P@SHA’s Career Expo: Inspiring Innovation!
July 20, 2008
P@SHA has been organizing its annual Career Expo for last the three years to provide students with the latest information towards better and more sustainable careers. BearingPoint Management & Technology Consultants was the lead sponsor of the entire programme, while PixSense, Microsoft and Intel were the bronze sponsors of this expo. [Read more]
Microsoft, NetSol sign enterprise agreement
May 7, 2008
LAHORE (May 01 2008): The Microsoft and NetSol Technologies Ltd have signed an enterprise agreement under which, the later will get the Microsoft Desktop and Server Platform tools with Core Infrastructure and Developer tools. Developer tools significantly improve data handling ways, enables developers to share the data through process integration and reduce development time. [Read more]
The Week in Review: Week ending on the 4th of May, 2008
May 4, 2008
This week was equal for both Computers and Telecom departments. New promises, global conferences and steps for better communication as well as civil services, this week got all of them.
KalSoft has recently computerized several civil services and provided E-Services for the Chief Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner’s offices. These services have been digitized to provide civilian with a better working system, having the features to post complain online and follow the status as well. In addition, with the help of E-Services, government officials will be able to communicate on a same network and see the progress of civilians’ complains and related issues.
The most exciting news for the 3d game players and graphics editors is the launch of Apple Computers in Pakistan. Apple Computers partnered with Raffles System and this is a big wave is being expected in computer market with the launch of Apple Computers, as they are very good with accelerated graphics and processing- Very nice for the video and image editors.
In the first of May, NetSol Technologies announced that their annual income of the fiscal year 2007-08 has improved by 62.3 percent to Rs 154 millions as compared to Rs 94 million of the last year. Additionally, NetSol Technologies have signed an enterprise agreement under with Core Infrastructure and Developer tool. Developer tool improves the process of data sharing and reduces development time. With the help of these tools, NetSol will enhance its infrastructure and the performance for computerization.
NetSol has also won 8th Teradata National IT Awards for its brilliant performance in the field of software exports for the year 2006. The delegates of an Australian investment company, Progressive International Pvt Ltd, met Qamar Zaman Khan, Federal Minister fore IT and Telecommunications, to discuss plans for Export Processing Zone Authority (EPZA) Tech Tower. The meeting took place on April 29, 2008. Recently, EZPA has announced the establishment of Tech Tower in Landhi, Karachi. The area of the Tower comprises of six acres and the estimated cost of the whole projects is round about $100 million.
The biggest IT event this week had been the TeleCON 2008 Pakistan. A Global Telecommunication Congress took place at Sheraton Hotel, Karachi on April 29, 2008. The event was scheduled on a two-day program. Shamrock Communication (PVT Ltd) organized the event, which concluded almost all the big leaders of IT and Telecom industry and more than two hundred attendees. This Global conference was brought into existence with sponsors of Mobilink, Ptcl, Motorola, MultiNet and Nokia Siemens Network
IBM launched latest version of UNIX systems being world’s fastest UNIX SERVER and Water-cooled supercomputer. These systems are designed for faster speed optimizing and reducing in-service costs.
While, Microsoft signed an agreement with Service Sales Corporation, which is Pakistan’s largest footwear company at Lahore.
Ufone has launched a new a new program in collaboration with the School of Leadership (SoL) and they have named it as UExcel. This new program is designed for the undergraduate students and Ufone along with SoL has already started the campaigns.
The purpose of this collaborated program is to create awareness in young generation, which could provide them with better knowledge of industry and careers as well as their interests and capabilities. This will make it easier for the students to choose their own kind of field where they can make a difference.
Ufone and SoL’s special teams will visit eighteen different universities and college in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. These teams have already visited universities of Karachi including, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Iqra University, PAF-KIET, University of Karachi and NED University of Engineering and Technology.
PTCL had decided to cut the local call’s minimum unit from five minutes to two but the telecommunication Sub-committee of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has strictly denied the proposal and suggested that local calls must be free of charge.
