The man who found the Titanic part 2

The man who found the Titanic part 3

The man who found the Titanic part 4

The man who found the Titanic part 5

The man who found the Titanic Part 6

From June to August 1994 we undertook a trekking expedition to the Karakoram. We trekked as individual travellers, my wife, Karen Dierks, née Von Bremen and myself, from Ashkole in the Braldo River valley along the Baltoro Glacier – the longest glacier on earth outside the polar areas – to Concordia which is surrounded by several peaks higher than 8 000 m altitude and where several Karakoram glaciers are meeting. From Concordia we visited the K2 Base Camp at an altitude of roughly 5 000 m. On our way back to Gilgit we visited the Hunza Valley up to the border of the Peoples Republic of Cina at the Khunjerab Pass 4 602 m.

Copyright of Maps: Nelles Verlag

Point of exit for our trip to K2 was Skardu in the Indus Valley. We reached Skardu by air from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The flight from Islamabad to Skardu along the Nanga Parbat 8 126 m and the Karakoram Range is surely one of the – if not the most exiting flight on earth. In the Indus Valley the wings of the Boeing 737 are sometimes nearly touching the rock faces, glaciers and ice pinnacles of the Karakoram on both sides. The plane is flying through the Indus River gorge and near Skardu has to circle down in several narrow circles around the Skardu Fort because no direct approach to Skardu Airport is possible.

FLIGHT FROM GILGIT TO ISLAMABAD

Flight from Gilgit to Islamabad: View to the North into the Karakoram Range with  Rakaposhi 7 788 m in the Hunza Valley (Left) and Haramosh 7 397 m (Right)
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Flight from Gilgit to Islamabad: View to the East to Nanga Parbat 8 126 m
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

SKARDU – THE CAPITAL OF BALTISTAN AND POINT OF EXIT INTO THE KARAKORAM

Copyright of Photo: Lonely Planet 1993: Pakistan

Skardu 2 290 m at the Indus River is the Capital of Baltistan: View to the East in Direction Shigar Valley and Karakoram Main Range
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Skardu at the Indus River: View to the West with the Skardu Fortress on Rock Buttress in the Background (Left Photo)
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Skardu Main Street: View to the East: Baltistan was once Buddhist Territory, but is now since more than 600 Years Islamic Territory (Shiite Religion)
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Skardu’s Karpochu Fort was built by Ali Sher Khan Anchan on the East End of the 300 m high Karpochu Rock in the 17th Century. In the early 1800s the Sikhs took an Interest in Ladakh and Baltistan. Using as Excuse a Quarrel between Raja Ahmad Shah and his Son, whom he had disinherited, an Army of 21 000 Hindu Dogra Tribesmen in the Service of Sikh Raja Gulab Singh of Kashmir, worked its Way down the Indus and in 1840 laid Siege to Skardu’s Fort. After two Weeks Ahmad Shah was tricked out and captured, and his Son was installed as Puppet Raja in a cruel Dogra Reign
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Karpochu Fort: View to the East in Direction Shigar Valley and Karakoram
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Karpochu Fort: View to the West in Direction Haramosh
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Karpochu Fort: View to the South in Direction Satpara Lake and the more than 5 000 m high Deosai Plains in the South of the Indus River
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Satpara Lake: View to the South in Direction of the Deosai Plains
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

View from the Satpara Lake to the Northwest in Direction Indus Valley
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Sitting Buddha Sakyamuni of Satpara carved on a big rust-brown Rock: Perhaps 7th Century: Buddhism came to Baltistan in the 3rd Century with Gandharan Missionaries and again when Baltistan was Part of the Tibetan Empire in the 8th and 9th Centuries. Islam arrived in the 14 th Century via Kashmir
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

FROM SKARDU TO THE SHIGAR AND BRALDU VALLEYS TO PAIJU – BEGINNING OF THE BALTORO GLACIER

Copyright of Photo: Lonely Planet 1993: Pakistan

View into the lush and yawning Shigar Valley with the Shigar Village on the Right Side of the Photo (with an old Royal Palace of the Shigar Rajas who rivalled the Skardu Rajas): In the Background the Mango Gusor Range
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Bauma Lungma Village in the Shigar Valley
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

At Dassu Village 2 440 m the Braldu River which comes from the Baltoro Glacier joins the Shigar River: Here starts our Trek to the Base Camp of K2
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Trek along the wild Braldu River Gorge – with the Threat of continuous Stone Avalanches which could sweep one into the Gorge – is one of the most dangerous Sections on the Trek to the Base Camp of K2
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Village of Askole 3 050 m is the last Human Settlement on our Way to K2
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Braldu River between Askole and the Biafo Glacier (Korophon Camp Site): View to the East
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

At the End of the Biafo Glacier – one of the largest Glaciers in the Karakoram – The Braldu River joins the Biafo River: View to the West
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Crossing the Biafo Glacier: View to the West
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

