Saturday, August 15, 2009

What is Tsunami?

Tsunamis are giant waves, initiated by a sudden change (usually in relative position of underwater tectonic plates). The sudden change is typically enough to propagate the wave; however, its power can be enhanced and fed by lunar positioning and boundaries that focus its energy.
Tsunami is a great sea wave produced by a submarine earthquake, volcanic eruption, or large landslide.
Tsunami is a sea wave of local or distant origin that results from large-scale seafloor displacements associated with large earthquakes, major submarine slides, or exploding volcanic islands. (See also Earthquake ABC’s.)
Definiton of Tsunami :Tsunami is an ocean wave produced by a sub-marine earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption. These waves may reach enormous dimensions and have sufficient energy to travel across entire oceans.
Tsunami is an ocean wave generated by a submarine earthquake, volcano or landslide. (Also known as a seismic seawave, and incorrectly as a tidal wave).
Tsunamis are one or a series of huge sea waves caused by earthquakes or other large-scale disturbance of the ocean floor. (Referred to incorrectly by many as a tidal wave, but these waves have nothing to do with tides.) The word tsunami is Japanese, meaning “harbor wave.”
Tsunami is a sea wave produced by any large-scale disturbance of the sea floor, principally by a submarine earthquake or by submarine earth movement.
Tsunami is a rare, giant wave that is caused by an underwater earthquake or other large-scale, underwater disturbance. tuff Tuff is pyroclastic rock. tumbled Tumbled stones were finished in a tumbler, a mechanical device that smooths and rounds the surfaces of stones. Tumbled stones look very much like stones that have been in a fast-flowing river or stream for a long time. tumbler A tumbler is a rotating cylinder (powered by a motor) that smooths and rounds the surfaces of stones, increasing their luster. As the stones tumble around the cylinder, they bump against each other and
Tsunamis are vast sea waves caused by the sudden dropping or rising of a section of the sea floor following an earthquake. Tsunami may be as much as 30 meters high and 200 kilometers long, may move as fast as 250 kilometers per hour, and may continue to occur for as long as a few days.



What is the meaning of Tsunami?

Tsunami is a Japanese word with the English translation, "harbor wave." Represented by two characters, the top character, "tsu," means harbor, while the bottom character, "nami," means "wave." In the past, tsunamis were sometimes referred to as "tidal waves" by the general public, and as "seismic sea waves" by the scientific community. The term "tidal wave" is a misnomer; although a tsunami's impact upon a coastline is dependent upon the tidal level at the time a tsunami strikes, tsunamis are unrelated to the tides. Tides result from the imbalanced, extraterrestrial, gravitational influences of the moon, sun, and planets. The term "seismic sea wave" is also misleading. "Seismic" implies an earthquake-related generation mechanism, but a tsunami can also be caused by a nonseismic event, such as a landslide or meteorite impact

The Effect Of Tsunami


- 1946 - tsunami killed 165 people in Hawaii/Alaska, resulted in creation of tsunami warning
system
- 1960 – Chile strongest quake ever recorded (magnitude 9.5) off coast of south central Chile,
one of the most destructive tsunamis of the 20th century. waves measured up to 25 metres
high. tsunami hit Onagawa, Japan 22 hrs after the quake with waves 3 m above the tide. killed
about (estimation) 2290 people.
- 1964 - good friday - magnitude 9.2 quake, tsunamis struck Alaska, B.C.an d killed
122 peoplestsunamis were up to 6 m tall.
- 2004 - Indian ocean - magnitude 9.2 quake triggered a lethal series of tsunamis on December
26, killed over 310,000 people (over 220,000 in Indonesia alone), deadliest tsunami in
recorded history, killed people in Indonesia/Thailand all the way to India, Bangladesh (several
thousand km’s away) and even as far as eastern Africa (Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania). over
$600M was raised to help the victims. unlike the pacific ocean, there is no alert system
covering the Indian ocean. there had not been a tsunami there since the krakatoa volcanic
eruption tsunami in 1883. UNESCO and other world bodies have called for a global tsunami
monitoring system.


Causes Of Tsunami?

