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Brainstorm Hate

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Seems I pissed someone off at Brainstorm the architecture firm because I said they made a mess of the new Bazaar website (they designed it). Here are two comments left by them on my blog today:

HIHI what is going on… I believe a blog for most of all should be nautral and independant. Or you can call it 248complainingandbitching…

I just checked out the Bazaar site and I think it is very coool and I cant wait to see the readable issue on site.. Because how irritating is it when Starbucks is out of copies. Now what is wrong for an arcitecture firm who also have a grapich department, doing his site….? Honestly we are all designers with new ideas.. and yours are highly appreciated, but stop using your own tast as an agenda.. The site is still under development, so give it some time and you will see. Go and bitch at others magazines who are copying Bazaar big time. That is a crime!!!!

I do not agree that Bloggers are nerds, but I do think that what Bazaar did was right, because it is the freedom of speach. And if that pisses you off so much Mark, why do you bitch and complain about others all the time. We all read your blog and we do like it, but try to be grown up enough to take some criticism and turn it in to something. If there was not a hint of truth to it, you would not react so harsh… I guess all doze long days infront of the computer are getting to you.. you should do some outdoor sport other than walking your dog…and driving your bike.. And leave Bazaar alone , he is older than you by 10 years…

74 replies on “Brainstorm Hate”

Mark, you have all the right to complain. people bitch and complain the whole time. The good thing, when you complain, companies listen and change, we your readers get better service in the end. Thanks Mark and keep bitching 8). I dont think it was cool for Brainstorm to dis you like that like, soooo unprofessional. I am sure Bazaar will not be pleased once they find out. Instead, they thould think how you guys can work together!!!

GO MARK GO.. You’ve done it again.. lol.. keep it up man.. and if anyone is planing to go physical with you.. well.. just post the time and place.. think you’ll have an army behind you to support you..

When you criticize there is reasoning behind it, they don’t seem to accept the criticism the right way.

The funny part is I know a lot of people that read Mark’s blog and enjoy it more then other places.

Oh yeah Brainstorm guy or girl, when you ride a bike tell me it isn’t physically tiresome, when you do get back to me!

Some people, like Brainstorm are soooo full of themselves,..too bad they have lost projects…So Mark, don’t take it personal they are trying to make ends meet through other non-architecture means…i.e. website development

Seriously the site sucks, flash loading took forver, and then to view their directory it was in PDF and even .DOC

.PDF I can understand since it keeps the design and has some copyright ability. But why the hell would you put something in .DOC on the web? There this wonderful thing called HTML that works great.

for the record:
brainstorm have a seperate dept that designs websites and they showed us work they have done and we loved it. and they specifically asked us if we wanted Flash or HTML.We chose Flash thinking it would add life and music to the site but perhaps we overlooked valid points that you guys made.As mentioned earlier,the site is still a work in progress so all comments and suggestions welcomed.

I for one criticised Mark at some point of time regarding his complaints. However if you dont people take it for granted. as consumer we are fully entitled to voice our opinion on every KD we spend a concept which is alien to arabs. There is a vital point that brainless has missed out, its the fact that there is constructive and destructive critisism. The blog started constructive, however in light of taking things at a personal level we managed to turn things against him. My 2 cents for you guys at Brainstorm, stick to architecture or whatever the heck you do, and if you are serious about designing sites, hire a creative art director.

don veto,just because they criticised our new site,it doesnt mean we suddenly dont like them. constructive criticism is healthy and without it we wont and cant improve…

Aha. Aside from what has been said here are my comments about the site, (Bare in mind i live outside Kuwait, do not really care for the magazine or the architecture firm that did it).
1. It is not fully compatible with Firefox on my PC, Some circles do not load up.
2. Try to have a sound loop that is longer than a split of a second, it is just downright annoying.
3. I have no volume control or mute button on the site, and i know i have a volume control built into my pc but i would like to keep on listening to my music while browsing your site.
4. Really, use a spell check.
5. I just don’t have a scroll bar to the right.

That is basically what i can see of the site.

