Cloud961- Mobile Apps & Games

MOBILE APPS & GAMES ISSUE

ISSUE 12 - Summer 2014

GAME COOKS Born out of a shared passion for gaming

WEED:

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Anghami: Providing much more than a radio can do

Samar Seraqui De Buttafoco: Through Outfits, I Tell Life Stories

«Legalize It,» The Online Community Says

FOO:

We do not Celebrate Success; We Always Aim Higher

Net Neutrality: How a Legal Battle an Ocean Away Affects our Ability to Use the Internet

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EDITORIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF Mohammad Hijazi mhijazi@cloud961.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Selim Njeim selim@cloud961.com

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Lynn Bizri lynn@cloud961.com

Paul Gadallah paul@cloud961.com

CONTRIBUTORS Aline Chirinian Armen Bakkalian Ayman Jalloul Dalia Ramadan Dr. Cloud Elsa Abi Khalil Fida Chaaban Joseph Maalouf Fred Bteich Lara Al Sous Layal Jebran Lynn Tabbara Manal Mohsen Maurice Rustom Mhamad Dankar Mohamad Faez Tarabichi Nadim Frenn Nour Rifai Nuhad Hamdan Raja Riachi Rabih El Khodr Sarah Sabbagh Tarek Bekdache Trending Bytes Wael Kouz Yara Abboud Yara Nahle

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FROM THE EDITOR

ARE APPS THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET? MOHAMMAD HIJAZI Editor in Chief @mhijazi mhijazi@cloud961.com

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decade ago, the most important step for going digital to any business, organization or individual was creating a website to showcase their products, services or interests to the world. Five years later, social media came to dominate the digital scene.

Nowadays, social media is struggling to maintain its presence, especially on personal computers and laptops. Mobile devices— smartphones and tablets—have taken over the market. Users now prefer to use applications rather than browsing the Internet through traditional browsers. This has become more evident with the introduction of the App Store on Windows 8, where Microsoft started pushing apps to its personal computing experience.

Even in electronic gaming, mobile devices have dominated in KSA, UAE, Kuwait and Lebanon, according to the latest study done by IPSOS. With 63 percent smartphone penetration in Lebanon across the total population in 2013 (an increase from 36 percent in 2012), and 85 percent mobile Internet penetration (3G, 4G or EDGE) across smartphone owners (up from 74 percent), it is no surprise that the market for mobile applications has grown tremendously throughout the last couple of years.

Let‘s face it: users are becoming lazier by the minute. They prefer to browse their social platforms on their phones using only one finger as opposed to sitting at a desk or enduring the weight of their laptops. In some countries, the situation is even more extreme. Take Kuwait as an example. The only thriving social network for marketers there is Instagram because there is not a lot you can do on there. Users do not want to read or think too much. They just want to scroll and double-tap while getting updated about the people or brands that they care about.

Digital entrepreneurs are starting to take advantage of users’ laziness by creating simple solutions for them in the form of apps. Even Facebook realized that users like simple apps rather than all-in-one apps, hence the decision to unbun-

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dle the main Facebook mobile app into smaller ones. This sluggishness on the user’s part has caused a billion-dollar industry to thrive.

Despite all the challenges of starting up a business in Lebanon, the digital industry seems to be flourishing. Companies are now more interested in building mobile applications for their products/ services than in mass advertising (namely print, outdoor and TV).

In this issue, we focus on some of the leading mobile app development companies. Game Cooks is our cover feature this month. Since they were founded in 2012, they have launched 7 international mobile games on Android and iOS and have put Lebanon on the e-gaming map with games like Birdy Nam Nam and Run for Peace. We have also interviewed FOO, one of the oldest and most prominent app development companies who have been producing, since 2009, high-end apps for many clients. In another success story, we feature Anghami, the number one Arabic music application that has agreements with more than 4,000 record labels regionally and worldwide. Our features are rich with information about the mobile and gaming experience in Lebanon and the Arab world. This issue contains a special interview with a Dubai-based mobile gaming company, Girnaas.

As time goes by, mobile apps are becoming more innovative and helpful. Some are even becoming more specialized to cater for professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and writers. The possibilities are endless and that is why we will be continuously featuring developers from the region in our upcoming issues.

What are your favorite mobile applications that you cannot live without?

