Author: Mohamed Marwen Meddah

Mohamed Marwen Meddah is a Tunisian-Canadian, web aficionado, software engineering leader, blogger, and amateur photographer.

uTest – Software Testing Community – Get Paid To Find Bugs

uTestuTest, a global marketplace for software application testing, as they define themselves, is now open for business.

The startup takes a crowd-sourcing approach to testing software bugs coupled with a Pay Per Bug business model; Anyone can sign up to test software and make some cash along the way.

On the other hand uTest’s customers gain access to a large, diverse and global community of software testing individuals, who will help with their QA testing over uTest’s secure testing platform, which provides a hosted infrastructure to manage complete software QA cycles and projects.

Software application testers who are part of the uTest professional testers community will be able to test applications in a completely flexible work environment, earn significant additional income and improve technical expertise.
uTest estimates that its testers will be able to rake in anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per month, depending on tester-expertise and bug pricing.

I personally think this is a really cool idea and very interesting approach to QA testing, that could help a lot of companies who don’t have internal QA departments and want to tap into the expertise of the crowd for more extensive quality assurance.
It’s also really interesting for the people who will best testing because they’ll be earning money, accumulating experience and building up their public profiles.

[Via: TechCrunch

Volvo’s New Crash-Proof Car

Swedish car-maker Volvo has come up with a crash-proof family car which should go on sale in the autumn of this year.

The car’s secret is a laser-guidance system to spot vehicles in front that are too close or stopping suddenly. When it does, the car will automatically stop to avoid a crash.

The CitySafety system, as it is called, kicks in at speeds of up to 20mph and is designed for urban driving. Volvo say that the system has the potential to prevent half of all rear-end collisions, that make up 29 per cent of all reported car accidents..

The laser sensor is built into the windscreen and reacts to traffic in front of the car that is either stationary or moving in the same direction.

It scans up to six yards ahead and, sensing the difference in speed between it and a vehicle in front, it makes 50 calculations a second to determine the braking force needed to avoid crashing.

If the driver fails to slow down, the system brakes automatically and disables the accelerator.

The system will be a standard option in the XC60 car, that has a price tag starting from

The Great Debaters

The Great Debaters

A few days ago, I got to watch “The Great Debaters“, a movie directed by Denzel Washington, starring himself, Forest Whitaker, and a number of upcoming actors.

The movie is based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school’s first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.

If you’re following me on twitter, you probably already know that I really liked the movie.

The directing and acting are very good, and the story is a really nice one that keeps you engaged throughout it all.
Denzel Washington proves he’s great both in front of and behind the camera, Forest Whitaker is perfect as usual, and all the other actors do very good jobs as well.

I personally think it’s really worth checking out. Overall I think I’d give it a score of:

StarStarStarStarNo Star

[More: IMDB]

Does Marriage Tame Genius?

An interesting study from New Zealand says it does…

Creative genius and crime express themselves early in men but both are turned off almost like a tap if a man gets married and has children, a study says.

Satoshi Kanazawa, a psychologist at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, compiled a database of the biographies of 280 great scientists, noting their age at the time when they made their greatest work.

[…]

Within five years of making their nuptial vows, nearly a quarter of married scientists had made their last significant contribution to history’s hall of fame.

“Scientists rather quickly desist (from their careers) after their marriage, while unmarried scientists continue to make great scientific contributions later in their lives,” says Dr Kanazawa.

[Source: ABC News]

Well, I’m not really sure about that, I don’t think it tames genius or turns off the tap as the study says. I just think that in many cases being a researcher or a pioneer in something doesn’t really pay well enough, and with the person’s new obligations, they prefer to take on something more financially rewarding instead of something more professionally/scientifically rewarding.

In the end, I think it boils down to the person’s nature and personality, whether they’re the kind that takes risks and puts everything on the line for their purpose or whether they’re the kind that takes the safe way to financial stability.

Italian Firm Plans $22 Billion Tunisia Resort

Italian property firm Ernesto Preatoni Group will invest 15 billion euros ($22 billion) in a luxury resort of hotels and holiday homes in northwest Tunisia, it was reported yesterday.

The project includes a high-class tourism complex, hotels, leisure centers and ports in the northwest of Tunisia; Work will start before the end of this year and will last 12 years.

So another outside investment in the tourism sector in Tunisia. Tourism obviously is one of Tunisia’s biggest sources of income, and so investments in this area are always very good news; but I really wish we start seeing big investments like this in other areas as well, mainly service-based and production-based businesses; Tunisia has a well-educated workforce in several industries and the government has put in place many incentives for outside investors that should make it a really great destination for such kinds of investments.
Plus, I think it’s very important for Tunisia to diversify the areas of investment and income for the country, as well as build up and modernize different sectors to absorb the newer generations of Tunisian graduates and job-seekers.

[Source: Reuters]

World Bank Report On Education In The Arab World

Interesting and important report from the World Bank on education in the Arab world…

The World Bank has said the quality of education in the Arab world is falling behind other regions and needs urgent reform if it is to tackle unemployment.

