Facebook: The hidden truth

Facebook recently hit the billion, since 2010 when it had "only" 600 million of people privacy has changed a lot on Zuckerberg's site. Here are some 100% real facts that Facebook is hiding from you!

• Facebook is not your friend. Its "real name" policy is enough reason to refuse to use it.
• Facebook makes a practice of telling users to rat on their friends who use aliases. ( any social network that asks its members for information about other people is abusive.)
• At Facebook you are a product, not a consumer.
• Facebook says that a user can't have Facebook's data about him claiming it to be a trade secret.
• Pages that contain Facebook "like" buttons enable Facebook to track visitors to those pages. Facebook tracks the users that see 'like' buttons,
• Facebook exploits its users by conscripting them for ads.
• Facebook's face recognition is illegal as claimed by a German regulator.
• Facebook blocked links to the humor site lamebook which facebook is trying to crush.
• Social networks show people how lonely they are
• Facebook deleted a statement by a human rights group, then said that was a mistake. Then Facebook invited the group to post the statement again instead of undoing the deletion. Demonstration of it's arrogance! 
• Facebook censorship guidelines have been leaked. They include political censorship catering to various countries that do not respect freedom of speech.
• Facebook has turned on automatic face recognition on photos. Facebook says that it only suggests identifications for faces in photos for people who are the user's friends. However, it might run the algorithm over every photo posted and not publicly announce the results.
• Third party apps that demand to access your account's information and your "friends" information and posts. They have access to everything (this is why I don't use third party apps)
• Anyone can get a Facebook user's personal information by buying ads on Facebook.
• People is also known to have blocked many links about controversial issues

That's it. Hope I covered everything. If you have a question leave comment below and I will answer!

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Copyright: Stallman

Test: iPhone 5

After a month of reading, searching and testing here are my impressions on the new iPhone 5; claimed to be the "best iPhone ever made" by Apple (I will try to be as objective as possible)

Reminder of it's specs:

• Apple iOS 6
• 4" screen with a 1136×640 resolution
• Screen format 16/9, contrast rate of 800:1
• Dual Core A6 processor (1Ghz they say)
• 16, 32 or 64 internal Memory (Still no SD card)
• 1GB RAM
• 8MPx front camera with flash and the panorama function
• 1080p video recording
• 1.2MPx front camera with 720p video recording
• EarPods
• GPS+GLONASS
• Accelerometer+Gyro
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Wif b/g/n dual band
• 4G LTE for the united states
• HSPA+ for the other countries
• Weight 112g

Note: Siri has more functions, we regret the absence of NFC, direct Wifi and USB 3.0

Packaging:
An image is worth a thousand word so here's an image than should make it clear

Design
It is a nice design, very comfortable in hand, it is different from the plastic of the SGS 3 or the hTC One X (you are paying more than 700$ so it is normal)
The screen is 0.5" bigger, merely unnoticeable. While holding it in hand you won't be able to make the difference between it and the 4S. 
It is very light so you are afraid of making it fall 

An image of the new outlet called Lightning

Note that it has a special device that recognize if the cable is an official one or not. 
The screen color are just as they should be, not over colored like an AMOLED screen (though I like it)

Sound? Just 2 speakers like the 4S with a better sound quality. 
The earpods are better than what Apple used to give us for years, more bass but not worth 30$.
The "semi-intra" design of the EarPods is comfortable but will hurt you on the long term (I didn't like them much)

Battery? Just like the 4S, can't last a day. If you use it heavily (video, internet, browsing) it will run dry at approximately 6PM.

Conclusion: 
It is a good phone, but deceiving because it could have been a way better phone. The iPhone 5 is what the 4S should have been. For Mr Everybody this is the perfect phone, but for Geeks you will find what makes you happy with the some more customizable phone like on Android.

Awaiting the new Nexus to come and the New Nokia Lumia.
Stay tuned and subscribe!

Living in Lebanon or Abroad?

Lots of people quit Lebanon. Since the end of the civil war, the immigration number just kept rising until now without stopping. Some people were cursing life abroad while others were praising it. There are three major differences between living in Lebanon and living abroad on the economical level, social level and the political level.

One of the differences between life in Lebanon and life abroad resides in the economy.  When talking economy we can state for example Jobs. There are fewer jobs in Lebanon than there is for example in the USA. Studies have shown the jobs opportunity is one of the main reasons that drive people out of Lebanon. Another economical difference is the salary. The minimum wage in Lebanon is approximately 700$, while in France, for example, it is 1500$; more than the double! This will attract people who want a better salary and a better life quality. The final economical difference between life in Lebanon and life abroad is the cost of life. In Lebanon food product are very cheap compared to what we may find abroad. However technological items are still considered luxury items in Lebanon while abroad they are everyday life items; thus cheaper.

