2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
Not sure why it took them so long but Jazeera Airways now has online check-in. What this means is you could now choose your seats and check-in to your flight before arriving to the airport and then just drop off your luggage at their fast baggage-drop counter instead of waiting in the long line with everyone else. [Link]
CABLiTV is a local business that recently launched with the aim of bringing American television channels to the Gulf. A couple of weeks ago they contacted me asking if I would be interested in trying out their service and I agreed. I’ve now been using their service on and off since then and here’s my thoughts on it.
First just a bit of simplified information on how their service works. CABLiTV get a cable and internet subscription in the States, they connect a Slingbox to their cable box and then stream the video feed online. You can then access the video stream in Kuwait and anywhere else in the world via a Slingbox player. It’s not a new service but they’re the first one’s I know of that are based in the GCC.
The amount of American channels CABLiTV provides is bewildering. Their smallest package consists of around 210 American channels while their most premium package consists of over 285. There are a whole range of standard channels to choose from like Fox, NBC, ABC, SyFy, etc.. and depending on the package you choose you could also have access to premium channels like HBO and Showtime.
So you’ve got all these channels but how do you view them? Well you can access your channels using your web browser which is probably the easiest but also my least favorite way. You can also access the channels via the Slingbox Player on mobile devices like the iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, BlackBerry, Android phones and tablets, Windows Mobile etc.. which is more interesting than the browser but still doesn’t feel natural to me. The best way to access your CABLiTV account is using either a Boxee (pictured below) or a Logitech Revue since both these devices connect directly to your television. That way it feels like you’re watching proper television instead of feeling like you’re streaming a video off of YouTube.
Unlike OSN and ART, you don’t need to install a satellite dish on the roof to get these channels. All you need is an internet connection albeit a pretty fast one depending on the resolution you’re trying to stream. With my 10Mbps WiMD connection at home I sometimes managed to stream in full HD but majority of the times I would watch using the setting “Best” which is the second best setting and provides a pretty sharp picture. The slower the connection the lower the resolution but once you get past the middle setting of “Good” the picture becomes good enough for small screens like the iPhone or Blackberry while looking pretty pixelated on larger screens.
The idea of getting all these American channels to your home here in Kuwait is great but there are two downsides for me. The first which can easily be solved is you need a decent internet connection. The faster the connection the better the video quality you get and the more chance the video will stay stable while you’re downloading other things over the internet. The second issue I have is with the subscription price. Their most affordable package is KD578 a year which comes out to around KD48 a month while their most expensive package goes for KD770 a year which is KD64 a month. I’m sure there are a lot of costs involved in providing this service but it still comes out a lot to the end user and although I would love to have this service it wouldn’t replace my iTunes AppleTV account, nor would it replace my OSN subscription. So in the end I’m still going to pay for those services and then at least another KD48 on top of that for these channels.
Cost aside I do love the idea of this service. If you’re interested to find out more about what they have to offer you can visit the CABLiTV website where they also offer a free trial account. Check them out [Here]
I was just informed that according to the Kuwait Customs Labor Union, all the customs staff will go on strike starting from this Tuesday the 13th. Only emergency medicine and passengers on-board baggage will be processed during the strike. All other items will be placed on hold with no indication to how long the strike will last.
This seriously sucks.
According to the Aramex Shop & Ship FAQ the maximum value allowed per package to be shipped from the US should not exceed $2,500. Packages that are over $2,500 must come with an Export Declaration Form from the shipper or the merchant. Sounds complicated but turns out it’s not.
If you send an item that’s worth over $2,500 to your Shop&Ship account it will get marked as a high value shipment and be placed on hold. You will then receive an email from Aramex telling you that they’ve placed your item on hold and that you would need to visit their US Export Regulations page on the Shop&Ship website. You will then have to do the following:
– Download and open the “Written Authorization Sample” word document that’s linked at the bottom of that page.
– Fill your name in the field “Principal Party in Interest”. It should be the same name as the Shop & Ship account holder.
– Fill your physical address. By this they mean your Kuwait address and NOT your US forwarding mailbox.
– Place your signature in the signature field.
– Leave rest of the fields blank to be filled by Aramex.
– Finally send the word document along with the package tracking number to [email protected]
And that’s it. A pretty simple process that would delay your shipment a couple of days but nothing drastic.
Animal Control Early March 2012 from john peaveler on Vimeo.
Some short clips from the field in early March 2012. It’s rough, it’s raw. It’s heartwarming and heartbreaking. This is what our team confronts every day as K’S PATH struggles to bring compassion to where it’s needed most.
And this is only early March!
Cinemagics recently got their hands on a CineFlex camera and proceeded to shoot Kuwait from the sky. It’s the second time they bring the camera to Kuwait and the video above is a collection of shots from the two. It’s Kuwait like you’ve never seen it before so check it out. [YouTube]
Last month I posted about a group of local Cosplayers and they emailed me a few days back to tell me they participated in the Proud to be Kuwaiti event last week. They look pretty organized this time around with a lot of different characters. Loads of pictures after the jump [Link]
A mini-documentary about a secluded area in Kuwait “Jileeb Alsheyookh” and a guy’s dream to develop a project that would benefit people living around this area.
I can’t tell if this is the actual mini-documentary or the trailer for it. [YouTube]
One of the cool things about Marina Mall is the fact the glass roofs all open up so it feels like you’re walking outdoor. Problem is I haven’t seen the roofs open in years and I’m not sure if they stopped working or they just don’t bother opening them anymore. I think the last time I saw the roof open was in 2005.
I don’t post much about Lebanon on this blog but a subject like this needs as much exposure as possible. I’ve always known racism was a big issue in Lebanon but I didn’t think it was this bad. Notice how no one intervenes to stop this from happening? [YouTube]
According to iLSuL6ana the Chihuly chandelier at 360 Mall got damaged again for a second time. No details on how that happened yet. [Link]
If you didn’t know already, Apple last night released an update to iOS 5. Among other things the update fixes the issue where sometimes the phone wouldn’t recognize the caller. So upgrade your phone to the latest version to fix that problem.
Update: With the 5.1 update Siri now can make phonecalls!
I received information this morning that the Customs Union could go on a general strike anytime between now and March 15th. If you remember last year, customs went on strike and it was chaos since no shipments were being cleared. After the government promised future reforms and concessions the Customs Union ended their strike but supposedly this time around the union is making it clear that only immediate action will end their strike.
Looks like they’ve timed their strike with the release of the iPad 3 which SUCKS! I really hope the strike doesn’t end up happening.
What’s the purpose of these new plants pots that are being placed on the Gulf Road? If anything these cement blocks are actually blocking the greenery behind them instead of making the Gulf Road any greener.