Categories
Food & Drinks Kuwait

Choowy Goowy Valentine

Choowy Goowy Valentines

Choowy Goowy sent me the following email regarding their Valentines offer:

On the occasion of Valentines Day Choowy Goowy have assembled a ChoowyLove Basket.

The basket contains:
– a jar of Choowy Goowy heart shaped cookies
– 16 heart shaped brownies boxed
– 2 special valentine gold boxes containing 2 pieces of cookies and 1 piece of brownie in each
– a red rose

Price of the basket is KD25

For any questions send us an email
or just call us on 2626559 / 2620011




Categories
Design Kuwait Personal

New Ahli Bank Logo

ABK Logo

I thought the Burgan Bank logo was bad but the new ABK logo is even worse. Where do I start? First the typography, why is the letter “a” in lowercase while “BK” in uppercase? The Arabic and English types also don’t match, I think the English should have been based on the Arabic one and both should have at least been the same weight. Currently the English type is too heavy compared to the Arabic while in the old logo they were more balanced. The new icon also looks very generic and flat compared to the old one. The new icon is simply a square box while the older one had a more interesting open shape to it. I am sure they changed the logo because they wanted something that looks more modern which has actually worked in this case but I think thats the only thing that has worked. I would have posted about this logo Friday when I first saw the billboards on the Gulf Road but I couldn’t get a hold of the new logo since up until now their website hasn’t been updated. I had to get the logo from Fonzy’s blog who has also posted about the new logo. If anyone knows the name of the branding agency behind the new logo please post it in the comments.




Categories
Guest Bloggers Internet Kuwait

Internet fixed tomorrow

the Internet is fixed .. long live the internet.

There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel (pun intended). Flag Telecom has reported that both links will be fully operational by February 10th now.

Cut # 1: FLAG EUROPE ASIA Cable cut between Alexandria (Egypt) and Palermo (Italy)

  • The repair crew of marine experts, optical engineers has reached the site yesterday and it is expected that the splice work will be carried out today. It is currently planned that the repairs will be completed by Sunday, February 10th 2008.

Cut # 2: FALCON Cable cut between Dubai (UAE) and Al SEEB (Oman)

  1. The ship loaded with spares, marine experts, and optical engineers have reached the site yesterday. The crew has recovered the one end of the cable and cable joining work is in progress.
  2. The repair team has observed steady progress and the repair work are expected to be completed by Sunday, February 10th 2008.

I personally find it quite ironic that the Internet issue is fixed the day after InfoConnect; memo to Gitex, there is no need to sabotage our event (the organizers are doing it for you). Until the internet is fully operational, I suggest you check out Mark’s post on the ‘The internet’s undersea world‘. One of the more unnoticed parts of the image is the available/used capacity of the underwater link.

The fiber links around the world can handle up to 7.1 tbps. The capacity ‘purchased/reserved’ by ISPs is 5.7tbps. Which leads us to ask .. how much of the internet capacity is actually being used? 2.1tbps. In theory, everyone (around the world) could have triple the internet speeds and the fiber links would still have roughly 15% left of unused capacity.

-Posted by K.




Categories
Personal

Geo’s new friend

Shar Pei

My sister got a dog yesterday and Geo and him have been have been running around playing and fighting ever since. One minute they are best friends and the next they are fighting over a doll. Its ridiculous and exhausting keeping an eye on both of them. They are getting used to each other so thats a good thing. My sisters dog is a Shar Pei and she’s called him Mao but that confuses Geo since Mao sounds like “no” to him. Thats why I’ve decided to call him China Town which I think is cooler and he seems to be responding better to it anyway.




Categories
Guest Bloggers Internet Kuwait

Internet outage update.

Flag Telecom has released a press bulletin with an updated status on the cut fiber links:

Cut # 1: FLAG EUROPE ASIA Cable cut between Alexandria (Egypt) and Palermo (Italy)

  • The ship loaded with spares has reached the fault location and has initiated the repair work; the repair work is estimated to be completed within 6-7 days.
  • The Mediterranean network will be fully resilient with the addition of FLAG Mediterranean Cable current under implementation.
  • The cable cut was reported at 0800 GMT on January 30th 2008 around 8.3 Km away from Alexandria cable landing station between Egypt – Italy segment.

Cut # 2: FALCON Cable cut between Dubai (UAE) and Al SEEB (Oman)

  • The ship loaded with spares, marine experts, and optical engineers have reached the site yesterday. The crew has recovered the one end of the cable and cable joining work is in progress.
  • The repair team has observed steady progress and the repair work are expected to be completed in next 3 – 4 days.
  • The weather conditions are not favorable but the crew is continuing with the repair process.
  • The cable cut was reported at 0559 GMT on February1st 2008 around 56 Km from Dubai, UAE on segment between UAE and Oman.

We should expect internet to return to normal within the next week. The official press bulletin is updated daily and can be found [here].

-Posted by K.