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CONTENTS

#OP-EDS

E-Piracy: Are you for or against? P.12

#ON THE CLOUD

Mipsters, the Muslim hipsters: Wearing the hijab does not mean you cannot be hip P.17 Weed: «Legalize it,» the online community says P.18 The right to be forgotten: The responsibility of arbitrating Internet content P.19 Botnet: Yet another Internet security crisis and how it has been averted P.20 Net Neutrality: How a legal battle an ocean away affects our ability to use the Internet P.22 NSA Spying: How the rest of the world responded P.23

#BLOGOSPHERE Blog of the Month, Moulahazat: Remarking on Lebanese politics P.26

Samir Ghobril: Still in school, yet professional developer P. 50 Girnaas: Veritably Middle Eastern games for a change P. 52 Cloning through an app: A conversation with Lebanese mobile app developer Alexi Akl P. 54 Mobile Cloud Computing: The benefits Lebanese developers will likely miss out on for a while P.56

#ART

Bringing Together The Artistic Community: Haven for Artists use social media to converge art lovers P. 58

#DESIGN

Toying With Littlebits: A flourishing open-source gadget-building online platform P. 60 Flat Design: Usability, functionality and content P. 61

#FASHION

Yes, there is Such a Thing as too Many Bloggers: GS Stores Lebanon cause blogger clash P. 62

Une Libanaise A Paris, blogging for five years and still going strong P. 28

#FEATURE

#FOOD

Restaurants’ Promotional Strategies during The Holy Month P. 65

Game Cooks: Born out of a shared passion for gaming P. 36 Lebanon’s mobile development scene: Three things to be prepared for when developing P. 43 Pricing of Lebanese apps: Monetization and revenue options P. 44

#cover DESCRIPTION Planet Nam Nam by Game Cooks, to be released September 2014

FOO: Riding the wave of modern-day trends P. 46 Anghami: Providing much more than a radio can do P. 48

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CONTENTS

#MOVIES

Remembering Augustus Waters: The Fault in Our Stars breaks hearts, generates social media buzz P. 64

#JOBS

Rabih El Khodr’s Tips for a Successful Skype Interview P. 88 The Beehives: Buzzing With Drive to Unleash Potential P. 90

Game of Thrones: On the throne of social media P. 65

#POLITICS

Your Middle East: News online platform doing what mainstream media cannot P.66 Palestine’s Online Presence: A tool of non-violent resistance P.67

#AGENCIES

Agency of the Month: Joe Fish’s Rami Traboulsi: We are not a typical agency… it has a character, it is fun and original P. 94

#DIGITAL

Sharing Economy: On the Rise, Even in the Arab World P. 96

#TRAVEL

The 7 Must-Have Instagram Posts While On Vacation P.69

Technology ‘R’ Us: IBM predicts how integrated technology will shape our future P. 98

#APPS

The Next Billion: How Google and Facebook’s acquisition sprees are geared towards reaching new Internet users in developing markets P. 101

Kitestring: Your online/offline emergency whistle P. 72

#MARKETING

This Summer’s Must-Have Apps P. 70

Playin’ [It] Safe to the Beat: Minimize distraction with glance-free playlist control P. 72

#GADGETS

Jennifer Kanaan: My accounts are an extension of myself P. 102 Click-based Advertising: How monetization of every click is reshaping the way websites package content P. 104

Google Driverless Car, A Road to Possibilities: Google unveils their own driverless car and jump miles ahead in the race of autonomous motoring P. 74

Intently: No more online advertisements? P. 105

Is Lebanon Ready for the Dawn of the Smart TV Era? P. 75

#STARTING UP

Colorful Designs: How budget devices are making up for cheap materials by using bright colors P. 76

Witnessing The World Cup 2014: Every marketer’s wet dream P. 106

Shopbuilder, Setting up Your Online Store: An appealing, organized and affordable digital platform, for a better shopping experience P. 110

Edyn Smart Garden: Welcome to the connected backyard P. 77 Windows 8 Hybrid Devices: The rise of a new corner in an already-crowded market P. 78

#SOCIAL GAMES

Videogames Misconceptions: How they are still feared by those who have never played them P. 82

#EDUCATION

TED-Ed: Capturing and magnifying the voices of educators P. 112 Online Tutorials: Changing the face of education P. 113

#CHANGING LIVES

My Stealthy Freedom: Iranian women revolt P. 114 8 CLOUD961

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FROM OUR READERS

FROM OUR READERS We appreciate your feedback regarding our magazine, so feel free to share your thoughts with us on our social media platforms on Facebook.com/ cloud961mag, Twitter.com/cloud961mag, Instagram.com/cloud961mag or by email on editor@cloud961.com.

