Sunday 14 December 2014

Et You

You are infinite... You are birthless and deathless.
You are immortal, yet, mortality conquers you
You are a creator, yet, you worship

You are a slave; as such, you chose to be
You are a master; as such you chose to be
You are choice itself; as such, you decide what to be.

You are God's very own painting
You are that perfection of his own image;
you are You.


- Khan M. R. Abir


Monday 6 October 2014

HOPE: An extinction

Its tough...

Its rough...

and above all else, its not fun...at all...

Rather a depressed soul who had undergone similar melancholic experiences in the past, would ideally be able to understand what I mean, what it truly means.

3rd of July till date...its been slightly more than 3 months. Since that day, I have met many women, drink-bed-goodbye. Drank enough to say that I don't want the next pint any more..of course that's not yet true.

Last night, I thought of her. A lot. I thought of all the things we did together, we had done. It felt like as if there still was hope for once. I could still get her back. She can still be mine. I missed her. I missed her a lot then...I began night-dreaming once again, after a long time. My dreams were still the same. It was still about how I could have done things a bit more different that night at the bar or even before that. Or what if I just stayed and drank with my colleagues? Or simply drank at home. 

When reality kicks in...you begin to hate yourself even more. When you realize that HOPE is extinct for that past we had together. HOPE is lost...

But even if I were to just get a small glimpse of it, I would go to the ends of the world to bring her back. Do anything I could to bring back the girl I loved for the first time ever in my life..I'd like to keep that forever. But HOPE was lost..

The next day, I saw a recent picture of her in my email account. I was not stalking her, instead it was as if HOPE wanted me to see it for myself. I was dead inside..again. She looked as beautiful as ever, those eyes, the nose, the hair...I missed everything about her that instant. But the irony was HOPE only wanted to tease me, when it clearly knew that it is lost for good.

Life is this one cruel journey.... 

The irony is physical pain lasts only a few days, pain where you actually bleed or break a bone or two and YET its the emotional one that gets the best of us. 

As much as I'd like to say that - from the mind of a rational being all things can be discussed and all problems be resolved through time or constructive negotiations, yet most of us prefer emotions to take the better of us.

The girl I loved, cared for, changed for...is gone, and RATIONALITY will not bring her back.


Thursday 2 October 2014

Hidden Imprint

Sam...you ready yet? I am going to leave in 5, make sure your things are all packed.

Yes Dad. I'm almost done.

Great, I'll meet you in the car.

The father and son duo had just moved in to their new house yesterday. 3500 sq ft, 5 bedrooms, 2 living rooms and a 'gigantic' kitchen, which was ironic for two single males who knew little of what cooking is. Marcia had died of cancer when Sam was only 2 years old. Damon, who not only was heart-broken from his short-lived marriage with Marcia, but also, at the same time had lost his corporate job as an investment banker at a global investment firm in Kuala Lumpur. As much as he'd like to curse the global recession, he cared very little about it since, apart from the great severance package he had received from the company, his personal savings and various other investments, his wife's life insurance was what made a major difference. He was filthy RICH!

With a young son to look after and not a care in this world, the both moved back to Cape May, his home town in New Jersey.

Damon had not been back home for almost two decades. He left Cape May after both his parents had died of an accident when he was only 12... His uncle, who also was his Godfather, took responsibility of him and brought him to Kuala Lumpur to assist him with his healthcare business.

....
Sam was now running down the stairs to meet up with his Dad, when there was a silent but sharp sound that came from behind him. It was as if someone had called out to him, they knew who he was.
Forcefully ignoring that sound, he ran out of the house to meet his Dad. They left for on father-son day out to Six-Flags.

....
They were back home the next evening. After dinner, both of them were tired and decided to go to bed early.

02:31 a.m....Damon wakes up from his sleep after hearing noises coming out from Sam's room. It was a cry of fear and pain. Damon quickly jumps out of his bed to run to his son's room.

