The Nimbus Armada

Reaching for the sky...

From the dawn of computing, users have saved their files on disks or on their hard drives and have been forced to use that specific disk or drive to retrieve and access those files. It was always easy – yet limiting – to have your file saved in that one location and you knew where to go in order to get that file. If anything happened to that computer, your file was probably gone with it too.

However, that’s about to change. For as big as hard drives and jump-drives have become in terms of capacity and ease of usage, a new way of storage is slowly starting to emerge. Welcome to Cloud Computing. Instead of saving your files to your hard drive or on a jump-drive, we can save them to a location on the Internet only accessible by us unless we choose to make it accessible to others as well. Google and Microsoft are among a growing number of companies that are offering such storage areas and it can be expected that a cloud-war is about break out between the behemoths.

The beauty of cloud computing is having access to your files from anywhere you have access to the Internet. Open your files, make changes to it, print files, share files, send them to others. In my constant drive to not be tethered to any one location and be as mobile as possible, cloud computing offers a chance to be just that. I’ll be watching these cloud-wars carefully to see which options emerge but my money’s on Google… they’ve got the jump on their competition, the corporate clout and power to bring about change and the free-thinking necessary to grow an abstract idea into a concrete solution.

“Got the whole world on lock down you know how we flow…”
- Jay-Z (The City Is Mine)

In Full Effect

Battling the waves of life...

Once upon a time, not long ago, there was a boy who was in constant pain. He worked hard and was always trying to make progress but various ailments would hinder him and his progress. The boy liked to play team sports and would do whatever was necessary for the success and betterment of the team yet he had a knack for inviting injury. From bruises and welts to broken bones, the boy would try to battle through the pain. Aside from that, he suffered from various ailments in his day-to-day life which only compounded matters.

One day, the boy just couldn’t go on any further. The pain that he endured had become too great. A doctor decided to try and treat the boy noticing the intense pain the boy was in. “You seem to have a bruised back,” said the doctor. “Is this what ails you, boy?” The boy shook his head. “You also seem to have a broken hand,” stated the doctor. “Is this what ails you, boy?” The boy again shook his head in the negative. “Hmm, you also seem to have some sort of damage to your digestive system,” said the doctor. “This must be what ails you, right boy?” Again, the boy shook his head leaving the doctor confused.

“If it’s not the bruised back or the broken hand or the digestive problem that ails you, then what is it?” The boy looked at the doctor and responded. “My pain comes not from the bruises on my back, nor the pain from my hand nor the pain in digestion. My pain comes from my heart – because this world has just too much suffering for my soul to bear.” The boy suddenly went into cardiac arrest and died within a few minutes in the shocked doctor’s hands who desperately tried to save the boy’s life to no avail…

…this world will kill you and cause you greater suffering than any bruise, broken bone or internal ailment.

“I’m a monster, I’m a killer, I know I’m wrong, I’m a problem that’ll never ever be solved…”
- Kanye West (Amazing)

The European Mirage

An empty room with hundreds of seats...

Europe has long been the home to Christians and Jews. From the time of Christ, many Christians flocked to Europe where they both spread the faith and established their domains. The mighty Roman Empire eventually converted to Christianity which only further strengthened and bolstered the region while establishing Vatican City as the central source of Christian doctrine. Multiple times in its history, Europe has been the center of change and progress while the rest of the world lagged behind.

Islam came to Europe through exploration, trade and through Arabic manuscripts and scientific research as well as territorial expansion. It further grew with the arrival of many Muslim immigrants from countries that had been colonized by European powers as the United Kingdom and France colonized much of the North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Yet, despite the influx of so many Muslims into Christian-dominated Europe, the attitude towards Muslims hasn’t changed. Regarded by many European Caucasians as a lesser race that belongs to the immigrants, Islam and Muslims have been subjugated to being second-class citizens in these countries. Muslims are often mired in poverty and inferiority across Europe with a small proportion living well.

My brief escapade across Europe allowed me to get a brief glimpse of this subjugation. While in France, I noticed that the subways and underground were filled with mostly North African migrants. There were several beggars who clearly weren’t Caucasian Franks. The “better” areas of Paris seemed to be almost completely devoid of any minorities. In a short period of time, it became clear that Muslims and minorities truly were regarded as second-class citizens. I talked briefly with some Algerian Muslims – using my poor French skills which were enough to get me by – while in France and learned from the exchange a little bit of their difficulties in France. I suppose it’s no wonder that there were riots in the French ghettos in 2005 because of the poor situation for Muslims in these countries. The impression of change and progress is a mirage it seems with glass ceilings in the way of progress and growth.

What does the future then have in store for Muslims and Europe? Various reports say that the Muslim population in Europe will double by 2050 due to immigration and birth rates. If that truly is the case, does that mean that the Muslim population will be better able to dictate their status or will it just be a growing lower-class segment subservient to their colonial masters?

“Still got that work if you got the right fee…”
- Slim Thug (I Run)

P is for Pilsen

The main destination for my trip was Pilsen, Czech Republic seeing as how the World Ball Hockey Championships were taking place here. The home of Pilsner Beer was now home for one week to the best ball hockey players in the world representing their nations.

Destination #3: Pilsen, Czech Republic
Upon arriving in Pilsen from Prague, it became clear that I was no longer in a major world city and had just entered a small locale with a small town mentality. The architecture and style of Pilsen gave me the same feeling as being in a city such as Kingston, Ontario – a nice place that really didn’t have enough to be more than what it was and was just a cut above from being a small town.

Nonetheless, I liked the place. It was my home for a week so we made the most of it. However, there were some drawbacks to the place. One was the lack of any halal food in the city but that was to be expected considering that there weren’t any Muslims really in the city – and very few in the country! – to begin with. Secondly, despite being home to the second largest synagogue in Europe, there weren’t any kosher restaurants around either. So it left us with little in terms of food options… one can only take so much of McDonald’s, Subway and a local pizzeria before starting to miss Indian food.

It was interesting to see gypsies around the city – a nomadic culture that had spread across Europe and was also now starting to take refuge in Canada – since I had heard much about them but didn’t really know much about them. I did some research and learned quite a bit about their culture… and was surprised to learn that many gypsies were Muslim. Good ol’ Wikipedia…

Nearby to where we were staying was Pilsen Square and at the center of the square was a large gothic church that served as tourist attraction instead. Climbing up the tower of the church was a challenge due to the narrow steps and extremely low ceilings – I bumped my head against a wooden support beam – but it was worth it. The view from the top was gorgeous as one could see all of Pilsen and parts beyond. The small city of Pilsen looked even smaller from the top of the church and it was a nice reminder of how small the world really is for as large as it may feel at times…

“Their love for it is the reason I have become this praised…”
- Lupe Fiasco (Put You On Game)