a recognized commercial capital of the Middle-East. In
Mr.Khawaja's business circle, he is known for his commitment to honest work
and his ethical manner of business. Within 15 years, he has developed
himself from a fresh college graduate, into a business tycoon. Currently,
he is in the process of writing an auto-biography describing his success
story. This auto-biography would be a must-read for any business-person
pursuing major success.

38 - Shahid Hussain Pakistan

Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman

With more than 325 retail outlets and 13 wholesale depots, Service Sales
Corporation (Pvt.) Limited is the leading retail and wholesale company in
Pakistan with annual sales $300m. The Company has established some of
Pakistan's leading footwear brands including DON CARLOS, CHEETAH, SKOOZ,
TOZ and LIZA and has distribution agreements with CATERPILLAR and NIKE. As
part of our growth strategy, we have expanded our businesses to include
Service Communications, Shoe Planet (Pvt.) Limited and Soul Collections.

39 - Younis Brothers Pakistan

Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman

Yunus Brothers is actively involved in international trading of various
products including Cotton & Blended Yarn, Cotton & Blended Fabrics,
Garments, Rice, Sugar, Fertilizer, Earth moving equipments, Chemicals,
Spare Parts and Automotive Vehicles etc. Yunus Brothers is one of the
largest export houses of the Pakistan exporting mainly to the European, US,
Far Eastern, Middle Eastern and African markets. Yunus Brother's annual
sales turnover exceeds USD 300/- million with 95% of the sales geared
towards the export markets.

40 - Ghani Family Pakistan

Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman

Abdul Ghani Dada Bhoy was the founder of Dada Bhoy group, starting in trade
and branching off into the construction business. The group has a big share
of cement market in Southern Pakistan. Like other Memon groups, Dad Bhoys
are closely linked through intermarriages with other leading families like
Jaffer and Bawany. Abdul Ghani Dada Bhoy had five sons and two daughters,
namely Noor Mohammad Dada Bhoy, Mohammad Farooq Dada Bhoy, Mohammad Hussain
Dada Bhoy, Abdullah Hussain Dada Bhoy and Ghulam Mohammad Dada Bhoy.
Daughters are Mrs Mehrunisa Jaffer and Mrs Zaibunisa Tanveer .

41 - Saddiq & Sons Pakistan

Ranking: 22 (tied at 22) Worth: £130m ($260m) Industry: Businessman

This group made the bulk of its fortune during the chief ministership and
premiership of Nawaz Sharif when the group was sold Pasrur Sugar Mills for
a token price of Rs one and its Chairman, Mohammad Saleem was appointed
managing director of National Development Leasing Corporation (NDLC)
replacing Rafiq Habib. Today the have invested huge amounts in prime
properties around Pakistan.

42 - Afzal Kushi UK

Ranking: 23 (tied at 23) Worth: £120m ($240m) Industry: Businessman

Afzal Khushi, 51, managing director of Jacobs & Turner, last year received
a CBE for services to business in Scotland. He and his brother, Akmal, 50,
have made the £90m Glasgow sportswear firm a global business. They also
have £30 other assets.

43 - Ghulam Hassan Khan Pakistan

Ranking: 23 (tied at 23) Worth: £120m ($240m) Industry: Businessman

The SK group of companies shares a set of five core values: integrity,
adaptability, excellence, unity and responsibility. These values, which
have been part of the SK Group's beliefs and convictions from its earliest
days, continue to guide and drive the business decisions of SK companies.
The SK Group and its enterprises have been steadfast and distinctive in
their adherence to business ethics and their commitment to corporate social
responsibility. This is a legacy that has earned the SK Group the trust of
many thousand of stakeholders The SK Group comprises of six operating
companies in following business segments: Information technology, Real
estate, Developer and Builders, Media, Welfare, Import and exports and CNG
stations. The SK Group was founded by Sardar Gulam Hassan Khan Niazi in the
mid 1980's. Sardar Khan Niazi and those who followed him aligned business
opportunities with the objective of nation building. This approach remains
enshrined in the SK Group's ethos to this day. Rose Shopping Mall
Companies owned by the family today: Paradise City, SK Trading, DUBAI Gasco
2000, chain of CNG stations SK Constructions , rose club, SK plazaz, Chuna
Pa chain fast food chinese., SKN tust and sk farms.

44 - Kasim Dada Pakistan

Ranking: 24 Worth: £100m ($200m) Industry: Businessman

Kasim hails from a 19th Century Memon business family known to have
possessed the vision of international trade when most of their
contemporaries were rather naïve on this count. This family had offices in
Burma, South Africa and countries of the Far-East long before 1940. Dadas,
have held decisive positions at the Karachi Stock Exchange and own shares
of various Pakistani and foreign monopolies without creating any hype.
Kassim Dada's family is known to have held major local equity in
multinationals like Glaxo SmithKline, Brook Bond and Berger Paints, besides
being the sponsoring directors of Messrs Hyderabad Electronics, Automotive
Battery Limited and Interfund Bank etc. Kassim Dada is one of the few
Pakistani Tycoons who used to fly on private planes from Karachi to hit
cement plants in Hyderabad. It was this family which had hired Mahatama
Gandhi as a solicitor in 1890 to contest a business case in South Africa.
Dada, was once a symbol of wealth. Had his assets not been nationalised by
Bhutto he would definitely had the status many richest men in the world
enjoy today.

Making a Shinny and Glossy Button using Adobe Fireworks

2009-07-14T03:47:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody, working in Adobe Fireworks is a joyful task, especially in case of web prototyping. Today we learn how to design a glossy and shiny button in Adobe Fireworks, so let’s start this simple tutorial. I explain this tutorial in steps.

Step 1: Creating a rectangular shape

1. Select the shape tool and draw a rectangle

Step 2: Selecting color and making edges round

1. Select a color from the color palette and make the rectangle edges round if it required

Step 3: Process for Intersection

1. Now, we’ll draw three shapes, as shown in image below, two of them are rectangle (clone of first shape) and a one is ellipse shape by using the same circle tool present in shape tool, (If we press shift key during using circle shape tool we find a perfect circle)

2. Then click on Modify > Combine Path > Intersect

3. After using intersection option the shape becomes as under image

Step 4: Adjusting Opacity

To produce a glossy and shiny effect we do following two steps
1. Change Color of intersected object to white
2. Change its opacity setting, which is present in properties panel
3. We decrease opacity up to 37

Step 5: Adding Drop Shadow

Adding shadow produces depth in our button. The procedure is simple:
1. The drop shadow settings are in properties panel
2. We used following settings to produce a shadow under the button. [See image below]

Step 6: Adding Text on Button

1. Write the text with the text tool, I highlighted text tool in tool bar, as shown in image.
2. Then we write the text and duplicate it.
3. Using color palette, we select color of the top text to white
4. To create shadow under the text, we change the below text to a dark color like grey and then move it slightly to down and left position with our keyboard arrow keys.
5. The text layers are visible in layer panel.
6. After that we group both the text layers by pressing Ctrl + G (for Win users) and Comd + G (for Mac users)

Step 7: Final Output

After making groups of the object, our nice glossy button is ready to use.

Quick C# in 20 mins

2009-07-14T03:39:00.000-07:00

Introduction

C# is a language with the features of C++, programming style like Java and rapid application model of BASIC. If you already know the C++ language, it will take you less than an hour to quickly go through the syntax of C#. Familiarity with Java will be a plus, as Java program structure, the concept of packages and garbage collection will definitely help you learn C# more quickly. So while discussing C# language constructs, I will assume, you know C++.
This article discusses the C# language constructs and features using code examples, in a brief and comprehensive way, so that you just by having a glance at the code, can understand the concepts.

Note: This article is not for C# gurus. There must be some other beginner's articles on C#, but this is yet another one.

Following topics of C# language are discussed:

• Program structure
• Namespaces
• Data types
• Variables
• Operators and expressions
• Enumerations
• Statements
• Classes and structs
• Modifiers
• Properties
• Interfaces
• Function parameters
• Arrays
• Indexers
• Boxing and unboxing
• Delegates
• Inheritance and polymorphism

Following are not discussed:

• Things which are common in C++ and C#.
• Concepts like garbage collection, threading, file processing etc.
• Data type conversions
• Exception handling
• .NET library

Program structure

Like C++, C# is case-sensitive. Semi colon (;) is the statement separator. Unlike C++, there are no separate declaration (header) and implementation (CPP) files in C#. All code (class declaration and implementation) is placed in one file with extension cs.
Have a look at this Hello world program in C#.

using System;

namespace MyNameSpace

{

class HelloWorld

{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.WriteLine ("Hello World");
}
}

}

Everything in C# is packed into a class and classes in C# are packed into namespaces (just like files in a folder). Like C++, a main method is the entry point of your program. C++'s main function is called main whereas C#'s main function starts with capital M and is named as Main.
No need to put a semi colon after a class block or struct definition. It was in C++, C# doesn't require that.

Namespace

Every class is packaged into a namespace. Namespaces are exactly the same concept as in C++, but in C# we use namespaces more frequently than in C++. You can access a class in a namespace using dot (.) qualifier. MyNameSpace is the namespace in hello world program above.
Now consider you want to access the HelloWorld class from some other class in some other namespace.

using System;
namespace AnotherNameSpace
{
class AnotherClass
{
public void Func()
{
Console.WriteLine ("Hello World");
}
}
}

Now from your HelloWorld class you can access it as:

using System;
using AnotherNameSpace; // you will add this using statement
namespace MyNameSpace
{
class HelloWorld
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
AnotherClass obj = new AnotherClass();
obj.Func();
}
}
}

In .NET library, System is the top level namespace in which other namespaces exist. By default there exists a global namespace, so a class defined outside a namespace goes directly into this global namespace and hence you can access this class without any qualifier.
You can also define nested namespaces.
Using

The #include directive is replaced with using keyword, which is followed by a namespace name. Just as using System as above. System is the base level namespace in which all other namespaces and classes are packed. The base class for all objects is Object in the System namespace.

Variables

Variables in C# are almost the same as in C++ except for these differences:

1. Variables in C# (unlike C++), always need to be initialized before you access them, otherwise you will get compile time error. Hence, it's impossible to access an un-initialized variable.
2. You can't access a “dangling” pointer in C#.
3. An expression that indexes an array beyond its bounds is also not accessible.
4. There are no global variables or functions in C# and the behavior of globals is achieved through static functions and static variables.

Data types

All types of C# are derived from a base class object. There are two types of data types:

1. Basic/ built-in types
2. User-defined types

Following is a table which lists built-in C# types:

Type Bytes Description
byte 1 unsigned byte
sbyte 1 signed byte
short 2 signed short
ushort 2 unsigned short
int 4 signed integer
uint 4 unsigned integer
long 8 signed long
ulong 8 unsigned long
float 4 floating point number
double 8 double precision number
decimal 8 fixed precision number
string Unicode string
char Unicode char
bool true, false boolean

Note: Type range in C# and C++ are different, example, long in C++ is 4 bytes, and in C# it is 8 bytes. Also the bool and string types are different than those in C++. bool accepts only true and false and not any integer.