After crossing the Biafo Glacier we had to climb this steep Rock Face in order to reach the Flying Fox over the Dumordo River (Photo was taken after we had negotiated this Rock Face, one of the most dangerous Sections on the whole Trek to K2 Base Camp): View to the East
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Negotiating the steep Dumordo Rock Face: View to the East
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Climbing down through a Rockfall threatened Gully in the Dumordo Rock Face to the Flying Fox over the Dumordo River
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Flying Fox over the Dumordo River: The small Basket to the left carries one over the torrential Glacier Waters of the Dumordo River
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

My Wife Karen Dierks, née Von Bremen, crossed in the Flying Fox the Dumordo River
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

One of the many Glacier Streams which had to be negotiated between Bardimal 3 253 m and Paiju 3 368 m: View to the North to the high Peaks of the Karakoram at the Baltoro Glacier
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

View east of the Camping Site at Paiju to the Beginning of the Baltoro Glacier and the mighty 6 000 m and 7 000 m high Granite Towers of the Karakoram north of the Baltoro Glacier: The River which leaves the Glacier is one of the Main Tributaries of the Braldu River: Biaho Lungma
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

FROM PAIJU ALONG THE 78 Km LONG BALTORO GLACIER TO CONCORDIA AND THE BASE CAMP OF K2 (CHOGORI OR MOUNT GODWIN AUSTEN)

Copyright of Photo: Lonely Planet 1993: Pakistan

View from the Beginning of the Baltoro Glacier to the North to the Uli Biaho Glacier and the Uli Biaho 6 417 m (Left) and the Uli Biaho Tower (Granite) 6 109 m (Right)
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Beginning of the Baltoro Glacier: View to the East in Direction Broad Peak and K2
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Our Porters on the Baltoro Glacier: We had on our Trekking Expedition one Guide (Shah Jahan), one Assistant Guide, one Cook and 18 Porters
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

View from the Baltoro Glacier to the Trango Towers in the North: The Granite Towers range between 6 239 m and 6 763 m (Right)
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

View from the Baltoro Glacier to the Cathedral Peak 5 828 m (Right) and the Biale 6 729 m (Left) in the East
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

View from the Baltoro Glacier our Way back to the West to the Uli Biaho 6 417 m (Left) and the Uli Biaho Tower 6 109 m (Right)
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Liligo Camp Site 3 715 m: View from the Baltoro Glacier to the South on the Liligo Glacier, which is one of the few Glaciers in the World which is still considerably growing every Year
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Urdukas Camp Site 4 010 m: View from the Baltoro Glacier to the South on the Mandu Glacier with Masherbrum (K1) 7 821 m (Left) and the four Urdukas Peaks to the Right (from Left To Right: Urdukas I 6 320m; II 6 280  m; III 6 130 m and IV 5 900 m)
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Urdukas Camp Site: View to the West to the Trango Towers and Uli Biaho: One of our Porters at his Evening Prayer
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Between Urdukas and Gore II Camp Site we trekked via Lhungka, Biange and Gore I entirely on the Baltoro Glacier: View to the Southwest to the Masherbrum (Burning Face in the Balti Language) or K1 (7 821 m) in the Background
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Near Lhungka we met the German Mountaineer Michael Wehrli, who just had successfully climbed K2, probably the youngest Mountaineer (24 Years old in July 1994) ever on Top of K2: View to the Southwest to the Masherbrum
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Between Gore I and Gore II on the Baltoro Glacier: View to the West in Direction Biale, Trango Towers and Uli Biaho: Lunch Rest on the right Photo
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Our Camp at Gore II on the Baltoro Glacier: View to the West in Direction Biale, Trango Towers and Uli Biaho
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

On the Baltoro Glacier: Between Gore I and Gore II: View to the North to the Muztagh Tower 7 284 m: Muztagh Tower forms the Boundary with the Peoples Republic of China
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

On the Baltoro Glacier: View to the Southwest in Direction Masherbrum: Between Gore II and Concordia
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

On the Baltoro Glacier: Doksam: View to the Northeast to the Cristal Peak 6 252 m (left) and Marble Peak 6 256 m (right): Behind this Mountain Range is the Broad Peak and K2: Between Gore II and Concordia
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Broad Peak (8 051 m right Peak and 8 006 m left Peak) is appearing at the End of the Baltoro Valley in the North: We areapproaching Concordia where seven Glaciers (Baltoro, Godwin Austen, Broad Peak and Vigne Glaciers are the four largest) meeting (Concordia: “Place de la Concorde”) and which is surrounded by some of the mightiest Mountains on Earth
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Broad Peak from Concordia 4 720 m
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Chogori (K2 or Mount Godwin Austen) 8 611 m from Concordia 4 720 m: My Wife and myself reached Concordia on July 31th, 1994, exactly 40 Years after the First Climb of K2 by the two Italian Mountaineers: Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli onJuly 31th, 1954
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Concordia Camp: View to the Southwest, to the Mitre Range 6 025 m
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Some of our 18 Porters at getting paid-off at Concordia Camp: View to the Southwest, to the Mitre Range (left Photos) and to the West in Direction Masherbrum (right Photo)
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Concordia Camp: View to the North, to K2: With my Wife, Karen Dierks, née Von Bremen, and our Guide, Shah Jahan, in the left Middle of Photo
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Our Trek from Concordia Camp to the Base Camp of K2 crosses the Godwin Austen Glacier: View to the North
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

