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It might be sweater weather and Pumpkin Spice Latte season in the rest of the world, but we’re still enjoying the sunshine in good old K-town! October is here, and there’s a great energy that can be felt all around. It’s the perfect time to go outside, start planning those chalet barbecues and kashta adventures with our nearest and dearest. So, while we aren’t getting bundled up just yet, October is definitely the beginning of a different social season in this part of the world and we’re very ready for it.
It begins by going all out, by celebrating the iconic, and witnessing the highly anticipated unveiling of Grand Hyatt Kuwait. The lush, urban escape places you right at the center of 360 Mall’s new extension, and is filled with grand experiences waiting to be had. Our gorgeous cover image captured by renowned photographer Anthony Parkinson takes you to the heart of the brilliant design of the hotel’s grand lobby. Experiencing Grand Hyatt Kuwait is a showcase of luxury, creative expression and thrilling design, and we’ve got all the details in our “It’s Time to Go Grand” special.
We’re also cruising in style, and have fallen head over heels in love with the Porsche Panamera Platinum Edition. It seamlessly delivers the perfect mixture of luxury, sporty comfort, and exclusive design elements. For those family excursions in the desert, we are completely taken with the all-new Nissan Patrol, and we’ve got all the details on the new update and what makes it the perfect companion for the entire family. If you’re craving excitement, then you might want to start planning a trip to Bahrain this November where the final race of the FIA World Endurance Championship is being held. Toyota’s Gazoo Racing has already conquered the 6-hour Fuji race and we think they’re ready to beat out the competition in our neighbouring Bahrain.
But, before we plan anything new, we like to fuel up, so we headed to Mais Alghanim to try out the new extensive breakfast menu. We treated ourselves to a variety of classics and some great new items that are unique, Scotch Falafel anyone? There’s nothing like starting the day with a happy belly after indulging in a delicious meal with an energizing sea view. Lucky for us it is getting cooler and we’ll enjoying more al fresco dining in the coming season!
From adrenaline to creativity, this month we got Up Close and Personal with Altaf Amudhayan and Sharifa Alsuleity, founders of designer shoes at THUNA. We learned what it takes to work with your bestie and create gorgeous shoes. We also ascend to new heights with Ali Abdulkarim. A mechanical engineer who found his passion climbing rocks, Ali created Ascend to introduce rock climbing to Kuwait. We got to know more about the sport, the wonderful communities it creates and why Ali wants everyone to try it out.
The drop in mercury is a great excuse to add some new items to your wardrobe. H&M’s latest AW22 campaign, Brasserie Hennes took us on a quick trip to Paris with Naomi Campbell. The collection itself is classic, confident and interchangeable and speaks to our aspirational inner Parisian woman. We also discovered the new dynamic platform Icoona, a celebration of world-wide luxury designers, complete with next-day delivery and desirable payment plans with Tabby, your designer fall wardrobe is now more accessible than ever before.
This and so much more in our October issue of bazaar Magazine, so grab your seasonal iced latte and happy reading!
Ahmed El-AdlyAhmed El-Adly Editor
Alia Al Duaij
Ihab Youssef
Yasmine El Charif
Jennifer Cádiz Design
Shadi Mofeed
Staff Writer/Online Media Mariam Raslan Yasmin Gamal Sahira Ladha
Craig Loomis
Anthony Parkinson Communications Hala Y. Sharara
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British Industries for Printing and Packaging
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Did you know that Thuna means pair in Arabic? We met the besties who have been friends for over a decade and are designing contemporary, handmade and high-quality women’s footwear and accessories together.
The Panamera Platinum Edition is a new even more exclusive version of the Panamera. Passion and enthusiasm seamlessly intertwine to deliver the perfect mixture of luxury, sporty comfort, and exclusive design elements in this special Panamera.
A mechanical engineer who found his passion climbing rocks, Ali created Ascend to introduce rock climbing to Kuwait. We got to know more about the sport, the wonderful communities it creates and why Ali wants everyone to try it out.
H&M launched their AW22 collection with a campaign all about Paris starring the one and only Naomi Campbell. The collection is an embodiment of Parisian style; classic, confident and interchangeable and it calls to our inner aspirational French Girl.
The new 5.ZERØGRAND WRK Sneaker for men and women from Cole Haan is here. The fifth in a line of industry-leading breakthroughs in design and engineering, represents a seismic shift in convention-breaking footwear for today’s young, urban professional, who grew up wearing anything but dress shoes.
Smart home gadgets and tech are getting better, more aesthetically pleasing and more functional. We visited the new Smart Home Automation corner at X-cite and have some great ideas that can make your life more convenient.
There is a wonderful space where maximalism and minimalism collide and H&M Home seem to have found it this Fall collection. Let your living and dining rooms be your new playground with interior pieces that truly make them come to life with modern shapes, rich colors and fun additions to your home.
Kuwait’s favorite Middle Eastern restaurant has launched a fabulous breakfast menu and we love it! We were got to experience the delicious new breakfast menu at Mais Al Ghanim before the official launch, and we’ve fallen in love with breakfast all over again.
bazaar is published every month, delivered free of charge to a large subscriber database, and distributed free of charge in all of the following locations across Kuwait:
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With a bilingual audience of both English and Arabic, we cover everything from what’s on, to the bizarre. We print and distribute 10,000 copies of bazaar every month; each copy is read by an average of 3 people, giving us a total readership of over 30,000.
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British Ladies Society of Kuwait (BLS), Operation HOPE: A Mission of Mercy and Touch of Hope Kuwait are joining forces for an art sale that will have a positive impact in both Kuwait and the United Kingdom, as well as please local art-lovers. It isn’t often that the public gets a chance to closely observe and appreciate the curation of art and artifacts over five decades of world travels, however a compact yet impressive selection from a previously unseen collection will be placed on sale featuring fixed prices, with only a choice few art pieces being put to auction. If you are lucky enough to purchase pieces from this exhibition, you can also be satisfied knowing that one hundred percent of the sales will go toward benefitting a number of worthy causes.
This stunning collection of international art and artifacts for sale has been lovingly picked-up over the years by Mrs Rhoda Elizabeth Muhmood MBE. Mrs Muhmood is the recently-retired Director of the Kuwait English School, and a recipient of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). She was presented with the prestigious MBE title by the now late H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of dedicated service to both education and charity work, having been a founding member in 1991 of the Foundation of Hope; current President Dr Adel Quttaineh.
A pioneer in British education in Kuwait since 1971, Mrs Muhmood is also an art lover. She spent over half a century acquiring paintings, artwork and artifacts in Kuwait and during her travels around the globe. Original oil paintings from the Arab world, batiks from Bali, intricate metalwork designs in ornate inlaid frames from Iran, elephants embroidered in metallic threads and sequins from India, original Vietnamese art, and beautiful ceramics and sculptures are all included in this unique collection. Mrs Muhmood has generously donated her artwork and artifacts in order to help several worthy organisations the works of which range from the care of rescued animals to addressing the challenges of learning differences in education.
Her Excellency the British Ambassador to Kuwait Belinda Lewis is expected to be in attendance alongside the patron of the British Ladies Society, and spouse to the current British Ambassador, Anthony Galvin. There will be musical entertainment provided by Ahmadi Music Group and complimentary snacks and refreshments throughout the day’s event.
The two nominated charities supported by the British Ladies Society for 2022-2023 are KALD and Cherished Gowns so a proportion of the funds raised will go to these two organizations. The Kuwaiti Association for Learning Differences (KALD) is a non-profit that collaboratively works towards helping many individuals, especially schoolchildren in need of special education in Kuwait. Among the children’s challenges are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning differences. KALD addresses these conditions through setting up awareness programs, training courses, and other educational activities.
Cherished Gowns UK is a charity that provides
the families of babies that are stillborn, miscarried or pass away shortly after birth with items of clothing that the babies are able to be dressed in for their funeral. Each gown is accompanied by a hat, pair of booties, a blanket and a cloth nappy. These items are provided completely free of charge to parents, funeral directors, and they also supply every UK hospital with this service. All the items provided are lovingly made by volunteers.
The two other organizations that will benefit from the sale are both local; Operation HOPE and Touch of Hope. Operation HOPE: A Mission of Mercy was established by Sheryll Mairza in 2005. During the cold Kuwaiti winter Sheryll had observed an emaciated street cleaner shivering in threadbare clothing, wearing ill-fitting old shoes, and gave him a new jacket and other warm apparel. After this poignant encounter she vowed no cleaners should suffer from the cold and her Winter Warmth Campaign was born. Since then, many thousands of underprivileged people in Kuwait have been gifted with winter clothing. Operation HOPE also supplies embassy shelters with essential toiletry items on a regular basis, and helps needy expats with medical treatment, education, repatriation expenses, and other aid to help them.
Touch of Hope Kuwait animal rescue is run by Lebanese Marlene Bou Gedeon, a long-time resident of Kuwait who has dedicated her life to alleviating the serious problem of stray, abused, abandoned, sick, and injured animals suffering on our streets. Touch of Hope has four rented
farms where rescued cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, horses, goats, and donkeys receive love, care and the chance for adoption. The nature of the work is brutally challenging, physically, emotionally, and financially, yet endlessly rewarding. Touch of Hope is currently expanding its mission and is developing sports and education programs that promote the many benefits of the relationship between people and animals, especially children. This will eventually develop into a long-term project that will serve people, animals, and the nation of Kuwait for generations to come. Touch of Hope’s share of the sale proceeds will be used to help pay for medical treatment for rescued animals at local vet clinics.
Don’t miss out on a rare chance to view and own gorgeous art & artifacts and do an incredible amount of good at the same time!
A Benefit Sale of International Art & Artifacts donated by Rhoda Elizabeth Muhmood MBE, is on Saturday, October 29th from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, in the lower ground Dar El Cid exhibition hall, Jabriya. This is a one-day event. Sales are cash only. Entrance tickets can be purchased for 6KD at the door. Follow or DM @blskuwait on Instagram for more information on how and where to buy your tickets early.
Find out more about the organisations supported on kaldkuwait.com, cherishedgowns. org.uk, @OperationHopeKuwait on Facebook, @touch_of_hope_q8 on Instagram or Facebook @marlenebougedeon.
A Benefit Sale of International Art & Artifacts
up close
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What do you get when you put together two girls, 10 years of friendship, and the love for shoes? A fabulous home-grown shoe brand called THUNA
By bazaar staffIt is no surprise that we love our shoes at Bazaar, and THUNA has been on our radar for a long time. We had to speak to Altaf Almudhayan and Sharifa Alsuleity to find out more about what inspired them to design contemporary, handmade and high-quality women’s footwear and accessories.
THUNA, which means pair in Arabic, is a play on words they tell us. The idea is that the term refers not only to the gorgeous pairs of shoes they create, but also to themselves, Altaf and Sharifa. The two have known each other for the better part of a decade and valued each other’s work ethics and commitment, but never imagined they would be working together.
They started working together after taking an elevator ride together. Altaf had always had a deep love and obsession for shoes, and after a trip to Greece where Sharifa saw how the shoes were made, she fell in love with the craftsmanship. During that elevator ride, Sharifa couldn’t help but be amazed by the beauty of Altaf’s shoes and shared her Greece experience. That was the moment that sparked the creation of THUNA.
The girls behind THUNA both come from professional backgrounds, Altaf has an industrial engineer background and has worked in international consulting firms which have helped hone in on her organizational skills and become more process oriented. While Sharifa comes from a background of finance, she shifted gears during her career to focus on product development and retail, which has been the perfect way for her to get introduced to the world of production and dealing with manufacturers.
Altaf and Sharifa told us that when they first started off, they faced hurdles galore, but this only helped them grow as partners and understand how well they worked together. They tell us that “we’ve realized that our partnership and our work together has not only helped the brand grow but also we have grown as individuals”. They both comment on how they have a completely different skillset to each other, as well as different point of views, which has been key for the brand. Altaf has a keen eye for details and a high standard of perfection, which has been imperative for production, marketing, and brand identity. Sharifa has a spark for taking initiatives and leading projects which is super useful for product development and working with factories around the world.
The two girls embarked on a journey to produce beautiful shoes because they found that it was the perfect combination of passion
and need. Both have a great appreciation for the craftsmanship behind a stunning pair of shoes, but also, have always needed high quality, stylish shoes which they can wear all day long without breaking the bank or their feet for their corporate jobs.
The biggest challenge while setting up THUNA has been finding suppliers and working with shoe manufacturers. They tell us that the shoe manufacturers are usually familyowned businesses with the craftsmanship being inherited and taught from one generation to the other. These craftsmen only work with customers that they feel they can allow into their close-knit circle, people that they can consider as part of their family. They now work with some manufacturers that they have an incredibly close relationship with, which they are very proud of.
THUNA is the perfect embodiment of both Altaf and Sharifa, they share that the brand “looks and feels like us, it has the same values as well. We both represent the brand and the brand represents us at the same time”.
“Women are at the center of our universe
at THUNA so when it comes to creating and designing our pieces, they are our main source of inspiration. Our pieces are inspired by the modern-day woman, a strong, multi-faceted character with a thousand different layers,” Altaf and Sharifa tell us.
And with the same theme of the multifaceted women, the shoes behind THUNA represent the layers, or “Thanaya” as they are called in Arabic, of each woman and both Altaf and Sharifa interpret these layers through the designs, colors and techniques. The idea behind THUNA is that it is not just a brand; it’s a path and companion on a woman’s journey, making it steadier and more comfortable. It is the layer she wears not only to ground her, but also to mobilize her into her future.
Altaf and Sharifa are working on introducing new lines to their collection, with the same mission of becoming a small part of every woman’s journey and to be by her side in every achievement. They plan to grow regionally and internationally soon after that, while keeping their local heritage intact.
What do you most value about your friends?
Altaf: Authenticity, kindness, consideration, and quality time
Sharifa: Authenticity, honesty, and their ability to always have fun and make the best of everything.
Which living person do you most admire?
Altaf: My mom
Sharifa: My dad
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Altaf: Living slowly, doing things you love, being with people you love, surrounded by nature and drinking tea
Sharifa: Peace of mind while having fun
What is your greatest extravagance?
Altaf: Splurging on wellness retreats in different countries
Sharifa: Fine foods and restaurants
What is your most treasured possession?
Altaf: My two cats, Benzie and Scarface (although I think they possess me more than I possess them)
Sharifa: A birthstone ring I got from a jeweler in the Himalayas during a spiritual trip
What is your greatest fear?
Altaf: Living a life that is not true to myself Sharifa: Staying still and not growing
What is your most marked characteristic?
Altaf: Attention to detail
Sharifa: Honesty
Which talent would you most like to have?
Altaf: Dancing!
Sharifa: Would love to be able to sing and perform, unfortunately I have the worst voice
What is one trait you have that you are most grateful for?
Altaf: My resilience
Sharifa: My ability to focus on the big picture instead of the small obstacles
What is the human trait you most dislike about others?
Altaf: Hypocrisy
Sharifa: Dishonesty
What is it that you most dislike?
Altaf: Disrespect, dishonesty, and not keeping promises
Sharifa: Reckless driving
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Altaf: “I feel like…”
Sharifa: Interesting!
What are your favorite words to live by?
Altaf: “The universe has your back”
Sharifa: The only way to go forward is to go through
Where would you most like to live?
Altaf: A place that is quiet and close to nature
Sharifa: I’m a city girl, anywhere where I can walk every day to work and have a good cup of coffee. Also, good weather never hurts
If you could have any job, what would it be?
Altaf: I would rather not be constrained to a specific job and given that I have my own business gives me the flexibility to explore different areas
Sharifa: I’m very lucky to currently have the best job I could dream of
What would you consider your greatest achievement?
Altaf: Who I am today and everything I have learned so far
Sharifa: Designing and creating the life I always wanted
What do you hope for the future?
Altaf: To help empower women across the world live a better life of their own
Sharifa: To be able to create a foundation that helps women in business
We own several pairs of THUNA shoes ourselves, and they definitely deliver on the promise of comfort, style, and affordability. We may even go as far as saying that they are our favorite pair of boots! You can stay up to date with the latest from THUNA by following the brand on Instagram @thunaofficial or shop online on www.thunaofficial.com.
By Doug Aamoth
If you find yourself in a similar predicament, might I suggest following my morning Gmail routine?
The main goal is to sort the wheat from the chaff, respond quickly to messages that need to be acknowledged, and then organize the messages that need a little extra TLC into a manageable list–in that order.
Oh, and the name of the game here is speed. I don’t want to be in my inbox any longer than I have to, so this should only take about five minutes per 100 messages that need processing. Let’s go!
I won’t inundate you with an endless list of keyboard shortcuts to memorize–though if that’s what you want, here’s a great one. I will, however, tell you about three very important ones that will speed up your workflow.
For starters, you’ll need to make two quick settings tweaks. Click the gear icon in the upperright corner, then click the “See all settings” button.
In the General tab about two-thirds of the way down, make sure keyboard shortcuts are turned on. Then under the Advanced tab, enable the Auto-advance feature.
Now, back in your inbox, open up your most recent message and decide what you want to do with it. If you like to keep a clean inbox, hit the E key to archive the current message.
You should then be sent to the next message in the list automatically thanks to the Autoadvance feature.
Here where things get really fun. To buzz-saw back and forth through messages, use the J and K keys to jump from older to newer respectively. Archive the stuff you don’t want, then read, reply, or forward the stuff you do want.
At any time, you can hit Shift + ? to see a full list of keyboard shortcuts. But get acquainted with J, K, and E first.
Look, there are only so many ways you can politely reply “Got it” to someone’s email.
I prefer the following formula: acknowledgement, thank you, empty offer to help, thanks again.
Now, typing that every time I reply to an email is a horrendous waste of time. I should just be a jerk and reply, “Got it,” and move on.
But that goes against my mild-mannered Midwestern sensibilities, which is why I love Gmail’s Templates feature.
You’ll need to enable it first in the Advanced section of the settings menu, but once you’ve done that, compose a message and then click the three little dots in the lower-right corner.
From there, choose Templates > Save draft as template and then give it a name. Then moving forward, just click the three buttons, then Templates, and select your template to insert it as a pre-written response.
This is the best, quickest way I’ve found to politely acknowledge an email until Google finally implements my aging Finger Gun idea.
Turn emails into tasks to deal with them later Okay, so by now we’ve cleared out the emails we don’t want, we’ve quickly responded to ones we needed to acknowledge, and now it’s time to actually deal with the ones that need dealt with.
My advice: Deal with them whenever you like, but turn them into tasks first. If replying to an email and getting it out of your inbox feels good, you’ll love actually checking it off a to-do list as well.
To turn a message into a task, click the circlecheckmark-plus icon in the menu at the top of the message. This will add it to your task list and open said list up in a sidebar. You can also press Shift + T instead if you’re now hooked on keyboard shortcuts.
Add all the messages you need to deal with, and you’ll eventually find yourself with a nice, tidy list full of direct links back to the messages so you can tackle them later.
You can access your task list in the future by clicking the blue circle-check icon in Gmail’s righthand sidebar.
Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash.Man, do I not like dealing with email. And man, do I get a lot of it. And man, oh man, does it get worse the longer I don’t deal with it.
Impossibly realistic and creative art created by AI has been appearing more and more frequently over the past few months, and it used to be accessible to only a select few: now anyone can run a full graphical version of the text-toimage artificial intelligence Stable Diffusion on any Apple Silicon-based Mac—with no technical knowledge whatsoever. You just have to drop an app into your Applications folder, double click on it, write your prompt, and magic happens. It’s called Diffusion Bee, and you can download it here.
Until now, if you wanted to partake in the awesome wonder that is text-to-image AI, you had only two options. Pay to use a service like MidJourney or DALL-E (if you were lucky enough to get an invite), or get into the terminal to install Stable Diffusion, the open source freeto-use tool. While there are step-by-step guides to install all the required components, they often miss little things that make it an exercise of frustration to us mere mortals.
All that has ended, thanks to Divam Gupta, an AI research engineer at Meta. Now, anyone with an Apple Silicon machine can enjoy the power of Stable Diffusion easier than installing Adobe Photoshop. A simple drag-and-drop is all that’s required, instead of having to sign up for Adobe or any other service. It has no fees and doesn’t even require a connection to the internet beyond the initial download of the models needed to make it work. There’s no info uploaded to the cloud. It runs on any Mac with an M1 or M2 processor, taking advantage of the massive processing muscle built into these nimble chips. The developers recommend 16GB of RAM because machine learning is very memory intensive, but I have run it on a MacBook Air M1 with 8GB RAM without a single glitch. It took about five to six minutes to get it (one tip: close all your apps to give Diffusion Bee as much space as possible).
It is a remarkable, albeit expected, development that will for sure cause an explosion of new images and creativity with consequences that, realistically, we can’t yet foresee.
While many illustrators have lambasted these image-to-text tools, most of the time out of fear of losing their jobs, there’s another side to this debate, a growing feeling that this kind of software will be just another tool in the arsenal of creatives worldwide.
A couple of weeks ago, video artist and director Paul Trillo told me that he believed this tool “isn’t going to be taking any jobs away from visual-effects artists.” If anything, he anticipates, “it’s going to create efficiencies to the work they’re already doing. It will open the door to entirely new kinds of techniques as well as allow for lowerbudget projects to have photorealistic VFX.”
U.K.-based art director and AR/XR/3D artist Josephine Miller echoed these feelings, telling me that the technology was enabling her to do more things. “Sometimes I feed my designs to DALL-E, which produces variations of it,” she describes, “and then I discover something unexpected that I didn’t think about, which takes me into a new creative direction.” Miller—who has been working with a team of artists and developers on an AR filter that will allow Instagram users to see expanded paintings—also says that she has used it to present variations of her work to clients. “I tell them this is my design, but these others were created by the AI for you to see,” Miller says, “sometimes they find something they like in a variation that is incorporated into the final design.”
Manuel “Manu.Vision” Sainsily—an artist & XR design manager at Unity—also believes that these tools are extremely powerful for creative people. They are also inevitable, he tells me, and they open a path for imaginative people with no visual execution skills to create something visual. “It can empower people who have no power,” he says. Miller agrees, pointing out a very particular case in which disabled kids were, all of the sudden, just using their words, able to create images using DALL-E, while they weren’t able to do it before, because they couldn’t even draw. “It was rather magical,” she says.
Sainsily believes that this technology will lead to a renaissance, much like we have experienced before with other technical revolutions, like digital
video editing, desktop publishing, or photography. We have been remixing for centuries. This AI technology just makes the process faster. And yes, that will bring a lot of change to the industry but, as with other revolutions, it will also offer incredible opportunities.
Regardless of your views on having a tool like Stable Diffusion readily available as a one-click app, the fact is, this creative moment is inevitable. While there will be laws and lawsuits trying to curb the use of sampling—as happened with music— it’s going to become increasingly difficult to enforce any control. Even less so when you consider that, right now, visual artists process bits and pieces of other people’s work to create everything, from storyboards to full artwork, using Photoshop and other tools, without crediting the original samples. It’s hard to blame AI for reusing other people’s work when the practice is already common across many visual industries. “People already remix regularly to create new things. AI just makes it faster,” Sainsily points out.
At the end, it feels like any regulation will fall flat, based on current industry practices and the very nature of the AI tools. And it’s only going to get more sophisticated with time, eventually becoming truly synthetic and erasing any trace of the original work. We may as well download this early version of the technology and start working with it to our advantage.