Sam's face was pale with fear...Cold sweat all running through his forehead. He sat-up partially on his bed to see his Dad's face. The lights weren't turning on. His Dad quietly walks towards Sam while whispering "It's Ok buddy, I am here, it was just a nightmare, you're gonna be alright..."

Once he goes to hug Sam on his bed, Sam whispers to his Dad's ears -

"There is someone under the bed."

Damon give his son a blank look, but does not hesitate to check what's there.

He kneels on the ground and looks under the bed to see if there really is 'someone' there..

He sees Sam.

"Ssssshhhhh Dad, there's someone sitting on my bed and I don't know who it is..."




Thursday 14 August 2014

The Ghost in Me

Hey wake up!..its 12 in the afternoon.

It alright..its a Sunday, what's the big deal? Give me a break, I deserve a well-deserved sleep.
Yes I do. I deserve a well-deserved sleep...

No...You don't. You shouldn't..Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up!

Alright! I am UP!

Go to the pool..Swim, you need to, you planned it two days ago. You said you would, now you should. Go to the pool, be there for an hour. Swim.

OK, Fine...Let me wash my face.

OK.

I wash my face, put on my trunks and go downstairs to the pool. There's a few people there, mostly tourists and business executives. Some in the pool and some lying down in the chairs. I quickly wash myself before I get into the pool. I enter. It was refreshing, it felt good. It got me active. It took me 37 minutes to take 15 lengths. I relaxed after that for another 10 minutes. Then I got up to wash my myself in the shower and sat down to in one of the empty chairs to relax for a bit.

It was 1 hour 10 minutes...

Get Up! Come back home! Its time to work on your project. You need to have it delivered in the next 2 days. You need to complete the last bit. So get up! Now!

Ok! Fine, I'm UP!

I head back home. Freshen up, grab a smoke, then sit infront of my laptop to begin working on my project. After 2 hours and 12 minutes, I am done. I complete the project which I kept pending for almost a month. I finished it...O the satisfaction..I felt alive and happy. It was complete.

Hey! Thank you for pulling my leg, I feel awesome now.

Yes, I know..You should feel awesome, you deserve a drink. Go grab yourself a shot of whisky and play some 'chill-out' music. By the way, have you fed the cat yet? Oh yeah, you didn't, do that before you relax.

Sure, consider it done!

I feed the cat, then get my whisky glass from the kitchen cabinet, put some ice-cubes into the glass and then cover it with some of that tasty Irish elixir - Jameson..I play some deep-house music and then relax in my living room sofa. I loved the sofa's! They are really comfortable. Especially when you have a smoke in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It felt like a well-deserved treat.

After my second sip, I let my thoughts run loose. I think about spontaneous things. Occurrences of my past. Things that if I wasn't so relaxed, I would never have given a shit about. But I feel good thinking about those things. I felt happy...

In the span of 4 hours, I have 3 on-the-rocks and 4 sticks. Then felt a bit lethargic, so went to my bedroom to lie down and watch some series online.

I get up from bed after an hour. Do some push-ups on the floor. Wash my face. Go outside to grab some food. I felt like having some Arabic food tonight. I went to the Arabic restaurant infront of my condominium. I liked their food, it tasted good.

It was almost 5 p.m. I called up a friend to check on what he was doing. He was not doing much, so asked me to drop by. He couldn't leave the house, because his wife was pregnant and was nearing her 4th month. He was a nice guy.

I left my house, took a cab and went over to his place. He had a bottle of whisky, so we began drinking and having a chat. Talked a while, business, philosophy, politics...mostly guy talks. Felt good.

I left his house, a bit tipsy, waved at a cab, came back to my condominium.

You should go to sleep now, ...You have work tomorrow. Try sleeping before 11.

Sure, I will.

Have a glass of water before you go to sleep. You don't want a hangover tomorrow.

Yup! I sure as hell don't want a hangover on a Monday!..heh..

I change and get to bed. It was 10:48 p.m.

The voice now becomes a whisper...

You did good today. You followed through. Today you have loved yourself. Today the 'Good' conscious had beaten the 'Evil' one. If you do this more often, life will be different for you... Wealth-Power-Love..the three dogs or masters for every individual..Today...they were your faithful dogs...