PTA cancelled the registration of eight mobile phone franchises for illegal sale of SIM cards and directed six of them to be sealed immediately. PTA had already issued a warning that mobile phone companies will be charged with fine and serious steps will be taken against them if they fail to deactivate illegal SIMs. Recently, PTA has just cancelled the registration of
According to PTA, There are three franchises of Mobilink, two of Warid and CMPak, and one each of Telenor and Ufone were found violating the government Policy on sale of new SIMs, issued to all Mobile Companies.
Pakistan: The IT Leader!
March 12, 2008
The United States Consulate’s principal officer, Bryan D. Hunt, has said that
The LCCI IT Fair-2008 held in the first week of March every year, is co-organized by the LCCI with and some technology giants operating in the
Boys from LUMS with a Vision
March 3, 2008
Pakistani Team AVRiL’s experience of the Imagine Cup
When Microsoft Corporation announced the 2007 Imagine Cup’s theme for students to “imagine a world where technology enables better education for all” students around the world rose to the challenge, and
University students around the country put their heads together and searched for the solution that would win them a chance to compete in the World Wide Finals in
Microsoft, Emirates to set up innovation laboratory in Dubai
February 7, 2008
Microsoft and Emirates announced they will set up an Innovation Lab in Dubai to develop new products and services for the travel industry using Microsoft’s cutting-edge technologies and tapping on Emirates’ expertise and experience in developing IT solutions for the aviation and travel industry.
The lab will enable Emirates’ IT division, Mercator, to incubate and develop creative new solutions for airline and travel customers around the world, including Emirates Airline. Mercators IT solutions are today used by over 100 airlines globally.
“Innovation has been a cornerstone of Emirates success across our businesses. By working with technology leader Microsoft to develop cutting-edge products and services, we are looking to reinforce our commanding position in the travel industry and continue to pioneer new ways to serve our customers better,” Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group said.
The lab will take Microsofts latest technologies and apply them to the development of new ways of doing things across all parts of the travel and aviation industry from reservations and check-in to cargo and ground handling systems.
The statement further said that Emirates Airline has established a powerful reputation as a dynamic, forward-thinking company, said Charbel Fakhoury, General Manager, Microsoft Gulf.
“By adopting these next-generation technologies, the airline is setting an important precedent. The Gulf region has a massive potential to contribute to the global development of technology-driven innovations, and Emirates is leading the way.”
IT For All: Sindh IT Board
January 31, 2008
The Sindh IT Department organized a day-long seminar on the topic of “IT For All” on the 31st of January, 2008, at the Karachi Sheraton Hotel. The speakers invited by the Sindh IT Department talked about the various ways in which IT was making an impact in our lives. Dr Aamir Matin, Country Manager of Cisco Systems, addressed the crowd by telling them how vast the communication network across our lives has become, and how quickly we have come to depend on the ICT infrastructure.
“Whether you are in
The speakers at the event included Dr Aamir Matin, Cisco Systems; Ms Jehan Ara, Pasha; Kamal Ahmed, Microsoft and Dr Zahir Syed from KIIT. MD PSEB, Yousuf Hussain was also invited as a chief guest.
TMB & the Internet Platform for Pakistan’s Music Madness!
January 5, 2008
There is no doubt that the Internet has been a magnet for budding artists, writers and anyone who wants to put themselves out there. The risk of copyright is hardly an obstacle when all you want to do is develop a fanbase, be famous and do what you love doing best.
The entertainment industry in Pakistan has been on the up and up, for a number of years now. Television channels have dedicated themselves to the various verticals involved, and now in addition to catering to the appetite of the audience, they are also effectively providing opportunities for the industries to grow and become almost self sufficient. But then, the massive electronic media itself survives on advertising, and advertising only comes when channels give people what people want.