Photo by DeepMind on Unsplash.
By bazaar staff
Marking a new iconic destination in Kuwait’s beloved 360 Mall, the 59th Grand Hyatt in the world, and the first Grand Hyatt in Kuwait, has officially opened its doors to the public. True to the Hyatt ethos, Grand Hyatt Kuwait has left no detail unstudied in this bespoke property. Every experience is thoughtfully accounted for, from dining concepts conceptualized for true gourmands, elegant guestrooms and suites boasting immaculate views of Kuwait’s skyline, to elevated design elements that instantly captivate.
Grand Hyatt Kuwait’s location couldn’t be more strategic, as it perfectly complements the nation’s most immersive luxury, leisure and lifestyle complex, 360 Mall. Centrally situated in the heart of the 360 Mall extension, Grand Hyatt Kuwait truly manifests the luxurious and prestigious qualities of the global hospitality brand.
Imagine a morning that begins with an energizing spot of tennis at the Rafa Nadal Academy Kuwait, followed by a sumptuous lunch at the hotel’s modern Brasserie, Liberté
A well needed, wholistic, zen-filled pause ensues with an uplifting treatment at the hotel’s Noor Spa, and an enchanted musical evening continues at The Arena Kuwait, only for the day to conclude in utter relaxation in your own lush, private garden terrace suite at Grand Hyatt Kuwait. All of these experiences are remarkably and intentionally envisioned to seamlessly flow, as Grand Hyatt Kuwait directly grants guests access to 130,000 square meters of retail space, the 5,800-seater multi-purpose Arena Kuwait, and a tennis academy which includes a 1,600-capacity arena and 15 tennis courts operated by the Rafa Nadal Academy Kuwait. Grand Hyatt Kuwait is also located just 9km away from Kuwait International Airport – making this social, entertainment and retail hub the closest luxury hotel to the airport.
This latest grand opening marks a significant milestone in Hyatt’s growth across the Globe and in particular the Middle East. For both Hyatt and the owners - Tamdeen Group, this impressive property represents an important addition to an already impressive diversified portfolio of brands and a new era of progression and innovation for Kuwait.
It would be remiss to state that the beauty of the Grand Hyatt Kuwait experience only lies in its intrinsic connection to the light-filled 360 Mall extension, as the hotel delivers a bounty of enchantingly vibrant experiences for its esteemed guests.
A grand entrance is made by firstly stepping into the hotel’s lobby, and the space is a showcase of utmost luxury. For us at bazaar, this was an iconic moment. We were instantly captivated by the effortless, free flowing, marble feature of the equine sculpture that appears almost like a desert mirage amidst the sand-inspired tones of the stone-clad reception area. This is truly an elegant representation of Kuwait’s equestrian passion.
Every corner of the lobby situated Saheel Lounge narrates a tale of local heritage. Deeply thought out, yet presented in a modern, forward-looking light. There is an artful, modern melange of arabesque-inspired geometric patterns in the design of the lobby yet this is chic and understated, and our eyes danced between the specially commissioned pieces of art adorning the space, depicting various styles of Middle Eastern calligraphy and equine-inspired forms. Key pieces that celebrate Kuwait’s history of pearl diving and dhow exploration are juxtaposed by modern accessories sourced from all over the world. The multiple and innovative design components featured in this flagship development, with bespoke interior design by Meyer Davis NYC, collectively deliver arguably one of the most impressive developments that Kuwait City has witnessed in recent times. We absolutely cannot wait to return to Saheel Lounge, as the space provides the faultless setting for informal meetings and gatherings, perfect for those cozy, unrushed conversations over the finest coffee, tea and delectable snacks.
A deeper examination of Grand Hyatt Kuwait’s external structure is equally fascinating. The wrap-around, Mashrabiya-inspired façade forms an almost continuous geometric pattern that is beautifully subtle, and is cleverly mirrored throughout the exterior and interior structure of the hotel. The Mashrabiya-inspired design successfully regulates the flow of light, heat, airflow, and casts an elegant air of privacy throughout the various spaces of the hotel. The luxury urban escape, with its impressive and majestic architectural design delivered by CallisonRTKL, seeks to set itself apart through its meticulously designed guest journey touchpoints and unobstructed skyline views, coupled with elegantly designed guestrooms and suites, three lifestyle dining venues, and a total of 6,500 square meters of event space.
Grand Hyatt Kuwait was envisioned for guests who appreciate details which tell a story of beauty, and the artful take on the building’s interior and exterior aesthetic are part of a grander journey. Those who appreciate the finer details in life form a community of hospitality lovers and intrepid travellers seeking modern style and superior facilities, and the hotel’s Grand Club Lounge is their remarkable meeting point. The lounge arrives as an exclusive service offering of the Grand Hyatt brand, and comes complete with a private outdoor terrace and intimate meeting facilities— the perfect setting for crafting narratives that inspire growth and opportunity.
Staying over at Grand Hyatt Kuwait is never going to be an experience short of
extraordinary, as the 302-key guest rooms feature a distinctive room configuration. There are 21 guestrooms and suites on offer which have been uniquely designed with private landscaped garden terraces, 34 Grand Club Suites with breath-taking views, as well as eight Junior Suites and one magnificent Presidential Suite. Guests will experience chic abodes, resplendent with classically elegant parquet wood floors, stunning, open-face marble details featuring in the guest bathrooms and select furniture pieces, contemporary art and design, and light-filled spaces thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows and verdant, landscaped garden terraces in select guestrooms and suites.
For those seeking grandiose celebrations, Grand Hyatt Kuwait encapsulates several elegant and timeless multi-faceted event venues, each dynamically configured to make every occasion an unforgettable one - as exceptional as the location itself. Event attendees need not worry about long commutes donning their finest attire to their chosen venue at Grand Hyatt Kuwait, as there is a private entrance complete with valet service for convenient guest arrivals and equally accessible private venue parking. The design of the main event foyer will dazzle visitors, as the central atrium presents a show-stopping skylight adorned with modern geometric patterns that allow natural light to once again cast an ambient light filter throughout the hotel’s
interior event spaces, yet offers utmost privacy for special wedding celebrations. The striking multipurpose Grand Ballroom is designed for weddings, conferences, grand galas and cocktail receptions alike, with a hosting capacity of up to 1,560 guests. Additionally, the hotel conveniently connects to Kuwait’s premier event destination, The Arena Kuwait, which features 3,600-sqm of state-of-the-art indoor multifunctional spaces, providing a masterfully engineered platform for a variety of large-scale events.
From grand entrances to chic guest stays, Grand Hyatt Kuwait delivers on the promise of creating an urban sanctuary that celebrates lifestyle and culture. Housing three signature restaurants, Grand Hyatt Kuwait is well poised to craft a unique space for itself within Kuwait’s captivating and vibrant culinary scene. The hotel’s globe-circling culinary portfolio features three distinctive and immersive gastronomic experiences, all which will be deeply explored in the November issue of bazaar.
But first, a hint of what’s to come. Already making waves on our social timelines whilst in its soft opening phase is Liberté, a modern brasserie rooted in classicism but reimagined through innovation; where the food is ingeniously brought to life through culinary creativity and conveyed with a sense of fresh and energetic feminine energy – in a gorgeous venue imagined by abConcept. The hotel also proudly presents ’Stambul, expertly planned by Autoban, a Turkish lifestyle-dining venue celebrating the famed influences of Ottoman cuisine, where classic dishes are reinterpreted and delivered spontaneously and theatrically. Completing the culinary portfolio is MEI LI, a fine dining Asian-inspired restaurant where the food provides the narrative for an explorative journey through the Imperial Palaces of old Beijing, serving Asian-inspired recipes inspired by the most popular dishes served over centuries – including faithfully crafted classic menu items, such as the world-renowned Peking Duck and Beggar’s Chicken. This venue too was masterfully designed by abConcept.
Rounding up the hotel’s rich experiences, NOOR SPA is the ultimate wellness retreat, set in a serene cove of sensory design. The pool features an aquatic haven where rays of natural sunlight expand the infinity element of this feature. Outdoor sun loungers are tastefully complimented by lush landscaped and vertical gardens.
From lobby to room, Grand Hyatt’s signature approach to luxury truly embodies the landmark status of this much-anticipated development. Towering over the high-end 360 Mall, with two direct entry points from the mall extension, the 302-guest room Grand Hyatt Kuwait boasts contemporary allurement that is distinctive by design and a true urban sanctuary, perfectly poised for a journey of destination discovery.
For more information, please visit grandhyattkuwait.com and follow the hotel’s latest on social media @GrandHyattKuwait. Cover photography by Anthony Parkinson. Interior photography by Mohammad Taqi.
More and more colleges are becoming “metaversities,” taking their physical campuses into a virtual online world, often called the “metaverse.” One initiative has 10 U.S. universities and colleges working with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and virtual reality company VictoryXR to create 3D online replicas—sometimes called “digital twins“—of their campuses that are updated live as people and items move through the real-world spaces.
Some classes are already happening in the metaverse. And VictoryXR says that by 2023, it plans to build and operate 100 digital twin campuses, which allow for a group setting with live instructors and real-time class interactions.
One metaversity builder, New Mexico State University, says it wants to offer degrees in which students can take all their classes in virtual reality, beginning in 2027.
There are many benefits to taking college classes in the metaverse, such as 3D visual learning, more realistic interactivity, and easier access for faraway students. But there are also potential problems. My recent research has focused on ethical, social, and practical aspects of the metaverse and risks such as privacy violations and security breaches. I see five challenges:
The metaverse provides a low-cost learning alternative in some settings. For instance, building a cadaver laboratory costs several million dollars and requires a lot of space and maintenance. A virtual cadaver lab has made scientific learning affordable at Fisk University.
However, licenses for virtual reality content, construction of digital twin campuses, virtual reality headsets, and other investment expenses do add costs for universities.
Colleges also need to spend significant time and resources to provide training to faculty to deliver metaverse courses. Even more time will be required to deliver metaverse courses, many of which will need all-new digital materials. Most educators don’t have the capability to create their own metaverse teaching materials, which can involve merging videos, still images, and audio with text and interactivity elements into an immersive online experience.
Business models of companies developing metaverse technologies rely on collecting users’ detailed personal data. For instance, people who want to use Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headsets must have Facebook accounts.
The headsets can collect highly personal and sensitive data such as location, students’ physical features and movements, and voice recordings. Meta has not promised to keep that data private or to limit access that advertisers might have to it.
Meta is also working on a high-end virtual reality headset called Project Cambria, with more advanced capabilities. Sensors in the device will allow a virtual avatar to maintain eye contact and make facial expressions that mirror the user’s eye movements and face. That data information can help advertisers measure users’ attention and target them with personalized advertising.
Professors and students may not freely participate in class discussions if they know that all their moves, their speech, and even their facial expressions are being watched by the university as well as a big technology company.
3. Lack of rural access to advanced infrastructure Many metaverse applications, such as 3D videos, are bandwidth-intensive. They require high-speed data networks to handle all of the information flowing between sensors and users across the virtual and physical space.
Many users, especially in rural areas, lack the infrastructure to support the streaming of high-quality metaverse content. For instance, 97% of the population living in urban areas in the U.S. has access to a high-speed connection, compared to 65% in rural areas and 60% in tribal lands.
4. Adapting challenges to a new environment Building and launching a metaversity requires drastic changes in a school’s approach to teaching and learning. For instance, metaverse students aren’t just recipients of content but active participants in virtual reality games and other activities.
The combination of advanced technologies, such as immersive game-based learning and virtual reality with artificial intelligence, can create personalized learning experiences that are not in real time but still experienced through the metaverse. Automatic systems that tailor the content and pace of learning to the ability and interest of the student can make learning in the metaverse less structured, with fewer set rules.
Thosedifferencesrequiresignificant modifications in assessment and monitoring processes, such as quizzes and tests. Traditional measures such as multiple choice questions are inappropriate to assess individualized and unstructured learning experiences offered by the metaverse.
Gender, racial, and ideological biases are common in textbooks of history, science, and other subjects, which influence how students understand certain events and topics. In some cases, those biases prevent the achievement of justice and other goals, such as gender equality.
Biases’ effects can be even more powerful in rich media environments. Films are more powerful at molding students’ views than textbooks. Metaverse content has the potential to be even more influential.
To maximize the benefits of the metaverse for teaching and learning, universities—and their students—will have to wrestle with protecting users’ privacy, training teachers, and the level of national investment in broadband networks.
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash.
It’s about showing up in the community authentically
By Aimee RawlinsThat was the question at the heart of a panel on Wednesday at the Fast Company Innovation Festival. And while the three panelists came from remarkably different backgrounds, they all had a similar answer: You have to build community.
“It’s about showing up in the community authentically,” said Ethiopia Habtemariam, CEO of Motown Records. “Whether it’s doing events around Juneteenth or giving to community organizations—the same places we go to find talent, how do we show up for them in their real life?”
Motown Records has a rich history: Founded by Berry Gordy in Detroit in 1959, it was iconic through the ’60s and ’70s, but Habtemariam said it’s been important for the brand to keep evolving so it’s known not just for music from that era. When Habtemariam joined the company in 2014, the leaders were asking themselves how they could make “Motown a platform for entrepreneurs today,” she said. Some of that was accomplished through partnerships with other labels. But she said it’s also been about giving artists new ways to be storytellers—and providing them with education so they can be even more engaged in the issues most important to their communities.
In an entirely different realm is the J.M.
Smucker Company—perhaps best known for jam, but whose product line also encompasses a wide range, from Jif and Folgers to Meow Mix. Founded in 1897, the brand has had to evolve in order to stay relevant to what consumers want today. That has meant doing things like updating slogans (Jif went from “choosy moms choose Jif” to “that Jif’ing good”) and partnering with celebrities at the forefront of culture (a recent campaign featured Ludicris, a professed lover of the peanut butter). “Brands create emotion,” said Mark Smucker, president and CEO of the J.M. Smucker Company. “The products and brands we sell should help consumers be delighted.”
Smucker noted that the company worked hard to create connections with their customers, and part of that was being involved in their community in Akron, Ohio. In the midst of pandemic supply chain issues, he said the company “had to get creative” in terms of packaging and sourcing. “If we can’t even be on the shelf, how are we going to make enough product to donate to [our partner] Feeding America?” He asked. “How are we going to serve our broader communities unless we get the supply chain, right?”
Jamal Watkins’s efforts are also rooted in the idea of community. As the SVP of strategy and
advancement for the NAACP, it’s intrinsic to the organization’s DNA. Founded 113 years ago, the NAACP has had to constantly reevaluate and rebrand, said Watkins. “We can’t be the organization that’s seen as, ‘oh, you’re marching and singing in the streets.’” he said. “We do that. But we also have an ETF that’s traded on the New York stock exchange that’s moving companies towards ESG. We have a VC fund that we’re building to invest in black founders.”
He referenced the current water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, and how systemic issues like that are rooted in racism and have a disproportionate impact on Black communities. “When you think about our brand, if we are not standing in the gap for those community members and doing that type of advocacy, we’re losing out on who we really are as an organization,” he said.
Watkins also took the opportunity to call out brands for their empty promises on inclusion—for doing things like announcing a massive spend on racial equity and then using it on a marketing campaign targeted at Black audiences. “If you’re going to invest in this notion of centering communities and centering people, the investments have to be real.”
Photo by Oscar Helgstrand on Unsplash.Pan Am, Kodak, Tower Records. All once iconic brands that have long since lost their luster. So how do companies and organizations make sure their names aren’t only mentioned as a relic of the past? How do heritage brands stay relevant?
Bold yet sleek athletic lines in high-gloss black and satin gloss Platinum design features underpin the highly anticipated launch of the prestigious Porsche Panamera Platinum edition. Passion and enthusiasm seamlessly intertwine to deliver the perfect mixture of luxury, sporty comfort, and exclusive design elements in this special Panamera. Today, avid Porsche lovers can benefit from a wide range of highly sought-after options that greatly benefit the customer that comes as part of the standard package of the Panamera Platinum Edition.
The exterior of the Panamera Platinum Edition is impressive, not only with its Sports Design front end and Porsche’s logo model at the rear end also with the air outlet trims behind the front wheels and the privacy glass with side window trims in HighGloss Black and exterior mirrors with automatic dimming. Thanks to its metallic paintwork and the 21-inch Exclusive Design Sport wheels in platinum colour with the black sports tailpipes and the panoramic roof, the Panamera Platinum Edition is a head-turner on the road.
Enjoy seeing, without being seen, with the privacy glass surfaces of the now iconic panoramic roof system to create a bright and pleasant lighting ambience inside. Enjoy the privacy glass on the rear windows to create an air of quiet serenity.
In addition to Porsche’s Dynamic Light System Plus in the main headlights, the revamped light strip at the rear now runs seamlessly over the luggage compartment lid with an adapted contour
providing a continuous and flowing connection between the newly designed LED taillight clusters.
As comfort while driving is one of the most important features of Porsche vehicles, especially in the Platinum Edition, Porsche has designed advanced control systems to provide high degree of comfort and a superior level of stability when passing corners. The revamped Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system significantly improves comfort levels when absorbing shocks. The tires have also been developed specifically for the Panamera to improve the efficiency of its transverse performance and are particularly suited for the sporty cornering operations.
The luxurious interior details continue with the GT sports steering wheel and power steering system Plus, the soft closing doors with keyless unlocking, and the comfortable 14-way electrically adjustable front seats with memory package.
The interior also features additional exclusive features like the analogue clock in the dashboard that comes as a standard option in all Platinum Edition models, the heating function in the rear seats and the Porsche crest on the headrests.
Because every drive in the Porsche Panamera Platinum Edition should deliver an unrivalled experience, the all-new edition is equipped with BOSE® Surround Sound system for an enhanced music experience while driving and the door sill guards are made of brushed aluminium, painted black with the “Platinum Edition” logo.
The Panamera Platinum Edition vehicles are now available upon request. For more information on the Panamera Platinum Edition price and availability, please visit Porsche Centre Kuwait to schedule a test drive to experience it.
By bazaar staff
If you were lucky enough to have caught one of Disney’s Ice-Skating shows, you are definitely going to be excited for the news. Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Friends skates into Kuwait this November, with a series of shows set to take place between November 8 and November 12, 2022 at the Arena Kuwait. The franchise is one of the most exciting family entertainment events to debut in Kuwait in recent years.
Produced by Feld Entertainment Inc., this world-class production is designed to inspire and awe families, with breathtaking numbers featuring some of Disney’s most beloved characters of all time. The show, which has successfully entertained and dazzled audiences all around the globe – most recently in Abu Dhabi, is the first of its kind immersive family skating spectacle to make its way to Kuwait. This also happens to be first ever Disney on Ice show to make its way to Kuwait – with the show having made its way around the globe for over 40 years.
The show is a special combination of figure skating, music, and spectacular lighting and visual effects. Audiences usually end up mesmerized by the experience. And because they take place on ice, the crisp air and sparkly rink just add to the magical vibe. We’ve always made it a point to see a show or two when we travel abroad. Everyone, from babies to grandparents enjoy Disney On Ice.
The Arena is Kuwait’s largest multi-purpose indoor venue that opened in March 2022. A variety of sold out live music concerts and special events have already been held there, so it is very exciting for to see them offer a wide range of entertainment options for the entire family.
The show is set to feature some of Disney’s most beloved characters, with Mickey and his Disney friends bringing all-time favorite stories to life! Sail with Moana on her high-seas adventure to save her island. Travel to Arendelle with Anna and Elsa and learn how love is the most powerful magic of all. Just keep swimming with Dory and Hank as they set out to find her parents. See Cinderella, Rapunzel and the Disney Princesses make their dreams possible through bravery, kindness and perseverance. Celebrate true friendship with the Toy Story gang and get all the feels with Joy, Sadness and the rest of the Emotions from Inside Out. Share the excitement and make new memories at Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Friends!
So call your friends, grab a jacket and book your tickets, because you need to see Disney on Ice!
Tickets are available at thearenakuwait.com. For more info about Disney On Ice, follow Disney On Ice social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to the Disney On Ice YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/DisneyOnIce
admissions@auk.edu.kw Tel: 1802040/(+965) 2224-8399 Ext: 3148 www.auk.edu.kw
The American University of Kuwait received its Institutional Accreditation from the Private Universities Council (PUC), Ministry of Higher Education in the State of Kuwait, and has a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation with Dartmouth College (Hanover, N Hampshire - USA).
Thinking of the way it used to be, should have been, might have been.
by Craig LoomisShe sits in the shade, on a small three-legged wooden stool, her back snuggly against a tree, looking out over the harbor. Meanwhile, the wife, with friends and assorted children, are lounging in the green grass, blue blankets spread wide, umbrellas spread wider, drinking tea, nibbled on cakes, chatting and peering into their cellphones. She, eyes half closed, hears the hum of their chatter, thinking of the two years, six months and one week she has been here. Now eyes firmly shut, as she listens to the breeze in the leaves, the swish of the sea. And of course she is thinking of home. Not this home but the real home, in India, a village, a fifty-minute train ride outside of Mumbai, on the Central Line, near Khardi. That home.
When one of the children squeals, she jerks her head to look, but all melts into laughter and she can safely return to thinking of her mother and father, a younger brother who is forever reminding anybody who will listen that Messi is some kind of god; not to mention the two sisters, one younger, the other older, the one newly married, the other wanting nothing to do with boys, never mind marriage. She smiles as she thinks of them in that little house.
She gazes across the blue water, the bobbing boats, looking but not looking, thinking of that village in the foothills, of Grandmother who taught her how to sew, how to cook rice the right way, how, before all of this, she had once dreamed of seeing other lands, of a newness that had to be better than any foothill village that was nothing more than cows—always the cows—goats, shoeless, snotty-nosed kids who think mud is a toy, dust a game, boys who think life is all about cigarettes, and video games. How all those many days, months ago, she would sit, her back against the wall, almost like this, and listen to the nightly drone of her mother’s voice, about the way it used to be, when she was younger, but the way her mother described it made it sound like nothing had changed, not really—just longer ago without cellphones. Rubbing her back against the tree trunk, and how she secretly misses that no-nothing village life, never mind the dullness, the way day after day slipped away as she slowly disappeared, eighteen going on 19.
Half listening for her name to be called, or not, not wanting to move from the tree because it feels warm and solid but at any moment she may have to get up to shoo the cats away, take little Mohammed to the bathroom, unzip the bag to take out tissues, open the potato chips for Sara who is more interested in feeding the pigeons than herself.
Once the outing is over, she separates her back from the tree and hurries over to fold the blue blankets, roll up the umbrellas, pack the dishes and cups and food back into two boxes and one basket, before neatly wedging herself in between Mohammad and Sara in the backseat of the shiny SUV. Once back at the two-storey house in Salwa, she will unload all she had just minutes before loaded into the car and then
almost immediately go to the laundry room and begin her weekly ironing, not forgetting to feed the one dog, two cats and squawking parrot that knows curse words in both English and Arabic; later, once the house is mid-afternoon quiet, she will dust the cabinets and peel the potatoes, cleaning the mess that Sara has decided to make in the bathroom just because she can.
She does not cry anymore, or certainly not as much as that first month; it is no longer a sadness or being truly homesick because she knows that there is no money to be made in her village, in any village, nothing there, except family and friends, most married with children. School
girls marrying men they don’t want to marry, not yet, not now, not him, but grandfathers, not to mention uncles, have spoken, promises have been made, jewelry gifted.
