Making Amends — for Eid and Beyond

Forgiveness is in the air this time of year – all the more reason to acknowledge the importance of letting go of the past for...

During Eid, many of us make an effort to visit one another, ask for forgiveness and make amends. For most of us, it is the easiest time of year to do so. But on other occasions, we hesitate to be the first to apologise. After all, it’s not an easy thing to do. Many of us live in a state of anger and non-forgiveness of others, especially towards those who we feel did us wrong. This will cause regret down the road if the window of opportunity to forgive or ask for forgiveness closes.

Why is making amends so important? In a Bukhari hadith, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, ‘Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to people.’ This indicates the importance of both giving and asking for forgiveness. Failure to do so is the main reason why people do not move forward and achieve success in their lives. Have you ever felt stressed or heavy with negative emotion within yourself about an unresolved issue with someone? This negative emotion, left unreleased, will create future relationship problems with others and affect you on emotional, spiritual, mental and health levels. You need to forgive yourself, forgive the other person and make amends with the past. As long as you find it impossible to make amends, you are allowing the pain, trauma or negativity to live within you. A powerful analogy illustrates this concept. ‘Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die’ (author unknown). When we do not forgive we are actually hurting ourselves and our future success in life.

When deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future

Perhaps you have been the one who has caused hurt to another in the past. Or maybe you have been hurt by someone else. By making amends, you acknowledge the importance to release this negative incident so as to start a new chapter in your relationship and your life. A wonderful quote I love by Mary Karen Read, mentioned in the last entry of her journal before she was killed in the Virginia Tech shootings of 2007, reads as follows: ‘When deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.’

When making amends, you must first face your feelings and take responsibility for them. Perhaps at the point in time when the negative situation occurred, you caused – or felt – hurt, which made the situation get out of hand. It is tempting to defend your feelings and actions with blame, justification and criticism. Instead, admit your desire to apologise and forgive the other person, so that you can both move on positively in your lives. Why would you want to keep avoiding each other and put up false appearances?

Here are some ways you can start:

·         Change your state of mind. If you still feel upset about the past, focus instead on the benefits of making amends

·         Take responsibility for the situation. Even if you feel that you were not completely at fault, do not justify the situation. The point of making amends is to acknowledge that your mistakes played a part in the situation, and move forward

·         Use the incident as a learning curve in your life. All challenges are tests by Allah, and they are given to us because we are able to overcome them (Qur’an, Al-Baqarah, 2:286)

·         Face your resentment and start the forgiveness process before meeting the person. Imagine yourself talking to the person lovingly and say what you have to say

·         Take some time to cool off and heal, but do not take too long because resentment is unhealthy

·         Write a letter to the person prior to meeting with him or her to express how you feel. Check what you have written. If you detect any negativity in your words, rewrite the letter until you feel only love coming out of the message. You should mail the letter to the person. A handwritten letter is better than an email or text message. I always recommend writing a letter, even to a person with whom you did not get a chance to make amends – for example, a deceased person or someone who cannot be contacted

People with unresolved forgiveness issues will experience problems in their relationships, confidence and careers in the future. Make amends as soon as possible and do not wait for that once a year occasion. You may even develop a stronger bond with that person.

We are all souls who will ultimately go back to Allah. Making amends brings peace to our souls. With that, we can look forward to a better chance at success in this world and the Hereafter.

Source: Making Amends — for Eid and Beyond

The Race

Indian Management

Once upon a time there was an Indian rowing team

India and Japan agreed to do an annual rowing race. Each team should contain 8 men.

Both teams worked really hard to get in the best shape. The day the race started both teams were in similar condition. ....the Japanese won by 1 mile.

The mood in the Indian team was really close to the freeze point. The top management decided to win the race next year. So they established a team of analysts to observe the situation and recommend an appropriate solution.

After several detailed analysis the team found out that Japanese had 7 rowers and only one captain.

Of course the Indian team had 7 captains but only one rower.

Facing such critical scenario the management showed an unexpected wisdom: they hired the consulting company to restructure the Indian team.

After several months the consultants came up with the conclusion that there were too many captains and too few rowers in the Indian team. A solution was proposed based on this analysis: the structure of the Indian team has to be changed!

As of today there will be only 4 captains in the team led by 2 managers, one top-manager and one rower. Besides that, they suggested to improve the rower’s working environment and to give him higher competencies.