Categories
50s to 90s Commercials

Some old commercials

I really like the old Sadia commercial above. Even though its really old I still remember watching it as a kid. Below are two more commercials I found. The Sakhr one I hadn’t seen before and I didn’t find interesting except for the fact its a Sakhr commercial. The last one is an Indesit commercial and I found it really funny but probably for all the wrong reasons.

Sadia Chicken
Sakhr Commercial
Indesit Commercial




Categories
Information Travel

Kuwait to Beirut, Dubai or Bahrain for KD1!

Super Low

Talk about cheap, Jazeera Airways has an offer where you can buy tickets from Kuwait to either Beirut, Dubai or Bahrain for just KD1. Even when you add the taxes thats still really cheap. [Link]

Update: For the non believers, here is proof you can find tickets for KD1

KD1 Ticket




Categories
Events Guest Bloggers Information Internet Kuwait Sneak Peek

InfoConnect 2008 Preview

InfoConnect 2008 Sneak Peak

Marzouq and I had a chance to check out InfoConnect before the doors open to public tomorrow:

The good:
Qualitynet is offering huge price cuts in addition to ‘extras’ that will only be offered when you subscribe/renew at InfoConnect. In addition to a ‘Sky DSL’ service which possibly means two way satellite service (as UCC). They also are offering a raffle for a Mini (might be one of the ‘extras’) with Al-Ghanim.

TechSys has a ton of new products from Planet and Silverstone, from HTPC/High-End cases, quiet/ultra-powerful power supplies to affordable networking products like smart switches and ip-cameras.

Lastly, E-Government is in full effect this year; Bahrain and Oman’s governments showing off their e-capabilities alongside Kuwait’s MOI, MOC and PACI. There are Several Kiosks, payment devices and even a decked out BMW Police Car on display.

The bad:
No Zain (they have their own event in April?), No Zajil, No Fasttelco, and not even Wasel (new Internet Company). For those looking to get a new deal on their EGO or DSL lines… You might be out of luck with the big players sitting it out. However, Zajil has already slashed prices with 3mb going for less than 850kd for a year’s subscription.

The ugly:
Aside from the cheaper yet still over-inflated pricing on the same old items… There is not much that InfoConnect has to offer. Without the Internet companies using February as a time to introduce their new offerings… you might as well take a stroll down any Ibn Khaldoun for the same experience.

The reality is that InfoConnect is a second rate bazaar with local stores trying to unload the remaining stock from their warehouse. Everyone from ElectroZan, Yousifi, Al-Ghanim Electronics and Sony are busy selling Televisions and DVD players than showing off new technology.

On the bright side, this might be a good chance to pick up that TV you have been thinking about. In addition to the electronics… there is an endless supply of Phone stores, two bit computer shops and Chinese stands selling items which can probably be found for cheaper in Hawalli.

I put up some pictures on my Flickr page [here].

-Posted by K

I will be posting tomorrow the ISP cost comparison.




Categories
Automotive Kuwait Personal

Sound system install complete!

Infinity BassLink II

I thought I needed an hour more work today but it ended up taking like three. I was experiencing some vibration sounds yesterday so today I removed the 4 speakers and stuff the area behind them with a lot more pollyfill (pillow stuffing). This ended up improving the sound quality and killing any vibrations I was hearing. I also cleaned up the wires in the rear, and fastened my amp and subwoofer into the trunk.

Alpine Amp

Even though I have the amp and sub installed in the trunk, when the rear seat is folded up there is still a lot of room for Geo to get in, sit and walk around. When the rear seat is down the amp is hidden and there is still some room next to the sub for some grocery bags.

Boston SX55

I tuned the sound system a bit but will wait two more weeks for all the speakers to break in before I spend more time tuning things. Although it was really exhausting work it was a good learning experience. Next project I am probably going to try is to install is a suspension lift by myself. I already have the step by step instructions just need to get the right tools.




Categories
Automotive Information Kuwait Personal

Sound system install

Jeep Sound installation

I woke up at 9AM today morning so I could start work on the installation of my Alpine sound system in the Wrangler. First thing I did was pass by Sultan Center and pick up a cutter and extra batteries for my MagLite. From 10 in the morning until 5 in the evening I was working on the installation non stop without lunch just 2 small bottles of water and gum. I got a lot of surprises, most of the stuff I was expecting to be difficult turned out easy and what I was expecting to be easy turned out to be difficult. My fingers are killing me now and I have a ton of tiny scratches all over my hands from all the work I did under the dashboard trying to get all the cables neatly through.

Jeep Sound installation

I am not done yet, I still have around an hour of work work which I will do tomorrow. I still need to fasten the amp and the sub to the car, I already drilled the holes just need to screw them in. I also need to fine tune the sound, currently I got a lot of highs and a lot of lows with no midrange. Also the front speakers are slightly louder then the rear so I can still tell which direction the sound is coming from but thats also an easy fix. I think I did a pretty good job of the install, there were a few moments where I thought I was fucked but those quickly got worked out. Only thing I need to improve on is my soldering technique.




