The ArabNet Conference in Photos

--> Blog entry day 1 is here.

there may have been quite some high profile guests...

But the real stars were the young entrepreneurs...

Whose brilliant projects got some well deserved attention.

I didn't win. I stole the giant check for the photo.

Between the very interesting panel discussions... [panel on e-commerce - okay, not the most exciting one but oh well.]

Back in the conference, as Tweeters were being merciless... (Eh, free speech...)

Panel on social media

Questions from the audience

Some people were outside playing. I blame Google. (for not giving me one of their cool toys).

By coincidence, @AliDahmash and I sat next to one another - we hadn't physically met before!


The right amount of goofing with old-new friends.. (@robaassi)

Some new meetings were memorable...

And some were not.
(business card left in the conference room toilets--details were removed)

But when it was party time...

Name tags fell...

Shoes were shed...

I briefly considered stealing one of the giant lit barrels.

Samer made an appearance.


Let's boogie.

Bernard's got the moves

Shots were drank...


And no further information will be made available.

Bravo to the organizers, who organized an absolutely brilliant event. And see you all in ArabNet 2011!

[[Flickr set here, which I'll update tomorrow or something.]]

Under the sign of Geek: It’s the ArabNet Conference!

View from my window...

Church bells as my wake-up call. (at 7:23 - unless it’s my mind playing tricks?). Unusual to me, to say the least. An Eastern view on a garden, and beyond it a towering white(-ish) and beautiful city - yet, I’m not at home.

Good morning, Lebanon!

I’m in Beirut for the ArabNet Conference - if you’re in the Arab World and use Twitter, the people who’ve been tweeting non-stop for the past week? Yep, that’s them.

Decision to come here started fermenting on Sunday. Then, waiting... until Wednesday:

- Reserved a ticket by phone at 2:00 pm.

Got my visa at 3:15. Bumped into Zeinab at the Lebanese embassy there.

- Visit to the Mogamma3 to see if I need a police permit - no clearcut response but basically a ‘go do your thing’ brush off from the Colonel in charge of the permits.

- Visit to the police station next to my place to confirm.

- Packing. 6:30 PM, I’m at home wondering whether it’s a good idea to go.

- And at 7:20 PM, 70 minutes before the flight, I buy a ticket. Woman at the counter wanted to punch me. I could see her fist clenching. Oh well.

A new record in tardiness! Hurray!

57-minutes and a flight chatting with my next-door what turned out to be a friendly and once-too-many-botoxed celebrity - Nathalie Fadlallah, ladies? (Yeah, she flies economy). -

I land in Beirut.

Best decision I made in a while. Gets me away from Cairo - and from the project I’ve been working on (on... entrepreneurship. Hmm. Not sure I chose the best escape destination, did I!).

Nothing to report, day 1 is a quiet evening. We’re remote from downtown Beirut so it wasn’t worth the trip.

Network, network, network away!

Now a word on the conference, of which we just finished the first day!

The ArabNet Conference is part blogger convention, part internet-business meeting. Everyone is unequivocally under the sign of Geek.

I’ll raise my hat for the concept of the conference: bring young entrepreneurs, established or yet to be, together with industry leaders; and giving the floor to many young ones - 20 altogether: 10 young but existing businesses and 10 business ideas. A pitch to a room full of CEOs, Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors, Media, and mad Tweeters who will, in a heartbeat, share with the world that your presentation is awesome and that they’d put their meager pittance in that company - or declare your three years’ work to be a stinking pile of horse manure.

Interesting presentations. The Ideathon was overall mediocre - one guy wanted to invent mobile phone business cards. Another created a job website. Yes. That’s innovation. Worse: those things went on to win a prize at the dinner.

The Startup presentation was more interesting - overall. Nothing groundbreaking... Oh yeah, I did like the Tasmeem business - a website connecting employers to freelancers. Which is smart and simple.

Oh yeah, this speech was about... zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Hmm, what else. Networking, hanging out with my Egy-Tweep Zeinab, meeting very interesting people - and seeing an old friend - as well as hanging out with some old e-friends - most notably Dame Roba El-Assi (finally! and who, for the record, is as delightful as she seems online), and... Emma! (inside joke :) who let me take over a reservation of one of the Palestinian entrepreneurs delegation who couldn't make it (Lebanon wouldn't give them visas. Picture that.)

It works! After pitching her idea, Maya Zankoul enjoys instant stardom and has to push away venture capitalists..

Dinner was nice too. Part of me however was craving Lebanese food - we’re in LEBANON, for Hariri’s sake!! - not beef tenderloin. Not that I’m complaining.

Hmm… Highlights. Fadi Ghandour, CEO of Aramex and a fucking rockstar in the Arab business world, took the podium for his very own speech - alone on stage, if you please - and mixed Arabic and English (loved that), and the speech can be summed up in a direct quote of his: “Whoever doubts there’s Entrepreneurship in the Arab World - ma bya3ref” (doesn’t know any better).

Other good advice from Ghandour:

- Don’t think you’re it. You’re not it. Network with your peers. Learn from your mentors. Go seek a mentor.

