unity, unity, unity!

quotation from 'Abdu'l-Bahá:

Because the members of the world of humanity are unable to exist without being banded together, co-operation and helpfulness is the basis of human society. Without the realization of these two great principles no great movement is pressed forward.

Ridván, Convention, and a lot of pictures...

there's been a lot going on this week, and it's just the beginning. starting tomorrow, the delegates for the 10th International Bahá'í Convention will arrive, who will elect the Universal House of Justice. it is an absolutely amazing process of election, held every five years, with representatives from more than 170 countries coming, to cast their ballots in a very spiritual atmosphere. there are no nominations, no campaigning, and no discussion about which individuals should be elected - it is up to the individual representative to the best suited, people that are "of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognized ability and mature experience."

being here as staff during this time is just an amazing blessing. we are able to volunteer with different functions, so we have the joy of being able to participate without being delegates. I'm so looking forward to it!


in other news, on monday we celebrated the first day of Ridván. I wrote about it last year, and not much of the historical context has changed. it is the most holy Bahá'í festival, and is also referred to as the "Most Great Festival" and the "King of Festivals". we spent it out in Bahji, and it was hot, but much appreciated.

I've also been able to take quite many photos from various places. as I'm not entirely sure how much time I will have by the computer, I have prepared a sample with some of my favorite shots, with links to the album:

looking out from the Seat of the Universal House of Justice:

lit up dome:
album, Seat at night

sketched moon behind the Shrine:

looking up the terraces:
album, Shrine area

just outside Collins' gate:

moonlight in Bahji:
album, Bahji shots

with my flatmates:
album, Ridván 2008

more on climate change

a follow-up about global warming, this is professor robert carter from the marine geopsyhical laboratory at james cook university in australia. he explains the current situation really well:

more stuff on climate

so here's another bit of information about the movie an inconvenient truth. I think this truth is quite inconvenient:

a lot of music!

there have recently been a lot of Bahá'í musicians popping up here and there with their own music and lyrics. it's interesting to see how you can make good music with meaningful lyrics, without using profanity. these people are very talented and we'll probably see a lot more of them in the future. first of all, there's dawnbreaker collective who were here performing at the World Centre a long time ago. other than that you have quite a bunch, and I really do suggest you check each of them out:

ferraby lionheart


inna-truth


badi


shirin

a lot of things going on

there's been a lot going on, and I haven't posted much. the weekend was spent in utter chaos, volunteering in security, staying up most of the night, and then rushing back and forth. the most beautiful thing was the evening prayers by the Shrine of the Báb after shift. here's the photo:


13 people, prayers in 7 different languages. absolutely awesome.

more about the other stuff going on later :)

great success!

so we improved our synchronization just a bit... first run took 11 minutes, we managed to optimize it a bit and cut it down to 8 minutes.

new solution:

1. grab all users and groups from A
   
2. add missing users to B
   
3. compare existing groups in A and B
   
   1. delete from B those that don't exist in A
      
   2. add the new groups to B (this was previously done in step 4)
4. build a local list of all groups and members in B (this is already done for A in step 1)
   
5. compare users for each group in A and B
   
   1. if they are in A and not B, add to B
      
   2. if they are in B but not A, remove from B

end result: same functionality, still no down-time.

time taken: 10 seconds.

arts in everything

it is interesting how something so simple as a barcode can be turned artsy. I talked a long time ago about surprising the users, giving them something they don't expect. well, the japanese take it to the extreme... :)

check out this post about how a simple barcode can be turned artistic and fun. for example, check this out:


isn't that cool? there's plenty more here and here.

amazing what a bit of creativity can do with the things you've always thought would remain the same.

synchronization

problem: you have one directory A with users and groups, and want that to be synchronized with directory B. however, any user not in A should remain in B, but without any membership to any group.

constraint: minimize system downtime, ie the time users are unnecessarily removed from the system or a group.

solution:

1. grab all users and groups from A
   
2. add missing users to B
   
3. compare existing groups in A and B and delete from B those that don't exist in A
   
4. loop over groups in B
   
   1. for each group in B, loop through all users
      
   2. if the user does not have group membership in A, remove it from B
5. go through all users in A and add them to the corresponding groups in B

result: no down-time at all.

do you have any better solutions?