I cant stop thinking how much I think this is like college, writing on the toilet wall…
Time to repaint… If you need help, BrainStorm can always suggest a color…

Bazaar sucks anyway (kela badleyat o bel qa9eb no9`hom yetkalemon englayzey) everything is old and out-dated in it..hope they become bankrupt 😛

cant we all just get along 😛

It’s a mag that tends to be reading material for lonely ppl at starbucks…we all make mistakes, but the issue here is learning to use cunstructive crit. to improve bla bla bla

in all fairness, i have to say (based on personal experience with Brainstorm) that the two comments do not represent them. They must have come from one or two of their staff without the knowledge of the people incharge of the company and i’m willing to bet money on this.

I just hope news of this gets to their management and an official resopnse comes up soon ..

there mag and site both suck , i hate magazines that copy American advertising magazines blindly , try to be creative and come up with you’re own ideas losers!, people do travel and see american magazines by the ways not only you guys!

I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the positive criticism of our modest attempt to help our friends and neighbours to design their web site at Bazaar. Some of your comments were very useful and we will take them into consideration. The entire creative process is based on ‘citique’ and that is how we learned in University and that is how we continue to learn. I want to clarify that the opinions of dfineline do not represent or refelect BrainStorm, these are simply her personal points of view.
We are a professional company and we are both interested in participating in healthy discussions. If you wish to discuss anything professionally related to work I would be glad to participate.

ppl ppl, relax…. don’t hate the magazine, hate the designers for their agressive attacks and not accepting some criticism ..
“how will we ever change to the better if ppl dont tell us whats wrong”

i’ve never seen the magazine…is it good?

I don’t think the problem is in using Flash/HTML or whatever(even PDF), but the problem is in the way it is used.

There are many Flash based magazines out there, and Flash is not dead as some claimed in the previous post.

Take an example of good Flash usage in ITWeeily’s new site https://itp.net/itweekly although I crticized the userfriendliness of the new site myself, it is kind of workable with enhancements such as RSS feeds and HTML versions.

The problem is here, a magazine website ain’t supposed to be designed like a corporate profile kindda website, you talk issues and information and all that is supposed to be navigatable and findable, let alone readable! Althoug Flash’s typography is really hot, bad usage could destroy it, just like it’s done on Bazaar.

Bazaar, if you’re planning for a full online release of your magazine issues, you gotta’ think it over once again, invest a little more, it’ll pay off very fast.

Just my two bits.

Just yesterday, i was telling my wife how well received Mrrk’s Critiques are becoming, especially with the sponsors coming in and Car/Food companies asking Mark to “test/stomach drive” thier products. Mark is becoming a full fledged critic, which gives him certain “complaining” rights.

Further, this is his blog for god’s sake…It’s his private place on this virtual planet. If anyone doesn’t like it, he/she/they can go to hell 🙂
Its as simple as that.

When will people start understanding that a blog’s contents are:
1- under the management & editing of the owner who can say or publish anything he/she wants
2- an open discussion / forum for anyone as long as it remains respectful or ideas, opinions, and backgrounds
3- if companies or people feel “threatened” by a blog, they better try and understand why, and then contribute to the blog in a positive way to dispel any mis-information.

Grow up!

PS: Bazaar might have the nicest paper quality, the most ads, and a good distribution channel (Starbux)… but the content is still immature and uninteresting if you ask me. It is a nice read for the bathroom at best.

A nice direction would be to try and encourage creativity and mental inquiry through delving deeper into the current subjects. Having a dossier per issue, discussing a topic such as “why is public social like limited to restaurant in Kuwait” and have a real inquiry, interviews with officials, normal people, etc…

…but i guess it’s so much easier to talk about the latest cars, restaurants, and shopping malls…

aero,have you actually ever read bazaar,and can you in fact speak english? For your information,bazaar covers all sorts of topics all written by people that live in kuwait who feel that these topics matter.What do you mean by ‘why is public social like limited to restaurant in Kuwait’? I assume you mean the topic of why public social life is limited to restaurants in kuwait which is a very incorrect statement.there are hundreds of things to do in kuwait from beach clubs,gyms,biking,cinemas, theatre, golf, fishing,diving,aerobics, art classes, movie making classes, animal associations,art exhibitions and a million other things that one can do if one wants to.Why dont you go through an issue of bazaar or one of their guides for more information on stuff going on here in kuwait!