What causes a tsunami?... A tsunami is a large ocean wave that is caused by sudden motion on the ocean floor. This sudden motion could be an earthquake, a powerful volcanic eruption, or an underwater landslide. The impact of a large meteorite could also cause a tsunami. Tsunamis travel across the open ocean at great speeds and build into large deadly waves in the shallow water of a shoreline.


Subduction Zones are Potential Tsunami Locations






Most Tsunamis are caused by earthquakesgenerated in a subduction zone, an area where an oceanic plate is being forced down into the mantle by plate tectonic forces. The friction between the subducting plate and the overriding plate is enormous. This friction prevents a slow and steady rate of subduction and instead the two plates become "stuck".
Image by USGS




Accumulated Seismic Energy






As the stuck plate continues to descend into the mantle the motion causes a slow distortion of the overriding plage. The result is an accumulation of energy very similar to the energy stored in a compressed spring. Energy can accumulate in the overriding plate over a long period of time - decades or even centuries.
Image by USGS



Earthquake Causes Tsunami



Energy accumulates in the overriding plate until it exceeds the frictional forces between the two stuck plates. When this happens, the overriding plate snaps back into an unrestrained position. This sudden motion is the cause of the tsunami - because it gives an enormous shove to the overlying water. At the same time, inland areas of the overriding plate are suddenly lowered.
Image by USGS


Tsunami Races Away From the Epicenter


The moving wave begins travelling out from where the earthquake has occurred. Some of the water travels out and across the ocean basin, and, at the same time, water rushes landward to flood the recently lowered shoreline.
Image by USGS

Tsunamis Travel Rapidly Across Ocean Basis

Tsunamis travel swiftly across the open ocean. The map below shows how a tsunami produced by an earthquake along the coast of Chile in 1960 traveled across the Pacific Ocean, reaching Hawaii in about 15 hours and Japan in less than 24 hours.
Image by USGS
Tsunami "Wave Train"
Many people have the mistaken belief that tsunamis are single waves. They are not. Instead tsunamis are "wave trains" consisting of multiple waves. The chart below is a tidal gauge record from Onagawa, Japan beginning at the time of the 1960 Chile earthquake. Time is plotted along the horizontal axis and water level is plotted on the vertical axis. Note the normal rise and fall of the ocean surface, caused by tides, during the early part of this record. Then recorded are a few waves a little larger than normal followed by several much larger waves. In many tsunami events the shoreline is pounded by repeated large waves.
Image by USGS
The material above describes how tsunamis are generated and how they travel rapidly across an ocean basin. For more detailed information on this topic the following websites are recommended.

Tsunami in History

Tsunami are not rare, with at least 25 tsunami occurring in the last century. Of these, many were recorded in the Asia–Pacific region—particularly Japan. The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami caused approximately 350,000 deaths and many more injuries.
As early as 426 B.C. the Greek historian Thucydides inquired in his book History of the Peloponnesian War about the causes of tsunami, and argued correctly that it could only be explained as a consequence of ocean earthquakes.[2] He was thus the first in the history of natural science to correlate quakes and waves in terms of cause and effect:[3]
The cause, in my opinion, of this phenomenon must be sought in the earthquake. At the point where its shock has been the most violent the sea is driven back, and suddenly recoiling with redoubled force, causes the inundation. Without an earthquake I do not see how such an accident could happen.[15]
The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus (Res Gestae 26.10.15-19) described the typical sequence of a tsunami, including an incipient earthquake, the sudden retreat of the sea and a following gigantic wave, after the 365 A.D. tsunami devastated Alexandria.[16][17]

Monday, June 15, 2009

gadget


nokia 5800 express music


The Nokia 5800 is a portable entertainment device by Nokia. [4]
The Nokia 5800, code-named "Tube," is a Symbian S60 smartphone. It is an XpressMusic series phone, which emphasizes music and multimedia playback. While it has tactile feedback, it doesn't use Nokia's upcoming Haptikos technology[5].
It has a compatibility mode for Java applications that are not touchscreen-aware. It works by using part of the screen for displaying the essential buttons required by the program.
A prototype of this handset was seen in the 2008 Batman movie, The Dark Knight, Christina Aguilera's "Keeps Gettin' Better" as well as the #1 hit "Womanizer" by Britney Spears. The handset was also seen in Flo Rida's "Right Round", The Pussycat Dolls' "Jai Ho!" and Hush Hush and Katy Perry's "Waking Up In Vegas" music videos. The phone has received generally positive reviews, with UK phone magazine Mobile Choice awarding it a full 5 stars in its Feb 8th issue.[6]
On January 23rd 2009, Nokia announced it had shipped the millionth 5800 XpressMusic device, even though it still had not been fully released worldwide.[7] In Nokia's Q1 report released on April 16th, 2009 it was announced they had shipped 2.6 million units during the quarter, with cumulative shipments of more than 3 million units since the smartphone's launch in late November 2008.[8]
[edit] History