User defined types includes:

1. Classes
2. Structs
3. Interfaces

Memory allocation of the data types divides them into two types:

1. Value types
2. Reference types

Value types

Values types are those data types which are allocated in stack. They include:
• All basic or built-in types except strings
• Structs
• Enum types

Reference types

Reference types are allocated on heap and are garbage collected when they are no longer being used. They are created using new operator, and there is no delete operator for these types unlike C++ where user has to explicitly delete the types created using delete operator. In C#, they are automatically collected by garbage collector.
Reference types include:
• Classes
• Interfaces
• Collection types like Arrays
• String

Enumeration

Enumerations in C# are exactly like C++. Defined through a keyword enum.
Example:

enum Weekdays
{
Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
}

Classes and structs

Classes and structs are same as in C++, except the difference of their memory allocation. Objects of classes are allocated in heap, and are created using new, where as structs are allocated in stack. Structs in C# are very light and fast data types. For heavy data types, you should create classes.
Examples:

struct Date
{
int day;
int month;
int year;
}

class Date
{
int day;
int month;
int year;
string weekday;
string monthName;
public int GetDay()
{
return day;
}
public int GetMonth()
{
return month;
}
public int GetYear()
{
return year;
}
public void SetDay(int Day)
{
day = Day ;
}
public void SetMonth(int Month)
{
month = Month;
}
public void SetYear(int Year)
{
year = Year;
}
public bool IsLeapYear()
{
return (year/4 == 0);
}
public void SetDate (int day, int month, int year)
{
}
...
}

Properties

If you are familiar with the object oriented way of C++, you must have an idea of properties. Properties in above example of Date class are day, month and year for which in C++, you write Get and Set methods. C# provides a more convenient, simple and straight forward way of accessing properties.
So above class can be written as:

using System;
class Date
{
public int Day{
get {
return day;
}
set {
day = value;
}
}
int day;

public int Month{
get {
return month;
}
set {
month = value;
}
}
int month;

public int Year{
get {
return year;
}
set {
year = value;
}
}
int year;

public bool IsLeapYear(int year)
{
return year%4== 0 ? true: false;
}
public void SetDate (int day, int month, int year)
{
this.day = day;
this.month = month;
this.year = year;
}
}

Here is the way you will get and set these properties:
class User
{
public static void Main()
{
Date date = new Date();
date.Day = 27;
date.Month = 6;
date.Year = 2003;
Console.WriteLine
("Date: {0}/{1}/{2}", date.Day, date.Month, date.Year);
}
}

Modifiers

You must be aware of public, private and protected modifiers that are commonly used in C++. I will here discuss some new modifiers introduced by C#.
readonly
readonly modifier is used only for the class data members. As the name indicates, the readonly data members can only be read, once they are written either by directly initializing them or assigning values to them in constructor. The difference between the readonly and const data members is that const requires you to initialize with the declaration, that is directly. See example code:

class MyClass
{
const int constInt = 100; //directly
readonly int myInt = 5; //directly
readonly int myInt2;

public MyClass()
{
myInt2 = 8; //Indirectly
}
public Func()
{
myInt = 7; //Illegal
Console.WriteLine(myInt2.ToString());
}

}

sealed
sealed modifier with a class don't let you derive any class from it. So you use this sealed keyword for the classes which you don't want to be inherited from.
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sealed class CanNotbeTheParent
{
int a = 5;
}

unsafe

You can define an unsafe context in C# using unsafe modifier. In unsafe context, you can write an unsafe code, example: C++ pointers etc. See the following code:
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public unsafe MyFunction( int * pInt, double* pDouble)
{
int* pAnotherInt = new int;
*pAnotherInt = 10;
pInt = pAnotherInt;
...
*pDouble = 8.9;
}

Interfaces
If you have an idea of COM, you will immediately know what I am talking about. An interface is the abstract base class containing only the function signatures whose implementation is provided by the child class. In C#, you define such classes as interfaces using the interface keyword. .NET is based on such interfaces. In C#, where you can't use multiple class inheritance, which was previously allowed in C++, the essence of multiple inheritance is achieved through interfaces. That's your child class may implement multiple interfaces.

using System;
interface myDrawing
{
int originx
{
get;
set;
}
int originy
{
get;
set;
}
void Draw(object shape);
}

class Shape: myDrawing
{
int OriX;
int OriY;

public int originx
{
get{
return OriX;
}
set{
OriX = value;
}
}
public int originy
{
get{
return OriY;
}
set{
OriY = value;
}
}
public void Draw(object shape)
{
... // do something
}

// class's own method
public void MoveShape(int newX, int newY)
{
.....
}

}

Arrays

Arrays in C# are much better than C++. Arrays are allocated in heap and thus are reference types. You can't access an out of bound element in an array. So C# prevents you from that type of bugs. Also some helper functions to iterate array elements are provided. foreach is the statement for such iteration. The difference between the syntax of C++ and C# array is:
• The square brackets are placed after the type and not after the variable name
• You create element locations using new operator.
C# supports single dimensional, multi dimensional, and jagged arrays (array of array).
Examples:

int[] array = new int[10]; // single-dimensional array of int
for (int i = 0; i < array2 =" new" array3 =" new" arrayofarray =" new" style="font-weight: bold;">Indexers

Indexer is used to write a method to access an element from a collection, by straight way of using [], like an array. All you need is to specify the index to access an instance or element. Syntax of Indexer is same as that of class properties, except they take the input parameter, that is the index of the element.
Example:
Note: CollectionBase is the library class used for making collections. List is the protected member of CollectionBase which stores the collection list.

class Shapes: CollectionBase
{
public void add(Shape shp)
{
List.Add(shp);
}

//indexer
public Shape this[int index]
{
get {
return (Shape) List[index];
}
set {
List[index] = value ;
}
}
}

Boxing/Unboxing

The idea of boxing is new in C#. As mentioned above, all data types, built-in or user defined, are derived from a base class object in the System namespace. So the packing of basic or primitive type into an object is called boxing, whereas the reverse of this known as unboxing.
Example:

class Test
{
static void Main()
{
int myInt = 12;
object obj = myInt ; // boxing
int myInt2 = (int) obj; // unboxing
}
}

Example shows both boxing and unboxing. An int value can be converted to object and back again to int. When a variable of a value type needs to be converted to a reference type, an object box is allocated to hold the value, and the value is copied into the box. Unboxing is just the opposite. When an object box is cast back to its original value type, the value is copied out of the box and into the appropriate storage location.

Function parameters

Parameters in C# are of three types:
1. By-Value/In parameters
2. By-Reference/In-Out parameters
3. Out parameters

If you have an idea of COM interface and it's parameters types, you will easily understand the C# parameter types.

By-Value/In parameters

The concept of value parameters is same as in C++. The value of the passed value is copied into a location and is passed to the function.
Example:

SetDay(5);
...
void SetDay(int day)
{
....
}

By-Reference/In-Out parameters

The reference parameters in C++ are passed either through pointers or reference operator &. In C# reference parameters are less error prone. Reference parameters are also called In-Out parameters because you pass a reference address of the location, so you pass an input value and get an output value from that function.
You can not pass an un-initialized reference parameter into a function. C# uses a keyword ref for the reference parameters. You also have to use keyword ref with an argument while passing it to a function demanding reference parameter.

Example:

int a= 5;
FunctionA(ref a); // use ref with argument or you will get compiler error
Console.WriteLine(a); // prints 20

void FunctionA(ref int Val)
{
int x= Val;
Val = x* 4;
}

Out parameter

Out parameter is the parameter which only returns value from the function. The input value is not required. C# uses a keyword out for the out parameters
Example:

int Val;
GetNodeValue(Val);
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bool GetNodeValue(out int Val)
{
Val = value;
return true;
}

Variable number of parameters and arrays

Arrays in C# are passed through a keyword params. An array type parameter should always be the right most argument of the function. Only one parameter can be of array type. You can pass any number of elements as an argument of type of that array. You can better understand it from example below:

Note: This is the only way C# provides for optional or variable number of parameters, that is using array.

Example:

void Func(params int[] array)
{
Console.WriteLine("number of elements {0}", array.Length);
}

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Func(); // prints 0
Func(5); // prints 1
Func(7,9); // prints 2
Func(new int[] {3,8,10}); // prints 3
int[] array = new int[8] {1,3,4,5,5,6,7,5};
Func(array); // prints 8

Operators and expressions

Operators are exactly the same as of C++ and thus the expression also. However some new and useful operators are also added. Some of them are discussed here.

is operator
is operator is used to check whether the operand types are equal or convert-able. The is operator is particularly useful in the polymorphism scenarios. is operator takes two operands and the result is a boolean. See the example:

void function(object param)
{
if(param is ClassA)
//do something
else if(param is MyStruct)
//do something
}
}

as operator
as operator checks if the type of the operands are convert-able or equal (as is done by is operator) and if it is, the result is a converted or boxed object (if the operand can be boxed into the target type, see boxing/unboxing). If the objects are not convert-able or box-able, the return is a null. Have a look at the example below to better understand the concept.

Shape shp = new Shape();
Vehicle veh = shp as Vehicle; // result is null, types are not convertable

Circle cir = new Circle();
Shape shp = cir;
Circle cir2 = shp as Circle; //will be converted

object[] objects = new object[2];
objects[0] = "Aisha";
object[1] = new Shape();

string str;
for(int i=0; i&< str =" objects[i]" str ="="" style="font-weight: bold;">Output:

Aisha
can not be converted
Statements
Statements in C# are just like in C++ except some additions of new statements and modifications in some statements.
Followings are new statements:
foreach
For iteration of collections like arrays etc.
Example:

foreach (string s in array)
Console.WriteLine(s);

lock
Used in threads for locking a block of code making it a critical section.
checked/unchecked
The statements are for overflow checking in numeric operations.
Example:

int x = Int32.MaxValue; x++; // Overflow checked
{
x++; // Exception
}
unchecked
{
x++; // Overflow}
}

Following statements are modified:
Switch

Switch statement is modified in C#.
1. Now after executing a case statement, program flow can not jump to next case which was previously allowed in C++.
Example:

int var = 100;
switch (var)
{
case 100: Console.WriteLine(""); // No break here
case 200: Console.WriteLine(""); break;
}

Output in C++:

In C# you get compile time error:

error CS0163: Control cannot fall through
from one case label ('case 100:') to another

2. However you can do this similar to how you do it in C++:

switch (var)
{
case 100:
case 200: Console.WriteLine("100 or 200"); break;
}

3. You can also use constant variables for case values:
Example:

const string WeekEnd = "Sunday";
const string WeekDay1 = "Monday";

....

string WeekDay = Console.ReadLine();
switch (WeekDay )
{
case WeekEnd: Console.WriteLine("It's weekend!!"); break;
case WeekDay1: Console.WriteLine("It's Monday"); break;

}

Delegates

Delegates let us store function references into a variable. In C++, this is like using and storing function pointer for which we usually use typedef.
Delegates are declared using a keyword delegate. Have a look at this example, and you will understand what delegates are:
Example:

delegate int Operation(int val1, int val2);
public int Add(int val1, int val2)
{
return val1 + val2;
}
public int Subtract (int val1, int val2)
{
return val1- val2;
}

public void Perform()
{
Operation Oper;
Console.WriteLine("Enter + or - ");
string optor = Console.ReadLine();
Console.WriteLine("Enter 2 operands");

string opnd1 = Console.ReadLine();
string opnd2 = Console.ReadLine();

int val1 = Convert.ToInt32 (opnd1);
int val2 = Convert.ToInt32 (opnd2);

if (optor == "+")
Oper = new Operation(Add);
else
Oper = new Operation(Subtract);

Console.WriteLine(" Result = {0}", Oper(val1, val2));
}

Inheritance and polymorphism

Only single inheritance is allowed in C#. Multiple inheritance can be achieved using interfaces.
Example:
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class Parent{
}

class Child : Parent

Virtual functions

Virtual functions to implement the concept of polymorphism are same in C#, except you use the override keyword with the virtual function implementation in the child class. The parent class uses the same virtual keyword. Every class which overrides the virtual method will use override keyword.

class Shape
{
public virtual void Draw()
{
Console.WriteLine("Shape.Draw") ;
}
}

class Rectangle : Shape

{
public override void Draw()
{
Console.WriteLine("Rectangle.Draw");
}
}

class Square : Rectangle
{
public override void Draw()
{
Console.WriteLine("Square.Draw");
}
}
class MainClass
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Shape[] shp = new Shape[3];
Rectangle rect = new Rectangle();

shp[0] = new Shape();
shp[1] = rect;
shp[2] = new Square();

shp[0].Draw();
shp[1].Draw();
shp[2].Draw();
}
}

Output:
Shape.Draw
Rectangle.Draw
Square.Draw
Hiding parent functions using "new"
You can define in a child class a new version of a function, hiding the one which is in base class. A keyword new is used to define a new version. Consider the example below, which is a modified version of above example and note the output this time, when I replace the keyword override with a keyword new in Rectangle class.

class Shape
{
public virtual void Draw()
{
Console.WriteLine("Shape.Draw") ;
}
}

class Rectangle : Shape
{
public new void Draw()
{
Console.WriteLine("Rectangle.Draw");
}
}
class Square : Rectangle
{
//wouldn't let u override it here
public new void Draw()
{
Console.WriteLine("Square.Draw");
}
}
class MainClass
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.WriteLine("Using Polymorphism:");
Shape[] shp = new Shape[3];
Rectangle rect = new Rectangle();

shp[0] = new Shape();
shp[1] = rect;
shp[2] = new Square();

shp[0].Draw();
shp[1].Draw();
shp[2].Draw();

Console.WriteLine("Using without Polymorphism:");
rect.Draw();
Square sqr = new Square();
sqr.Draw();
}
}

Output:
Using Polymorphism
Shape.Draw
Shape.Draw
Shape.Draw
Using without Polymorphism:
Rectangle.Draw
Square.Draw

See how the polymorphism doesn't take the Rectangle class's Draw method as a polymorphic form of the Shape's Draw method, instead it considers it a different method. So in order to avoid the naming conflict between parent and child, we have used new modifier.
Note: you can not use in the same class the two versions of a method, one with new modifier and other with override or virtual. Like in above example, I can not add another method named Draw in Rectangle class which is a virtual or override method. Also in the Square class, I can't override the virtual Draw method of Shape class.
Calling base class members
If the child class has the data members with same name as that of base class, in order to avoid naming conflicts, base class data members and functions are accessed using a keyword base. See in examples how the base class constructors are called and how the data members are used.

public Child(int val) :base(val)
{
myVar = 5;
base.myVar;
}

OR

public Child(int val)
{
base(val);
myVar = 5 ;
base.myVar;
}

Future additions

This article is just a quick overview of the C# language so that you can just become familiar with the language features. Although I have tried to discuss almost all the major concepts in C# in a brief and comprehensive way with code examples, yet I think there is lot much to be added and discussed.