Next year the Japanese won by 2 miles.

The Indian team immediatelly displaced the rower from the team based on his unsatisfactory performance.

But the bonus award was paid to the management for the strong motivation the the team showed during the preparation phase.

The consulting company prepared a new analysis, which showed that the strategy was good, the motivation was O.K. but the used tool has to be improved.

Currently the Indian team is designing a new boat.

Abu Raihan Al-Beruni

By Dr. Amer Rauf

Abu Raihan Mohammad Ibn Ahmad al-Biruni was one of the well-known figures associated with the court of King Mahmood Ghaznawi, who was one of the famous Muslim kings of the 11th century C.E. Al-Biruni was a versatile scholar and scientist who had equal facility in physics, metaphysics, mathematics, geography and history. Born in the city of Kheva near "Ural" in 973 C.E., he was a contemporary of the well-known physician Ibn Sina. At an early age, the fame of his scholarship went around and when Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi conquered his homeland, he took al-Biruni along with him in his journeys to India several times and thus he had the opportunity to travel all over India during a period of 20 years. He died in 1048 C.E. at the age of 75, after having spent 40 years in thus gathering knowledge and making his own original contributions to it.

He recorded observations of his travels through India in his well-known book Kitab al-Hind which gives a graphic account of the historical and social conditions of the sub-continent. His descriptions of India were so complete that even the Aein-i-Akbari written by Abu-al- Fadal during the reign of Akbar, 600 years later, owes a great deal to al-Biruni's book. He observed that the Indus valley must be considered as an ancient sea basin filled up with alluvial.

On his return from India, al-Biruni wrote his famous book Qanun-i Masoodi (al-Qanun al-Masudi, fi al-Hai'a wa al-Nujum), which he dedicated to Sultan Masood. The book discusses several theories of astronomy, trigonometry, solar, lunar, and planetary motions and relative topics. In another well-known book al-Athar al-Baqia, he has attempted a connected account of ancient history of nations and the related geographical knowledge. In this book, he has discussed the rotation of the earth and has given correct values of latitudes and longitudes of various places. He has also made considerable contribution to several aspects of physical and economic geography in this book.

His other scientific contributions include the accurate determination of the densities of 18 different stones. He also wrote the Kitab-al-Saidana, which is an extensive materia medica that combines the then existing Arabic knowledge on the subject with the Indian medicine. His book the Kitab-al-Jamahir deals with the properties of various precious stones. He was also an astrologer and is reputed to have astonished people by the accuracy of his predictions. He gave a clear account of numerals, elaborating the principle of position.

He developed a method for trisection of angle and other problems which cannot be solved with a ruler and a compass alone. Al-Biruni discussed, centuries before the rest of the world, the question whether the earth rotates around its axis or not. He was the first to undertake experiments related to astronomical phenomena. His scientific method, taken together with that of other Muslim scientists, such as Ibn al-Haitham, laid down the early foundation of modern science. He ascertained that as compared with the speed of sound the speed of light is immense. He explained the working of natural springs and artesian wells by the hydrostatic principle of communicating vessels. His investigations included description of various monstrosities, including that known as "Siamese" twins. He observed that flowers have 3,4,5,6, or 18 petals, but never 7 or 9.

He wrote a number of books and treatises. These books include Kitab-al- Hind (History and Geography of India), al-Qanun al-Masudi (Astronomy, Trigonometry), al-Athar al-Baqia (Ancient History and Geography), Kitab al-Saidana (Materia Medica) and Kitab al-Jawahir (Precious Stones) and his book al-Tafhim-li-Awail Sina'at al-Tanjim which gives a summary of mathematics and astronomy.

He has been considered as one of the very greatest scientists of Islam, and, all considered, one of the greatest of all times. His critical spirit, love of truth, and scientific approach were combined with a sense of toleration. It is amazing that he determined the diameter of earth centuries before the invention of the meteorological satellite. The value of the diameter of earth determined by Al- Biruni is found to be almost same as determined today by the modern meteorological satellite . The difference between the diameter of earth determined by Al- Biruni and that of satellite is of only few meters. It shows the accuracy of the method developed by Al- Biruni.It is a real tragedy that at present we do not know the exact method through which Al-Biruni had determined the diameter of earth. He was the first scientist who had calculated and given the correct values of latitudes and longitudes of earth at various places. In order to determined the motion and position of earth, son , moon and various stars , he established with the help of Muslim states several well equipped astronomical observatories. He was the first scientist who established the fact that the speed of light is far greater than the speed of sound. He also determined that the earth rotates along its axis and that is how days and nights are formed. 

