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A reader shared some photos of an old Sinclair game he still had which he purchased from a computer store in Kuwait back in the early 80s. The store was called AL RUSHAID and the tape had the following info on it:

AL RUSHAID Trading & Contracting Co. (RTC)
P.O. Box 25443, Safat-Kuwait
Tel: 412404, Telex: 23721 KT

He also had this info to share (I’ve edited it slightly):

While I do remember the computer store at the Salhia complex and it was my favourite shop for a while (and my description on your website remains the way I remember it), I am not sure the branded cassette I’ve shared is from the store at Salhiha. There was another nearby computer store that I used to visit as well which also used to sell ZX Spectrums and games. I couldn’t tell you the street name, but I think it was on the main shopping street, somewhere between The Grand Stores, Salhia Complex, and Al Muthanna Complex. Definitely, it was not near Al-Sharq Tower because that was far away from the shopping area.

Another thing you probably know is when Al-the Khalejia department stores first opened, they used to have a small section that sold computers like the ZX Spectrum, they had some original games on sale. I think the computer section didn’t last long and it disappeared sometime later.

Later around 1985 I used to get games for my computer by visiting the Hilton Hotel, there was an international magazine shop inside the hotel that used to sell computer magazines from the UK, there were several ones for the ZX Spectrum (and the Commodore 64). Many of these magazines came with a free demo cassette with free games and previews of upcoming games.

best regards
Sufian

PS. My parents were expats in Kuwait, and I lived there until I was 18, then left abroad to the US to study, and then moved to Belgium as my mom is from Belgium. I still have lots of my school books from Kuwait in Arabic, and other things that I grabbed with me when I left Kuwait in 1988.

Since the game was branded RTC I thought it might be the same RTC as the electronics shop in Hawally since according to their about us page they’ve been around since 1983. But after talking to RTC Electronics I was told pre-1990 they were called Babel so they’re not the same place. If anyone remembers where Al Rushaid was or have any info on it, let me know!

Update: Found a news clipping and an ad in an old Kuwait Times newspaper

I’ve been using a 2013 iMac 27″ as my main computer since well, 2013. It was the entry-level 27″ at that time with a 3.2ghz quad-core i5 processor and I had upgraded the RAM to 24GB and the hard drive to a 1TB SSD. It was showing its age but it held up great over the years and honestly could have survived a couple of more if Apple hadn’t released the redesigned iMacs a few months ago.

As soon as I saw the new iMacs I realized I wanted one, in green, and ASAP. I ended up pre-ordering one from Apple online with 16GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive in addition to an Arabic English keyboard. When I had placed the order the iMacs hadn’t been shipped yet and so I basically ordered it blindly based on photos hoping it would look as good in real life. Well, it does. Now that I’ve been using the new iMac for a few weeks, here are some points:

• With the new iMac I decided to go completely wireless everything. I had a Kensington trackball which I love and had been using for 11 years but it was wired so I decided to get the wireless version of it for my new iMac. The wireless trackball uses a USB-A wireless adapter but the new iMacs only have USB-C. Luckily BEST sells a tiny USB-A to USB-C adapter and it’s not an issue. The trackball does work with Bluetooth but it was super laggy when I set it up that way.

• My KEF LSX speakers were previously connected to my iMac using the headphone jack but on the new iMac, the headphone jack is on the side which meant the cable would stick out. I decided to ditch the wire and instead connect the speakers via Bluetooth. Here is a tip, to stop your Bluetooth speakers from constantly disconnecting from your computer every time it went to sleep, turn off that energy-saving feature.

• Probably the main reason I got the new iMac is for the touch ID keyboard. I use 1Password to manage all my passwords and it’s a lot easier to use my fingerprint to unlock my passwords. In use, it’s been flawless, with a touch of a button I can wake up and unlock my iMac similar to my MacBook Pro which is super convenient.

• The webcam on the new iMac is great, not only is it a lot sharper and higher resolution than all my other Mac webcams, but I used to have an issue when video calling on my previous iMac because I have a large window behind me. During calls, the camera tended to adjust the brightness based on the windows and so I’d end up really dark and barely visible. I no longer have that issue with the new iMac.

• It’s fast, much faster than my older iMac and so far seems as fast or faster than my 16″ MacBook Pro.