In future, I would like to add more commands and concepts not yet discussed, including events etc. I would also like to write for beginners, about Windows programming using C#.

References:
• Our most commonly known MSDN
• Inside C# by Tom Archer
• A Programmer's Introduction to C# by Eric Gunnerson
• Beginning C# by Karli Watson
• Programming C# (O'Reilly)

How to give Shadow?

2009-07-14T03:22:00.000-07:00

Step1 … Open CorelDraw 12

Step 2 … Go to file … and press Import

Step 3 … Select the image …

Step 4 … In the tool box Click on the small black arrow at the bottom right of the 4th last tool named “Interactive Blend Tool” …

Step 5 … More tools will popup … Now Click on the “Interactive Drop Shadow Tool”

Step 6 … Click on the image and drag your mouse to left/right

Step 7 … Shadow will appear on the side you have dragged the mouse

Result:

Interview Tips

2009-07-13T01:44:00.000-07:00

1. Be presentable, avoid casual clothes. Wear a tie atleast. Suit fits best.

2. It starts with your email address: crazy_girl@, MachoDude@ are a definite NO. It shows the person is casual and careless.

3. There is always a instruction in the job posting. Like a particular naming convention of the attached CV. A specific subject to the application email. This shows how well you can understand simple instructions. Only followers are considered for the job.

4. Job location. If the job says LHR candidates only, it is for a reason. It means you might have to work in shifts. No Holidays on Eid probably. You can be called anytime.

5. Keep your CV short and precise. If you do not have experience dont write it. It is important that you should be able to defend everything written in your CV. Explain your project. Your subjects. Avoid pictures in the CV for a technical job atleast.

6. There should be no repetition on the CV. It should have your alternate phone number. Your complete address. Its better if it doesnt exceed 2 pages especially if you are fresh in the market.

7. Sharpness of the candidate during the test is generally observed. Scoring good doesnt mean you can work hard.

8. If you make it to the interview and when called for it be alert. If you are not available say so, generally interviews can be re-scheduled.

9. Bring your CV with you in a file cover. Bring a pen.

10. Let the interviewer complete his question and then answer.

11. Be alive during the interview.

12. If you don't know something say "I don't know" but don't say it wasn't taught in your university. You are fresh you cannot know everything.

13. In an interview generally you are being tested for your attitude, willingness, ability to communicate, ability to work in a team rather than your knowledge.

14. In an interview turn off your mobile. Do not set in on vibrator, it might distract you.

15. Smile, be friendly.

16. DO NOT challenge the interviewer.

17. If asked about your masters say i don't have any plans yet. Dont say in 12-18 months i'll go for masters.

18. Ask friends about the pay-scale prior to the interview.

19. After the interview shake hands. Look dominant. Thank them for their time.

20. And remember what Sedra says, she's always right :P

How Nuclear Bombs Work

2009-06-29T14:51:00.001-07:00

You have probably read in history books about the atomic bombs used in World War II. You may also have seen fictional movies where nuclear weapons were launched or detonated (Fail Safe, Dr. Strangelove, The Day After, Testament, Fat Man and Little Boy, The Peacemaker, just to name a few). They're on TV, too -- Jack Bauer struggles to stop a nuclear bomb detonation on the TV show "24." In the news, while many countries have been negotiating to disarm their arsenals of nuclear weapons, other countries have been developing nuclear weapons programs.

We have seen that these devices have incredible destructive power, but how do they work? In this article, you will learn about the physics that makes a nuclear bomb so powerful, how nuclear bombs are designed and what happens after a nuclear explosion.

Nuclear bombs involve the forces, strong and weak, that hold the nucleus of an atom together, especially atoms with unstable nuclei. There are two basic ways that nuclear energy can be released from an atom:

* Nuclear fission - You can split the nucleus of an atom into two smaller fragments with a neutron. This method usually involves isotopes of uranium (uranium-235, uranium-233) or plutonium-239.
* Nuclear fusion -You can bring two smaller atoms, usually hydrogen or hydrogen isotopes (deuterium, tritium), together to form a larger one (helium or helium isotopes); this is how the sun produces energy

In either process, fission or fusion, large amounts of heat energy and radiation are given off.

To build an atomic bomb, you need:

* A source of fissionable or fusionable fuel
* A triggering device
* A way to allow the majority of fuel to fission or fuse before the explosion occurs (otherwise the bomb will fizzle out)

Atomic Structure

Before we talk about the physics of atomic bombs, it's a good idea to go over the basic properties of atoms.

Atoms are incredibly small -- the smallest is about 10-8 cm in diameter. For an idea of how small this really is, think of a baseball. The diameter of a baseball is about 7 cm. If an atom were the size of a baseball, an actual baseball would be about 3044 miles high.

An atom is made up of three subatomic particles -- protons, neutrons and electrons. The center of an atom, called the nucleus, is composed of protons and neutrons. Protons are positively charged, neutrons have no charge at all and electrons are negatively charged. The proton-to-electron ratio is always one to one, so the atom as a whole has a neutral charge. For example, a carbon atom has six protons and six electrons.

An atom's properties can change considerably based on how many of each particle it has:

* The number of protons in an atom determines the type of element. Elements are classified by their atomic number, which is simply the number of protons in an atom's nucleus. Some common elements on Earth are oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. You can see the elements on the periodic table here.
* There are different types of atoms called isotopes. These isotopes look and act the same in nature -- the only difference is the number of neutrons in the nucleus.
* You can calculate the “mass” of an atom by counting the number of protons and neutrons inside the nucleus. This number is called the atomic mass. Carbon has three isotopes, for example -- carbon-12 (six protons + six neutrons), carbon-13 (six protons + seven neutrons) and carbon-14 (six protons + eight neutrons).

If atoms are so small, then how can they release the kind of energy that creates an atomic bomb?

Nuclear Energy

Two important concepts in physics explain how massive amounts of energy can come from very small particles -- Einstein's famous equation E = MC2 and nuclear radiation.

E = mc2
An atom's nucleus and the structure of certain isotopes make it possible to release incredible amounts of energy when the atom splits. You can understand how much energy this process releases by looking at Einstein's equation E = mc2, where E is energy, m is mass and c is the speed of light (approximately 300,000 meters per second). Although you may have heard of this equation without knowing what it really means, the concept behind it is pretty simple. Matter and energy are essentially interchangeable -- matter can be converted into energy, and energy can be converted into matter, and the numbers involved are enormous. The speed of light is a huge number -- if you multiply a large amount of mass by the speed of light, you get an extreme amount of energy. And even though atoms are small -- they don't have a lot of mass -- it takes a vast number of them to make a substance.

Substances like uranium, which are commonly used in nuclear bombs, have a very high atomic number -- the atoms themselves are larger and contain more particles than the atoms of other naturally-occurring substances. Because of this additional nuclear material, uranium has the power to release a lot of energy. If you multiplied 7 kilograms of uranium by the speed of light squared, you would get about 2.1 billion Joules of energy. By comparison, a 60-watt light bulb uses 60 joules of energy per second. The energy found in a pound of highly enriched uranium is equal to something on the order of a million gallons of gasoline. When you consider that a pound of uranium is smaller than a baseball and a million gallons of gasoline would fill a cube that is 50 feet per side (50 feet is as tall as a five-story building), you can get an idea of the amount of energy available in just a little bit of U-235.

Radioactive decay

Radioactive decay involves atoms splitting or shedding their parts, and these parts leave the atom at high speeds, becoming rays. There are three types of radioactive decay:

* Alpha decay: A nucleus ejects two protons and two neutrons bound together, known as an alpha particle.
* Beta decay: A neutron becomes a proton, an electron and an antineutrino. The ejected electron is a beta particle.
* Spontaneous fission: A nucleus splits into two pieces. In the process, it can eject neutrons, which can become neutron rays. The nucleus can also emit a burst of electromagnetic energy known as a gamma ray. Gamma rays are the only type of nuclear radiation that comes from energy instead of fast-moving particles.

You might wonder why fission bombs use uranium-235 as fuel. Uranium is the heaviest naturally occurring element on Earth, and it has two isotopes - uranium-238 and uranium-235, both of which are barely stable. Both isotopes also have an unusually large number of neutrons. Although ordinary uranium will always have 92 protons, U-238 has 146 neutrons, while U-235 has 143 neutrons.

Both isotopes of uranium are radioactive, and they eventually decay over time. U-235, however, has an extra property that makes it useful for both nuclear-power production and nuclear-bomb production -- U-235 is one of the few materials that can undergo induced fission. Instead of waiting more than 700 million years for uranium to naturally decay, the element can be broken down much faster if a neutron runs into a U-235 nucleus. The nucleus will absorb the neutron without hesitation, become unstable and split immediately.

As soon as the nucleus captures the neutron, it splits into two lighter atoms and throws off two or three new neutrons (the number of ejected neutrons depends on how the U-235 atom happens to split). The two new atoms then emit gamma radiation as they settle into their new states. There are a couple of things about this induced fission process that makes it interesting:

* The probability of a U-235 atom capturing a neutron as it passes by is fairly high. In a bomb that is working properly, more than one neutron ejected from each fission causes another fission to occur. It helps to think of a big circle of marbles as the protons and neutrons of an atom. If you shoot one marble -- a single neutron -- in the middle of the big circle, it will hit one marble, which will hit a few more marbles, and so on until a chain reaction continues.
* The process of capturing the neutron and splitting happens very quickly, on the order of picoseconds (0.000000000001 seconds).

In order for these properties of U-235 to work, a sample of uranium must be enriched . Weapons-grade uranium is composed of at least 90-percent U-235.

Critical Mass

In a fission bomb, the fuel must be kept in separate subcritical masses, which will not support fission, to prevent premature detonation. Critical mass is the minimum mass of fissionable material required to sustain a nuclear fission reaction. Think about the marble analogy again. If the circle of marbles are spread too far apart -- subcritical mass -- a smaller chain reaction will occur when the "neutron marble" hits the center. If the marbles are placed closer together in the circle -- critical mass -- there is a higher chance a big chain reaction will take place. This separation brings about several problems in the design of a fission bomb that must be solved:

* The two or more subcritical masses must be brought together to form a supercritical mass, which will provide more than enough neutrons to sustain a fission reaction at the time of detonation.
* Free neutrons must be introduced into the supercritical mass to start the fission.
* As much of the material as possible must be fissioned before the bomb explodes to prevent fizzle.

Fission Bombs

To bring the subcritical masses together into a supercritical mass, two techniques are used:

* Gun-triggered
* Implosion

Neutrons are introduced by making a neutron generator. This generator is a small pellet of polonium and beryllium, separated by foil within the fissionable fuel core. In this generator:

1. The foil is broken when the subcritical masses come together and polonium spontaneously emits alpha particles.
2. These alpha particles then collide with beryllium-9 to produce beryllium-8 and free neutrons.
3. The neutrons then initiate fission.

Finally, the fission reaction is confined within a dense material called a tamper, which is usually made of uranium-238. The tamper gets heated and expanded by the fission core. This expansion of the tamper exerts pressure back on the fission core and slows the core's expansion. The tamper also reflects neutrons back into the fission core, increasing the efficiency of the fission reaction.

Gun-triggered Fission Bomb

The simplest way to bring the subcritical masses together is to make a gun that fires one mass into the other. A sphere of U-235 is made around the neutron generator and a small bullet of U-235 is removed. The bullet is placed at the one end of a long tube with explosives behind it, while the sphere is placed at the other end. A barometric-pressure sensor determines the appropriate altitude for detonation and triggers the following sequence of events:

1. The explosives fire and propel the bullet down the barrel.
2. The bullet strikes the sphere and generator, initiating the fission reaction.
3. The fission reaction begins.
4. The bomb explodes.

Little Boy was this type of bomb and had a 14.5-kiloton yield (equal to 14,500 tons of TNT) with an efficiency of about 1.5 percent. That is, 1.5 percent of the material was fissioned before the explosion carried the material away.