At present, we find a big gap between the Muslim scientists of the past and today. The knowledge and the contribution of the Muslim scientists was not transferred to the new generation of Muslim scientists. Whatever the Muslim scientists are doing today is only the extension of the work of the non Muslim scientists. Most of the original work contributed by the Muslim scientists of past is either attributed to the non Muslim scientists or no longer existing. There is a need to elaborate and further extent the work of past Muslim scientists . In this regards we should form the independent institutes for research in science and these research institutes should be run under the guidance of Ulama . The Lama should assure that whatever research is carried out in these institutions is not against the Islam and fully compliant to Shari’a. 

Source: Abu Raihan Al-Beruni

Beauty products you can make yourself

By Mdhil

If you’re concerned about the chemicals in your beauty products, then this is a must read!

A recent report by the World Health Organisation issued a warning against many skin-lightening products that have mercury as an ingredient. Mercury, a popular ingredient in such cosmetics, the WHO warned, can cause health hazards ranging from kidney damage to skin rashes.

Commercially produced products are typically loaded with chemicals, and many unfairly withhold full information about what goes into their creams and shampoos. If you’re concerned about it, why not make your own beauty products at home. They are cheap, trustworthy and easy to make.

Easy-to-make beauty products

Homemade antiperspirants

BAKING POWDER

Add a teaspoon of water (enough to get it wet) to a teaspoon of baking soda. Put this in a bottle and store in refrigerator, and it will last you for a week. Before use, if required add a few drops of water and apply underarms. You’ll find that it acts as an effective antiperspirant agent, and keeps foul body odour away. Alternatively, you could also dust off baking like powder.

However, the flipside to using baking soda is that you can’t use it if you’re wearing a sleeveless shirt or dress, as it is likely to leave a white residue.

ROSEWATER

Pour some rosewater onto a cotton wool and apply underarms. This one works wonders to keep you sweat free and also lets out a mellow fragrance. Try it today!

Natural skincare

Homemade facial cleanser

HONEY+LIME

Brighten your skin naturally with this. Mix four teaspoons of honey and a teaspoon of lime juice. Pour this mixture into an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator. Pour some onto your palm and apply evenly onto your face, arms or any other part of your body you want to brighten. Leave for 10 minutes and wash off with warm water. This also works as a good facial cleanser.

GRAM FLOUR

Say goodbye to that expensive face-wash. Mix a teaspoon of gram flour and a teaspoon of milk or curd. Apply on face, rub gently and wash off with warm water. Voila, soft, clean skin is yours.

Home-made face scrub

GREEN-GRAM POWDER

Dry roast four teaspoons of green-gram dal and coarsely grind it in a mixer grinder. Store in jar. Before use, add a few drops of milk and lime and use as a facial scrub. This one gently exfoliates your skin, removing dirt, grime and dead cells. Use it twice a week before going to bed. Follow it up with one of our do-it-yourself facemasks (Coming up soon).

OATMEAL

Coarsely grind oatmeal, mix milk and honey and use it to exfoliate your skin. This works well for dry, damaged skin. Try it today!

Face mask

EGG WHITE

Egg white works wonders on your skin. It helps tighten pores and improves skin elasticity. Separate the egg white from the yolk. Evenly apply the white of the egg on your face, and wash off after 10 minutes or as you feel your skin tighten.

MULTANI MITTI

Why spend hundreds of rupees on a purifying clay mask when the age-old Indian clay powder, multani mitti, will just cost you Rs 30 or less, and is as natural as it gets. If you have oily skin, mix multani mitti and rosewater to a paste-like consistency and prepare a mask. If you have dry skin, use milk or curd.

BANANA+HONEY+LIME

Hydrate your skin with this mask. Mash half a banana, a teaspoon of honey and a few drops of lime. Apply on face, leave for 10-15 minutes and wash off.

Say goodbye to pimples, naturally!

GARLIC

Take one clove of garlic. Slice it and apply the juice on your pimple. Let it dry and wash it off after half an hour. This works well in case of an occasional pimple or two.  It is likely to cause mild irritation.