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OP-EDS

E-PIRACY: ARE YOU FOR OR AGAINST?

By Raja Riachi

@rajariachi and By Layal Jebran

What follows is a debate of two opinions, circulating on piracy. Does the free sharing identity of the Internet inherently give us the right to share for free, and are there any ethical considerations to be taken heed of? Tweet to us your thoughts. We would love to hear from you!

Layal: What is piracy, anyway? I believe

that information should be free for all.

When you download a song or a movie off the Internet, you are not actually stealing something; you are only copying it with the full consent of the party that uploaded it. Had you been stealing it, the original would be gone and someone’s rights would be compromised. Another point: if one chooses to download a movie or a book they already considered too expensive to buy, the business of that said book owner is not affected. On the contrary, the owner gains more fame, and either way, the downloading party was not going to buy the book, hence the original sales numbers won’t not affected.

Raja: Piracy is the free download or copy of a song, movie, game, book, etc. and use without the consent of the owner. The Internet, which is promoted as a platform for free and open sharing, leans heavily on the misappropriated word “free”. The definition of property has also shifted, as we move toward an increasingly virtual, intangible world. While piracy does sometimes help spur popularity in favor of some newcomers, content creators find it hard to recoup the losses. Gaming studios have famously had to lay off employees as sales figures were not reached due to widespread piracy of their products, affecting employees trying to make ends meet.

Layal: Why would piracy cause lay

off’s of so many working people? Gaming companies have noted a rise in the sales of their figurines and limited edition packages, as well as an increase of their in-app purchases. In music, for example, streaming, downloading or torrenting songs enables people to sample the genre.

If they like it, they might be compelled to purchase the actual albums, buy shirts and autobiographies, and perhaps even “mosh” at concerts. Giving away free samples or trial version of apps and other goodies has not been associated exclusively with newcomers, though. RadioHead, a high-profile band, put their album out on the market 12 CLOUD961

@iPr1ncess

on a “pay-what-you-want” basis in order to support the right to free information on the Internet. Also, when app developers themselves make their apps free for a day, they are encouraging people to use their product, even though they might not have paid for it. Our current online world does not stand or fall only based upon profit, but also on how much exposure one can acquire. Most brands nowadays care about getting famous way more than they do about the means (through the legal purchase of their app, song, book, or endless seeding and leeching). If it were otherwise, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) would not have been opposed so vehemently.

Raja: SOPA was not refused because it threatened piracy. It was refused because it threatened the open nature of the Internet, in an attempt to combat piracy. Content creators and providers have reacted to widespread piracy in what I believe to be the right way: by providing appealing and cheap alternatives through digital media.

Subscription-based music services reward artists for every time someone listens to one of their songs, while keeping costs down for the consumer (with just a few dollars a month). Games found on digital storefronts are highly discounted a few months following their release. Buying them would allow the player to benefit from developer support and multiplayer.

The only time piracy might be justified is when there is no way to access certain content but through piracy. For example, I have no way to watch my favorite TV shows because I do not have access to Netflix or other video streaming services in this country, so I pirate them. However, when the people who have worked hard on what they have created provide the consumer with a very cost-friendly alternative to piracy—and people still decide to essentially steal that product— then they would have crossed the line. When established bands like Radiohead or app developers decide to offer their content for free, they do it by choice. It does not give us the right to force this system on others who have worked hard and simply want to be rewarded for the work they do, very much like I expect to be paid for this article I am writing.

Get RadioHead‘s album for free at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ markets/2816802/Radiohead-to-give-awaynew-album.html

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NEWSFEED

By Joelle Hajji

Local

International @joellehajji

NEWSFEED 1-Microsoft Making Fitness Band, Not A Smartwatch Microsoft is planning to launch a new smartwatch that will be compatible with iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices. The device is expected to be sleeker, thinner, and more closely resemble a fitness band, such as the Nike Fuelband. The smartwatch and/or fitness band will allegedly be released this fall and pricing could be the same as Samsung Gear. “It will work with everything and not just the device maker’s smartphone platform,” wrote Paul Thurrott, who has a satisfying

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2-Vine Adds A New Metric For “Views” Vine added a new metric so users can see just how widespread their Vine creations actually are. Vine videos now include a “Loop Count,” a metric comparable to the “Views” one used on other sites like YouTube. The count updates automatically any time the video is played, even on embeds across the web.