Much later now, at night, when everyone in the Salwa house has gone to their room to play video games, to watch TV, to….. she goes to her square room behind the kitchen to rest, and although she is tired, always tired, she almost never falls asleep right away, thinking of the way it used to be, should have been, might have been. But wait, Mohammad needs a drink of water.
Photo by Tijs van Leur on Unsplash
Inspired by the vision to create a better everyday life for everyone, IKEA Al Homaizi Kuwait’s CEO Marino Maganto shares with us how we can celebrate the ordinary moments at home that create extraordinary memories
By bazaar staff
If you haven’t seen the news online yet, then you read it here first. IKEA is going all out with the launch of their latest movement, Extraordinary at the Ordinary. Launched live online and in front of Kuwait’s press and members of media last month, IKEA is celebrating living at its essence, those little moments at home that, when, elevated, turn into extraordinary, unforgettable memories.
Marino Maganto, CEO of IKEA Al Homaizi for Kuwait, Jordan and Morocco, considers this movement as an organic progression from the collective experience of the past two years. “This shocking experience was a universal starting point,” he begins, “times have changed, people are changing and I think the last couple of years have actually taught us a lot about homes. Despite being a place that we owned, or we’ve rented for many years. We still did not know as much as we thought we knew about ‘living’ at home, and it’s been a real eye opener on how important our homes actually are.”
Maganto recounted to us how he personally had to transform certain spaces in his home to work remotely, efficiently. He laughingly shared how children didn’t know the difference of a parent being at work, especially when the parent would be home. In his case, it was all about injecting humor into the more challenging situations. “We needed to do something every now and then to create that touch of light. Something as simple as moving that plant, or how the candle that was in the bathroom is suddenly now on the on the dining table. So, with our ‘Extraordinary at the ordinary’ movement we wanted to build on those moments that we’ve all experienced, simple acts of closeness like having breakfast as a family unit. We spent more time talking to each other than we did before. We became much closer to the people we love. And we created extraordinary moments out of ordinary moments.”
Maganto continued, “This year, more than ever, we want to bring joy and happiness to people. We want to share positive energy around us, we want to make this year extraordinary for everyone with The Extraordinary at the Ordinary movement! This movement is born to help everyone have a better life. It starts here and now. Whether you work with us, or not, whether you visit us or not, whether you ever shopped with us or not, there will always be something for you in this movement. We believe that ‘Home’ is the most important place in the world. By creating a better life at home, we contribute to a better life for everyone. You are the one that defines what better means, and we are there to help you make it a reality.”
IKEA didn’t just come up with this strong claim out of nowhere, as qualitative as it sounds, the new Extraordinary at the Ordinary movement is born out of deep research. The global IKEA team regularly visit thousands of homes every year to better understand the evolving needs,
frustrations and challenges of everyday life. Here in Kuwait, IKEA visit more than 100 homes every year to deeply understand life at home. Maganto explained that “All of these insights are gathered and incorporated in everything we do; from designing our range, to creating the beautiful value for money solutions that you know and love. This competence in life at home makes us unique. We want to share all this knowledge with everyone.”
Maganto was also keen to express to us how truly humbling the entire experience of conceiving this movement has been. “The idea of getting closer to the people who have helped us become the brand that is truly loved globally is a notion that we are taking seriously. I want to have that cup of coffee with people and just exchange different points of view so we can learn because it’s really important to stay humble and to continue to to grow. IKEA was always about giving people the best solutions for whatever space they have, big or small, at the best value. It is now more important than ever to make that front and center.”
Some of IKEA’s key findings resulted in understanding that the everyday person is constantly seeking to create a “Better Home”, one that is not only looks good, but makes the home dweller feel good. Hence the conception of ‘The Functional Home’ concept as part of the ‘Extraordinary at the ordinary’ movement. And Maganto assures that IKEA is only getting started with this narrative, as IKEA is planning a roster of concepts that will help the everyday customer reimagine how to interact with their living spaces to enhance their home experiences with more extraordinary moments. He said, “The Functional Home is the first one of a series of Solutions that we will launch this year to help you have the home that you always dreamed of.”
If you are curious about what IKEA means by the “The Functional Home”, we’ve got you covered. We were given a wonderful and exciting tour to see first hand for ourselves that it means for us. As we saw different room setups and spaces we learned that the Functional Home is one that is designed to serve the needs and activities that we and our family have at home.
It is a welcoming, family friendly, comfortable, practical and personal space. It is also a home that can evolve and adapt to our changing needs while making room for memories.
IKEA showed us how kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms could be designed to serve our lifestyles and make us enjoy even the most ordinary days, while making memories and cherishing the things we care about the most.
To helps us transform our homes into functional ones, IKEA created the IKEA Extraordinary at the Ordinary Magazine to help you make your ordinary every day not only better, but extraordinary!
The IKEA magazine is full of inspo and recommendations that the experts at IKEA know will help you live better. From the easy steps needed to set up any space, to many tips and ideas to make it really functional. Or help you choose what are the best colors to give it the right mood for work, relax or just have fun. How to live a healthier and more sustainable life has become a top priority for everyone. It even includes healthy recipes, and small routine tweaks that will make a big difference to your day. The IKEA magazine will be released on a biweekly basis, and will be accessible to customers online, with a special privilege of accessing a printed copy to IKEA Family members.
IKEA’s continuous efforts at making knowledge accessible to everyone to help them live out their extraordinary at the ordinary moments at home do not stop with the special magazine, for in-store, there is a wealth of activities planned for the entire family. “I really want to see customers happily engaging in our stores. I want our customers to consider us as part of their extended family. I want them to like us not because only of our products, but also because we understand their language and their needs, independent of any age group, and independent of which channel the customers interact with us through.”
For instance, for a healthier, functional day spent within your home office space (or even your workplace), IKEA is bringing on ergonomic experts to share their tips and best practices to avoid straining your body while working.
We ask Maganto if this would be considered as IKEA’s take on the concept of sustainability, and he explained further, “It goes without saying that the sustainability of our planet plays a massive role in how we are rolling out the ‘Extraordinary at the ordinary’ movement. We want our customers to live a healthier life, and a more sustainable one, and this includes the products we create, and the materials we source, and even how we source our raw materials to create a more sustainable production ecosystem. But it is also about the choices we make in life, even when it comes to our food. With the launch of our most recent plant-based food festival, for instance, it is very important to us to be able to provide people with not only more plant-based choices, but also to express the benefits of having a healthier diet. We need to take care not only of the planet to live a healthier life, but also ourselves. How do we sustain our sense of well-being? This could include many factors, from adjusting the noise
levels within different parts of our homes, to light levels, it is about wellness.”
To conclude, Maganto emphasized the key role that the IKEA stores play in this movement: “The key for all these beautiful inspirations and ideas to become a reality are our customer meeting points. Here is where everything comes to life. We want to turn our stores into places that everyone talks about with experiences that everyone wants to be part of.In the IKEA stores
we will do workshops, talks, presentations, competitions, games, all to inspire people and also, why not, to have fun”.
To learn more about the Extraordinary at the Ordinary Movement visit IKEA 360, IKEA The Avenues, IKEA Assima Mall or shop online at www.IKEA.com.kw. For more information, please call 184 0408 or follow @IKEAKuwait on Instagram.
But let’s be honest: Those sorts of digital helpers are mostly just voice-controlled command systems—combined with a bit of basic automation. By and large, they don’t do a heck of a lot to actually assist us in any life-changing, efficiencyenhancing ways.
A secrecy-shrouded startup called Augment is convinced there’s room for something more. The company has been operating in stealth mode for the past year, with nary a detail beyond some mysterious teases about “the future of productivity” on its website. But now it’s shedding its cloak and opening its doors. And it’s rushing out of the gates with the bold promise of taking our virtual assistant expectations into entirely new dimensions.
Augment is launching in a limited, invite-only beta this morning. I had the chance to chat with Augment’s founders and sit through a demo of the service’s initial capabilities ahead of today’s grand opening. And let me tell you: Based on this early sneak peek, at least, the service seems incredibly intriguing—and absolutely packed with productivityboosting potential.
The name Augment may not be familiar to most of us yet, but make no mistake about it: The folks behind it are no strangers to the tech universe.
The company’s CEO and creator, Jordan Ritter, is best known for helping to give us Napster way back at the turn of the last century (along with, yes, that other guy—you know, the one played by Justin Timberlake in the Facebook movie). His Augment cofounder and head of product, Daniel Ladvocat Cintra, is a former Googler who worked on the business side of the search giant for the better part of a decade.
The two of them, along with a small team of other artificial-intelligence-obsessed humans (and one canine), are determined to introduce us to a whole new side of AI-driven assistance—one that works proactively on our behalves and helps us out in some genuinely meaningful ways.
So let’s dive into some specifics, shall we? In a nutshell, Augment adds numerous augments (get it?!) onto your existing devices. Those lowercase augments are best described as layers of intelligence that observe what you’re doing and then step in as needed to make sure you always have the info you need exactly when you need it.
If that concept rings a bell, congratulations: You’ve been paying attention. Philosophically, at least, Augment is strikingly similar to Heyday, a context-surfacing service I covered for Fast Company earlier this year. But while Heyday
focuses exclusively on your browser and the info you interact with around the web, Augment works at the operating system level and attempts to serve much broader and more ambitious purposes.
One of Augment’s primary functions, for instance, is acting as an intelligent assistant for your various virtual meetings. With the software installed on your computer—Mac for now, with Windows support set to follow soon and then Android and iOS versions in the future—Augment keeps tabs on all of your work during the day. And since it’s a locally installed program, it’s privy to everything you open, be it a web app, a news site, a
traditional note-taking or word processing program, or practically anything else imaginable.
When you head into a meeting, Augment tries to automatically pull together all the info you might need to prepare—everything it’s seen you interact with that could be relevant, ranging from previous emails and Slack messages with your fellow attendees to documents and websites you looked at while preparing. It assembles all that info into a custom-made docket and delivers it to you the moment your meeting begins.
“I have nine pages of apps on my phone, and none of them talk to each other—so how
Here’s a wildly ambitious new AI assistant When we talk about virtual assistants, Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are usually the first names that come to mind.
many places [would] I have to go hunt for all that context?” asks Ritter. “We bring it all together.”
Augment doesn’t stop helping out when the meeting begins, either: During your meetings, it can quietly take notes for you and then automatically create an intelligent summary along with a list of action items and even a full transcript. All of that info is then sent your way when the meeting finishes, along with a complete collection of your related documents and conversations.
And the goal is for it to work the same way, consistently—no matter which websites, apps, or services you might be using at any given moment.
“Because of where we sit in the stack, we’re not integrated into Zoom, Google Meet, or anything,” Cintra explains. “We’re actually tapping in at the OS level and so we tap [directly] into that audio data stream—so we’re able to transcribe conversations from any source that you might have your conversations on.”
Everything we’ve talked about so far has revolved around Augment’s first layer—its ability to assist you with meetings. But remember: Augment (the service) involves multiple augments (the layers of added information).
At launch, Augment will have three other areas of focus revolving around memory, calendar, and tasks. Those will allow you to access similar sorts of intelligently compiled and automatically assembled bits of context from other parts of your computing experience.
So, for instance, you might summon Augment while browsing the web and ask it to show you
everything related to a pending contract at your company. In that scenario, Augment might surface relevant info from your notes, documents, contacts, past meetings, or anywhere else it’s seen you work on something related to that subject.
You could also call up Augment directly from your calendar—whether a local calendar program or a web-based calendar service such as Google Calendar—and have it give you extra context on the specific people involved in an upcoming meeting, culled from your web browsing history and past interactions.
It ultimately all boils down to the same basic principle of having an assistant act as an overlay and add an extra connective layer into your existing productivity setup—without requiring you to change your habits or learn anything new.
“For anyone building a new product, usually the first question is: What are you replacing in someone’s workflow? How are you going to change their behavior? How are they going to discover your product?” Ritter says. “Our answer is: No. All we do is overlay [on top of] whatever your system’s apps are, and we bring the missing context and smarts wherever they’re needed.”
Of course, you can’t have software running on your computer and watching your every move without wondering about privacy. Augment uses enterprise-level security, Ritter assures me, with all data encrypted both in transit and at rest and no info ever being viewed or shared in any way. The other hefty caveat is how well it all actually works in the real world. We’ve heard endless grand promises about the power of AI to assist us
in various ways—both from the tech giants and from scrappy startups determined to beat the big companies at their own primary games. And more often than not, the practical benefits of each new innovation end up seeming far less life-changing in reality than they initially appeared in carefully controlled demos or marketing videos.
Today, the true test for Augment begins—as folks around the globe begin to get their hands on the technology and go beyond the polished presentations to see how it stacks up in day-today use.
If you want to experience Augment for yourself, you can sign up on the company’s site to request early access. It’ll be free for now, though only during this current beta phase. The specific pricing for Augment’s post-beta life is yet to be determined, but Ritter and Cintra say it’ll be built around a freemium subscription model, with certain features remaining free and the full experience requiring either an annual or monthly subscription (for individuals to start, with team options in the works).
It’s clearly still early days for this type of technology, but Augment’s software shows plenty of promise. For those of us who have been waiting for a true AI assistant to make our lives easier and do more than merely react to our commands, it’s a tantalizing glimpse at a long-promised future that might finally be within reach.
Photo by Brandon Romanchuk and Andrea De Santis on Unsplash.
Icoona is bringing Kuwait the latest unique, contemporary luxury brands and fashions from around the world!
By bazaar staff
Icoona is the ultimate new and exciting online platform that is focused on bringing iconic clothing, bags, shoes, jewelry, beauty and homeware lines that are perfect for the entire family to the Kuwaiti audience, with new weekly additions for a vibrant online shopping experience. We are absolutely in love with the clever desiger brand mix that the Icoona concept brings to the country!
Icoona, which stems from the word “icon” in Arabic, is the latest venture by Alyasra Fashion group, and Icoona is the culmination of the rich history of Alyasra in the fashion industry in Kuwait, which spans over 25 years. Building on this wealth of experience, Icoona is poised to become the ultimate online platform in Kuwait to shop innovative, high-end luxury brands.
Offering a Next-Day delivery service, you can rest assured that your wardrobe update will be ready in no time! We also love that Icoona has partnered up with payment partner Tabby, which allows you to split up payments on your favorite designer pieces in four, easy interest-free installments. Icoona is truly making designer fashion accessible to all by offering such a competitive payment option, and by making deliveries super quick and breezy.
That’s not all, Icoona is keen on working with brands that have a commitment to sustainability, but at the same time promoting a local artisan heritage. Some of the fabulous brands that Icoona has already secured are 7 For All Mankind, which is one of our favorite denim brands, Goen. J, which features great contemporary silhouettes for women, Ming Yu Wang, which has incredibly trendy and highly covetable jewelry. Some of the other brands we absolutely love are Erdem, Conditions Apply, Bottega
Don’t trust our word! We definitely recommend that you go online and browse some of the iconic pieces that Icoona is showcasing for this season! Right now, they also have an Icoona Kuwait exclusive capsule collection featuring Tommy Hilfiger and Romeo Hunte, an absolute must see! The limited-edition collection is perfect for those that are looking for something unique this coming season, that you won’t be able to see on anyone else. Don’t miss designer updates from Donna Karan and cult Korean brand Recto. We’re totally obsessed!
Discover Icoona online at www.icoona.com and follow the brand for their latest launches on Instagram @shop.icoona.
Smeralda, Ebbarra, Kat Maconie, Herve Leger, Twinset, Olow, Le Temps Des Cerise, Philippe Model and so many more!
By Elizabeth Segran
Consumer culture in the 20th century has brought many wonders, but at the cost of an enormous amount of waste: We’ve asked companies to create cheap, convenient products, and they’ve complied. They pump out single-use plastic packaging, takeout containers, and grocery bags. Fashion labels make trendy clothes out of low-quality materials so we can chuck them out after a few wears. Furniture is now so affordable we can swap it out every season. This over-consumption and waste is accelerating climate change and pollution.
It doesn’t have to be this way and, in fact, for most of history, it wasn’t. People bought wellcrafted products and kept them for decades, repairing them when they fell apart. “R for Repair,” a new exhibit at the London Design Festival presents real objects that people have kept and repaired. It offers a fascinating glimpse into what causes people to cherish items enough to preserve them and the creative ways designers approached the art of repair. It offers valuable insight to environmentally-conscious consumers who are embracing repair in an effort to live more sustainably.
This exhibit was originally commissioned by DesignSingapore Council and debuted at the National Design Center, in Singapore last year. It began with a call for people to submit broken objects along with a little explanation about why they wanted these objects repaired. The curators would select items, then give them to designers to repair them. “It was the stories that really drew us in,” says Jane Withers, who co-curated the exhibit with Singaporean designer Hans Tan. “People had a powerful attachment to these objects.”
The exhibit offers an assortment of interesting objects from an old camera to shards of glass smashed during a Jewish wedding ceremony to toy puffins and doll houses. In an interesting twist, most of these objects weren’t that expensive to begin with. “Clearly, it wasn’t monetary value that kept people attached to these objects, but rather sentimental value,” Withers says.
One commonality among these objects is that they tended to be designed to be used repeatedly, for long periods of time. Take eyeglasses sent in by Minjeong Cha that she had worn for years. “I loved wearing them to read, write, or draw because they were very light and it did not feel like I was wearing them at all,” she wrote. “My girls, who are very curious about whatever I hold or wear, played with . . . and eventually broke them.”Another, Meiho, submitted a Bao Bao bag made by Japanese designer Issey Miyake in 2000. “It soon became my favorite bag of all time,” she writes.
A pair of sisters sent in a Winnie the Pooh clock that they had used it for 21 years as it progressively fell apart. “This clock was a housewarming gift from our dad’s Japanese friend when we were just 4 and 6 years old,” wrote Stacy Yip. “We cannot remember a time without this
clock.” Withers points out that the repeated use of the object ensures that they are deeply woven into people’s lives. By repairing the object, they are effectively preserving their memories.
While many designers–particularly those in fashion–are driven by temporary trends, one lesson from the exhibit is that people tend to cherish objects that they feel comfortable using for a long time. So, to design for longevity, designers must create objects that are classic and timeless, rather than subject to passing trends. Objects must also be functional, rather than purely decorative. The sisters were attached to the Winnie the Pooh clock because they looked at it to tell the time; it couldn’t just fade into the background as a tchotchke.
Nina Tolstrup and Jack Mama of the design firm Studiomama were tasked with repairing tiny furniture belonging to Charlotte Philipps. As a child in the late 1960s, her parents would give she and her sister new items of furniture for her doll’s house every Christmas. The doll’s house itself is long gone, but Philipps had carefully preserved the furniture. Tolstrup and Mama decided to first create a new doll’s house, one that would make it easy to see the furniture. They even created a
sliding door in the house, something that Philipps had always wished for as a child. “Repairing is really about connecting to the meaning of the object,” says Tolstrup. “It’s about creating a way for those memories and feelings to live on, not necessarily recreating the object as it was.”
It took months for designers like Tolstrop and Mama to create his updated doll house. Whithers points out that this approach doesn’t necessarily work as a mass strategy that consumers and brands will want to adopt wholesale. Instead, the exhibit was meant to delve into the psychology of repair. It also helps challenge the notion that repair means simply returning an object back to its original state; repair can actually mean reinvention.
But the exhibit makes it clear that it’s important for makers to think about repair from the very start of the design process. They need to begin by making products that are highly functional, timeless, and made from durable materials, so the consumer can use them for a long time. This is very different from the current culture of making trendy products with a built-in expiration date.
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.
As CEO of Pearson, Andy Bird presides over one of the world’s largest textbook publishers. Yet when thinking about Pearson’s long-term direction, Bird doesn’t necessarily look to his fellow Goliaths; often he’s drawing inspiration from the Davids of the world.
“We are desperately trying to be a startup,” he said during a panel on innovating at scale at the Fast Company Innovation Festival on Wednesday.
Though the sentiment may surprise some, it was shared among all the panel’s participants. Immediately after Bird voiced his stance, Barbara Humpton, president and CEO of Siemens Corporation, chimed in: “You’ve got to be intentional to stay in that day-one mindset,” she said, and need to “fall in love with your customer’s problem, not with your own technology.”
Humpton and Bird were joined onstage by Jeff Jones, president and CEO of H&R Block, and Ather Williams III, Wells Fargo’s senior executive VP and head of digital strategy, for a 45-minute conversation about the difficulty—and importance—of pushing innovation within larger organizations. (H&R Block was the youngest company on stage, at a sprightly 67 years old.)
That innovation manifests in different forms at each of their companies. For Wells Fargo, for
example, it’s meant changing direction to better prioritize mobile development. “Our strategy has shifted from having the biggest branch network of all the large banks to being mobilefirst,” said Williams. At H&R Block, it was the organization itself that needed rethinking. “We broke the economic model of the company by telling our investors that we were going to make dramatically less money and completely reset the financial envelope of the company. And the reason why we’re going to do that is because we have a crisis of relevance, and we’re rebuilding the company for the next generation,” Jones said. While that conversation might have elicited some nervous laughs, Jones said it ultimately enabled the company to shift employees to a remote-work format during the pandemic. “Had we not done that, we wouldn’t be having the success we’re having now,” he added.
But creating a culture that values unconventionality can be difficult for companies
of their size, when everything from regulations and client sensitivities to brand equity can create layers and layers of red tape. When, for example, Jones took over at H&R Block in 2017, he found a company that was overly cautious, even flattened. “We’ve had to go back after the fact and think about, how do we teach people decision-making,” he said. “It actually paralyzed us before; we’ve now tried to course correct.”
Of course, not everyone is going to get on board with change. And for addressing any naysayers within the office, the consensus was clear: “It’s important to have clarity of strategy and vision and . . . to give people the forum to disagree. All that stuff is super important,” said Jones. “But eventually if someone still disagrees, if they’re constantly that person that’s slowing the rest of the team or organization down, [we say] ‘We’d be happy to write you a great reference.’”
Photo by Kvalifik on Unsplash.OUR 3-WICK DESIGN CREATES AN EVEN MELT POOL THAT DELIVERS AN AMAZING FRAGRANCE EXPERIENCE
OUR EXCLUSIVE FORMULA KEEPS OUR CANDLES CONSISTENT FROM BEGINNING TO END. NO WAX RESIDUE, JUST GREAT FRAGRANCE UNTIL THE QUALITY LEAD-FREE WICKS
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Meet Ali Abdulkarim, a mechanical engineer by degree but a rock climber by heart who created Ascend to introduce rock climbing to Kuwait bazaar staff
Ali first experienced climbing when he was studying in Dublin and it was love at first attempt. In that moment he had decided that he wanted to bring rock climbing to Kuwait to introduce people not only to the sport but also the community it creates. The idea was to promote the sport of rock climbing safely and with a knowledgeable team that shared the same values and passion.
Ali tells us that he had always enjoyed trying new things and sports, but the gym was too mundane for him. This led him to find other ways to stay fit and experience the outdoors. Rock climbing was perfect for him and quickly became a passion that he wanted to share with friends, family, and the wider Kuwaiti public.
Ascend initially launched with trips to Oman in 2017, after which they built some climbing walls, however, back then there wasn’t much interest.