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is not the first touchscreen device in Nokia's range. In 2004, the Nokia 7700 was announced, a Symbian Series 90 device that was cancelled before it reached the market. This was followed by the Nokia 7710 which was an upgraded version of the 7700, which became available during 2005. Nokia also produced the UIQ-based Nokia 6708 phone in 2005, but this was not an in-house development and was bought in from Taiwanese manufacturer BenQ.[9]. Nokia have also produced a range of Maemo-based Internet Tablets which have a touchscreen interface, however these are not mobile phones. The 5800 is, however, Nokia's first Symbian S60 touchscreen device.

Screen
nHD 640 x 360 pixels, [1] [2], 3.2 inch 16:9 widescreen, (17 million colors)
Camera
3.2 Megapixels, Carl Zeiss AG optics with autofocus and dual LED flash
Second camera
Front camera for video calls
Operating system
Symbian OS 9.4 + S60 platform 5th Edition, Firmware version 21.0.025
Input
Touchscreen with Nokia Dynamic Intelligent Layouts
CPU
ARM11 @ 369 Mhz [3]
Memory
128 MB SDRAM
Memory card
max. 32 GB microSDHC, 8 GB card included
Networks
GSM, EGPRS, WCDMA, HSDPA, A-GPS
Connectivity
Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR/A2DP), WLAN (802.11 b/g), MicroUSB 2.0; 3.5 mm headphone and video-out jack
Battery
BL-5J (3.7V 1320mAh)
Physical size
111 × 51.7 × 15.5 mm
Weight
109g
Form factor
Candybar
Media
AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, MP4, M4A, WMA, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, Mobile XMF, SP-MIDI, MIDI Tones (poly 64), RealAudio 7,8,10, True tones, WAV
Predecessor
None
Related
XpressMusic
The 2007 launch of the rival Apple iPhone demonstrated that at the time, Nokia did not only not have any current touchscreen mobile phones, but since the cancellation of the Symbian Series 90 operating system, it also lacked any sort of suitable platform for developing such a device. Although Nokia asserted with some justification that the Nokia N95 was a comparable or better device[10], most other manufacturers responded with their own touchscreen devices.
The launch of the 5800 XpressMusic in October 2008 was followed-up with the announcement of the Nokia N97[11] in December 2008, followed by the Series 40 based Nokia 6208c in January 2009[12].
In late February of 2009 Mobile-Review.com web-site that was initially very enthusiastic about handset, published its research, concluding that the Nokia 5800 has a design flaw. When phones were used on a daily basis, their earpieces would render unfit in very short time. Warranty repair performed would only temporary fix the problem, since the defect was in earpiece design produced by one on the Nokia's contractors. Nokia's public relations department had admitted that the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic contains a design defect. According to Nokia, they switched to another earpiece manufacturer, so all 5800's produced during February 2009 or later should be free from defect, with previously produced earpieces liable to free warranty repair. As well new earpiece parts have been supplied to Nokia service centers and future phone repairs will permanently fix the defect.[13]
On April 17, 2009 DigiTimes reported that Nokia plans to release Nokia 5800 with induction display instead of resistive one which is used in the original model. According to Mobile-Review.com, induction display is believed to be more fit for thumb operation where stylus is not used. New model is expected to ship in May or June of 2009.[14] In mid-May 2009, DigiTimes has written that new induction sensor screen components for Nokia are about to be produced by Synaptics.