The already-popular and the already-famous celebrities often crowd the primetime segments that are strong revenue generators for teevee stations. So where does the young man with the fabulous voice and guitar go to? Well, as with most things in life, the internet becomes the choice option for many who otherwise would never find a way to let the world know of their passionate love of the arts, or in this case, love of music. And that’s where the real meat of this article starts to set in.
With everyone saying that even Pakistan has a lot of young bands, few such groups ever actually get the chance to be seen or heard by real, live people. I hope you know that when I say “young bands”, I am actually generalizing and referring to the amateur, not-associated-with-a-label kind of talent. The kind of talent that has yet not been found, and has not yet had the opportunity to launch themselves out of their dreams and into peoples’ cars. And then, as with most things, in comes the internet.
A few weeks ago, I came across an interesting link to a “Pakistani Rock band based out of Seattle, USA” that called itself TMB. And like other people, I, too, decided to flock onto their base on Facebook, and sign on as a “fan”.
TMB is made up of:
Ali Alvi: Ali plays rhythm and bass guitars for TMB and when he’s not playing with TMB or practicing, he is working for Microsoft as a software developer writing features for an application called Internet Explorer(IE), and has his roots in Islamabad.
Adil: Microsoft Program Manager (or ‘geek’ for short) by day, TMB lead vocalist and part-time bassist by night. Oh – did we mention Adil was originally from Karachi?
Saaid: is the guy responsible for writing lyrics to TMB’s original songs. A Program Manager at Microsoft and though he doesn’t play an instrument and has no background in music (except for listening to tons of it) he can tell when there is ‘something missing’ from the sound!
Saad plays lead guitars and occasionally tinkers with the rhythm and bass. No surprise when we found out that he also works at Microsoft, and was gifted a Spanish acoustic guitar at the young age of 12. (Are parents really like that these days?!)
And then there is Nauman, the TMB percussionist. He is the only member of TMB who didn’t have a prior history with the others until he moved from Arizona where he did his Bachelors from ASU, and moved to Seattle to work as a Program Manager for the Hotmail team. Originally from Rawalpindi, Nauman occasionally presses the keys on the honky tonk but finds his niche for the band, in the drums.
But this was an interesting experience. I could listen to this group of 5 people who, by day, work at Microsoft, and are moonlighting musicians simply because they love it. They’re not commercial (but I’m assuming they’d never say no to paid gigs!) and they jam out of a garage! Good God, this is like a success story in the making!
And despite the fact that they are based out of the US, they stick to singing a few original numbers but mostly covers, both Urdu and English songs that they enjoy most. By using the Internet and communities to promote themselves, TMB caught my eye and ear to an inspiring revelation. Here was a group of motivated individuals who had their roots out of Pakistan, and were actually using the virtual world in the way it should be!
And so like any sane, patriotic journalist, I wrote to them through one of their videos posted on YouTube, and Ali Alvi wrote back.
“Adil, Saad, Saaid and myself all went to college at LUMS and were more or less all present there at the same time. So we knew each other from there. I still remember Saad with his Stratocaster and a tiny Amp that he used to have in his room where I would sit for hours listening to him jam and having long conversations about bands we listened to and loved. He and I found common ground in our love for bands like Iron Maiden and Megadeth. When we all ended up here in Seattle, we started jamming as a way to pass time on the weekends until one day we decided that maybe we should be more organized and have a proper band. We didn’t have a drummer, but Nauman, already a close friend, fancied playing the drums and that’s how the 4 man lineup came together. Saaid came to Seattle around the same time and decided to share some of his writings with us which we thought were really cool and now we look to him for lyrics to all our songs.”
The Internet is a really large place and one would assume, a very easy place to get lost. How, then, did they manage to promote themselves? Adil, the TMB Lead Vocalist and Geek says, “Initially we did a couple of shows targeting Pakistanis at Microsoft (where we all work), and built up a local fan base through those shows. Along with this we set up profile pages on MySpace, YouTube, and most recently FaceBook. Getting exposure on YouTube is easy because we just put our live videos up and people searching for popular songs like Aadat etc just come across our recordings.”