Implosion-Triggered Fission Bomb

Early in the Manhattan Project, the secret U.S. program to develop the atomic bomb, scientists working on the project recognized that compressing the subcritical masses together into a sphere by implosion might be a good way to make a supercritical mass. There were several problems with this idea, particularly how to control and direct the shock wave uniformly across the sphere. But the Manhattan Project team solved the problems. The implosion device consisted of a sphere of uranium-235 (tamper) and a plutonium-239 core surrounded by high explosives. When the bomb was detonated, this is what happened:

* The explosives fired, creating a shock wave.
* The shock wave compressed the core.
* The fission reaction began.
* The bomb exploded.

Fat Man was this type of bomb and had a 23-kiloton yield with an efficiency of 17 percent. These bombs exploded in fractions of a second. The fission usually occurred in 560 billionths of a second.

Modern Implosion-Triggered Design
In a later modification of the implosion-triggered design, here is what happens:

* The explosives fire, creating a shock wave.
* The shock wave propels the plutonium pieces together into a sphere.
* The plutonium pieces strike a pellet of beryllium/polonium at the center.
* The fission reaction begins.
* The bomb explodes.

Fusion Bombs

Fission bombs worked, but they weren't very efficient. Fusion bombs, also called thermonuclear bombs, have higher kiloton yields and greater efficiencies than fission bombs. To design a fusion bomb, some problems have to be solved:

* Deuterium and tritium, the fuel for fusion, are both gases, which are hard to store.
* Tritium is in short supply and has a short half-life, so the fuel in the bomb would have to be continuously replenished.
* Deuterium or tritium has to be highly compressed at high temperature to initiate the fusion reaction.

First, to store deuterium, the gas could be chemically combined with lithium to make a solid lithium-deuterate compound. To overcome the tritium problem, the bomb designers recognized that the neutrons from a fission reaction could produce tritium from lithium (lithium-6 plus a neutron yields tritium and helium-4; lithium-7 plus a neutron yields tritium, helium-4 and a neutron). That meant that tritium would not have to be stored in the bomb. Finally, Stanislaw Ulam recognized that the majority of radiation given off in a fission reaction was X-rays, and that these X-rays could provide the high temperatures and pressures necessary to initiate fusion. Therefore, by encasing a fission bomb within a fusion bomb, several problems could be solved.

Teller-Ulam Design of a Fusion Bomb
To understand this bomb design, imagine that within a bomb casing you have an implosion fission bomb and a cylinder casing of uranium-238 (tamper). Within the tamper is the lithium deuteride (fuel) and a hollow rod of plutonium-239 in the center of the cylinder. Separating the cylinder from the implosion bomb is a shield of uranium-238 and plastic foam that fills the remaining spaces in the bomb casing. Detonation of the bomb caused the following sequence of events:

1. The fission bomb imploded, giving off X-rays.
2. These X-rays heated the interior of the bomb and the tamper; the shield prevented premature detonation of the fuel.
3. The heat caused the tamper to expand and burn away, exerting pressure inward against the lithium deuterate.
4. The lithium deuterate was squeezed by about 30-fold.
5. The compression shock waves initiated fission in the plutonium rod.
6. The fissioning rod gave off radiation, heat and neutrons.
7. The neutrons went into the lithium deuterate, combined with the lithium and made tritium.
8. The combination of high temperature and pressure were sufficient for tritium-deuterium and deuterium-deuterium fusion reactions to occur, producing more heat, radiation and neutrons.
9. The neutrons from the fusion reactions induced fission in the uranium-238 pieces from the tamper and shield.
10. Fission of the tamper and shield pieces produced even more radiation and heat.
11. The bomb exploded.

All of these events happened in about 600 billionths of a second (550 billionths of a second for the fission bomb implosion, 50 billionths of a second for the fusion events). The result was an immense explosion that was more than 700 times greater than the Little Boy explosion: It had a 10,000-kiloton yield.

Consequences and Health Risks

The detonation of a nuclear bomb over a target such as a populated city causes immense damage. The degree of damage depends upon the distance from the center of the bomb blast, which is called the hypocenter or ground zero. The closer one is to the hypocenter, the more severe the damage. The damage is caused by several things:

* A wave of intense heat from the explosion
* Pressure from the shock wave created by the blast
* Radiation
* Radioactive fallout (clouds of fine radioactive particles of dust and bomb debris that fall back to the ground)

At the hypocenter, everything is immediately vaporized by the high temperature (up to 500 million degrees Fahrenheit or 300 million degrees Celsius). Outward from the hypocenter, most casualties are caused by burns from the heat, injuries from the flying debris of buildings collapsed by the shock wave and acute exposure to the high radiation. Beyond the immediate blast area, casualties are caused from the heat, radiation, and fires spawned from the heat wave. In the long-term, radioactive fallout occurs over a wider area because of prevailing winds. The radioactive fallout particles enter the water supply and are inhaled and ingested by people at a distance from the blast.

Scientists have studied survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings to understand the short-term and long-term effects of nuclear explosions on human health. Radiation and radioactive fallout affect those cells in the body that actively divide (hair, intestine, bone marrow, reproductive organs). Some of the resulting health conditions include:

* Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea
* Cataracts
* Hair loss
* Loss of blood cells

These conditions often increase the risk of:

* Leukemia
* Cancer
* Infertility
* Birth defects

Scientists and physicians are still studying the survivors of the bombs dropped on Japan and expect more results to appear over time.

In the 1980s, scientists assessed the possible effects of nuclear warfare (many nuclear bombs exploding in different parts of the world) and proposed the theory that a nuclear winter could occur. In the nuclear-winter scenario, the explosion of many bombs would raise great clouds of dust and radioactive material that would travel high into Earth's atmosphere. These clouds would block out sunlight. The reduced level of sunlight would lower the surface temperature of the planet and reduce photosynthesis by plants and bacteria. The reduction in photosynthesis would disrupt the food chain, causing mass extinction of life (including humans). This scenario is similar to the asteroid hypothesis that has been proposed to explain the extinction of the dinosaurs. Proponents of the nuclear-winter scenario pointed to the clouds of dust and debris that traveled far across the planet after the volcanic eruptions of Mount St. Helens in the United States and Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines.

Nuclear weapons have incredible, long-term destructive power that travels far beyond the original target. This is why the world's governments are trying to control the spread of nuclear-bomb-making technology and materials and reduce the arsenal of nuclear weapons deployed during the Cold War.

How Stun Guns Work?

2009-06-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

On the old "Star Trek" series, Captain Kirk and his crew never left the ship without their trusty phasers. One of the coolest things about these weapons was the "stun" setting. Unless things were completely out of control (as they frequently were), the Enterprise crew always stunned their adversaries, rendering them temporarily unconscious, rather than killing them.

We're still a ways off from this futuristic weaponry, but millions of police officers, soldiers and ordinary citizens do carry real-life stun weapons to protect against personal attacks. Like the fictional phasers of "Star Trek," these devices are designed to temporarily incapacitate a person without doing any long-term damage.

In this article, we'll find out how stun guns and Taser guns pull off this remarkable feat. While these weapons are by no means infallible, they can save lives in certain situations.

The Body's Electrical System

We tend to think of electricity as a harmful force to our bodies. If lightning strikes you or you stick your finger in an electrical outlet, the current can maim or even kill you. But in smaller doses, electricity is harmless. In fact, it is one of the most essential elements in your body. You need electricity to do just about anything.

When you want to make a sandwich, for example, your brain sends electricity down a nerve cell, toward the muscles in your arm. The electrical signal tells the nerve cell to release a neurotransmitter, a communication chemical, to the muscle cells. This tells the muscles to contract or expand in just the right way to put your sandwich together. When you pick up the sandwich, the sensitive nerve cells in your hand send an electrical message to the brain, telling you what the sandwich feels like. When you bite into it, your mouth sends signals to your brain to tell you how it tastes.

In this way, the different parts of your body use electricity to communicate with one another. This is actually a lot like a telephone system or the Internet. Specific patterns of electricity are transmitted over lines to deliver recognizable messages.

Disrupting the System

Stun-gun effectiveness varies depending on the particular gun model, the attacker's body size and his determination. It also depends on how long you keep the gun on the attacker.

If you use the gun for half a second, a painful jolt will startle the attacker. If you zap him for one or two seconds, he should experience muscle spasms and become dazed. And if you zap him for more than three seconds, he will become unbalanced and disoriented and may lose muscle control. Determined attackers with a certain physiology may keep coming despite any shock.

The basic idea of a stun gun is to disrupt this communication system. Stun guns generate a high-voltage, low-amperage electrical charge. In simple terms, this means that the charge has a lot of pressure behind it, but not that much intensity. When you press the stun gun against an attacker and hold the trigger, the charge passes into the attacker's body. Since it has a fairly high voltage, the charge will pass through heavy clothing and skin. But at around 3 milliamps, the charge is not intense enough to damage the attacker's body unless it is applied for extended periods of time.

It does dump a lot of confusing information into the attacker's nervous system, however. This causes a couple of things to happen:

* The charge combines with the electrical signals from the attacker's brain. This is like running an outside current into a phone line: The original signal is mixed in with random noise, making it very difficult to decipher any messages. When these lines of communication go down, the attacker has a very hard time telling his muscles to move, and he may become confused and unbalanced. He is partially paralyzed, temporarily.

* The current may be generated with a pulse frequency that mimics the body's own electrical signals. In this case, the current will tell the attacker's muscles to do a great deal of work in a short amount of time. But the signal doesn't direct the work toward any particular movement. The work doesn't do anything but deplete the attacker's energy reserves, leaving him too weak to move (ideally).

At its most basic, this is all there is to incapacitating a person with a stun gun -- you apply electricity to a person's muscles and nerves. And since there are muscles and nerves all over the body, it doesn't particularly matter where you hit an attacker.

In the next section, we'll look at the main types of stun guns and see how they dump this charge into a person's body.

Standard Stun Gun

Conventional stun guns have a fairly simple design. They are about the size of a flashlight, and they work on ordinary 9-volt batteries.

The batteries supply electricity to a circuit consisting of various electrical components. The circuitry includes multiple transformers, components that boost the voltage in the circuit, typically to between 20,000 and 150,000 volts, and reduce the amperage. It also includes a oscillator, a component that fluctuates current to produce a specific pulse pattern of electricity. This current charges a capacitor. The capacitor builds up a charge, and releases it to the electrodes, the "business end" of the circuit.

The electrodes are simply two plates of conducting metal positioned in the circuit with a gap between them. Since the electrodes are positioned along the circuit, they have a high voltage difference between them. If you fill this gap with a conductor (say, the attacker's body), the electrical pulses will try to move from one electrode the other, dumping electricity into the attacker's nervous system.

More Electrodes

These days, most stun-gun models have two pairs of electrodes: an inner pair and an outer pair. The outer pair, the charge electrodes, are spaced a good distance apart, so current will only flow if you insert an outside conductor. If the current can't flow across these electrodes, it flows to the inner pair, the test electrodes. These electrodes are close enough that the electric current can leap between them. The moving current ionizes the air particles in the gap, producing a visible spark and crackling noise. This display is mainly intended as a deterrent: An attacker sees and hears the electricity and knows you're armed. Some stun guns rely on the element of surprise, rather than warning. These models are disguised as umbrellas, flashlights or other everyday objects so you can catch an attacker off guard.

These sorts of stun guns are popular with ordinary citizens because they are small, easy-to-use, and legal in most areas. Police and military forces, on the other hand, typically use more complex stun-gun designs, with larger ranges. In the next couple of sections, we'll look at some of these sophisticated stun guns.

Flying Tasers

One popular variation on the conventional stun-gun design is the Taser gun. Taser guns work the same basic way as ordinary stun guns, except the two charge electrodes aren't permanently joined to the housing. Instead, they are positioned at the ends of long conductive wires, attached to the gun's electrical circuit. Pulling the trigger breaks open a compressed gas cartridge inside the gun. The expanding gas builds pressure behind the electrodes, launching them through the air, the attached wires trailing behind. (This is the same basic firing mechanism as in a BB gun.)

The electrodes are affixed with small barbs so that they will grab onto an attacker's clothing. When the electrodes are attached, the current travels down the wires into the attacker, stunning him in the same way as a conventional stun gun.

The main advantage of this design is that you can stun attackers from a greater distance (typically 15 to 20 feet / 4 to 6 meters). The disadvantage is that you only get one shot -- you have to wind up and re-pack the electrode wires, as well as load a new gas cartridge, each time you fire. Most Taser models also have ordinary stun-gun electrodes, in case the Taser electrodes miss the target.

Some Taser guns have a built in shooter-identification system. When a police officer fires the Taser electrodes, the gun releases dozens of confetti-sized identification tags. These tags tell investigators which gun was fired, at what location. Some Taser guns also have a computer system that records the time and of every shot.