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3-Facebook Testing New “Related Videos” Feature Facebook is testing a new “Related Videos” feature which suggests videos similar to the ones you just watched.

Similarly to YouTube, once a video is done playing on your Facebook’s News Feed, you would have the option to re-watch that video, or select another related video from a grid provided by Facebook.

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4-Apple Has Unveiled Its iOS 8, Launching In The Fall Apple has unveiled its iOS 8. The new version, which will come to iPhones and iPads in the fall, includes many new features. iOS 8 brings interactive notifications, giving users the ability to respond to a notification without launching the app it comes from, just by pulling down on the alert. On the lock screen, swiping notifications will bring up a pair of Accept/Decline buttons. The iOS 8 beta software and SDK are available immediately for iOS Developer Program members at developer.apple. com. iOS 8 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2, iPad with Retina display, iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad mini with Retina display. iCloud Photo Library and iCloud Drive use your iCloud storage with the first 5GB free. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all regions or all languages.

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14-Google Is Adding 13 Additional Languages to Gmail, Bringing Total Count To 71 Gmail, which now covers languages spoken by 94 percent of the world’s Internet population, can now be formatted to Afrikaans, Armenian, Azerbaijani (Azeri), Chinese (Hong Kong), French (Canada), Galician, Georgian, Khmer, Lao, Mongolian, Nepali, Sinhala and Zulu, this bring its languages count up to 71.

13 Hola

Hello

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Heij 你好

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11-Twitter Adds “Buy Now” Button Twitter’s “Buy Now” button has appeared for the first time in multiple tweets. While the buttons appear in both the Timeline and expanded tweet view, nothing happens when you actually hit the button. It only appears on mobile, and does not appear on Twitter’s web version.

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12-Facebook Has Rolled Out Slingshot Internationally Slingshot, which is produced by Creative Labs, is a Snapchat-style app which lets you fling pictures or videos to your friends. The main point of differentiation is that in order to view a received image or video clip, you have to sling something to the sender first.

6-Instagram Adds 10 New Features To Photo Editing Tools Instagram added 10 new features to the photo editing tools. The new list of features includes: adjust (a new tool for cropping and straightening photos), brightness, contrast, saturation, warmth, sharpen, shadow, and others. Users will also have more control over the level of filter that is applied to photos before sharing filters.

The filter’s intensity is adjustable on a slide bar.

13-Volvo And Audi Have Announced Their New Android Auto Plan Volvo have announced that their new XC90 will be the first Volvo car to run Android Auto.

The XC90 will be launched in October at the Paris Motor Show, with first models shipping

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15-Facebook Gives Its Column Ads Another Makeover Facebook has started rolling out a new design for the column on the right of the “News Feed.”

Facebook said early tests are showing “significantly higher click-through rates” for the redesigned unit, which features fewer ads with bigger images. This also means advertisers must pay a premium for that space.

“With fewer ads available in the right-hand column, we expect that overall competition for ad space on Facebook will increase,” the social network warned. The new design may be simpler for advertisers, as it mirrors the shape of desktop News Feed ads, so marketers could use the same image for both units.

16-Facebook Messenger Is Now On iPad Facebook Messenger has finally arrived to iPads.

The popular chatting app was previously only available on mobile for the iPhone, but the social network pushed out an update that includes full iPad support. In the past, users could use Facebook Messenger on iPad, but only as an enlarged iPhone app.

10-Twitter Now Allows You To Embed Tweets Within Tweets On iOS And Android You can now embed tweets within tweets on iOS and Android. To do so, just copy and paste the link to an older tweet into a new one. The link will automatically settle into an embed and can be tweeted out accordingly. For now, this only works on mobile.

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8-Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Release Date In September The new Samsung Galaxy Note 4 specs list includes Quad HD with a 2560×1440 AMOLED display of an unknown size and a 2-megapixel camera screen.

Other rumored features of the phablet include: Snapdragon 805 SoC with four Krait 450 cores clocked at 2.7 GHz and Adreno 420 GPU, 3 GB of RAM, fingerprint sensor, and an upgraded S Pen stylus. At the back, the smartphone will also pack a 16 MP ISOCELL back camera. There is speculation that the latest Android L will be preinstalled on the smartphone.