- “Don’t think about the exit - build it (the company), and it will come”

- “Any company investing in your company is investing in you, not in your company.”

- “You need to be in there to build the company. Entrepreneurs are builders. They are not hit and run people. I want to know about an Entrepreneur that looks at the long term.”

The only way we’re successful as an industry is by being competitive - sooner or later, it is coming. There’s no way out of competition.

Some idiot stole a giant check for a photo

On Excellent Nawnaw, in case you missed it...

(that's really a post of local interest, apologies to people outside of Egypt...)

Mumtaz El Qott is editor-in-chief of government newspaper Al-Akhbar. Akhbar once used to have a little bit of an edge over Al-Ahram - a few of their columnists did veer away from the party line at times - but now it's just a second-tier state propaganda medium.

Anyways. So Mr. El Qott - whose first name means "Excellent" and his last "the cat", I kid you not - just wrote an incredibly ridiculous article yesterday - entitled "حمد الله عالسلامة", basically 'thank God you're well'. The article is, basically, a blowjob to the President's ego.

The Twittersphere found it hilarious. So hilarious, in fact, that a new hastag was created: #ExcellentNawNaw. Click on it to follow what's being said...

Someone also created Mr. the Cat a wiki page - now it will probably be removed sometime soon so a screenshot was in order (click for the full size):


Then a Facebook group was created, which is also worth a click.

I have to say - it seems that Al-Qott has gotten more notoriety by writing an outrageously dickish article than by doing real journalism.. Hilarious.

Everything that is culturally fucked up about Avatar (And no, not just its politics)

The film in 5 words: white supremacist; anti-imperialist; environmentalist; boundlessly enjoyable; technically breathtaking.

Below are my comments - since I'm the last loser on the planet to watch the film, you'll all understand what I refer to!

* What bothered me THE MOST: White American cripple comes and leads the natives to victory. SCREW THAT. Ever since Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote Tarzan 100 years ago, where a white guy joins the natives then leads them to victory against other whites, the idea has been in every other such film since.

This serves two purposes:

a) Ensures some dignity to the defeated Whites: at least they lost to one of their own, not to a fucking native; and
b) Reaffirms the idea that Whites are inherently superior to Natives. Tarzan was but a lost baby but became king of the jungle; in Avatar, it's a featherbrained ex-marine in a wheelchair.

And Avatar doesn't fail us. White boy (in 3-meter high Avatar body) learns, in 3 months, the ways and language of the natives, tames the biggest beast, becomes a legend. The whole Omaticaya tribe bows to him. Mates with the Princess. Impressive shit? Yep. That's how Americans roll.

* White boy gets the native princess. This is also despicable. From "Pocahontas" to "Save the last dance" (yes, I had it on video a decade ago, and I'm not sorry :) the average, not-so-special white boy (or girl) goes in and wins the heart of the native Princess (or the brightest black boy in high school).
No, no, no. I want to puke.

* White boy is actually a mole, but that's somehow okay. In the Last Samurai, Tom Cruise was kidnapped by the Japanese Samurai and taken to their camp, where he eventually had a change of heart and joins them.
In Avatar however, Jake Sully is sent as a spy. He deliberately attempts to gain their trust, purposefully to betray 3 months later. Hours before the mega attack on their land, the Omaticaya discover this. Yet they somehow forgive him? Really? Hmph.


* The usual cliches that Hollywood cannot avoid. It was unavoidable that...

- the mean Prince (Tsu'tey), will eventually become the hero's friend - and be killed shortly afterwards.
- the cool support white person (Grace) dies.
- the main bad guy (the Colonel) takes too long (waaaaaaay too long) to die.
- the princess will love the new white boy.

* LOTS of ripoffs influences. Aside from the Smurfs :), I counted Tarzan, Lord of the Rings, Pocahontas, Last Samourai, the Matrix. And Jack and the Beanstalk. Think of it.

* The Na'vis sound African. Yes, the language - developed for the film - has large influences from Amharic, so it's not purposeful I guess. But the body paint and the braids only added to that impression, and made me uncomfortable to some extent.



Other brief comments...

- the metal they can't get is called "Unobtainium"? That is such a stupid name. Nice way of breaking the mood. The exotic fruits will be called what, Sweetnjuicy? Seriously!
- The visuals are *amazing*. the flora is amazing. The fauna a little less so - the six-legged dogs (where the two front paws look like hands) are interesting but make no evolutionary sense.
- on that note, I really did feel a twinge when the tree was brought down. Bravo.
- Why did the big animals only charge at the end of the battle? seriously? Just like the giant trees in the 2nd Lord of the Rings - entering after all the good sidekicks have died?
- Eywa is a Deity. A deity whose existence is proven across the film. I found that interesting.
- Tall blue chicks are hot. (that, or I'm really desperate).
- the USB connection in their hair is funny. But it does allow the White guy to communicate with nature and animals, bypassing a potential language barrier. That was very smart.
- Apparently some people have been depressed since they watched the film, cultivating dreams of escapism to a faraway paradise. that was an interesting article on the subject.

