RANT - Israel Fears a Pillow Fight..

Well..

So unless you've been trying to make it big in the rock scene, sick of coloring and switched to Abayas, or just been dumped by your puppylove girlfriend, THAT right there happened.. Ta'Day..

Remembering the Floods..

I waited a long time for any glimpse of news, but as expected, the authorities turned the volume down on the yells and complaints of those who want answers, and those who sought justice (and thought it would happen one day)..


The media blackouts, and complete ignorance by the officials, is probably numbing down the anger of those affected by the Riyadh and Jeddah flash floods.. As there is no more updates on the local news regarding the alleged trial, some decided to keep the flame burning, and some blew out their candles and just changed the channel..


Some, however, decided to make fun of the issue..


Like this video (after the jump)..

More Adobe, More Apple and a dash of Microsoft..

Yup, you guessed it, TechUpdate is (maybe) becoming weekly now.. At least this way, you'd get a better chance of catching up what you missed.. No, am not lazy, i just think the blog is drowning in my tech addiction.. When time calls for an intervention, or a support group, let me know..

So, what happened last week?

MTV - "True" Life (Extended)

Going through the full episode of the show, you can't help but notice a none-steady vibe that the directors are giving out.. Of course, coming from them, they like to think of themselves as Journalists.. There should be some sort of quality coming along such a title, something that i didn't notice in this video..

Yesterday, i expressed my initial thoughts about the show, and today, am going through the different parts of the full episode, trying to see how well does their message fly through to the end.. 

Spolier Alert : Didn't really like it much..

Link Share - Street Terrorism..

The number of Deaths because of car accidents has been on the rise, and with the recent publication of last year's death toll, it was a clear indication that we're heading in for some serious trouble.. Especially if allow our streets to be the way they are now.. A concrete battle field, and the gas is free..


Society doesn't seem to be aware of the seriousness of the issue, and the government is practically doing a cheap a$$ job delivering the message in any "serious" manners.. From posters that don't find their way to better exposure than a single webpage online, to an infomercial done by the GCC in the 80's and still on rerun ever since then, to the lack of any major publicity attempts to maximize exposure..


Due the "seemingly" lack of innovative thinking, they should CHANGE that damn tape and deliver something that stimulates an actual thought process..


Like this video.. (after the jump)

Captioned Thoughts - Chrome Perfumes..??

Most of the time, i come across major Copyright issues here in Saudi Arabia.. Merely because we don't understand what they are or what they constitute.. you're bound to come across a Micky Mouse character as a mascot for a Chopped Liver sandwich place, or a Sonic Playground for kids, or 17 different cafeterias with the same name (and not the same owner).. 


But this was COMPLETELY unexpected..

MTV - "True" Life..

Recently, MTV Arabia released a new part in it's True Life series, discussing sensitive social issues of Saudi Arabia..

Honestly, am not very decided on how much i like (or hate) the show in general, or this segment in specific.. It took social networks by storm, and everyone posting the links with either their full support, disgust or neutrality.. It did stimulate the fuss intended, afterall, MTV is a profit earning company with a certain target, and that they achieved..

But, how much were they "Right on the money"?

TechUpdate - One..

Well, allot of things happened during my "leave of absence", and the world of tech seems to work 39 hours a day, 90 days a week.. 


So, other than the norm, Apple vs. Adobe (HTML 5 FTW!!) and the already hyped up WWDC, my selection for the day is mainly about three interesting updates:


1. Emerging Social Network start-up with potential to lead, where others failed (Facebook is dying).. 
2. The "Google" logo trying to find more places to shine from (draconian future, here we come)..
3. The Mac OS X Architect, and the glimpse of hope up ahead (you heard me!)..


Nothing seems better to start off the "TechUpdate" series..


[ by the way, the links follow the same format as LinkShare.. The important pieces of news will be in bold, and in red, so for the no-time-for-long-reading-crap people, enjoy! :) ]

Intentional, you say?

And like any long absence, the return must be equally thrilling..

Assuming the absence was thrilling to begin with..

I've been literally drowning in a peak of a submission, both in my profession and my freelance, i forgot my head somewhere.. Rest assured loyal citizens of HapHazardonia, for i have found it..

My head, that is..

Justice, finally?

In the light casted by the sad tragedy of the Capital, it seemed to create a sensational look towards the mess that happened in Jeddah.. And in a move, completely unprecedented in the history of the kingdom, time to take action might be closer than we think..