Although Samsung has not officially confirmed the Galaxy Note 4 release date, it is most likely that the device will arrive in September as new Galaxy S4 and Note 3 deals were spotted online.

It is rumored, however, that it is to be released first in the US, North America, Korea, China and Japan before arriving to the MENA region.

out in early 2015. Audi vehicles with Android Auto will begin arriving in early 2015. For Audi, Android Auto will be built into its existing MMI system. This will allow Android users to plug in their phone and get full access to Android Auto while still allowing other devices and older Android phones to get a good in-car entertainment system through Audi’s MMI system.

9-Facebook Messenger Adds Tap-AndHold video Sharing Feature Facebook Messenger has added the Tap-AndHold video sharing feature. Pre-recorded video sharing and a split-screen selfie camera were added in April, but now you can tap and hold the camera button to send a mini-movie. The quick video messaging has already proved itself a hit, so Facebook is giving it to Messenger’s 200 million-plus users. The camera defaults to the front-facing selfie mode, but you can flip it around to show off what you are looking at.

5-Twitter Changes Its Primary Web Font Twitter has changed its primary web font for user profiles. The new font is Gotham Narrow SSm. The font change appears across the Twitter.com site, on user profiles and sidebars, in tweets and on individual tweet pages, even smaller text like the tweet embed code.

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The YouTube app on mobile has been updated with video resolution choices. This is very useful for people who have slow mobile data speeds.

Now, when you click on the menu button in the video and tap on the gear icon, you will get a list of resolution options, from the eye-watering 144p, all the way up to 1080p. Maximum resolution will depend upon the video, of course.

Before the update, there was no way to select— just HD on or off.

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17-AppMahal Launches Unique Social Sharing Network For Mobile Apps in Arabic AppMahal Ltd. announced the launch of AppMahal, the first social sharing network for mobile applications. AppMahal, which is available on Google Play, allows users to see which applications their friends and other users have on their phones and share applications and recommendations among each other. AppMahal is being developed for the Arab market by an Arab entrepreneur team and its goal is to help users in Arab-speaking markets discover and share great apps. By linking social connections such as Facebook to the huge world of mobile apps, AppMahal enables users to see which applications their friends and other social network members are using on their phones, using information which is already available and provided through the social network. AppMahal allows users to find new, interesting and popular applications without searching through millions of apps.

18-ISPs Start Rolling Out Their New DSL Plans Ogero have started rolling out the new ADSL plans with lower prices and higher bytes. Prices are subject to VAT and to Fair Use Policy. They are also based on location and the quality of copper phone lines. The offer also includes unlimited night traffic from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

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ON THE CLOUD

ON THE CLOUD

MIPSTERS, THE MUSLIM HIPSTERS: Wearing the hijab does not mean you cannot be hip

By Joseph Maalouf

@zoozel

A group of women who identify themselves as the “Muslim hipsters” have initiated a trend across the Interweb with their unconventional style, within the limits of conservative clothing. They are bold, creative, fashionable women, yet also wear the hijab and stay true to their religion.

Their goal: dismantling stereotypes and oppressiveness through finding self-empowerment in fashion, proving that the hijab can be treated as just another item of fashion. They also go as far as expanding the meaning of the word ‘Mipster’: “someone at the forefront of the latest music, fashion, art, critical thought, food, imagination, creativity, and all forms of obscure everything.”

The movement started with e-mails between members of a small group of friends and grew into a large social phenomenon on several online platforms.

The Mipsterz are well-aware of the power of digital platforms in reaching out to like-minded individuals and in encouraging those to express their sense of style freely. The movement spread organically on blogs that curate relevant trends and inspiration, the most notable of which is 16 CLOUD961

called ‘Modest Street Fashion’, defining the initiative as “a must-have inside look into a twenty-first-century genesis of a faith driven style.”

As a result of their investment in social media, their work is allowing people around the world to see a modern, non-monolithic take on Islam. This movement has also led to the launch of Hipster Shaadi, a matchmaking site for young, hip Muslims. The site’s co-founders met on one of the Mipster forums and agreed on the need to have an online platform that connects people who share the same religious mindsets.

However, the group’s music video— showcasing their street style—was met with mixed reactions. Blogger Fatimah Waseem described their hijab as “a plumped, fluffed, and frivolous mash-up of modern tends laced in showing one’s figure.” and questioned if this was the right way to portray Muslim women as empowered, confident, and alive.

