Star Wars: The Last Jedi: A Fan's Opinion

Rey confronting the sorrowful shadow
of days gone by.

I finally got to watch Star Wars: The Last Jedi today, and I've got some conflicting feelings about it. To begin with, it's a departure from the original Star Wars story line, wherein the Dark Side/Galactic Empire is portrayed as a well-oiled and efficient death machine, run by a fearsome, mysterious warrior-dictator, while the Light side/Jedi are portrayed by freedom fighters struggling for justice and peace.

Kuwait's Renovations (AKA another reason to complain about corruption & stall everything)

Jaber Al Ahmed Hospital

Everyone's noticed how the landscape in Downtown Kuwait has changed over the last year or so. New, high-rise office buildings, new hotels, Kuwait Business Town, Arraya's expansion, etc...all towards building a true financial district. This happens, of course, without preparing the emergency services (Fire Brigade, Ambulance, etc) with the proper equipment, like long ladder trucks!

Ranting on...

I was discussing Kuwaiti Blogs a while back with a friend of mine, and apparently, I'm not 'in' with the rest of the bloggers out there. I was asked why I wasn't a participant in any of the latest Blog events that were sponsored by the local Mobile Service Providers that are just pouring money into the feeble concept of 'I'm better than the rest', and showering everyone with 

All due respect to all bloggers, wherever and whoever they may be, but

When Fiction Becomes Fact

Back when I was in college I had a very wise English Literature teacher who said something that made me a very passionate futurist-observer. He said, "I grew up listening to stories about Buck Rogers and his adventures. He used to fly around in space in a rocket ship, had a laser gun that he'd used to help him fight crime and criminals. Fast-forward to the present, we're seeing lasers in nearly all facets of life as we know it." The comic stories took their turn at maturity, from paperback to radio to TV to the silver screen, all the way from the 1920's to the 1970's and early 1980's.

Internet Caps In Kuwait

I cant say much more than what's been said by Marzouq & Caffeinated on this issue, except that I'm as disgusted with this entire affair as they are, and probably even more so. i wont' get into my own activities, or how they're all rendered useless by the capping and the new FAP's, except that, for the money I'm paying, I'm being ripped off, and this ripoff is being sanctioned by the MOC.

I will also say that this state of affairs will not go on for long. Eventually, the government will capitulate, the ISP's will eventually grow up and face their responsibilities, and we will eventually be able to finally have affordable, price-perfect internet services in Kuwait.

Got OSN? There's An App For That Too!

It seems that Orbit Showtime is (finally) jumping onto the advanced tech bandwagon. By sheer luck, I managed to find out that they've developed an App for iPhone & iPad devices through which they channel their services. I downloaded it from the App store (UK) and tried it. A bit buggy, but it's got some nice features that made me just barely keep it in my phone.

Joining The World Of Net TV

I download quite a lot of movies & TV shows off torrents, and with good reason, too. I refuse to be a slave to pay-per-view ripoff schemes, courtesy of OSN, and pay for a season-old TV series, or a 6-month old movie hit. I'm one who prefers to be entertained 'in time', which means that I'm able to watch the latest episode of "The Event" or "Stargate Universe" within 3-5 hours of it being aired in the USA. My main issues was that my viewing happens wherever my Desktop is placed, due to a very restrictive home network setup.

Xbox 360 or PS3? Still Can't Decide

Falcon 1.0 screenshot

I've been a gamer ever since MicroProse released Falcon 1.0 on the IBM AT back in the 1980's, and always considered the Atari 2600 console - as prominent back then as the Playstations and the Xboxes are today - as beneath me, since I was using a more powerful IBM machine, and was playing 'serious' games with it, and not just moving frogs across the streets between speeding cars and so on.

Egypt Uncovers Israeli Spy Ring

I was on my usual daily routine of reading the papers when I found, in today's  Aljarida Newspaper, full coverage of an uncovered Israeli spy ring in Egypt. Apparently, the Israeli Intelligence managed to recruit, train and control an Egyptian University Professor, who in turn recruited up to 31 telecom engineers, established a Telecom business, and eventually managed to build quite a large and effective network. This network spanned Egypt, Sudan and Saudi Arabia, and in my own opinion, Lebanon as well. (Link1, Link2), as the techniques employed in Egypt were more or less the same as those used in this latest operation, even though the Lebanon operation was exposed 6 months ago :)

Apple TV VS Mac Mini

2010 AppleTV

Ever since the Mac Mini was released I've been in conflict with it's usefulness as a desktop machine, or even a desktop replacement. Then I read about Ford using Mac Mini's to monitor some of their production lines, and it got me into thinking that this new standalone box has something else to revere and admire besides it's great looks.

Learning about Apple TV, I initially dismissed it as a Big Boy's toy that only US-based users would really benefit from. I was glad to  have been proven wrong when I found that it works just as well anywhere, as long as it's pumped up with the right currency! Pay-per-View was redefined with Apple TV, so much so that even the regional Sat TV companies are beginning to notice.

How Smartphone users see themselves

 

Found this little gem in a blog post over at Geek.com (long nights & all that!)

Kuwait's Soluiton to the BB Ban Issue: No Porn Please!

During this past week, the UAE, matching India's concerns, boldly and courageously decided to block all Blackberry services within it's country, by October 11th, citing security concerns. Apparently, the UAE isn't too happy that it's security services are unable to access the BB's e-traffic, which prevents them from having any foreknowledge of potential criminal and/or terrorist activities before, during or after they happen. Saudi Arabia, followed suite and pre-empted the UAE by banning the BB's internet services one month before the UAE's announced ban date. 