During and post covid, the demand for rock climbing has increased exponentially , Ali tells us, with both Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis showing more and more interest in the sport and practicing consistently to reach moreadvanced levels.
Ali tells us that a trip was recently organized to Saudi Arabia where many of the climbers that had started with Ascend climbed real rocks and were very comfortable doing so. This was one of his proudest moments because he felt that Ascend had given them the confidence to climb to such a high level.
When it comes to rock climbing, we understand from Ali that most people believe that it is a hard sport as it requires immense upper body strength and that it is an “extreme sport”. He tells us that on the contrary, rock climbing is all about understanding your body movement and being relaxed, this is why he personally enjoys the sport as it mixes puzzle solving skills along with body movement, strength and a strong mental mindset in order to complete a route. He also tells us that rock climbing is an incredibly safe sport if managed properly.
The goal of Ascend has always been to create a sense of family and community, everyone is there to help and cheer each other on no matter their climbing level. In 2022, the popularity of rock climbing in Kuwait has grown hugely. Ali tells us that in 2017 he would have never believed that there would be waiting lists and sold-out sessions for rock climbing within minutes. Ali says that “however, seeing this as a reality, I
am still in shock and will forever be grateful for everyone who has been there for us and every moment spent with the team in developing this beautiful committee that I can call a family”.
Ali humbly adds “Ascend isn’t just me. Ascend is the beautiful team that I can trust with my life. Without them, there would be no Ascend. I can even go as far as saying that all I did was create a name and spoke about rock climbing, but what they did is bring that vision to life.”
Being lovers of the outdoors, whether it is land or sea, caring for the environment is always a priority which Ali feels he wants Ascend to adhere to. Ascend was a part of the Mawtiny world beach clean up event that occurred in 2018 and has since then collaborated with Trashtag to continue to give back to the environment. In general, it is the ethos of Ascend to leave a place cleaner than how it was found.
How would your mother describe you in one word?
Nuisance.
How would you describe your mother in one word?
Boss.
What is the most ridiculous question you’ve ever been asked?
What’s zamata?
What is the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
Trekked in Tajikistan for 10 nights with nothing but a map, a friend, and our backpacks.
What is your theme song? Now its, Iniko - King’s affirmation.
What word in the English or Arabic language do you wish you had invented? قولقل.
Where would you like to live? Bali.
What is your dream retirement location? Bali, I’ve never been but I would love to live a simple life away from the cities by the mountains and sea.
What is the first famous quote that comes to your mind?
I’m starting with the man in the mirror.
Which animal best describes your perfect partner, be it in business, or in life? Pegasus.
Do you miss anything from your childhood and if so, what is it?
Fights with my cousin when we were the same size.
How would you describe your handshake, in one word?
Firm.
What is the toughest part of your character? I try to keep my problems to myself.
Who is your favorite historical figure?
Imam Ali.
What in the world do you least desire? Surprisingly, money. We need it, but I feel like life would be better without it.
What do you think is lacking in the world, which [if there were more of it] would make the world a better place?
Weirdly enough… freedom.
Why do you think most people who do, like you?
I’d like to believe it’s because I’m an open book and say what I feel.
Finish this sentence: “Happiness is…”
When you find 5kd in your pocket and thank your past self.
With the cooler weather, we are super keen to go give rock climbing a try! And will report back once we do so! If you are an advanced climber, they do have a trip to Oman in November. Stay up to date with the latest from Ascend by following them on Instagram on ascend.kw.
By Adrian Hon
Gamification predates video games, but it was video games that systematized the mechanics and aesthetics that gamification appropriated—most of all, achievements. Achievements have existed in video games for decades. As early as 1980, Activision’s games on the Atari 2600 came with manuals promising fabric patches if you reached a particular high score or completed a challenge.6 Owners of Dragster could take a photo of their TV showing a time under 6 seconds, post it to the company, and get a colorful World Class Dragster Club patch in the mail. Sew it onto a jacket and the whole world could marvel at your gaming prowess.
Ten years later, the Assembly Line’s puzzle game E-Motion offered a set of digital “secret bonuses” on completing a level “without rotating to the right.” These provided more instant feedback but lacked the bragging rights of Activision’s patches. However, it wasn’t long before MSN Gaming Zone would launch in 1996, allowing users to share “badges” they’d earned for their accomplishments in casual games like chess, bridge, and backgammon on the MSN instant messaging network. Online social achievements reached their logical culmination in 2005 when Microsoft launched the first truly platform-wide multigame achievement system in the form of the Xbox 360’s Gamerscore.
Unlike previous video game achievements which were stranded on their own separate island for each game, Gamerscore introduced a common currency, with up to one thousand “G” available for each Xbox game to split across multiple achievements. Players’ Xbox Live profiles displayed the Gamerscore for every game they’d ever played, and since Gamerscore was directly built into the console, Xbox-branded notifications ostentatiously appeared whenever players unlocked a new achievement. The new achievement system was impossible to miss, which predictably attracted a frenzy of activity and competition. Players were no longer limited to competing to being the best at an individual game—now they could show they were the best at all Xbox games.
Microsoft’s goal was clear: increased player engagement—that is, more time spent playing and talking about Xbox games—and with it, increased profit. As Robbie Bach, senior vice president of the Home and Entertainment Division, said at the Xbox 360’s reveal, “Let’s say you haven’t figured out that final achievement in [Project Gotham Racing 3]? Just ask a friend online.” Two years later, Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, noted, “We see gamers coming back to us because we give points, other platforms don’t.”
Until they did. Valve added a similar multigame achievement system for its Steam gaming platform, Sony introduced Trophies for
the PlayStation 3 in 2008, and Apple added its own Game Center in 2010. These systems were little different from Microsoft’s—the template had been established and all they had to do was extend it as widely as possible.
At this point, it’s worth considering whether gamers actually appreciated the addition of achievement systems, given that engagement is not the same as perceived value. In theory, achievements can be helpful markers of progress, recognising how much a player has improved in skill. They can also hint at fun ways to play the game they hadn’t considered, like E-Motion‘s bonus for not rotating to the right. This kind of increased replayability can be a win-win for both the player and the game developer. But at their worst, achievements prod players into persisting at boring, repetitive, and frustrating tasks that they’d have otherwise abandoned, simply in pursuit of “finishing” the game—not by completing the final level or beating the final boss, but by collecting all the achievements. The problem is, because players differ, these two outcomes can exist in the very same game: when game designers build in too much of this “optional unfinishedness” to support extended replays, they make it hard to completely finish a game, as Mikael Jakobsson, research coordinator at MIT Game Lab, has noted.
Stories abound of players obsessively collecting achievements. On April 9, 2017, Hakam Karim collected his 1,200th PlayStation Platinum trophy after spending anywhere from 70 to 120 hours per week gaming, Karim is clearly
exceptional, yet many gamers allow achievements to affect how they play despite feeling confused or ashamed of the fact, as Fruit Brute on the GayGamer.net Podcast confessed: “Rez HD is great. I’m really, I’m just so excited that it came out. I played the other day and just, like, played most of the way through it. And it’s got, you know, it’s got some achievements on there so . . . I know, I talk about achievements a lot, but I’ve turned into a complete achievement whore. It’s really bad. I crave them. Hahahaha. I don’t know why.”
Many gamers clearly find pleasure in collecting achievements and can do so in a reasonably healthy way, but it’s also true that achievement systems enable gaming habits that many players find distressing. Microsoft’s Greenberg claims this was all a happy accident. Celebrating the milestone of 2.5 billion achievements unlocked on Xbox Live in 2009, he said, “We never anticipated this reaction . . . where there are achievement fan sites and people playing games that they would never play [for the achievement points],” proudly adding that achievements had driven incremental game sales. In 2013, Steam went a step further by introducing a complex economy of virtual Trading Card achievements. Sets of cards can be “crafted” into badges that themselves can be levelled up and turned in for rewards like custom profile backgrounds and store coupons. Demand was so high that in 2017 Valve was forced to remove 173 “fake” games that only existed to offer easy-to-win trading cards.
If we find it hard to ignore achievements in video games, at least we can laugh at them. The 2008 video game Achievement Unlocked parodied the new craze, with the gameplay being nothing but collecting achievements for feats such as standing still or simply moving left. It was so popular it led to two sequels. Or perhaps we can change them: though Zombies, Run! includes achievements, we only added them reluctantly after some players asked for them. Today, we focus our efforts on story-heavy “milestone emails” sent to players from in-game characters after they finish missions. In truth, they aren’t a million miles from the real-world, personalized letter you’d receive from Pitfall Harry himself (via Activision) if you achieved a very specific score in the 1982 video game Pitfall!
Video games don’t need to include achievements to make themselves tiresome. I still recall the shudder of horror I felt when opening the map for Assassin’s Creed Unity, a 2014 action-adventure set in Paris. Previous games in the franchise had plenty of activities marked on their maps, but Unity‘s was festooned with so many icons it was hard to make out anything except the Seine.
Most people don’t play the Assassin’s Creed series because they like unlocking treasure chests and chasing down ribbons. Instead, they talk about the joy of traversing beautiful historical cities and landscapes or immersing themselves in the rich story. And yet Unity went further than any previous instalment with tasks almost entirely tangential to the main thrust of the game: side quests, fetch quests, and literal collectibles. More grind than ever, as one player put it: “I know the die hard fans of the series will like it because it means they have more to do. I like this game and franchise but when I saw that map I thought what have they done to me, it is taking forever to get everything, so many chests and it does feel like a grind as you need items or money to get better in the missions as they get harder and harder. this game is not easy thats for sure if you dont grind.” Sure enough, one of those die-hards pops in to reply, “I love it. I can pick up the game for like 30min to an hour and just fool around and have fun.”
Some players really do enjoy hunting down endless chests and cockades, or at least they find it relaxing (in a Vice interview, the filmmaker Adam Curtis argued it can be calming and liberating). And when games are being criticized for their high prices of seventy dollars and above, they don’t mind a bit of padding if it lengthens their potential play time; if you think that one hour spent playing a game is as good as any other hour, then a game with eighty hours of notional gameplay is twice as good as one with forty hours. Most would recognize this as a gross oversimplification that ignores quality and variety, yet gamers continue to praise or criticise games for their length and supposed value.
It’s no surprise, then, that game developers and publishers might pad out their game’s advertised duration with extraneous tasks and quests—after all, some players like them! So although Ubisoft partly reversed course after the Unity debacle, the well-received Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla were still criticized for their insistence on grinding. As Polygon‘s Ben Kuchera noted of the former, “Grinding becomes all but necessary for most players … The late game includes a brick wall that you can have to scale by leveling your character to a certain point.”
Kuchera admits this isn’t such a big deal because the game is otherwise fun to play, until you realize the game will sell you the ability to jump up levels faster. A Permanent XP Boost costs 1,000 Helix Credits, equivalent to a $9.99 purchase—and this is on top of the game’s $59.99 launch price. It’s hard to see this as anything other than double-dipping, enticing die-hard fans with promises of dozens of hours of gameplay while profiting from those who only belatedly discover many of those hours are a mind-numbing slog.
In Ubisoft’s defense, there’s a limit to how much time and money you can productively spend in its games. Not so in freemium games (also known as free-to-play), which require no upfront payment. These games earn money either through advertising or increasingly inaccurately named “microtransactions” starting as low as ninety-nine cents but ascending to as much as a hundred dollars. Though self-identified gamers tend to look
down upon the biggest freemium titles like Candy Crush, Homescapes, and Clash of Clans, these mobile games are more profitable and more popular than all but the biggest console games. Most of their revenue comes from big-spending “whales”: on Apple’s App Store as a whole, 6 percent of customers accounted for 88 percent of all spending on games in 2017, exceeding a yearly average of $750 per customer. The remaining 94 percent of users still contribute revenue, albeit much less, by viewing adverts and the occasional discounted microtransaction to skip the grind of an especially frustrating puzzle or opponent.
In multiplayer games, these low-spending “minnows” make another unquantifiable yet crucial contribution: they’re human cannon fodder. As one Clash Royale player puts it, “Part of the draw [for whales] is to be at the top of a game with millions of players. If there were only a few hundred or even thousand, no one would bother putting money into the game anymore.” A Game of War player talks of playing with “two princes from Jordan spending $5,000+ daily” and his time in Dubai with a “VIP” player named Stayalive77 who “spent millions of dollars to win the most competitive event for 6 consecutive months.” These aren’t tall tales—I’ve heard the same from other CEOs in the freemium games industry.
Fortnite, another freemium game made by Epic Games, skillfully combines monetization and grinding in its seasonal Battle Pass system. Battle Passes cost around ten dollars and
include countless costumes, avatars, dances, and backpacks. These goodies aren’t all available after purchase, however—you need to “level up” your Battle Pass in order to unlock them. Of course, this process involves playing enormous amounts of Fortnite by completing challenges like “destroying 3 toilets,” “finding 3 car parts,” or gaining one hundred headshots. One reviewer estimated it takes a minimum of fifty hours to fully unlock a Battle Pass. That doesn’t sound too bad until you consider this needs to be completed within the ten-to-twelve-week length of a season and is best completed through daily and weekly challenges, plus teaming up with friends. Another journalist put the time commitment at fifteen to sixteen matches every day. True, there is nothing compelling players to fully unlock their Battle Pass, except for the Fortnite‘s ever-cajoling user interface and the nagging feeling that if you don’t, you’ll have wasted ten dollars. Battle Passes are now common throughout the games industry, with Halo Infinite‘s pass including sixteen to eighteen hours of daily challenges, helpfully leaving just enough time for a few hours of sleep.
As with Assassin’s Creed, if you have the money, you can pay to skip Fortnite‘s Battle Pass grind. And if you don’t? You can keep playing, happy to die a dozen times a day in the knowledge that at least you’re entertaining someone wealthier.
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM and Florian Olivo on Unsplash.
Extending its curation credentials, Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya is delighted to announce the promotion of its former Hotel Manager, the artistically and culturally minded Martin Kipping, to General Manager.
Having joined the Hotel in 2021 – following 25 years’ experience of international luxury hospitality, including 13 years with Four Seasons – Kipping has helped steer the group’s Kuwaiti icon through its most challenging period to date. He is now poised to lead the Hotel into a new era of excellence, driven by Four Seasons vision of delivering modern luxury with heart, through meaningful guest experiences that honour cultural connection and support sustainability.
“Kuwait has such a sense of proud heritage,” comments Kipping. “From the old souks to the Grand Mosque, great museums to an impressive amount of contemporary art, there are so many fascinating cultural components to explore. I’m privileged to lead a prodigiously talented team committed to sharing our destination’s stories through personalised touches of thoughtfulness and care.”
Kipping is one of the industry’s consummate professionals. A gifted communicator who is fluent in German, English, Spanish and French, he has long been captivated by different cultures. Raised near Cologne, the cultural capital of Germany’s Rhineland, Kipping spent summers exploring Europe with his family, while his love of art saw him toying with a career in architecture. An early tenure at London’s The Dorchester inspired his vision of luxury leadership and led to studies at
Switzerland’s prestigious Les Roches School of Hospitality. Since his first Four Seasons move to Washington in 1997 as Restaurant Manager, he has crafted an extraordinary résumé spanning management roles for high-end brands in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean.
The values and familial culture of Four Seasons drew Kipping back to the fold, this time to Kuwait. Set in the heart of the city centre, with an urban sanctuary vibe, the award-winning Hotel taps into the the Kuwaitis’ passion for luxurious – and innovative – hospitality, delivering an exquisite blend of cutting-edge design alongside a stellar international collection of contemporary art. Spectacular outdoor spaces – exciting for such an urban location – combine wide-reaching city and park views with breath-taking architecture by Gensler of San Francisco, interiors by Yabu Pushelberg of New York, and a world-class Spa and Hammam. In line with the Kuwaitis’ discerning appreciation for fine gastronomy, global culinary creativity from Milan to Tokyo shines through five restaurants and lounges serving everything from innovative Far-Eastern cuisine to Arabic and Japanese specialities and fine chocolaterie.
Having worked in different environments across various cultures, Kipping is excited to merge the program-driven aspects of resort environments with the business background of city
properties. Under his direction, guests can look forward to even more inspirational immersions in Arabic culture including explorations of culinary delicacies, falconry, and winter camel races, as well as Concierge partnerships that reveal Kuwait’s hidden gems.
Sustainability is also key to Kipping’s ethos and leadership. The Hotel is on track to make its guestrooms plastic-free by the end of the year, while further initiatives – including enhanced support of local producers and an onsite water processing site – are in the pipeline.
Underpinning it all is Kipping’s skilled and respectful management of the Hotel’s 400-strong team. “We have over 43 nationalities here so it’s key for me to create an environment where people feel connected as part of the Four Seasons family,” he reflects. “From this strong foundation, we aim to offer guests a truly outstanding experience that cements Four Seasons as the leader in its field, shaping a new vision at the forefront of the luxury hospitality industry.”
For further information or to connect to the culture of Four Seasons architectural Kuwaiti marvel, please contact 2200 6000 and follow their latest on social media @FSKuwait.
Four-day workweeks are a popular perk, but rolling them out correctly can be a challenge. What day do employees get off? Can your company still hit its goals and serve its customers? And what if it doesn’t work out? Rolling back a perk can be even more difficult, and some employees may feel resentful for having to go back to a five-day schedule.
Before you make a big change, here are five mistakes to avoid if you’re considering a shorter workweek.
Instead of switching the entire company to a new work schedule, start by testing the approach, says Joe Sanok, author of Thursday Is the New Friday. “Try different models within different departments,” he says. “Maybe one team takes Thursday afternoons off and another takes off Fridays. Find out what is the best model for your organization and industry.”
Ideally, companies should test the concept for at least two quarters, says Sanok. Companies can also ease into new workflow models by testing meeting- or email-free Fridays, which can allow employees to do focused work or have flexibility to take personal time.
Before changing to a shortened workweek, research the systemic factors that are driving the need for a new plan, says Andrew Filev, founder of the project management platform Wrike.
“Companies that cut down employees’ work time without first optimizing efficiency are bound to fail in this initiative,” he says. “If employees are spending the same amount of time on each task and meeting, a shorter week will only push them to sneak online during the given day off to make up for the loss of time.”
You may need to add other new work systems. For example, decades ago software developers embraced an Agile style of workflow. “They were able to do more in a 40-hour workweek than they were previously doing in 80 hours,” says Filev. “If your shortened workweek strategy centers on creating a healthier work-life balance for your employees while maintaining productivity, consider how best to help them achieve that.”
When marketing research firm Alter Agents rolled out a four-day workweek, the company didn’t tell their clients. In fact, founder and CEO Rebecca Brook decided success would be if their clients had no idea that they were running a four-day workweek. That might have been a mistake, says Sanok. “All interested parties don’t need to be part of the decision, but they should at least be aware of the transition,” he says. “Clients or people that are any part of your supply chain should know because it may affect your timelines.”
When you alert clients, Sanok suggests saying, “We want to preserve top quality talent to better serve you. We are going to test a four-day workweek.”
Remind clients by having employees set calendar blocks and use their email signatures to clearly define their working hours, suggests Tom Caporaso, CEO of Clarus Commerce, a provider of customer engagement, loyalty, and promotions strategies. “This way, clients are aligned and understanding of your organization’s working schedule,” he says.
Clearly define what success will look like. Individual roles should have an output number that indicates success. For example, a salesperson may be hired to make 40 sales calls a week and convert 10 of those.
“During a four-day workweek, an employee may only make 30 calls and land five clients,” says Sanok. “The company may feel frustrated that the new schedule isn’t working.”
Every week, do a quick 15-minute meeting checking in on the KPIs and on the culture of the four-day workweek. Then every month, have an
hour-long meeting to bring together the data.
“Where are we up? Where are we down? How do we address it?” asks Sanok. “At the end of the first quarter, bring all three of those reports from the longer meetings together and create a best practices report.”
A shortened workweek is an indicator of trust for the team, says Caporaso, whose company tested a Summer Fridays perk, giving employees the afternoon off. After its success, it made the schedule permanent.
If your company is in an industry where you need to be available for clients five days a week, you may not be able to give every employee the same day off. Instead of fluctuating days off, however, it’s best to keep to a regular schedule, says Sanok.
When done right, four-day workweeks can be a selling point for companies, says Sanok. “It’s a tough hiring environment,” he says. “Any sort of creativity and flexibility is going to attract betterquality talent than companies that just stick with ancient ways of doing business.”
Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash.Your four-day workweek will fail if you make these 5 mistakes
The world got 5.2 million more millionaires last year, but many are getting pinched in 2022
By Sam Becker
Worldwide, 5.2 million people became millionaires in 2021, according to the Global Wealth Report 2022, an annual release published by Credit Suisse. Including those 5.2 million, 2.5 million of whom are in the U.S., the total number of millionaires globally increased to 62.5 million at the end of 2021. The total amount of global wealth tallied nearly $464 trillion, which was an almost 10% increase over the prior year, too, the report says.
While the report shows an overall uptick in household wealth and the number of millionaires around the world, it’s important to note that the data is from 2021—a year during which the stock markets were riding high and asset values (such as homes) were still at or near record highs. In fact, this combination is something mentioned in the report.
“While financial assets have accounted for most of the increase in household wealth since the global financial crisis, the split between wealth increases driven by financial and nonfinancial assets was almost even in 2021,” wrote Nannette Hechler-Fayd’herbe, chief investment
officer for the EMEA region and global head of economics and research at Credit Suisse, in the report’s executive summary.
Conversely, 2022 has not been nearly as kind, as rising interest rates, among other things, have caused the markets to dip into correction and bearmarket territories. For example, the S&P 500 is down almost 22% year-to-date, which has almost assuredly taken a serious toll on the portfolios of millions of investors. And home values are also taking a hit, as prices dropped 6% between June and August. To cap it off, the Federal Reserve announced another 75-basis-point rate hike this week, further dampening the prospect of a market recovery this year.
All told, the current economy could have knocked some borderline millionaires’ fortunes back into six-figure territory so far this year. And there’s still inflation to add into the equation, which is running at or near 40-year highs, and which is kneecapping the spending power of Americans from all income levels. The latest CPI summary, released on September 13, showed that prices rose 8.3% during August.
Even for someone who had coffers totaling $1 million in January 2020, high inflation over the past several months means that that $1 million now has the same purchasing power as $1.148 million as of August 2022. So even millionaires are feeling the heat.
As such, Hechler-Fayd’herbe noted this in the report: “Some reversal of the exceptional wealth gains of 2021 is likely in 2022/2023 as several countries face slower growth or even recession.”
With that, even as global wealth increased during 2021, and the U.S. minted a number of new millionaires, inflation and the current economic climate may see things reverse course in the near term. The good news? Credit Suisse’s report does anticipate wealth to continue to grow in the years ahead. As Hechler-Fayd’herbe wrote, “[O]ur five-year outlook is for wealth to continue growing. We would expect global wealth to increase by USD 169 trillion by 2026, a cumulative rise of 36%.”
Two-and-a-half million people in the United States became millionaires last year, but thanks to rising prices, that may not mean as much as it used to.Photo by Shane on Unsplash.
This jet fuel was made by sucking carbon out of the air. It could power your flights by 2024
By Adele PetersAn Air Force drone took off on a first-of-a-kind test flight with a new kind of fuel: one made with captured CO2 and renewable energy. It looks and acts like standard jet fuel, but when it burns, it’s carbon neutral.
