Not your typical daily activity, but just imagine performing your dhuhr (afternoon) prayers while in orbit. Yes, we hear both sides of the space station saying that ‘you are above the ground’, ‘you need to be firm on the ground’, ‘you must rotate in prayer’, etc. But just imagine being in a zero G environment, floating and raising up to the qiyam (standing) position? And you thought praying outside on a windy day was tough to keep your praying mat from blowing away. In space, your praying mat would simply float away…..

Many of us have thought about this but… how does this apply to us? Well, performing your ibadah (worship) in space may not apply to you now but don’t forget we are in the 21st century (or 15th century after hijrah [migration]). Space is the next frontier as Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor will be experiencing soon. On October 10, 2007, our fellow Muslim from Malaysia will be lifting off this Earth and going beyond our upper and outer atmospheres. This gives him about 3 days of fasting. So if you find yourself fasting the last days of Ramadan in space, would you sight the moon or use the astronomically ‘perfect’ calendars found in your local mosque to celebrate Eid il Fitr?

You can read more about Astronaut Muszaphar’s story here: A Muslim Astronaut’s Dilemma: How to Face Mecca From Space

And if you ever find yourself orbiting Mars or Jupiter, you can use the following document (found in the article) as reference for your worship: Guidelines to Ibadah at the International Space Station.

And if you ever find yourself on the dark side of the moon… bring a flashlight.

Photo: Associated Press / Mikhail Metzel. Story contribution: Ebadur Rahman & Neaz Noor (Thanks!)

As promised in our earlier post about Pibb, here is the embedded Islam Channel from Pibb. As of this posting, we have only discovered one other Muslim using Pibb. If you are interested in new technology, new methods of communication or love using instant messaging, you should try Pibb, it’s all of the above and more.

Always looking for new technology, we recently discovered Pibb, a new communication utility. We found Kevin Fox online and pulled him aside, Pibb style (you can do this by clicking on a username and having a private chat discussion). Kevin handles Product Development at JanRain, the developers of Pibb, Jyte and MyOpenID. Kevin has graced us with an interview; this the first ever interview discussing Pibb. We are honored with this opportunity to showcase Pibb.

Two things to watch for: an embedded chat here on IslamCrunch and apps for many social network sites.

IslamCrunch challenge: Using Pibb to communicate with others during an Islamic event. Pibb can be used to document what transpires at an event, anyone can log on and read/interact with the attendees.

Here is the interview with Kevin of JanRain:

IslamCrunch: What is your web application/service about?

Pibb is about making it easy for people to communicate online. It has a unique feature set that brings together the familiarity of forums, power of blogs, flexibility of email and convenience of instant messaging all in one browser window.

Pibb is a comprehensive solution for all your communication needs; one-on-one chat, communication backchannel for conferences, support tool, or for community based private/public discussions, Pibb is the answer.

If you have something to say, we want you to ‘Say it on Pibb’.

IslamCrunch: Why did you start this project?

There was a need for an OpenID communications platform to complement our Jyte (claim and credibility engine) and MyOpenID (OpenID account provider) products. The communications space is very interesting and has lots of room for growth.

IslamCrunch: How much time do you devote to its growth?

As much as possible, if you can’t find me on Pibb (https://pibb.com/me/kfox.myopenid.com) there is likely a another JanRain’er who can help on the ‘Pibb Discussion’ channel (http://archive.pibb.com/Pibb+Discussion/General/)

IslamCrunch: How large is your team and what are your backgrounds?

12 people (http://janrain.com/about). Varying backgrounds, I have a Computer Science degree and an MBA, Jason Mckerr has an background in finance and an MBA, tons of awesome engineering talent (Python, Ruby, Perl, Ajax, etc.), Michael Graves and Larry Drebes have both done successful startups in the past.

IslamCrunch: What is your design/service philosophy?

Our goal is to create products that are valuable to people and help to grow communities. Always engage and listen to the community, they are our biggest asset. Our philosophy is to keep things open and make Pibb as intuitive to use as possible. Specifically we want users to own their content and we try to always make it easy for people to get content in and out of Pibb.

IslamCrunch: What technologies are you currently using?

Pibb is built using GWT (Google Web Toolkit), Python, Ruby on Rails

(more…)

Based in Silicon Valley, a pair of young Muslim entrepreneurs have collaborated on a new web project called WiGab, as in “Why Gab?” and “WiFi Gab.” We asked these two entrepreneurs to provide some background information about their site and who they are. Even though a majority of the content is geared towards the general audience, you will notice that WiGab features content for Muslims living the wireless life.  

Who? - Hambaba and Markar are just two individuals seeking to make sense of life. But they know that can be a cumbersome task at times, especially, if there aren’t any beacons to light the way. The Internet, as we see it, is a metaphor for life. Just as through life, we need to sift through the Internet for things that resonate with us. Having realized this connection they are making sense of life on the Internet. A Wireless Life Guide is born.

 What? - Wigab is their first collaborative project where they create guides on the Wireless Life. ‘Wireless’ is a synonym for all things tech. It’s a term that is ever incorporating new changes in technology. But the beginnings of an awareness of how intertwined our lives are with technology has only recently been recognized. The transition from wired technology: like phones, computers, vinyl music players to iPhones, laptops and iPods has made this transition more apparent. Today we live in a wireless world that is plugged in. Tomorrow, it will be something else.

 Where? - Wigab started as an expression of ideas. But without a cohesive picture that outlines pros and cons, it doesn’t help. So we do just that. We write about different things people use or haven’t used as of yet, but incorporate process. What makes us stand out is that we don’t regurgitate information that’s already out there. It’s always a new tool with a new twist.

 When? - Wigab is updated almost nearly daily. We recently made a pledge to keep it consistent.

 Why? - A Wireless Life Guide is not some semi-pseudo-scientific ‘To Do’ or ‘Not to Do’ list. It’s about looking at the world with a tech-savvy lens. Our motto is to be socially conscious individuals. In essence, this is a world issue and we intend to make our site a world site. All are welcome to contribute and get involved. Repeated themes are co-existence with the self, with others, with technology that abounds and our environment that sustains our very lives.

The WiGab team have a new project that will be launching soon. Here is a teaser: Green.

I just downloaded and installed Google Gears, the new ”open source browser extension that enables web applications to provide offline functionality. Google Gears allows developers to enhance their AJAX applications to be able to run even when their users are offline.”

After restarting the Firefox browser, it quickly became apparent that Google Gears is true to it’s BETA status. To see all the scary details, click here to see my post on the Google Gears discussion group.

Anybody else encountering any problems? Drop your comments here and let us know your experience with this new technology.