Latest news with #Orkut
Express Tribune
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Express Tribune
Osman Khalid Butt rants about the rain
Actor Osman Khalid Butt took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday to share his signature blend of wit and weather commentary, this time on the rainy season in Islamabad. "The thunder, the cool breeze, petrichor, rain in Islamabad makes me believe in love," he wrote, before taking a sharp, humorous turn. "Traffic during rain makes me believe in natural selection." The post quickly resonated with Islamabadis and beyond, capturing the emotional and logistical duality of the city's monsoon season, beloved for its moody skies and fragrant earth, cursed for its traffic jams and waterlogged roads. While many fans replied with memes and their own rainy day photos, others echoed OKB's observation, pointing out the lack of city preparedness for even moderate rainfall. On Friday, intermittent rainfall swept across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, offering brief spells of relief from the heat. The Pakistan Meteorological Department had forecast more showers and thunderstorms over the weekend, particularly in upper Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad. The rain cooled temperatures but also caused localised flooding and traffic snarls in major areas such as Blue Area, F-6, and Faizabad. Commuters reported extended delays due to water accumulation and malfunctioning traffic signals, a seasonal frustration that has come to define urban rain. Osman's online presence continues to strike a chord with fans, blending humour, and relatable observations. In April, the star sparked a wave of early-internet nostalgia with a heartfelt post on X (formerly Twitter), writing: "I miss Orkut and waking up one random day to find someone's written you a beautiful testimonial." The post resonated deeply with millennials who came of age during Orkut's heyday, prompting an outpouring of memories. Fans reminisced about the platform's simplicity, sincerity, and lost sense of community. "Good old days," many commented, while others noted how their generation uniquely experienced the shift from Orkut to Facebook and Instagram.
New Indian Express
01-06-2025
- New Indian Express
Being Human in the Age of AI
At 73, my mother is more tech-savvy than many half her age. A regular user of Instagram, her purpose is not to chase likes, but to preserve memories. With her account kept private and limited to close family, she uses it as a digital diary. When we introduced her to it, what appealed most was the permanence of it. 'Even if I change my phone, it'll all still be there,' she said. She represents a rare subset of people who have embraced technology not for social capital but for meaningful utility. Her instinct to adopt technology with clear purpose is something we could all learn from, especially now, as we stand on the precipice of the AI revolution. The pace of change is staggering. We've moved from no internet to Orkut, Facebook, Instagram, and now, AI that mimics human thought with uncanny precision. My own feed is filled with creators teaching people how to prompt AI for everything from resume-writing and productivity hacks to personal coaching. I've used AI to play the role of a running coach. In preparing for a half-marathon, it generated detailed training schedules, offered motivational support when I was nervous, and even cheered me on.
Buzz Feed
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Remember These? 25+ Throwback Memories That Defined Us
If you remember a time when the internet made that sound, phones flipped instead of scrolled, and your biggest flex was customising your Bluetooth name, congratulations, you're officially part of the 25+ club. This is your gentle (and slightly chaotic) reminder that you're now the person who says, 'Back in my day…' unironically. So buckle up and prepare for a wild ride through memory lane, because these core memories are about to hit harder than a breakup status on Facebook in 2009. 1. Blowing into a video game cartridge like you were performing CPR Because somehow, aggressively exhaling into a plastic rectangle magically fixed it. It didn't matter if it was Mario, Contra, or Duck Hunt; that puff of air was your miracle cure. Doctors could never. Scientists were baffled. You? A certified tech genius at age 9. 2. When your phone had actual buttons and you could text with your eyes closed T9 predictive text was an art form. You could type 'Where r u?' without looking, while hiding your phone under the desk during math class. Now you have a full keyboard and still can't text without autocorrect changing 'bro' to 'bronchitis.' 3. Burning CDs and naming them something like 'MIXXX VIBES VOL. 2 🔥💔' You'd spend hours carefully curating a playlist that went from Enrique Iglesias to Evanescence, because emotional whiplash was your brand. Then you'd decorate the CD with a Sharpie like it was a Grammy-worthy album. Peak creativity. 