K2 – Chogori – Mount Godwin Austen: 8 611 m: The Second Highest Peak in the World: Mountain of all Mountains: The most difficult of all Peaks higher than 8 000 m: On our Way to the Base Camp of K2: View to the North: The Ridge on the Right-Hand Side is the Abruzzi Ridge which leads the Normal Way to the Top
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Gaherbrum II 8 034 m from Concordia: Gasherbrum I 8 068 m is hidden behind Gasherbrun II and not visible from Concordia: Therefore he is also called “Hidden Peak”
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

View from Concordia to the South to the Junction betweween Vigne Glacier (left) and Baltoro (right) with Vigne 6 874 m and Chogolisa 7 668 m in the Background: At the Chogolisa the Austrian Mountaineer Hermann Buhl who was the First One to stand on Top of Nanga Parbat in July 1954, lost his Life in 1957
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

View from Concordia to K2: “Namibia on the Roof of the World”
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

View from Concordia to Broad Peak
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

FROM SKARDU ALONG THE INDUS GORGE TO GILGIT AND THE HUNZA VALLEY

Copyright of Map: Nelles Verlag

The Indus River Gorge west of Skardu near Rondu: View to the West
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Indus River Gorge west of Skardu near Strongling: View to the West to the Haramosh Range 7 397 m
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Junction of the Indus River with the Gilgit River (east where the Hunza River meets the Gilgit River): View to the South into the Indus Valley to Nanga Parbat 8 126 m
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Hunza Valley near Ghulmet with Rakaposhi 7 790 m in the Background: View to the Northeast
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Hunza Valley near Aliabad with Rakaposhi 7 790 m in the Background: View to the Southeast
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Hunza Valley near Baltit, the Capital of Hunza: View to the North in Direction Sust and Khunjerab Pass
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

Khunjerab Pass 4 602 m forms the Border between the Hunza Valley in Pakistan and the Peoples Republic of China: View to the South into the Hunza Valley in Direction Sust
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks

The Khunjerab Pass: View to the West

Grids are structure imposed on chaos. They are a harmonious and reliable system for presenting information. Grids offer an effective design approach for site layouts and assist in communicating site’s main messages clearly to the end user. They created ordered hierarchies, proportional relationships, and clear visual paths for the eye to travel.

Its important to know your tools before trying to get creative with them. This means you should study the grid and understand how to successfully use it to create your site layouts. Learn to achieve balance, symmetry, and place emphasis on important content all through the use of the grid. If you need some information on Web grid usage utilize the resources below:

Grids are useful for communicating information clearly and effectively. Khoi Vinh’s redesign of a complex news-site proves it.

• Designing With Grid-Based Approach
  Massive roundup of grid based design resources here on Smashing Magazine.
• Five Simple Steps to Designing Grid Systems Part I
  Mark Boulton discusses this professional solution to a common Web design problem. Refer to his multi-part series for a review of grid use.
• Grids Are Good (Right?)
  Is a presentation by Mark Boulton and Khoi Vinh that covers the use of the grid as it applies to Web design. They do this while analyzing a fictitious though useful Yahoo redesign case study. They work through their methodology for using the grid while revealing concepts in this process.

Six Creative Column Techniques

Like skyscrapers in city centers, overwhelmingly, columns dominate Web design grids. Once you’ve mastered the grid as a tool then it’s time to get creative with it. Work on establishing a visual rhythm in your design. Then you can step in and break the visual flow for effect. The techniques discussed in the next section present effective ways of getting creative with your columns in grid-based Web design.

1. Embracing Disharmony

Disharmony is, of course, the opposite of harmony. A grid is a harmonious instrument. Its goal is to achieve balance, symmetry, and order. So why would you want to bring imbalance to this order? Why break up this carefully constructed data structure? The answer is to add interest.

Chaos is more interesting than order. A good murder mystery is infinitely more enjoyable than a story about taking a walk in the park. Jackson Pollock’s splattered paint canvas is more stimulating than a wall without it. A partly broken grid is more interesting than a perfectly ordered grid. Besides who doesn’t want to break the rules? Embrace some randomness, chaos, or discord and create a space for them to thrive within your designs.