Anyway if you’re considering getting one of these new iMacs and have any questions let me know in the comments. I’ve only seen two colors in Kuwait, blue and green. Gait in Avenues has a blue one on display and Xcite also in Avenues has a green and blue one. If you’ve seen any of the other colors anywhere mention it in the comments. The iMac upgraded with a 1TB hard drive and 16GB of RAM cost me around KD605 KD635 shipped to Kuwait.

Friday night I was in my car leaving my street when a white pickup truck stopped in front of me and started talking to some Egyptian workers on the street. The guy in the pickup then suddenly slammed the door open on one of the workers, went down, and started shoving him and yelling at him.

Not an unusual scene but things do get a bit odd. The guy in the white shirt then goes back into his car and grabs a lanyard with an ID on it and then comes back out and grabs the Egyptian guy and starts flashing the lanyard in his face and yelling at him to give him his Civil ID card. I was out of my car at this point and I tried to get a clear look at the ID card and couldn’t, but I assume he was some sort of cop. The guy in the white shirt then pushed the worker to the floor and started punching him.

We managed to separate the two and I held on to the guy in the white shirt to calm him down since he didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind. The guy in the white shirt then went back to his car and got handcuffs and was shoving and threatening the worker that he was gonna handcuff him. He then put his handcuffs away and went opened the backdoor to take out his police baton so he could beat the guy with it. The whole time I’m trying to hold the guy back and calm him down. He eventually did, enough to get back in his car and speed off.

My dashcam captured the incident including the license plate of the white pickup. The video above is two very short clips I stitched together but the actual full video is in 4K and around 3-minutes long. I cropped the video just for this post so I could hide the license plate number but I’m wondering if I should send the full video to one of the MOI Instagram accounts because obviously this situation was messed up especially if the guy was cop or pretending to be one. Actually, now that I’ve written out my thoughts I’m thinking I should probably drop the whole thing and not risk getting deported or something. So not worth it.

Oogoo is an app that was recently launched that allows you to calculate the value of your car with just a few clicks. It could be a very useful tool when trying to figure out how much you should sell your car for. Depending on your car Oogoo will give you the option to either sell your right away or to list it for sale. I valuated a Lexus and got the option to sell the car on the spot, then I valuated an Audi and it only gave the option to place an ad for it so I guess it depends on if it’s a fast-moving car or not.

Oogoo also has a number of other features including a used car section and a section for checking out prices of new cars at the dealerships. The app is still new but shows potential. I used to like exploring used cars on Q8car but with their last redesign, the site has become a navigation disaster so really hoping a good alternative pops up. If you want to download and try oogoo, click here.

The first time I posted about Brett Jordan’s photos of Kuwait was over 10 years ago when he started scanning and sharing the photos on his Flickr account. Since then he’s added more photos to the collection and I’ve posted about them a number of times with the last time being back in 2013. As of now, he has over 300 beautiful high-resolution photos of Kuwait on his account, all taken back in the early 60s.

I got in touch with Brett recently to find out more about the photos that have been circulating social media accounts and WhatsApp groups in Kuwait for a decade now. Turns out Brett’s collection of photos were actually taken by his parents who were both English and were working for an American oil company in the late 50s and early 60s. Brett’s dad was a refrigeration engineer and after Brett’s mum gave birth to him, they left Kuwait in the early 60s and moved back to the UK. But while in Kuwait his parents were part of a lively expat community that enjoyed a lot of partying, amateur dramatics, and drinking. His mum always speaks fondly of her time in Kuwait with the only ‘blot’ being a serious car accident when his dad drove into a huge pothole during a sandstorm.

I asked Brett if he still had more photos so he called up his mum and according to her she has more slides up in her loft. So he’s going to look for them the next time he visits her and hopefully scan those as well. For now, check out all the photos he’s scanned so far by clicking here.

Update: Brett has gone ahead and grouped up the Kuwait photos into one album so I’ve updated the link to reflect the change.

Back when I visited the National Library in October you couldn’t access any of the books yourself due to COVID safety precautions, you needed to have someone fetch the books for you. But, things are back to normal now. Yesterday morning I passed by the National Library and I was allowed access to all the books and archives. I still had to book an appointment via the meta.e.gov.kw website and you also need to be vaccinated to be allowed in, but other than that things are back to normal.

The library is next to my office which means I can go back to randomly passing by in the mornings on the way to work. I usually love going through old newspapers to find gems similar to the Hardees ad above from 1988 featuring the Thunder Cats. If you want the full resolution version click here.

