Search: “sti”

I noticed many bloggers are moving around lately either from blogger to WordPress or from Blogspot to a hosted blog. Well I found a link that can help you find free web hosting with no ads. There are a whole variety of hosts, some offering more web space, some offering more bandwidth but they nearly all allow you to setup your own domain. So if you are interested in moving to WordPress or off blogspot and need hosting, this link will help you find a free host. [Link]

Now in case you’re interested, here is a coupon for a $50 discount at my favorite web host DreamHost. Just use the code FIVEZEROOFF when checking out.

With iTunes 4.9 you can now browse, find, sample and subscribe to thousands of free podcasts — radio shows delivered over the Internet to your computer — then sync them to your iPod and listen anytime, anywhere. [Link]

Just found this via waxy, its very scary, you won’t believe it… [Link]

I was googling “Kuwait Blog” and to my surprise our (Rampurple, nibaq and mine) old blog qHate came out as a first result. So I decided to google a variety of words and checked how qHate ranks, below are the results:

Kuwait Blog (Rank 1)
Kuwait Blogs (Rank 10)
Kuwaiti Blogs (Rank 15)
Kuwaiti Bloggers (Rank 3)
Blogs from Kuwait (Rank 12)
Kuwait war blog (Rank 2)
Rampurple Blog (Rank 2)
Nibaq Blog (Rank 5)
Mark Blog (Rank not in top 500)
Wolf Blitzer suspicious of six foot one Arab males (Rank 1)

Someone in the office just told me that they recently have been busting in on pirates in Hawalli and they are broadcasting the busts live on TV. COPS style. Anyone know anything about this or seen it?

I decided to share with everyone the statistics of 2:48AM from the day 1 which was February 19th till the end of April. The list is displayed as Date followed by amount of unique visitors.

Feb 2005 557
Mar 2005 1961
Apr 2005 3144

To see how many visiters have been coming in day by day detail click on more below.

Question: What tips can you give mark regarding domain registration? in terms of url name, company, pricing, and so on..

Answer: I am gonna divide my answer into two parts, Domain Registration and Web Hosting.

Domain Registration
I get my domains from Directnic.com. I have been using them for a couple of years now since they first opened up. They offer domains for 15$ a year. There are other registrars like Joker.com who provide you with domains for $7 a year. I haven’t tried those registrars and I wouldn’t risk it also. There are some unspoken services which are offered and I don’t know if these other registrars offer it. For example with Directnic, incase you forget to renew your domain they will still hold the domain for you for up to 40 days. Then after the 40 days pass they will still hold the domain for you for another 30 days but you will have to pay an extra fee to get it back. Then after that they will let the domain go into public domain. With other registrars they might not hold the domain for you at all, some might even charge you an extra fee if you forget to renew it by 1 day.

Webhosting
There are thousands and thousands of providers to choose from but I will make it easy for you. If you register with Directnic, they provide you with free hosting for your domain but you will have their banner on your site. For a small yearly fee they can provide you with simple bannerless hosting. Now if you need something better then there are two ways you can go. Windows or Linux hosting. For Windows hosting I would recommend Fasthosts. I have a reseller account with them and have been using them for over 5 years now. They are VERY reliable with maybe only 1 down time in 5 years. They have excellent service, and their servers are very fast. I would also recommend Interland as a second option here. They also provide reliable Windows hosting for a decent price. For linux hosting you have a lot more cheaper options. If bandwidth isn’t an issue then I would recommend Interland here again. They are a good hosting provider for newbies. They have a very good “Help & Advice” section with lots of information for beginners. If bandwidth is something you need, then I would recommend Powweb. PowWeb offers 5GB of bandwidth a day for as little as 7$ a month. But the downside to Powweb is that their backdoor where you set your web settings and emails isn’t very easy to use at all. Other providers you might be interested in are: Addr, Dreamhost, Pair, iPowerWeb and LunarPages.

Today morning on my way to work I saw a funny bumper sticker on the car infront of me. Click here to see it.

I keep passing by this sign on my way to the office and I seem to be the only one who gets it. Fist for Security & Safety. Get it? Fist… like in fisting? Urgh.. nevermind…

If you’ve been wanting to go to India and are looking for direct flights on brand new planes then this post will interest you.

