Personal

We live in exciting times. The widespread use of social media technologies and the advent of the Web 2.0 revolution is resulting in a myriad of opportunities for research, social interaction, business and entertainment. I try to keep myself as busy as possible with interesting activities.

I have many hobbies, some of which I spend more time on than others. Starting with designing websites, I enjoy every well designed site. Since the advent of the internet I have played around with and have learnt on my own several software packages that effectively served as excellent tools for exploring my creative abilities. I remember making a website (that I hosted for free on freely available web-servers) for each course that I studied. It not only allowed me to better understand what I was doing but also display the information to the whole wide world.

My father worked as an engineer so interest in technology does not come as a surprise. I keep up with the latest tech-trends on various websites. Among them, Mashable, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, and Lifehacker grab my attention almost every day. Research in communications and technology also finds a natural match for my technology related interests.

For the past few years, I have taught technology related courses and kept myself updated on the latest developments. The rapid pace of change makes this domain quite exciting.

Can the usefulness of the Internet and how interesting it is ever be quantified in words? Not really! Its ever-evolving and expanding nature makes it amazing somewhat like our universe. Well besides being philosophical, I like swimming, basketball, volleyball and any fun-filled game. Not to mention the numerous other games I play with my kids, whenever I have free time (which is not quite often) I try to give them the best. They are both full of energy and its often a challenge to keep up with their own games.

We may all share experiences and learn from each other’s writings. Although I would like to read a lot more than I do now, I still manage to read a lot everyday. Besides reading research articles and news, I blog.  I enjoy writing about interesting ideas that I feel can benefit others. In fact, I blog to learn discover my own ideas.

I love sightseeing and have traveled to several countries. I am blessed with loving parents and a caring family who value learning through traveling. They allowed me to see the world and experience its wonders and value different cultures and diversity. I believe that diverse experiences help in making an personality that is open-minded. Today, I try to travel to beautiful places with my own kids. I live in the beautiful U.S. state of Michigan which has plenty to offer to any curious sight seer. Its nice to learn about the world, the different cultures and most importantly enjoy diversity.

I have been fortunate enough to travel to different countries. Thanks to the digital camera, I have so many pictures that it has now become a challenge to organize them. I was born in Islamabad, Pakistan and that’s where my early schooling was. My first trip outside the country was to Cyprus where I stayed with my family for a year. Cyprus is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean. Excellent climate and friendly people characterize this wonderful place. I remember spending the best time there and I would love to go back to Cyprus some day. London has been another place where I spent several summers. There is a lot to see there for everyone and the city has so many historical places that are worth visiting.

 

I like following the latest news which helps me keep myself updated about what is happening on the small planet of ours. Besides broadening the horizon, local and international news helps us understand the power of the media. Understanding media effects and how it could be effectively used for positive societal change is of great interest. Today’s media is being redefined by social media technologies. It is interesting how we can interact instantly and form online communities and get connected and reconnected.