Constructive critism is good. Attacking and name calling is BAD! Sexism is even worst!! I am referring to Carlsb3rg’s comment.

That said, Waleed has made it clear that he welcomes any positive critism to their work at BrainStorm and that dfineline was simply stating her personal point of view.
I do agree that the website needs LOTS of improvement, however I do not think the magazine sucks. It actually provides lots of information for ongoing events, stories, and places to go in Kuwait and abroad. I once read an article about a Palestinian vitual museum in Jerusalem in one of their issues. Funny enough, a few months later and by total chance, I met the curator in Spain. I had enough knowledge about the museum to have quite the discussion about it. They write about new galleries, music, events, clothes, and politics. The magazine is FREE and it sustains itself through advertisements, that is why you see lots of ads in it.
Given the context that we live in and the content Bazaar has to go on, I think they are a great magazine and I am a regular reader.
Their supplements for restaurants and design guides are two things that have been greatly needed in Kuwait and no one else has done. Almost everyone I know owns copies of them and use them on regular basis.
My two cents; and to each his/ her own.

Accusing me of lying and pretending to be someone I am not is NOT cool Mark. I have no idea who ahlein is!!!!!
Just because I like Bazaar magazine does not give you the right to accusations and false assumptions.

mark,you are actually very wrong and a little paranoid….why would you assume that me and dandoun are the same person? Is it because we both speak english or because we both share similar view points? In all cases,we are definately NOT the same person…

Yeah Mark please, PLEASE stop complaining about stuff on your own blog, which paid for mostly by yourself and partly by the ad-revenue that’s generated by people reading your blog out of their own free will. 😛

I’d like to second (third?) what Zorbon said: it is a private blog, and so by nature is not obligated to be “nautral and independant.”

i didnt read anything but all i have to say is, way to go in representing your achitecture firm u dimwit…i have a good mind to write to it and show them what a fuckwit you are…How dare you use profanity in your response to defending your firm, not only should you be ashamed you should be praying and grasping at your own balls in sheer hope that they remain within the auspicies of such a prestigous firm as that.

Ok one more thing to add ! They keep free Bazar magazine in Marina Stabucks and other places all over Kuwait… most of the free copies are taken by mall staff {in marina i would say 60% of the free magazine including student talk and Friday Times }.. to use as spread sheet while dining … Which is ‘criminal wastage’ of all the things it took till the magazine reached the stands.

looool !!! i was just wondering about dandouns post, defending that magazine aggressively and trying to prove that its the top notch magazine which helps you out anytime, anywhere !. turns out she’s trying to hard to prove a point which isnt valid. whats so interesting in an top 10 music chart ? who even cares ? and about things to do in kuwait !! YEAH RIGHT THERE ARE STUFF TO DO IN KUWAIT . u made it seem as if every weekend you have loads of options to pick from and restaurants are your last choice.. BULL***T !!

SADLY in kuwait, a restaurant is a replacement of everything else except for a gym. replacement of a nightclub, lounge, pub, place to chill. so basically in kuwait everything rotates around restaurants. dont make it seem as if there are alot of stuff to do in kuwait .. REGARDLESS the private parties these arnt counted.

one last thing, Bazaar magazine is a 100% a toilet friend, to keep you busy for a bit. dont convince urself that Bazaar STill exists from the articles written in it, its cause of the ads.. which is giving it a larger life span.

do you know anyone ! who picks up bazaar for a certain contributing writer, or a poet or whatever ?

but if u HAD steve jobs writing in it, everyone would want to read that magazine, if u had bill gates ! if u had only 1 influential guy.

until then its just a magazine, lives on ads, and bull

sorry for the harsh truth,

Mark, Please do not get bothered. It is after all your blog and I hope these negative comments you get dont bother you. They are simply proving thier weakness and exposing themselves more by reacting like such. If I were them, I would be very positive and respect your view and try to endorse it with the respect that we are all human beings and we all have tastes and thoughts that must be respected. You got my full support.

btw, reason why I asked if the SHowbiz project was still up is because I saw BrainStorm’s logo on one the board of the companies involved in the project.
What’s the deal with SHowbiz anyways? What is it gonna be like and what will it have to offer this time…instead of pizzas and a singing cyborg-like bear with a friggin guitar!