[edit] Availability
Nokia announced the 5800 XpressMusic in London on October 2, 2008. The suggested retail price was €279 before taxes and network subsidies. The phone was made available Q4 2008 in Finland and developing markets, specifically in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine and United Arab Emirates. The phone missed the Christmas sales in more matured markets. Nokia has only commented that it needs time to customize the phone's software for operators in other markets. Analysts speculated the delay as a business manoeuvre not to butcher its existing product portfolio sales for Christmas as the phone is very competitively priced. The phone hit the rest of Europe in early 2009. An Asia-Pacific release date has yet to be announced. The European version was available for United States customers on December 14th[15], an North American version was released on February 26th and was briefly pulled soon after due to customers reporting 3G reception issues. It was put back on sale on March 14th after the firmware was updated to fix the issue[16]. It was released in Australia on the 20th of March 2009.
The phone made its worldwide debut in Hong Kong on November 29, 2008 for a retail price of HK$3988 by Nokia Hong Kong.[17] The final pricing of the Nokia 5800 caused outrage amongst Nokia fans on several Internet forums, as it was a 33% increase from the original estimated retail price of €279 (due to the fact that Hong Kong does not have VAT as of 2008, and that the mobile phone doesn't come with Nokia's Comes With Music Service since it hasn't been launched in Hong Kong yet). This however changed on a wider launch a couple days later, when it started going for US$350[18]. Nokia 5800 finally made its debut in Malaysia on Friday, 9th January 2009 after it was first announced in October 2008. The device retails for MYR 1499. Nokia threw a party at Pavilion to officiate the release. The phone is already available in India, released on 8th January 2009 by brand ambassador Priyanka Chopra for a retail price of (inclusive of all taxes + VAT) Rs. 19,999. Its available in the Philippines last January 10 for Php.19,990 (now 15,990). The official release date in Sweden is February 16. It's available in Vietnam as of January 5 for VND.6.700.000, about 385 USD, one of the lowest prices. The phone will be available in Thailand on February 28, 2009 for Thb. 13,520. The United Kingdom launch was January 23, 2009 and the price was £249.99.[19] The 5800 was announced by Nokia in South Africa during early February 2009. It had an initial price of R5,559.00, or approximately US$570 on the Vodacom network, according to their February 2009 brochure, making it one of the highest priced in the world.[citation needed] It was released in Bangladesh on the 27th of January. It is rumored to be released on Rogers Communications in Canada in June 2009.

[edit] Specifications
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has the following specifications:
3.2-inch 16M touchscreen (resistive[20]), 640 x 360 pixels resolution (16:9 display ratio).
S60 5th edition OS with touch input running Symbian OS v9.4
Quad band GSM / GPRS / EDGE: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Dual band UMTS / HSDPA: UMTS 900 / 2100 (5800-1) or UMTS 850 / 1900 (5800-2 Latin America and Brazil variant)
Integrated hands-free speakerphone
Vibrating alert
Accelerometer for auto screen rotation.
3.2 MP AF Carl Zeiss lens, dual LED flash, 3x digital zoom and geotagging support.
GPS with A-GPS function
FM Radio 87.5-108 MHz with RDS (max. 20 stations).
3.5mm headphone/video-out jack and Nokia video-out cable CA-75U. [21]
MicroSDHC card slot (up to 32 GB) and 8GB card included (in-box)
Micro-USB 2.0 connector, Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR/A2DP/AVRCP) and Wireless LAN[22].





