SaqibSaab

Thoughts of a Heated Driveway in an Early Chicago Winter

Every winter while shoveling the driveway, I find myself thinking up different ways one could functionally melt all the snow on the driveway. I’ve thought about power washers connected to steaming hot water to massive blowers that blast burning hot air.

With this year’s winter having arrived on full blast quite early, I found myself thinking, “I wonder if they make heated driveways.” I asked my wife about it and she said they do, usually on more expensive houses or the likes of which appear on MTV Cribs. That was about two or three instances of shoveling ago.

After shoveling the driveway yet again today, I decided it was time to do what I should have done before, Google it. According to Imam Google, Read more »

YouTube HD Now Even Bigger & How To Upload In HD on YouTube

More YouTube in HD stuff.

YouTube HD Now Even Bigger

First when YouTube “went widescreen,” meaning, when it changed it’s traditional 425×320 pixel viewing size to 640×360, it made the videos a bit bigger looking. Now they’ve taken things a step further. For videos uploaded in HD, 720p to be exact, they now view in a much bigger size, 854×480. That’s huge! See here for yourself.

                

Besides the minor formatting weirdness of the profile sidebar now being beneath the video, I find the size change Read more »

When Abu Bakr and Umar Nearly Lost Everything

The Prophet, sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was once sitting with his companions when they were approached by some horsemen as delegates from the tribe of Banu Tamīm. As with any tribe coming to accept Islam, the Prophet wanted to select a leader for them. Naturally, recommendations for the man best fit for this job came from his closest companions, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them.

Abu Bakr recommended that the Prophet make al-Qa‘qā‘ ibn Ma‘bad, member of Banu Mujāshi‘, take the position. ‘Umar disagreed, suggesting that the Messenger of Allah instead choose a man named Al-Aqra‘ ibn Hābis.¹ Disagreement between the two turned to debate, debating turned to arguing, and soon the two began raising their voices so loud, they drowned out the voice of the Prophet.

Just then, Allah revealed the following verse to the Prophet, sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Believers, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet or be loud to him in speech like the loudness of some of you to others, lest your deeds become worthless while you perceive not.²

This story gives us a handful of lessons from the revelation of just one verse. Read more »

Iraqi Journalist Throws A Shoe At George W. Bush, Misses

An angry Iraqi journalist gains worldwide attention with the toss of a shoe. Or rather, with the toss of two. Muntadar al-Zeidi turned his frustration into action and launched two of what seems to be his own shoes straight at Geroge W. Bush as he was about to shake hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during a news conference in Iraq.

Now, based on the fact that he was using shoes, one may ask what exactly was he trying to accomplish? Read more »