Save me from myself

kinda funny... turned out cool. the classical music makes it a bit weird, but that's how it goes :)

Directions:
1. Put your iPod, iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
I only have eyes for you

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Can't be messing 'round

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Save the population

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
They don't want music

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE PURPOSE?
Symphony No. 40 in G minor (Mozart)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Tribute to 'Abdu'l-Bahá

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Get on the good foot

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C Sharp Minor (Josef Bulva)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Birds without wings

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Night train

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Danny boy

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Gee baby, ain't I good to you

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Silver lining

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP?
One and only

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Songs from a secret garden

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Audio delite at low fidelity

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
A quai

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Thankyou

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Folk song

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Let the morning be ours to keep

SONG THEY WILL PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Numb (Piano)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Save me from myself

an evening to remember

friday evening I volunteered in security, and got to go around almost everywhere here and there to learn how everything works. I really enjoyed it, even though it meant my legs were almost completely dead by the end of it. I got to take a couple of really nice shots, among others this one from the cemetary at night:


it was a really beautiful and calm experience. being there without any other background noise (as you see it is quite close to the road), made it a really special feeling.

and here you have my shots with security people.

8. O SON OF SPIRIT!

There is no peace for thee save by renouncing thyself and turning unto Me; for it behooveth thee to glory in My name, not in thine own; to put thy trust in Me and not in thyself, since I desire to be loved alone and above all that is.

does this mean that God is a "jealous" God? no, we already know that God loves us, regardless of what we do. instead we have to look at what really is best for us - we have to let go of our own ego and focus on what God wants for us. that's what is meant by loving God alone and first, and letting go of our own ideas and thoughts. an excellent quotation from 'Abdu'l-Bahá:

Whosoever has lost himself, has found the universe and the inhabitants thereof! Whosoever is occupied with himself is wandering in the desert of heedlessness and regret! The master-key of self-mastery is self-forgetfulness. The road to the palace of life is through the path of renunciation.

easy art

check out qbesq.com - a really easy way to create beautiful, symmetric art!

this took me approximately 10 seconds to create:

a great challenge for us all

The Blessed Beauty [Bahá'u'lláh] often remarked:

“There are four qualities which I love to see manifested in people:

first, enthusiasm and courage;

second, a face wreathed in smiles and a radiant countenance;

third, that they see all things with their own eyes and not through the eyes of others;

fourth, the ability to carry a task, once begun, through to its end.”

attempt to torch Bahá'ís in Shiraz

here's another frightening attack on the Bahá'ís in Iran... read this post and read here about the persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran.

it's scary how human beings can do something like this.

is bubblewrap your thing?

then check this out. you'll enjoy it.

cool/addictive game

here's a small addictive game if you have nothing better to do.

best shot ever

I cannot explain how proud I am of this photo:


it was actually taken almost 6 months ago, on the 1st of november. I still haven't taken a better pic since then.

7. O SON OF MAN!

If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself; and if thou seekest My pleasure, regard not thine own; that thou mayest die in Me and I may eternally live in thee.

I'm not sure how much more there is to say except for what's already written. isn't it quite clear what we have to do?

in regards to this, I talked with a friend of mine about the aspects of personal development. and simply put, there are two aspects of it:
1. doing less of the wrong thing.
2. doing more of the right thing.

obviously the two are interconnected, as doing more of the right will cause you to do less of the wrong, and vice versa. but it's a very interesting way of looking at things, and to look at oneself to see if one is progressing in the right direction. am I doing more good things? am I doing less wrong things? good questions to ask oneself every now and then.

not much happening

been a bit of a slow as of lately, falling into a bit of a routine. not that I don't like it, but not much to write about. football and champions league going on, been quite exciting to watch, and it's enough to still my need for football. haven't been able to play except for two weeks ago due to schedule clashes, but definitely looking forward to more of it. am compensating with basketball instead, which is more than good enough. weekend coming up, will include quite a bit of different stuff - classes, information, volunteering, etc. it'll be nice.

straightening things up

sunday evening we were invited to a nice dinner and stuff, and ended the night with straightening my hair. not exactly sure how it came about (ok, I suggested it myself...), but it turned out quite funny:


didn't last very long though, as the humidity curled it back up and I also showered the day after. but it was fun while it lasted!