And, and, let me put a wee bit of politics here!!!
Anti-imperialism: Avatar turned out to be the anti-imperialist film of the decade! So it's okay for natives to fight the invaders' big guns with bows and arrows. It's honourable. As the hero says, before the big battle:

They sent us a message, that they can take whatever they want,
but we will send them a message: that this, this is our land!"

Parallels with Iraq in particular - same villain! -, Palestine, and of course Native America are so easy, I'll actually avoid them. About 1.4 million people did them before me.
But on that just let me know point out one thing - that this is an American film that tells us that resistance is good. People, make up your minds! Are they terrorists or freedom fighters? Hmm... :)

- Yes, I'd watch it again.
- If you complain about me using the word 'cripple', I'll ignore it. Yes, it is pejorative, and it's purposeful.

Chat Roulette: The Internet's worst and best idea ever (and a guy humping a raccoon) [photo NSFW]

The idea is "so internet" I wonder how no one thought of it before!

Chat Roulette is the brainchild of a 17 year old Russian, and the website has been around for just 3 months.

It's extremely simple. You click "Play" and you are connected by video-chat to a random user. You can either start chatting, or hit "Next" to go to the next random user (or 'random stranger', to use their terminology.)

There are no user names, nor profiles; it's completely anonymous. And once either you or your counterpart hit "Next" you cannot go back or reestablish a connection.

The result? At the click of a button you are teleported into someone's bedroom - with the average attention span it's typically for a few seconds - and, well, anonymity brings out people's oddest instincts. Freud would be proud.

I've spent a couple of hours on the website over the past two weeks - and it was really amusing! - and this is my experience:

• An exchange lasts on average 3 seconds
• I suspect it might've lasted longer if I were a woman, or if I was naked
• Definitely much longer if I were a naked woman
• All people were at home, save for a couple at a bar somehow, none at work
• I did get to chat with 2 guys in China, 1 Switzerland, 1 in Chile, a couple of people in the US
• On that matter, the majority of users are in the US
  
• There are more exhibitionists out there than is conceivable
• The website crashes. A lot.
  

I was:

• Serenaded, in Norwegian, by two sisters (and it was very nice!)
  
• Given the finger thirty maybe, for no good reason
• Asked to take my shirt off once
• And called a "fatboy", as well as a "cutie". Both times by men.

I have also seen:

• About 150 penises
• 3 pairs of boobs
• 3 guys playing the guitar
  
• A dozen Clinton masks
• And 1 guy humping a toy raccoon.
  

Yes, I took a screenshot of the guy humping the raccoon. Obviously. Below.

So, yeah. It was fun. Check it out. Now. If you're at work, turn your speakers off, you never know what people could be screaming.

Someone made a half-assed study on Chat Roulette - essentially they wrote the same stuff I did but it took them about 17 pages - and it's here if you're really bored at work.

Muslim man turns out to be Jewish... Relax, it's just a film: "The Infidel"

Keeping it light, folks!

I admit I am neither in the mood to write about the El-Mabhouh murder (while terrorist behaviour on the part of the Israelis ceased to surprise me a long time ago, I am still dumbstruck at how European countries are letting it slide. They falsified their passports, for heaven's sake! What if it were Hamas that falsified British passport to kill an Israeli officer, I ask you?)

Nor can I be bothered to write about the entire El-Baradei-mania in Cairo (in a nutshell: Eh. We'll see if he's the messiah or if he's just surfing the wave with no real programme to offer - ya Mo, you've got 4 months to clarify your position and make real commitment to the reform process. Otherwise you're no better than the others. And that would be sad).

In the meantime however I will leave you with this promising nugget of a film coming up next month:

The Infidel.

Synopsis: Mahmud, a British Muslim, discovers that he was adopted as a child and that - he's originally Jewish.



Admit it, the story sounds hilariously irreverent. There are stories, occasionally, of non-Jews who discover themselves Jewish roots - this story I read recently - but it's a completely novel comedy topic.

I also like that the guy - well, from the trailer - seems normal. He doesn't have a Pakistani or an Arab accent as most Muslims in films do (on that note, have you watched Reel Bad Arabs? I strongly urge you to). I do hope viewers will get this message - that Muslims are normal folks. This message is as important today as it was 9 years ago.. perhaps even more, as negative stereotypes seem to irrevocably settle in people's minds.

The film also seems to have the right amount of heavy-handed humour -- as he's being kicked out by a policeman of the adoption centre where he just discovered that he was born Jewish, he snorts "Give me a break. You find out you're Jewish and suddenly some bloke in a uniform is leading you away? That's ridiculous!"

I do hope they'll keep the unavoidable dose of negative stereotype and anti-Muslim jokes to a minimum - please please, one film about Muslims that DOESN'T feature terrorists - but overall I'm looking forward to download watch this film once it's one.

I am deliberately - though with no little difficulty - refraining from making serious comments about on whether we are born or become who we are. Saving it for another time. (this said, feel free to start the discussion the comments if you are so keen!)

In the meantime, I think I'll go get me one of those DNA Ancestry tests. You never know. I could be Masai-Indian-Irish-Greek Orthodox or something.

I mean, this bald head has to come from somewhere...