Tasers are only one way to conduct current over greater distances. In the next section, we'll look a relatively new long-range stun weapon that doesn't use any wires at all.

Liquid Charge

One of the newer stun weapons is the liquid stun gun. These devices work the same way as Taser guns except they use a liquid stream to conduct electricity rather than extended wires.

The gun is hooked up to a tank of highly conductive liquid, typically a mixture of water, salt and various other conductive elements. When you pull the trigger, electrical current travels from the gun, through the liquid stream, to the attacker.

These guns have a longer firing range than Taser guns, and you can shoot them many times in succession. They are generally more cumbersome than Taser guns, however, because you need to cart the conductive liquid around. High-powered guns work with vehicle-mounted water cannons, while portable models typically include a water tank backpack. Many portable units use the same sort of water pumping system as Super Soaker squirt guns.

Today, stun weaponry is a rapidly growing field of invention. Law enforcement and military forces need non-lethal weapons to subdue angry mobs without racking up civilian casualties. Many citizens who are concerned for their safety but aren't comfortable with firearms are seeking out reliable "safe weapons." As this technology advances, the prospect of Star Trek-type phasers doesn't seem so far-fetched.

What are the five most prevalent forms of torture and why?

2009-06-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

In 2000, human rights group Amnesty International and African social sciences organization CODESRIA published a handbook for watchdog groups monitoring prisons where torture is suspected. The guide offers insight into just what qualifies as cruel, inhuman and degrading (CID) treatment.

The book also mentions the most common forms of torture. The guide cites among the most common torture methods as "beatings, imposition of electric shocks, hanging by the arms or legs," mock executions and forms of sexual assault, especially rape [source: Amnesty International]. While four are physical -- or black torture -- mock executions are white torture (psychological) [source: Ceseraenu]. There is little distinction between black and white forms of torture; both are equally insidious. As the humanitarian group SPIRASI puts it, "Methods of physical and psychological torture are remarkably similar, such that one should not separate their effects from each other" [source: SPIRASI].

What follows are the five most prevalent forms of torture that prisoners throughout the world endure. In the next section, learn about beatings.

Method 5: Beatings

One study of 69 refugees found that 97 percent of survivors reported being beaten at the hands of their captors [source: Olsen, et al]. "Beatings are universal, although implements may vary," writes Vincent Lacopino in "The Medical Documentation of Torture" [source: Locapino]. Beating torture can be as simple as punching, slapping or kicking a victim. Beatings may come spontaneously, or in conjunction with other methods. Tibetans held in Chinese prisons in the 1980s and 1990s reported suffering combinations of torture, including beatings and electric shock [source: Government of Tibet in Exile]. Beatings may also be delivered via instruments like hoses, belts, bamboo shoots, batons and other blunt weapons.

There are some specific methods to this kind of torture, too. The falanga (or falanka, depending on where in the world you're being tortured) method involves beating the soles of the feet. This type of torture can leave victims' feet insensitive to touch and temperature. It can also result in "pain in [victims'] feet and lower legs and a compensated gait pattern, usually with severe pain during walking" [source: Prip and Perrson].

Electric shock torture methods haven't been around as long as many other widely used methods -- humans didn't figure out how to harness electricity until the late 19th century. Once established, however, electricity soon came into use as a method of torture. "Americans didn't just develop electric power," writes torture expert Darius Rejali, "they invented the first electrotorture devices and used them in police stations from Arkansas to Seattle" [source: Boston Globe]. Electrical shocks can be delivered using stun guns, cattle prods and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) devices.

This type of torture can be as crude as introducing a current to a victim via a cattle prod or other device designed to deliver a shock attached to a car battery. Shocks are used as a torture method because they're cheap and effective. One 22-year-old Chechen survivor recounts being tortured with electricity at the hands of Russian military personnel: "They gave me electric shock under my fingernails and under the nails of my little toes so later I had to have the nails removed from my fingers and toes" [source: Amnesty International Danish Medical Group]. What's more, shocks leave behind little obvious physical trace of the agony they produce. One expert suggests, "Torturers favor electric torture because it leaves no marks other than small burns that, one can allege, were simply self-inflicted" [source: Rejali].

Method 4: Electric Shocks

Electric shock torture methods haven't been around as long as many other widely used methods -- humans didn't figure out how to harness electricity until the late 19th century. Once established, however, electricity soon came into use as a method of torture. "Americans didn't just develop electric power," writes torture expert Darius Rejali, "they invented the first electrotorture devices and used them in police stations from Arkansas to Seattle" [source: Boston Globe]. Electrical shocks can be delivered using stun guns, cattle prods and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) devices.

This type of torture can be as crude as introducing a current to a victim via a cattle prod or other device designed to deliver a shock attached to a car battery. Shocks are used as a torture method because they're cheap and effective. One 22-year-old Chechen survivor recounts being tortured with electricity at the hands of Russian military personnel: "They gave me electric shock under my fingernails and under the nails of my little toes so later I had to have the nails removed from my fingers and toes" [source: Amnesty International Danish Medical Group]. What's more, shocks leave behind little obvious physical trace of the agony they produce. One expert suggests, "Torturers favor electric torture because it leaves no marks other than small burns that, one can allege, were simply self-inflicted" [source: Rejali].

Method 3: Sexual Assault

Rape is a common form of torture, especially during wartime. Rape of men, women and children has occurred during conflicts across the globe. In the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, Muslim Bosnian women were subjected to systematic rape at the hands of Serb soldiers. In the Congo, from 2000 to 2006 alone, more than 40,000 women and children were raped [source: The Guardian]. In Rwanda in the early 1990s, an estimated 25,000 women were raped. Soldiers reportedly told their victims that they were "allowed to live so that [they] will die of sadness" [source: The Guardian].

Both men and women may suffer sexual assault. Whether the assaulter uses his or her body to inflict harm or brandishes a device to penetrate the victim's body, the act is constituted as rape. What's more, experts believe estimates of the number of men who've endured rape torture are low: "Men tend to underreport experiences of sexual violence. They may have doubts about their sexuality and fear infertility, and both sexes commonly experience sexual difficulties following sexual violence and may need reassurance about sexual function" [source: Burnett and Peel].

While sexual assault is defined specifically, some experts assert that all torture is a form of rape because the victim's body is violated. Read about another prevalent method of torture -- hanging by limbs --

Method 2: Hanging by Limbs

During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong employed a form of torture called "the ropes." In "Human Adaptation to Extreme Stress: From the Holocaust to Vietnam," the book's authors describe this type of torture many American servicemen faced after capture, explaining, "Although there were many variations of this torture, it usually took the form of tying the elbows behind the back and tightening them until they touched or arching the back with a rope stretched from the feet to the throat" [source: Wilson, et al]. The tension created in the muscles by this extreme tightening --exacerbated by hanging victims from their limbs -- can cause lasting nerve damage.

Dissident Turkish national Gulderen Baran was tortured by police when she was in her early 20s. In addition to other forms of torture, she was hung by her arms, both on a wooden cross and from her wrists bound behind her. Baran suffered long-term damage to her arms, losing strength and movement in one arm, and the other suffering total paralysis [source: Amnesty International].

Method 1: Mock Executions

A mock execution is any situation in which a victim feels that his or her death -- or the death of another person -- is imminent or has taken place. It could be as hands-off as verbally threatening a detainee's life, or as dramatic as blindfolding a victim, holding an unloaded gun to the back of his or her head and pulling the trigger. Any clear threat of impending death falls into the category of mock executions. Water boarding, the method of simulated drowning, is an example of mock execution.

The U.S. Army Field Manual expressly prohibits soldiers from staging mock executions [source: Levin]. But reports of some U.S. military members staging these executions have emerged from the Iraq War. In 2005, one Iraqi man questioned for stealing metal from an armory was tortured by being asked to choose one of his sons to die for his crime. When his son was taken around a building, out of the man's sight, he was led to believe that the son had been executed when he heard gun shots fired. Two years earlier, two Army personnel were investigated for staging mock executions. In one circumstance, an Iraqi was taken to a remote area and made to dig his own grave, and soldiers pretended he would be shot [source: AP].

American military are certainly not the only group to violate international law regarding mock executions as torture. In 2007, 15 Britons were captured by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. After their second night, the prisoners were lined up facing a wall, blindfolded and bound. Behind them, the detainees heard guns cocked, followed by the clicks of firing hammers falling against nothing [source: Daily Mail].

Despite bans against them, mock executions continue to be used as a means of torture -- perhaps because of their effectiveness in breaking a detainee's will. The effects of such threats on the victim's life are deep and lasting: The Center for Victims of Torture say torture victims who've undergone mock executions reported flashbacks, "feeling as if they've already died," and said they begged their tormentors to kill them to avoid further constant threat [source: CVT].

10 Scariest Bioweapons

2009-06-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

At one time or another, humans have turned to just about every viable option on the planet for new means of destroying one another. We've leveled forests, plundered the elements and diverted religion, philosophy, science and art to fuel humanity's desire for bloodshed. Along the way, we've even weaponized some of nature's most formidable viral, bacterial and fungal foes.

The use of biological weapons, or bioweapons, dates back to the ancient world. As early as 1,500 B.C. the Hittites of Asia Minor recognized the power of contagions and sent plague victims into enemy lands. Armies, too, have long understood the power of bioweapons, catapulting diseased corpses into besieged fortresses and poisoning enemy wells. Some historians even argue that the 10 biblical plagues Moses called down against the Egyptians may have been more of a concentrated campaign of biological warfare rather than the acts of a vengeful god [source: NPR].

Since those early days, advances in medical science have led to a vastly improved understanding of harmful pathogens and the way our immune systems deal with them. But while these advancements have led to vaccinations and cures, they have also led to the further weaponization of some of the most destructive biological agents on the planet.

The first half of the 20th century saw the use of the biological weapon anthrax by both the Germans and Japanese, as well as the subsequent development of biological weapons programs in nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia. Today, biological weapons are outlawed under 1972's

Biological Weapons Convention and the Geneva Protocol. But while a number of nations have long destroyed their stockpiles of bioweapons and ceased research into their proliferation, the threat remains.

In this article, we'll examine some of the leading bioweapon threats, as well as what the future of biological warfare may have in store for us all.

Bioweapon 10: Smallpox

The term "biological weapon" typically summons mental images of sterile government labs, hazmat suits and test tubes full of brightly colored liquid apocalypse. Historically, however, biological weapons have often taken much more mundane forms: a wandering exile, paper bags full of plague-infested fleas or even, during the1763 French and Indian War, a simple blanket.
bioweapon blankets

At the orders of Cmdr. Sir Jeffrey Amherst, British forces infamously distributed smallpox-infected blankets to Native American tribes in Ottawa. The native inhabitants of the Americas were particularly susceptible to the illness since, unlike their European invaders, they hadn't encountered smallpox before and lacked any degree of immunity to it. The disease cut through the tribes like wildfire [source: Yount].

Smallpox is caused by the variola virus. The most common form of the disease has a 30 percent mortality rate [source: CDC]. Signs of smallpox include high fevers, body aches, and a rash that develops from fluid-filled bumps and scabs to permanent, pitted scars. The disease predominantly spreads through direct contact with an infected person's skin or bodily fluids, but also can be spread though the air in close, confined environments.

In 1967, the World Health Organization (WHO) spearheaded an effort to eradicate smallpox through mass vaccinations. As a result, 1977 marked the last naturally occurring case of smallpox. The disease was effectively eliminated from the natural world, but laboratory copies of smallpox still exist. Both Russia and the United States possess WHO-approved stores, but as smallpox played a role in several nations' bioweapons programs, it's unknown how many secret stockpiles still exist.

The CDC classifies smallpox as a Category A biological weapon due to its high mortality rate and the fact that it can be transmitted through the air. While a smallpox vaccine exists, typically only medical and military personnel undergo vaccination -- meaning the rest of the population is very much at risk if smallpox were unleashed as a weapon. How might the virus be released? Probably in aerosol form or even in the old-fashioned way: by sending an infected individual directly into the target area.

The method for unleashing a biological weapon doesn't have to be flashy, however. Consider how much press our next bioweapon received, all with a few postage stamps.

Bioweapon 9: Anthrax

During the fall of 2001, letters containing a curious white powder began turning up at U.S. Senate offices and media outlets. When word spread that the envelopes contained the spores of the deadly bacteria Bacillus anthracis, panic ensued. The anthrax letter attacks infected 22 people and killed five. Seven years later, the FBI finally narrowed down its investigation to government anthrax scientist Bruce Ivans, who committed suicide before the case could be closed.

