Author: Mark

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Kuwaiti rapper MC Element has a new music vide out called Faith in Me. If you like his album is available to download for free from [Here]

I was never a fan of the original AR Drone so I wasn’t even aware there was a 2.0 version. Blushberry just posted about it since he got one and it turns out the 2.0 version records HD video which you can save and share. He shot the video above around his house and I think the AR Drone has finally got my attention. Check out his post [Here]

It’s available on Amazon for KD85 [Amazon Link]

The location of the new Prada store at 360 Mall has now been revealed since they’ve put up a Prada hoarding outside it. The location is opposite Gucci between the Ladurée cafe and the Ladurée shop. The opening of the store is currently set for October 15th.

Exit is a short film that revolves around a Ministry building in Kuwait. It’s really not that great a video but I really liked the idea of a bored employee making a film at his workplace. [Vimeo]

Since they re-released the set the prices have dropped and I just found out Amazon is actually selling it for around KD60. It’s made out of die cast metal parts and it’s a limited re-release. This is a NEED to have if you’re a Grendizer fan. [Amazon Link]

Just found out about this blog from GREY. Kuwait Blogs Suck is a blog that pokes fun out of and criticizes local blogs. So if you’re a blogger and can’t handle being made fun of then don’t click this [Link]

Playtime Visual Reference Reel from hamad al-tourah on Vimeo.

Hamad Al-Tourah is a Kuwaiti writer and filmmaker who is currently getting ready to shoot a short film here in Kuwait in about 3 weeks time. Right now he’s in the pre-production phase and is currently casting actors/actresses for the roles. He is also raising funds to cover the cost of equipment and production so he’s got a Kickstarter kinda thing going on.

Here is the summary of what the short film will be about:

Playtime is a short film about Matthew, a 10 year old expatriate who’s just moved to Kuwait with his single mother, whose just been hired for a post at an American Army Base. One night, after his mother leaves him alone for the first time, he escapes to track her down. Instead, he quickly crosses paths with Dalal, a teenage Kuwaiti girl who lives next door. Fearing a second abandonment, Matthew convinces her to help him find his mother.

What Matthew doesn’t know is that Dalal needs more help than he and that the only way to combat his own feelings of alienation is to stop depending on the care of others. Having descended far into the depths of the Kuwaiti desert, Matthew must fend off some threatening characters and return the two of them safely home.

Hamad is trying to raise $8,000 to make the film and right now he’s at the halfway point with around $4,000. Every donation gets you a perk and you can donate as little as just $10. To find out how you can help click [Here]

The first international airsoft event in the Middle East is going to take place in kuwait on the island of Failaka this November. It’s a huge three day military simulation event that should turn out to be epic!

Location: Failaka Island
Date: November 8 to November 10, 2012
Price: KD35 (includes registration, accommodation and food)
Accommodation: Ikarus Hotel / The Village on Failaka. Registration price includes shared accommodation for 2 nights. Private rooms available at an additional charge.
Transportation: Speed Boat from Marina Crescent leaves Thursday November 8 in the afternoon and comes back Saturday November 10 at noon.

Registration needs to be paid by September 7, 2012.

This is a National Tactical Airsoft Association non-profit event.

To sign up contact MILSIM on +965 65680661

Here is a link to the event page on Facebook. [Link]

This is a public event that is open to everyone but you need to be a MILSIM member. You also need to bring your own equipment. To become a MILSIM member you need to be 15+ and pay just KD5. If you don’t have equipment then you can purchase a starter package from MILSIM for KD290 that includes the following:

1. M4 GBBR CQBR Airsoft Rifle
2. 3 Real Cap GBB Mags
3. Tactcial Goggles
4. Milspec Tactical Vest
5. Green Gas
6. 4000 0.25BBs

For more information on becoming a member click [Here]
To become a member call MILSIM on +965 65680661

If you don’t know what MILSIM is watch the video below.

[YouTube]

This is not paintball. This is SPAAARTAAAA! No seriously it’s really different from paintball. The weapons are very realistic and look like real ones and unlike paintball you don’t fire off a million shots and hope they hit. MILSIM involves a lot more strategy and ammunition needs to be conserved similar to real life scenarios. You can check out my previous post on them [Here]

When I was picking up the Sony NEX-7 last month I spotted the Sony Personal 3D Viewer on display. I had just finished reviewing the Vuzix Wrap 920 which I wasn’t impressed with and was interested in trying the Sony version to see how it would compare. Right off the bat I need to make one thing clear, while the Vuzix Wrap 920 were portable, the Sony personal viewer is not.

The Sony Personal 3D Viewer is big and and also comes with an external processor unit around the size of a small satellite receiver. You need to hook up the processor unit to a power supply, you then run an HDMI cable from the unit to say your AV Receiver, Satellite Receiver, Videogame console or any other device and finally you connect the personal head display to the processor unit with a very long cable. So again this is not a portable head display.