Air Company, the New York-based startup that created the fuel, is now developing its first commercial production facility for it, and is beginning to take orders from airlines including Jet Blue and Virgin Atlantic.
“The aviation industry, for us, is really interesting, because it’s one of the toughest industries to decarbonize,” says Gregory Constantine, CEO and cofounder of Air Company. Some other startups are working on electric planes, though, right now, the technology is only feasible in small aircraft on short flights. Other companies are designing planes that can run on hydrogen fuel cells, but that also means that aircraft have to be redesigned.
The advantage of the CO2-based fuel, Constantine says, is that it can be used in current planes without the need for new engineering. “The benefit to what we’ve been able to do is create a 100% ‘drop-in’ fuel,” he says. “So no change needs to be made to existing engines.”
Air Company, which has been working on CO2-conversion technology since 2017, uses renewable energy to make hydrogen from water, then adds the hydrogen to a reactor with CO2 captured from ethanol plants. “We can take those really pure streams of CO2 before they’re emitted into the atmosphere and utilize it in our process,” Constantine says. In a single step, the CO2 can be transformed into jet fuel. It’s basically a more efficient version of what plants do in photosynthesis, with oxygen as the only byproduct.
Because the company uses CO2 from ethanol facilities, and that ethanol is made from plants that captured CO2 as they grew, the fuel is carbon neutral when it’s used. As the cost of “direct air capture,” or sucking CO2 from the air, comes down, that captured CO2 can also be used to make the fuel. Right now, “we have a bunch of polluters out there that are just emitting really concentrated carbon dioxide straight into the atmosphere,” says Stafford Sheehan, Air Company’s cofounder and CTO. “So it’s more energy- and carbon-efficient for us just to take and use those concentrated streams.” Once those are mitigated, he says, the company will turn to direct air capture.
Aviation is currently responsible for between 2% to 3% of global CO2 emissions. The industry is aiming to reach net zero emissions by 2050, but plans to buy offsets and pay for carbon capture for around 20% of those emissions rather than eliminating them directly. While it’s likely
that some offsets will be needed, Constantine says, “significant investment in the space can reduce that number to much less than 20% and accelerate it to make it happen before 2050.”
Other startups, like Twelve and Dimensional Energy, are also racing to make jet fuel from CO2 using different technological approaches.
Sustainable aviation fuel “has the potential to achieve commercial viability at scale—a gamechanger for our industry to significantly and quickly drive down our emissions,” says Sara Bodgan, sustainability director at JetBlue, which has committed to buy 25 million gallons of Air Company’s new fuel, “AIRMADE SAF,” over the next five years. It’s part of its own commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2040, a decade earlier than the industry as a whole. In the long term, she says, the airline also sees potential for electric and hydrogen planes.
Air Company previously launched smaller CO2based products—vodka, hand sanitizer, and eau de parfum—made as a byproduct of its R&D. Now, a larger commercial plant is in development for its jet fuel, and the company plans to begin delivering fuels as soon as next year to some
of its airline partners for testing. (The fuel is also going through ASTM testing to ensure it works like fossil fuels.) Commercial use could potentially begin as soon as 2024. Many in the industry thought that the first plant wouldn’t be possible this decade, or even the next, according to Constantine, both in terms of output and cost. The company has a “strong pathway to reach cost parity” with fossil fuels, he says, within this decade, and possibly sooner. New policy support, including subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act for hydrogen, CO2, and sustainable aviation, have helped speed up the timeline.
Still, of course, it won’t immediately replace conventional jet fuel. “The goal is really to change the energy industry from being based on fossil fuels to being based on fuels that are made from carbon dioxide in one way or another,” Sheehan says. “The potential scale is global, it’s massive. And the ultimate goal is obviously going to take a lot of time, because the fossil fuel industry has had around 170 years of infrastructure building . . . it isn’t going to be changed overnight. But we can take the steps to make that a reality now.”
Photo by Jose Lebron on Unsplash.
Bright, shiny, optimistic: Introducing “Neo Real”, H&M Studio’s autumn proposition. Inspired by fashion’s Space Age and modern missions to Mars, the A/W22 collection blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. With a bold color palette and streamlined silhouettes, gravity-defying fabrics and cutting-edge accessories, the collection offers a futuristic take on minimalism. The H&M Studio A/W22 collection is available in select stores and online from October 13.
H&M Studio’s A/W22 collection campaign is an immersive journey through different worlds, blurring the lines between digital and physical dimensions to optimistic effect. The campaign stars siblings Georgia and Joel Palmer, London-based creatives who work across the worlds of fashion, music and the arts. H&M Studio is H&M’s most directional, fashion-forward offering. Developed by an in-house design team at the brand’s Stockholm atelier, the limited-edition collections are unveiled biannually.
Key pieces come laden with attitude and ready for adventure. A cocooning fuchsia anorak, a strong-shouldered chocolate double-breasted overcoat and an electric-turquoise maxi fleece offer eye-catching takes on cold-weather classics. A high-fashion spin on the three-piece suit –oversized blazer meets flared pants and an endlessly versatile tailored skirt – is a modern answer to the workwear dilemma. A ruffled silver sequin dress and high-shine metallic coordinating shirt and trousers promise star power come cocktail hour. And in accessories, sparkling chocolate-brown thigh-high boots, a hot-pink padded clutch bag, Sci-Fi sunglasses, and a braided rhinestone collar necklace are conversation pieces with the ability to transform a look. In line with H&M’s sustainability goals, every item in the collection is made from more sustainably sourced materials including Tencel, recycled polyester, recycled wool and recycled brass.
“How to dress for the future? That was the question the H&M Studio team was asking for autumn, as we discussed mankind’s inspiring missions to space. We came up with sharp, minimalist silhouettes that feel confidenceboosting thanks to bold, brave shots of color – we wanted our customers to dare to dream,” says Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative advisor at H&M.
“With a mood board filled with images of space, the design team thought about what to take on an intergalactic trip. We decided on a mix of practical pieces mixed with fabulous items. The silver coordinating set is my favorite look, but I’d wear the silver trousers with the padded grey T-shirt and the rhinestone necklace – it’s the perfect alternative to a party dress,” says Linda Wikell, concept designer for H&M Studio.
The H&M Studio A/W22 collection will be available in stores and online at kw.hm.com starting October 13.
By Terri R. Kurtzberg and Charles Naquin and Mason Ameri
People appear to be more willing to lie for personal gain when they use a laptop versus a smartphone, our new peerreviewed research shows. Given that the two devices have nearly identical technical capabilities—they’re both boxes with electronic brains—this surprised us and highlights the psychological impact of technology.
Our first in a planned series of studies was a version of what economists call the ultimatum game. In the take-it-or-leave-it exercise, one player is told they’ll receive a certain sum of money, some of which they must split with a partner. But they can tell their partner whatever they choose about the total sum and how much of it they’re willing to offer—allowing them to lie and keep more of the kitty for themselves. However, the partner must agree to the offered sum for either of them to get any money.
In our version, we told 137 graduate students to imagine they’d share US$125 with a fellow student, if their randomly assigned partner agreed to the deal. Half of them used a laptop; the rest participated with their smartphone.
While the vast majority of participants fibbed at least a little, laptop users were much more likely to lie—and by a lot more. Eighty-two percent of laptop participants were deceptive, compared with 62% of phone users, and on average claimed the pot was $20 less.
Although this was hypothetical and didn’t involve real money, previous research by us and other scholars shows that these scenarios are good at predicting actual behavior.
To see if our finding held up in a more real-world scenario, we devised a negotiation experiment in which two people were told to barter over the purchase price of an imaginary semiconductor factory one of them owned. We split 222 students into buyers and sellers. Buyers were confidentially told that the market value of the property was estimated at $21 million.
We then asked buyers to tell sellers what they thought was the fair market value of the property and make an initial offer. Like in the first experiment, about half of the students used their phones and the others negotiated on laptops.
Again, laptop users were more deceptive. On average, they told sellers the fair value was $16.7 million—lowballing it by over $4 million—compared with $18.1 million for phone participants. In both cases, their actual offers were only slightly higher than what they said was the market value.
To find out what’s going on, we asked participants of a separate study about their associations with each device and found a consistent pattern. Phones triggered associations of friends and family, and laptops led to thoughts of work, success and accomplishments—which previous research has shown can trigger unethical behavior.
People’s use of technology in decision-making can subtly yet fundamentally shift the way our brains work.
In past work, we found that people lie more frequently, cooperate less and evaluate others more negatively when they conduct tasks virtually as opposed to in person, with physical tools like pens and paper.
While studies like ours can’t perfectly predict how behavior will play out in real life, these experiments do offer more evidence of the subtle ways technology can alter human behavior.
We don’t know whether our findings would hold for other tasks and within the context of existing relationships. Even within our experiments, other factors may be affecting people’s choice to lie, such as different screen sizes or locations.
Our research shows the continued need to assess how technological tools are used in real settings, including the unconscious changes these devices might have on daily decisions and ethical standards.
Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash.
So why is Gen Z overlooking damning information about fashion’s biggest offenders, blowing past their sustainable intentions, and continuing to shop fast fashion at such an alarming rate? It’s simple: Fast fashion is addicting. While faced with incriminating data points that prove every stage of its lifecycle causes devastation to our planet, fast fashion has few regulations, thus enabling behemoths like Shein to become so popular it has more U.S. app downloads than Amazon.
If fast fashion continues to go unchecked, targeting younger generations of consumers, it will become the next Big Tobacco. While it may not kill its customers, it’s harmful just the same, often encouraging unethical labor practices—and wreaking havoc on our planet.
Our research shows that half of college students watch fast-fashion hauls on social media on a weekly basis. Between the revolving door of trends on social media and the staggering volume of products some of today’s brands are pumping out, fashion trends are now daily instead of seasonal. Yesterday’s Coastal Grandmother is today’s Barbiecore.
Fast fashion preys on people’s worst instincts for a short-term buzz, enabling shoppers to continuously consume in an attempt to catch up with the neverending, passing fads of social media and celebrity culture. Unfortunately for Gen Z, the instant gratification of finding a trendy piece on one of these sites often counteracts the long-term environmental consequences of overconsumption.
In addition, our own research has found that 65% of Gen Z consumers say they shop fast fashion because it saves them money. This generation is no older than 25, making price point a key concern driving their purchasing decisions. But apparel that comes at a cheap price often comes at a steep cost to the environment. Some 70% of fashion’s greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to upstream activities like new clothing production.
If this sounds reminiscent of Big Tobacco, that’s because it is. At its height, the U.S. tobacco industry used tactics similar to those currently employed by fast-fashion brands to hook consumers and make it challenging to quit.
Prior to major regulations, the tobacco industry focused its marketing efforts on young adults and embedded its products into the media, using film and television to market its products as cool and sexy. Look no further than the classic example of Joe
Camel, the “smooth character” cartoon that became an enticing figure to young male smokers. The character was created to build early loyalty in young consumers by feeding on their desire to fit in and be cool, all while glossing over the deadly health effects of tobacco.
Tobacco companies also used low prices as a key marketing tactic geared toward young consumers. In 1960, the average cost of a pack of cigarettes was $0.26—the equivalent of $1.49 today. Today, you can find items on Shein as low as $1.50. There are dresses for $3, sweaters for $5, and jeans for $8.
With new products dropping on the site daily—if not hourly—it’s nearly impossible for consumers to resist shopping for the latest trends at cheap prices despite the growing information around its destructive impact on the environment.
Major restrictions have been placed on tobacco companies’ ability to advertise over the last few decades, and the Food and Drug Administration now requires health warning statements on popular tobacco products. Presenting information about the long-term risks of smoking has weakened Big Tobacco’s influence on young adults. It was only after
these regulations were enforced that the percentage of youth smokers in the U.S. dropped from 68% in 1965 to 9% in 2017.
It is imperative that we take a cue from the effectiveness of government regulation on Big Tobacco and apply it to fast fashion before it’s too late. At our current rate, the fashion industry is on track to consume 26% of the world’s carbon budget by 2050.
While the fashion industry has started pushing for regulation requiring greater transparency from retailers through environmental disclosures, we also need to more clearly surface the implications of purchasing these harmful products for consumers. It’s time for fast fashion to come with a warning label so that younger generations understand how detrimental it is to the planet and can make more informed choices about the apparel they buy.
Big Tobacco did serious damage before the government effectively stepped in to mitigate its impact. We have a golden opportunity to avoid making the same mistake with fashion. Which path will we choose?
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash.Gen Z is being faced with a new age paradox. They’ve built a reputation as the most eco-friendly generation, yet they buy cheap, disposable clothing more than any other consumer group.
As a rule, no business wants to become a distribution tool for its greatest rival. But that’s what happened to Instagram early in its struggle to be more competitive with TikTok. Reels, its answer to TikTok, was regularly being used to repurpose videos that were not only made for TikTok, but actually included a TikTok “watermark,” consisting of a logo and user name. In effect, Instagram was promoting its competition.
Instagram-parent Meta made moves to fix this problem: It announced that the company had “heard” that “content that is visibly recycled from other apps (i.e. contains logos or watermarks) makes the Reels experience less satisfying,” and was thus making rival-branded videos “less discoverable.”
But the issue persisted and has again resurfaced, thanks to a Wall Street Journal report drawn partly from a recent, leaked internal document, “Creators x Reels State of the Union 2022.” This document noted that “nearly one-third of Reels videos are created on another platform, usually TikTok, and include a watermark or border identifying them as such,” according to The Journal. While Instagram’s algorithm “downranks” these clips, limiting their audience, recycled videos apparently remain a nagging problem. (In some cases, this involves unscrupulous users reposting other creators’ videos.)
Clearly, this just compounds Instagram’s most acute challenge these days: For some time now, it’s been roundly criticized and mocked for morphing into more and more of a shameless copycat. TikTok creators have poked fun at Reels as an also-ran format with clueless users, and famously the Instagram celebrity mega-influencers Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian endorsed a call to “make Instagram Instagram again” and “stop trying to be TikTok.” (Although TikTok has lately been doing some copycatting of its own.) So the effort to encourage original—or at least not blatantly recycled—Reels content has become increasingly crucial to protecting Instagram’s brand.
But it’s worth noting that this isn’t all just about what Instagram has done wrong. It’s also a tribute to TikTok’s success in pushing its own brand. That pushy little watermark—including a simplified version of its logo that wiggles around—stays onscreen throughout any given TikTok by default. This could have been judged annoying, given the often-busy design of many TikToks, but it seems to have been accepted without complaint. And over time, it has surely made the service’s logo one of the most recognizable in digital culture.
After all, that internal Meta report noted that TikTok users spend a combined 197.8 million hours a day looking at videos on the app (compared to Instagram users’ 17.6 million hours viewing Reels). This reflects TikTok’s rapid growth to more than 1 billion users, with revenue estimated to hit $12 billion this year, thanks to increasing ad sales. TikTok’s watermark sticks around when a clip
gets tweeted or embedded elsewhere. That’s quite a bit of exposure to a brand’s mark. And in what could be read as an acknowledgment that watermarks are a vital branding tool in the short-form video wars, YouTube recently announced that YouTube Shorts clips—that’s YouTube’s TikTok/Reels competitor— will be marked with an icon to signal its origin if it gets picked up on another platform.
Notably, the TikTok mark itself hasn’t changed much in the half-dozen years since the company was founded: The logo remains a stylized glyph resembling a music note (reflecting the app’s musicand-lip-sync roots), rendered in white with teal and red trim, lending a 3D-like effect against a black background. “The designer was inspired by a rock concert with a dark hall and a stage lit up,” according to the site of brand identity firm Logaster. The result does what may be a logo’s most important job today: stand out on the home screen of your phone. And the simple but distinct shape remains legible even in tiny, monochrome form in a watermark.
That said, much of the success of any given logo boils down to raw repetition and exposure. And the way that TikTok has executed that task has surely made things harder for Meta. It’s been widely noted
that Facebook and Instagram have effectively cloned a rival format before, with what amounted to a version of Snapchat’s “stories” that the services didn’t even bother to rename. Clearly pulling off something like that again is going to be much more of a challenge this time—and those logo-ed watermarks are one reason.
That is what’s giving Instagram such a headache right now. (Meta has said that the leaked internal report is not fully up-to-date with latest data and has been taken out of context, but has conceded that the company has “work to do” with Reels.) The company is reportedly upping the financial incentives for creators to make Instagram-specific, or at least Instagram-led, content. But even that effort just risks underscoring TikTok’s dominance.
Still, in a sense, TikTok has default-branded not just all the zillions of videos made and distributed through its platform, it branded an entire genre of addictive, short-form clips, in effect. That’s why the first problem Instagram has to avoid is the risk that it gets definitively branded, too—as just another place to see TikToks.
Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash.Gentle & Soap-free
Ph Balanced
Tested under control of dermatologists & gynaecologists
When undertaking new paths in life like starting a new family, growth is a major part of the journey. We consider the importance of growth in every aspect in our lives, from how we design our homes, what we buy in our weekly grocery shop, and the very car that we choose as a trusted companion to take the family unit towards new uncharted territories. Abdulmohsen Abdulaziz Al Babtain Company (AABC), the authorized dealer of Nissan vehicles, knows this best, and is delighted to introduce the all-new Pathfinder that now comes with a host of aesthetic, mechanical and technological upgrades that bolster the SUV to better cater to the changing needs of families. Redesigned from the ground up, the all-new Nissan Pathfinder has been created with a sharp focus on the desires of modern families.
From safety and entertainment to comfort and practicality, the all-new Pathfinder is equipped with a host of segment-leading features, serving as the ideal family companion in the city and off the beaten path. A testament to its family friendliness, the all-new Pathfinder was awarded the “Best Family Car 2022” by Parents - the leading source for busy, millennial moms, dads, and families - for the third consecutive year, amongst a selection of over 50 vehicles that surpassed industry safety standards.
Coinciding with the ‘Back to School’ season, and as parents across the region place greater prominence on the safety, comfort, and entertainment of their family, the all-new Nissan Pathfinder brings six pioneering features to the fore:
Dynamic performance for a smooth ride
Providing a smooth driving experience with eight passengers onboard, the all-new Pathfinder boasts a strong 3.5-liter DOHC V6 engine with Direct Injection Gasoline™ that produces 271 horsepower and 340 NM of torque. Paired to an all-new 9-speed automatic transmission, that offers a 30% improvement in acceleration, the new SUV packs a punch whether cruising city streets or exploring lesser travelled paths.
When on the highway, the all-new Pathfinder’s suite of Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies elevates driving experiences, supported by ProPILOT, that takes the stress out of long commutes. With multiple sensors and cameras monitoring road conditions and surrounding vehicles, ProPILOT reduces the amount of acceleration, steering, and braking input required by drivers.
Safety powered by innovative technologies In the all-new Pathfinder, the safety of those inside and outside the vehicle remain uncompromised. In addition to 10 airbags as standard, Nissan Safety Shield® 360 offers enhanced protection through Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot intervention, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure intervention, High Beam Assist, and Intelligent Forward Collision Warning. To reduce driver distractions, the all-new Pathfinder also comes equipped with a 10.8-inch Head-up Display that provides drivers with vital information in their direct line of sight through a projection on the windscreen.
Connected and entertained throughout the journey Connectivity is key in the all-new Pathfinder, that comes fitted with NissanConnect®, Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ as standard. Higher grade options provide wireless Apple CarPlay® integration and a wireless smartphone charging pad. For longer trips, five USB charging ports ensure all devices are fully charged and ready to play tunes through the 12-speaker Bose® Premium Audio system.
Unparalleled comfort for all onboard Be it the daily school run or a weekend getaway, the Pathfinder offers comfort for all onboard. Seating flexibility has been enhanced with standard 8-person capacity or, for the first time
on the Pathfinder, premium second-row captain’s chairs for a 7-person capacity. With the secondrow bench seats, flexibility is taken a step further with the introduction of EZ FLEX® onetouch release that allows the second row to tilt and slide forward for third row accessibility, with the single click of a button even with a car seat attached.
Numerous cubby holes, including 16 beverage holders and a new storage shelf above the glove compartment, ensure plenty of space to store personal belongings. A new easy-to-clean luggage box offering an additional 54.4 liters of under-cargo storage, is ideal for outings to the beach, and is accompanied by a large center console storage box for tablets, laptops, and smartphones.
The perfect companion for a family adventure
Families that enjoy venturing off-road, are likely make the most of the all-new Intelligent 4WD system and seven unique drive / terrain modes. Ready for all adventures, the Pathfinder offers families a number of optional accessories to make time spent in the great outdoors safer and more enjoyable. These include crossbars for added cargo carrying capabilities, an all-season cargo area and seatback protector, and portable cargo organizer amongst others.
Nissan Al Babtain encourages customers to visit its showrooms located in Al Rai, Ahmadi and Jahra to explore the family-friendly Nissan Pathfinder.
For more information, please call the dedicated call center on 1804 888 or visit the official website www.babtain.com.
@CostaKuwait
A photo-sharing app, it sends a daily prompt (at a different time each day) to users to quickly take and share a real-time image—and is the #1 download in the social networking category of the Apple App Store. And it’s the seventh most popular in Google Play.
That success, though, is capturing the attention of other social giants, who are quickly rushing to create their own versions of BeReal to avoid losing users.
TikTok, which, itself, has been imitated several times by competitors (including Instagram and YouTube), is the latest to clone the concept, announcing TikTok Now on Thursday.
“TikTok Now invites you and your friends to capture what you’re doing in the moment using your device’s front and back camera,” the company said in a statement. “You’ll receive a daily prompt to capture a 10-second video or a static photo to easily share what you’re up to.”
In the U.S., the feature will be included in the TikTok app, but other regions may have to download a separate app to join the fun. As
with BeReal, those videos are shared with the community the user selects.
TikTok is hardly the first to swipe BeReal’s idea. Last month, word leaked out that Meta was working on Candid Challenges for Instagram, which follows the daily-prompt-and-immediate-turnaround formula. A spokesperson confirmed the feature to Fast Company, saying, “This feature is an internal prototype, and not testing externally.”
It’s certainly a validation of BeReal’s central concept, though the company already knew it had a hit on its hands. BeReal has been downloaded more than 20 million times since it debuted. The French startup was founded by former GoPro employee Alexis Barreyat in 2020, and is especially popular among college-age users.
Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but in the corporate world, it can also be a hurdle—sometimes an insurmountable one. So, will the move by TikTok and a possible one by Meta put an end to BeReal’s growth trajectory?
BeReal raised a Series B round of $85 million in May, quadrupling its valuation to more than $600
million, according to Business Insider. That’s not Meta or TikTok numbers, but it’s not insignificant.
The social media landscape is littered with the corpses of companies that were labeled the next big thing, however. Remember Vine? Meerkat? Yik Yak?
Just a year ago, Clubhouse was the envy of social media users, as people clamored for an invitation. But once Meta and Twitter began offering their own alternatives, its star begin to fade.
BeReal isn’t currently generating revenue, and there are no BeReal influencers. (Yet.) It envisions itself as a return to social media’s roots, with friends interacting with each other in an authentic way.
BeReal has a loyal base of users, but given how quickly large tech companies adopt (or outright copy) popular innovations, it can be increasingly difficult for growing companies to gain—and keep—a toehold on the market.
The social media app BeReal is having a moment.Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.
