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For nearly a year now I was using my Sony AV3000 universal remote to control my living room setup made up of a TV, DVD player, Xbox, AV Receiver and Tivo. Instead of having multiple remotes spread out over my table the idea was to replace them all with one device. This idea failed since although my Sony universal remote was great, it wasn’t as practical as the Tivo or Xbox remote. So I mostly used the Sony remote to control my TV, DVD player and AV Receiver but continued using my original Tivo remote (which many say is the best remote design ever) to control my Tivo and the original Xbox remote to control my Xbox.

A few months back a friend of mine Rami ordered the Harmony 880 remote. He had been a Harmony user long before Logitech acquired them and as soon as the 880 was released he placed an order for one. He kept telling me how great the Harmony remotes were and how the new 880 was just really the best remote he had ever had. Finally I decided to order one and I got it last week. I have to say Rami was right, this is one of the best remotes I have ever had!

The Harmony 880 is a universal remote on steroids. It has a number of impressive features the most important being the colored screen and the fact it uses rechargeable Li-on batteries which you can charge by placing the remote on the dock it came with. To setup the remote you need to create an account on the Harmony website and then transfer the date to your remote using the included USB cable. I don’t know why they did it like that since I would have preferred having a local software on my computer to control my remote from. If you don’t have Internet then the 880 remote would be useless for you since you NEED to have an Internet connection to set it up the first time.

The colored screen on the remote is a really cool feature but the quality is similar to older mobile phone screens like the Sony Ericsson T68i. Setting up the remote online was a breeze and using the Activities button I was easily able to enjoy watching TV right away. The Activities button allows you to tell the remote what you want to do. Do you want to watch a DVD? Click on the “Watch DVD” button and the remote will turn on the DVD player, AV receiver and TV for you, it will then put the TV on the right channel and choose the correct input on the AV receiver. Want to watch Tivo? Click on the “Watch Tivo” button and the remote will turn the TV on, put it on Video 2 and then turn the AV receiver on and change the input to AUX. All this with a click of a button. Although things look simple, for hardcore users you have a whole amount of detailed control underneath this easy to use interface. How long does your TV take to warm up before it would accept commands? 2 seconds? You can teach the remote that. Do you want to change the on screen icons to your own design? You can do that. This remote is just loaded with a ton of features like that, little but important stuff for people who want more control.

The most important deciding factor in a good remote is its ergonomics. How does the remote feel in the hand? How easy is it to use? Is it practical? Well the Harmony 880 remote feels like the Tivo remote with the main important controls located in the middle while other lesser used controls are spread out on top and bottom. The 880 has a motion sensor so when you pick up the remote it automatically lights up the screen and all the buttons.. no more fumbling around in the dark trying to find the pause button. I wouldn’t say the 880 is better ergonomically then the Tivo remote but it really is very close to being as good. I mean, I have stopped using both my Tivo and Xbox remotes in favor of the 880.

I could go on and on in more details about why this remote is THE remote to own but there are tons of other reviews online that do that. I just want to back up all these reviews and say that everything you read about this remote is true. I love it, it looks good, its easy to use and hold, its fully featured and it allows me to do so much. I couldn’t believe it when this remote gave me features my original TV remote didn’t have! The only negative thing about the remote is the fact that you have to use their website to set it up. Maybe under usual circumstances its not a big deal but since I have been having Internet problems at home I am forced to take my remote with my laptop to starbucks or work and set it up from there. Not very practical and this is why this perfect remote will get 4 stars and not 5.

Buy the Harmony 880 from Amazon for $224

Update: If I had to review the remote again I would give is a 2.5 out of 5 because I am having a lot of problems with Harmony’s web based software. Their servers are slow and I am getting a lot of time out errors everytime I need to change an option on the remote.

Finally got my Mac to connect to my phones GPRS connection. I spent like 30 minutes now trying everything and for a while I thought it must be because both my PowerMac and Nats Powerbook are running OS10.4 but then when I tried it on my clamshell iBook which was running OS10.3 it still didn’t work. After a bit of playing around I found the solution and decided to post it here incase someone in the future does a google search looking for help.

If you have a Sony Ericsson K700 or K750 and are trying to get you Apple computer to connect to your phones GPRS connection using bluetooth, when choosing modem type choose “Ericsson R520 28.8”. I was getting a “No carrier detected” error message while using the default “Ericsson Infrared” selection for the modem which used to work perfectly fine with my older Sony Ericssons T610 and T630.