2. Joining for Variety

Layouts that have strong horizontal areas are being seen more often, especially on home pages. Horizontal Web design areas feel more creative because vertical designs are so common on the Web. Try using more rows in your designs. Or join areas of a column together to create a display space in your design.

Rows can be used to break up the visual flow of a page. Each row you create gives a new opportunity for establishing new column areas with different sizes, numbers, and variety. Its possible to create pages on your site, or areas of your pages, that are heavily horizontal. Or join columns to form rows that add interesting areas to your layouts. Consider varying the number of columns in the rows you create.

The gray horizontal row below is heavily emphasized. The use of repeating horizontal backgrounds helps to make predominately vertical layouts feel wide. Adding these spaces to your layouts will allow them to stand out. Horizontal areas in sites will slow the user’s progression through the page and create emphasis.

3. Utilizing Angles

It’s possible to set an entire grid on an angle. In the article Rule Four: Spacing Is Your Friend an angled grid design is reviewed. The example used in this article is for print design though. The use of an angled grid is unusual on the Web. That’s because the layout of text on the Web is horizontal, not slanted.

You would likely use images to accomplish an angled piece of text. Flash would be another option. In both cases you’re loosing the semantic goodness and ease of use of Cascading Style Sheets. The use of angles to occasionally break your grid will add visual interest. If you restrict the use of angles to images you won’t lose any semantic or SEO benefits of the default horizontal text used in the Web.

4. Escaping Boundaries

One of the techniques in line with embracing some disorder is to break out of the boundaries you’ve established in your grid. Once you’ve established your order find ways for elements to move outside of it. Cross over the lines you’ve set up and break out of the visual flow of the page.

In the article Thinking Outside the Grid Molly E. Holzschlag discusses concepts of creating compelling visual design that breaks the mold of the grid. Some of her examples show boundaries being escaped. This is an inspiring conceptual article that also discusses the complexities involved in coding designs that are less rigid.

Pull-quotes are an example of a design element that presents an opportunity to break out of your established visual flow. The older version of Andy Rutledge’s Design View used interesting pull-quotes that broke the visual flow of the column. Doing this places greater emphasis on the pull-quotes than if they were kept within the content of the column.

Compare the old version to the newer site design below. The new design places pull-quotes within the boundaries of the content column. This is a less creative and more conservative solution. Though in either case the pull-quote creates a noticeable change in the visual flow of the column.

An abrupt change in the flow of the page will cause users to pause and notice the change in rhythm. This is true whether the pull-quote is kept within the column or moved outside the boundaries of its borders. Consider this the next time you use pull-quotes or if you’re embedding an image within your column. As an image presents the same design opportunity.

5. Illustrating Areas

Illustrations and the use of design elements allow for overlapping and breaking out of the structure you’ve created in your grid. They can be used to add some areas of creative disorder to counterbalance the rigidity of the grid.

In the example below the illustration at the top of the page breaks the grid by overlapping the gridlines and flowing into different content areas. The movement of the design elements within the illustration creates a different visual rhythm that acts in opposition to the order of the grid. There is balance in the design of these opposing forces. The illustrations in this design add stimulating areas of interest to an otherwise boxy layout.

6. Energizing Spaces

There are some basic design principles to consider when looking to energize space within your grid. Concepts such as asymmetrical balance, proximity, and repetition are discussed in the article The Principles of Beautiful Web Design by Jason Beaird.

These principles are at work in the portfolio design of Issara Willenskomer, shown below. Jason Beaird has this to say about asymmetrical balance,”Rather than having mirror images on either side of the layout, asymmetrical balance involves objects of differing size, shape, tone, or placement. These objects are arranged so that, despite their differences, they equalize the weight of the page.”

In the image shown below no two paragraphs or images are the same size. Columns are broken and overlap horizontally. Mathematical precision is abandoned and a grid based on an artist’s intuition and eye for design is used to fill this creative space. The balance achieved here is not based on rigid structure alone, but rather is achieved through the equalizing weight of asymmetrical balance.

Each portfolio piece repeats a structure of similar size and weight of presentation on the page. The elements within each space through their proximity function as single design units. Though each portfolio piece is presented with a unique rhythm within the confines of this space, thereby adding interest to the design.

There is great variety in each one of these portfolio spaces. This allows for a creative presentation that the designer will enjoy making and a viewer will find stimulating.

Case Studies

Three sites that creatively use columns and break out of the rigid confined of well structured grids.

Study #1: Satsu Design

The design of Satsu.co.uk uses sketch style illustrations to overlap the grid lines established for the site. These illustrations effectively communicate the concept of rough draft brainstorming creativity. Conceptually the illustrations don’t belong inside the confines of an ordered grid. They serve to bring interest, asymmetrical balance, and conceptual creativity to the design.