4. The trauma of accidentally hitting 'Back' after typing a long Orkut testimonial You just poured your heart out telling Priya what a 'sweet n caring soul' she is, and one wrong click took you straight back to square one. No autosave. Just heartbreak and the decision to never love again. 5. Snake on the Nokia 3310 Nothing hit quite like getting the snake to take a full lap around the screen. That little pixelated serpent taught us more about patience, strategy, and commitment than most adult relationships. Also, the 3310? Indestructible. If you threw it, the wall broke. 6. Passing notes in class like a black-market transaction A piece of paper folded 12 times, slipped like contraband from desk to desk. The message? Something critical like 'I hate maths' or 'He's looking at you again 😳.' If a teacher caught you, you acted like it was a national secret. 7. Carrying around a USB drive like it was a crown jewel Everything lived in that one pen drive—school projects, pirated movies, a folder suspiciously called 'New Folder (2)', and at least one PowerPoint with 15 transitions. Losing it was like losing your identity. 8. The iPod click wheel sound living rent-free in your brain Just the tik-tik-tik of scrolling through 173 songs you downloaded from questionable sources. That wheel had no business being that satisfying. You'd scroll for 10 minutes just to play the same Linkin Park song again. 9. Recording your favourite song from the radio and praying the RJ wouldn't speak over it You had your finger on the record button, heart racing, praying they wouldn't yell '93.5 REDDDD FM!' right as the chorus hit. They always did. And yet, you never gave up. That's called grit. 10. Bluetooth file transfers taking longer than most modern relationships Sending one 3MB song via Bluetooth meant you were now bound to that person for the next 17 minutes. If they walked away mid-transfer? That was betrayal. You never spoke again. 11. Changing your Facebook status every 4 minutes to something emotional 'Feeling lost.' 'Trust no one.' 'You'll miss me when I'm gone.' If heartbreak had a currency, we were billionaires. And don't forget the cryptic updates like 'You know what you did.' No context. Just vibes. 12. When your phone had a torch and that made you the MVP of every power cut No inverter? No problem. You pulled out your Nokia with that single, blinding LED light and instantly became the hero your family didn't deserve. Bonus points if you used it to look for the remote. 13. Saving your crush's number as something completely unrelated Because if someone saw your phone and noticed 'Airtel Recharge Bhaiya' had 87 would be asked. And you weren't ready. 14. Using MS Paint like it was Photoshop Making masterpieces out of the spray paint tool, the curved line, and that one colour gradient. You'd spend hours drawing stick figures fighting dragons, only to accidentally close the file without saving. Tragedy. 15. The original YouTube buffering wheel becoming your nemesis You waited 12 minutes for a 3-minute video of Charlie bit my finger to load, and still felt fulfilled. Today, if Netflix buffers for 5 seconds, you threaten to cancel your subscription. 16. When you had to delete songs from your phone to take a new picture 'Phone storage full' meant tough decisions. Are you willing to delete or will this blurry photo of your best friend be sacrificed instead? Priorities. 17. Getting excited about Caller Tunes You paid actual money so that people calling you could hear Hips Don't Lie instead of a regular ring. And you judged your friends based on theirs. 'He still has Dard-e-Disco? Red flag.' 18. Playing Roadrash and Midtown Madness like your life depended on it Who needed a driver's license when you were already crashing into virtual trees and pedestrians with zero consequences? These games raised a generation of chaotic drivers. 19. Waiting all week for Sunday morning cartoons No OTT, no binge. Just Popeye, Dexter's Lab, and the cruel fate of missing an episode because your mom made you go for tuition. Made it to the end? Thought so. There's something about being 25+, you've lived through tech that didn't always work, feelings that spilled into Facebook statuses, and romances powered by Bluetooth transfers. Quietly weird, oddly formative, and now, strangely comforting.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- The Hindu
Lawyer and wildlife photographer Aarzoo Khanna's date with tigers