I don’t have internet at home which sucks. Something is still wrong with the phonelines in my area. I am posting with my old Palm Tungsten PDA. Finally found a use for it.

A friend of mine just sent me this video clip of a funny prank. Some guys from a tvshow tied a deer to a hood of a car and parked it outside a supermarket. When people pass the deer they would make it look like the deer is still alive and talking to them. Its a lot funnier then how I just explained it, just watch it and see.
Right click and save as [WMV 3.7MB]

Two days ago I tasted the best cookies I had ever had. A friend at work had received these cookies in a glass jar as a gift and I asked if I could taste them. The jar looked interesting and the cookies inside looked tasty so I took a cookie and tried it. It was soft, fresh, inviting and just fucking heavenly. I asked my friend where I could find these cookies since I never noticed them at Sultan Center or any other supermarket and she replied telling me she would ask her friend who sent them to her. A few minutes later I found out that Choowy Goowy is a place in Kuwait that makes and delivers cookies to your home or office. She showed me the glass jar the cookies came in and pointed towards a tiny message on the label which said “For a refill call 2626559”. I quickly picked up the phone and dialed the number to find out all I could about this interesting service.

This is basically what I found out. Choowy Goowy is a local creation, 100% made in Kuwait. I spoke to the owner who’s recipes the cookies are made from and he was very nice and polite. He spoke good English and explained to me how they originally started off in 2002 with Arabic icecream. They created a service called Booza Booza which delivered iceream to your home but since icecream is a summer product they needed a winter one also and this why in September of last year they started Choowy Goowy. Choowy Goowy makes 5 kinds of cookies, the regular Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Cookies, Cinnamon Cookies, Cookies with Macadamia and finally double chocolate cookies. A jar with a dozen cookies inside costs KD2.5 except for the double chocolate which costs KD3.5. If you have a jar and want a refill its 500fils cheaper so KD2 or KD3 depending on which cookies you order. They deliver two times a day, before lunch and in the afternoon, that way you get a fresh batch of cookies whenever you order them.

I placed my order yesterday night and told them I wanted my cookies the next day at 7PM since I would have come home from work by then. You don’t have to call a day ahead though, a fellow employee called them up in the morning and asked to have the cookies by noon and they were delivered to her without a problem. I ordered the regular chocolate chip for KD2.5 since I think the double chocolate at KD3.5 is over my cookie budget. The driver had some problems finding my building (I actually had to run down the street after his van when he missed my house) but since it was his first time I didn’t mind. I told him to remember my place the next time because I would definitely be ordering again.

We were in the middle of episode 13 of Prison Break when the cookies arrived so the timing was perfect. I quickly snapped a few pictures of the jar and then proceeded to quickly open it and let Nat have a taste of these cookies since she had only heard about them from me but never tasted them yet. Within 10 minutes I had eaten 6 cookies while Nat had eaten 2, I would have eaten more but there were only 4 left and I wanted to save some for later. The cookies were amazing. They taste similar to the Fuddruckers cookies except without the nutty flavor which I really dislike. The Choowy Goowy cookies are the best cookies I have ever tasted and the fact that this is a local creation makes me appreciate it a lot more.

Even though these cookies are the best in Kuwait I would have to give them a 4 out of 5 because of the price. Without the jar a dozen cookies cost KD2, thats double the price of the Fuddruckers cookies. On the other hand you are having the cookies delivered right to you which is a big plus and I would have to say these cookies taste atleast twice as good as the Fuddruckers ones. I would really really recommend everyone to try these cookies, they are seriously amazing. Choowy Goowy have the best cookies in Kuwait, give them a call on 2626559.

Update: The owner sent me a message saying that the reason the cookies cost more then your average cookies is because they are made with the best quality ingredients. He also stated that in Fifth Avenue New York there are some places that sell a dozen cookies for $50 and they are always sold out. Finally the cookies are also trans fats free.

For some reason I was expecting this movie to be based in a jungle on an island, I guess something like the TV show Lost. I don’t know where I got that visual in my head but it put me off about the movie and I wouldn’t have watched it if Nat hadn’t nagged the hell out of me to get it.

The main star of the movie is Ewan McGregor who I will continue to dislike more and more until he shaves his head and goes back to being the still unknown but really cool actor in Trainspotting. Ewan has become too mainstream for my taste and after starring in Moulin Rouge which I will never ever EVER watch, I have started to think he might be turning soft. In the movie The Island he wasn’t that bad, it suited him more then then his previous roles like Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars and Ed in Big Fish. I think when Ewan plays the role of a young carefree guy it suits him the best.