The Saudi/Emirati decision made so many waves that it actually affected RIM's shares performances for a brief time, and the UAE/Saudi position never changed; Turning off BBM's internet services is a done deal; the security of the State is far more important than the security of RIM's royalty fees.

BBC Report: Fossil links humans and monkeys

In this BBC report published this morning, it was revealed that Scientists from the University of Michigan, along with a team from the Saudi Arabian Geological Survey, have unveiled some fossils last year that date back around 30 Million years, theoretically linking Humans with Apes. No Big deal,  especially if you're one of those people who find Darwin's Theory of  Human Evolution the foremost reference in Human Evolutionary Development, as opposed to the less radical Religious and Theological interpretations and revelations.

A short Google Search revealed a very nice video clip of the events by Nature Magazine, found here. Try it, quite informative and insightful.

Alghanim Electronics is turning into a Baqala!!

I'm not one to complain much (well, I am, but only when it's applicable!), but it really pisses me off when a big local company treats the consumer base like crap! On top of that, they put on a 'holier-than-thou' attitude when some of us complain about their lousy service, or their ripoff warranty plans.

My Take on the iPad

Been some time since I complained blogged about anything, due mostly to my preoccupation with work issues. A lot has happened, most recently was the exposed Iranian Spy ring in Kuwait. Surprise to some, not to others. I wouldn't be surprised at all if I found out that the entire world's intelligence agencies are operating in Kuwait; US/Coalition maneuvers, near Iraq/Iran/Saudi Arabia,  all the world's economic, political and military action is just a couple of hours' drive away in any direction, what's not to spy on???

Bestiality finally banned in the Netherlands!

Just click on this link (http://link.reuters.com/pag37h)
and laugh your heart out!

What made me decide to post this piece of junky news was the final part:

"Sex with animals had been legal in the Netherlands, as long as it could be proven the animals were not injured."

So many things wrong with that piece of information, i just dont know where to start!!

Funny thing, people like these call us "backwardly & retarded"

Gadget Craze in Kuwait

I don't  understand why, with all that's being said and done with regards to the financial crisis in Kuwait and the rest of the world, people in Kuwait still try o out-bling each other with the latest gadgets and gizmos! OK, I lied, I DO understand why, but not how! 

Take the iPhone; smart, elegant, extremely useful and handy to the user who realizes that it's not just a phone, but a hand-held net book with phone capabilities. I'm an iPhone user myself. I have the 3G model, and I use it for my email, my calendar, some spreadsheets and PDF documents, my to do's, my picture library, and pretty much anything else the Apps I've installed allow me to do. I'm also willing to skip a generation and wait for the upcoming model that promises actual improvements this time, and not a compass and faster app loads! I'm sure there are may people like me, and some of them occasionally may also use it as an MP3 player or a quick-reference guide for information-that Wikipedia App is amazing! 

Wikipedia Needs Your Help-Again!

It's about that time of the year again, when large companies and corporations review and revise their numbers towards sustaining a profitable future, though for some of them, not necessarily in monetary terms. Wikipedia is such one of them, only their sustainability goals is full and free access to all human knowledge. 

This year again, Jimmy Walsh, Wiki's founder, has written an appeal for all of us Wikimedia users, asking for donations, justifying it (quite passionately, too!) why our donations are needed and what they'll be used for. 

Surprisingly, 35 people on an annual budget of 10 million Dollars is all that provides humanity with access to free and fair information on the web,  while the rest of humanity pitches in in their own specific way, and the collective sum of all these efforts is available for everyone else, and in a multiple variety of formats, 24/7/365 without fail. And this is done for no other reason than to 'pitch in' with knowledge and effort.

I though it was enough justification for me to donate  something in return, which is exactly what I did last year, and what I did today, I'm proud to say. I encourage others to do so as well.

Al Talea Website Hacked??

Taking my usual routine of browsing online newspapers, I tried to access Al Talea's Website (www.taleea.com) through my bookmarks list, when I was surprised to see that my anti-virus program altering me that it was a malicious website. Whether it was hacked or not is unknown to me, but I'm sure that it's not something intended by the Editors of the site!

iPhone Users: Rejoice! Instant Messaging is Here!!

It's very difficult to convince people of the benefits of new technology, and more difficult still, convincing them of the 'appropriate' uses of said technology. The same applies to the Blackberry users that are friends of mine. My usual gripe with the device, while a very capable corporate communications tool, is that it's price plans do not justify the Instant Messaging tool that makes it such a winner in Kuwait. The notorious BBM that silently eats away a users' mobile Data usage whenever a contact changes his or her online status!

As for users, I can understand College students using the BB, and of course I'm in complete agreement with, and admiration of, Employees and Businessmen and women who use it for their day-to-day needs, especially considering the BB's powerful email integration features, but what gets me really aggravated is the people who consider it to be OK to spend a small fortune in both obtaining the device and paying for the ridiculous monthly package costs for their teenage kids! What possible use is it to these adolescents apart from the IM feature? (besides the obvious 'bling' factor!)

Well, iPhone developers have a new feather in their caps, the "Whatsapp" app. It's an IM app that maintains an online connection with and between all the users of this app that are listed in your Contacts list, with a list of privacy and convenience features to go with it. Chiefly beneficial among them (for some, at least) is the Facebook integration and the individual privacy-per-contact settings. It's quite frankly a BB killer. And for those of you who are afraid to switch to iPhone from BB because "all your friends have BB" don't worry, the upcoming upgrade will allow both BB and iPhone users to chat together with this app. To me, that's when the team really switches sides!

I hope the next incarnation of the iPhone will have this feature built-in.