Categories
Guest Bloggers Internet Kuwait

Internet issues.

If you were wondering why you have been unable to access the internet, its due to the SMW4 (South East Asia-Middle East-West Europe 4) SEG-4 link between Alexandria and Marseille has being cut (not good). Calls to the helpdesk won’t resolve much, as this is something beyond the repair of our local ISPs (it is affecting the whole region).

Status:
January 30th – 2.30pm : There is no Estimated Time of Repair.
January 30th – 10:00pm:  A cable-ship has been dispatched from Italy; repair may take up to two weeks.

More about the SMW4 Link: Wikipedia / Official Website

-Posted by K
(Psst M.O.C .. It might be time to re-evaluate our backbone links.)




Categories
Automotive

The BassLink II

Infinity BassLink II

The final item in my car sound system build finally arrived, the Infinity BassLink II. I am not a big fan of Infinity and would rather not have used them in my build but I didn’t have any other option. I was looking for a powered subwoofer that would not take up that much trunk space yet still give me hard pounding bass. The BassLink II has a 10″ subwoofer and 10″ passive radiator inside and is powered by an internal 250watt RMS amp so it should pound fairly well. I will finally start installing everything this Friday and it should take me all day probably since I will be doing the installation myself.

Here are my previous posts on my sound system install if anyone is interested:
My new car stereo
Do it yourself car sound system
Nearly There




Categories
Automotive Information Kuwait

New Audi Police Cars for Kuwait

Audi Kuwait

A friend of mine emailed me these two photos of what looks to be new Audi police cars for the local enforcement. My speeding fines were probably a down payment.

Audi Kuwait

Update: Here is the picture of the Dodge Charger which was sent in by Khalid. Also I just found out these are test cars and the deal with the government still hasn’t been signed.

Charger Cop




Categories
Automotive Internet Kuwait

Q8 Showroom

Q8 Showroom

Someone posted a link to Q8showroom.com in the forum the other day and since then I have been seeing their web banners everywhere. The site is still not up but it looks like its going to be competing head to head with Q8car.com. I like Q8car but their website interface is a disaster and all these flashing banners on the main page are bound to give me epilepsy one day.

I called up the phone number on the Q8 Showroom website to ask when they were planning to launch and they told me within 2 to 3 weeks (they weren’t sure). If it was me I would have only started advertising once the site was actually up because I don’t think anyone wants to keep checking their site to see if its up yet or not. [Link]




Categories
First Impression Information Kuwait Shopping

First Impression: Platform

Powertools

Right after work I went to Platform in Shuwaikh to check it out. When I first walked in I was really impressed, everything seemed very tidy and clean and I got the impression the place was huge.

First thing I did was head over to the BOSCH power tools stand to check out the cordless drills. They had a good collection but they didn’t have what I was looking for. I wanted a 14v cordless drill which they did have but I was looking for the version that was made in Switzerland but they had the one made in Malaysia. A very friendly employee came up to me (I think he was Indian) and told me they didn’t have the version I wanted and then proceeded to explain to me that if I wanted to drill into concrete then I would have to get the version of the drill with the hammer. He was very friendly and informative. Price wise they were exactly the same as the dealer, the Malaysian version of the drill is selling for KD45 at the dealer and for the same price at Platform.

I then decided to walk around and explore the place and thats when I realized how disappointing Platform was. I used Ace Hardware as my comparison and Ace easily has it beat, at least when it comes to the stuff that matters to me.

Firstly the screws section wasn’t as expansive as Ace. They also didn’t have small packs that come with a variety of screw sizes and I also don’t sell screws by the piece.

Secondly I couldn’t find any threadlockers!! Not only does Ace Hardware have threadlockers but they have them in different strengths and even in very tiny one time use packages. Although its such a minuscule thing its still an important item which they didn’t have.

The hardware tools like hammers and screw drivers were mostly made up of cheap Chinese brands which was a major put off. Finally they didn’t have any electric tidbits like soldering irons, wires, speaker cables, ring terminals or anything of the sort. Ace on the other hand has a huge collection of those.

Feeling disappointed I walked back to the Maikta power tools section hoping the sound of a few drills would cheer me up. When I got there I was met with an Arab employee who asked me if I was looking for something. I told him about the drill I was looking for and he told me they had sold out (strange you’ve just opened) and that they discontinued the model. I was like ummm no, they haven’t discontinued the model and that the dealer has them in stock and selling for KD50. He was like ah then I guess we got the cheaper version. I was thinking to myself wtf? Why lie and try to bullshit me into buying the Malaysian drill?

Abyat

I left the place disappointed but as soon as I exited their parking lot I got a huge grin on my face. Right across the street from Platform another hardware store is launching soon called Abyat. Judging by the size of the building it looks like its going to make Platform look like a bakala. Till then I will continue to get my hardware needs fulfilled at Ace.