CyberNirvana

I no longer update this blog. You can follow my rants on Twitter @ziarezvi.

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I have over 50 apps on the device which I use to a varying degree. The 5 apps below are almost used daily. I consider them as a must have and treat them as the essence of using an iPad over the use of laptop/netbook, that is: convenience, speed and usefulness.

1. Air Video

An amazing piece of program which allows you to access and view all your videos (all major formats supported including DivX) stored on your PC (even USB hard drives) from the iPad. The streaming quality is excellent depending on the Wi-fi access. I decided to purchase the full version (a few bucks) As soon as I realised I was able to watch The Dark Knight in HD in the living room on the iPad.

2. CineXplayer

An apps which is only 2 weeks old and which is shocked a lot of people: how did Apple allow an app to bypass its own self-imposed restriction of video format playable on the device? This apps allows you to load all any DivX or Mpg movies (via iTunes) into the iPad for offline viewing. Once again, the quality is unaffected and conversion is seamless.

3. Instapaper

The pleasure of reading text in the right format on iPad is a great experience: this apps allows me to read all the articles captured from the net in a neat and easily readable format.

4. Flipboard

This apps is the talk of the net right now: this apps was created especially for the iPad. People are surprised how good it is and wonder how long it will last as a free product. This one pulls news and content (not RSS feeds) from the web, including Twitter and Facebook, in a beautiful and slick format.

5. Early Edition

A simple RSS aggregator which compiles all my feeds in a newspaper format with option to send stories to my Instapaper account.

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(I know, it has been a while...!!)

Hey, I love this. No software to install (though you will need a short java applet installation on your browser), a straight forward screen recording solution. You can save clips online and keep them private or share publicly.

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Well, Windows 7 is nearly upon us. I am quiet excited about it because of all the positives vibes I have been getting. I am also about to get a new PC anytime now which include a free upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. ZDNet has a brilliant repository of articles and reviews on the new OS including the following topics:

• Benchmarks: Windows 7 RTM versus Vista, XP

• Windows 7's killer feature?

• Do you need more than Windows 7 Home Premium?

• The Ultimate Windows 7 Upgrade FAQ

• Windows 7 RTM first look: More than just Vista fixes

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Our friend Nirmal found us a superb deal: The original price of WinX DVD Ripper Platinum is $24.95. Now it is totally free available from Sep. 15 to Sep. 30 (give away for half month).

Features of WinX DVD Ripper Platinum;

• Multiply DVD Resource
  WinX DVD Ripper Platinum supports multiple DVD resources including normal DVD, CSS protected DVD, commercial DVD, Sony ArccOS DVDs, and all region 1-6 DVDs, totally region free.
• Popular Video Files Supported
  WinX DVD Ripper Platinum could rip and convert different DVD video into most popular video formats such as AVI, FLV, MPEG, MP4, WMV, etc.
• Support Most Popular Portable Devices
  With this DVD ripping software, DVD movies could be played by most of portable devices including Apple iPhone, iPod, iTouch, Sony PSP, PDA, Zune and Mobile phone.
• Separate audio from video
  Extract audio from video and convert to MP3 music file.
• Fast, Stable and Best Quality
  Offers super fast ripping speed, up to 300%-500% real time, 100% stable ripping process and best video/video quality.
• Easy-to-use
  With simple and user-friendly interface, WinX DVD Ripper Platinum is suitable for both pros and novices.
• Individual Video Effect
  WinX DVD Ripper Platinum makes all video/audio parameters adjustable for users to set aspect ratio, video resolution, video frame rate or output video size at their will.

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I had the chance to watch last year's The Dark Knight again.

Well, I need to re-assess what I said a year ago on a previous post: I cannot call this movie average but a serious piece of cinematic experience. Christopher Nolan crafted something unique unseen in previous comic book adaptations and Hollywood flicks.

I am no Batman comic book fan as I hardly read any of them but this movie does complement the capped crusader pictorial version. Although I did criticised it originally as being too long and complex, Nolan has handled each character very well. True, a very dark film indeed (try reading Arkham Asylum if you care!) but the burst of action sequences relieve the tensions at the appropriate time.

Ultimately, the star of the show is indeed the Joker: Heath Ledger performance cannot be undermined. It is the Joker who runs the show and it is his machiavellian designs which makes the story so compelling.

Finally, the prologue is one of the best movie intros I have seen for years: the editing, the sequence, the music, the story line and the Joker's introduction (I believe whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...Stranger!), whoah...What a spectacle! The only Hollywood flick which comes to mind is the Beverly Hills Cop 2 scenes at the horse race course.

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Whatever it takes to teach youngsters about the dangers of tech...Brace yourself: shockingly real.

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Well, I did not see this coming: with the exception of fish, I have now switched to a vegetarian diet...Perish the thought my friends would say: how can a bon viveur like Zia can change a diet so drastically! Well, it has happened and the best thing about it, I am loving every moment (so far!).

There were a few triggers of course which led me to this course of action: 10 days ago, I went to an Indian restaurant and they were serving a pretty bad chicken curry. The same evening, I looked at the supper on my plate and what do I see: 3 different meat dishes!

The final stroke came when a cousin of mine sent me this article which did have a big impact:

At the age of 30, Chinese doctor Tom Wu was diagnosed with advanced stages of lung cancer, and was told he had only a few months to live

Not only has he survived, but the doctor has maintained a healthy life. The cancer is all gone, and he said he's never caught a cold or other illness for 40 years. He has stopped going for blood tests.

"My body and feelings tell me I'm well, that I'm truly in good health," says Dr Wu.

His secret lies with the power of natural healing. Dr Wu always says that no wonder drug can cure diseases. But our own internal healing power, our immune system, can. And what can strengthen our immune system are simple foods from Mother Nature, and a healthy lifestyle. In his view, diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease can be overcome by changing their diet...

You can read the rest of the article here.

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