Thanks to its high mortality rate and environmental stability, the anthrax bacteria is also classified as a Category A biological weapon. The bacteria live in the soil, where grazing animals typically come into contact with spores while rooting around for food. People, however, may become infected with anthrax by touching the spores, inhaling them or ingesting them.

Most cases of anthrax are cutaneous, transmitted through skin contact with the spores. The most deadly form is inhalation anthrax, when the spores travel to the lungs and then the immune cells carry them to the lymph nodes. Here, the spores multiply and release toxins that result in such symptoms as fever, respiratory problems, fatigue, muscle aches, enlarged lymph nodes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and black ulcers. Inhalation anthrax carries the highest mortality rate of the three (100 percent, 75 percent with medical treatment), and unfortunately, that was the form contracted by all five casualties from the 2001 anthrax letters [source: NPR].

The disease isn't easy to catch under normal situations, and it can't be transmitted from person to person. Still, health workers, veterinarians and military personnel normally undergo vaccinations. The rest of us, however, remain at risk if someone were bent on another anthrax attack.

Along with the lack of widespread vaccination -- a common theme among our scary bioweapon nominees -- longevity is another point in anthrax's favor. Many harmful biological agents can only survive a short while under certain conditions. But hardy B. anthracis can sit on the shelf for 40 years or more and still pose a lethal threat.

These attributes helped to establish anthrax as a favorite among bioweapons programs throughout the world. Japanese scientists conducted human experiments with aerosolized anthrax in the late 1930s in their infamous Unit 731 biological warfare facility in occupied Manchuria. British forces experimented with anthrax bombs in1942, managing to so thoroughly contaminate test site Gruinard Island that, 44 years later, 280 tons of formaldehyde were required to decontaminate it. In 1979, the Soviet Union accidently released airborne anthrax, killing 66 people in the process.

Today, B. anthracis remains one of the most well-known and feared bioweapons. Numerous biological warfare programs have worked to produce anthrax over the years and while a vaccine exists, mass vaccination would only become viable if mass exposure occurred.

We don't even have a vaccine for some bioweapons. The only way to avoid our next entry is to avoid exposure.

Bioweapon 8: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever

Another well-documented killer exists in the form of the Ebola virus, one of more than a dozen different viral hemorrhagic fevers, nasty illnesses sometimes marked by copious bleeding. Ebola began to make headlines in the late 1970s as it spread through Zaire and Sudan, killing hundreds. In the decades that followed, the virus maintained its lethal reputation in outbreaks across Africa and proved a volatile organism even in controlled settings. Since its initial discovery, no fewer than seven outbreaks have occurred at hospitals and laboratories in Africa, Europe and the United States.

Named for the region of the Congo in which it was first discovered, scientists suspect the Ebola virus normally resides within a native, African animal host, but the exact origin and natural habitat of the disease remain a mystery. As such, we have only encountered the virus after it has successfully infected humans or nonhuman primates.

Once present in a host, the virus infects others through direct contact with blood or other bodily secretions. In Africa, the virus has proved itself particularly adept at spreading through hospitals and clinics. An infected individual can expect to start experiencing symptoms in between 2 and 21 days.

Typical symptoms may include headache, muscle ache, sore throat and weakness, followed by diarrhea and vomiting. Some patients also suffer internal and external bleeding. Between 60 and 90 percent of infections end in death after 7 to 16 days [source: Chamberlain].

Doctors don't know why some patients are better able to recover than others. Nor do they how to treat it. And, as noted earlier, there's no Ebola vaccine. In fact, we only process a vaccine for one form of hemorrhagic fever: yellow fever.

While many medical professionals labored to better treat and prevent outbreaks of Ebola, a team of Soviet scientists set out to turn the virus into a weapon.

They initially encountered difficulties cultivating Ebola in the laboratory, enjoying more success with the development of Marburg hemorrhagic fever. By the early 1990s, however, they had solved the problem [source: Alibek]. While the virus normally spreads through physical contact with bodily secretions, researchers have observed it spread through the air under laboratory conditions. The possibility of a weaponized, aerosol form of the virus only further cements Ebola and related viral hemorrhagic fevers as permanent placeholders on the list of Category A agents.

The word "Ebola" is already synonymous with terror and death, despite having only become news in the last few decades. Our next entry, however, has been plaguing humans for centuries. cKenzie].

Plague exists in two main strains: bubonic and pneumonic. Bubonic plague typically spreads by bites from infected fleas, but also can be transmitted from person to person through contact with infected bodily fluids. This strain is named for the swollen glands, or buboes, around the groin, armpit and neck. This swelling is accompanied by fever, chills, headache and exhaustion. Symptoms occur within two or three days and typically last between one and six days. Unless treated within the first 24 hours of infection, 70 percent of those infected die [source: Chamberlain]. Pneumonic plague is less common and spreads through the air by coughs, sneezes and face-to-face contact. Its symptoms include high fever, cough, bloody mucus and difficulty breathing.

Plague victims themselves -- both dead and alive -- have historically served as effective delivery vehicles for this biological weapon. A 1940 plague epidemic occurred in China following a Japanese attack that involved dropping sacks of infected fleas out of airplanes. Today, experts predict that plague would likely be weaponized in the form of an aerosol, resulting in an outbreak of pneumonic plague. However, low-tech, vermin-based attacks are still possible.

Several countries have explored the use of plague as a bioweapon and, as the disease still occurs naturally throughout the world, copies of the bacterium are relatively easy to come by. With appropriate treatment, plague's mortality rate can dip as low as 5 percent [source: BBC]. There is no vaccine.

A bioweapon doesn't have to boast a high mortality rate to be successful, though. Consider our next entry. ou can't even see it.in 1992.

Bioweapon 7: Plague

The Black Death decimated half the population of Europe in the 14th century -- a horror that continues to resonate through the world even today. Dubbed "the great dying," the mere prospect of a return to such times is enough to put a population on edge. Today, some researchers speculate that the world's first pandemic may have actually been a hemorrhagic fever, but the term "plague" continues to cling to another long-standing suspect and current Category A biological weapon: the Yersinia pestis bacterium [source: MacKenzie].

Plague exists in two main strains: bubonic and pneumonic. Bubonic plague typically spreads by bites from infected fleas, but also can be transmitted from person to person through contact with infected bodily fluids. This strain is named for the swollen glands, or buboes, around the groin, armpit and neck. This swelling is accompanied by fever, chills, headache and exhaustion. Symptoms occur within two or three days and typically last between one and six days.

Unless treated within the first 24 hours of infection, 70 percent of those infected die [source: Chamberlain]. Pneumonic plague is less common and spreads through the air by coughs, sneezes and face-to-face contact. Its symptoms include high fever, cough, bloody mucus and difficulty breathing.

Plague victims themselves -- both dead and alive -- have historically served as effective delivery vehicles for this biological weapon. A 1940 plague epidemic occurred in China following a Japanese attack that involved dropping sacks of infected fleas out of airplanes. Today, experts predict that plague would likely be weaponized in the form of an aerosol, resulting in an outbreak of pneumonic plague. However, low-tech, vermin-based attacks are still possible.

Several countries have explored the use of plague as a bioweapon and, as the disease still occurs naturally throughout the world, copies of the bacterium are relatively easy to come by. With appropriate treatment, plague's mortality rate can dip as low as 5 percent [source: BBC]. There is no vaccine.

A bioweapon doesn't have to boast a high mortality rate to be successful, though. Consider our next entry.

Bioweapon 6: Tularemia

While tularemia only claims an overall 5 percent mortality rate, the microorganism that causes it is one of the most infectious bacteria on Earth [source:BBC]. In 1941, the Soviet Union reported 10,000 cases of the illness. Then, during the German siege of Stalingrad the following year, this number skyrocketedto 100,000. Most of these cases occurred on the German side of the conflict. Former Soviet bioweapons researcher Ken Alibek argued that this surge ininfections was no accident, but the result of biological warfare. Alibek would go on to help develop a strain of vaccine-resistant tularemia for the Soviets,before defecting to the United States in 1992.

Francisella tularensis occurs naturally in no more than 50 organisms and is especially prevalent in rodents, rabbits and hares. Humans typically acquire the isease through contact with infected animals, infected insect bites, the consumption of contaminated foods or the inhalation of the bacteria in aerosol form.

Symptoms typically appear within 3 to 5 days and vary depending on the method of infection. Patients may experience fever, chills, headache, diarrhea, muscle aches, joint pain, dry cough and progressive weakness. Pneumonialike symptoms can also develop. If untreated, respiratory failure, shock and death can follow. The illness typically lasts less than two weeks, but during that time, the infected people are basically bedridden.

Tularemia doesn't transfer between human hosts and can be easily treated with antibiotics or prevented with a vaccine. It does, however, spread very rapidly between animal hosts and humans or when used in aerosol form. It is this factor, not its mortality rate, that earned F. tularensis a Category A biological weapon ranking. It is especially virile in aerosol form. Due to these factors, the United States, Britain, Canada and the Soviet Union all worked to create weaponized tularemia after the close of World War II [source: Alibek].

If the idea of discovering bioweapons in cute little rabbits sound scary, just consider our next entry. It's all around you and you can't even see it.

Bioweapon 5: Botulinum Toxin

Take a deep breath. If the air you just inhaled contained botulinum toxin, you'd have no way of knowing. In weaponized airborne form, the deadly bacteria

would be completely colorless and odorless. Between 12 and 36 hours later, however, the first signs of botulism would begin to take hold: blurred vision, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. At this point, your only hope would be a botulism antitoxin -- and only if you could get your hands on it before symptoms advanced much further. If untreated, paralysis begins to take hold, seizing up your muscles and finally your respiratory system.

Without respiratory support, Clostridium botulinum can kill in 24 to 72 hours. For this reason, the organism's deadly toxin rounds out the list of six Category A biological weapons. With ventilators to work your lungs, the mortality rate plummets from 70 percent to 6 percent, but recovery takes time [source: Chamberlain]. This is because the toxin binds to the point where nerve endings and muscles meet, effectively cutting off the signal from the brain.

To recover fully from a case of botulism, the patient actually has to grow new nerve endings -- a process that takes several months. And while a vaccine exists, concerns over effectiveness and side effects have plagued its development, so it's not widely used.

As if the symptoms weren't scary enough, C. botulinum occurs all over the world, especially in soil and marine sediments. The spores often pop up on fruits,vegetables and seafood. In this state, they're harmless. It's only as they begin to grow that they produce their deadly toxin. Humans primarily encounter the toxin through the consumption of tainted foods, as the temperatures and chemicals in improperly stored foods often provide the perfect conditions for the spores to grow and develop. Deep wounds and infant intestinal tracks also present similar conditions.

Its power, availability and limited treatability have made botulinum toxin a favorite among several countries' bioweapons programs. Luckily, effectively using such a weapon can still provide challenges. In 1990, members of the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo released an aerosol of the toxin against several political targets, but were unable to cause the mass deaths they desired. When the cult switched to the chemical agent sarin gas in the 1995 attack, however, they killed a dozen people and injured thousands.

But bioweapons don't have to focus on hurting the enemy directly. As our next two entries illustrate, they can dramatically affect the food supply.

Bioweapon 4: Rice Blast

A number of bacteria, viruses and toxins pose a significant threat to human beings, but plenty of the world's biological agents prefer different prey:cultivated food crops. Cutting off an enemy's food supply is a time-tested military strategy, whether you're defending your homeland against an invading force or besieging a walled city. Without food, populations weaken, panic, riot and eventually die. aren't safe either.

Several countries, especially the United States and Russia, have devoted a great deal of research to diseases and even insects that target key food crops.

The fact that modern agriculture typically focuses on the large-scale production of a single crop only sweetens the deal for the architects of blight and famine.

One such bioweapon is rice blast, a crop disease caused by the fungus Pyricularia oryzae (also known as Magnaporthe grisea). The leaves of affected plants soon develop grayish lesions composed of thousands of fungal spores. These spores quickly multiply and spread from plant to plant, sapping the plants and leading to much lower crop production. While breeding resistant plants is a good defensive measure against some crop disease, rice blast presents a problem because you wouldn't have to breed resistance to one strain of fungus, but 219 different strains.

Such a bioweapon wouldn't be as sure of a killer as the likes of smallpox and botulism. It could however lead to severe starvation in poorer countries, as well as financial losses and other huge problems.

A number of countries have pursued rice blast as a biological weapon, including the United States. By the time the U.S. dismantled its anti-crop program, it had amassed nearly a ton of the harmful fungus for a potential attack on Asia [source: BBC].

What's that? You prefer a nice hamburger to a rice dish? Well, our next entry proves that you meat eaters aren't safe either.

