Twitter blocked in UAE


Finally we can talk to our American friends at work!
Official Gmail Blog: Gmail + chat + AIM = crazy delicious

Finally we can talk to our American friends at work!
Official Gmail Blog: Gmail + chat + AIM = crazy delicious

Finally we can talk to our American friends at work!
Official Gmail Blog: Gmail + chat + AIM = crazy delicious

For all the hype you hear about UAE they are pretty draconian with their internet. They have banned Flickr, cure
Orkut and other social network sites and now Twitter

I wonder if they even blocked the SMS send feature as well.

Joi Ito’s Web: T.t.t.t.twitter…

Kuwait Blogs under the Microscope

If you recall a couple months ago we were all asked to do a survey by Noor Ali-Hasan for help on her thesis. Well I am happy to say that she has finally posted it: Analyzing the Social Patters and Behaviors Associated with Blogrolls and Blog comments.

I casually glanced through it this morning and have to say if it some fascinating stuff. She compares our Kuwait blogosphere, drug with UAE’s and Dallas Fortworth/Texas (DFW) and has come up with some interesting observations on the data.

While I was reading it I couldn’t help getting this feeling that I was on a psychologists couch asking if I have sexual thoughts about gophers as Noor is smoking a cigar.

I am really happy about this paper for it gives Kuwait Blogs a stronger identity by defining our interactions. One thing that I found intriguing in the study, buy more about is that we had more similarities to the DFW blogosphere compared to the UAE one. I think they could be due to the homogeneity of our blogospheres.

The GCC ID

Saw this link: Saudis, sovaldi sale Omanis Can Visit Each Other Without Passports. Which is great finally Saudi is opening up their borders and joining the rest of the GCC countries in the passport optional borders.

Then I read down to this paragraph stating that we will soon have a universal ID for all GCC countries:

Plans are also under way to issue a unified GCC identity card. The new electronic card will use smart card technology with common security features, applications and accessing devices. The main feature of the card, which will have both the GCC and the member country’s logos, is the “interoperability,” making its features readable in all member states.

This will be very interesting approach. I am worried from a couple points on this.

  • Who will own the data?
  • This is going to be the major force on this, will the data for each ID be located in respective country, and then accessed when needed, or mirrored to each country, or the scary part having a central server with all this information.

  • What data be stored in the smart card?
  • Smart cards are secure to some degree but can be hacked and manipulated, and in the wrong hands someone can easily access all your data on them. Such as medical records, crimnal report, and other personal data.

I for one am all for a GCC ID. It will really help us in trade and touristic opputunities. I can go to any GCC country open a business or rent an apartment without hassle or issue.

Humidty

Just a quick link for people.
Some guy found someones digiam and is posting pics
and explaining pics

Enjoy
Just a quick link for people.
Some guy found someones digiam and is posting pics
and explaining pics

Enjoy
Just a quick link for people.
Some guy found someones digiam and is posting pics
and explaining pics

Enjoy
I made it to Qatar. The trip took 7 hours and 41 minutes. It was long and confusing since they are no
signs telling you how far Salwa (Border) is. So I a driving driving seeing signs to Hofuf, medicine
Riyadh, Dam
ma, but no Salawa. I even found the old border crossing that is closed now, but there are these worker
s there that are cleaning the place. It place is closed why do you need to clean it? They told me its
another 70km to Salwa so I sped of on my way there.

The border place on Qatars side is really nice. Its has these old style look for the buildings and the
re was a female who checked my passport! And the people there smiled! It was a nice sight.

Doha is really nice and enjoying my time here. Will leave to Kuwait either today or tomorrow depending
on what I need to get done and the time I have left. The less I avoid driving during the night in Sau
di the better.

Once I get home I will try to catch up with everything and post more about my trip and scan the polaro
id pictures I took. Yes! I use a polaroid! Oh and I got the SE P910! It rocks, there isa slight learni
ng curve, but I am getting used to it.

RAR!
Just a quick link for people.
Some guy found someones digiam and is posting pics
and explaining pics

Enjoy
Just a quick link for people.
Some guy found someones digiam and is posting pics
and explaining pics

Enjoy
I made it to Qatar. The trip took 7 hours and 41 minutes. It was long and confusing since they are no
signs telling you how far Salwa (Border) is. So I a driving driving seeing signs to Hofuf, medicine
Riyadh, Dam
ma, but no Salawa. I even found the old border crossing that is closed now, but there are these worker
s there that are cleaning the place. It place is closed why do you need to clean it? They told me its
another 70km to Salwa so I sped of on my way there.

The border place on Qatars side is really nice. Its has these old style look for the buildings and the
re was a female who checked my passport! And the people there smiled! It was a nice sight.

Doha is really nice and enjoying my time here. Will leave to Kuwait either today or tomorrow depending
on what I need to get done and the time I have left. The less I avoid driving during the night in Sau
di the better.

Once I get home I will try to catch up with everything and post more about my trip and scan the polaro
id pictures I took. Yes! I use a polaroid! Oh and I got the SE P910! It rocks, there isa slight learni
ng curve, but I am getting used to it.

RAR!
Really enjoying Qatar, physiotherapist its really relaxed here and just feels cozy, page found out that Khaleeji can own 3
houses in Doha and as much as they want outside the city limits. Wouldn’t minf a house here to relax and get away from Kuwait, and once they build that bridge betwen Bahrain-Qatar it will cut 6 hours from the trip, and they are saying that a bridge between Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Now that will be amazing. For I will be skipping those Saudi roads and make a trip 1/3rd the time if you went through Saudi. Though I am not sure about the humidity here, my glasses fog up, and my clothes stick to me like I jumped in the pool.

I visited Cornell – Qatar, and all I have to say is I want to be a student again. This place is a work of art. It just screams learning and expression. The architecture is just out of this world a mix of Islamic and ergonomic and geometric shapes. The classr
ooms are all high tech and the walls are whiteboard. So you can write everywhere it really feels like a place of learning. Oh! and the coolest thing they have these “pods” which are cluster of iMacs scattered around the building. You can check email, do homework, anything on these things. How cool is that
? What I loved the most was how they controled light there. it is all ambient and deflected or shaded. Gives it this very warm and light feeling. I love natural light so seeing this just gave me lots of ideas on how to control light in houses to avoid using lamps.

Glad I stayed an extra day so I can wander and finish my business. Sadly I am leaving tomorrow. I want to go back to Kuwait dont get me wrong. I just enjoyed my tour around the Gulf and seeing places that are still new and not known like Al-Ain and Doha. Both beutiful places and it is even better meeting
some really old friends and making new ones.

The old friends part is a good one. I was in Al-Ain and talking to the guy with me about my friends in college, and Omani and Emierati and how I lost contact with them and really would love to meet them. So I am at Al-Ain mall checking my email. And this guy comes and say “Salam” and it is my Omani friend that I haven’t seen in 7 years! 7 Years and I was just talking about him 2 hours ago!

We caught up and exchanged numbers and he still keeps in contact with the Emierati who lives in Al-Ain!. It was great meeting them both again catching up on old times and the people we interacted with and our college days.

Life is just weird and amazing like that.

Gives me more incentive to visit Al-Ain and really just stay there than Dubai. It is better weather (dry like Kuwait) cheap rooms, good people, and I got a friend that I can hang out with. The only time I went to Dubai was to go to City Center to visit the book store and look for the P910. I was in/out in 45 minutes. Then to a business meeting. I was glad I didnt have to spend any time there more than I needed to.

So tomorrow I go home. Feels like I have been gone more than a week.