Big Brother 2

The BlackBerry is at the centre of controversy after etisalat allegedly installed surveillance software on subscribers' smartphones.
BlackBerry developer to meet with etisalat
By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter, Gulf News Online Edition, Published: July 21, 2009, 22:45

But if you are a regular follower of this blog you already knew that some nine hours before the mainstream media published it (scroll below). I decided to refrain from publishing names of the companies involved but today I will proceed with another revelation, that is conveniently missing from today's newspaper coverage. SS8, the company mentioned in the saga as the maker of the surveillance software, is actually a key supplier of monitoring and surveillance equipment to the United States government...

BB Users Get Big Brother Blues

Recently UAE-based blackberry users experienced serious problems with their handsets' batteries. I happen to be a BB user who didn't download the software offered as an upgrade by the country's leading mobile network provider, hence I experienced no such issues. However, I also happen to have come across some solid information (not speculation) which if it becomes public, it will cause a stir. Anyone familiar with phrases like 'The Big Brother', 'Monitoring & Surveillance', 'Espionage' etc? My facts are authentic, unlike the various corporate statements published by the media. However I chose not to reveal them at this stage, but do watch this space. This is big, bigger than BlackBerry and the Big Brother combined. Got it?

The death of Print

Could this ever happen? I mean would people ever stop reading printed publications? This is being discussed in publishing board rooms across the world. Newspapers are trying to reinvent themselves. They have realised that the end is near. Every day, more and more people turn to online channels for their daily news and gossip fix. Citizen journalism is gaining momentum. And why not? Can we really trust today's mainstream media? Are they truly independent as they are supposed to be? I think not. Today's consumers are in search of the authentic. And the media we know are anything but. Authenticity is the new buzz word. Brands need to reinvent an authentic alter ego. Corporations and politicians too. Celebrities and high profile athletes also. Authentic is about openness, being genuine, fresh, honest. Mainstream media are neither genuine, nor fresh and certainly honesty is not their strength. It's not just about the power of the Internet. It's mostly about intelligence. Today's consumers are discerning, knowledgable, sophisticated and have their own convictions and opinions. The question is, how today's mainstream media could apply authenticity.

Dubai's Summer Bores

With 45 degrees out there it's yet another long, hot and humid Dubai summer. A couple of years ago, during July, a major storm with heavy rainfall startled almost everyone in the UAE apart from those who regularly read newspapers in a dilligent manner. Those avid news readers of us had read that a scientific experiement using passing clouds and a special seeding technology would take place causing a short deluge in the middle of the summer. And, oh yes it happened:) What about having some more of those summer surprises to cool us of a bit?

For Crying Out Loud

She has been crying for the last three hours and I gave up. Mummy out for a movie night so my babysitting duty has been highly challenging to say the least. Have tried every trick in the book but she is still standing up on her travel cot in the living room crying her heart out. Feel so helpless and dissapointed in myself. Poor thing; is it possible? I think she just gave up... Let's wait for a minute or two before I can breath a sigh of relief. I think she's had enough and frankly so have I. 10.16 pm!!! Anyway this seems like a lengthy tweet so let's change subject. Or rather stick to it. Do bloggers twit? Aren't these two entirely different communication means? Blogs are supposed to be in depth versions of our thoughts or personal perceptions of various issues. And tweets are supposed to be shallow quickies (one minute stands) like 'I am off to the bathroom'... But I have to admit that I am also a tweeter, though I still try to understand the point of it. I think that a public online debate on the subject 'blogging vs twitting' would be interesting, although I am certain that tweeters will quickly run out of space to argue their case. Bloggers win hands down.

Is anyone listening?

Being a parent makes one paranoid about the offspring's well being and health. One piece of grapevine rumour worried me the other day and made me think about the noise some environmentalists were making a few years ago about the development of Jumeirah Palm Island. According to the rumour - which was actually published as a news story the day after in Gulf News (http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/07/02/10327762.html) - an increasing number of Palm Jumeirah residents have suffered ear infections en masse. While the story blames unkept swimming pools at the development's residential buildings, I can reveal today that my friend, who told me about the ear infection he and his family suffered, was swimming at the Atlantis swimming pool the day before the story appeared. So, either Atlantis and Nakheel are not maintaining their swimming pools or some sort of a bacteria has crept in the man-made island causing havoc. I hope that the residents' pleas will not fall into the deaf ears of the authorities that need to act promptly and in full transparency to inform people of the real cause of the infection epidemic. For starters, I am cancelling a visit to Atlantis' aqua park until official reassurances are given to the public.

Parenthood perks: is there such a thing?

Of course I can always count on my daughter to become a devoted follower of my blog. It will take some time for her to reach reading age but I am not in a rush; actually I am enjoying every moment of fatherhood I have been blessed with. They are such a joy, babies... Only parents can understand what I mean. And only they can also understand how hard it is to raise a child, especially as an expat couple with no in-laws nearby to lend a helping hand. My convictions do not allow me to employ a full time maid, so my wife, in the most part, has to bear the budren of Maira's unpredictable tantrums. To say that our daughter has transformed our lives is a gross understatement; having helped my wife to bring Maira up, I must admit that raising babies has to be the most difficult and at the same time the most rewarding thing one can do in a lifetime. And imagine that some friends with older kids warn me that the most difficult times are still ahead of us; bummer. But as long as the rewards continue to come, then so be it.

A few things will never change. The rest need PR

Gosh. It's been nearly two years since I posted a blog. Too busy I guess since me baby daughter was born 18 months ago. A lot of things have changed since then, the credit crunch being the most noticeable I guess. The US has a new President (at last). But some things remain the same. Man Utd still won the EPL and almost every other trophy Sir Alec had his eyes on. Greek politics continue to scandalise us. And Paris Hilton is still the focus of paparazzis across the world. One thing of those constants I am not happy with is that I still have ZERO followers on my blog. I guess I need to do some PR.