NEEM LEAVES+TURMERIC

Wash and grind a cup of neem leaves with a few teaspoons of water, and add a pinch of turmeric. Store this in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Once a week, evenly apply the paste onto your face and wash it off the next morning. Neem and turmeric both have antibacterial properties, and also help control oil secretion.

SANDALWOOD PASTE

You can either get yourself a sandalwood stick or powder. Use rosewater to make a paste and apply a thin coat on your face. Leave it on overnight and rinse with warm water. Sandalwood too is known to have antibacterial properties. It also regulates oil secretion.

Hair care

Homemade shampoo

EGG+LIME+OLIVE OIL+SHIKAKAI

Make your own shampoo with these ingredients: 1 whole egg, 1 tsp. of olive oil/coconut oil/almond oil, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 3 teaspoons of soapnut (shikakai) powder, ½ cup green tea.  Put all the ingredients in a mixie and blend well. Pour the mixture into an air-tight container and store in refrigerator. This will last you for a month.

GREEN TEA+HONEY+BAKING SODA

Take 1 cup of green tea, add a teaspoon of honey and baking soda. Baking soda helps scrub away all the dirt and grime in your hair. Honey and green tea will condition it to give you long lustrous locks.

Homemade lip-balm

ALOE VERA+VITAMIN-E OIL

While home-grown aloe vera would be ideal, you could also buy aloe vera gel off the shelf. Take 2 teaspoons of aloe vera gel, and ½ a teaspoon of vitamin-E oil (buy a strip of vitamin-E capsules from a nearby pharmacy). Mix it well with a spoon and pour into a clean container. Use this to keep your lips hydrated.

Homemade lip colour

BEETROOT

Well, all you’ll get is shades of red. Finely grind half a beetroot and pour into a container and refrigerate it. If you want bright red, apply it as it is. If not, pour some onto your palm and dilute it with a few drops of water. Before you leave, apply an even coat onto your lips using a cotton bud. Top it up with a coat of Vaseline. This will give your lips added colour naturally.

Homemade lip gloss

HONEY

This one is super simple. After applying a tint of colour, coat your lips with honey. Honey adds instant shine and gloss to your lips. However, ensure you don’t lick it.

Homemade hair mask

EGG WHITE

Egg white can nourish your hair and give it shine and vitality. Use an egg beater and mix 2 egg whites. Apply onto your hair and scalp, and leave it on for a couple of hours. Rinse it off in cold water and shampoo your hair as usual.

CURD+LIME

Mix the juice of half lime in a cup of curd. Apply it evenly onto your hair, using a brush. Leave it in for an hour, and rinse with a mild shampoo.

Home remedies for shiny, soft hair

LEFTOVER BEER

Have some left over beer? Flat beer makes for an excellent hair conditioner. Leave an open bottle of beer for a day. Wash your hair with a mild shampoo and follow it up with that beer for a final rinse. The result: soft, shiny hair!

LEMON

Add the juice of one lime in a mug of water and use it for your last rinse.

Please exercise precaution while using any these home remedies. Avoid using any of these products if you’re allergic to it.

Source:

·         Beauty products you can make yourself

·         Make your own beauty products

Hong Kong - A Muslim-friendly destination

Hong Kong has been home to a vibrant Muslim community for more than a century. Today, there is an estimate of 220,000 Muslims* amidst Hong Kong’s 7 million population. Muslim visitors will feel welcomed from the moment they enter the country to conducting their daily religious duties. There is also a range of restaurants throughout the city that serve Halal food, with Halal Restaurant Certificate issued by the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong.

In its ongoing effort to attract Muslim tourists, Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) recently co-hosted a Hong Kong Muslim Workshop with Hong Kong tour operator, Uni Asia Tours, to update the local trade members on the latest tourism developments in Hong Kong and showcase its Muslim-friendly facilities and services. Among those present were Hong Kong trade partners such as Big Bus Tours, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Ocean Park Hong Kong, Cosmo Mongkok Hotel, Cosmopolitan Hotel, Regal Airport Hotel and Mufti Haji Muhammad Arshad, the Chief Imam of Hong Kong and Chief Imam of Kowloon Mosque, was also present at the workshop to share some of the key facilities catered for the Muslim community.