Plot Outline: Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) is a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in the mid 21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the “The Island” – reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie. He and all of the other inhabitants of the facility are actually human clones. Lincoln makes a daring escape with a beautiful fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Johansson). Relentlessly pursued by the forces of the sinister institute that once housed them, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a race for their lives to literally meet their makers.

This movie is an action packed fast moving sci-fi which sounds good until you realize its over 2 hours long. No one wants to sit for over 2 hours watching an action movie with a plot thats so predictable that you just want to get the whole thing over with. I think thats the movies biggest fuck up, if it was a one-hour-thirty-minute in-and-out thank-you-goodbye flick then it wouldn’t have been an issue. The movie does have some really good chase scenes which were really fun to watch and that why I am giving this movie a 3.5 out of 5 instead of a 3.

I am not a wristband type of guy, the only thing I wear on my wrist is my watch.. I don’t even wear any jewelery other then my wedding ring. Things might change though now that I have discovered what must be the most practical fashion accessory out there.. the Imation Flash Wristband. Its a flash stick which you simply wear around your wrist, how simple of an idea is that? It also doesn’t look bad at all just maybe a bit geeky. I couldn’t find the price but it was supposed to have been released mid January at Target stores. I checked the online Target store but I couldn’t find it and I couldn’t find on either Newegg.com or Amazon.com. [Link]

I am at work and I am online using Qualitynet dialup again. It turns out that although Fasttelco brought back online most of its services yesterday night, their Kuwait City users will remain without Internet for another day or two. All phone numbers starting with 24 still do not have Internet access.

Dear Mark,
We would like to extend our sincere apologies for the difficulties you may have encountered with our Internet and Data services on 28th Jan 2006.

The problem was due to a major failure at Ministry of Communication Building that impacted our services.

We would like to assure you that series of measures have been taken to avoid such incident in the future, while a total restoration was carried to have our service back to normal..

If you are still encountering any problems please do not hesitate to contact us.

We regret any inconvenience caused to you in this regard and take this opportunity to thank you for your understanding and patience.

Best Regards
Customer Service
Qualitynet
For Support Call 804444

What a day, my Internet stopped working last night and I figured it was something with my account. Today morning I came to work all ready to check my email and turned out we didn’t have Internet here. At first the word was our internal server was down but then the word reached to us that everyone in Kuwait was having Internet issues. As many bloggers have posted it turned out that there was a fire in the building hosting the servers of the 3 main ISP’s in Kuwait and this disrupted the service. Things are better now though and both Qualitynet and Zajil/KEMS have their services back up. The bad news is that our agencies ISP, Fasttelco, got hit the worst and according to TivoGuy they had most of their stuff burn down. Fasttelco has assured us though Internet would be back up in 3 days time but I think it might take longer.

So until we get Internet back up I will most probably be connecting online from work using a qualitynet dialup account like I am doing now. Its a bit retro but better then nothing.

One interesting thing I realized was without Internet I did stuff I used to do before when I never had Internet. For example I read 3 newspapers today morning and then spoke to Nibaq on the phone for at least 20 minutes… the longest I had spoken to him on the phone since back when we were in high school trying to setup a Duke Nukem multiplayer session!

Yesterday I went with Nat for lunch at Le Relais de l’Entrecote in Al Fanar mall. I’ve past by the place from outside numerous times before but I was never interested in going in because the place looked really boring. Nat had been there before and both Nibaq and Rampurple seem to frequent it often so I figured I would give the place a shot.

Firstly its important to note that l’Entrecote serve only one dish and its steak with fries, so if you are expecting a menu with a sellection of dishes you will be disappointed. When I first went in and sat down I felt kind of let down. I was expecting l’Entrecote for some reason to be a lavish restaurant (I guess because of its name and location) but it actually felt cheap. The tables were small, light and flimsy, and they were covered in white paper sheets similar to the ones used at those sea food places in Fisherman’s Wharf. The only thing is that at the sea food places you are smashing crabs open on the table, at l’Entrecote you are not doing anything close to that so I don’t see the need for the cheap looking paper sheets. First impressions weren’t that good.