Aarzoo Khanna 'captures' tigers and then showcases them for wildlife lovers to appreciate her `kills'. Only these beasts figure in frames and form the fascinating collection of Aarzoo, who has travelled to 56 of the 58 tiger reserves across 18 States in India. The interesting part is she did 55 tiger reserves in a single road trip over six months , traversing 37,000 kilometres. From October 2, 2023 to April 19, 2024, Aarzoo was focused on her ambition. 'I have named it Project ATR (All Tiger Reserves),' Aarzoo says proudly as she looks forward to visiting the remaining two this year, the Ratapani Tiger Reserve and the Madhav Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Aarzoo recalls her journey . 'I have slept in the dirt, spent the night at petrol pumps, sometimes without dinner. It was strange meeting locals who were unaware there was a tiger reserve in their area,' says Aarzoo, who began with the tiger reserve in Sirsa, and her 56th at Corbett Tiger Reserve. Sometime in 2012, when the world was transitioning from Orkut to Facebook, Aarzoo pestered her father, Hemant, to buy her a camera. She was barely 10. At 15, she acquired a Kodak camera. 'I would click pictures of pigeons. I was nervous when I decided to carry my passion to the backyards of the tiger, but it was an experiment that gave me the platform to pursue my interest,' she says.. Aarzoo's passion took flight with a workshop she attended at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in 2015 to learn the nuances of photography. 'It was winter, and I stepped out at 4am; An hour later, I was inside the jungle doubting if it was the right decision,' she recalls. Sunrise brought the birds (sarus cranes) even as the fog gave way to the photographers' delight. One of them struck a ballerina pose, and Aarzoo clicked to have a photo for posterity. 'I just kept clicking.' She wanted to be the bridge between the jungle and the outside world. In the later months, Aarzoo invested in an SLR camera and visited 55 of India's tiger reserves in one go. Sirsa was her first conquest. Her father accompanied her. 'A tiger came to drink water, and I had my first frame,' she remembers. She says her love for wildlife photography is expensive and she seeks social media support to raise funds through various sources. With so much going on in her world of dreams, Aarzoo also studied law to give in to her father's wish, who wants her to become a judge at some point in life. There is a story behind each photo that Aarzoo has captured. Her favourite is the hard-earned picture of a cub. 'It happened at Tadoba Tiger Reserve, where we learnt of Katrina and her month-old cubs. I decided to park myself. It was tough. We almost gave up when my colleague, tiger tracker Mohammed Irshad, insisted we stay. He had heard a monkey call, and we soon spotted this tigress holding a cub. We were breathless as the cub walked on the road. Having spotted us, the cub snarled. The tigress was close when I shot my video. It remains close to my heart' Aarzoo says. BBC, National Geographic, and Discovery have featured Aarzoo's work. She also teaches photography and conducts workshops across the country. A practising advocate, she was thrilled when several Supreme Court judges visited her exhibition held in Delhi's Bikaner House last winter. Aarzoo is happy, taking the wildlife to the people. 'It is a fascinating world,' she avers.
Express Tribune
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Osman Khalid Butt reflects on Orkut days
Osman Khalid Butt, who turned 39 earlier this February, stirred a wave of early-internet nostalgia on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday with a short but sentimental post: "I miss Orkut and waking up one random day to find someone's written you a beautiful testimonial." The tweet, simple and evocative, immediately resonated with fans who grew up during Orkut's heyday. Many flooded the comments reminiscing about the forgotten joy of heartfelt testimonials. "The best part about Orkut was the testimonials," one fan wrote. Another incisively noted, "I guess the millennial generation is pretty much the only one that has seen the transition in their lifetime from Orkut to Facebook to Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, etc." Many commented, "Good old days." The nostalgic post arrives two months after Osman shared moments from his birthday celebration on Instagram. Surrounded by close family and pampered with two cakes, the Baaghi actor flashed a wide smile in a heartwarming birthday post captioned in French: "Avec la famille" (With the family) along with his birth date. Celebrity friends poured in with wishes. "Happy birthday, brother!" wrote Anaa actor Usman Mukhtar. Simi Raheal chimed in, "A happy birthday and blessed years ahead." Ehde Wafa co-star Zara Noor Abbas cheekily referenced their project: "Happy birthday, Malik Shahzain." Fans, as always, matched the love with their own tributes, many calling him "Obi" and penning long, appreciative notes. One user wrote, "Your passion and kindness have inspired me in ways you'll never know." Osman was also spotted at the wedding festivities of friend and fellow actor Ahmed Ali Akbar in February, joining the celebrations with industry peers like Uzair Jaswal and Usman Mukhtar.
