Pak Girls: Popular Apple apps?
By Ria Sharma

It’s interesting to see how any rumour/myth if repeated regularly and with confidence soon dons the aura of being based on fact. There are still tens of thousands in India who actually believe the Infosys co-founder and tech icon Mr. Murthy sent an email to all Infosys employees saying “Leave on time. Never put in extra time unless really needed.”

(The Narayana Murthy fake email which is still circulated, read and believed by many is posted at the end of this article).

Something similar is just happening in Pakistan.  Pakistani tech and telecom blog ProPakistani.Pk has great articles and an engaged readership.  Despite launching only in May, 2008, it already gets 250,000 unique visitors per month.  It is recommended reading for anyone who wants to understanding the tech sector in Pakistan.

On Dec 2, 2009 tech blog ProPakistani published an article about how an Apple application about pretty Pakistani girls has become the most downloaded paid apps. The article reads

“
Here we came across another vendor that is selling publicly available pictures of Pakistani girls, this time on Apple iTunes App Store.

Application named as ‘Pakistani Girls’ is actually topping the charts for the most downloaded paid application in the Apple iTunes App Store. Developed by iHustle Apps, ‘Pakistani Girls’ will get you pictures of those innocents who unknowingly left their snaps on public profiles of social media or image hosting websites.

iHustle is US based company that specialized in apple pictorial software, once downloaded your apple devices will synchronize thousands of pictures available on iHustle servers. We couldn’t find their location – as company is registered against fake address. They have a number given on their website, which is apparently not a landline, maybe its skype in number – its 001-347-948-7853.

iHustle’s domain whois says their contact number is: 001-631-871-9755. They are hosted at bluedomino.com
“

Just like the Narayana Murthy email exhorting Infosys employees to only work 9 hours a day for a balanced life, this report about a Pakistani girls apps in the Apple store is fake. Techgoss has checked and there is no such application.  If you see the image above, it even has the word ‘f***’.

But because the ‘news’ has been published in a reputed blog, many in Pakistan believe it. And it is being spread via email and word of mouth.  Of course, many in Pakistan and India genuinely believe that American companies are capable of doing this. And so such myths have the certainties of fact.   

Techgoss note:  The following is the fake email purportedly written by respected tech boss Mr. Murthy.

“
Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff:

It's half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on...
PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing...
And who's at work? Most of them??? Take a closer look...

All or most specimens are??
Something male species of the human race...

Look closer... again all or most of them are bachelors...

And why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!!!
Any guesses???
Let's ask one of them...
Here's what he says... "What's there 2 do after going home...Here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee that is why I am working late...Importantly no bossssssss!!!!!!!!!!!"

This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other off-shore offices.

Bachelors "Time-passing" during late hours in the office just bcoz they say they've nothing else to do...
Now what r the consequences...

"Working" (for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the institute or company culture.

With bosses more than eager to provide support to those "working" late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he's a hard worker... goes home only to change..!!).
They aren't helping things too...

To hell with bosses who don't understand the difference between "sitting" late and "working" late!!!

Very soon, the boss start expecting all employees to put in extra working hours.

So, My dear Bachelors let me tell you, life changes when u get married and start having a family... office is no longer a priority, family is.... and
That's when the problem starts... b'coz u start having commitments at home too.

For your boss, the earlier "hardworking" guy suddenly seems to become an "early leaver" even if u leave an hour after regular time... after doing the same amount of work.

People leaving on time after doing their tasks for the day are labelled as work-shirkers...

Girls who thankfully always (its changing nowadays... though) leave on time are labelled as "not up to it". All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on "working" not realizing that they r spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they would have to regret at one point of time.

So what's the moral of the story??
* Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!!!
* Never put in extra time “unless really needed”
* Don't stay back unnecessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues.

There are hundred other things to do in the evening.

Learn music...

Learn a foreign language...

Try a sport... TT, cricket.........

Importantly, get a girl friend or boy friend; take him/her around town....

* And for heaven's sake, net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low (plus, no fire-walls) and try cooking for a change.

Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: *"Life's calling, where are you??"*

Please pass on this message to all those colleagues and please do it before leaving time, don't stay back till midnight to forward this!!!

IT'S A TYPICAL INDIAN MENTALITY THAT WORKING FOR LONG HOURS MEANS VERY HARD WORKING & 100% COMMITMENT ETC.

PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY SIT LATE IN THE OFFICE DON'T KNOW TO MANAGE THEIR TIME. SIMPLE !

Regards,

NARAYAN MURTHY.
“