The head waiter came to our table after we were seated and asked us how we liked our meat to be done, we both said well done and he then asked for our drinks, I had a coke and Nat had a small bottle of water. He scribbled down our order on the paper sheet on the table and left… so thats why they use paper sheets, how creative (I’m being sarcastic here). Two minutes pass by when the waitress comes with 2 bottles of coke and no water, we tell her its supposed to be 1 coke and 1 water (pointing at the scribble on our table for proof) so she goes and gets the water. A few minutes later our salad arrives and its the most boring salad ever, its just lettuce, nothing else. I dig into it since I was hungry and surprisingly the salad dressing was pretty good. When we were done the waitress asked us if she should serve our main meal. I was bit surprised again, that was pretty quick, it had only been 15 minutes since we came in and ordered, how did our steak get done so quickly? I guess since they only serve one meal they can always be preparing the food non stop even before someone orders a dish.

The main dish arrived and it was a pretty simple setup. Half the plate was fries, the other half sliced up steak with some sauce on it (See picture above). I liked the arrangement, and the food looked pretty appetizing so I dug in. The food was good, the meat was tender and the sauce was really tasty. Even though I had ordered my meat well done it was a bit pink on the inside, I didn’t mind it but I know some people wouldn’t eat the meat if its a bit pink and thats why they order it well done, so, they kinda fucked up there. The fries was good specially if eaten with the sauce. When we were done with our plates the waitress came and gave us a refill. Everyone gets one refill, its like when you order the milkshake at Johnny Rockets. They bring you your glass filled with milkshake plus an extra steel container with more milkshake in case you need one more refill. At l’Entrecote they bring you a steel dish with extra fries and meat in case you need one more refill, pretty cool.

Finally we were done with our lunch. The whole process took less then an hour which was pretty impressive since I hate staying long at a restaurant (I am a come in, eat and then leave type of guy). We get the bill the total was around KD14 including the two drinks, but I am having a hard time figuring out if thats a decent price or not. The location of the place being Fanar Mall and the name being French gives the place a bit of elegance. But the setup inside and the presentation of the food and even the food itself points more towards casual dining. I think a total of KD12 might have fit the bill better.

Overall I didn’t find the place that interesting or special. I didn’t enjoy the seating inside, the table setup looked very cheap and the fact that the place only has one dish really makes it hard for me to give this place a really high rating. The food was good and filling so thats where the majority of the points will be coming from but it won’t be enough to give it anything higher then a 3.5 out of 5.

Nintendo just announced the new slimmer cooler looking DS. The new DS “Lite” is less than two-thirds the size of the original Nintendo DS and more than 20 percent lighter. The new DS Lite also features brighter screens.

The Nintendo DS Lite gets released in Japan in March followed by a US and worldwide release soon after. The new design looks way better then the bulky orignals and I am now tempted to sell my current DS and get a new one.

[source Joystiq]

If you notice there is a link called “Reviews” next to the “Main Page” link right under the header. If you click the link it will now take you to a page listing everything we have ever reviewed. I am still working on fixing up that page but for now you can take a peak at its while still under construction. [Link]

Recommended

Burger Challenge
Applebee’s
Bredz
Burger Boutique
Eighty 6 Bistro
Fauchon
Fuddruckers
Hashi
Gaucho Gril
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Johnny Rockets
Munch
Napket
Nino
Papa John’s Burgers
Prime & Toast
Ruby Tuesday
Slider Station
Sheraton Hotel
Smoke House
The Burger Hub
The Butcher Shop
The Little Oven
The Meat Co.
Wimpy