Akasa Air is one of the newest Indian airlines, established just a few years ago, which is why their fleet is one of the youngest in the world. They currently operate Boeing 737 MAX aircraft flying to over 28 destinations including Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, and Doha.

Their local agent is AlKazemi Travel & Tourism, one of the oldest travel agencies in Kuwait, established in the late 60s, so you can expect everything to be handled smoothly and professionally. Akasa has been operating in Kuwait since last year and now has daily flights to India except on Sundays. Their local office is located on the mezzanine floor in Sanabil Tower, Sharq.

Akasa’s aim is to provide comfortable air travel at competitive rates while maintaining a high level of service. Café Akasa, their inflight meal service, offers a menu with over 45 meal options to suit all diets and tastes. Even though they’re a more economical option, all their seats have extra legroom and most of their aircraft have USB ports to charge your devices. The cabin is noticeably quieter, with up to 50 percent less noise inside.

They’re also an airline that cares. Akasa believes in sustainability, which is why they use recycled and bio-friendly materials wherever they can. Not only is their packaging and cutlery for inflight meals biodegradable, but even their crew wear sneakers specially designed for them by Adidas and made from recycled materials. They’re one of India’s greenest fleets. Their safety manual and menu card even include braille, a small but thoughtful detail that shows how much they care about accessibility. Last but not least, Akasa is a pet-friendly airline.

If you want to book your next trip or learn more about their routes and services, check out akasaiar.com and their local agent alkazemitravel.com

Last week I visited Failaka for the first time since a school trip back in 1989. I’ve been meaning to go back ever since, but because I get seasick, I kept putting it off. A few months ago though, my wife and I got accepted into the Failaka Institute for Knowledge and Arts Research (FIKAR) residency program, and that was the push I needed to finally go back.

FIKAR is a space dedicated to artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, and researchers who want to explore and celebrate the history and stories of Failaka. I first found out about it when I met the founder (Sulayman Al Bassam) a few years ago and they’re now in season 3 which I’m excited to be part of.

For anyone who wants to visit Failaka but isn’t sure what to expect or even how to get there, I wanted to quickly share my experience.

Transport
I’d recommend taking your car since Failaka is big and you’re not going to be able to explore all of it on foot. You can walk around some of the abandoned buildings and visit an archaeological site, but not much else. There are two car ferry operators, Joan alKuwait and Ikarus Marine. I went with Joan since I was taking my dog and Ikarus doesn’t allow pets. The cost was KD30 for a round trip including the car and driver, and additional passengers are KD10 each.

Things to do
Once you get to the island you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a post-apocalyptic movie scene. Imagine an abandoned neighborhood with no people, cars left decaying in driveways, and empty destroyed homes slowly being taken over by nature. I loved it.

Other than exploring the abandoned buildings, there’s a museum on the island with archaeological sites you can visit. We drove out to a live archaeological site in the middle of the island, and an archaeologist there was nice enough to give us a tour. There’s also Wanasa Beach, which has a restaurant and a place to rent bicycles and kayaks. And that’s pretty much it. One night is all you need on the island.

Stay
We stayed at FIKAR, but there are small houses you can rent and hotel rooms in the Heritage Village which you can book through Ikarus.

Finally, there is 5G service on the island, two bakalas and a gas station. If you have any question or curiosities let me know in the comments.

This weekend the Grammy award winner Jon Batiste will be performing in Kuwait at JACC. The largest food festival in Kuwait is also happening, along with a bunch of other interesting events and activities.