Hong Kong's Chief Imam Mufti Haji Muhammad Arshad shared in his presentation, "Amongst the amenities and attractions catered to Muslim visitors are Hong Kong's major mosques and there are also restaurants throughout the city which serve Halal cuisine such as Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern, Western and Chinese." The briefing aims to provide the local trade members in Malaysia a better understanding on the Muslim friendly's facilities in Hong Kong and share insights to assist them to cater to their Muslim clients' needs in tour planning to Hong Kong.

To cater to the needs of Muslim travellers to Hong Kong, HKTB has launched a revamped Muslim Guide. This handy guide introduces the places to visit, halal restaurants and information on mosques around Hong Kong. With this guidebook, Muslim visitors can be assured of the convenience and minimise the language barrier when in Hong Kong.

Some of the key highlights from the Muslim Guide include:

1. Mosques

Masjid Jamia

If you are in the vicinity of the Central Mid-Levels escalator, make a trip to the oldest mosque in Hong Kong. Every Friday, hundreds of devout Muslims from around the world pass through its gates for weekly prayers. The mosque also conducts Quran recital and religious class for children almost every evening.

Address: 30, Shelley Street, Central

Tel: 852 2523 7743

Masjid Kowloon

Situated just beside the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR and right in front of Grandville road, the Kowloon mosque is one of the most well-known buildings in Hong Kong because of its imposing minarets. In addition to having four floors, the mosque can hold approximately 5,000 people in its main prayer hall. Just like other mosques in Hong Kong, Kowloon mosques holds religious classes for both children and adults.

Address: 105, Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

Tel: 852 2724 0095

Masjid Ammar & Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre

This eight-floor-building has everything under one roof including a mosque, office of the Islamic Body, kindergarten, library and eating area. Three main Islamic organisations have set up their offices here - the Hong Kong Islam Association, the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Muslim Youth Association. The mosque can hold up to 700 people.

Address: 40, Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai

Tel: 852 2575 2218

2. Halal Cuisine

Islamic Centre Canteen

Sample some of Hong Kong's famous dim sum at this one and only halal dim sum restaurant located on the fifth level of the Masjid Ammar & Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre. A wide variety of mouth watering dim sum such as siu mai, prawn dumplings and Cantonese desserts like egg custard buns are quite popular.

Address: 5/F, Masjid Ammar & Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre. 40 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai

Tel: 852 2834 8211

Jashan Celebrating Indian Cuisine

"Jashan" means "Celebration" in Indian. A true representation of the diversity and richness of Indian culture, The signature dishes here are the Malabari fish curry, Sandal Wood Chicken, chicken or lamb kebab and pulao rice. This restaurant is also one of the QTS merchant (Quality Tourism Services Scheme) where high standards of quality and service are assured.

Address: 7/F, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

Tel: 852 23127800

Ebeneezer Kebab & Pizzeria

Established in 1993, Ebeneezer's specializes in Kebabs, Curries, Pizzas, Biryanis, Salads, and Fish-N-Chips. This restaurant is one of the most recognised Halal fast food joints in Hong Kong that has two branches in Wanchai as well as one in Lan Kwai Fong. With 12 different kinds of dressings for your kebab to choose from, this restaurant is a must-try!

Address: Shop No.G034A, Discovery Bay Plaza, Discovery Bay.

Tel: 852 29870036

3. Halal Certification and QTS

Muslim visitors can be assured with restaurants displaying the Halal Certificates issued by the Incorporated Trustees of Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong and shops with the QTS (Quality Tourism Services) sign which indicates that they have passed stringent annual quality assessments showing that they:

- Provide clearly displayed prices;

- Display clearly product information; and

- Ensure superb customer service.

The Quality Tourism Services Scheme is organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, which also provides assistance for enquiries about purchases from shops and restaurants accredited by the QTS Scheme.

To get a soft copy of the Muslim Tourist Guide to Hong Kong, send an email to sinwwo@hktb.com.

For more information on Hong Kong, visit DiscoverHongKong.com

* Source: Hong Kong Yearbook 2010.

Source: Hong Kong - A Muslim-friendly destination

Who Killed the American Software Engineer

Better Software blog:-- Who Killed the American Software Engineer

This article was posted on http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/career/article.php/3722876. I feel that this holds true for many of us too.   