The library is open Sunday to Thurday from 9AM to 1PM and for more info on what’s inside, check out my old post here.

Other than the Suzuki Jimny from a couple of years ago, I can’t really think of any other car in recent history that interested so many people. The hype and demand around the new Landcruiser is so huge that there were people selling their spots on the waiting list for up to 2,500KD! Last Wednesday I picked up a brand new Landcruiser to review, and after spending 24 hours with it I have mixed feelings about it. People really do love this car though, I don’t think I’ve gotten so much attention on the road or interest in a review car as much as I got with this Landcruiser. Since you guys left a lot of questions under my what do you want to know post, this review is going to be a combination of my opinion on the car as well as answers to all your questions.

The first thing I need to discuss is the looks of the new Landcruiser which I’m not a fan of yet. I kinda like the front of the car which now has a huge grill, but not a big fan of the side profile or the rear of the car yet. I think the wheels look too small in proportion to the car and I think the rear quarter window gives it a minivan feel. The rear of the car is also fairly boring, but so was the last generation so at least that’s consistent. I remember not being a fan of the last Landcruiser when it came out either. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for new designs to grow on you and I’m expecting the same with this new Landcruiser as well.

I had the fully loaded GX-R model which comes with a leather interior, electronic ventilated seats, a large 12.3″ center display and some safety features like lane assist, radar cruise control and collision detection. The Landcruiser finally has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto built-in which is great but also expected. Their digital side is still lagging behind the rest of the market. For example, we now have this gorgeous new super-large screen in the center console, but I still can’t control any of the car settings on it. If I want to change the settings for lane assist, or reset the tire pressures, adjust the sensitivity for collision detection or any other settings related to the actual car, I need to use the tiny black and white screen in the center of the gauge cluster. The only thing I can control with the large screen in the center console is the media center and climate control, that’s it. I don’t understand why there are two different systems in the car, I should be able to change all the settings from the main screen like in other cars. The technology side of the car makes it feel dated. Everything new on the new car should have already been on the last generation of the Landcruiser, but Toyota has always been like this. They’re one step behind in technology because they go for reliability and simplicity over having all the latest gizmos, and I think the majority of the people prefer that.

What are the differences between GX-R vs VX-R?
The model I drove was the fully loaded GX-R, but the VX-R is actually the top-of-the-line model and costs around 4,500KD more. The main differences between the two are the fact the VX-R uses better quality leather, has electronic suspension, 4 cameras vs just 1, electronically foldable third-row seats, memory seats in the front, front and rear locking diffs, blind-spot monitor, and a tailgate that opens by waving your foot.

How’s the handling and ride quality?
The first day I found the car too soft but that’s how Toyota’s generally are. My FJ Cruiser had soft suspension and one of the first things I did was replace them with stiffer ones. The soft suspension gives the car a soft ride but also makes the car feel heavier since there is a lot more sway on breaking and turning. When I drove the car the second day I enjoyed the ride a lot more since I was used to it by then. It’s comfortable, it’s quiet and definitely a car I wouldn’t mind taking a long trip in.

How is the AC?
I had the car parked under direct sunlight for 5 hours and it took less than 10 minutes of blasting all the AC’s on max for the car to turn into a freezer. So it’s great like it always is on Toyotas.

How is the entertainment system and JBL speakers?
As I mentioned, it has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Oddly you can’t have them occupy the full center screen, parts of the screen always has to show the climate controls. The speakers were fine, loud with boomy bass, they’re good enough for 99% of the buyers. There were a lot of USB-C and USB-A ports scattered around the car plus a wireless charging pad in the center console near the gear shift. There was also a home power socket in the trunk.

How did the 10-speed gearbox feel like?
Not that great actually. The gearbox never seemed to be in the right gear and shifting in the 1st and 2nd gear was always rough. Even putting the car in sport mode didn’t help much.

Can the car handle Kuwait roads?
I think Toyota has proven themselves over the decades that all their cars can handle the Kuwaiti climate and roads with no issues. One of the reasons the Landcruiser is so popular is because of how reliable they are and I don’t expect the new ones to be any different.

Is the steering wheel still heavy?
I haven’t driven the previous generation to compare, but I had two friends who own Landcruisers test drive the car and both said the new Landcruiser is an improvement over the previous one in every way. The steering is lighter, the car feels faster, the brakes better and the overall ride smoother.

