The next BarCamp in Kuwait is taking place early November and registration is now open. BarCamp is an event that takes place around the world at various times of the year. The subject in focus is technology and people usually present and share ideas or creations like the Bacon Vending Machine in the video below from BarCamp Kuwait 3. It’s more of a fun event than a serious one and if you’re into this it’s a great way to meet new people.
I hope I’m not too late posting about this but I just found out from Kuwaitiful’s blog that not only is Kuwait competing at the Paralympics but that since 1980 they’ve won 49 medals including 10 gold. Why did I just hear about this!
At the current Paralympics that’s taking place in London Kuwait has a total of six athletes competing. For more details check out Kuwaitiful’s post [Here]
There was a time when open world games like Grand Theft Auto III were a big deal. Nowadays, it seems like there’s an open world game being released every year. There was also a time when open world games were flat 2D worlds like Super Metroid or The Legend of Zelda. Today, it’s vast and deep 3D landscapes with big cities (or deserts if we’re talking about the great Red Dead Redemption). The problem with most games that share this genre is that they’re automatically labeled a “GTA-clone”, so in order to be successful, the developer needs to create something unique or at least innovative. Sleeping Dogs might not be incredibly unique (a cop and gangster game set in Hong Kong), but it does take the GTA formula further by innovating it, making it its own.
Sleeping Dogs is played as an over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective action-adventure game with role-playing elements. The player controls Wei Shen, a Chinese-American police officer, as he goes undercover to infiltrate the Sun On Yee Triad organization. – wikipedia
There were a bunch of things I really liked about Sleeping Dogs. One example that pops right into mind is that the game lets you cycle through your objectives without the need to pause or go to the map screen. To add to that, it’ll show you how to get to your objective and how far your destination is. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it helps with the pacing of the game. There’s no need to pause, go into a menu, and look through a big map. One thing that bugged me about GTA was that there was no reason to pay attention to traffic laws and pedestrians, but in Sleeping Dogs you lose points if you vandalize, steal or kill pedestrians while you’re on a mission. These points can help you level up and unlock more items and moves and they’re part of your overall mission score that gets uploaded and shared with your friends. That’s another thing the developers have added: the “Social Hub”. The Social Hub basically uploads your mission scores and other stats (longest wheelie for instance) and compares them to your friends who are also playing the game.
Some members of The 3 Club competed in Ironman Austria recently and they were featured in a short documentary of the event. Ironman is a brutal long-distance triathlon race that consists of a 3.86km swim, 180.25km bike ride followed by a 42.2km run. It’s insane! Check them out in the video above, skip to the 4:26 minute mark. [YouTube]
I had lunch with two high school friends today, one of which I hadn’t seen in 16 years. We were mostly reminiscing about the past and how lame everything was for us back then. Those of you in high school today don’t realize how lucky you are compared to us kids who grew up in Kuwait back in the old days. I graduated in 1996 and back then we didn’t have any malls or restaurant chains or anything like that. For entertainment we just had a few options.
The only mall in Salmiya was Laila Gallery but we weren’t allowed in on weekends since it was families only. That was pretty common back in the day.
Even Sultan Center wouldn’t let guys in alone on weekends. It was really embarrassing. Until today whenever I go to the Sultan Center in Salmiya and I see a security guy standing outside I wonder if he’s going to let me or not.
There was a cool Hardees where Starbucks is right now in front of Al Fanar. But then they demolished it.
The ice skating rink was pretty decent in the early 90s but started going downhill after that.
Fuddruckers was like the only restaurant open on the Gulf Road back then. The place used to get crazy packed and at one point was the coolest place to be.
Then Johnny Rockets in Salmiya opened and a lot of the crowd shifted there. Johnny used to get super packed as well but most of us would go and occupy a whole table and just order one tea or one shake. So, they introduced a minimum order charge of like KD1.5 per person so everyone shifted outside Johnny to the sidewalk corner and I never saw Johnny that packed again.
Oddly that sidewalk corner became a hot spot where everyone went to meet up with other friends. It used to get pretty crowded so the cops stopped allowing us to hang out there.
McDonalds opened at around the same time over Johnny so some people started hanging out there instead.
But mostly, we just hung out at each others houses listening to music and talking. Every now and then there was a house party but really that was it.
Kinda miss the simplicity of those days now that I think about it. No cellphone, no internet, no car and just enough money to make the difficult but important decision of buying a music tape from The Video Club or having dinner.
K’S PATH will be holding their fundraiser Quiz Night at the end of the month at the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK). It should be a fun evening with exciting quiz rounds, dinner, and great prizes. Teams can have up to 6 members at an entry fee of KD 10 per team member. It’s a great way to support a worthy cause and all proceeds will go towards K’S PATH’s shelter and programs.
If you’re interested in taking part just email your team details to [email protected] by September 23rd at the latest.
Date: Friday, September 28th Time: 7:00 PM Location: Australian College of Kuwait (ACK)
I had no idea who Emmy was until a reader emailed me telling me about her. Emmymade in Japan is a YouTube channel where Emmy usually reviews different kind of candies (mostly from Japan) while eating them in front of the camera. Well it seems she has some Kuwaiti viewers because someone from Kuwait sent her a box full of treats all the way to Japan. It’s really fun watching her trying to figure out what everything is. [YouTube]
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]
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]
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.
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]
