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Harley Davidson is holding a bike show on January 27th at Marina Mall. The event will bring Harley Davidson owners from across the Gulf and they’ll compete and be judged in a total of fourteen categories. I went to their event last year and it was pretty cool since there were a whole variety of bikes and all customized so you couldn’t find two bikes alike.

Location: Marina Crescent
Date: January 27th, 2012
Time: 10am to 5pm

For more information you can check out their website [Here]

This is one very cool off-road vehicle. I shot the video above earlier today in Bnaider with the Contour+. It’s a great handling buggy that glides over the terrain. Oh and it’s super fast. [YouTube]

This Saturday K’s PATH is organizing a fun event called Bark in the Park. There will be a dog show competition, funny races, fabulous vendors, children’s entertainment and a lot more.

Location: Mishref Fairgrounds
Date: Saturday, 21st of January, 2012
Time: 10:00am to 5:00pm

Entry Prices
Adults: KD5
Children 6 to 12: KD3
Children under 6: Free
Hound per competition: KD3
Family ticket: KD14 (Includes 2 adults, 2 kids)

For more information you can download their flyer [Here]

I finally met someone who has a Windows Phone and I have to ask this but why would anyone choose Android over Windows? I’m a huge iPhone and iOS fan but if I was gonna change to another system it wouldn’t be Android (which to me looks like a cheap Apple clone) it would be to Windows Phone. Instead of trying to make their operating system look like an iPhone they’ve done something completely different and I love it.

I got to play around with the phone briefly but visually I found the system appealing with smooth and cool animations. From what my friend demonstrated to me it’s also a very social networks friendly phone allowing you to stay connected with close ones in a similar way you would on Facebook.

If you have an iPhone or Android phone you can actually try a demo of Windows Phone by visiting the following url from your phone:
https://aka.ms/wpdemo

I had to go to Dubai for a day and got to experience Dubai Airport’s Terminal 3 for the very first time and I’m impressed. The terminal is huge, but not in the regular sense more like palace kinda huge. Lot’s of high ceilings and very large empty spaces. When I arrived to the airport it was empty with barely any passengers which I thought was cool. Can’t wait until our new airport gets completed. Below is a video I shot of their check in area (the left half, there is another similar area on the opposite side) showing how big and empty it was.

[YouTube]

Picture taken by Patrick

I was invited by X-Cite and Sony to attend a preview of the Playstation Vita in Dubai. The even would give us an intro on their new portable gaming console as well as preview some games and more importantly allows to play with the device.

Introduction
The GM of Sony MENA, Robert Fisser stated that the Vita will have the strongest line up of launch games for a Sony console which is possible since the first party and third party games lined up for the Vita’s February 22nd launch is fairly strong.

When you purchase a Vita among the included items will be 56 WAAR (Wide-Area Augmented Reality) cards that you’ll be able to use with AR (augmented reality) games which you’ll be able to download for free from the PSN store. What differentiates these AR games from others is that these games will be a lot more advanced, sophisticated and use a big area for game play. There are also two social services that Sony are pushing in Vita called Party and Near. Party lets you voice chat with friends on the Vita at anytime, even if you’re playing different games while near lets you see all your Playstation Network friends status’s and what they’re playing (or have played). You will also be able to see if their are other Vita gamers in your proximity and invite them to play a game. Finally you can also unlock gifts, or give gifts to your PSN friends.

Another big feature Sony talked about was sharing save files between your Vita and the PS3 and cross-platform play which basically mean you’ll be able to play head-to-head between the Vita and PS3. They showed us a demonstration when one of their Wipeout 2048 game designer who was using a Vita raced against a producer who used a PS3.

I spotted this picture near Safat Square showing how the new revamped square will look like once construction is completed. I can’t see any seating areas which I think would be a big mistake this time around. They should add benches all around the fountains and the places that used to sell fake perfumes and toys should be turned into cafe’s (Note: That does not mean shisha places).