Travel has returned after COVID-19 suddenly halted jetsetting—but trip trends don’t resemble those prior to the pandemic. Reports consistently show that domestic leisure travel has bounced back, while business travel hasn’t picked up. According to Tony Capuano, CEO of Marriott, who joined Senior Editor Amy Farley at the Fast Company Innovation Festival, when guests are traveling for businesses, they’re also tacking on leisure days to those same trips, effectively blending business and pleasure.
Marriott’s revenue had dropped 49% in 2020, a tough situation to counter when Capuano became CEO in February 2021. And there were worries travel wouldn’t pick up again. “You had Bill Gates saying 50% of business travel would never come back,” Capuano said. “He was saying that as he was selling us Microsoft Teams for video conferencing,” he added. Joking aside, there’s a chance that business travel won’t rebound fully until 2026—or ever. Business travel raked in $697 billion in 2021, far off from the $1.4 trillion generated in 2019. Forty percent of U.S. respondents to a survey said they would never travel for work again.
On the other hand, leisure is back to normal, with domestic vacations back at pre-pandemic levels. But: “The strength of leisure is not necessarily a pandemic-driven phenomenon,” Capuano said, stressing that Marriott saw leisure rise starting in 2017, when it became its fastestgrowing segment. That’s when the company entered the all-inclusive space, and “aggressively” increased its resort portfolio.
Now, travelers are mixing the two, in what some have called a “bleisure” segment. “I hate that word,” Capuano said. Whatever the terminology, Marriott is seeing that those traveling for business, say to a city like New York, are tacking on a few more days to see the sights. “The first two days, you’re dressed in business apparel, the second two days, you’re in shorts and flip flops,” he said.
Even back in 2017, the chain knew that city hotels, typically more conservative in design and programming and catering to the business crowd, had to get more creative. That’s still true now, but it’s harder with blended trips when it’s harder to predict what guests will want, and when. Hotels will have to cater for those arriving for business, who just want to grab a keycard and go up to their rooms unbothered. Those coming with families may want to talk to the front desk and concierge, and get restaurant and attraction recommendations. “We’ve got to be able to serve both sets of needs,” Capuano said. “And often, those dual sets of needs are from the same customer.”
“If you check in for that four day trip that I described, I’m not gonna interrogate you at the front desk,” Capuano said. But, they have to be prepared. And they’re starting with programming,
tweaking food and beverage outlets, fitness and wellness amenities, and ensuring there are pool lifeguards and activities. “It’s not easy in the blink of an eye to change the physical layout, but [with] the programming, we’ve made some pretty significant pivots,” he said.
Marriott’s loyalty program may also play a part in helping to accommodate leisure, when it’s been business-focused in the past. Capuano wants Bonvoy, which has 170 million members, to evolve into having a more “emotional” connection with travelers. “Our relationship with our Bonvoy members today is too transactional for my taste,”
he said. Soon, the chat functionality could help vacationers build their Hawaii trip itineraries, for example, leading them directly to the concierges at the Ritz Carltons in Capu and Maui.
But Marriott will have to be careful for now, as it’s hard to forecast the balance of business to leisure. “I do not, for a minute, believe that travel is permanently impaired,” Capuano said. “What I do think is that it may be harder and harder for us to tell you, a year or two from now, precisely the mix of our demand by segment.”
Photo by Alex Azabache on Unsplash.
By Stephanie Vozza
If you have an iPhone, Apple’s weekly Screen Time report can be eye-opening. Did I really pick up my phone 36 times and spend 7 hours on social media? You might be tempted to blame the phone as the cause of your distraction, especially if you have notifications enabled. The root cause, however, is your relationship with technology—one that’s possible to change, says Dandapani, a Hindu priest, former monk, and author of The Power of Unwavering Focus.
The problem is that people haven’t defined the purpose of the smartphone in their life,” he says. “I am quite clear on my purpose in life, and my purpose has defined my priorities. Because I’m clear on my purpose and my priorities, I can look at the smartphone and say, ‘How can this smartphone serve me in living a purpose-focused life?’”
Dandapani looks at his phone the same way he looks at tools for his garden. “I have a few shovels in the shed, and I only use a shovel when I need to dig a hole to plant a tree,” he says. “The rest of the time, the shovel stays in the shed.”
The same is true for his phone. “I don’t pick up the phone unless it’s helping me connect with my priorities,” he explains. “Define what it is you want. Then you can see how technology will align with you. You can make decisions as to what apps you need. What notifications you need. When and how to interact with your phone will become obvious and clear. Once you define the purpose and relationship, it’s easier to manage technology. But if I don’t have that purpose and relationship defined, then every time it chimes, I respond.”
Defining your purpose and figuring out what you
want in life requires reflection, a process that can be quite challenging when you’re constantly distracted.
“Most people don’t spend time in selfreflection,” says Dandapani. “They’ll spend two hours with a friend, but they won’t spend two hours with themselves. When people spend time with themselves, they’re reading a book or listening to music. How about listening to your own thoughts and what it is you want? . . . If you don’t spend time with yourself, you won’t know.”
Self-reflection requires focus, turning your gaze inward long enough to learn what you really want. The problem is that many of us are looking for a fast solution, says Dandapani.
“There’s no quick fix,” he says. “We live in this world that trains us to be going from one thing to another. It’s 60-second TikTok videos that move to the next. If you do that for 3 or 4 hours, you’re training your mind to be on one thing for only 60 seconds. Even if you sit to self-reflect, you can only self-reflect for 60 seconds because that’s the pattern you’ve created in your mind.”
To improve your focus, you need to practice concentration. Instead of meditating, though,
Dandapani recommends starting with the nonnegotiable, reoccurring events in an average day. For example, you may speak to your spouse or partner a cumulative total of two hours a day in five- or 20-minute increments.
“Every time I speak with my wife, I give her my undivided attention,” says Dandapani. “I keep my awareness on her. If my mind starts to drift away as she’s speaking, I bring it back to her. I’m relentless with this practice.”
In a day, you can clock in two hours of practicing concentration. After six months, you’ll have better focus. “We’re masters at distraction because we practice it 8 to 10 hours a day,” says Dandapani. “Practice concentration instead of distraction.”
When you can practice concentration instead of distraction, you’ll be able to enter periods of self-reflection. You can define your purpose and priorities and change your relationship with your smartphone. “Figure out what it is you want in life and how technology can serve you,” says Dandapani. “Smartphones aren’t to blame. What is to blame is the inability to exercise discipline around their use.”
Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash.
By bazaar staff
If you haven’t seen it on our socials yet, then you read it here first! H&M are proud to reveal the wonder of Brasserie Hennes in a brand new film inspired by fiction and whimsy. Brasserie Hennes is a fictional fashion destination that encapsulates Paris’ iconic Brasserie culture, and where better to watch the magic of Paris unfold? All are invited to sit in the open air and watch exceptional style parade the streets. In an evolution of the Hôtel Hennes universe, Brasserie Hennes promises new adventures. Here, fashion is for everyone, and anything can happen.
If you haven’t seen it on our socials yet, then you read it here first! H&M are proud to reveal the wonder of Brasserie Hennes in a brand new film inspired by fiction and whimsy. Brasserie Hennes is a fictional fashion destination that encapsulates Paris’ iconic Brasserie culture, and where better to watch the magic of Paris unfold? All are invited to sit in the open air and watch exceptional style parade the streets. In an evolution of the Hôtel Hennes universe, Brasserie Hennes promises new adventures. Here, fashion is for everyone, and anything can happen.
Naomi Campbell plays the Parisian fashion insider, who is joined at Brasserie Hennes by inquisitive tourist, model Jill Kortleve, who just landed in the fashion capital. Coffee in hand, Campbell and Kortleve watch as fellow cast mates, creator-couple Young Emperors, model Jordan Barrett, model Paloma Elsesser and influencer twins Molly and Reese Blutstein, stride the cobbled streets in the best of H&M AW22. Directed by Bardia Zeinali, the film celebrates Paris, bringing fashion inspiration to all.
Commenting on the campaign, Naomi Campbell stated, “It’s a pleasure to work with H&M on this film inspired by a city so close to my heart. Great fashion should be for everyone, and it’s amazing to see this campaign champion that.”
The AW22 collection is an embodiment
of Parisian style; classic, confident and interchangeable. City-staples such as mini skirts, sharp overcoats and boots (from western to kneehigh) are essentials. Warm tones of oranges, reds and burgundy harmonise with check-oncheck styling, and personality shines through the collection with sparkling accessories, macro tote style bags and chunky, expressive knits.
“Welcome to Brasserie Hennes: a fantastical place of fiction, where our AW22 collection shines.
We’re delighted to bring the wonder of Paris to H&M and we can’t wait to share it with you all.”Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor, H&M
The AW collection is available in-store & online at kw.hm.com, with prices starting from 6.99 Kd.
While a paycheck is important, a lot of people are questioning the exchange of their time for money. According to survey by McKinsey, 70% of U.S.-based employees say their work defines their sense of purpose and nearly half are reconsidering the kind of work they do because of a shift in priorities during the pandemic.
Instead of leaving your current employer to find a job that is more fulfilling, though, it’s possible to find a greater sense of purpose where you are, says Soon Yu, author of Friction: Adding Value by Making People Work for It.
While companies are realizing that they have to provide opportunities for professional development, mentorship, and career progression, employees can and should start asking for it. How you approach your request, however, will likely impact your success.
How to Frame the Ask Don’t plop the request in their lap, says Ken Coleman, author of From Paycheck to Purpose: The Clear Path to Doing Work You Love. “You could create a little bit of unnecessary tension, even if you are ultimately helping your boss,” he says. “Instead, you can be like a lawyer in a courtroom and lead them along the path to what you’re actually asking.”
Do this by casting a vision. Coleman recommends showing hunger that is wrapped in humility. For example, “I’m grateful for this company and the job that I have. I want to grow professionally, and I’ve been looking around in my heart and examining my talents, what I love to do, and what results matter to me.”
“I call this talent, passion, and mission,” says Coleman. “Talent is what I’m good at. Passion is what I love to do. And my mission speaks to the values and results that I want my work to create.”
Next, ask for what you need to get there, such as additional training, new assignments, or added responsibilities. Be sure to connect the effort to the anticipated results, showing your boss what they can expect from you in the future.
“Paint a picture for your boss of what it will look like when you’re using the specific talents,” says Coleman. “You want to add more value to the company. That kind of specificity and vision casting will bring them in as a participant and help get their buy-in.”
For example, you could say, “do you think there’s an opportunity to make a slight adjustment in my current job? I’m spending half my day doing work I love, and I’d like to bump that up to 80%. I believe the additional time I spend on that type of work will generate [this benefit].”
Yu agrees that it’s important that your request demonstrates the added value you will bring to the company. Another good way to frame the ask is to say, “I would like to get better at what I’m doing, but I need help. I’m willing to put in the extra time and
effort if you’re willing to help me. I would really like to take a course, which connects to this project I’m working on. I am happy to share what I learn with the team.”
“Your boss would have to be an asshole to say ‘no’ to that, especially if you come in with some concrete things that would help your mastery and your autonomy,” says Yu. “If it’s in their authority, the boss is likely going to give you a trial.”
But don’t ask if you’re not willing to put in extra time and effort. “If you fall flat on your face, the likelihood of you getting the second favor may not be as great,” says Yu.
Meaningful Work is Meaningful to Your Boss, too Managing employees who excel at their roles and add value to the company will reflects well on bosses.
“Now you’re their protégé,” says Yu. “If it’s within their authority or if they can advocate for it or be a champion for it, they’ll try to get you an opportunity to [put] meaningful work into practice.”
“There’s humility [in] saying, ‘I want to bring more to the table,’” adds Coleman. “That’s usually very attractive. What’s happening with that type of posture is that you’re bringing your leader into the equation, and you’re not just saying, ‘hey, I want this.’”
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.
When you go live on TikTok, you open up a whole different side of social media: Live streams are a more spontaneous way of creating content that static posts or videos can’t compete with. They allows your followers to ask you questions and hang out with you, virutally. The unedited content allows your followers to get to know you a bit better and, in turn, gives you the opportunity to better understand your audience.
Although going live on TikTok might seem a little intimidating at first, it’s well worth considering if you want to connect with your followers on a deeper level. Here’s everything you need to know to go live on TikTok, no matter how many followers you have.
How to go live on TikTok
Going live on TikTok is relatively easy if you already have live streaming capabilities. All you have to do is hit the “create” icon (the plus sign) on the TikTok home screen and swipe all the way left to the “live” button. From there, you’ll be prompted to select a cover image and title for your upcoming live stream.
Keep in mind that the image and title will be the first thing your followers see, so you’ll want to make sure that it’s captivating enough to get people to click.
Once you’ve selected your image and caption and you’re ready to go live, you’ll want to click the “go live” button. TikTok will count you down from three and you’ll be officially live. When you’re ready to end the live stream, all you have to do is click the “x” button at the top left corner of your screen.
How many followers on TikTok do you need to go live?
Here’s where things might get a little tricky for some TikTok users: Right now, TikTok doesn’t grant live-streaming privileges to just anyone, and there are a few conditions you’ll need to meet if you want to be able to go live on the app. That being said, it’s not all that difficult to meet the requirements if you’re a regular TikTok user working on building your following and engagement.
In order to go live on TikTok, you need to have a minimum of 1,000 followers (more on that below). It’s also important to note that TikTok doesn’t allow most minors to live stream, full stop. TikTok users must be at least 16 years of age in order to hit the live button.
How to go live on TikTok eithout 1,000 followers
Technically speaking, TikTok requires users to
have a minimum of 1,000 followers in order to start a live stream. Don’t let that discourage you, though. If the thought of working your way up to 1,000 followers on TikTok seems like a daunting task, there might be another workaround that’ll let you skirt the rules (or so we’ve heard).
You’ll want to note that this hack isn’t approved by TikTok–but it has been proven to work for some users. The live-streaming hack involves submitting a support ticket claiming that you used to have live-streaming access and asking to have it reinstated on your account.
You can submit a support ticket by clicking the menu button in the top right corner of your screen. From there, you’ll want to hit the “settings and privacy” button, scroll down, and click “report a problem.” Click “I can’t start a LIVE” and follow the prompts to fill out a report. After you submit the report, you’ll have to wait anywhere from a few minutes to a few days to find out whether you may or may not end up with live-streaming privileges.
If the hack doesn’t work, consider working on growing your following in order to land livestreaming privileges organically.
Photo by Obed Hernández on Unsplash.Looking to enhance your social media presence and grow your following quickly and efficiently? Going live on TikTok–like most social media platforms–is one of the best ways to engage with your followers in real-time while ensuring your face or brand circulates on the platform.
After taking on Apple and Pandora, Spotify appears to be setting its sights on Amazon.
In what seems to be the beginning of a new phase for the company, Spotify on Tuesday announced that U.S. subscribers will be able to purchase and listen to more than 300,000 audiobook titles. Users will have to pay separately for each book—there’s no audiobooks subscription plan yet—but with expectations of a growing interest in audiobooks in the coming years, this seems to be setting up a battle between Spotify and Amazon-owned Audible.
At present, audiobooks represent just 6% to 7% of the overall book market, says Spotify. However, the category is growing at a rate of 20% year over year. Nir Zicherman, Spotify’s vice president and global head of audiobooks and gated content, calls it “a substantial untapped market” in a blog post.
“We believe that audio and long-form content is a much bigger business than what many would have thought,” says Zicherman. “Our expansion into audiobooks is a significant proof-point in that belief. And this is just the beginning. Just as we did with podcasting, this will introduce a new format to an audience that has never before consumed it, unlocking a whole new segment of potential listeners. This also helps us support even more kinds of creators and connect them with fans who will love their art—which makes this even more exciting.”
The à la carte offering, at present, carries a fairly hefty price. Want to listen to Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music? It’ll cost you $25.90. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? That’s $32.90.
That gives the upper hand, for now, to Audible, which offers a variety of subscription options starting at $7.95 per month—with access to thousands of audiobooks and podcasts, but not new releases or best sellers. (Audible also offers a free 30-day trial to hook subscribers.) Its highest tier, $229.50 per year, includes access to the Plus Catalog plus 24 credits for premium selection titles. Audible, currently, has about twice the size of Spotify’s new library.
With 188 million premium subscribers and 450 million monthly active users, though, Spotify knows how to hook an audience. The company has acknowledged its lack of experience in this sector, saying it had to learn to present audiobooks in a way that was familiar and intuitive to current subscribers. Once audiobooks are as familiar as podcasts for users, it opens up a world of possibilities. By using a purchase-to-listen model, Spotify can gauge interest among users and gather data on what titles they examine.
“The offering available today in the U.S. is just the first iteration of audiobooks on Spotify,” says Zicherman. “We’ll learn a lot through this launch and leverage those learnings as we enhance the experience with new features, plan for launches in additional markets, and innovate on the format to benefit listeners, authors, and publishers.”
Another possible option: an ad-supported model for audiobooks.
Spotify, of course, has not hinted at anything other than the à la cart model, but the company
has been clear that it expects to assume a leadership position in the space, ever since CEO Daniel Ek first began laying the groundwork for the rollout of audiobooks back in June.
“Just as we’ve done in podcasting, expect us to play to win,” Ek said in a presentation to investors. “And, with one major player dominating the space, we believe we will expand the market, and create value for users and creators alike.”
Photo by Behnam Norouzi on Unsplash.
Cole Haan is releasing its 5.ZERØGRAND WRK Sneaker for men and women, which includes a limited-edition colorway launching in collaboration with streetwear pioneer Jeff Staple. The product—the fifth in a line of industry-leading breakthroughs in design and engineering, represents a seismic shift in convention-breaking footwear for today’s young, urban professional who grew up wearing anything but dress shoes.
“Since its inception, the Cole Haan ZERØGRAND collection has exemplified reinvention with purpose, by seamlessly combining craft and innovation. What started as a simple dress shoe that was unbelievably light and flexible, has evolved into a thoroughly modern collection which has become an industry leader and worldwide best seller,” said David Maddocks, Brand President of Cole Haan. “ With its distinct flex grooves and business as un(usual) mentality, the launch of 5.ZERØGRAND builds upon Cole
Haan’s lasting legacy of groundbreaking design and engineering. Not only do these products pay homage to the inaugural ZERØGRAND line but also address the needs of a new generation of consumers who get dressed from the feet up.”
The global performance lifestyle brand has served always-connected, active professionals with innovative footwear and lifestyle accessories. With a 90-year heritage, Cole Haan infuses its products with time-honored craftsmanship and modern innovation, making footwear and lifestyle
accessories that customers wear from work, to workout, to weekend. Cole Haan’s mission is to inspire customers to live extraordinary lives.
And as office culture continues to shift and evolve, so too has Cole Haan’s ZERØGRAND line. The launch of the 5.ZERØGRAND WRK Sneaker subtly reveals the brand’s lasting legacy for craft and innovation—while transforming the way consumers dress for the present-day office— however they define it. Designed for modern life, the versatile shoe offers an ideal fit featuring
a snug, running shoe-inspired construction combined with a ghillie cord-lacing system that embraces the contours of the foot for maximum comfort. Other hallmarks include responsive cushioning as a result of its dual-density diamond-punch midsole system and patented split welt-construction which allows for natural flexibility, plus internal precision engineering and handcrafted details such as mixed leathers, suedes, and a durable toe overlay that gives a nod to a traditional wingtip. With back pull tabs that allow for easy on and off, these shoes represent the optimal balance of style and performance.
The new 5.ZERØGRAND offerings are available on ColeHaan.com.kw and in stores. The 5.ZERØGRAND WRK Sneaker will also be available in both men’s and women’s sizes in a variety of colors and will retail for 94 KD. The limited-edition Cole Haan x STAPLE 5.ZERØGRAND WRK Sneaker will be available in October in men’s sizes. For the latest updates, check out Cole Haan @colehaan.kw on Instagram.
Several TikTok users posted videos within the past week showing how anyone on Spotify could access films, such as Minions: The Rise of Gru, Pinocchio, and Mean Girls. The clips suggest that the TikTokers were as confused by the discovery as anyone else, with captions like, “Okay but since when could I watch movies on Spotify?” and “What on earth is happening to Spotify?”
The answer, of course, is piracy: It seems Spotify users are posting full movies through the video podcast tool.
TikTok users reported that the videos did indeed play in full on Spotify. The streaming music giant, for its part, has since cracked down on the pirated content (at least, those films that went viral through TikTok). Most, if not all, of the films appeared to be removed by the time Fast Company attempted to find the streams on Monday. That’s not the say the problem has totally gone away: Instead of the full movies, several “podcasts” showed up that linked to pirated movie websites. It’s unclear how long the direct movie streams were available to watch on Spotify.
“IP infringement is an industry-wide issue that we take very seriously,” a Spotify spokesperson told Fast
Company. “Any content that is provided to Spotify that infringes on third-party rights will be removed.” The spokesperson added that the company “invests heavily in processes to detect and remove such content.”
The spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for more information on when the company started taking down the videos.
Piracy issues aren’t the streamer’s first brush with content-related growing pains. Earlier this year, several artists and creators boycotted the platform for its airing of The Joe Rogan Experience, a podcast that has been criticized for spreading COVID-19 misinformation. The company has since added content advisories to any material that mentions COVID-19 and released its content policies.
Spotify introduced its video podcast tools in 2020 as it strengthened its bet in the space that could push the streamer past music and boost its profitability. The company has since rolled out video more broadly, allowing for more creators in different countries to use the feature, which it hoped would help fend off the growing threat of YouTube.
Even as platforms and governments crack
down on privacy, access to free content is still readily available, due to the impossible logistics of policing each and every free video. Oftentimes, it’s a game of Whac-A-Mole: One site or user gets taken down, another pops up. Global online piracy costs the U.S. economy at least $29.2 billion in lost revenue each year, according to a 2019 report from the Chamber of Commerce.
It’s difficult to get consumers to care about piracy in the short term, since they’re getting the content they want for free, says Michael Smith, an information technology professor at Carnegie Mellon University. “As we know, when you get something for free you’re less likely to pay for it,” he told Fast Company. Research shows that piracy significantly hurts movie sales. The hampered sales lead studios to make different types of movies as well as subsequently release fewer pictures.
The issue of piracy is one that’s familiar to Spotify: Many credit streaming-music platforms with curbing the practice by democratizing access to music through ad-supported services.
Spotify subscribers have long used the streaming service to play their favorite movie’s soundtrack. But some now are apparently using the service to watch actual movies, too.
Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash.
So, has everyone updated their iPhones yet? There’s lots of good stuff to unpack but for my money, the ability to edit and unsend messages is the pièce de résistance.
There are a handful of catches—one that shouldn’t last all that long, a couple that are slightly limiting but not a huge deal, and one that’ll almost certainly always be an issue—but outside of those, the feature itself works pretty well. Here’s what to do.
Just a little housekeeping before we begin. For this to work like it’s been designed, the person on the receiving end of your messages needs to be using an Apple gadget running iOS 16 as well. Once that’s been taken care of, though, it’s smooth sailing.
The second issue is twofold: first, you can only unsend a message within two minutes of sending it. Second, you can only edit a message up to five times within 15 minutes. So, those latenight texts you sent to your ex are digital concrete by morning.
The third issue, also twofold, is that your recipient will be able to see that you unsent a message even though the message itself will get nuked. And for messages you edit, your recipient will be able to see prior versions of the message. When in doubt, nuke it out in other words.