What do you think about the price, is it worth it?
This is a difficult one to answer, personally, I think the new Landcruisers are too expensive. The model I drove costs 24,250KD after discount. I think if you’re paying over 20,000KD for a car you’re buying a premium or luxury brand but Toyota isn’t that. It’s a reliable brand that’s meant to be accessible to everyone and I don’t think thats the case with the Landcruiser. With every new generation of Landcruisers, the price has gone up and I think paying nearly 30,000KD for a Landcruiser is just too much.

Is the GR Sport edition getting released in Kuwait?
Yes, it’s coming and the price is around 28,000KD.

Obviously love or hate the new Landcruiser, there is no denying the fact that we all know they’re going to be extremely reliable and popular. I was at a traffic light on Wednesday in the Landcruiser and I looked around me and I was surrounded by 4 other white Landcruisers, one in front of me, two on my left and one behind me. People love them for good reason and anyone with a Landcruiser is going to feel right at home in the new one. If I forgot to answer any of your questions or if you have any more, let me know in the comment. For more details info on the car including the specs and features of the different models, check out the Landcruiser page on toyota.com.kw

Around two years ago, Kuwait Airways retired its last 747 from its fleet. They had operated five Boeing 747s over its entire history so what happened to them, and where are they today?

I’m not going to spoil it but you can check out this interesting and short article on Simple Flying in which they looked for and found the planes today. Five 747s with five different stories, here is the Link.

Even though I’m fully vaccinated it’s still taking me time to get back to old pre-corona habits. For example, it’s now been over a year since I last pressed an elevator button with my bare fingers. I told a friend the first thing I would do after getting vaccinated is press an elevator button and then lick my finger, but months after getting vaccinated I still can’t bring myself to press a button with my bare fingers let alone lick it after.

On the other hand, I’m getting used to going out and trying new places again so I’ll be going back to posting reviews soon like the good old days. Last week though three new places opened up (or reopened in one case):

Milk Bun
A new burger place opened up in the new 360 Mall extension brought to you by the same team behind Burger Boutique, Cocoa Room, and White Robata. The place looks really cool so check them out on Instagram @lovemilkbun

San Ristorante
Not a new concept since they opened a few months before the pandemic in Shaab, but last week they opened a new location in Avenues near Arabica. This means their Shaab location should hopefully be less busy now. So if you’re craving Italian food and haven’t tried them yet, make sure you visit their beautiful Shaab location. Their Instagram is @san.ristorante

Love Bird
Finally, last week the fried chicken concept Love Bird reopened. They had closed down for renovations and reopend last week with a funky new shop sign as well as an updated and larger menu. Sadly they’ve changed their fries which were THE BEST. Check them out on Instagram @thereallovebird

This has to be the most bizarre story to come out so far this year. I first heard about it a couple of days ago but then yesterday Associated Press published the story and so got picked up by the international media.

An Egyptian expat posted a video on TikTok during the dust storm last week complaining about the weather. That video caused him to get arrested and legal action will be taken against him. Arrested over a video complaining about the dust storm!

I just watched the video and can’t figure out what in it would cause him to get arrested. There isn’t anything in the video that should get him in trouble, the worst thing the guy said is that it was a shitty morning. I’m not gonna embed the video here because I don’t know anymore what can get someone arrested or deported, but here is a link to it, it’s still up on his TikTok account @ahmed_krombo. The guy seems like a chill dude based on his tiktok videos so whats going on? Why all this drama? I’m so confused.

I found this old aerial photo of Kuwait taken in 1960 but I can’t figure out where that area is today. There are some major clues to help, the school on the bottom, the mosque across the street and what looks like another school behind the mosque.

All three structures should still be standing today but I couldn’t find a similar combo on Google Maps. If you’re bored and looking for something to kill time with today, help me find the location! Here is a link to the super high res copy of the image.

Update: With the help of a reader it looks like we might have found the location and it seems to be Farwaniya. Here is the link to the mosque on Google Maps and I’ve taken a screenshot of the map and rotated it to match the direction of the original photop=. I also highlighted all the similar areas that existed in the original photo and that still exist today. The old huts/shacks in the background of the original image look to be what today is Ishbilia and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh.