Food
Cafe: Poshcafe
Chilidog: Nathans Vs Hardees
Chilidog: Johnny Rockets
Chilidog: Fuddruckers
Chinese: Caesars
Chinese: Wildfire
Chinese: Wok Master
Fast Food: Burger King Hammour Royale
Fast Food: Burger King Spicy Chicken Royal w/ Cheese
Fast Food: Hardees Chili Lava
Fast Food: Hardees Turkey & Swiss Sandwich
Fast Food: KFC Fish Zinger
Fast Food: LoFat
Fast Food: Malak Sajj
Fast Food: Marrybrown
Fast Food: McDonalds Best Breakfast in Town
Fast Food: McDonalds Italiano Burger
Fast Food: McDonalds Spring Rolls
Fast Food: Naif’s Puri Fillet
Fast Food: The Pizza Company
Fast Food: Sbarro Sausage & Pepperoni Stromboli
Microwave Meal: Chicken Masala
Microwave Meal: Beef with Classic BBQ Sauce
Microwave Meal: Beef Patty Sandwich Builder
Microwave Meal: Manicotti
Microwave Meal: El Charrito Grande
Microwave Meal: Fried Chicken Meal
Microwave Meal: Chicken Fingers
Other: Baskin Robbins Crunchy Shake
Other: Blenz Coffee
Other: Choowy Goowy Cookies
Other: D*lush
Other: Go Nuts Donuts
Other: Kobe Burger by Auskobe
Other: Lorenzos Chocolate Cheese Cake
Other: Orange Drinks
Restaurant: Al Mayass
Restaurant: Al-Muhallab Seafood
Restaurant: Baba Taher
Restaurant: Burger Bar
Restaurant: Cheeburger Cheeburger
Restaurant: Fauchon Café
Restaurant: IKEA’s Chicken Masala
Restaurant: Le Relais de l’Entrecote
Restaurant: Ricardo – Sheraton
Restaurant: Shatea Al Watyia (Oum Habib)
Restaurant: Slider Station
Shawerma: Al-Ghader
Shawerma: Badar Al Badoor
Shawerma: Burgan
Shawerma: Dodo
Shawerma: Happy Duck
Shawerma: IKEA
Shawerma: Kabab Al Hajat
Shawerma: Mishref Coop Restaurant
Shawerma: Mr Subs
Shawerma: Ranoush Juice – London
Shawerma: Salmiya’s Jewels
Shawerma: Sajj House
Shawerma: Shawermer
Shawerma: Shoo? Shawerma
Shawerma: Villa Fayrouz Express
Shawerma: Weekend
Sushi: Kei, Maki & Kamikaze
Sushi: Maki Restaurant

Movies
Dragon Wars D-War
I Am Legend
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Transformers
Die Hard 4.0
Smokin’ Aces
Big Nothing
The Prestige
Dirty Sanchez – The Movie
Feast
Long Way Round (mini series)
The Sentinel
Hard Candy
American Gun
Stay
Waiting…
Walk the Line
Munich
The Island
Band of Brothers (mini series)
Serenity
Broken Flowers
Lord of War
Saw II
Oliver Twist
The Brothers Grimm
City of God
Jarhead
The Matador
Fucking Åmål
Ichi the Killer
Shutter
Revolver
Straight into Darkness
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Wedding Crashers
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Simple Lies
Dark Water
Constantine
Elf
Creep
Heights
Kill Bill 2
Mysterious Skin
Hot Shots
Hostage
Ocean’s Twelve
Hellboy
Kingdom of Heaven
The Big White
Ôdishon
Inside Deep Throat
The Skeleton Key
The Business
Waterworld
A History of Violence
Born Into Brothels: Calcutta’s Red Light Kids
Happy Endings
The Bourne Supremacy
The Village
Kicking & Screaming
Unleashed (Danny the Dog)
Be Cool
Ladder 49
Green Street Hooligans
Swordfish
Oldboy
The Devil’s Rejects
Team America
Soul Plane

Automotive
Mercedes E200 [Day 1] [Day 2]
Toyota Corolla
Mercedes SLK [Day 1] [Day 2]
Infiniti M45 [Day 1] [Day 2]
Infiniti G35 [Day 1] [Day 3]
Cadillac BLS
Cadillac CTS
Cadillac Escalade

Other
The Ultimate Water Review Part 2
The Ultimate Water Review Part 1
Zegna iJacket
Canon G11
Archos 7
Apple iPhone
A-Z Maps
N-Bar
AKG K81 DJ
Crest White Strips
Motorola V3x
WD Passport Drive
Philips BodyGroom
Mac & More (Marina Mall)
IPEVO free.1 Skype Phone
Denon AVR-2106
International Veterinary Hospital
Harmony 880 Remote
Jazeera Airways – My Experience
Logitech X-230 Speakers
Sennheiser PX100 Headphones
Kensington Orbit Optical Trackball
The PSP Review
The Sultan Center Website
iPod shuffle

I just finished upgrading my blog to the latest wordpress and I also went ahead and changed the look of the website.

I don’t like change and I hate it when people redesign their sites. You get so used to something and then overnight things change and its usually not a smooth transition. I tried not to change too much in the structure, I tried to focus more on making things clearer and easier to read while also adding some color to give it some life. The old look was really starting to feel pale and I was really starting to dislike it. I needed a change and I figured now would be the perfect time.

There are still some minor issues I need to fix but in general this is how the blog is going to look like. I will be working on various font options in the coming days and hopefully that will work out nicely. I wasn’t able to test the site on various browsers and systems so if you encounter a problem please tell me about it so I could try to fix it. Thank you.

Note: Please do a hard refresh (hold down shift and click on reload) to clear out my blogs old files. That should solve minor problems.