The final issue is that this only works between Apple gadgets. There will be no unsending or editing of messages sent to Android phones, believe it or believe it.
Okay, so we’ve updated our iPhone to iOS 16, yes? And our recipient has an iPhone running iOS 16, yes?
To unsend the message in question— remember, within two minutes—simply long press on the message and select Undo Send. That’s it: nothing too complicated. However, remember that your recipient will see that you unsent a
message even though they won’t be able to see the message in question.
To edit a message, same sequence: long press the message you want to edit and then select Edit—remember, only five times within 15 minutes. Once you’ve gotten your message how you want it, tap the blue check and the new version will update itself on your recipient’s end.
And remember here that your recipient will be able to view revision history. So, if you text your ex, “I still love you and I can’t stop thinking about you” and then edit it to “hey, I have some of your mail,” you might be in for an awkward conversation.
Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash.
People have been exploring the surface of Mars for over 50 years. According to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, nations have sent 18 human-made objects to Mars over 14 separate missions. Many of these missions are still ongoing, but over the decades of Martian exploration, humankind has left behind many pieces of debris on the planet’s surface.
I am a postdoctoral research fellow who studies ways to track Mars and Moon rovers. In mid-August, NASA confirmed that the Mars rover Perseverance had spotted a piece of trash jettisoned during its landing, this time a tangled mess of netting. And this is not the first time scientists have found trash on Mars. That’s because there is a lot there.
Debris on Mars comes from three main sources: discarded hardware, inactive spacecraft, and crashed spacecraft.
Every mission to the Martian surface requires a module that protects the spacecraft. This module includes a heat shield for when the craft passes through the planet’s atmosphere and a parachute and landing hardware so that it can land softly.
The craft discards pieces of the module as it descends, and these pieces can land in different locations on the planet’s surface—there may be a lower heat shield in one place and a parachute in another. When this debris crashes to the ground, it can break into smaller pieces, as happened during the Perseverance rover landing in 2021. These small pieces can then get blown around because of Martian winds.
A lot of small, windblown trash has been found over the years—like the netting material found recently. Earlier in the year, on June 13, Perseverance rover spotted a large, shiny thermal blanket wedged in some rocks 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) from where the rover landed. Both Curiosity in 2012 and Opportunity in 2005 also came across debris from their landing vehicles.
The nine inactive spacecraft on the surface of Mars make up the next type of debris. These craft are the Mars 3 lander, Mars 6 lander, Viking 1 lander, Viking 2 lander, the Sojourner rover, the formerly lost Beagle 2 lander, the Phoenix lander, the Spirit rover and the most recently deceased spacecraft, the Opportunity rover. Mostly intact, these might be better considered historical relics than trash.
Wear and tear take their toll on everything on the Martian surface. Some parts of Curiosity’s aluminum wheels have broken off and are presumably scattered along the rover’s track. Some of the litter is purposeful,
with Perseverance having dropped a drill bit onto the surface in July 2021, allowing it to swap in a new, pristine bit so that it could keep collecting samples.
Crashed spacecraft and their pieces are another significant source of trash. At least two spacecraft have crashed, and an additional four have lost contact before or just after landing. Safely descending to the planet’s surface is the hardest part of any Mars landing mission—and it doesn’t always end well.
When you add up the mass of all spacecraft that have ever been sent to Mars, you get about 22,000 pounds (9,979 kilograms). Subtract the weight of the currently operational craft on the surface—6,306 pounds (2,860 kilograms)—and you are left with 15,694 pounds (7,119 kilograms) of human debris on Mars.
Today, the main concern scientists have about trash on Mars is the risk it poses to current and future missions. The Perseverance teams are documenting all debris they find and checking to see if any of it could contaminate the samples the rover is collecting. NASA engineers have also considered whether Perseverance could get tangled in debris from the landing but have concluded the risk is low. The real reason debris on Mars is important is because of its place in history. The spacecraft and their pieces are the early milestones for human planetary exploration.
Photo by SIMON LEE on Unsplash.
GAZOO Racing (GR) achieved a perfect one-two victory in the 6 Hours of Fuji to celebrate the return of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) to Japan in impressive style. Fuji Speedway hosted WEC for the first time since 2019 where GAZOO Racing strengthened its World Championship challenge and celebrated a memorable homecoming by winning on the Toyota GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar’s Japanese debut. Maximum points from its home race bring Toyota a big step closer to retaining its manufacturers’ World Championship, extending its lead to 26 points.
Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa delivered a flawless performance in the No. 8 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar to earn their second victory of the season, adding to their Le Mans 24 Hours triumph and delivering the team’s eighth win in nine races at Fuji Speedway. World Champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and José María López took second place in their No. 7 GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercar to complete a hard-earned clean sweep in the penultimate round of the 2022 WEC season.
An enthusiastic crowd packed the Fuji Speedway grandstands and saw the GR010 Hybrid Electric Hypercars set the tone for the race by leading the way from the beginning.
Even though Kamui dominated the race initially, Sébastien gradually closed the gap and moved into the lead on lap 64. As the two-hour mark approached, Kamui handed over the secondplaced No. 7 vehicle to José. A lap later, Brendon took the wheel of the No. 8 vehicle and resumed with a 6secs lead. Brendon began to build a comfortable margin at the front and extended his advantage over José to 10secs at the next pit stops. By the time of the next driver changes, with just under two hours remaining, Brendon had a decisive 30-second lead.
Ryo, already a winner at Fuji Speedway this season in Super Formula, took the wheel of the No. 8 vehicle as Mike replaced José in the No.
7 vehicle for the final stretch. With a one-lap advantage over the third-placed competitor, the GR010 Hybrid Electric Vehicles controlled the remainder of the race. After 232 laps without safety car or full course yellow, Ryo took the checkered flag to secure GAZOO Racing’s third victory of the season, its 37th from 75 Hybrid Electric-powered WEC races since 2012. Mike followed 1 min 8.382 secs later, completing the team’s second one-two of the season.
Akio Toyoda, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, commented: “At Fuji Speedway, our fans were cheering us on, saying “Welcome back!” We are really glad that we were able to respond to that great support with a one-
two finish, to say “We’re home”. I would like to thank all the team members, including Team Principal Kamui. Thank you all! Racing drivers have experienced a variety of cars and I would like to continue working with them to create technologies that keep them excited. I would also like to thank the mechanics, engineers, and colleagues at the factory who are working with the drivers to make ever-better cars! To our fans, thank you for supporting and motivating us as we continue to take on new challenges to transform mobility.”
Over the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship
(WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Toyota’s participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established GR to consolidate all of its motorsports activities under one in-house brand. Representing Toyota’s belief that ‘the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,’ GR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota’s commitment to making ‘ever-better’ cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of motorsports events, GR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone.
Bahrain International Circuit, which will host the eight-hour-long final race of the season on 12 November, is set to witness the fight for both drivers’ and Manufacturers’ World Championships.
Visit toyota.com.kw, call 1803803, or follow @toyotakw on Instagram.
By Nilanjana Dasgupta
Jen, a student I taught early in my career, stood head-and-shoulders above her peers academically. I learned she had started off as an engineering major but switched over to psychology. I was surprised and curious.
Was she struggling with difficult classes? No. In fact, Jen’s aptitude for math was so strong, she had been recruited as an engineering prospect. In her first year, her engineering classes were filled with faces of other women. But as she advanced, there were fewer and fewer women in her classes—until one day, she realized she was the only woman in a large lecture class of men.
Jen began to question if she belonged. Then she started to wonder if she cared enough to persist in engineering. Her quest to understand what she was feeling brought her to my psychology class.
Jen’s experience in engineering shows that human behavior is driven by a few fundamental social needs. Key among them is the need to belong, the need to feel competent and the need for meaning or purpose. These three motivations influence whether people approach or avoid a
range of social situations, including academic ones.
What Jen experienced in engineering is called social identity threat—negative emotions aroused in situations where individuals feel their valued identities are marginalized or ignored. It raises doubts about belonging and depletes interest, confidence and motivation. In the long run, social identity threat may lead individuals to withdraw from activities altogether.
I am a social psychologist and the founder of the Institute of Diversity Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. For the past two decades, my research has focused on evidence-based solutions: How do we create learning and work environments that fulfill young people’s feeling of belonging, nurture self-confidence and connect their academic and professional pursuits to purpose and meaning?
I’m particularly interested in the experiences of girls and women, students of color and workingclass college students.
With my team, I have been designing and testing interventions in classrooms, labs and residence halls to see if they protect young people against social identity threat in science, technology, engineering and math—or STEM—environments. My work shows that, just as a vaccine can protect and inoculate the body against a virus, features of learning environments can act as “social vaccines” that protect and inoculate the mind against noxious stereotypes.
In one study, we found that when teachers highlight the social relevance of math and connect it to social good, it makes a big difference to students. We followed almost 3,000 adolescents
taking eighth grade algebra and tracked their progress for one academic year. Some teachers in our study illustrated abstract concepts using socially meaningful examples. For instance, exponential decay was explained using depreciation of car values or the dilution of medicines in the bloodstream. Others taught such concepts using abstract equations only.
We found students got excited and motivated when they could apply abstract math to socially meaningful problems. They got better grades, reported math was important to them personally and were more active participants in class. We also found that students working in small collaborative peer groups got better end-of-year grades than those working alone. These benefits were especially noticeable for kids of color.
Another low-cost but powerful “social vaccine” is to introduce young people entering a STEM college program to a fellow student who is a couple of years older and shares their identity.
We conducted a field experiment in which 150 first-year women interested in engineering were randomly assigned a female peer mentor, a male peer mentor or no mentor. Mentoring relationships were limited to mentees’ first year of college. Mentees’ academic experiences were measured each year through college graduation and one year after graduation.
We found that a one-year mentoring relationship with a female peer mentor preserved first-year women students’ emotional well-being, feeling of belonging in engineering, confidence, motivation to keep going and aspiration to pursue postgraduate engineering degrees. Women with male mentors
or no mentors showed a decline on most of these metrics. Women who had female peer mentors were significantly more likely to graduate with STEM bachelor’s degrees compared with those who had male peer mentors or no mentors. A followup study that is under review shows that these benefits endured four years after the mentoring intervention ended.
First-generation college students are twice as likely to leave college without earning a bachelor’s degree than students whose parents have college degrees. My team and I combined a cocktail of ingredients to create a strong social vaccine to protect this group of young people. Participants were selected from three incoming classes of first-year students at the University of Massachusetts who were interested in biology. All were working-class, and the majority were students of color.
Eligible students were invited to apply to a living-learning community. From the applicant pool, we randomly selected 86 students to become “BioPioneers,” while the remaining 63 students comprised our no-intervention control group.
BioPioneer participants lived together in the same residential college. They took introductory biology and a seminar as a group. Participants in the no-intervention group took introductory biology in a large lecture class with the general student body. The same instructor taught both classes— the course content, teaching style, assignments and grading system were identical for BioPioneers and the no-intervention group.
We brokered authentic relationships between BioPioneers and faculty instructors and academic advisers. We also provided BioPioneers access to
student mentors two years ahead of them in the same major.
Results showed that BioPioneers students developed a stronger sense of belonging in biology than students in the no-intervention group. They were more confident about their science ability, less anxious and more motivated to persist. They also received better grades in biology than the nointervention group.
One year after the program ended, 85% of BioPioneers participants remained biological science majors compared with 66% of students in the no-intervention group. We also compared BioPioneers with a group of 94 honors students, mostly from middle-class and upper-middle-class families, who were in a different living-learning community. We found BioPioneers closed the achievement gap between first-generation students and honors students in terms of belonging, confidence and retention in biology majors. We are currently preparing to submit our findings to a peerreviewed journal.
I’ve begun to see a pattern in 25 years of research. When educators connect science and engineering to social good, build relationships and create communities that intentionally draw in people who are usually invisible, we automatically attract and advance the talents of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
In my view, not only is this the right thing to do morally, but research shows that diverse viewpoints invigorate problem-solving, reduce the impact of personal biases and promote higherimpact scientific discoveries.
Photos by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash.
Smart Home solutions have been around for a while. You could buy smart light bulbs that lit up when you walked into a room, or a thermostat that could manage a room’s temperature throughout the day. But systems were usually disconnected from each other, and managing them wasn’t seamless or simple. Fortunately, we’re seeing considerable improvements in what’s available on the market, and X-cite’s new Smart Home Automation area, now available in X-cite at the Avenues, Phase I, is the best place to start.
Besides the fun, futuristic element,and the novelty of clapping your hands to turn on the lights, smart homes are also efficient. They use less energy, cost less in the long term, and are much more convenient than traditional solutions. For example, lights and air conditioning can be automatically turned off when not in use.
Almost everything in your home can be fully automated and controlled using different tools. You can easily control the lights, TV, thermostat, and security system using voice commands or an app on your device of choice.
If you’re just getting started on your home automation journey, we have some great tips for you courtesy of the good folks at X-cite.
Lights on
Connected lights are probably the easiest and most exciting place to start. You are probably aware of lights that can be turned on and off but we want to take you one step further. Color changing bulbs and strips can really change the aesthetic of a room and create the vibes of your dreams with minimal effort. From the Phillips Hue Wireless Indirect Light Strips to Govee Flow Pro TV Light Bars, you have a wide selection to choose from at X-cite. Your friends will love spending time in your living room because of the chill ambience. And they’re not just pretty they’re also quite practical if you program the light to get progressively warmer in the afternoon to help you fall asleep easier.
We’re generally very lucky to be living in a safe country like Kuwait, but a doorbell camera makes it easier to see who’s at your front door even when you’re not home. They’re easy to set up and install and can alert you to visitors, abnormal sound or motion at your door. And most models include an option to also talk to your visitors, which is great for giving a delivery person instructions if you are not home. Consider the Xiaomi Mi Camera 2K that can be mounted magnetically and used as a baby monitor. Or alternatively, the Ring V3 Lite Video Doorbell that gives you real-time notifications and the ability to record snippets of everything that happens at your front door.
We all know the struggle. The room is too cold, so you turn up the thermostat, so it becomes too warm, and you have to turn it down again, rinse, repeat, ad infinitum. An automated system will learn from your preferences and automatically change the settings to make sure that the room is just perfect. Our favorite is the Google Nest. It is sleek and smart. Just set it and forget it.
We love hanging art on the walls, but we also love changing things up all the time. The Netgear Meural Canvas is the perfect addition to any wall. The 27” display is Wi-Fi connected and can be used to show anything from your personal photos to classic paintings. It has an anti glare matte display that works in all kinds of light.
You can easily control all of the above using apps on your phone and some even work with your smart watch, but what really brings the entire Smart Home system together is adding a voice command hub like the Apple Homepod, Alexa or Google Nest. They’re all great at what they do, and it might make more sense to purchase the one that matches your existing environment, so iPhone users can seamlessly integrate with the Homepod while Android users will appreciate the Google Nest. You can do everything from dimming the lights to starting your Spotify playlist by asking your hub device to do it for you. We told you, the future is here, and it’s brilliant.
Stay updated on the latest events, monthly promotions and offers by subscribing to the monthly newsletter on xcite.com, follow X-cite’s social media channels on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Snapchat, @xcitealghanim or Facebook at XcitebyAlghanim and win prizes with contests, or visit the online store at www.xcite.com.
Genshin Impact, the wildly popular free-to-play mobile game released in September 2020, which has since ascended to cultural-touchstone status with over 60 million players in August and a consumer revenue chest of $3 billion to date, is now growing its empire with a new venture that looks to multiply its phenomenal success: an anime TV show.
The first trailer for the show debuted on Friday, illustrating the game’s magical forest, prairie fields of flowers, and the long-lost twins at the center of its adventure in vivid, immersive detail. Sweeping shots reveal the mythical universe of Teyvat as a serene landscape of crumbling castles and ancient runes, which players of the game will know belies a fierce underworld of dragons, knights, and dueling gods.
The show is a collaboration between the game’s Shanghai-based developer miHoYo, and the Tokyo-based animation studio Ufotable, which is also the creator behind the smash hit anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The Genshin Impact anime is still in the early phases—the title card for the teaser, at the moment, is simply “Long-Term Project Launch: Concept Trailer.”
It comes just as the game nears its two-year mark. It has already gathered a basket of accolades: This past spring, data. ai reported that Genshin Impact ranked No. 1 for global consumer spend in the first quarter of 2022, topping $530 million. And last fall, App
Annie reported that as of July 2021, Genshin Impact had surpassed Pokemon Go as the No. 1 game by lifetime consumer spend. Its developer miHoYo is set to release a new version of the game (3.1) later this month.
That Genshin Impact took off in the thick of the pandemic is perhaps no surprise: A world in lockdown seemed primed to dive into an escapist fantasy with stunning graphics and a whimsical backstory, where monsters can be vanquished once and for all, and players, known as “travelers,” chase the one true goal of the game: to find their
way back to a long-lost sibling after 500 years apart.
Genshin Impact won’t be the first game to be adapted into a TV show—in fact, it follows a growing trend. In November 2021, Netflix premiered Arcane, a series based on the video game League of Legends, which won a host of trophies at the latest Emmy Awards. And earlier this week, Netflix dropped Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, based on the recent video game Cyberpunk 2077.
Let your living and dining rooms be your new playground with interior pieces that truly make them come to life. No time for tired cliches this fall season - only modern shapes, rich colors and a place where maximalism meets minimalism. Explore and innovate your interiors to the max with H&M HOME, as the collection is available in stores and online at kw.hm.com.
Color infusions, eclectic compositions and contrasting accents – welcome to a season that will make both you and your home feel reinvigorated with smaller and bigger interior details.
To instantly refresh your home, H&M HOME presents many variations of cushion covers with varied textures, from purple and blue velvets, corduroy to patterns. Here you find solid colors to geometric shapes and stripes. They all go together or can be styled separately depending on your home – or mood. A beautiful, brushed blanket in a striped design infuses some additional pattern and feeling to the overall look.
The innovation of shapes truly leads the way this fall season and adds stylish details as well as personality and a luxe feel. Two different sized vases, a small and a bigger one in fluid structures are introduced, both with see-through qualities. Style on top of your coffee table or ottoman, place on your bookshelf or windowsill for a refreshed fall look. Melted-style vases and bowls in varied shapes and colorways, including brown, purple, and taupe colors can be mixed and matched to create an eclectic feel in your living room areas.
Joyful and twisted candelabras in dusty pink or blue add a playful touch, where taper candles in many color variations can enhance your interiors. Stacked thicker candles in creamy, mauve and blue hues go perfectly with the new fluidly shaped trays in two sizes. For bigger statement interior details, H&M HOME also presents two new table lamps. The blue-grey version has a softer shape and the slightly smaller lavender-colored piece, a sharper, cone inspired look. When it comes to dining, or rather brunching – get ready for some great artistic inspiration for your meals. H&M HOME presents serving boards in
soft shapes, wooden trays in various sizes and a series of lovely ceramic serving bowls and platters to complement any meal.
Finally, the sculpted ceramic mug takes center stage this fall. Drink from it, stack it and style it however you please. It looks great both as a chic display in your kitchen or in your cupboard waiting to be used. Here your also find an array of colors, from brighter shades to more earthy hues.
The collection is available in selected stores and online at kw.hm.com with prices starting from KD 0.990.
USB is a confusing scrabble of different port types, cable speeds, and hideously long names. I have a huge pile of USB cables that I have given up on ever organizing; instead, I just pull cables out at random until I find the one I need.
Fortunately, a new standard is looking to clear up this confusion. USB4 will, the creators hope, bring order to this chaos, standardizing things down to a lone cable. But such a claim has been made before, for the original USB cables, for Firewire on Macs, for Thunderbolt, and for many other types of connection. So, is there reason to believe in USB4? Will it actually remove all the confusion?
My prediction: Yes, but it will take time–and you will still have to keep a pile of cables to hand.
Let’s step back and look at the history. USB stands for universal serial bus, a standard created by a group of computer companies in 1996 to replace the serial ports and proprietary cables that connected devices like MP3 players to computers. The first cables were simple: a rectangular Type-A connector for the computer and a square Type-B one for the device.
This group of companies is now known as the USB Implemeter’s Forum, the USB-IF. The companies in the group have changed, but it remains the place where they get together to set the standards.
Over the years, their standard evolved. The year 2001 brought USB 2.0, which added the ability to send enough power over the connection to charge a small device. USB 3.0 in 2008 added different types of connectors that were more suited to small and thin devices like phones: Mini Type B and Micro-B. USB 3.1 in 2013 added larger connectors called Micro-A SuperSpeed and Micro-B Superspeed with more pins, providing more bandwidth and power capacity.
This haphazard evolution meant that there were a bewildering variety of possible connections a device could use. Each device could need a cable with a Type B, Type B SuperSpeed, Type-C, Mini-A, Mini-B, Micro A, Micro A Superspeed, Micro B, or Micro B SuperSpeed plug. That’s how I ended up with my huge pile of cables: I never know when I might need a Micro B SuperSpeed cable for a portable hard drive, or a Mini-B cable for a cell phone.
Things inside the computers were no better: For USB version 3.2 in 2017, the USB Implementers Forum (the group that oversees the USB standards) created different speeds of USB. There were three versions: SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps, SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps, and SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps. (The number is the data speed in Gigabits per second.)
To keep costs down, computer manufacturers built computers that had one or two of the fastest SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps ports, while the rest came outfitted with the cheaper slower types. Laptops would typically have a 20Gbps port on one side and a slower one on the other, with a tiny logo by the port to indicate which one was which.
Finally (and even more confusingly) another standard came onto the scene with Thunderbolt. Created by Intel and Apple, Thunderbolt didn’t really take off outside the Mac world until version 3, which used a USB Type-C port. That didn’t mean it was compatible, though. You can plug a Thunderbolt device into a USB port and it will work, but the reverse isn’t true: Manufacturers had to pay a license fee to Intel to use Thunderbolt 3, and many didn’t do so to save money.
The solution comes in simplicity. The new Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 standards only support one type of connection, the USB Type-C. This connection can do everything: Every port can deliver or receive plenty of power so you can charge your laptop from a power
adapter, then use the same USB4 port and cable to charge your phone. Every port can carry data at up to 40 Gbps, or 80Gbps in Version 2. Every port can drive multiple 8K or 4K monitors, making it easier to connect your laptop to external monitors. Plus, it can do all of these things at once: the same cable can carry video from your laptop to a monitor, while charging your laptop.
The cables for Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 are also much easier. Both ends are identical and the USB Type-C plug is symmetrical, so you don’t have to worry about plugging it in the wrong way around or upside down: It will work the same either way.
The ports are also backwards compatible. If you want to plug in a USB 3.2 device, you just need to buy an adapter for the physical port.
Personally, I would be thrilled to be rid of that knot of USB cables. However, even though Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 might improve the situation, we aren’t there yet. So, I’ll keep hold of the rat’s nest a little longer.
It is one of the laws of tech that you can never find the right cable when you need it. What should be simple–pretty much every device you connect to your computer or phone uses a USB cable, so you’d expect there to be a universal cable–is instead a complete train wreck.Photo by Lucian Alexe on Unsplash.
Kuwait’s favorite Middle Eastern restaurant has launched a fabulous breakfast menu and we love it!