BIZARRE website, chit-chat page:
‘We Live By Our Credo Of “Freedom To Express”‘

Damn, I only brought one pair of trousers to work, and now they’re all damp where I p*ssed myself laughing.

You sure have your supporters Mark. I thought that was a cool thing (because I’m one of them hehe) na, but seriously, people here can really grind on someone. When someone creates work by guidelines given from the client, I guess it hurts when someone else who has become a social and respected figure like you to call it a disaster. Whether or not it’s a work in progress.

Sometimes when the one thing that “brings home the bacon” is publicly displayed as shit….well….I dunno. I’m all for constructive critisicm, though. which your second part led up to. But personally after the first paragraph, I’d a probably seen red as well.
Anyway, anyway, anyway….

Just read back over more comments…didn’t know Bazaar asked you. Rather than ask for your opinion and make adjustments, or pay you to do it yourself, they had you publicly slander a designers work….hahaha, way to go Bazaar…hey, at least you got yourself some more media coverage 😉 Maybe soon you can charge for your magazine as well! Wallah bravo.

We need criticism!!! It’s constructive, it challenges us to be better and more creative – We need to realize for a society to excel and be creative, we need criticism to encourage us off the sofa (or away from the PC) and to change things for the better!

By the way – the Bazaar site is poor – Bazaar always shouts about creativity then uses a ‘stock’ image for it’s mag and host site?

Bugged, maybe we can suggest that Bazaar invites local talent to submit photography for the cover maybe using the web site to upload the images, and if they cannot find the quality they are looking for locally then maybe stock is an option. I like your call for constructive criticism in your first paragraph, yet “Bazaar site is poor” in the second paragraph did not offer any constructive suggestions. I would like to hear in what way the site is poor and what would you suggest to improve it. We apreciate your input.

Tweez, in response to your questions on showbiz and the role of BrainStorm. BrainStorm is the architecture designer for the project, we worked on the concept and design development for the project. Showbiz will be an indoor and outdoor entertainment facility with bowling, cinemas, indoor entertainment as well as restaurants, cafes and supporting retail activities. For more information you may visit their web site. Thanks for your interest.

I just wanted to add one last thing, I understand the Mark has the right to do and say whatever he likes on his blog and we are free to participate or ignore it. I dont mind his provokative style in critique, it is this kind of controversy that generates the traffic that contributes to the success of this blog. Allow me Mark to critique you though, when dfineline published her comments (of which I disagree with by the way , yet I respect her right to express herself )What I thought was unprofessional on your side is that you violated your own privacy rules, where you specifically mentioned that emails will not be published, and you immediately used that confidential piece of information of her brainstorm mail address and violated the trust of your bloggers and pounced on BrainStorm by making the association with her mail and created the ‘BrainStorm hate’ blog. That was highly unprofessional. Although I was amused this week by observing this blogging process, something that my busy schedule does not allow me to do. However I did not apreciate you using our name and associating it with a comment that has nothing to do with us our what we stand for. In spite of my clarification and dissassociation, you did not change the title which is more dfineline hate, not BrainStorm Hate. In the future I would apreciate you contacting me for clarification for any issue relating to our company.All the best for you and your bloggers! Take care and thanks for listening. Waleed Shaalan, BrainStorm

I think i’m a bit late..i just want to say that Brainstrom was the best place i’ve ever worked in..and waleed is awsome 🙂 and that everybody here will love the new showbiz project!
and i believe that Brainstorm is growing really fast and soon every body will want a chance to work with them. Nice people really 🙂
However i think Bazaar website could be better.. the font used in the site should correspond to the font that the magazine uses (especially in the Bazaar title) and the background is kinda boring..hmmm if only i still worked for them 😛

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