The use of illustrations, the spacing between elements, and the variety in weight of elements within each grid make this a visual stimulating design.

Study #2: Lake Crackenback

Lake Crackenback utilizes illustrative design elements to great effect. The interior page, second image below, has a strong three column grid. Though the presentation through the design gives the illusion that it is one column with side elements that overlap that column. The side columns successfully overlap and break the rigid layout of the grid. Order is maintained while visual interest is added.

Also, notice the difference in presentation between the home page and the interior page. Varying your grid on different pages can be a useful technique for adding interest as well.

Study #3: Edgepoint Church

Edgepoint Church has a strong grid and a two column layout. The home page stands out as unique. It has multiple rows that turn the two columns into three, or unite a column to form one space. The home page especially has a grid filled with variety. The grid is escaped with the use of angles and placement of the illustrations and photography that surround the layout. The header has a free flow design that opens up the top as a creative space.

Conclusion

There are multiple techniques to add interest to your grid. Certainly you should first understand how to use the grid effectively. Then work on escaping some of this rigid structure and create some free flowing spaces within your design. Or break the established flow and focus attention on a particular element. Utilize concepts such as disharmony, asymmetrical balance, and ordered chaos to bring areas of your site’s grid designs to life.

Infact world’s largest and highest known mud volcano is located in Balochistan. The altitude of this highest mud volcano is 300 ft. The mud volcanoes of Balochistan are not only located on the land but from time to time they appear as small temporary islands in the Arabian Sea also.

To reach the most famous group of these mud volcanoes, one has to travel west of Karachi on the Makran Coastal Highway (N10). The turnoff to the volcanoes is 38 km short of Hungol (also pronounced as Hingol) river. A 1×1 ft board here says ‘Sapt Post’. Get off the road at this sign and follow the dirt tracks towards Arabian Sea and you’ll reach the mud volcanoes.

The signboard photo to the right above is the place where Makran Coastal highway meets River Hungol.

7 out of the 18 mud volcanoes are located few kilometers from the Sapt post as mentioned above, where as rest of the 11 mud volcanoes are located further west between Kutch and Gwadar.

There are two known groups of mud volcanoes here. One is called ‘Chandargup’ and other is called ‘Jabl-ul-Ghurab’. Very close to Chandargup is an ancient Hindu temple called ‘Hinglaj temple’ or ‘Nani Temple’. There are many pronunciations of the word Chandragup in practise. Due to close proximity a Hindu temple to these volcanoes, it is very likely that the word Chandargup is actually derived from the word ‘Chandargupt’. Another word which locally mentions this group of volcanoes is ‘Chandra coop’ which means Volcanoes of the Moon.

It is said that mud volcanoes have roots that go several kilometers underground and act as safety valves for high underground pressure. The photo to the left shows liquefied mud flowing out of 300ft hight Chandargup volcano in Hungol. It is said that liquified mud coming out of the volcano has healing powers. Many people come here to use this mud to cure skin diseases. This photo is from August 2003. The earliest account of the presence of mud volcanoes in Balochistan dates back to 1840.

In 1862, Major (later Sir) Frederick John Goldsmid was employed by the Governer of Bombay for special missions. One such mission was a foray into Makran lasting from December 12, 1861 to January 1862.

The photo to the left is the signboard on Coastal highway N10 showing direction to ancient Hindu temples of Nani Mandir. The signboard is located at the eastern bank of River Hungol bridge.

Goldsmid and his party commenced their journey overland from Karachi and wrote a diary of their travels upto Gwadar.

This travelogue talks about the mud volcanoes, which gives the first surviving account of their existence. In his journal Goldsmid writes about passing through bubbling springs near Ras Koocheri, taking detours to see ancient Hindu temples of Hinglaj and the mud volcanoes near Ormara. The Hindus worship these mud volcanoes as the habitation of a deity Babhaknath.  It is reported that during the infamous 8.1 intensity earthquake of Balochistan which occured on May 31, 1935 a mud volcano erupted Northwest of Quetta, near the town of Surab and kept spewing out mud for 9 hours continuously.

Photo to the right shows particpants of 4×4 offroaders club of Karachi with Chandragup mud volcano in the background. This Photo is dated back to August 2003.

It is also reported that on November 28, 1945 an earthquake of 7.8 intensity occured in Arabian Sea off the coast of Makran. The earthquake caused a tsunami with a wave reaching as high as 13m at some places. This tsunami killed 4000 people off the coast of ArabianSea in Sindh and Baluchistan. Widespread destruction was reported in the towns of Pasni and Ormara.

The photo to the left shows a water lake formed inside the crater of a mud volcano. This photo is from September 2005.