By bazaar staff
As breakfast lovers, we were super excited to try the new launch of the breakfast menu at Mais Al Ghanim! Not only is it one of our favorite Middle Eastern restaurants in the country, but we are always eager to experience what’s new in Kuwait’s food scene.
We were one of the lucky ones to be able to try the delicious new breakfast menu at Mais Al Ghanim prior to the official launch, and just like with the rest of their food, we are always impressed! We headed over early on a weekday, and were met with a table laden with delicious breakfast items.
Before we tell you a little about what we enjoyed, we would like to tell you a little about the extensive menu. Mais Al Ghanim’s new breakfast menu has a variety of classics and fan favorites,
but also some great new items that are unique takes on the classics! The menu features a variety of cold appetizers, which include labneh, hummus, warak inab with laban, salads to add some freshness. Many hot appetizers, such as foul abu Emile (named in memory of the founding father of Mais Al Ghanim), musabaha, falafel with eggs, chicken liver, and more! Also on the menu are classics from the oven, cheese, zaatar, lahmeh bi ajeen, amongst others. And to top it all off, there are platters, eggs, and desserts on the
menu. All which can be enjoyed with a great variety of hot and cold beverages! The variety and items available make it the perfect venue for a long and relaxed breakfast during both the weekday and weekends, but of course, you can always stop by for a quick bite.
On to the delicious foods we tried! We need to start with telling you about some of the fabulous takes on the traditional classics – the falafel with eggs, the malaki fatteh and knafeh bil furn. The falafel with eggs is a fresh take on scotch eggs,
it is a boiled egg with falafel coating around the outside, fried to crispiness and served with a delicious sauce and salad. This one is a musttry; nothing could taste more like a delicious breakfast in one bite! The Malaki fatteh is in a play on the delicious eggplant, cauliflower and potato sandwich that is so reminiscent of street food in Lebanon. It works perfectly as a fatteh and just adds a unique twist to this traditional dish. And of course, the kunafa bil furn, we are going back this week just to have another taste of this memorable dish of perfectly cooked pastry with the most delicious cheese with just a hint of salt, and crunchy semolina topping.
Now, we have to have a discussion about the pastry that graced our table fresh out of the oven, it comes in four different toppings: zaatar, three cheese, akawi and lahmeh bi ajeen! Not only were all of the toppings a treat for the taste buds, the dough was the lightest dough we have ever tried, but with a delicate crispiness. Please do not miss trying these if you do go for breakfast at Mais!
From the egg menu, we tried the shakshouka and the sujouk omlette, we loved both! The shakshouka is definitely worth trying at Mais Al Ghanim if you are a fan. Along with the kunafa bil furn, we tried two other desserts, the umm ali and the milk pudding (muhallabiya) with ashta and honey. The desserts were diving, the umm ali was warm and comforting like a hug from your grandma, and the milk pudding with ashta and honey were two textures that we didn’t think would work together, but they married beautifully.
The drinks menu offers something for every taste, whether you enjoy fresh juices for breakfast, or you are more of a karak tea person (like me), or if you like a strong Turkish coffee to start your day with a kick. Some days, we need all three at one sitting!
We must take a moment to appreciate the freshness of the ingredients that are used across the variety of foods. You can taste the quality and authenticity of the olive oil, the variety and deliciousness of the olives unparalleled, and the quality of the flour used for the breads and pastry. This is one of the main reasons we love Mais!
With the launch of this new breakfast menu, Mais Al Ghanim continues to build upon its tradition of hospitality which spans over 65 years. The breakfast is served on the ground floor of the Mais Al Ghanim branch on the Gulf Road opposite the Kuwait Towers every day from 8 am to 11:30 am and we definitely recommend trying it!
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @Maisalghanim or call on 22251155 for more information.
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What are we going to listen to most on Spotify this month? We’ve got some answers for you and some great new albums being released from women who’ve previously made their mark with significant sound-of-our-time tracks. These are a few female artists we’ve been eagerly waiting to hear from!
Artist: Adele
Title: Oh My God
Format: Single Release date: November 2021
It may have taken a year but this single is still getting significant Spotify playtime. A song from her fourth studio album, “Oh My God” has lyrics about Adele’s desire to start dating again and being guarded while beginning a relationship with a new love interest.
Artist: Taylor Swift
Title: Midnights
Format: Album Release date: 21st October 2022
Midnights is the upcoming tenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter, set to be released via Republic Records. Swift announced the album at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. A concept album conceived from her thoughts during «sleepless nights», Midnights has been described by Swift as «a journey through terrors and sweet dreams». Swift began unveiling the track list on her TikTok account.
Artist: Lady Gaga
Title: Hold My Hand
Format: Single Release date: May 2022
Spotify is still loving this single in October, the lead single to the soundtrack for the film Top Gun: Maverick (2022). The song was written and produced by Gaga and BloodPop as «a love letter to the world during and after a very hard time».
Artist: Black Eyed Peas/Shakira/David Guetta
Title: Don’t You Worry
Format: Single Release date: June 2022
Getting massive play time this October on Spotify, “Don’t You Worry” is a song by American group Black Eyed Peas, Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira and French DJ David Guetta. It was released on June 17, 2022, through BEP Music and Epic Records.
Artist: Debbie Gibson
Title: Winterlicious Format: Album Release date: 17th October 2022
Winterlicious is Gibson’s first holiday album, and released on her own label Stargirl. A mix of original songs and covers of popular carols. The lead single is “Christmas Star”, which was released in November last year. The album includes the song “Heartbreak Holiday”, which marks Gibson’s second duet with New Kids on the Block member Joey McIntyre after their iconic «Lost in Your Eyes, the Duet”.
Sources: wikipedia.com
Artist: Meghan Trainor
Title: Takin’ it Back
Format: Album Release date: 21st October 2022
Takin’ It Back is the upcoming fifth majorlabel studio album by American singersongwriter Meghan Trainor. Trainor worked with producers including Stint to create the album. Musically, it will feature Trainor returning to the doo-wop sound of her debut major-label studio album. This album’s subject matter revolves around her pregnancy’s impact, “how it’s hard and that [she is] not perfect all the time.”
By bazaar staff
Few water bottles are as visually aesthetic as VOSS bottles. Known for its sleek, beautiful exterior, VOSS represents perhaps the most iconic and recognizable water bottle ever. That beauty on the outside reflects the beauty of what is on the inside of every bottle of VOSS Water. The bottles were always glass, and many of us re-used them because they were pretty and durable. Glass can also be easily recycled, upcycled and repurposed. But sometimes it is easier and safer to carry a plastic bottle.
The iconic VOSS bottle shape is now finally available in 100% Recycled PET. The newly designed bottles are lightweight and resealable. The only way to hydrate on-thego, without sacrificing on style and refreshment. We want to pass the vibe check without harming the environment.
VOSS was born over two decades ago in Norway, a country known for fresh air, untouched natural resources, modern elegance and high standards of quality. VOSS quickly became a consumer favorite for the pure water and sophisticated looking bottles.
The brand’s artesian water is naturally filtered, free from contact with the air or other pollutants, producing water with unparalleled purity. The still water has one of the lowest levels of total dissolved solids (minerals) on the market, which makes for its uniquely pure, clean and refreshing taste. The iconic design has lead to VOSS being served on the tables of the finest restaurants and lounges, in the rooms of the most distinctive hotels and in the homes of the most demanding water drinkers around the world.
The company maintains a strong commitment to sustainability, focusing on package optimization, carbon footprint reduction and water stewardship. They have taken several concrete steps towards making sure that they honor that commitment. The plant operates using 100% renewable energy. They have shifted to regional supplier. They have also managed to reduce their solid waste by 90% by recycling. And they use a dedicated train from the harbor to the factory to use less energy. The new recycled plastic bottles are just one of many steps towards a more sustainable business model and future.
You can find VOSS water in supermarkets, coops, restaurants and roomserviceq8.com. For more information and inspiration, follow @vossarabia.
by Celeste Ng, Dystopian Fiction
In a dystopian America, libraries are heavily censored, and authorities can relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian descent. For years, Bird has disavowed the work of his mother, a banned Chinese American who left years ago. When he receives a drawing in the mail, Bird sets out on a quest to search for his missing mother, leading him to an underground network in New York and a new act of defiance. Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It’s a story about the power—and limitations—of art to create change, the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and how any of us can survive a broken world with our hearts intact.
THE PASSENGER by Cormac McCarthy, Fiction
1980, PASS CHRISTIAN, MISSISSIPPI: It is three in the morning when Bobby Western zips the jacket of his wetsuit and plunges from the boat deck into darkness. His divelight illuminates the sunken jet, nine bodies still buckled in their seats, hair floating, eyes devoid of speculation. Missing from the crash site are the pilot’s flightbag, the plane’s black box, and the tenth passenger. But how? A collateral witness to machinations that can only bring him harm, Western is shadowed in body and spirit – by men with badges; by the ghost of his father, inventor of the bomb that melted glass and flesh in Hiroshima; and by his sister, the love and ruin of his soul. Traversing the American South, from the garrulous bar rooms of New Orleans to an abandoned oil rig off the Florida coast, The Passenger is a breathtaking novel of morality and science, the legacy of sin, and the madness that is human consciousness.
by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, Thriller
Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father’s beekeeping business. Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start. And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely. Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.
It’s 1958 and Evelyn Elizabeth Grace Murphy has not left the Pinnacle Hotel in fourteen months. She suffers from agoraphobia, and what’s more, it’s her father’s hotel, and everything she needs is there. Evelyn’s always been good at finding things, she discovered her mother dead in a Manhattan alleyway fifteen years earlier. Now she’s finding trouble inside her sanctuary. At a party for artist Billie Bell, his newest work is stolen, and Evelyn’s fake boyfriend (and real best friend), movie star Henry Fox, is accused of the theft. But just as Evelyn sets out to prove Henry’s innocence, she finds Billie Bell dead. Evelyn’s knack for sleuthing—and her playful imagination—are always hard at work, and she throws an elaborate party at the hotel where every guest is a suspect. But will the killer emerge from the glamorous lineup? If not, Evelyn just might find herself…next in line for murder.
Hope Sparrow has mastered the art of outrunning her tragic past, learning never to stay anywhere too long and never to allow anyone control over her life again. Coming to Wanishin Falls in search of her family’s history already feels too risky. But somewhere in the towering stacks of this dusty old bookshop are the books that hold Hope’s last ties to her late mother—and to a rumored family treasure that could help her start over. Only, the bookshop is in shambles, and the elderly owner is in the beginning stages of dementia and can’t remember where the books lie. To find the last links to the loved ones she’s lost, Hope must stay and accept help from the townsfolk to locate the treasured volumes. Each secret she uncovers brings her closer to understanding where she came from. But the longer she stays in the quaint town, the more people find their way into the cracks in her heart. And letting them in may be the greatest risk of all.
DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver, Fiction
Demon Copperhead is set in the mountains of southern Appalachia. It’s the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.
Source: Goodreads.com
Release Date: 22 September
Genre: Action
Cast: Matthew Goode, Ben Foster, Sophie Lowe
Synopsis: The story of fifteenth century Czech icon and warlord Jan Zizka, who defeated armies of the Teutonic Order and the Holy Roman Empire.
Release Date: 29 September
Genre: Horror
Cast: Jessie T. Usher, Sosie Bacon
Synopsis: After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.
Release Date: 6 October
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline
Synopsis: Life for New England realtor Hildy Good begins to unravel when she hooks up with an old flame of hers from New York. Based on Ann Leary’s ‘The Good House.’
Release Date: 13 October
Genre: Horror
Cast: Travis Fimmel, Kevin Bacon, Colson Baker
Synopsis: Freddy, a petty criminal, is on the run with a bag full of cash and coke. He’s way over his head and hurt bad. With a bullet in his guts he’s running out of time.
Release Date: 13 October
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Will Patton
Synopsis: Four years after the events of Halloween Kills, Laurie is living with her granddaughter Allyson and is finishing writing her memoir. Michael Myers hasn’t been seen since. Laurie, after allowing the specter of Michael to determine and drive her reality.
Source: cinescape.com.kw
Release Date: 20 October
Genre: Action Fantasy
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Shahi
Synopsis: Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient Egyptians and imprisoned just as quickly Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Bose announced the second-generation models of its noise-canceling wireless earbuds and compared to the 2020-released QuietComfort Earbuds, the new models are vastly different. They have a completely new design that’s noticeably smaller, plus Bose has drastically improved the noise-cancellation and transparency modes; in fact, Bose claims that these have the “world’s best noise cancellation” of any true wireless earbuds.
The Apple Watch “Ultra” was another big standout from Apple’s big event. It’s a completely new line of Apple Watch that’s larger, more rugged, more sophisticated and more expensive than any other Apple Watch. It has a bigger and redesigned digital crown and an all-new “Action” button that can be customized to do things like quickly start specific workouts. It has a bigger battery that lasts 36 hours (or up to 60 hours when in lowpower mode). And it has a new Compass app and an app specifically designed for recreational scuba divers called Oceanic Plus.
The Insta360 X3 is the company’s new handheld 360-degree camera and the direct successor of the 2020-released One X2. The biggest improvement with X3 is probably its new touchscreen display; it’s significantly bigger and more useful (as it’s way easier to preview and review footage). The lens and sensor got a big bump on the X3, too, as it’s now capable of capturing 5.7K 360-degree videos and super-detailed 72-megapixel stills.
This is Polk Audio’s newest flagship soundbar that supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. The MagniFi Max AX is a 5.1.2-channel package that includes a soundbar and wireless subwoofer (but for an extra $100 you can also purchase a package with wireless rear-channel speakers). It supports Chromecast and AirPlay 2 for easy streaming and integrating into your home’s existing multi-room audio system. It also has built-in Bluetooth.
The Hasselblad X2D 100C is the company’s new flagship medium-format mirrorless camera. It has a ginormous 100-megapixel backside illuminated sensor, but packs it into a body that’s similarly sized to the company’s X1D 50C and X1D II 50C (both of which have 50-megapixel sensors). It has an advanced hybrid phase and contrast-based autofocus system and in-body image stabilization. It’s a beast of a handheld camera.
There are now plenty of electric bikes on the market, but if you live in a city, constantly hopping on trains, buses, and up and down stairs, throwing in the ability to fold the bike down could be a necessity. That’s the key feature of the new Gocycle G4, offering a premium electric bike that can easily be folded down.
By bazaar staff
H&M is excited to launch ‘Imagine That’, the first independent kidswear collection from H&M’s Innovation Stories initiative. The collection celebrates children’s creativity, and never-ending imagination via an edgy, high-fashion collection that is conceived with durability and functionality for kids in mind.
Pairing playful designs with more sustainable materials and processes – think: a cactusderived leather alternative and sequins made from recycled plastic bottles – the collection is an imaginative fusion. Blending euphoric color, energizing print and stimulating texture, ‘Imagine That’ places the spotlight firmly on pioneering innovations for the next generation. The ‘Imagine That’ collection will be available exclusively only at kw.hm.com from October 20!
Launched in early 2021, the H&M Innovation Stories includes a series of themed collections dedicated to promoting more sustainable materials, technologies and production processes. ‘Imagine That’ is the seventh instalment in the series, and the first independent kidswear collection.
A tribute to young, imaginative minds that have a carefree approach to unconventional style, the collection’s key looks comprise street-inflected pieces in a vivid rainbow-bright color palette. Lively campaign imagery captures the invigorating mood of creativity, with styling that semaphores youthful self-expression.
“For our first independent Innovation Stories collection for kids, we wanted to embrace the boundless imaginations and experimental styling that is second-nature for young people as well as
the mind-bending innovations at the forefront of fashion. Each versatile piece is designed to be styled in multiple creative and crazy combinations and to spark conversations about the cuttingedge technologies revolutionizing our world,” says Ella Soccorsi, concept designer at H&M.
Who can resist the drama of a fun fauxfur coat in striking sunset hues or a sequinembellished jacket and coordinating skater skirt, not forgetting a matching confetti-print velvet top and flared pants? Meanwhile the orange-splashed skater jeans infused with laid-back cool and graphic, spiky knitwear provide down-time options alongside vibrant loungewear. In accessories, a faux-fur mini bag and bucket hat allow for unfettered experimentation, while sneakers can be customized with beads and charms.
At turns progressive and playful, headline innovations include Desserto®, a plant-based leather alternative made with Nopal cacti, which is used in the sneaker; REPREVE® Our Ocean fiber, a recycled polyester made with ocean-bound plastic, which is employed in a faux fur jacket, bag and hat; and sequins made from 100% postconsumer PET bottle waste, which decorate a coordinating jacket and skirt set.
Ella Soccorsi, concept designer at H&M, speaks more to us about this special collection:
Why are you doing an innovation collection for kids?
Our Innovation Stories is a ground-breaking new sustainability initiative that focuses on forwardthinking ideas and innovative fabrications. It allows us to be at the forefront of change within the fashion world. We have previously done collections for women and men, and it was a natural step to expand this with an independent collection for kids as well.
Are you introducing any new materials in this collection?
No, there are no new materials in this collection, but in a few cases, it is the first time we apply them to garments for kids, such as sequins made from 100% recycled bottle waste, mono materials and recycled metal.
Isn’t this collection and campaign just about greenwashing?
Our sustainability work has never been about “greenwashing” – this categorically goes against what we stand for. We recognise that we have a responsibility to lead the change towards a more sustainable fashion industry and communicate transparently with our customers about what we are doing to make our business more sustainable. This is not new to us – we have been working
with a sustainability strategy for over 25 years. For us, sustainability is not an add on, it is fully embedded in our company. Globally we have over 200 people working solely in sustainability roles across all aspects of our business, ensuring that sustainability is always a top priority, as it should be.
How much of your total material use is more sustainable?
To reduce our environmental impact, we aim for 100% of our materials to be either recycled or sourced in a more sustainable way by 2030, including 30% recycled materials by 2025. In 2021, 80.0% of the materials H&M group used came from recycled or other more sustainably sourced materials, including tripling the share of recycled materials to 17.9% making good progress towards our 2030 goal.
If you want to be sustainable, why don’t you just produce less clothes?
The key to making fashion more sustainable is to make sure the clothes we DO produce are part of a circular system. Our Sustainability strategy details how we plan to move from a linear to a circular business model, in which resources remain in the system and nothing goes to waste –this means we won’t need to rely on natural
resources to the same extent. This involves using more sustainably sourced, recyclable materials, and finding new ways to repurpose existing garments so that everything can be reused. This collection are a part of that journey.
Do you really think that H&M is doing enough to make fashion more sustainable?
We acknowledge that we have a big responsibility to lead the change towards a more sustainable fashion industry and collaborate with others to support a positive change. We are really proud of the market-leading initiatives and goals that we have in place at H&M. We are determined to drive the change towards a more sustainable fashion industry, but collaboration is essential to achieve long-term change across the entire textile industry. The challenges we are facing are too complex for any single company, no matter size, to tackle alone, which is why we collaborate with other brands and stakeholders within different initiatives.
The ‘Imagine That’ collection will be available exclusively only at kw.hm.com from October 20.
The Radisson Blu Hotel, Kuwait is re-opening of Al Boom, its exceptional dining experience this October. The brand new outdoor area and menu will launch just in time for terrace season. Built in 1979, Al Boom is a beautiful piece of heritage that delights guests with its lavish wooden sea-view deck and towering masts reaching up to the sky. Hop on board and savour delicious prime cuts of meat and fresh seafood under the stars. Fan favourites such as the live fish tank selection and the Certified Angus Beef tomahawk will be served alongside new, contemporary options such as paprika prawns and Australian Wagyu tenderloin. The menu also features interactive dining services like the salt crusted baked seabass carved right at your table. “It’s been amazing to completely redevelop the menu but also the kitchen design,” said Chef Mehmet Ali. “I’m excited to finally see the vision come to life.”
For reservations and more information call 2567 3430.
As part of World Cleanup Day, Alshaya offices across the region organized a series of campaigns and activities aimed at improving marine habitats and keeping the coastlines free of trash and waste. The regional initiative attracted volunteers who championed sustainability by cleaning up the beaches and raising awareness on the damaging impact of plastic pollution. The drive resulted in over 8,000 kilograms of solid waste being collected, sorted and removed from the beaches.
Elaborating on the drive, Seneca Cottom, Head of Sustainability Alshaya Group said: “We are happy to be part of this commendable activity, doing our bit for the environment. We are amazed at the overwhelming response and participation from our colleagues across the region. We believe that these small efforts can result in a big difference over time, helping us to create a better environment.” As part of their CSR mandate, Alshaya is actively involved in a number of campaigns designed to raise environmental awareness and shed light on the problems and threats to the environment, and work towards the goal of creating a more sustainable future.
World Cleanup Day first began in 2008 in Estonia, where fifty-thousand people united to clean up the whole country in just five hours. This inspirational and ambitious initiative gave birth to a global movement that put the needs of the environment first.
Learn more about Alshaya Group at www.alshaya.com.
This month your success will depend on your management and planning capabilities. Only thanks to a good organization will you succeed. Maintain a good relationship with your loved ones or surprise the boss. Chaos is the Libra’s biggest enemy, so their schedule should be written down in detail, hour by hour.
This month, focus on your inner self and the development of spirituality. Posting everything and re-evaluating existing goals will introduce many changes in the life of Scorpio. It is possible that you will feel the need to move or change your job. You will like the job you get and quickly show your professionalism and make a good impression on everyone.
You will feel a strong need to tighten family ties and see relatives who have not been visited for years. Thanks to numerous meetings you will be able to improve communication skills and gain more confidence. October is also a good time to set new goals.
This month is a great time to summarize and draw conclusions from failures. You will focus on yourself and finally settle with the past. Planets will give you a great intuition that will help you get out of trouble. You will find the right words and will emerge victorious from an important debate. You will be assertive and feel good.
The system of planets does not bode well for your professional career. You will be thinking and setting goals for the future. For help, you will turn to your relatives who will give you valuable advice. After talking to friends, you will establish your hierarchy of values again. This will help you manage your time wisely in the future.
Work and family are important, but that’s not all that people have in life. Personal ambitions, willingness to develop, broadening horizons and acquiring knowledge is also important, you should think about this area of their lives. Satisfaction and fulfilment with your own achievements will positively affect you and allow you to look into the future.
Willingness to compromise and make concessions will finally help you hold your own. You will eventually be free and unfettered. You will make decisions related to your future, both professional and private, without consulting your boss or parents. You will take full responsibility for your actions.
Later this month will be a time of intense work for you. You will focus on a career that, unlike private matters, will fit you well. You will have to rely on what will bring you blind destiny. Spontaneity and flexibility will be specified about what will happen to you.
You should remain calm and indulge in a well-deserved rest. This will be a good time to plan your holidays. A short time for relaxation will let you recharge your batteries. Take a break from both work and family matters. Travel alone or with a partner and leave the children with their grandparents. Finally, do something for yourself.
This is a bad time for family relationships for you. You must proceed with caution with your loved ones; else you will only aggravate conflicts. Focusing on professional matters will allow you to distance yourself from family problems
Concentrate on work. You will attach an important project whose success can ensure your family’s well-being. Your success will depend on cooperation with others this month, so play nice and be kind to others because we know you can be a bit too snarky sometimes.
This month you will focus heavily on your career and stop taking over family matters or personal dilemmas. Professional development will be in first place. The planets will make you strong and capable of making independent decisions without outside help.
