I am not a Muslim - I don’t think many MacLeans are - but I have always loved the sound of the call to prayers from the local mosque. Sadly, the nearest mosque is probably about 20 miles from where I am sitting and prayers don’t seem to travel that far, even if you really shout. This morning I found a solution, a Mac app called Guidance which sits in the menu bar and calls the faithful at all the allotted hours. I find it very evocative of happy days spent in Morocco or the Comoros.
And I didn’t even have to turn my MacBook towards Mecca.
I love it, though so far I haven’t tried to field a telephone call during Dhuhur.
Better yet, all the calls have been recorded by Yusuf Islam - better known to my old record collection as Cat Stevens.
Still on matters religious, we learn from BNet that hotels are beginning to do away with in-room bibles, some on environmental grounds, though there are still “79 percent more Bibles in hotels, motels, and inns today than there were in 1988″.
I am guessing these are US-only figures; somehow I suspect they don’t, for example, apply to the Middle East.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Garri // Nov 20, 2007 at 10:57 am
I share your love for the sound of call to prayer too, ever since first my Morocco experience back in the eighties when riads still had some charm.
However, my needs are satisfied by this object:
http://www.simplyislam.com/iteminfo.asp?item=52238
Off to look at the Guidance app now, cheers for the tip
2 Neil Maclean // Nov 20, 2007 at 11:03 am
Garri, your needs are highly suspect
That’s truly awful
3 Garri // Nov 21, 2007 at 6:11 am
Not at all, it looks great on my Arne Jacobsen sideboard, with my Mies van der Rohe ‘Barcelona’ chair in the corner.
Anyway, installed Guidance on my machine so that’s me on the CIA’s most wanted list, I suspect
4 Ken Leopard // Nov 21, 2007 at 7:02 am
I once knew an Ali Maclean who may have been muslim. On the other hand perhaps not, maybe his name was Alistair?
5 Neil Maclean // Nov 21, 2007 at 7:16 am
I knew him! You are right Ken, he was christened, or at least named, Alistair Baba MacLean. The Wee Frees were furious.
6 Ameir Al-Zoubi // Nov 21, 2007 at 9:49 am
Glad you enjoy my program. I was happy to see the amount of attention Guidance got when it was released.
7 Neil Maclean // Nov 21, 2007 at 9:53 am
You deserve it Ameir - great work! Every time it starts I pause what I am doing - this is rapidly becoming the most peaceful moment of my working day.
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