[…]

It said that although education was becoming more accessible and the gender gap was being reduced, the region had not witnessed the positive changes seen in Asia and Latin America, particularly in literacy rates and enrolments in secondary schools and universities.

[…]

The report said unemployment in the Arab world averaged 14%, which is higher than other areas in the world, except Sub-Saharan Africa, with the Palestinian territories coming highest with nearly 26% percent.

[…]

The report concluded that Jordan and Kuwait were the top educational reformers in the region, while Djibouti, Yemen, Iraq and Morocco ranked lowest in terms of access, efficiency and quality of education.

Another study carried out in January by the Tunis-based Arab League Educational Cultural and Scientific Organisation found that 30% of the approximately 300 million people in the Arab World were illiterate.

[Full Report: World Bank Report]
[Source: BBC News]

I think it’s obvious that education should be the number one priority on every Arab country’s agenda, because without it, we’re really going nowhere.

How accessible education is and how many people make it into schools is very important of course, but it’s only the first step, the even bigger step is to have quality: a well built and structured curriculum, a highly qualified teaching staff, well-equipped schools and classrooms, more resources for the students …etc.

I think that in many Arab countries we’ve made big strides in reducing illiteracy and putting the necessary laws and procedures in place to get children to schools, but we still have a lot of work to do on pedagogy, curriculums, environment and more.

Our whole future lies in how well educated our future generations are; That’s how important education is.

[Via: The Black Iris]

Bled El Ward, A New $10 Billion Emirati Project In Tunisia

Bled El WardEmirati Al Maabar International Investments Company recently announced its plans to build one of its biggest projects in the African Continent. This project is ‘Bled El Ward’ (City Of Roses) on the northern rives of the capital Tunis, in Ariana, on a total area of 5 Thousands Hectares, with a total cost that reaches $10 Billion.

The project will result in the construction of a modern city made up with many components such as the International Health city, water channels in addition to tourist resorts, residencies, sport facilities, Golf fields, and areas for shopping, entertainments and open space.

The project derives its name from the old name of the Tunisian city, Ariana, which is known for its beautiful roses and flowers and its soft breeze.

Its design gets its name from the old architecture history. It is based on the most modernized architecture styles. Furthermore, it gives priority to the environment and nature as whole, with its sea and forests sides. It also provides 50 Km of beaches through its water channels.

The realisation of ‘Bled El Ward’ project will be on many phases. The first is ‘Diar El Fel’ zone that covers 300 hectares, 190 Hectares will be devoted to building. The development period of this project will be 5 years.

Personally, I think it is great that more Emirati companies and businesses are investing in Tunisia, it’s great for the economy, for creating jobs, for modernizing our cities and above all it’s a great example of how we as Arabs can work and succeed together when we really want to.

[Sources: ArabianBusiness, Seoul Times, WebManagerCenter (FR)]

Israel To Demolish Historic Mosque Near Jerusalem

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein has condemned a decision by Israeli authorities to demolish the Al-Omari mosque in the village of Umm Tuba near Jerusalem under the pretext that the building had been built without a license…

Sheikh Hussein told Ma’an that the mosque was built more than 700 years go, and it was last restored in 1963. It is the only mosque in Umm Tuba.

The Mufti claimed that Israeli authorities have been attempting to wipe out historic Islamic sites in Palestine which is violation of all religious values and international treaties.

He warned of the repercussions and called on the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which is charged with protecting human cultural heritage around the world, and other international organizations to prevent the demolition of the mosque.

[Source: Ma’an News]

Does anyone really have to comment on this?
Don’t acts like this just obviously show how much Israel wants Peace?
It’s pure ill-willed provocation that is destined to fuel even more conflict and close the doors in front of any possible peace efforts.
And then everyone turns around and blames the Palestinians for not pursuing peace.

[Via: CCNWON]

Atonement, The Movie

Last night, I got to watch “Atonement“, a movie featuring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, based on the book by Ian McEwan, and directed by Joe Wright.

I read the book a few years ago, and truly enjoyed it a lot, really great book.
Needless to say: the book is a lot better than the movie; but well that’s always the case; still this is a very good movie, worth watching, especially if you’ve read the book.

The movie is nominated for 7 Oscars this year; of which there is a ‘Best Motion Picture of the Year’ nomination.

The story follows a 13 year old girl (Briony) who lets her imagination overwhelm her judgment leading to close family ties being irreparably severed, and a promising young man’s (Robbie) prospects being destroyed; as Briony grows up she comes to grasp the reality of what she did and struggles to atone for her acts.

The acting is very good, and so is the soundtrack, the directing and photography, and the way the story is presented and told. There were details and events that were omitted, as usual in movie adaptations of books, but overall it turned out good enough.
One important thing though is that throughout the movie I found myself thinking a number of times how great the book is and that I might just go back and read it again.

So finally, check out the movie, but you definitely have to read the book.
Check my review of the book here.