Thursday, November 27
Kuwait International Book Fair
Murouj Market
The Avenues Shopping Marathon
Kuwait Food Festival
Literary Open Mic
Lush Fun Day
Quantum Con
Sons of Yusuf Album Drop
A Night of Short Films & Theater

Friday, November 28
Kuwait International Book Fair
Murouj Market
The Avenues Shopping Marathon
Kuwait Food Festival
Lush Fun Day
Quantum Con
Junk Journal Workshop

Saturday, November 29
Kuwait International Book Fair
Murouj Market
Finding Your Voice as a Creative
The Avenues Shopping Marathon
Kuwait Food Festival
Jon Batiste Live
Quantum Con
KTAA Winter Bazar
Kashta with Madang
Paper House Shop Launch

Later today I’m heading to Failaka for the first time since 1989 which is when the photo above was taken. I’m pretty excited since it’s been on my todo list for decades now but I kept putting it off mostly because I get sea sick and didn’t want to be on a boat for so long. But, a few months back I got accepted as a resident of season 3 at the Failaka Institute for Knowledge and Arts Research (FIKAR) and so I’m heading there today for my first stay. It’s a short one night stay for now just to get my bearings and then will head back for a longer visit. Already the whole process of getting there with my car was more complicated than I expected.

I was meant to be on the island from November 25 to 27 (Tuesday to Thursday). I initially contacted Ikarus Marine but turns out their car ferry is only available on weekends. I then got in touch with Joan Al Kuwait (KPTC) and they had daily ferries so decided to go with them. I was supposed to leave yesterday but yesterday’s ferry got canceled. So I moved my stay to 26 to 28 (Wednesday to Friday). When I went to book the ticket yesterday turns out they have daily ferries except for Friday. So now I’m just staying a night which is fine but yeah, if you want to head there with your car it’s a bit more complicated then it should be.

One interesting point. Ikarus doesn’t allow pets onboard while Joan do as long as they stay in the car. So if you want to take your dog to Failaka you can with the Joan ferry.

Anyway, if you’re curious about anything to do with Failaka let me know and I’ll try to get the answers for you.

On a side note, the only memory I have of the island involves the Philips Moving Sound walkman I had with me on the trip. The walkman has a speaker so you can listen to music with friends without headphones and I remember I was on small metal watch tower of a sort listening to music with the walkman with a couple of friends who were on the trip with me. I have four of those walkmans (don’t ask) and so gonna have to take one with me and try to find that spot on Failaka if it’s still there.

Mr Baker is probably everyone’s favorite cake shop brand. I personally love their eclairs and tend to have them a couple of times a month when we get Mr Baker cakes for Friday lunch. Last week they shared with me their new Tea Cake collection with a campaign inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

The idea behind the collection is to make tea time feel a bit more magical. They’ve created over ten different “Tea Cake families,” each one built around a specific origin or purpose. The traditional family includes the classics we all grew up with in Kuwait like Rahash and Girs Ogaili, while the international family features cakes inspired by favorites from around the world such as Victorian cake, honey cake, coconut and fudge.

Some of the families are more about convenience. The bites family is made up of smaller cakes for anyone who prefers lighter portions, while the Tea Cake Baskets are curated mini selections that work perfectly when you’re visiting a small group or hosting a quick gathering.

The whole collection is meant to give you options depending on what you’re in the mood for, whether you want something nostalgic, something international, or something easy to share.

You can order everything through their newly launched website with delivery across Kuwait, or pass by any of their shops and choose from the display. For more photos, head over to @mrbakerkwt

Over the weekend I was invited to Sahara Arena, a new upcoming area of Sahara Resort. I wasn’t there to check out the arena itself, which is still in the early stages of construction, but to get a sneak peek at a new pop-up called The Diwaniya Show.

The Diwaniya Show is being described as Kuwait’s first dining show to feature a full Broadway style production. It’s a project created through a collaboration between three local brands: the creative agency Beattie+Dane, the production company Massive Content, and Seazan, the team behind the Melenzane By the Sea experiences. With all three teams involved, you can expect the same elevated experience they’ve become known for with their previous projects.

Similar to the previous By the Sea experiences, The Diwaniya Show is a large installation that’s being built from the ground up. They took over a large section of the Sahara Golf Resort and built a large theater along with an outdoor retail and entertainment space that overlooks a beautiful artificial lake and the golf course’s green hills.

The idea behind this year’s experience is to give guests an immersive evening where the storytelling, music, and performances all take place just a few steps from their dinner table. There will be two daily shows with dinner, running five days a week. Although it might not look like it from the photos, The Diwaniya Show is expected to open at the end of this month. They just launched their Instagram account, so if you want to stay posted, head over to @aldiwaniyashow

For more photos, click here.