“FaceBook goes further as it lets us create ads targeted to other FB users in specific countries, with specific interests and demographic backgrounds etc. This pulls people in from all over, and if they like our music they add themselves as fans of the band so we can communicate with them more regularly when new recordings come out.”
No wonder these guys are having fun. They are doing all the right things they need to get the word out without ever leaving the stage! But then here’s a problem a lot of young artists throw my way – sure the internet gives you a lot of exposure, but will a young band ever be able to compete with the fan following that an established artist has? Even in the online world?
Ali comments, “I don’t think DMB [Dave Matthews Band] has to worry about their fan following. They are pretty well covered in that department. TMB, on the other hand, has seen a lot of growth in the fan base over the past couple of months. Our cover of Aadat is what really got us noticed by people on YouTube and MySpace. But most of this traffic was coming from India and not from Pakistan.
So you get in touch with the right target audience, but doesn’t this same audience also suffer bandwidth issues? “Yes.” continues Ali. “We see a lot of traffic from Pakistan and have a respectable fan following, but obvious limitation of bandwidth means that our videos sadly don’t get as many views, so our fans have to live with our audios most of the time but given that is the case, we are very pleased with the number of people who have appreciated and recognized our music as being original and likeable. I personally believe that we are a much better unit playing live for an audience, so I sure hope that our live videos get more views so that fans can truly see that there are no gimmicks involved and we rock it out like rock music is supposed to be done live.”
“At the end of the day, if you’re not a mainstream commercial band, most of your fan base grows via word of mouth or by playing live at venues. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury to play live in Pakistan so we really do hope that we will get a broader appreciation of our music through word of mouth and through online media. It hasn’t been too long for TMB but we are seeing good results already and hoping it will get even better.”
Viral Videos and Trends
What about Viral videos? Does that help the passion spread? Saad says “I for one was surprised to see the fan response when we went live online. We posted our stuff mainly to send it to friends, but we’ve found like-minded listeners out there. There are many online music websites which cater to a “desi” audience, I am not certain how many are ex-pats versus people back home. But I do see a vibrant and hungry Pakistani community on the Internet (or “tubes” as once described by a US senator ?) yearning for some good music.”
Alright then. How about the language? Do you think its easier to tap into an audience if you play the song of their roots (ie: Urdu as opposed to Angrezi)? Adil picked this one up saying “Anyone who’s attended one of our casual jam sessions knows that we love playing in both Urdu and English (and Saad does a killer faux-German version of With or Without You). So far, we’ve connected better with Urdu when writing original songs so this has become our language of choice. And when we perform a song like Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar for a Pakistani audience, the line between performer and audience is blurred as the entire room sings in unison, and we’re all transported back to a place and time when life was simpler and responsibilities were few, a time full of friends, Slims, Pepsi, cricket and schoolyard gossip. Songs like this take us all home again – no English song can do that.”
And since they’re counting on you for the lyrics, Saaid, how do you manage them? Living in English and writing in Urdu? “I think we express ourselves better in Urdu.” starts Saaid. “However I can’t deny that sometimes I think of the mood of the song in English before I write down the lyrics in Urdu, or that sometimes we reflect over our songs (its meaning and direction) in English before finalizing the lyrics in Urdu.” So yes, there is definitely a method to all this madness, eh?
“Of course!” exclaims Saad. “We really only connect when we’re doing Urdu. The fact that our audience can share the same ideas and cultural notions gives us this common bond that’s inescapable. As far as original stuff is concerned, I don’t really think in a language when I’m writing music, just images and settings and emotions. It is very interesting, however, that when the words do come, the music adapts with it so it sounds more cohesive.”