Who Killed the Software Engineer? (Hint: It Happened in College) James Maguire (01/21/2008)

A conversation with Robert Dewar is enough to make you wonder about the future of the American software engineer. Dewar, a professor emeritus of computer science at New York University, believes that U.S. colleges are turning out programmers who are -- there's no nice way to say this -- essentially incompetent.

To support his claim, Dewar penned a scathing broadside decrying today's college-level computer science training. (The article was co-authored by Edmond Schonberg, also a CS professor emeritus at NYU.) Entitled Computer Science Education: Where are the Software Engineers of Tomorrow?, the widely read article has prompted heated discussion throughout the tech industry.

To sum up Dewar's argument: today's college computer science programs aren't rigorous enough, and don't promote in-depth thinking and problem solving. Instead, in an effort to boost enrollment, CS programs focus on easily accessible curricula, and so fail to prepare students to compete with their international peers.

One of the article's main points (one that was misunderstood, Dewar tells me) is that the adoption of Java as a first programming language in college courses has led to this decline. Not exactly. Yes, Dewar believes that Java's graphic libraries allow students to cobble together software without understanding the underlying source code.

But the problem with CS programs goes far beyond their focus on Java, he says.

"A lot of it is, ‘Let's make this all more fun.' You know, ‘Math is not fun, let's reduce math requirements. Algorithms are not fun, let's get rid of them. Ewww -- graphic libraries, they're fun. Let's have people mess with libraries. And [forget] all this business about ‘command line' -- we'll have people use nice visual interfaces where they can point and click and do fancy graphic stuff and have fun."

Dewar says his email in-box is crammed full of positive responses to his article, from students as well as employers. Many readers have thanked him for speaking up about a situation they believe needs addressing, he says.

One email was from an IT staffer who is working with a junior programmer. The older worker suggested that the young engineer check the call stack to see about a problem, but unfortunately, "he'd never heard of a call stack."

Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys (or Computer Programmers)

At fault, in Dewar's view, are universities that are desperate to make up for lower enrollment in CS programs -- even if that means gutting the programs.

It's widely acknowledged that enrollments in computer science programs have declined. The chief causes: the dotcom crash made a CS career seem scary, and the never-ending headlines about outsourcing make it seem even scarier. Once seen as a reliable meal ticket, some concerned parents now view CS with an anxiety usually reserved for Sociology or Philosophy degrees. Why waste your time?

College administrators are understandably alarmed by smaller student head counts. "Universities tend to be in the raw numbers mode," Dewar says. "‘Oh my God, the number of computer science majors has dropped by a factor of two, how are we going to reverse that?'"

They've responded, he claims, by dumbing down programs, hoping to make them more accessible and popular. Aspects of curriculum that are too demanding, or perceived as tedious, are downplayed in favor of simplified material that attracts a larger enrollment. This effort is counterproductive, Dewar says.

"To me, raw numbers are not necessarily the first concern. The first concern is that people get a good education."

These students who have been spoon-fed easy material aren't prepared to compete globally. Dewar, who also co-owns a software company and so deals with clients and programmers internationally, says, "We see French engineers much better trained than American engineers," coming out of school.

Okay, So He's Not Fond of Java

One of the most ill-considered steps that universities took was to adopt Java as the most widely used language in introductory programming courses, Dewar says. Driving this change was a desire to make CS programs more popular.

He recalls a discussion among the NYU faculty several years ago when they decided to switch the introductory language from Pascal to Java. Pascal had never been that successful in industry, yet this lack of market acceptance didn't matter; learning Pascal tended to promote solid programming practices.

"They taught Pascal because it seemed to be pedagogically the best choice," Dewar says.

Yet the switch to Java was made "purely on the basis of perceived student demand." To be sure, it's a popular code for Web applications and is relatively easy for novices to navigate. Yet it is exactly this ease that goes to the core of what's wrong with today's CS curriculums.

"If you go into a store and buy a Java book, it's 1,200 pages; 300 pages are the language and 900 pages are miscellaneous libraries. And it is true that you can sort of cobble things together in Java very easily ...so you can sort of throw things together with minimal knowledge," he says. "But to me, that's not software engineering, that's some kind of consuming-level programming."

In Dewar's view, today's young Java jockey is not so much a programmer as a Programmer Wanna-Be. For example, "Many Java developers have no idea what storage management is about. So consequently they're quite surprised if they have a storage leak which results from them not being careful about purging junk from their accumulating data structures."