Once you put on the display and turn it on you’re going to be in for a surprise. I really wasn’t expecting it to be this freakin’ good! I was behind on Mad Men and had three episodes to watch and I watched them all one after the other on these Sonys. My regular tv is a 50″ plasma that’s around 3 meters in front of me so it’s a pretty large picture. The Sony personal display made it look small in comparison. Watching Mad Men through the Sony unit felt like I was sitting in a large movie theater. The picture quality was ridiculously good and because the Sony uses OLED screens, the blacks were blacker than my regular tv which was unreal. I then made my brother try them out and this is what he had to say:

Hey, so this is what I thought of the device.

I didn’t expect it to be as good as it turned out to be. This device added an extra level of immersion that made playing video games even more entertaining.

The screen inside feels big, the image is sharp and the sounds coming out of the headphones was better then I expected it to be. The first game I tried out with it was Sleeping Dogs and it looked great, but I felt the strongest point came when I tried games that use a first person perspective. When I put in Skyrim I was blown away by how crisp and beautiful everything looked, I felt like I was there in the world, it was pretty breath-taking. I also tried Battlefield 3 with it and that was another strong point, it’s difficult to explain how good these games look through the headset and it’s difficult to explain how this headset helps with helping the gamer feel more immersed in the game they’re playing.

It’s not perfect though, the headset started feeling uncomfortable after a while and it felt like there was too much pressure on my nose. I could only really play comfortable for about 40 or so minutes and then it felt like the device was weighing down on my face too much. I wouldn’t be surprised if these kind of devices became a lot more popular, I hope more companies release tech like this and at more affordable prices.

Now I did find issues with the Sony Personal 3D Viewer. The first is something I experienced but my brother didn’t which is I had a hard time getting the whole display in focus. Not sure why but in my case I could either get the center in focus and the far corners out of focus or the outer corners in focus and the center slightly not. The second issue I had was the price. They cost KD259 at the Sony dealer and it’s not because the dealer is expensive, even Amazon sells them for around KD225 before tax and shipping to Kuwait. This is why I had a hard time figuring out who would use or need these. If they were say KD99 I would get one right away but at KD259 its not an impulse buy. There is also the issue with comfort, I found them very comfortable sitting on my comfy chair with my head leaning slightly back and supported by my chairs headrest. My brother on the other hand used them while sitting on his couch most likely leaning forward like he always does and he ended up feeling stress on his nose after a period of time.

I was having difficulty figuring out who to recommend these to but after my brothers feedback I realized this might be great for gamers. With the display on you disappear into this dark space with a large display in front of you and with videogames thats a great way to really immerse yourself. Since these are 3D displays I imagine 3D games would really take you some place else.

So yeah you can tell I really love these but I just wish they were a lot more cheaper. If you want to try them out, they had them on display at the new Sony branch in Tilal Complex. Not sure if they have them on display at their other branches as well. Personally I’m going to be keeping these for a few more days before I give them back since I want to try a view games with these myself.

Turns out Gladiator Fighting Championship is not the first MMA fight in Kuwait. Warriors War was an MMA cage fight that took place in Kuwait back in 2001 and not only was Bruce Buffer the announcer and John McCarthy one of the refs but UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes was on the fight card and he lost! Not sure how I never noticed Kuwait mentioned in his professional record on Wikipedia.

KUWAIT SHIDOKAN JITSU WARRIORS WAR I
Hughes, Pele, Newton, Menne, some of the top talent in lightweight world traveled half-way around the globe in hopes of winning $60,000 in an 8-man tournament on Kuwaiti soil. No easy victory as Menne would face Canada’s Carlos Newton in the first round and then Russian alternate Maro Magob before fighting the much heavier Kareem Barklaev from Russia in the finals. [Source]

The video on top of this post is of Antonio Tello versus Kuwait’s Khaled Mubarak [Video]

Here is a link to the full fight card of Warriors War Kuwait [Link]

Thanks lulz

Kuwaits first MMA and K1 event will be taking place next month at Kuwait International Fairground in Mishref. The event will be organized by the kuwait kickboxing committee and tickets are currently on sale.

There will also be a superfight between Ray Elbe and Ahmed Aly. Ray was an Ultimate Fighter contestant and has a Jiujitsu black belt. He will be representing Combat Athletics, a new MMA focused gym that will be opening in Kuwait soon. On the other hand Ahmed fought in Cage Warriors and won a bronze medal in the World Combat Championship. Here are the details for the event:

Gladiator Fighting Championship
Date: September 30,2012
Location: Kuwait International Fairground in Mishref
Ticket available at the following outlets:

Health Fitness & Weight Loss
Tel 55329494

Wawan Protein Co
Salmiya behind Wataniya Complex
Tel 99239555

Jacket Potato Restaurant
Hawalli, Al-Mothnna Street opposite College of Commercial Studies
Tel 22650509

For more information you can visit the Kuwait Kickboxing Committee’s website [Here]

Update: Turns out this is NOT the first MMA event, check this [Post]