And what kind of feedback have you received through the forums and communities that you are on, because you are obviously in a lot of key, traffic magnets? Ali pipes in: Feedback has been very encouraging so far. Like all musicians, we are really close to our work and that usually means its harder to take criticism, but thankfully uptil now we have had very positive feedback on our original songs Saraab and Sunno. Our cover of Do Pal Ka Jeevan is really appreciated by everyone. Aadat gets mixed reviews but we anticipated that since our version is very different from the original.”
Fan Feedback and what really matters
So? Impressed with the feedback so far? According to Ali, the fans get a standing ovation online! “Definitely! I was very impressed with the amount of musical sense that is present in Pakistani audience and some of the feedback we have received has really amazed us with the in depth analysis and the articulate expression of what some of the listeners feel about our songs – both good and bad. Such feedback really helps us in identifying the derelictions in our work and is a big help in improving ourselves. We are all developing musicians and we are constantly striving to become better at what we do and detailed feedback is a very important part of that process. Luckily for us, we’ve been blessed with fans who like to give us their opinion and their take on our work objectively.”
There is no doubt that it’s been an interesting ride for these guys, but I’m sure the fact that they have a sound education and established careers, makes a difference in the way they treat their passion. The internet provides artists such as TMB with the ability to gauge their success and following. Obviously, in the absence of the added costs involved with establishing and promoting a band around the world, this is the only way to assess whether someone can even stand out in a crowd or not.
With so many struggling musicians in Pakistan, TMB and a lot of other bands who use the internet as a primary medium to promote themselves, are terrific and hopeful role models for what the future of the struggle can be.
The internet is always criticized to be free and flaky – it could be there today but because its all free, it might not be there tomorrow. So of course, here’s the question that everyone wants to know: does TMB have a future? Ali jumps in to say, “I believe all of us are doing very well at our jobs and we currently look at music as a passion instead of a profession. That really helps us in being creative and original and we would like to keep it that way. In the meantime, fans don’t have to worry about us starving!”
The Stuff eMusicians are made of
So you guys have been there and are currently doing that. Any words of advice for young startups? Saad offers, “I do think that when the proverbial bridges are burnt and you are struggling as a musician, it inspires a special kind of creativity. I think music does require a sense of commitment that the struggling artist has. Unfortunately, that is a good way to starve to death. The creative process invariably gets threatened by corporate sponsors (if you’re in Pakistan) or record labels (if you’re in the States) when you’re still undiscovered.
Some artists have to live with the difficult choice of deferring their creative essence to a time when they’ve made it versus sticking it to the man and lose a few pounds. I guess because we don’t rely on music financially (yet!), it is us who define the creative limits, however our limited creativity is something we have to live with.”
The band hopes to work on creating original music, and well, if given the chance, they would love to play live for Pakistani audiences! According to Adil, “A few months ago it was unclear what direction the band would take after I had to move to Boston, but once we saw the kind of momentum we were getting on Facebook we became motivated to make it work despite our distance. Now we’re composing and recording new music by collaborating online… our jamming and brainstorming sessions take place over conference calls and webcam 
It looks like we’re going to be making music as long as people still want to hear it.” Now if that isn’t the beauty of video conferencing, I don’t know what is!
“Additionally” says Adil, “we’ve recently started collaborating with a Texas-based indie producer ‘Ghazi’ who is working with us to put a professional touch on our recordings. He has already done some fantastic work on Sunno – the studio mix for that is coming soon!”
And of course, to lay the debate for viral videos to rest, Ali Alvi puts in the line every ‘music geek’ is dying to hear: “Given the amount of time today’s music listener spends online, I think there is no question of not having a presence online. It gives you a central place for promoting your music, sharing ideas and getting feedback. Our experience has been really good with online promotion, especially when it is targeted properly.”
You can tune into the band on their Facebook community or look TMB’s videos up on YouTube by simply searching for them. Either that, or you can write to the band members directly at: tmb.band@hotmail.com
We wish you guys all the luck in the world and hope that you continue making great music and putting Pakistan on the virtual map in a really big way!