Wealth...you finished your project and had it delivered to your client...you didn't delay any longer, like you did before. Tomorrow you shall bear the fruit when you see the numbers in your Bank Account...increase.

Power...You Swam. You did push-ups. That is power. You had the power to do this. Your 'Will' to decide doing these fruitful activities today, when you could have slept the entire time and lazed around the house. You didn't...

Love...the most deadly of all three...what you did today, was only possible if you loved yourself..if there was no love for yourself, neither the wealth nor the power could have been achieved...but you have done it...

KUDOS! my friend....kudos..

I went to sleep..and the Ghost switched off the lights.

Saturday 11 May 2013

Politics in Heaven


Politics in Heaven


There lay a kingdom by the sea,
That shone alone in magnificent beauty and zeal.
A wondrous pile of earth it was,
E'ven the insects dare not enter into its crust.

The Lords of heaven, heard of tis' land;
Their servants’ intolerance towards their plan,
Grew a certain curiosity amongst them,
They wondered how tis' hath happened to pass their realm.
Thus, a meeting was called by the board of the Gods,
"We need to find the cause of this" shouted the Lords.

And many gathered in all shapes and size,
To discuss on this matter and destroy its pride.
"What should we do?" saith one of the Lords;
"Should we destroy it? Burn it? Or consume it with floods?"
None agreed to a plan that sufficed.
Alas, a voice was heard from tis' crowd of vice.

"Politics!" saith a frail voice from below.
It then flew above the Lords in an Angel’ish glow.
The crowd murmured with the sound of that word.
"What thus thou mean? O Dark one from the ground?”
The head of the Lords had asked with a frown.
“T’was your very creation, my Lord” saith the stranger,
“It has been the best device, since mankind was known.
I have used it for chaos, to destroy and confuse,
Except tis’ nation, you talk of; I dared not abuse.
My power of politics is too weak for tis’ land,
Their gates of iron chases ‘Politics’ from its stand.”
But your powers combined, my dearest Lords can you break,
Tis’ land of its virtue and pride, which is all yours to take.”

The stranger then stood his grounds,
Awaiting for the Lords to come to a sound.
Alas! The head of them hath come to terms.
“What thus ye have in mind? O dark one, what is thy plan?
The stranger grinned silently and then whispered his plans to the Lord;
And vanished, as it hath come, without a noise.

A fine day t’was, down at the land,
Just like any other, except happier with every hand.
Lo! Came a visitor present at their gates.
“What business thus thou have at our land my friend?”

“I have heard of tales bout’ thy land from afar,
Now my eyes rest in peace from thy sight of tis’ star.
I bring thy gift, tis’ book so old.
It comes from the North and would rest gloriously in your beauty’s tomb.”
The stranger saith not a word more and began his way back.
The land confused at tis’ gift, and gave curiosity to take its plan.
Thus, the Land took the gift by its study to read,
And read it did the stranger’s gift of reed.

Years hath passed and seasons gone.
The stranger hath come again, to visit the ‘once’ beautiful throne.
No expression was made, as though t’was planned.
The stranger entered the city and walked bout’ its land.
“What have thou done to us? O stranger of the North
Tis’ beauty of a land has destroyed itself and now tis’ beauty has gone.”

“T’was was Politics, my Sire’, the tricks of the Gods.
Your land required it, to fill the coffers of the Lords.”
The Land was confused and wandered how tis’ could have come.
The nature’s way of taking things was a better way to have gone.

The stranger thus grinned and whispered to the Land,
“Now tis’ disease is yours my Sire, it’s yours to command.”
And vanished he did, without a noise;
The Land confused, whilst the Gods rejoice.

Thus, there lay a kingdom by the sea,
That was dull, filled with darkness and thriving felony,
A large pile of abyss it was,
Filled with insects that roamed its crust.

-      Khan M. R. Abir


Sunday 24 February 2013

Beating "Plagiarism Softwares" through Simple Tech Tricks!


IT scholar says PDF tweaks allow students' copied work to evade detection.