Image Source

The Kuwait Boy Scouts have been around since 1935 and officially became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1955. On their website they have a section that contains old black and white photos from back in the 60s and 70s but with no caption or specific date mentioned under the photos. Still, they’re worth checking out if you’re curious and like old photos of Kuwait. Here is the link.

I also found an old AP video shot in 1960 at a scouts camp in Kuwait where they were preparing for a visit by H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Mubarak. The video has no audio but is surprisingly great quality so check it out as well.

Bonus: Their Facebook account contains a few more photos including ones of the Kuwait Girl Guides which was founded in 1957. Their photo album is completely unorganized though so you go to scroll to a lot of random stuff to find them. Here is the link.

Thanks Maha

I spotted a compact electric composter a few days ago at a small business and it looked really practical. It was an Oklin GG-02 and I hadn’t seen one similar before so decided to track down the dealer to find out more about the unit so I could post about it.

A compost bin is a container into which you place organic waste to turn into very rich plant nutrients. You would throw in your leftover food, your coffee pucks, fruit peels, etc and with time it would get converted into compost which you could then use in your garden or your house plants.

I had only ever seen regular compost bins, ones that are just plastic or wooden boxes you put in the garden and fill in with waste. But what caught my interest with this Oklin unit was that it was electrically powered. The Oklin is a home appliance, you could place it in the kitchen, on a balcony or anywhere you want and just keep it plugged in. Whenever you have organic waste you just empty it into the Oklin and in just 24 hours it would convert it into compost. It can convert up to 4KG a day which should be more than enough to handle a large household.

If you’re interested in composting and looking for an easy quick solution I can’t think of anything more practical than this. The price is KD350 and the dealer is Advanced Technology Company. They don’t have a storefront so to enquire on the Oklin you could call or Whatsapp Zahra on 99912663, or email her at [email protected]

Update: The dealer for the product is now TP Green and the price has increased from KD350 to KD385. But on the bright side, they have a website which you could order the Compost and other green items from which you can check out https://tpgreen.shop

Yesterday I was driving by the Abdullah Salem Cultural Center and it was PACKED. There were cars backed up all the way outside the museum entrance, a scene I hadn’t seen since the museum first opened. That reminded me that I should probably post about the fact that museums are finally reopening again! If you’re looking for something to do, below is a list of my favorite museums and their current opening hours:

Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
They’re open from 10AM to 8PM with the last admission at 7PM.
Fridays they only open from 2PM to 8PM and Sundays they’re closed.
You can find photos and information on the museum here.

Bait Al Othman Museum
They’re open daily from 9AM to 1PM and then evenings from 4PM to 8PM.
Fridays they only open in the evenings.
You can find photos and information on the museum here.

Tareq Rajab Museum
They’re open daily from 9AM to 1PM and then from 4:30PM to 8:30PM
You can find photos and information on the museum here.

Al-Salam Palace Museum
One museum I think a lot of people are interested in visiting is the Al-Salam Palace Museum. That museum was set to open just as the pandemic hit. Their Instagram says they’re opening soon but they haven’t mentioned a date. A friend of mine who had previously booked a tour before the pandemic hit got a call recently though to set up a new date so I think right now they might be going through the backlog of people who had booked early last year. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the museum before they opened and you can check that post out here.

Update: Due to high demand, ASCC now opens from 10AM instead of 2PM.

Yesterday I read a story about a guy who drove his 1982 Mitsubishi Galant from Kuwait to Delhi, India during the 1990 invasion. The family still owns the car today and the son is now trying to restore it. If that wasn’t interesting enough, there is a similar story of another guy who drove his 1984 Mitsubishi Galant from Kuwait but to Kerala, India, and also still has his car today. Both cars seem to be the same color and they both might have been in the same convoy of cars that left Kuwait to India by road during the escape.

The journey from Kuwait to India took around 110 days and involved driving through Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan before finally reaching India.

You can read the story on the 1982 Galant journey here.
You can read the story on the 1984 Galant journey here.

The 1984 Galant and the owner Mathunny Mathew seem to have gotten more coverage online. There is a video interview with the owner on YouTube but it’s in Malayalam so I couldn’t watch it. But, there is another very cool video on YouTube where the Petrolhead Motor Garage guys attempt to start the car. It’s not in English but there is very little talking, it’s mostly them taking apart the engine to try and start the car which is a total rust bucket. It’s a chill video and I’ve embedded it above.

I love stories like this so if you know of anymore, let me know!

Thanks Fahad