2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

This has to be one of the strangest parking lot accidents I have seen. BlogLaish has more pictures you can check them out over [Here]

Yes another frozen yogurt place is opening up. I spotted the above hoarding in Phase II of Avenues. It’s a good location since other than two Pinkberry’s, Napket and IKEA they really don’t have much competition there.

Earlier today I tweeted that one of my sources told me that they were canceling the download caps and it looks like it’s true. Taken from the KUNA website:

In a move that would please all internet users in Kuwait, Minister Information and Minister of Communications Salem Al-Uthayna announced Thursday that his ministry issued new regulations obliging internet providers to cut the cost of internet subscription and remove the download limits on users.

The Minister said that the ministry officials have held intensive meetings with internet providers to review the cost and quality of the services provided to internet users in Kuwait. “The internet has become a cornerstone in development, economy and everyday life in Kuwait,” Al-Uthayna said.

Following this meeting, the ministry obliged internet providers to upgrade the quality of their services and to cut prices as of next month. The minister vowed to start new stage of close monitoring and accountability for internet providers to make sure to protect the rights of subscribers. [source]

Finally some great news although I do hope that means everyone in Kuwait will get fiber optics or else I’m still stuck with my phone lines max speed which is just 2Mbps…

I can’t believe I forgot to post about this ahead of time but the Worldwide Finals of Imagine Cup 2011 were held yesterday in New York and a team from Kuwait where there competing in the software category. They came up with this idea which they wanted to present to the Ministry of Interior in hopes of having it implemented so we could get a lot of day to day problems solved. I previously posted about them and their idea [Here] if you want to read more on it.

I was just checking the results page and it doesn’t seem they won. Even though I think they must have gained a lot of experience competing at an international level and I’m sure they’re going to be coming back with even more motivation. I really hope the Ministry of Information will still help them bring their idea to life, since it’s an idea that will help make Kuwait a better place. Here is a page from the Imagine Cup 2011 yearbook which has details about the Kuwait team, their project and their intentions. [Yearbook Page]

Picture by @ahamshay

There is a pretty strange/interesting post on Gizmodo by one of their senior reporters about when he lived in Kuwait for a short period right after the 1990 invasion. It’s strange because it’s so random and interesting because it’s a story about his yellow Sony Walkman and his tapes. I always wanted a yellow Walkman but never got one and sadly it’s too late to get one now. I wonder why Sony hasn’t released a yellow waterproof mp3 player yet. Anyway check out his post [Here]

Around a year ago I found out about KILLSPENCER and fell in love with their bags. Problem is they were expensive for an impulse buy and since I really didn’t need another bag I decided to save the link and forget about it. Then a couple of months back my carry on travel bag started feeling a bit tight since I started stuffing more stuff into it. That’s when I decided to go back to the KILLSPENCER website and order one of their bags.

No Subject from Spencer Nikosey on Vimeo.

KILLSPENCER is the creation of a guy called Spencer Nikosey, a 27 year old designer based in LA. It started off as a personal project and then grew into his full time business. I emailed him with a bunch of questions about the bag and he was extremely helpful. I originally wasn’t sure which bag to get or even which material but after a few emails back and forth I decided on the black leather Weekender 2.0. He also offered to custom stamp my name and home address on the inside (usually a $95 extra feature) which I thought was very cool.

The bag took around 2 weeks to craft and another week to get to my US mailbox and another week to get to Kuwait. I was worried the bag would be too big but it turned out to be the perfect size. The quality and the design is just incredible, I really love the bag. The inside is spacious with a laptop sleeve on one side, a large zipped water resistant pocket on the opposite side that can easily fit an iPad, and then there are two more smaller pockets on the short sides. On the outside there are 2 more pockets as well, one on each side. The bag also comes with a very comfortable shoulder strap which makes the bag a lot more practical to carry when the bag gets heavy.