Turnitin WriteCheck™ Technological loopholes allow savvy students to beat academic plagiarism software, an IT expert has warned.

James Heather, senior lecturer in computing at the University of Surrey, has revealed that plagiarism detection systems such as Turnitin that are routinely used by universities are open to simple cheats allowing students to evade detection when submitting copied material.

The software works by extracting text from an essay or assignment and checking whether it matches text from other sources, such as documents available online.

But in a new paper, "Turnitoff: identifying and fixing a hole in current plagiarism detection software", Dr Heather reveals that beating the system is simple.

"In their current incarnation, one can easily create a document that passes the plagiarism check regardless of how much copied material it contains. When there are loopholes that can be exploited, they give the operator a false assurance that a submission is original."

The study, which appears in the journal Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, demonstrates ways in which students can modify plagiarised work to avoid detection.

"If we can stop the text from being properly extracted from the document, without affecting how the document looks and prints, then the software will not be able to identify any plagiarised material," Dr Heather writes.

Students aware of this loophole could get around the system by converting a plagiarised essay to PDF format, he says, and then altering the corresponding "character map" - a map of the sequence of characters used in the text. Although the text would remain visually unaltered, extracts tested by the plagiarism software would be garbled, and so matches would not be detected.

Or, he says, students could rearrange character codes, or "glyphs", in the PDF so they no longer correspond to the alphabet and "the link between the text and its printed representation will be broken".

In this scenario a tutor could print out and read the essay, but the computer running the detection software would scan nonsense.

Finally, students could convert text into a series of Bezier curves to represent the shape of letters rather than using the characters themselves.

"If there is no text, then the plagiarism detection cannot function," the paper notes.

Dr Heather argues that requiring students to submit work in Microsoft Word is not a solution to the problem; students could simply convert a doctored PDF into Word.

Instead, he says, universities should supplement detection systems with a secondary optical character recognition (OCR) program.

"The only reliable way to make certain that the extracted text matches what is represented on the printed page is to use OCR," the paper concludes.

Such a system attempts to "do the same thing as the human reader of the submission: take a rendered copy of the work and interpret the marks that appear on the page. This immediately counters all attempts to alter the internals of the document."

This method places a burden on a university's server, costing time and money. But free OCR software is available and universities should make use of it, Dr Heather says.

A spokesman for Turnitin said the cheating methods required a high level of technical skill but the company is working to detect when tricks have been used.

(Source: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=414881)

Thursday 16 August 2012

Production of Steel

1.       The Production of Steel
The production of steel is indeed a complex process which if not handled carefully can lead to accidents and the failure of receiving a good end product. The process of manufacturing steel is a long and tedious one that undergoes various procedures in order for the end product to transform into a fine and quality driven output. Provided below are the various steps explained briefly, about the manufacture of steel and its by-products.

i.                    The Raw Materials and the Coke Oven The raw materials used for the manufacture of steel are Iron Ore Pellets (i.e. small pebbles of raw Iron Deposits), Coal and Limestone (and Dolime in many cases). The coal is then converted to coke (tiny particles of coal) in the coke ovens. The impurities removed from refining the coal are usually sold in the market place as by-products. The newly refined coal is called ‘metallurgical coke’ or pure carbon. This metallurgical coke is used in the blast furnace while the limestone reserves are used to remove impurities.


  The Production of Steel

ii.                  Blast Furnace
This is considered a very essential part of steelmaking. The use of blast furnaces has been around for centuries.
Due to the drastic advancement in technology, the process of manufacturing steel has changed into a more sophisticated one. Many companies have different methods and techniques of manufacturing steel. After the iron ore is converted into molten metal by the Blast Furnace the output then undergoes a process called the “Basic Oxygen Furnace”. The basic oxygen furnace is a 300 tonnes oxygen converter. “70% iron and 30% recycled steel are mixed with other alloys in the 300-ton basic oxygen steelmaking furnace to create the metallurgical qualities which suit the customer’s end requirements” (METSOC, 2011). After the molten metal is converted into molten steel by the basic oxygen furnace it is then sent to the Steel Refining Facility.


iii.                Steel Refining Facility
The molten steel is sent in to the steel refining facility where the molten steel is refined into a fine and pure form of steel. This newly reformed and pure state of steel is then sent to the continuous casting plant to be converted into slabs of steel.
iv.                 Continuous Casting
The refined molten steel is poured into a casting machine to be converted into solid slabs of steel.


