Why isnt Apple called a Monopoly?

Every now n then i keep hearing about how Microsoft is a monopoly and it stifles competition... But isnt Apple too a monopoly?....From iMacs to iTunes, everything from Apple comes in extemely tight closed packs... Apple too provides a plethora of software with its OS and most Mac users use Safari as their default web browser.....then why is only Microsoft considered a monopoly?.....Is it just because Apple has hardly any market share compared to MS?.....Almost every Apple product is an epitome of perfection.....But then what the heck....I cant put Mac OS X on my PC (Hackintosh does exist...but still )....I cant choose the hardware for the Mac (customization is very limited)......And i cant even remove the battery of my ipod :).....Software availibility is very low for Macs and hardware compatibility isnt great either.....And Mac punishes users of hacked products in a pretty brutal manner......Just take the example of the Iphone.....Any upgrade of software of an hacked Iphone will cause the Iphone to turn to an Ibrick...:)......And the entire hype surrounding the Iphone......if you critically examine the Iphone....it is nothing but a 5 year old car repainted and modified (with its dashboard completely changed)....
Why then, at the end of the day, only Microsoft gets brickbats from its competitors.?....Why people have problems with Microsoft including software in the OS?.....Doesnt Mac include too?....And whats the big deal if you bundle your own software with your product...If your software is better than the one provided by Microsoft......obviously people will shift to your software......Just look at the case of Firefox.....Its not provided by default with Windows but look at how its user base is expanding....

Shisha, Hookah or Noxious Fumes?

Taken from a Gulfnews excerpt :
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/11/05/10165130.html

"The French anti-tobacco agency (OFT), citing a national laboratory report, said one session with shisha produced 70 litres of smoke, which had 27 to 102 times the carbon tar of a cigarette, and 15 to 52 times more carbon monoxide, depending on the type of shisha smoked."

Hmm....Now i know how people get intoxicated by the "so-called non-tobacco" hookah......Its the Carbon MONOXIDE!.....:)

According to Wikipedia :

The levels of carbon monoxide produced during a hookah session varies widely depending on the type of coal used. Japanese charcoals are thought to produce lower amounts of carbon monoxide. (Is the owner of Mocha's listening? :))

But theres good news for hookah lovers too :

Hookahs can also be smoked with herbal flavours. These contain Sugar Cane Bagasse with no tobacco, nicotine or tar. The popular brands are Soex, Highlife & Black Label. This new method of smoking is aimed at replacing tobacco and its health effects. (Wikipedia).

So the conclusion : Unless you know whats there burning on top of the shisha....You could be smoking highly noxious fumes!!.....

Burj,Burjer,Burjest...Burj Dubai

Photos of the Burj Dubai site....from 2003 to 2007.....(from burjdubai.com)










2003














2004

2005

2006












2007

Ahh....astonishing isnt it?...Not just the tower....but also pace it is getting built with....dubai is going crazy..(compare the sheikh zayed rd. in 2003 and 2005)..Reminds me of those early ages where kings used to hire craftsmen and labourers to build monuments.....Something like the pyramids or the Taj Mahal.....:).....pretty much of a similar thing is happening in dubai.....a great king (a.k.a sheikh) importing thousands of labourers from india, pakistan and bangladesh and stuffing them in inhuman labour camps (conditions back home arent too great either...) to build a monument (The world's tallest tower) which the world will watch with their mouths wide-open......

No matter what happens ....the dubai bubble bursts or not.....Shaikh Mohammed and dubai will always be remembered for the audacious projects......Dubai is definitely one place where you think to dare and not dare to think...

Hope the shaikh does something about the labour camps....

Firecrackers or Money-on-fire?

Today is Diwali...As i am typing this post, i can hear kilos of gunpowder being burnt in the form of firecrackers all around the place.....I feel i am living in Baghdad in midst of US bombing and retaliatory gunfire...:)..I dont know what fun people get in bursting firecrackers.....What do firecrackers signify?!!...Nothing!!..Nothing at all!!...To me bursting firecrackers is nothing but burning gunpowder in a non-destructive way.....People spend thousands of rupees purchasing firecrackers.....Isnt bursting firecrackers an indirect way of burning your own money?....Isnt there any other good use for the "excess" money you have??....Think about the firecracker industry........the children they employ.......the conditions they work in.....We arent a developed country with excess of money to spend on firecrackers.....

Diwali indeed is a festival of lights.....Why not celebrate Diwali the original way?....with deepas and umpteen other "non gun-powder" techniques of lighting up a place...Dont tell me there were firecrackers during Ram's time....:)