Furthermore, "The trouble with Java is that it hides a lot of stuff ...it hides the issue of compiling -- what is a compiler doing? I think if I was to talk to a Java student coming out, they might not even know the word ‘compiler.' If they do, I'm sure I won't get a clear picture if I asked, ‘What does a compiler do?'"

The most pressing problem, in Dewar's view: "If people come out of school and they know Java and web programming, and they know how to put things together from libraries, that's just the kind of skills that are not going to be demand." Jobs requiring nothing more than these low-level skills set can easily be shipped off to low wage countries.

In short, today's Java library cobbler is tomorrow's pizza delivery man.

Who should (and Shouldn't) be in Computer Science?

It takes a person with a very specific set of inclinations and talents to be a computer programmer, Dewar notes. It's these specific people who colleges should gear their CS programs for -- not the mass of semi-interested people who use pre-built libraries to create uninspired apps.

"Most of us who got into programming really did it because we find it fun. We find the intellectual challenge fun. We find being faced with tricky problems, then figuring out interesting algorithmic solutions, fun. We find clever data structures that solve some interesting problem fun."

"Maybe it's not fun to a bigger audience, but computer science education should be more about finding those people who like that kind of fun, and catering to them, rather than [making it all easy]."

"If people find it boring to compute some interesting value, then run that program and get a value of 42 when it should be 83, and figure out why they've gotten 42 instead of 83, if they find that tedious and boring, they really aren't the kind of people we need."

Just for laughs

LOVE & CHOCOLATE

Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or burn down your house, you can never tell.  --Joan Crawford

If you love a man, set him free. If he comes back, it means he's forgotten his sandwiches.  --Jasmine Birtles

Now, let's focus on what's really important on Valentine's Day: Chocolate........

There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate. -- Linda Grayson, The Pickwick Papers

--

Memory is like an orgasm. It's a lot better if you don't have to fake it. -- Seymore Cray

xxxxxx  

Cup of Tea

One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge. I was maybe 1 and a half years old.

Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a gift and it was one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news and my brother was playing nearby in the living room when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water.

After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was just the cutest thing!!

My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then says, 'Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet??

xxxxxx  

Hell and Heaven are both here on earth ... with Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in between.

xxxxxx

Dilbertisms

"Locally we have a grocery chain called Bi-Lo.  We were sitting around the office one day talking about living on farms and drinking milk from the cows.  One girl said she wouldn't drink milk from a cow, only milk from Bi-Lo.  The stunned silence was deafening."

"We were given our yearly evaluations and handed our objectives for the upcoming year: "Everyone must exceed the Team Average in sales dollars."

My boss explained that this was not a case of exceeding a previous average; all ten of us were expected to be above whatever our current average was."

"My business partner and his wife were traveling out west and decided to visit Hoover Dam.  As they neared this great engineering feat she noticed all the power lines extending from the dam and commented to him, 'Gee, I never would have guessed it takes so much power to run a dam.'"

xxxxxx

I do too have an open mind - it's just closed for repairs at the moment.

Don't kiss women who work in banks, they're tellers!

Did you ever notice that in bookstores you can find the diet and exercise books right between humor and fiction?

Some people are so lazy, that they don't even exercise good judgement!

The severity of the itch is proportional to the reach.

Getting old is when a narrow waist and a broad mind change places!

xxxxxx

I'll bet what motivated the British to colonize so much of the world is that they were just looking for a decent meal.

--Martha Harrison

xxxxxx

INDUHVIDUAL QUOTES

"I'd like to wish a happy 15th anniversary to our extinguished colleague."

"You couldn't pay me to work on commission."

"They're going through paper like it grows on trees."

If the world were a logical place, men would ride side-saddle. --Rita Mae Brown

If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size? --Sidney J. Harris

If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. --Bob Hope

If you have a job without aggravations, you don't have a job. -- Malcolm Forbes

If you would civilize a man, begin with his grandmother.   --Victor Hugo

If you want to have love in your life, don't forget to put some life in your love. --Dr. Mardy Grothe

xxxxxx

Quote of the Day...

Pixel, n.: A mischievous, magical spirit associated with screen displays. The computer industry has frequently borrowed from mythology:

Witness the sprites in computer graphics, the demons in artificial intelligence, and the trolls in the marketing department.

-- Jeff Meyer

xxxxxx