2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

According to Z District, most of the popular American hot dog brands like Oscar Mayers and Ball Park Franks have been banned in Kuwait because they don’t have the Halal label on them. Sucks. [Link]

I can’t believe the picture above is in Kuwait. CNN have an article on how land that was used during the 1990 invasion as an important base for Saddam Hussein’s army has now flourished into the beautiful landscape you see in the picture above. The article is not too long and they also have a short video about the reserve, both of which you could check [Here]

FADER, a US based music-culture-fashion publication has an interview with Kuwaiti music composer Fatima Al Qadiri who’s currently based out of New York. I hadn’t heard of Fatima until just a few moments ago so I found all this pretty interesting. Her latest EP is titled Desert Strike and is inspired from the classic Sega Genesis game with the same name. The full story behind the album as well as samples of her song are on FADER which you can check out [Here]

Thanks Marko

Update: A reader reminded me that I do know her but I just didn’t recognize her. I posted about her last year and the post generated a lot of hate. [Link]

I was on the first ring road earlier this evening when I noticed lights and music coming out of the huge Kuwait City park across from the Tijaria Tower. Turns out there was a big event taking place where the new golden jubilee monument of Kuwait’s constitution was revealed. Buz Fairy has pictures and more information on the monument and event which you can check out on her blog [Here]

I was wandering around Avenues Phase III today and noticed The North Face had opened up their first store in Kuwait (they’re on the second floor). It’s a good brand for anyone looking for outdoor and camping gear. Their tents aren’t very portable but their sleeping bags can be very compact and they’ve got a nice collection of soft and hard shell jackets as well as camping backpacks.

Kuwait 50 – Fireworks Day – HD from YAHYA ALREFAEI on Vimeo.

What I loved about this video is the fact it revolves around the human emotions during the fireworks show and not the actual fireworks.

A guy on Reddit who played a role in the fireworks show has posted some behind the scenes shots. The control room looks insane! [Pictures]

Thanks Ali

The Daily Mail has a great collection of photos from last nights fireworks show which you can check out [Here]

[YouTube]

You can watch the first half of the show in the video above and the second half below. Both videos taken from KTV1.

[YouTube]

A reader was able to take these amazing photos this morning of a street cleaning vehicle on fire near the scientific center.

Photos by Johny Costa

Inside the Middle East have now uploaded their report on Kuwait’s love affair with fastfood. You can check the report above or read the article on CNN [Here]

Inside the Middle East airs the first week of every month on the following days and times:

Wednesday: 0930, 1630,
Saturday: 0430, 1830,
Sunday: 1130

(All times GMT)

You can check out behind the scene photos of this episode on their Facebook page [Here]

Update: The report is now online [Link]

This review turned out to be tougher than I expected since I was expecting the Big Jambox to easily come out on top but the Soundlink put up a pretty good fight. Both speakers are similar in that they are compact and very portable, run on rechargeable battery and connect to your music player wirelessly using bluetooth.

From the two speakers right off the bat I’ll say the Big Jambox is the better sounding of the two. There is no question about that. I played a variety of music ranging from Mumford & Sons and Zulu Winter to 16 Bit Lolita’s and Guy J when testing the speakers out. Switching between the two speaker was very easy using the iPhone and so I was easily able to compare the same songs on both speakers. In each and every case the Big Jambox topped the Soundlink when it came to the sound quality. The Jambox always sounded richer, had deeper lows as well as clearer highs. To top it off the Jambox could also go a lot louder than the Soundlink.

So you’d think there was a clear winner here but there isn’t. The thing is although the Big Jambox did sound better than the Soundlink the difference isn’t that dramatic in most cases. Because I was switching from one speaker to another instantly I was clearly able to distinguish the differences but if I had heard the two speakers on different days for example it would be a lot more difficult to distinguish the differences.

What I think clearly separates the two really depends on what you’re planning to use the speaker for. A friend of mine was looking for a speaker to take when traveling and use in hotel rooms, the Bose Soundlink would be the one to recommend in this case because although slightly taller its lighter and more compact so will fit easier into a suitcase. On the other hand if you have a gathering and want a portable speaker you could move out onto the balcony or onto the beach than the Big Jambox is the one I’d go for.

Design wise I personally prefer the colorful and chunky Big Jambox over the Soundlink. It comes in a variety of colors and it just looks funkier than the classier and more conservative looking Soundlink. The Soundlink has a 6 hour battery life while the Jambox has an astounding 15 which is why I’m guessing the Jambox is much heavier. Both speakers are selling for the same price of KD99 here in Kuwait.

So which one is better? Sound and design wise the Big Jambox is the clear winner for me. But the Soundlink does sounds pretty good as well and comes in a more compact and lighter package. For my needs though, I’d go with the Big Jambox.

Jawbone Big Jambox is available at Blink [Here]
Bose Soundlink is available at Xcite [Here]

StudioToggle is a design studio for Kuwaiti architect Hend Almatrouk and Gijo Paul George. They’re the same team behind the coolest movie theater design I’ve ever seen which I posted about last year.

The same team have now created a temporary pavilion called Pneumatic_Grove, which they’ve installed infront of the National Library of Kuwait facing the Gulf Road. It is part of the Housing Sessions conference which started a few days back at the National Library. The pavilion is an urban intervention which comments about the inaccessible landscapes of Kuwait. The official opening for the pavilion was two days back but it will be running until tomorrow the 8th of November. If you’re also interested, they’re having panel discussion about the pavilion today at 4PM as well.

That’s the line at Cheesecake Factory.

Thanks Dr

Update: Here’s another shot from a different angle

Thanks Laila