KnowledgeOman!

I know that I haven't posted for a very long time now but it was for good reason. And to make it up to you, here is an exclusive news!

A new website has been launched today by Tariq Al Barwani and his team of dedicated experts which is called Knowledge Oman (kO!).
So what is kO!?
"KnowledgeOman (kO!) is an online platform specifically engineered to create a knowledge based economy with a focus on developing the Information and Communication Technology Sector in Oman. kO! is managed by a team of dedicated professionals from various industries working together to share, exchange and promote knowledge across the Sultanate"

So, basically, kO! is where you can go to share the knowledge that you have on any IT related topic as well as going there to get feedback and answers to whatever you need in that field.

kO! also has many different competitions which you can participate in and win cash vouchers. There are three different competitions at the moment, "Master Mind", "Arts Commpetition" and "Most valuable Contributer" for more detail on these competitions, click here.

At the moment, the website is still in its early ages and still has much more to offer but it is very active and alive. So make sure to visit this amazing, first of its kind in the Sultanate, website to share and gain knowledge.

I will also keep you updated of the latest outcomes of the website...

PS, I am within Tariq's dedicated team.

Origin Oman Portal Launched

The portal was launched on the 18th of March at the Inter-Continental Muscat by Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for commerce.

The Portal's address is: originoman.om


So what is Origin Oman?

Origin Oman is ran by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estate (PEIE). This program was especially designed to promote Oman made products and services. The principal objective of Origin Oman is to encourage consumers, institutional buyers and companies to choose Omani Made products and to prove to them that products which are made in Oman are as good, if not better, than many other products made out of Oman.

In Short, Origin Oman offers every Omani-based resident an opportunity to help promote the Sultanate's products and services and by doing so, help create employment opportunities, stimulate the national economy and reduce carbon emission by shipping less products from out of the country.

This is exactly what the Sultanate needs in order to grow and become more independent. It's good that we finally see the value of digitalizing our aims and goals on the internet for everybody to have access and help contribute to the change.

Oman Mobile Advertising At School

This is an advertisement which was given to us at school. It's a service that OmanMobile offers to parents to monitor their kids' performance at school.

(Click on the Image for a better view)

I guess this is the new way of advertising, giving it out at school in order to get as many people in one place. What these idiots didn't think about is the fact that giving this AD to our parents will only work against us (students). Why would I want my parents to have even more control over me?!

I think that the idea is great but you don't go on giving the enemy your war strategies, do you?

Your Opinion

Listen to this audio file and give me your opinion. Note that this is a test post and my decision will be completely based on your comments.

Digital Nation: Brindging The Digital Devide (Follow Up)

This is a follow up of a previous post where I announced this event.

Yesterday, the first Digital Nation seminar of the year 2008 was held at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel. In the panel was Zawan Al Sabti from ITA, Yaqoob Al Balushi from ITA, Raed Dawood from Nawras, Dr. Firas Al Abduwani from Hussam Technology, Dhenanshay from GBM and Graham Porter from Cisco (the moderator).

If you read the previous post, you will understand what the topic revolves around. They spoke a lot about the role of the internet in our daily lives. They also spoke about people who don't have access to this sort of technology and what to do to change that. The title says it all.


The discussion was very interesting but not as much as I would have wanted it to be. I mean, we are talking about internet in the country so, the only "right" thing to do is to bring the only internet provider in Oman to be part of the panel (aside from Nawaras since it gets its internet from Omantel). I guess Omantel was too scared of all the beating they would be getting (you'll know why in future posts).

Lots of future plans were talked about and they seemed very promising. They even mentioned the possibility of having a second international internet provider coming soon.

All in all, it was a very fruitful seminar and I am looking forward to the others to come.
Visit KOM's website for more information.

Welcome Our Newest Member

It's about time we add some veriety into this Blog. A different kind of Omani point of view. Please welcome our newest member, Isra' Al Lawati.

Hello Isra',

Can you tell us a little about your self?
Yes, my name is Isra' Al Lawati, I am 17 years old, I am in the 12th grade and I study in Al Sahwa School.

Tell us a little more about your studies.
Well, I study 8 subjects at school. Arabic, Islamic, English, English Skills, Pure Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Social Studies. My least favorite subject is Social Studies and my favorites are Maths and English.

Do you have any hobbies?
Yes. I usually draw or write poems in my free time. Sometimes, I read books about Herpetology.

What did you think of this Blog before joining?
It's an interesting blog with various topics about Oman and the local events that take place here. I read this blog everytime I use the internet.

What topics interest you the most that you are most likely to write about?
Animals usually interest me. Since Oman is one of the few countries that has great species of snakes and reptiles in general, I'd very much love to write about it.

Is that all you will be writing about?
No, I'll also be writing about topics that include Omani Citizens. Such as, students' reactions towards Thanawiya Amma (General Education) Exams and so.

What do you think you can offer to this Blog?
I believe I could offer more excitement and enthusiasim about our country. Also, I would definately offer interesting subjects that'll attract people to read this blog even more.

Anything you want to say to the readers before starting to post Blogs?
I'd like to say that I hope I'll be a great addition to the group and I'm excited because you'll read my topics.
lol, does that make sense? Cause I dont know what to say.

It's nice to have you on the Blog and I am very sure that you will have lots of exciting things to offer our readers.
Thank you

Omantel's Filters Off

I don't know if anybody knows this yet but all Omantel filters are currently off. Any website is accessible and no filters to block them for you.
I've also noticed that the internet is much faster now and that probably has something to do with the filters.

I called Omantel a few minutes ago to ask them about this. They told me that they know nothing about this and that I am the first one to inform them about it. Then the guy said it might be with their cache and they might have turned off the filters during maintenance.

I just want to say, if they turned the filters back on because of me, please know that I only called them to give you more accurate information and not to tip them off and ruin your free web surfing.

Digital Nation Seminar: Bridging the Digital Divide

Knowledge Oasis Muscat’s (KOM) new season of Digital Nation seminars which are scheduled to start 7:30pm Tuesday 11 March at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel with a session on Bridging the Digital Divide, KOM’s Director General, Mohammed Al Maskari warned of the danger of excluding people from the information revolution: "Across the globe, people lack jobs, food, health care and drinkable water. However, today, being cut off from basic telecommunications services is a hardship almost as acute as these other deprivations, and may indeed reduce the chances of finding remedies to them," he said.

Several solutions to the digital divide have been proposed including local training centers, cyber-cafes, telecottages and digital 'champions' to develop ICT projects in Oman’s rural areas. “The 11 March panel will discuss these issues as well as matters related to telecommunication infrastructure and competition and the urgent need to develop local web content,” says Al Maskari.

The Seminar is free for charge and will be held at the Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel at 7:30pm. Visit KOM's website for more information.