Another difference between life in Lebanon and life abroad is on the social level. Social implies relations. For example, family relations in Lebanon are still strong; children always care about their parents and grandparents. The same works the other way, parents always look after their children even though they are grown up. However, abroad, these relations tend to disappear. Children don’t know who their grandparents are; parents “kick” their children out of home when they turn 18… Also there is other people’s attitude. Lebanese tend to be heartwarming, welcoming and always seem happy. There is always someone asking about you. On the other hand, people abroad are very cold; they don’t look or care about the other and tend to forget about their own friends as time passes. Finally, we can talk about health care. Health care system is weak, messy, disorganized, chaotic and not even free. On the contrary, in most countries abroad it is well organized, efficient and free. Everybody needs to have health care; the fact that not all of the Lebanese people can afford it is what is what is driving some out of the country.

The final difference between Lebanon and abroad is the politic. Lebanon is known to be politically unstable ever since the civil war, and the situation hasn't changed until now. This is due to massive corruption of the heads of the state. Meanwhile, most countries abroad are politically stable with a very low corruption rate. Politics also could be about military. The Lebanese army is weak. In fact it is so weak that people often have their own weapons and makes their own justice, some people also hide behind their sectarian party just in order to have some kind of protection. Also in Lebanon we notice the presence of heavy armed militia, stronger than the army. Meanwhile abroad, the army is the defender of the justice and the republic. No one can overthrow it nor even lift a single finger on it because they are strong, heavily armed and some even have a nuclear arsenal. Finally politics is about respecting the human rights. In Lebanon human rights are constantly violated. It could be by people as well as politicians who are supposed to be the one to defend it.  For example when using public transports, lots of people smoke inside the bus preventing other people to have the right to breath fresh air. Even though this is the situation in Lebanon, abroad it’s a different story. People stand for their rights, they overthrow their government if they feel like it is going astray, or taking away some of their rights. People abroad respect the law because they know the true meaning of human rights. “Your freedom ends where the other’s freedom begins”, this is a saying that people believe in and always respect.

It is up to each person’s way of life and his vision of reality to judge living where suits him the most. Living in Lebanon and abroad is different on 3 levels: Economical, social and political level.

Steps to quit smoking

Hello all! Long time since I last posted something! So here I am! Back!

My first article since months is going to be about a very sensitive subject: Smoking!
After some research here are the steps to do so... Read carefully and enjoy!

Want to die? Quit reading. Want to live? Then continue reading. According to the American Heart Association, approximately 26.2 million men and 20.9 million women in the United States are smokers. Smoking is well known for its damaging effects to the lungs, skin, heart and brain. The steps to quite are setting a program, joining a support team and for extreme cases Medical therapy

The first step to quit smoking is setting a program. There are many ways to do this, for example one can each month smoke one cigarette less than the last month. This is a long and smooth transition to quit smoking and to feel less frustrated by the desire to smoke. Another way of setting a program is to do activities with family and friends that will keep your mind away from cigarette. Indeed the less you think about cigarette, the less the desire to smoke one will cross your mind. Plus family will always be there to help you because they care about your health. Including family in your program is a big plus in order to stop smoking the death stick. And finally you should include major dietary adjustments. Cleaning up the diet can be a helpful tactic. Often times, smoking is done in conjunction with the consumption of fatty foods and alcohol. Replacing these foods with more nutrient-dense options like fruits and vegetables will help avert you away from smoking.

The next step is to join a support team. When joining a support team you can have access to precious advices from ex-smokers, they will tell you that it is a difficult and long way but they are the proof that it is still possible thus giving you some hope. Also in support team you are in company of people who are in phase of quitting. So that you will know that you are not the only one trying to escape from the evil grip of the cigarette. This is more a psychological effect that helps you and your ego greatly, especially when you feel the urge to smoke. Finally if you are about to have a nervous breakdown and have a cigarette you can always ask someone to take cigarettes away from you so that you won’t be able to give in to temptation.

The final step is a Medical therapy; and it is used for heavy smokers. It could be Acupuncture. In fact acupuncture is one of the oldest known medical techniques, and it is believed to work by triggering the release of endorphins (natural pain relievers) that allow the body to relax. As a smoking cessation aid, acupuncture can be helpful in managing smoking withdrawal symptoms. Another aspect of medical therapy is Nicotine Replacement therapy. This involves "replacing" cigarettes with other nicotine substitutes, such as nicotine gum or a nicotine patch. It works by delivering small and steady doses of nicotine into the body to relieve some of the withdrawal symptoms without the tars and poisonous gases found in cigarettes. This type of treatment helps smokers focus on breaking their psychological addiction and makes it easier to concentrate on learning new behaviors and coping skills. Finally the medical therapy could be a Non-nicotine Medication. This therapy consist of using (absorbing) a substance that will fool your nervous system. There are 2 substances recommended by Doctors. One is called bupropion, it has an effect on the nicotine receptors in your brain through a chemical associated with the pleasure of smoking cigarettes. The other is called varenicline, this medication acts like nicotine and fools the receptors in the brain into believing they’ve already had their dose of nicotine.

Smoking is bad for your health as it takes away years from your lifespan, one should quit smoking by setting a program, joining a support team or by using a medical therapy.