Monday, May 11, 2009

BiOdAtA A SaMaD SaiD

A. SAMAD SAID dilahirkan pada 9 April 1935 di Kampung Belimbing Dalam, Durian Tunggal, Melaka. Dia menerima pendidikan di Sekolah Melayu Kota Raja, Singapura (1940-1946), Victoria Institution sehingga memperolehi Sijil Senior Cambridge (1956). Pencapaian dan sumbangan Samad Said dalam memperkaya dan meninggikan nilai kesusasteraan Melayu telah mendapat penghargaan pemerintah apabila pada 29 Mei 1976 bersama beberapa pengarang lain beliau telah diiktiraf sebagai Pejuang Sastera.
Tahun 1979 turut memberi erti pada Samad, apabila beliau dilantik oleh Perdana Menteri sebagai salah seorang anggota panel Anugerah Sastera dan dalam tahun yang sama beliau telah memenangi Hadiah Penulisan Asia Tenggara (SEA Write Award). Kemuncak pencapaian Samad sebagai sasterawan ialah apabila beliau dipilih sebagai penerima Anugerah Sastera Negara 1985. Dalam majlis penganugerahan itu telah dipentaskan sedutan drama terbaru A. Samad Said berjudul Wira Bukit. Dalam bidang penulisan, A. Samad Said turut menggunakan nama pena Hilmy, Isa Dahmuri, Jamil Kelana, Manja, Mesra dan Shamsir.
PROFIL RINGKAS Nama: Datuk Abdul Samad Muhammad Said. Nama Pena: A Samad Said, Hilmy Isa, Isa Dahmuri, Jami Kelana. Tarikh/Tempat Lahir: Pada 9.4.1935 di Kampung Belimbing Dalam, Durian Tunggal, Melaka. Pendidikan: Sekolah Melayu Kota Raja, Singapura (1940-46), Sekolah Jepun (3 bulan), Victoria Institution sehngga Senior Cambridge, (1956). Kerjaya: Kerani hospital, Pengrang Utusan Melayu, Pengarang Warta Tebrau, Pengarang Berita Harian. Anugerah: Pejuang Sastera (1976), SEA Write Award (1979), Sasterawan Negara (1985), Sasterawan Nusantara (1999). Karya: Salina, Bulan Tak Bermadu di Fatehpur Sikri, Sungai Mengalir Lesu, Di Hadapan Pulau, Langit Petang, Daerah Zeni, Hujan Pagi, Lantai T Pinkie, Wira Bukit, Benih Harapan, Benih Semalu, Daun Semalu Pucuk Paku, Warkah Eropah, Al-Amin, Suara Dari Dinding Dewan.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Penulisan Usman Awang

Dalam bidang penulisan beliau lebih terkenal dengan lebih 200 puisi dan drama. Antara judul sajak yang sinonim dengan Usman Awang ialah:
Bunga Popi
Gadis Kecil
Ke Makam Bonda
Kekasih
Kurang Ajar
Pak Utih
Suara Dari Pusara
Dramanya yang terkenal ialah:
Matinya Seorang Pahlawan
Tamu Bukit Kenny
Serunai Malam
Malam Kemerdekaan
Drama muzikalnya ialah "Uda dan Dara". Hanya ada satu novel karya Usman Awang iaitu "Tulang-tulang Berserakan" (terjemahan ke dalam bahasa Rusia dengan judul "Tam Gde Ikh Nastigka Pulya" - Di sana mereka kena peluru - Moscow, 1984)
Dato' Dr. Usman Awang juga pernah menggunakan nama pena Adi Jaya, Amir, Atma Jiwa, Manis, Pengarang Muda, Rose Murni, Setiabudi, U.A., dan Zaini.
Pada tahun
1983, beliau dianugerahkan gelaran "Sasterawan Negara", SEA Write Award 1982 dan Ijazah Kehormat Doktor Persuratan Universiti Malaya 1983 serta Zamalah Sastera 1985. Pada tahun 1991 dianugerahi Darjah Kebesaran Dato' Paduka oleh Baginda Sultan Perak yang membawa gelaran Dato'.