Right now I think this is like the coolest bag ever. It comes in 4 different materials options and a total of 3 colors. Price wise the bag costs $600 which is on the high or low side depending on how you look at it. If you compare it to luxury brands, then this bag is really affordable and you’re also getting a hand crafted beautifully designed bag that’s even more exclusive then the majority of the luxury brands. If you don’t go with leather than the price drops down to $375 which is a lot more accessible. If you’re interested check out their website and full collection by visiting their website [Here]

Just spotted a bunch of really old ads on Bloglaish which I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t even know Tikka had a logo before the “I Like it Spicy” guy. [Link]

Chocolate and Chocolate posted about a new pizza place that’s opening up called The Upper Crust Pizzeria. It’s a Boston based franchise from what I’ve read so maybe someone who’s studied in Boston could tell us if it’s any good. They don’t say where they’re opening but based on the picture they’ve posted (check above) it looks like the Bidaa area. It’s opening up in Abu al Hasaniya’s “The Village”.

The other pizza place that’s opening up is the Lebanese chain Margherita which is opening up in Arabella.

Looks like pizza’s are the next big thing.

Update: A third pizza place is opening called Homeslice in Shaab.

Someone get me some popcorn:

Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Daifallah BuRamiah expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the Ministry of Communication, adding that giving the internet companies the chance to manipulate prices is unaffordable. BuRamiah said, “The ministry has become a playground for some influential traders and those who rob public funds.” He added claiming that the ministry turned a blind eye to the improper practices of some companies in order to gain political loyalty at the expense of public funds.

MP BuRamiah said that the ministry’s insistence on keeping internet services monopolized by a small number of companies indicates that the ministry is supporting some companies against the subscribers in order to satisfy some greedy traders and influential people. BuRamiah noted that he would direct parliamentary questions to the Minister of Communication to inquire about the number of internet companies, their owners, the fees, and also about the reasons behind not allowing foreign companies to enter the local market. He also warned the minister of neglecting his questions, which will in turn reveal the facts about those who rob public funds.

[Source]

I’m a huge Entertainment City fan although a lot of people think it’s pretty crap. It’s not. It just need’s a bit of TLC which for some odd reason it’s not getting. Anyway this Ramadan they’re reducing the ticket price from KD3.5 per person down to just KD1. This mean’s spending a day at Entertainment City will be cheaper than visiting the Kuwait Towers. [Source]

Photo by Ahmed Al Bather
Thanks Burhan

Last month I posted the male edition of Know your thob and this month Brownbook released the female edition. Sadly this edition isn’t as interesting since it groups up the whole Gulf under one thob and it also leaves out the popular coneheads look. You can see the full version [Here]

This cool photo was taken by Abdulla Ashkanani and you can see the larger version on his flickr page [Here]

Looks like the ISP’s vs MOC situation is going to get a bit more interesting in the coming few days.

MP Al-Barrak announced that he will reveal soon a contract between an individual and a company that proves the current violations committed by internet service providers that aim to erode freedom of internet access. The MP stressed that the formation of a governmental committee to probe this issue was rather an attempt to hide it.

[Source]

Spotted by a friend at Kaifan Coop.

Not to be confused with the Pandora music station, this Pandora is something completely different. I love old gaming systems and I still have a bunch hidden away in boxes but the thing is it’s a headache to take them out and get them working. This is why I ended up getting the Pandora. It’s basically a super tiny laptop with game pad controls built in. It runs the Linux operating system and it allows you to install whatever emulator you want onto it. Pandora was actually created by four guys who wanted something better than what was available in the market. With the help of a gaming community they went ahead and created Pandora with the primary function being to run video game emulators. It costs them $400 to build each Pandora and they sell it for $500. It’s kinda like selling cupcakes from your home except they’re selling this incredible portable gaming system.

Pandora can run a ton of emulators including N64, Neo Geo, SNES, Sega CD, MAME, Sakhr, PlayStation, Dreamcast, Dos games and even Quake 3. I’ve been playing a ton of old school games on it since I got the Pandora with my favorites currently being the Dos version of DopeWars, the best racing game ever which is Neo DriftOut and The Castle, an old Sakhr game that is still crazy hard over 20 years later. If you want more information on the Pandora click [Here]