Bioweapon 3: Rinderpest

When Genghis Khan invaded Europe in the 13th century, he inadvertently unleashed a fearsome biological weapon in the wake of his conquest. The gray steppecattle used by his supply trains introduced a deadly cattle plague, known throughout the world today by its German name, rinderpest.

Rinderpest is caused by a virus closely related to measles, and it affects cattle and other ruminant animals such as goats, bison and giraffes. The condition is highly contagious, causing fever, loss of appetite, dysentery and inflammation of the mucus membranes. The condition drags on for six to 10 days, when the animal typically succumbs to dehydration.

Over the centuries, humans have introduced rinderpest-infected animals to various corners of the globe, often resulting in millions of dead cattle, along with other livestock and wild animals. At times, outbreaks in Africa have been so severe as to turn starving lions into man-eaters and lead ruined herdsmen to commit suicide. Thanks to extensive quarantine and vaccination programs, rinderpest has been brought under control in much of the world.

While Genghis Khan wielded rinderpest as a weapon by accident, many modern countries aren't as innocent. Canada and the United States have both researched use of the virus as an anti-livestock bioweapon [source: Scott].

Many of the scariest bioweapons out there have their roots in the ancient world. A few, however, are terrifyingly new.

Bioweapon 2: Nipah Virus
Viruses adapt and evolve over time. New strains emerge and, occasionally, close contact between humans and animals allow life-threatening diseases to leap to the top of the food chain. As human populations continue to swell, the emergence of new diseases is inevitable. And every time a new outbreak makes the headlines, you can be sure someone is considering how to turn it into a weapon.

Nipah virus is just such a disease, having only risen to the attention of world health agencies in 1999. The outbreak occurred in the Nipah region of Malaysia, infecting 265 and killing 105. While 90 percent of those infected handled pigs for a living, health workers suspect the virus naturally occurs in fruit bats. The exact nature of transference is uncertain, but experts think that the virus may spread through close physical contact or contaminated body fluids. Human-to-human transmission hasn't been reported yet.

The illness typically lasts 6 to 10 days, inducing symptoms that range from mild, flulike conditions such as fever and muscle pains to encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. In these more severe cases, patients experienced drowsiness, disorientation, convulsions and ultimately coma. The virus carries a mortality rate of 50 percent, and there currently are no standard treatments or vaccinations [source: WHO].

Nipah virus, along with a number of other emerging pathogens, is classified as a Category C biological weapon. While no country is known to have researched its weaponization, its potential for widespread use and 50 percent mortality rate make it a bioweapon to watch for.

Is nature constantly coming up with new ways for us to destroy each other? Well, it's not working hard enough for some people. With our last entry, we'll look at how some scientists hope to improve on nature's existing deadly designs.

Bioweapon 1: Chimera Viruses

Plague, smallpox, anthrax -- the world's deadliest biological agents aren't out to get you. Any harmful properties they possess are simply byproducts of their evolution. But what happens when scientists tinker with the genetic makeup of these organisms? What kind of horrors may come to life when we add the human desire to wage war to their natural design? Unfortunately, the creation of such life forms isn't just a page from a science fiction novel -- it's already happening.

In Greek and Roman mythology, the chimera combined elements of lion, goat and serpent into one monstrous form. Artists in the late medieval age often used the creature as a symbol to illustrate the complex nature of evil. In modern genetic science, a chimeric organism is a life form that contains genes from a foreign species. Given its namesake, you might expect all chimeric organisms to be awful examples of man twisting nature for nefarious ends. Fortunately, our increased understanding of genetic science has led to some beneficial creations. One such chimera, which combines the common cold with polio, may help cure brain cancer.

But as the war continues its forward momentum through human history, the abuse of such science is inevitable. Geneticists have already discovered the means to increase the lethality of such bioweapons as smallpox and anthrax by tweaking their genetic structure. By combining genes, however, scientists could theoretically create a virus that triggered two diseases at once. During the late 1980s, the Soviet Union's Chimera Project studied the feasibility of combining smallpox and Ebola into one super virus [source: Alibek].

Other potential nightmare scenarios involve strains of viruses that require certain triggers. A stealth virus would remain dormant for an extended period until triggered by predetermined stimuli. Other possible chimeric bioweapons might require two components to become effective. Imagine a strain of botulinum toxin that, when combined with the botulinum toxin antidote, only becomes more lethal. Such a biological attack would not only result in a higher mortality rate, but might erode public trust in health initiatives, aid workers and government response to the outbreak.

From splitting the atom to cracking life's genomic riddles, the last century of scientific research has brought about tremendous potential for humans to build a better world -- or destroy the one they have.

How to fill solid color

2009-06-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Step1 … Open CorelDraw 12

Step 2 … Open the Pen Outline/traced image file …

Step 3 … Select the image …

Step 4 … Then select a color from the color pallet at your right side …

Step 5 … Press the Selected Color

Result:

How to use Bezier Tool

2009-06-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Step1 … Open CorelDraw 12

Step 2 … Go to file … and press Import

Step 3 … Select the image you want to trace …

Step 4 … In the tool box Click on the small black arrow at the bottom right of the 4th tool from the top named “Freehand Tool” …

Step 5 … More tools will popup … Now Click on the “Bezier Tool”

Step 6 … Now zoom the part you have to trace first …

Step 7 … Click on the outline of the image which you want to trace … a node will be made …

Step 8 … ... Keeping the left click of the mouse pressed drag your mouse slowly to Left/Right … Two subnodes/control points will come out from the node …

Step 9 … Click on the other point of the outline similarly …

Step 10 … Make the outline of that image similarly … Remember the last node should be placed on the first node … (otherwise your image can’t be filled with color)

Step 11 … Now select the “Shape Tool” from tool box …

Step 12 … When you will click on the nodes … Control points will appear … you can adjust the cu rves of line by moving it left, right, up and down.

Step 13 … Similarly trace the whole image …

Result:

Free Web space for Hosting ( 500 MB )

2009-06-23T03:15:00.000-07:00

Do You Know you can acquire web hosting space of 500 MB for free. Which you can use to share your Photos, songs or other files links. There is no need to Register or Sign in to download or view these Files =)

You can access this blog with www.helpopedia.ueuo.com too =)

just visit www.ueuo.com and register a free domain. You can upload your website too with databases because it provide you support of phpmyadmin. To upload your files you can use their own FTP server or Filezilla or any other.

just upload a file say abc.zip and you can share link of this file as www.your_domain_name.ueuo.com/abc.zip

or you can make folders to arrange your files and can share links:
www.your_domain_name.ueuo.com/folder_name/abc.zip

Make Free accounts and share your files with your Friends.

p.s. There is a limit of 10 mb on a file size. if you have a large file to upload then you can use WinRar to split your files within size of 10 mb and in this way you can share files with size larger then 10 mb =)

Warning before navigate away from a page (JavaScript)

2009-06-23T03:08:00.000-07:00

In some cases, if you are in between any work of editing or typing a content, and you wont let the visitor to navigate away from the page without particular condition, say the document is not saved yet, you can block the navigation (even the closing of the browser window) with Javascript.

Here is the javascript code for that:

window.onbeforeunload = function (evt)
{
var message = ‘Are you sure you want to leave?’;
if (typeof evt == ‘undefined’)
{
evt = window.event;
}
if (evt)
{
evt.returnValue = message;
}
return message;
}

Just paste this code anywhere in your html page. The condition settings , warning messages are up to you. In the above code, the warning will be displayed when ever a navigation happen (Even closing of browser window happen).

How to fill color with shades

2009-06-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

Step1 … Open Corel Draw 12

Step 2 … Open the Pen Outline/traced image file …

Step 3 … Select the image …

Step 4 … Then select a color from the color pallet at your right side …

Step 5 … Press the Selected Color

Step 7 … In the tool box Click on the small black arrow at the bottom right of the last tool named “Interactive Fill Tool” …

Step 8 … More tools will popup … Now Click on the “Interactive Mesh Fill Tool” …

Step 9 … Adjust the grid size from the “Property Bar”

Step 10 … Now select the grid in which u want to fill the color …

Step 11 … Then select a color from the color pallet at your right side …

Step 12 … Press the Selected Color

Step 13 … By pressing “ctrl” you can control the amount of color … and give shades to your image …

Step 14 … Drag the image behind its outline …

Result:

Remove Red Eye using Adobe PhotoShop

2009-06-21T04:35:00.000-07:00

Most of the times, the reflected Flash light from camera creates red-eye in the photos, that spoils very nice photos.
Here's a simple tip to remove this red-eye effect.

Tools required: Adobe PhotoShop [PS] Version 7 or above.
Skill level: Basic.

So let's kick off.

Below is the sample photo, with red-eye.

Open a photo in PS.
To avoid any mishap, Create a copy of that photo first.

Using Zoom tool [Shortcut key: Z, or Ctrl++, Command++], zoom the canvas so that you can see the red eye in quite a larger size. You'll notice that some part of the iris is not red, so we can take the eye color from that part.
Using eyedropper tool [I], click on the non-red portion of the iris to take eye-color shade, as shown in image below. If you can't find the right color, you can choose the most suitable color yourself.

Create a new layer above the Photo layer.
Using Paintbrush tool [B], paint over the red part of the eyes.
For best results, use a brush with some feather-edges around. [Right click the brush tool on the canvas and keep the Hardness value to around 50-70%, or choose a brush with soft edge]. Your Photo will look like, as shown below:
Now, in your Layers panel, [If that is not open, go to Windows > Layers, to open it], change the blending mode of your painted layer to Saturation, as marked in the image below. This will remove the red color, while keeping the shine intact.

In many cases, you are done at this step. But if you still feel that there's some further amendments required, proceed to next step.

Duplicate the layer on which you painted the eyes. [Right click that layer and choose Duplicate, or simply Ctrl+J, Command+J]
Change the blending mode of that new layer to Hue, as shown in image below:

Zoom out the image to original size.

Congrats!
You're done!

Compare the result with the original one.
No one will guess... :-)

How to color the Outline?

2009-06-20T12:48:00.001-07:00

Step1 … Open Corel Draw 12
Step 2 … Open the traced image file …
Step 3 … Select an outline …
Step 4 … In the bottom right of the window there is an “Outline Color Box” … Double click it …

Step 5 … A window will appear … Click on the pop-up menu of color …

Step 6 … Select the color …

Step 7 … Click Okay …

Step 8 … Now select the same line …

Step 9 … And then select a color from the color pallet at your right side …

Result:

To Adjust The Width of Outline

2009-06-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

Step1 … Open Corel Draw 12.

Step 2 … Open the traced image file …

Step 3 … Select an outline …

Step 4 … In the bottom right of the window there is an “Outline Color Box” … Double click it …

Step 5 … A window will appear … Click on the pop-up menu of Width …

Step 6 … Select the Width …

Step 7 … Click Okay …

Result:

Send Email to your Mobile (Free)

2009-06-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Do you know you can send free email to your mobile number
(Ufone, Warid, Telenor, Zong, Mobilink)

TO: mobile_number@zongsms.pk (eg: 03345131265@zongsms.pk)

Enter Subject

Enter Message (max 250 characters)

Wait for a min and you will get an email on your mobile.

Send Free Messages =))

How to Share Internet Between Computers

2009-06-20T04:03:00.000-07:00

Now every one have Fast DSL connections at home and some of you have more than one computer at home. Many of us Fight who will use DSL and they don't know how to share a single DSL connection on many computers =)

Ok now today we will learn how to Share internet between two computers

First you have to make a network connection between 2 computers.

See this tutorial for more information: How to connect two computers via LAN

OK now you have to buy a LAN card from Computer accessories shop and attach it into server computer. (its recommended to make your PC a server in case other computer is a laptop).

Now you need an extra LAN cable and connect both computers.

Server Side:
Click on LAN card connected to DSL connection and select Properties.

Select Sharing Tab and CHECK "Allow other Network users to connect through this computer's Internet Connection".

Now on client Side.

For XP:
Start -> Control Panel -> Network Connections -> Local Area Networks -> Right Click -> Properties -> Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and then click Properties -> Select Obtain an IP address Automatically and press Ok.

For Vista:

Start -> Control Panel -> Network and Sharing center -> Right Click on Local Area Network and select Properties. Rest of process is same as for XP

Enjoy Internet Sharing =))

Change location of pagefile.sys

2009-06-20T03:58:00.000-07:00

As pagefile.sys some times have big memory becouse of that our C drive free space becomes very low and we got lots of problem while installing a new software so the only option we get is change the size of pagefile.sys or location but how here is its answer:

Right click on Computer and click properties the following window will open

At the uper left there is a 4th option "Advanced system settings" click this option following window will open:

In the area of Performance click the button "Settings" and go to "Advanced" tab of that new open window:

Cick "Change" button:

As my pagefile is in E drive and on system managed size. Here u can chose a drive and clicking on custom size you can give your own size. System managed size will give size according to need and by clicking no paging you can delete the pagefile.sys from the selected drive. After doing the settings click the "Set" button and then click ok ok and then restart you PC after restart your pagefile.sys settings will change.