A village called Khaddi got completely wiped off the face of earth with no survivors. Even in Karachi, waves rose several feet through Clifton and Gizri. Sea water entered the compounds of oil storage facilities at Kimari harbor in Karachi. The underwater cable link which existed in 1945 between Karachi and Muscat was interrupted. The Cape Monze lighthouse, 72 km from Karachi, was damaged. The quake was also strongly felt at Manora Island near Karachi Harbour. The 94 feet high lighthouse on Manora island was damaged and a couple of pounds of mercury spilt.

This earthquake shook and vented the mud volcanoes of Hungol so much that the gases coming out of this volcanoes got ignited and flames rose several hundred feet in the air.

The photo to the right shows a ground level mud volcano near Gwadar.

The news of fiery volcanoes erupting in Balochistan (1945) spread across India. There were also reports from RAF aircraft flying in from the west of volcanic eruptions in Lasbela State in Balochistan. A Britisher named Peter Martin Kaye who was stationed at Korangi Creek Royal Air Force Flying Boat base and his friend Peter Woolf, who was also stationed at the Korangi Creek base, took two weeks leave from the base commander and set off on the 2nd of December, 1945 on an expedition along the Makran Coast. They used camels provided by the Wazir of Lasbela State as transportation. Their mission was to check out what had happened when the earthquake and tsunami struck on Makran Coast. On reaching the location of three active mud volcanoes (which they called Chandragup, Ranagup and Rajagup), concluded that the quake had released a quantity of gas at that location which had ignited in a fiery eruption giving rise to the stories of volcanic eruptions.

The photo below is the view of Gwadar mud volcano in setting sun. Shadows belong to the toursits. clicking on this photo will take you to its parent website.

Another account of these eruption come from V.P. Sondhi, who in 1947 also wrote about the same volcanic phenomenon in the area near the mouth of the Hungol River in Baluchistan following the 1945 quake. According to Sondhi, the self-igniting plume of gas had erupted:

“with such great force that the flames leaped thousands of feet high into the sky.”

V.P. Sondhi also documented the emergence of three mud volcano islands in the Arabian Sea just off the coast of Makran. These off shore mud volcanoes didn’t live long and the strong wave action of Arabian Sea dissolved the muddy islands within months. By the end of 1946 these mud volcanoes were completely gone.

Photo to the right shows crater edge of one of the Chandargup mud volcanoes. This photo is from September 2005.

The geological research says that the mud volcanoes emerging out of Arabian Sea are made from highly viscous mud with high gas content. The mud gets driven up by high buoyancy forces and over time, a high mud ridge or mountain forms out of the water.

A scientist named G. Delisle had described in 2002 the emergence of a new mud volcano island in March 1999 at about the same place, this time apparently not accompanied by an earthquake, but it was also destroyed by wave action a few months later.

The photo to the left shows birds eye view of Hungol plain from top of one of the Chandargup mud volcanoes. A smaller mud volcano is clearly visible. This photo is dated September 2005.

Mud volcanoes are generally not considered to be dangerous. In some countries like Azerbaijan which has the largest concentration of mud volcanoes in the world, the gas eruptions from mud volcanoes are more frequent and violent than those in Pakistan, they are actually a tourist attraction. Should Pakistan do the same?

With the opening of N10 – Makran Coastal Highway in 2004, mud volcanoes of Balochistan are now within few hours reach from Karachi.

Photo to the right is a distant view of Chandargup mud volcano

The convenience of a world class highway is also bringing a constant stream of ‘city slickers’ to this once remote area. People are now climbing onto these sandy volcanoes in large numbers. Some preservation should be provided to these natural wonders otherwise the onslaught of tourist will deface the natural beauty.

Tourism should be allowed but within safe distance of these sandy monuments. I also recommend a visit to these volcanoes and not to mention the joy of travel on scenic Coastal Highway, which deserves a full post on its scenic route alone.

Most of these programs are written in a manner that it makes it easy for a non-technical person to manage his/her website using just a web browser. Most of these content management systems are database driven and all the content is generated dynamically when a user visits the site.

The content management system is a software that is used strictly for web site management. A CMS is like a newspaper e.g. In a newspaper writers write articles and then editor goes through those articles and then schedules them to be published and then articles appear on the news paper on their schedule. CMS work exactly in same fashion.

Many companies are allowing their software to be used for free because of the Free Software Movement. This movement was created in 1983, allowing software to be given for free. This movement was created in part because people were purchasing a copy of the software and then they would sell it but by making it free, so no one could profit because everyone knew the software to be free.

There are so many different types of Content Management Systems that it can be very intimidating on which one you should choose. Just because they are free does not mean they are all great. Currently there are 51 free and open source software content management systems; 3 that cost under $ 5000.00, 3 that cost between $ 5000 and $ 15,000. There are 17 CMS software systems that cost over $ 15,000.

