Month: May 2007
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International Design Forum: Arabia’s design Big Bang?
I was barely able to catch my breath after attending the 3 day TYPO conference in Berlin and yet here I am at yet another design conference. I am blogging from Dubai, where I will be attending, and speaking at the International Design Forum (IDF) Of course I cannot but see the contrasts: I mean,…
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Gatecrashing TypeRadio
Try to imagine this: around 50 graphic designers, laptops, cameras, a mixing board and a fast internet connection all crammed up into a small room at the 35th floor of a Berlin hotel. This was the scene Wednesday night as the SYNTAX crew gate-crashed the temporary headquarters of Type Radio. Type Radio is, usually, a…
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Berlin visual shock
Our friend Max was waiting for us in Berlin Tegel airport as we arrived Wednesday morning, after a sleepless night. After taking the bus to Alexanderplatz, he convinced us to take a “15 minute” walk to the house of our host Alexander Branczyk. The 15 minutes turned into an hour, as we stopped at every…
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Blogging from Berlin, the TYPO and DesignMai
The SYNTAX crew is about to enter the TYPO Hall at the TYPO 2007 conference in Berlin. We’ve been here a little over 24 hours and we’re already in swing with this city’s design explosion. The show will start in 15 minutes. Updates later. Read these related posts on 360east: Kalle Lasn, the AdBuster, is…
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Suwiefieh: Ugly signs down, pedestrian life in
I am thrilled that Suweifieh’s Brand Street (Share3 al Wakalat) is being turned into a pedestrian zone by the Amman municipality. Ugly signs are being removed from the building too, exposing the typical Ammani stone architecture which, for too long has been covered up by commercial junk. Some people might see 3rd world charm in…
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Jara backlash?
A little debate has flared up on a post I wrote almost 2 yeast ago about the Souk Jara flea market in Jabal Amman. I see it this debate as part of Amman coming to grips with the concept of urban life. Change can be painful and it creates new kind of friction. Go have…
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Check out Darabet.com: The Arab Digg
Darabet.com is not the first Digg for the Arab internet, but it seems to be the best one out there.It’s exciting to see more Arabic web 2.0 application being launched. Darabet.com allows people to ‘hit’ stories to make the rise to the top of the pile of user submitted blog posts and news items. They…
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Shots form Doha..
You wont find the new skyscrapers among my recent pictures.. just some impressions..
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Karwa, my “favorite” brand in Qatar
“Wait or call”: guidance or a “threat”? (In 42 degree Celsius heat!) “You say “Emiri Diwan”. I don’t know where that is! But I know where ‘Diwan Emiri’ is!!” Arrived!
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Why on earth are there too few taxis in Doha?
Taxi in Doha=Karwa. That’s the brand name of public transport in the city. You are the luckiest person in the world if you can find a Karwa in Doha. My colleague and I, currently on business in the city, got grilled in the sun several times over the past 48 hours waiting for and even…
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Overhearing people at a Costa cafe in Doha
I am at a Costa in Doha. Two bearded guys, one in a white dishdashah and one in western clothes sitting at the beside me are having an Islamic religious/philosphical/business discussion quoting.. STEPHEN COVEY (and Sayyid Qutb). Two tables away from me, around an hour two guys were discussing land prices in Amman! Welcome to…
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Walking in Doha, with a GPS in my hand
Last night I had one of those “wow, technology!” moments. Shortly after arriving in Doha last nigh, a colleague and I decided to go for a walk. It was a chance for me to use the Nokia N95’s GPS capability in a city which has a map (unlike Amman!). I can tell you: having GPS…