Sumbangan Usman Awang

Usman Awang mula membentuk namanya dalam dunia persuratan Melayu Moden dengan menulis sajak. Sajak-sajaknya sentiasa segar, kukuh serta akrab dengan akar budi Melayu dan perikemanusiaan. Beberapa buah sajaknya menjadi bahan yang amat menarik. Bukan sahaja di kalangan masyarakat terbanyak yang cintakan puisinya tetapi menjadi mainan bibir di kalangan anak-anak sekolah pada waktu itu dalam sebarang upacara mendeklamasi sajak. Antara sajaknya yang cukup popular adalah “Pak Utih”, “Ke Makam Bonda”, “Nasib Buruh”, “Bunga Popi”, “Gadis Di Kuburan”, dan “Salam Benua”.
Usman adalah di antara penyair Melayu yang berhasil mengekalkan semangat dan harmoni pantun di dalam sajak-sajaknya. Dengan menggunakan kata-kata biasa dalam penulisannya, beliau pintar menjalin kata-kata itu hingga menjadi begitu indah dan berkesan tanpa melemahkan makna yang hendak disampaikan. Inilah di antara keistimewaan yang ada pada Usman Awang.
Ketokohan Usman Awang menonjolkan kerana perwatakan peribadinya yang lemah lembut dan mesra, dan simpatinya terhadap golongan bawahan yang miskin dan manusia yang malang. Usman adalah seorang seniman yang berjiwa rakyat.
Usman Awang pernah diundang melawat Amerika Syarikat, Indonesia, Filipina, China dan Rusia, sebagai salah seorang penyair terkenal dari Malaysia. Beberapa buah karyanya telah diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Inggeris, China, Jepun, Korea, Peranchis, Thai, Czechkoslovakia, Danish, Tamil, Itali, Rusia dan lain-lain. Beliau di anggap sebagai seorang yang berjiwa besar dalam bidang sastera yang tidak jemu-jemu memperkayakan budaya negara.
Beliau telah dilantik sebagai salah seorang anggota Panel Hadiah Karya Sastera dan juga telah dianugerahkan gelaran “Pejuang Sastera” oleh Perdana Menteri pada 29 Mei 1976. Mulai tahun 1979, kerana ketokohan, pengalaman dan dedikasinya, beliau dilantik menjadi setiausaha kepada Panel Anugerah Sastera, sebuah badan kehormat yang tertinggi di tanah air.
Dalam tahun 1982 Usman Awang telah dipilih menerima SEA Write Award. Pada 11 Ogos 1983 Usman dianugerahkan pula Ijazah Doktor Kehormat (Persuratan) oleh Universiti Malaya. Usman Awang juga adalah penerima Anugerah Sastera Negara bagi tahun 1983. Akhbar Berita Harian telah menganugerahi Usman Awang Zamalah Sastera dalam tahun 1985 iaitu untuk kategori Penulis Terkenal (Veteran). Anugerah ini bertujuan mengadakan kemudahan berkarya dan memberikan sumbangan kepada perkembangan kesusasteraan tanah air. Dalam tahun 1995 beliau diberi Anugerah Penyair Johor. Antara karya-karya terkenal beliau adalah :-
Novel : Tulang2 Berserakan
Cerpen : Untuk Malaya Merdeka, Turunnya Sebuah Bendera, Kami Yang Terlibat dan lain-lain.
Drama : Muzika Uda dan Dara, Degup Jantung, Malam Kemerdekaan, Tamu Di Bukit Kenny, Matinya Seorang Pahlawan – Jebat, Serunai Malam dan lain-lain.
Sajak : Pak Utih, Ke Makam Bonda, Salam Benua, Gadis Di Kuburan, Kekasih, Bunga Popi dan lain-lain.
Dalam kegiatan dan organisasi penulis tanahair, sumbangan dan penyertaan Usman Awang amat dirasakan. Beliau banyak terlibat secara aktif dalam banyak aktiviti penulis. Bukan saja hidupnya sebagai pencipta karya yang asli dan halus tetapi juga sebagai penggerak yang berani memberi inspirasi dan semangat kepada ramai penulis muda. Sejak tahun 1950-an beliau merupakan salah seorang pengasas Ikatan Persuratan Melayu Melaka (IPM), Setiausaha ASAS 50 di Singapura dan Ketua PENA yang pertama (1962-1965). Beliau juga adalah salah seorang yang mengambil daya inisiatif untuk mengadakan Hari Puisi, Cempaka Berbunga, Malam Gema Puisi dan Gentar Rasa di Panggung Anniversary, Manifestasi Dua Seni dan banyak lagi aktiviti lain. Kumpulan Puisi “Keranda 152” dan “Telok Gong” juga adalah daya usaha Usman Awang bersama penyair lain.
Ketokohan Usman Awang dalam Melayu Moden, khususnya sajak dan drama, amat banyak diperkatakan. Maka itu nama Usman Awang paling terkenal kepada semua pengkaji dan peminat sastera melayu di pelbagai peringkat dan golongan, di dalam atau luar negara. Kejayaannya mempertahankan dirinya sebagai seorang penyair dan budayawan yang terus kreatif memberikan rasa keteguhan terhadap tradisi baru sastera melayu. Beliau adalah seorang penyair yang tidak pernah luntur dan dapat menyesuaikan diri dalam pelbagai zaman dan situasi.