In this article we are going to cover five of the most popular PHP based content management systems that are more commonly downloaded than any other. We will go over the pros and cons of each and if you are having a hard time deciding which content management software to download, we hope that this can help you. If you are new to the world of CMS, here are a few terms that you should know. Throughout this article you will see the word PHP and MySQL, PHP is a reflective program language that was designed for dynamic web pages. This script is mainly used for the server side of websites. MySQL is called a multithreaded, multi user SQL database management according to the web dictionary. MySQL was introduced to webmasters everywhere in 1995 with the first Windows version coming on in Jan 1998.

Drupal

Drupal has been in use as an open source content management system or CMS since 2001. The name comes from the English translation of the Dutch word druppel meaning drop like water drop. The program started out as a bulletin board before turning into CMS in 2001. This PHP programmed CMS has a back end interface that can show content that is created for consumption. This CMS started out slow but has gained a lot of users since 2006, and it continues to gain more and more momentum. Drupal has been downloaded millions of times and that number is increasing every second. Drupal is free to download and can be found on Drupal.org.

Drupal has many great features for webmasters. Programmers like the fact that the design of the CMS has the core of the program using important features located in the default configuration itself. Other program functions can be added to the core through module plugs and various themes. The Cores in Drupal has its own modules which allows the users to Post Comments, Vote in Polls, Post and View Personal Profiles, Post Revise and Categorize Content. One of most important feature offered by Drupal is functionality of search engine friendly urls present in the core system.

When you are planning your site use one of many different Themes that Drupal has to offer. You can pick and choose any theme for free. You can even download themes from their official site if you don’t see one you like with the CMS. The best part about Drupal is that if you have any problems installing or using any of the features, you can simply log onto their website and there you will find everything you need.

Like any great product there is bound to be negative comments. There are few criticisms about the features that Drupal has. Some users are concerned with the fact that Drupal can be very hard to install. Some claim that the program itself it a bit harder to learn than other programs. Drupal offers a great product and it does seem a little intimidating because there is so much to learn. Drupal has every feature you could want in a website CMS. The most important part about running a website is using CMS and if you have the cream of the crop then you have to expect to there to be a lot to learn.

e107

The open source content management system e107. This program is great for a timely set up of a website or even for community portals. A portal when talking about the web means that the web gives personalized capabilities to the visitors of the site. These portals can give out applications and middleware and hardware and give services from many different places. The e107 0.70 was first released in January 2006, and then version e107 0.7.1 was released again in January. Then in February 2006 0.7.2, May 2006 saw 0.7.3, 0.7.4 and 0.7.5. November 2006 was 0.7.6, December 0.7.7 and the latest was February 2007 0.7.8.

This program was created to use PHP and a database through MySQL. The program does have support that holds many different languages and you can download it like Drupal. The name comes from the simple fact that the creator of e107, was working on his 7th project and just simply named it e107. Not many people know this but the code for e107 was borrowed from the code that was used on the LiteStep website. The e107 was recently nominated in 2006 as one of five finalists in the Packt Open Source Content Management System Award.

Some of the award nominated features the e107 has to offer users of content management software are that is has a high performance file based caching. It is a very easy to use program that allows you to create your own template. It has a legitimate XHTML 1.1 Output. It also has a very easy to use Admin system. That is one of the most common complaints of users of CMS that the admin system is too complicated to use and users get frustrated and then try to find something easier to use.

There is a lot of praise for the e107 and the features we just mentioned are just some of the great things about the program but there are some requirements that your system will need in order to work the e107 with their system. These are not criticisms of the system but it can only be used with MySQL of 3.22 version or newer and PHP version 4.3.0 or above.

It should be noted that the PHP should be set up with support for the MySQL in order to run the e107 without a hitch. The creator recommends that Apache be used for using the e107 but any server that can work with PHP or MySQL should be ok to use. So unless you have any of the following then the e107 will not work on your system.

The e107 CMS has its problems like other CMS software does but these concerns are being addressed and with every release there are more and more enhancements being made and more bug fixes. They are still a relatively new content management system. There are going to be glitches and there are going to be many versions of the main product. But that is what makes the product and the creator good. They address the customers concern and they take care of it by revamping the program. If you want to take a better look at the software and what the program can do in depth. Check out their official site, it is e107.org.

Joomla

Another top five CMS program is called Joomla, Joomla! Is a free open source content management system like the e107 and Drupal. The CMS is written in PHP because of the publishing purpose for putting your content up on the web and it uses MySQL database. Joomla! Is the result of a fork. A fork in the world of CMS means that when a creator of a project takes a copy of a source code from one other piece of software and then uses it to develop from it separately so it does result in a definitive piece of software.

Joomla! is a very popular and is used on millions of websites from a simple blog to big corporate site. The package has various parts that are supposed to be as modular as it can be. It does allow extensions and integrations to be made in the core very easily. The extensions are called Plug ins, these Plug ins are background extensions that allow the program to accept new functions. The other great features that Joomla! has to offer are page caching, RSS Feeds, pages that can be printed. News Flashes, blogs, polls, website searches and different languages.