If you’re planning to renew your internet subscription or buy a new phone it might be worth your while to wait until January 29th for InfoConnect to start.

InfoConnect’12
Location: International Fairs Ground, Hall 5, 6, 7 & 8
Date: January 29th to February 4th (first day VIP only)
Time: 9:00AM to 1:00pm and 4:30PM to 9:00pm

Entrance is free of charge. For more information click [Here]

Photo by Roshan

Sony is holding a PlayStation Vita event tomorrow in Dubai where they will be previewing their new handheld gaming system to the media. I was invited to attend the event but since my brother is a bigger gamer and runs his own gaming blog he’ll be going instead.

The event schedule is going to be the following:

11:00am: Media arrive and are greeted by PS VITA event staff
11:45am: Media are taken around the different stations for a quick tour
12:00pm: Event staff offer light food and refreshments
12:30pm: Sony PlayStation ME representative welcomes everybody, explains a bit about the USP’s of VITA and introduces SCEE speaker and game developer
12:45pm: Presentation starts followed by panel discussion and Q&A with all speakers
1:45: Post presentations one on one interviews
1:45 – 4:00pm: Hands-on with Vita

Since he’ll be having an extensive hands-on session with the device and attending the Q&A session, if anyone has any questions about the PS Vita or is curious about something leave it in the comments below and he’ll try to get them answered for you.

Here’s some good news:

After coming third in the general standings at Asian qualifiers for the 10m air rifle individuals on Saturday, female shooter Maryam Erzouqi earned Kuwait’s first place at the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

Kuwait’s shooting team director Mohammad Al-Ghorba praised the shooter for her efforts in achieving the milestone.
He also expressed confidence other members of the shooting team, taking part in the Asian qualifiers in Doha, would follow suit, particularly in the double trap category.

Maryam had taken home two gold medals, in the 50m rifle prone and the 10m air rifle, at the recent Arab Games. [Source]

On a side note KUNA have redesigned their website and although it’s not great it’s much better than their previous one. You can check it out [Here]

A reader sent me the Kuwait timelapse he did above in which he used three Canon cameras, a 5DMKII, a 7D and a 60D to create. He also used a Kessler Crane Philip Bloom Pocket Dolly although I’m not sure if he had to move the camera manually or if it was automated using a motor and controller. It took him around 3 months of shooting which resulted in 40,000 shots and it then took him a month to edit the video.

Not all the scenes in the video above look great since the dull sky wasn’t helping but the ones that do work end up working really well. [YouTube]

Update: Below is a shot of his setup. Based on the shot his dolly was motorized.

Thanks Ali

I promise this will be my last basketball post. Turns out the Kuwait Club’s basketball team’s uniform is ripped off from NBA’s Washington’s Wizards. How funny and sad is that? It even made it to the Washington Post! [Link]

Thanks Walker

A reader emailed BBC regarding the recent problem with the reception and this is what they responded:

Regarding Kuwait, we are aware of a change of reception quality of our signal. It appears that the authorities there have changed the transmitter site resulting in poorer reception for at least some of our listeners.

We are examining possibilities of rectifying this situation but at present cannot be sure of what the final outcome will be.

That sucks.

The Gulf Run 7 car show is going to take place this weekend. This year there will be around 60 cars taking place at Gulf Run and you’ll be able to check out most of them at 360 Mall where they will be on display for everyone to see. So make sure you pass by this weekend, they’re going to be there for two days, Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th. For more information on the event and Gulf Run click [Here]

To check out the full list of cars participating this year follow the link below.

It’s been over a year since the young Kuwaiti iPhone app designer Abdulrahman al-Zanki created his game but he’s still making headlines, most recently in the New York Times:

It took Abdulrahman al-Zanki, then 14, a few weeks to develop his first game, Yellow Taxi, and upload it to Apple iTunes in 2010, learning from written instructions between school hours and homework. Since then, the Kuwaiti teenager has created 22 more iPhone games in less than two years, including the highly popular Doodle Destroy.

You can read the full article [Here]