Microsoft, Chinese PC maker sign deal to pre-install software in anti-piracy move
November 8, 2007
Beijing: Microsoft Corp. and China’s No. 2 personal computer maker signed an agreement Wednesday to pre-install Microsoft’s Windows operating system in PCs to combat widespread Chinese product piracy.
The agreement with Founder Technology Group Corp. shows “the commitment of both companies to protect intellectual property rights,” the companies said in a joint statement.
Founder also will sell Microsoft keyboards, Webcams and other hardware in more than 500 stores across China, the companies said.
“Our partnership with Founder is an essential part of our strategy here in China and around the world,” Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said at a signing ceremony.
Founder President Qi Dongfeng, speaking at a news conference later, declined to say how much the Chinese company would pay Microsoft. Qi said Founder expects to pre-install Windows on nearly all its consumer PCs and about 40 percent of its business computers.
Ballmer did not take questions from reporters or mention piracy directly in his comments.
China is the world’s leading source of illegally copied software, music and other goods.
Foreign officials and business groups say the scale of piracy is growing despite increased Chinese enforcement.
Some 82 percent of software used in China last year was pirated, well above the Asian regional average of 55 percent, according to an industry group, the U.S.-based Business Software Alliance.
Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, has been pursuing tie-ups with Chinese equipment makers to discourage use of unlicensed copies of its products.
In March, the country’s biggest PC maker, Lenovo Group, agreed to pre-load Microsoft’s tool bar and Web search software on its computers.
Beijing-based Founder also will pre-load Microsoft’s Windows Live system on PCs equipped with Windows for the next two years, the companies said. The system includes programs for e-mail, instant messaging, blogging and sharing photos.
The package includes Microsoft’s search service Live Search, which could help the company compete for traffic in China with the country’s dominant search engine, Baidu.com Inc., and U.S.-based Google Inc.
Lenovo also has agreed to pre-load Windows live in laptop and desktop computers.
Microsoft Details ‘Centro’ Mid-Size Business Software Suite
November 8, 2007
Windows Essential Business Server will be a bundled install of multiple Microsoft server products and initially targeted at companies with 25 to 250 computers.
Microsoft gave the small business server bundle code-named Centro its final name, Windows Essential Business Server, on Wednesday and announced the product would be available to more testers early next year with the aim to ship it by the end of 2008.
Until now, Microsoft’s been rather tight-lipped about Windows Essential Business Server nee Centro, with few details slipping out. But the company’s opening up. Windows Essential Business Server, initially targeted at companies with 25 to 250 computers, will be a bundled install of multiple Microsoft server products.
Microsoft estimates there are 1.2 million businesses of this size worldwide. Many of them have complex IT requirements. “Their infrastructures really rival those of enterprises,” says Russ Madlener, director of product planning for the Windows Server solutions group. Microsoft’s Small Business Server includes a number of different products installed together on one physical server, but medium-sized companies need more scale and better reliability than they can get with one server.
There will be both a Standard Edition and Premium Edition for the product. Both are based on Windows Server 2008. The Standard Edition will include Exchange Server 2007 for messaging, Forefront Security for Exchange, System Center Essentials for management and Internet Security and Acceleration Server aka ISA Server for firewalling and security. This will be installed across three separate servers, one each for e-mail, management and security. The Premium Edition will add the next version of SQL Server.
Though companies could buy all of these products today, Windows Essential Business Server should cut costs and deployment headaches to a minimum, since the bundle will be cheaper than buying everything separately and easier to install since it’ll all be integrated.
One license will handle all the products together, installation will automatically be done according to best practices and IT admins will have a single administration console from which to manage all of the products.
The management console will be extensible. Already, companies including CA, Citrix, Full Armor, Symantec and Trend Micro have built add-ins so that their products can be centrally managed in the same place. HP and IBM, both OEM partners for Windows Essential Business Server, are building additional add-ons to administer their hardware management software from the console.