One of biggest plus point for Joomla is size of it’s community. You can find tons of free/commercial templates for Joomla giving unique look to your site. There are currently over 1800 3rd party extensions for Joomla both free and commercial.

In order for Joomla!, to be run successfully you will need to have the system requirements of the following PHP 4.2 x or above, MySQL 3.32 or above and Apache 1.3 or above. It is highly recommended that you make sure that you have MySQL, XML and Zlib functioning with your PHP in order to get the program to run. It is recommended that when you download Joomla! 1.0.13 that you upgrade because it is a security release. When you are running the upgrade, add extra security to your computer to ensure safety during the upgrade.

One common problem that Users have with Joomla is that it does not creat search engine friendly urls by default even though there are number of 3rd party extensions for it (Joomla 1.5 will fix this issue and have sef urls by default).

This CMS is also new, it has been around since 2005 but that really isn’t a long time. Though this software company has not been without the issues. We mentioned that this CMS was created as a result as a fork from Mambo when Mambo decided to split from Mambo Foundation and start Joomla.

Xoops

XOOPS is a free content management system that is written in PHP in order to create a website. This program like the others uses architecture modular, which lets the users create their own sites easily. The user can also update and choose their own themes. This content management software won First Runner UP in the Source Forge.net Community Choice Awards in 2006. The name XOOPS is pronounced the way you see it. It stands for eXtensible Object Oriented Portal System. XOOPS began as a portal type of system but it is now emerging as a CMS. It is used to create a framework or any size website by the installation of modules. Some of the applications it has been used for are web logs or online journals. Or it can be used for news, forums and even downloads.

Some of the best features for this program are what they call a Community. The database uses MySQL which is used to store information for a website CMS. The Core features are usable by modules like permissions, blocks and even notifications. You can personalize and customize every aspect of your site using these themes. Along with the themes are templates that you can choose, these templates for XOOPS is called Smarty. You can also cache your content using this program.

Some issues that users are having with the XOOPS CMS are not that big of a deal. Some have commented that they had problems with the cross browser using internet explorer with the gallery module. Like any great product there is going to some issues. There is no such thing as a perfect program. But the great thing about XOOPS is that depending on what size the site is going to be and what the subject is, you can control the size of the content management system. If you want to take a closer look at their site log on to XOOPS.org.

Typo3

TYPO3 like the others is a free open source content management system. This program is written in PHP and MySQL. It has evolved in to one of the 5 best CMS programs in the industry. Many people make the mistake of thinking that TYPO3 is associated with Typo. They are two different programs, Typo is an open source blogging engine. This CMS has two different methods of operation, the fronted which is used to show the site to the users and the backend which allows the writers and the admin to see the site. The great part about the backend is that you don’t need any programs or software, it is used by simply using the web browser.

TYPO3 does extend to their customers a very flexible and extendibility, it does have a ready to go set of interfaces and modules. There are close to 2000 extensions on the TYPO3 content management systems. Under their Public License, this software is available for download. You can get a copy of the CMS on their website called typo3.com or typo3.org.

TYPO3 is templates driven. These templates allow the admin to create any style of site they choose. You can use one of the templates already in place or if you want to get creative you can use the template and change the features like the color, size, logos and fonts to something that is more your style. These changes are made by something called Typoscript. This script is only good for creating the design if you need content or code changes made then you would have to go with the PHP to change that kind of information.

TYPO3 has an alternate template included in the software is called TemplaVoila. This version has graphics mapping tool for designing your own template or page module. The script also has the capabilities to create a flexible content with different elements and an API for other developers. API is an application-programming interface.

Content that is stored in two places, one table is called the pages and the second is called tt_content, the second holds the elements that are entered on a page. Each page of the site that you are creating has a one of a kind ID Key called a UID and it is connected to the home page so if someone wants to access the information found on this page from the home page then all the user has to do is click the link.

TYPO3 is very popular and works very well. There are some system requirements and they are, The Operating System is used on UNIX/Linux, Windows and MAC. The web server compatible is Apache or lls. TYPO3 supports MySQL, Oracle, MS SQL and others. These are some other issues that other users have found to be that there were problems changing some of the options in the configuration, which did not change the command line options. These issues are small and can be rectified by using the right system requirements.

Conclusion
These were our top 5 Content Management System. Most of these have vibrant communities with great third party support (both free and commercial) and each has some great points and features and none are without their problems. If you want to see a more up close look then log onto to their websites and see the screenshots and get a more in depth look, then feel free. When you are building a website you want the best that CMS Software has to offer. As long as you have the right systems requirements and the download was successful you will be soon be working with the best software CMS has to offer.