Search: “kuwait”

I just read that 150 passengers were stranded at the Kuwait Airport for up to 4 days because Kuwait Airways flights to Mumbai were cancelled. According to the article, on top of the waiting the passengers also had to endure discrimination and rude treatment. I once got stuck at the Kuwait Airport for 6 hours when my flight got delayed and I got bored to death so I can only imagine how terrible it must have been for these passengers. Here is the link to the article [Link]

The watch store “Write.Time” at The Avenues are now the official dealers for Nixon watches in Kuwait. Problem is they’re selling the watches for nearly double the price they sell for on Amazon. For example the Time Teller P series watches similar to the pink and blue one above cost around KD14 on Amazon while they’re selling them for KD28 in Kuwait. The Rubber Player series similar to the green, blue and black watches on the bottom left of the picture below sell for around KD38 on Amazon but KD72 in Kuwait. So the good news is we now have Nixon watches in Kuwait, the bad news is they’re over priced.

My sister who’s currently in Dubai sent me the picture above which her friend took of the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar (Interiors Arabia Edition). A few months back, Harper’s Bazaar was in Kuwait and I met with them and showed them around Kuwait a bit. They were planning to have a piece on Kuwait and it looks like it’s in their latest issue. I’m in it (bottom right of the page above) as well as the vertical gardens at 360 Mall and Open Flame Kitchen. I can’t really tell much else from the low resolution picture I got and the magazine it’s out yet in Kuwait but once it is I’ll obviously be getting a copy to check it out.

Finally some good news regarding the internet caps situation in Kuwait right now. Yesterday member of parliament Ahmed Al-Saadoon spoke about the current internet cap situation and urged the minister of communications to put an end to the new internet laws. I really hope they do. [YouTube]

Thanks Othman

I found out about a cool website the other day called Architecture of Kuwait. The website (or maybe it’s a blog) talks about various design and architecture projects in Kuwait which I always find very interesting. My only comment is I wish they provided even more details on the projects since some of the posts just have pictures with a tiny snippet of text. It’s still very interesting so check it out [Here]

Note: The picture above is of the Al Sharqeyah School for Boys which looks amazing

Global Finance released the list of richest and poorest countries in the world for 2010 based on GDP data per capita. Kuwait came in 14th place while Qatar came in first. Congo on the other hand turned out to be the poorest. [Here]

Update: Here is the full list [Link]

A collage of various timelapse shots taken all over Kuwait by YouTube user alialiq8. Kuwait City looks exceptionally good in this video. [YouTube]

According to Arabian Business, Magnolia Bakery will be opening in Kuwait within the next 18 months. Magnolia are known for their cupcakes but I personally think they have an amazing chocolate swirl cheesecake. Whenever I passed by their New York locations they always had a queue of people lined up outside. In Dubai on the other hand whenever I passed by it was always empty which is obviously a lot more convenient.

So now we’re going to have Magnolia and The Hummingbird Bakery in Kuwait along with Shake Shack. It’s going to be hard to stick to my diet. [Link]

Thanks Lomo

I got an email with details of a new Internet provider in Kuwait that’s providing WiMAX which is basically a wireless internet connection. The provider is called Mada and the email said they’re offering a speed of 10Mbps with no download limit and for just KD60 for 3 months.

So I just called them up and this is what I got from the salesman:

– Cost is KD20 per month
– Speed is 10Mbps
– If you subscribe for 3 months you get the WiMAX router for free
– There is a download cap of 20GB a month BUT, if you sign up within the first week starting today then you won’t have a download cap
– You can sign up from their booths at either Marina Mall or Mohallab

I am going to pass by tonight and see if I can get more details. I am curious to know if I sign up today will I have no cap as long as I renew or just for the 3 months. The download cap would be a deal breaker for me. You can call them up on 1801888 or visit their website [Here]

I just found out an interesting fact. I originally thought that Google was the one that was adding more details to the Kuwait map like new streets and highways but it turns out it’s people around Kuwait who are doing the updates. The video above is a timelapse showing how Kuwait City originally used to be and how it’s become more and more detailed over time. The details are added using Map Maker and basically anyone can add updates but once they are added a moderator has to approve it and then it takes a month or two to show up. Interesting to know. [YouTube]

Thanks Yousef

A friend of mine shot the picture above while he was at the Lego store in New York. Cute. [Link]

[YouTube]

Ali Taqi, a student at AUK emailed to tell me about their performance in the Microsoft Imagine Cup that was recently held in our region. The Imagine Cup is a student technology competition where the aim is to create technology that will help solve the worlds toughest problems. The AUK students came first in Kuwait and second in the GCC and have now qualified to the next level which is to compete on an international level in New York. Their idea is very simple and according to them was inspired from the blog.

The students saw how when I took a picture of a problem and posted it on the blog the proper authorities would find out about the problem and get it fixed. So the students came up with the idea of creating a software which would be set up with a variety of different authorities (emergency services, garbage collection, health ministry etc..). They then would create a phone application for people so that when they find a problem, they can just snap a picture of it and then have the application send it to the proper authorities along with a geotag so that the location of the problem can be located quickly. They’ve called their idea the Revolutionary Reporting System or RRS for short.

In the video above for example they’re showing you how this software can be used to report an accident. Usually you would waste time trying to get a hold of the emergency call center and then trying to tell them what the problem is and where the problem happened. With this software they created things would be a lot easier.

I wish the guys involved in this project the best of luck (Ali Taqi, Bader Al Mohammed Ali, and Eissa Al Qadeeri). It’s a great idea and I for one would use it all the time. I do think they need to work a bit more on the video presentation before the New York event so maybe a local film maker can volunteer to help them out with this.

You can read more on this project by visiting the AUK website [Here]

A reader posted in the forum asking here he could find Matabbag in Kuwait. I hadn’t heard of it before but it looks and sounds pretty good so now I’m curious to try it. Where can I find Matabbag in Kuwait?

Note: According to the reader, Matabbag is very popular in Saudi Arabia, it’s made using thin bread dough and contains a mix of minced meat, egg and spices inside.

A reader emailed me to tell me that Google sent him a note saying they’ve updated the maps for Kuwait. So I just checked it out now and it turns out its true, the maps did get updated and are now much more sharper than before. Above for example is the latest shot of Kuwait Towers on Google Maps while below is an old shot I had posted on the blog ages ago. As you can see specially from the sea and land edges, the new updated images are very sharp and very clear. But, it looks like their satellite passed over and took pictures in the middle of a dust storm or something since the new shots are all very gloomy and dark. That’s really too bad since on a bright sunny day the shots of Kuwait could have turned out amazing.

If you want to check out Kuwait on Google Maps click [Here]

Last summer a group of students from the Kuwait University went on a trip to the Himalayas. They first arrived to New Delhi in India and then took an 18 hour bus ride to Manali. They stayed there for 3 days prepping and then headed on a 5 day trek of the Himalayas. Whats cool is they actually filmed their trip and uploaded it onto YouTube. They’ve got them divided up into 5 parts and you can check them [Here]

The video above is a quick summary of their trip. Looks like something I would want to do one day.