Thanx for visiting

Have a nice day

Helpopedia Team

How to Connect Two Computers via LAN

2009-06-20T03:13:00.000-07:00

You have two computers and you want to connect both of them for hard disk sharing or internet sharing than follow below instructions:

First you need a LAN Cable.
Plug Connectors in Both Computers.

if you have a PC and a Laptop then first we will make settings for a PC.
To connect these two computers you have to make network connection. In a network connection you have to make one of them a server and other a Client. Lets we make XP a server.

Start -> Control Panel -> Network Connections -> Local Area Networks -> Right Click -> Properties -> Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and then click Properties -> Select Use the Following IP address->

For Server Enter Following Addresses:

IP Address : 192.168.0.1

Subnet Mask : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway : 192.168.0.1

If your Client (Laptop) also have XP in it then follow same above instructions and use

IP Address : 192.168.0.2

Subnet Mask : 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway : 192.168.0.1

If You want to make Vista Server or Client:

Start->Control Panel->Network and Sharing center

Right Click on Local Area Network and select Properties. Rest of process is same as of XP

Enjoy Sharing =))

Relevant Links:
how to share Hard Drives

Sharing the hard disk on Windows

2009-06-20T03:05:00.000-07:00

If You have two computers at home or a PC and a Laptop. and you want to share hard disk of one computer on other in vista then follow below instructions after connecting both computers via LAN =)

For Vista:

Open My computer
Right click on partition you want share like D: and then choose to share.
In the new window click the Security tab.
Click on the Edit button.
Click the Add button.
Type "guest" (without quotes) where the cursor blinks.
Validate by clicking on the OK button.
If you need to write on this disk from the network, check the "modification" in the authorizations.
Then confirm by clicking OK.
Please wait while Windows changed all authorizations.
Click the Sharing tab.
Click the Advanced Sharing button.
In the new window, check Share this folder.
Click on the Permissions button.
Type "guest" (without quotes) where the cursor blinks.
Validate by clicking on OK and OK again.
If you need to write on this disk from the network, check the change in permits.
Then confirm by clicking OK.
Please wait while Windows changed all authorizations (several minutes if you share a lot of files).

For XP:

Open My computer
Right click on partition you want share like D: and then choose to Properties.
Select Sharing Tab

Select "if you understand the....."

Perform above step and Click Ok.

p.s. if you have to take lot of movies from your friend than please Don't use USB because its really slow. Just take a lan cable create a connection, Share drives and Share wateva you want at 100 MB/sec =)

Task Manager disabled!

2009-06-20T03:02:00.000-07:00

If you cannot access the task manager (when you press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, you have the following message: "Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator!"), This trick will allow you to reactivate it. However, it must have an administrator account.

Instructions:

Pull down the menu Start, Run, and type gpedit.msc
- On some systems (XP home), this program is not installed in this case, download and install it. Open the file, then click on gpedInst.
Click User Configuration, Administrative Templates, System, option Ctrl + Alt + Delete
Right click on Remove Task Manager, then properties.
By default, everything should not be configured. Select Disable or not configured, and OK
Restart to save the new settings.

This trick is also disable other applications, such as System Restore, Control Panel, Add and remove programs, and many more!

Disabling the task manager - and other applications - can be the cause of a mistake, but often it is an infection (virus): For sure, scan your system!

Free Online Newspapers

2009-06-20T00:46:00.000-07:00

Reading Newspaper keeps you aware of your surroundings. People pay 10 rps daily to read Newspaper. What if you have a internet and you want to read 4 most famous newspaper of Pakistan for free.

Yes Express, Nawa-e-Wakt and Jang provide you facility to read daily newspaper for free. For Express You can read online newspaper for free but for Jang you have to create an account which is absolutely free =)

A shocking news about Express is that it provide you facility to read newspaper from Jul 26, 2006 till today =)). If you have missed anything or you want to check what happened on that day you can read complete newspaper, articles and magazines for that day.

One more Intresting thing about Express is that newspaper we get at our home reached 7 in morning but on eExpress newspaper is available from 5 in morning =))

Now question is what to do to read these Newspapers

For Jang : ejang.jang.com.pk

For Express: w ww.express.com.pk

For Nawa-e-Wakt: www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/E-Pap er

For DAWN news: http://epaper.dawn.com/

Have a check on internet Speed(only for LAN connection)

2009-06-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

This is very important thing while using internet (DSL) you need to know if the provider of your dsl are giving you the speed you are paying for. For that the best software is NetMeter. Download Link for this software:

ftp://helpopedia.ueuo.com@helpopedia.ueuo.com/Softwares/NetMeter.zip

Now what about settings the NetMeter will appear you can chang the location by draging it
There is a new icon near to clock in task bar right click it

click option Following window will open

So i use 80 visible and fade out if the mouse come over it so that i can se the thinks behind it and can click through ti becouse its alway on top as i have selected it. You can do you setting as u want check that option use old display unit so that it will calculate in KB.

Now go to next tab that is graph tab you get the following window:

if you check autoscale graph it will change according to the maximum speed you get. As you know the speed of your dsl so we select it by Bandwidth. if you dont able to find it as there is no option for 1MBps speed so you have to give 1000000 for 1MB. Select the Kilobyte(1kB = 1000Byte) in all display unit

These where the necessary Settings for NetMeter you can edit the settings in other tabs but they are not necessary.

Thanx for Visting

Have a nice day

Helpopedia Team

Punk buster kicking you out every time u enter the game(using Vista)

2009-06-19T12:00:00.001-07:00

Most of the people having problem while playing online games that :
"i enter the Game and Punkbuster kick me out"
Most of the people dont have its answer but here it is
1. you are cheating using any helping thing like wall hacking etc
2. If you r not cheating then you have this problem which is as follows
Go to your "control panal" and then to "Windows Firewall"

At the left of this window the 2nd option says "Allow a proram through Windows firewall" click this option following window will open

Here check the PnkBstrA and PnkBstrB and click OK and restart you PC. Now Punkbuster will not kick u out Insha Allah

if these options are not present there then you have to install punk buster and then enable these options
For your help i m giving you a link for download Punk buster installer:

ftp://helpopedia.ueuo.com@helpopedia.ueuo.com/Gaming/PB%20installer.zip

3. If you having problem that Punk buster kicks you out becouse of punk buster then you have to update its version by using punk buster software by adding the game in this software and check for update it will check the updates and download it. to download this software the link is:

ftp://helpopedia.ueuo.com@helpopedia.ueuo.com/Gaming/pb.zip

Thanx for visiting

Have a nice day

Helpopedia Team

Handle all your Emails from different IDs on a single ID

2009-06-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

Handle all your Emails from different IDs on a single ID

Very few people know that HOTMAIL and GMAIL provide free email forward facility.

If you have a Gmail account and you use it rarely and you want to forward all mails to a hotmail, yahoo or another Gmail account follow these steps:

1- Sign in your Gmail account.
2- Click on "settings" on top.
3- Click on Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
4- You can enter your email address and select any option.

Gmail provide you option to keep original copy and forward mail too but in hotmail it will move your mail to destination id only.

If you have hotmail account and want to forward mail to Gmail, yahoo or hotmail account.

1- Sign in to hotmail account.
2- Click on “Option” and select “More options”.
3- Select “Forward mail to another e-mail account”.
4- Enter address to forward mail to that account.
5- Select Save.

Screen snapshots without installing any software

2009-06-19T04:54:00.001-07:00

How to take Screen snapshots without installing any software on Vista

Default way of snipping full screen is using print screen button on your keyboard and then edit it on paint. there is a more better way of sniping in Vista (by default).

1- Click Start.
2- In search bar at bottom "start search" type "Snipping Tool".
3- Click on New when Snipping Tool open. Here you have 4 different options.

i) Free-form Snip: You can select any portion of screen.

ii) Rectangular Snip: Select any Rectangular area of window.

iii) Window snip: Click on any window like paint or messenger it will automatically snip that window for you.

iv) Full Screen snip: Click any where on windows and it will snip Full screen for you.

p.s. After sniping you can directly press ctrl+v in Office to paste it.

Decrease Start up time of Your Computer

2009-06-19T04:47:00.000-07:00

How to Decrease Start up time of Your Computer
(Both for Vista & XP)

1. Click at Start.

2. Select Run and type “msconfig”.

3-Click on Startup.

4- Uncheck all extra process which you don’t need for example adobe acrobat, PC suit (if u dun use it daily), Power DVD, Windows Defender (if you have an antivirus installed) or any other application you don’t need at startup.

5- Click Apply button.

6- Computer will prompt you to Restart or not. It’s not mandatory to restart your PC.

p.s. You will surely find better Performance after this simple process.

Notice

2009-06-18T08:09:00.001-07:00

Basic Purpose of starting this Blog is not to earn some money from Google ads as everyone do. Money earned through these ads is also not so big for which we waste our time.

Purpose of this blog is to make a platform where we can put simple and easy to understand tutorials. there can be any Topic of these tutorials.
for example:

*How to write a simple "Hello World Program" in any language.
*How to handle windows Registry.
*Guide to Choose which anti virus.
*How to perform wuddu and offer prayers.
*How to apply effects on your Photographs.

We all take help from internet related to our assignments and websites but no one ever try to keep this chain alive to help their juniors. it will take not more than 15 minutes to write a simple tutorial on a topic.

I have a team of 10 people and our target is to post 500 tutorials on any topic which can be helpful. Please contact us if you are interested and be part of our team. Their is no restriction of very good English skills or experience. if you even write tutorials in Urdu still you are targeting 40% population of world as Pakistani, Indians and Bengali people can read Urdu to some extent.

Interested People please mail me there name and email id so i can add them in list of people who can make posts.
dihaz09@gmail.com

Helpopedia

Vector Masking using Adobe Fireworks.

Building a Java Desktop Database Application

Setting Up the Database

Starting the Server and Creating a Database

Connecting to the Database

Creating the Application

Running the Generated Application

Reviewing the Generated Parts of the Application

Adding More Controls

Binding Controls to Values in the Table

"Header already sent" error and other use of Header function in PHP

Hide .php extension with url rewriting using .htaccess

BCS Comsats Timetable

Watch TV on your Computer

A simple code to handle Time

Publish Your Website in 3 Steps.

How To Interpret Dreams

Why We Dream?

How to Create a Wordpress Theme

Download Songs from a Collection of Audio/Video Songs (Pakistani)

How to Extract Audio (.mp3) From a Video

How To Validate Your Copy of Windows XP

How To Use PHP to Interact with MySQL

How to Avoid Photo Red Eye

Program a Fake Computer Virus in 60 Seconds =)

Install a Free Message Board PHP Script

Learn PHP on 15 Minutes

Hello this is my first script

Hello this is my first script '; ?> Step 3: The power of PHP lies on the capability to change how HTML code will output. The following code will output different HTML codes when you change the name. $aname=$_GET['name']; print '

Hello '.$name.' this is my first script

Hello '.$name.' from '.$acountry.' . this is my first PHP script

Learn MySQL in 15 Minutes

How to Create a Basic Login Script in PHP

How To Make Your Lipstick Last Longer

50 Intresting Facts

Pakistan's Rich List of 2008

Making a Shinny and Glossy Button using Adobe Fireworks

Quick C# in 20 mins

How to give Shadow?

Interview Tips

How Nuclear Bombs Work

How Stun Guns Work?

What are the five most prevalent forms of torture and why?

10 Scariest Bioweapons

How to fill solid color

How to use Bezier Tool

Free Web space for Hosting ( 500 MB )

Warning before navigate away from a page (JavaScript)

How to fill color with shades

Remove Red Eye using Adobe PhotoShop

How to color the Outline?

To Adjust The Width of Outline

Send Email to your Mobile (Free)

How to Share Internet Between Computers

Change location of pagefile.sys

How to Connect Two Computers via LAN

Sharing the hard disk on Windows

Task Manager disabled!

Free Online Newspapers

Have a check on internet Speed(only for LAN connection)

Punk buster kicking you out every time u enter the game(using Vista)

Handle all your Emails from different IDs on a single ID

Screen snapshots without installing any software

Decrease Start up time of Your Computer

Notice

Hello this is my first script

';
?>

Step 3:

The power of PHP lies on the capability to change how HTML code will output. The following code will output different HTML codes when you change the name.

$aname=$_GET['name'];
print '

Hello '.$name.' from '.$acountry.' .
this is my first PHP script