Biodata Usman Awang

Usman lahir di Kampung Tanjung Lembu, Kuala Sedili, Kota Tinggi, Johor, pada 12 Julai 1929. Beliau diberi nama Wan Osman Wan Awang tetapi menukar namanya ke Usman Awang. Ibunya bernama Halimah, telah meninggal dunia sewaktu beliau kecil lagi. Ayahnya seorang nelayan yang mencari& menjual rotan pada waktu musim tengkujuh.Usman melalui alam kemiskinan semasa alam kanak-kanaknya yang menyebabkan beliau hanya mampu belajar setakat darjah enam sahaja.
Pendidikan yang diterima oleh Usman Awang hanyalah setakat Darjah 6 Sekolah Melayu sahaja. Kemiskinan tidak membenarkannya mengecap kejayaan dengan lebih jauh dalam bidang pendidikan walaupun dia sangat gemar membaca dari kecil lagi. Bersekolah di Kuala Sedili (1936), Mersing (1937) dan Bandar Maharani (1940) hingga lulus Darjah 6.
Ketika
Jepun menjajah Malaya bermula pada tahun 1942, Usman Awang adalah seorang anak tani di Segamat. Tidak lama kemudian beliau menjadi buruh paksa Jepun selama 6 bulan di Singapura. Beliau berjaya melepaskan diri dan pulang ke Segamat. Usman Awang pernah menjadi ‘budak pejabat’ di Pejabat Taliair Segamat. Kemudian beliau memasuki Botai iaitu pasukan polis Jepun, tetapi selepas beberapa minggu menjalani latihan, pihak Jepun menyerah kalah.
Usman Awang menjadi anggota polis bila Inggeris kembali memerintah semula pada tahun 1946. Beliau menjalani latihan di Johor Bahru sebelum menjalankan tugasnya di
Melaka. Pada tahun 1951, beliau berhenti dan berhijrah ke Singapura dan bekerja sebagai pembaca pruf dengan Melayu Raya selama enam bulan, kemudian menjadi pemberita. Sesudah itu bekerja di Mingguan Melayu sebagai sidang pengarang.
Pada tahun 1952, Usman Awang mendapat tawaran bekerja di
Utusan Melayu sebagai sidang pengarang akhbar Utusan Kanak-Kanak. Beliau diangkat menjadi pengarang Utusan Zaman dan majalah Mastika selepas itu. Pada tahun Malaya mencapai kemerdekaan, Utusan Melayu berpindah ke Kuala Lumpur. Usman Awang turut serta berhijrah dengan memegang jawatan yang sama. Dalam tahun 1961, beliau terlibat dalam peristiwa pemogokan Utusan Melayu. Akibatnya beliau berhenti dan menganggur seketika.
Pada tahun 1962,Usman Awang bekerja di Penerbitan Federal selama lapan bulan. Kemudian beliau berkhidmat sebagai sidang pengarang di
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. Jawatan pertamanya adalah sebagai sidang pengarang untuk majalah Dewan Bahasa. Kemudian beliau menjadi pengarang untuk majalah Dewan Masyarakat, Dewan Sastera dan Dewan Budaya. Jawatan yang disandang beliau ketika itu ialah Pegawai Penyelidik Kanan. Usman kemudian di tukarkan ke Bahagian Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Sastera. Mulai Mei 1982 beliau menjadi ketua bahagian ini sehingga bersara pada bulan Julai 1985.
Selepas bersara dari Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka, Usman Awang bergiat cergas dalam beberapa pertubuhan masyarakat. Antaranya ialah Persatuan Persahabatan Malaysia-Cina. Sementara itu dalam tahun 1991, beliau di lantik sebagai Ahli Jemaah Kolej Selatan. Perlantikan ini di sifatkan oleh beliau sebagai pemangkin ke arah meningkatkan hubungan antara kaum dalam proses pembentukan satu bangsa Malaysia. Jawatan ini di pegang hingga tahun 2001. Selain itu beliau dilantik sebagai Penasihat Sastera
Maybank mulai 1991 hingga 2001.