In a way, trying to solve and make examples of the severe damages of Souther Jeddah in last November, by finally taking those responsible to the court, and an order to start a trial as soon as possible.. Says who? The king, that's who.. For the first time, and i've been whining about this for a while, Affirmative Action is being taken, and now we're just witnessing the wheels in motion..


I actually agree on the approach.. In order to better evaluate the corruption of Riyadh's mess, we need to take care of the unfinished business of Jeddah.. Finally, a step ahead..


However, should we put high hopes on this one? Or just sit back and watch it unfold to something we might already expected?

Thoughts in Retrospect..

The kingdom is going through a transitional period between the aspirations it aims to be, and the throned past it longs to cope with, slowly subsiding the parts of it that stand in the face of change.. A true intellectual revolution, led by ideas, fueled by hope, only to be ignited when time calls for practice.. Sadly, a routine effect of the past 100 years..

Link Share - Apple Scoops..

To a certain extent, i always saw Jailbreaking iPhones as a small playground for underdogs to show the consumer what their machines are actually capable of.. And I didn't mind it (unless it involves installing free version of paid apps, which i completely oppose).. Jailbreaking on the iPhone, to me, is like a sandbox of ideas and what can and should be done.. Either way, it can prove to be a good source of ideas for the Apple geeks working on the next SDK release..

However, with a machine such an iPad, the potential of what can be done has changed to aspects that might be a future look of the future softwares, and it might be enough reasons for you to jailbreak you iPad.. I might jailbreak mine just because of what am about to share..

Exciting enough?

Striking Chords on MBC..

I spoke already twice about Riyadh (here, and here), and I'm keeping them both updated with the latest interesting news that i can come across.. Be it News articles, blogs, and YouTube videos..


However, since i have no satellite TV in my home, i actually missed an amazing moment recorded on TV.. Thanks to YouTube, I can now watch it over and over again..


It just deserved a blog post on it's own..


[Just a minor warning for none-arabic readers, the clip is all in Arabic and i couldn't find a version with any subtitles.. I will describe what I saw, but i wish you were able to hear it first hand.. Sucks to be you? nah, i kid i kid :D]

Link Share - Tablet Wars, and some other stuff..

I took a long dive during the Riyadh Floods and all the hype it caused.. And the "To Check" bookmarks are a bit over flooded.. So, based on public demand (by all three of you), let's recap what just happened during the past couple of days..


Today, There's HUGE updates on the Tablet front (spoiler: Apple's taking the lead) and the MAYBE conclusive state of the Adobe vs. Apple case (the inevitable happened)..


This is going to be a long one, so i suggest you make some tea..

Captioned Thoughts - Awareness.. Flyers?

If you happen to drive by King Road in Jeddah, you're bound to see at least a dozen cars pulled over, guys who have "explaining" hand gestures, and a Police officer with a wide grin on his face..


Part of the Police's introduction to the new Saher, they're spreading the presence and awareness of such a program in a strange way.. Am not sure how that builds to tell people we're installing video cameras at traffic lights.. Or how installing these very typical traffic cameras (which have been around for a long time in neighboring countries) is worth such a huge campaign.. So am a bit skeptical about this "heads up" approach..


I actually think they're going to spend allot of money in the awareness campaign, since we're so keen on putting money into "good use".. Until I drove by today..

RANT - Pray for the Capital..

Yesterday marked a second stab at the integrity of those big bellies who are forever held responsible..

The same "those" who were too busy announcing numbers and budget plans, avoiding the questions, and relying on media black outs.. But yesterday, reform was demanded "naturally" in the form of rain, stating the statements that we echoed for a long time.. Resulting in the exposure of the man-made flaws that were tucked away, and the already bought-out press that seem to have the silver spoon, feeding us the bullshit they call "news"..


For years, corruption has been the coffee shop discussion of the youth, and the taboo topic of the press.. It took 2 man-made disasters to ignite the fire, less than 6 months apart..

If what we see is something and what we read is the opppsite, that's not news.. That's crap paper, folded neatly for your loving memory..


[This is another long rant, so if you want to get the updated coverage, click here.. and if you want to see my coverage so far, click here]

Jeddah.. Sorry, RIYADH Floods..

Amidst the almost snail-speed updates on the sad events of November 25th, and the extremely low transparency between the government and the people, No major updates or arrests.. So far..


However, not so far from Jeddah, The capital city was showered in heavy rain and hail today, and with a corrupt record spanning all over kingdom, the inevitable happened.. An utter disaster!


And the rain proves to be the quality checker and safety inspector that this kingdom needs, sadly.. So much for Saher..