2.       A Brief study on the production of Steel in ArcelorMittal S.A.
ArcelorMittal is the largest manufacturers of steel in the world with 10% of the worlds steel production being produced by them (Fortune Global 500, 2010). Provided below is a brief study on the production of stainless steel in ArcelorMittal’s plant located in Paris, France.
a.       Stage 1 – The Melt Shop
The use of raw materials, mostly recycled stainless steel and ferro-alloys is converted into molten metal using an electric arc furnace with a melting capacity of up to 160 tonnes. The molten is then transferred to a converter. Alloying elements are added into the converted to obtain the chemical composition thus allowing the production of standard grades.

The ladle metallurgy consists of the addition of some alloying elements in order to obtain the similar chemical composition and the correct temperature before the continuous casting process. The produced molten steel is then poured, cooled and then solidified when undergoing the continuous casting process. During this stage, the maximum width of the steel is determined. The solid steel I cut with an oxygen flame into steel slabs that are up to 30 tonnes in weight, up to 12 metres in length, 200 mm thick and up to 2 metres wide. Some of the steel slabs are then ground in order to remove surface defects before being shipped to the hot rolling mill.
b.      Stage 2 – Hot Rolling Mill
This process takes place in the ArcelorMittal Chatelet and involves the reheating of the steel slabs in a furnace at a temperature of 1250 °C.  The first reduction of the steel slabs with regards to thickness is from 200 mm to 40 mm after several passes on the roughing mill. The thermal tunnel is responsible for maintaining the temperature of the steel slabs that are reduced in thickness.
The slab then is passed through a series of 7 rolling stands to reach a reduced size of approximately 3 mm in thickness. The metal is then cooled and wound to form coils or also known as “black coils” due to their oxidized nature and then shipped to ArcelorMittal’s annealing and pickling plant. ArcelorMittal also sells black coil to customers upon request.
Fig 2.1 Conversion of Steel Slabs into Black Coils
c.       Stage 3 – Annealing and Pickling
The Black coils are then heated in the annealing furnace. This step allows the recovery of the stainless steel. The oxides of the surface of the steel are broken down by shot blasting.
The pickling process in the acid baths followed by water cleaning and air drying results in the transformation of the black coils into white coils with no surface oxide; this is called the HRAP finish. At this stage, the white coils or HRAP coils can be sold in the market without cold rolling or further surface finishing.
d.      Stage 4 – Cold Rolling and Final Annealing
This stage allows the reduction of the thickness of the HRAP coil strips down to minimum of 0.3 mm to meet the customer’s final requirements for stainless steel. A final annealing provides the required properties for the use of the customer. The cold rolling process helps produce the flatness of the stainless steel together with an enhanced surface finish suitable for household appliances (e.g. Stainless-steel cutleries).
e.      Stage 5 – Metal Finishing
The end product is then slit to width and cut in to length also allowing for some specific surface finishes to be made. These metal finishing operations are carried out in ArcelorMittals’s production plants and through their network of service centres. The end products, according to ArcelorMittal, are 100% recyclable at the end of their life.

 3.       Reference(s)
METSOC. (2011). Steel Production Flow-Sheet. Available: http://www.metsoc.org/virtualtour/processes/steel.asp. Last accessed 11th February, 2012
Cable News Network (CNN). (2010). Fortune Global 500 2010: The World's Biggest Companies - ArcelorMittal - MT. Available: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2010/snapshots/11208.html. Last accessed 10th February, 2012.
ArcelorMittal . (2009). What is Stainless Steel? Manufacturing Process. ArcelorMittal Paris Stainless Europe. 1 (1-5), p1-5.





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