2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

*VIDEO REMOVED*

According to a TorrentFreak user, it seems theres currently a phishing scam which tries to fool local internet users into thinking the MOI has blocked their IPs for illegally downloading torrents. The scam tries to get users to pay to remove the pop up warning which will take up the full computer screen and block the user from performing any task on the computer. The scam takes over the computer through a malware so if your computer is virus free or if you use a Mac you’re most likely safe. You can watch the video above showing the scam or click on the following link for more information [Link]

Thanks Quintin

Update: Video was removed since it was no longer playing

Two traffic officers in Kuwait are to spend one week behind bars for parking their patrol car in a spot reserved for the physically challenged.

Abdul Fattah Al Ali, the assistant undersecretary for traffic, said that the two uniformed men be transferred to a new department after they serve the seven-day sentence in jail, Kuwaiti daily Al Qabas reported on Wednesday.

“The official has given instructions that all legal measures be taken against the two men for flouting the rules,” a source quoted by the newspaper, said. “He said that there would be no leniency towards violators whether they are civilians or members of the police force,” the source, that the paper did not identify, said.

Abdul Fattah Al Ali has gained an impeccable reputation in Kuwait for his strict application of the law, regardless of the names or status of the violators.

No effing way. I’m super impressed. That’s pretty cool that they’re actually punishing two cops for this. [Link]

The 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index is out and Kuwait has dropped down a few places over the previous year. Kuwait is now ranked in 66 place when it was previously ranked in 54. Qatar and UAE are both tied in 27th place as the least corrupt countries in the GCC. You can check out the full list [Here]

Thanks Patrick

A few months back I upgraded from the entry level Kindle to the Kindle Paperwhite and although I hated it at first I’ve grown to like it, a lot.

Literally 10 minutes after getting the Kindle Paperwhite in the mail I was offering it up for sale because I hated it so much. I found it incredibly sluggish and hated the new graphical interface. I just couldn’t see myself using the Paperwhite without hurling it out the window 2 minutes later and I just wanted to get rid of it right away. Thankfully I didn’t. Some of my followers who found the Paperwhite frustrating at first told me if I used it for awhile I’d get used to it and a week later I was.

Once you get used to the Paperwhite it’s actually a pretty good ereader. First of all the biggest improvement over my entry level Kindle is the fact the Papwerwhite is backlit which means I can use it in complete darkness. The second improvement is the fact the Paperwhite has no buttons and uses a touch screen. At first this annoyed me but after using it on the beach a few times I now appreciate the fact the Paperwhite doesn’t have any buttons where little grains of sand can hide under. The Paperwhite is slightly larger and heavier than the entry level Kindle but I no longer notice the difference. Battery life is still extremely long, even with the backlit on it still lasts over 2 weeks with me per charge, maybe even more.

Yes the interface is still sluggish specially when compared to other touch devices like the iPad or any touch screen phone on the market, but I’ve really gotten used to it and it doesn’t bother me as much anymore. I’ve now given my older Kindle away because I can no longer go back to it and yesterday when a friend asked me which Kindle to get I recommended the Paperwhite to them. Even with whatever little faults it has, at KD35 it’s a really good deal. [Amazon Link]

[YouTube]

The video on top is in Bneid al Gar while the one below was shot in Jleeb. The videos feel like an episode of COPS.

[YouTube]

There’s a funny Reddit post called “If Kuwaiti companies had realistic slogans what would they be?” and some of the suggestions are pretty funny. The post only has 18 comments so far but here are some of my favorites:

Cinescape: more money less movie
QualityNet: Restart all your problems
Zain: Don’t ask, just pay
Souq Sharq: We used to be the avenues
Caesars Confectionary: More addictive than heroin-infused crack!

You can check out the post on Reddit [Here]
If you have a realistic slogan leave it in the comments below.

Update: Here are some more good ones

Xcite: 1080p prices for 720p resolution!
IHOP: I’m sorry, we’re all out of that meat today, please choose another
Camp Arifjan PX: We sell Bacon, nuff said
6alabat: Inshallah you get food
360 Mall: We’re kind of like the Avenues
Maki: Got Mayo?
Kuwait Immigration: GTFO
Benihana: Experience the Original, but our lawyer will be contacting you soon
VIVA: upto 42mbps when network available
The Avenues: Lucky to leave alive

The Economist have an article on smoking and how even with all the warnings on the packets and the increase in knowledge that smoking is bad for you, in some countries smoking is still on the rise. Kuwait happens to be one of those countries. We’re definitely not nearly as bad as Myanmar and Lebanon but still bad enough to warrant a position on their chart above. Check out the full article [Here]

Thanks Narain

If you’ve been following the series then this is the latest one.

via @group_monawa3

If you take all these crazy videos from Saudi and mash them together into one, it would make a pretty cool Saudi tourism video. [YouTube]

The Kuwaiti criminal court sentenced on Sunday four suspects to death for killing a Lebanese doctor with a cleaver in December last year.

Samir Yousef Jaber, 26, a Lebanese dentist born of a Kuwaiti mother, was repeatedly stabbed with the cleaver following a disagreement with the four young men at Avenues Mall.

It seems all four individuals involved in the murder will be getting the same sentence. [Link]

Cool post from the blog Stuck on Vintage about how you don’t need an expensive outfit to look good. She purchased the cool dress above from Souk Mubarakiya for just KD1.5. Check out her post [Here]

A fire that caught a Kuwait University (KU) facility early on Saturday has been quenched, a university official said.

Firemen responded immediately to a call from Kuwait University warning that there was a fire at an under­ construction KU building, and managed to put the conflagration under control within a record time, Dr. Rana Al­ Fares, the chief of the construction program of the Sabah Al­Salem University City, said in news remarks.

The fire initially caught the 8­000­sqm College of Education for Girls and then moved to the 9,000­sqm nearby College of Arts for Girls due to winds, she said. [Source]

The fire looked huge I’m surprised they were able to put it out by evening time. [YouTube]

Kuwaiti rapper Arabique has released a new album called “Lucid Dream”. I haven’t had the chance to download it yet but if you’re interested the full album is available to download for free [Here]

You can follow Arabique on [Facebook] or [Twitter]

A reader sent me the picture above of what looks like a maid sitting in the trunk of the car. #wtf

Thanks Phil via @WaleedAlsubaie

Local blogger Abdulla was on his way home late at night when he found a cat stuck in the sewers. Him and his friends tried to rescue the cat to no avail and as they were about to give up they decided to call 112. They didn’t think they would be willing to help but called just as a last resort and to their surprise (and mine), the 112 emergency service responded professionally and sent a fire department team to help save the cat.

You can read the full story on Abdulla’s blog [Here]