Fashion statements do not exactly align with the Quran’s call for modesty for the Muslim woman. This is seen by some as compromising religion.

That being said, it seems like the Mipsters are here to stay, for new brands such as the conservative chic collections of Alya are starting to appear with this demographic in mind, accommodating the need for self-expression.

HAIR STYLISTS & MAKE-UP ARTISTS Beirut - Verdun Plaza 1 - Tel: 01 801 380 Sour - Hosh Square - Tel: 76 551 585

Raafat.and.Ismail

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ON THE CLOUD

ON THE CLOUD

The responsibility of arbitrating Internet content

By Raja Riachi

@rajariachi

The way the Internet is structured in its basic form provides access through portals like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. These portals have facilitated finding almost anything online, short of child pornography, from daily headlines to pirated movies, upholding the fact that as long as your tastes do not reach such lows as obtaining satisfaction from the abuse of young children for your own pleasure, you will find what you look for online.

WEED: «LEGALIZE IT»

On these portals, however, lies a great burden of maintaining the open nature of the Internet and ensuring that any piece of information is accessible, unless it breaches the farthest limits of common human decency and/or legality.

THE ONLINE COMMUNITY SAYS

This, actually, has been threatened by a case ruling at the European Court of Justice, Europe’s highest court, saying that people have “the right to be forgotten” by requesting that Google remove pages about them if they are “irrelevant, out of date, inaccurate, or an invasion of privacy.”

The debate about legalizing weed in Lebanon has got very animated lately as members of parliament suggested legalizing its cultivation. One MP, however, went further, considering legalizing its use, too.

Ever since, a large portion of Lebanese youth has been screaming, «Legalize It.» No marches or demonstrations have been held for this cause yet, but a virtual campaign has already invaded social media platforms. The prison sentence for weed consumers did not scare nor prevent people from posting their pictures alongside joints on Facebook pages like «Shari’ouha», «Legalize It», and «Legalize Marijuana Lebanon.»

This issue came into the light when Spanish lawyer Mario Costeja González argued that entering his name into a search engine so in this case Google, would bring up information about his past where he faced financial difficulties which led to the repossession of one of his properties. He argued that his debt issues had been solved a long time ago, rendering them out-of-date and no longer relevant.

It is important to note that Google is not capable of removing the page from the Internet, and was only asked to remove articles and links relating to this incident from search results when González’s name is typed in. This sets a precedent in Europe which allows anyone to submit requests to Google to remove embarrassing information they would rather hide, under the argument that it is “irrelevant, out of date, inaccurate, or an invasion of privacy”.

By Yara Nahle

@yarabee2

In one photo, the Cedar in the center of the Lebanese flag was replaced with a Marijuana plant. In another, a man is de18 CLOUD961

picted in the middle of a green weed field.

He has his face covered with a «Koufie», usually worn by peasants. He is a peasant who cultivates weed, and is proud of his vocation.

These campaigns bring forth arguments in favor of legalizing this plant, especially those based on studies which prove the medical value of weed (its capability to cure cancer, for example, or heal burns).

They claim that the plant’s medical benefit is the reason behind the authorities’ rejection of its legalization; after all, they won’t be able to make as much money from the medical sector with the presence of a medicine like that.

Founded less than two years ago, «Legalize Marijuana Lebanon» took advantage lately of the legalization debate taking place among politicians. The page’s admin

thinks the online community is doing its best, but more efforts should be done for “the good of this country.”

“Things should go farther; we need to hit the streets and protest for what is good for us, for what makes a better country,» the admin writes.

As the page showcases photos of Marijuana plants in large green fields or in people’s backyards, the page’s manager fears being confronted by authorities or accused of engaging in illegal activities.

However, he does not plan to discontinue his efforts for, in his opinion, he is not encouraging people to break the law, is rather only spreading knowledge about marijuana’s benefits.

«It’s not a crime,» he believes.

porn, and how the lives of those targeted are affected. Revenge porn is when a former significant other, usually male, posts sensitive, highly graphic videos and images of the victim along with their names and addresses.

This ruling now allows people to request from Google to remove links to these pages from their search engine, making them almost impossible to find.

While many who have been negatively affected stand to benefit from this ruling, there is something more important at stake. The open nature of the Internet is what allows us to keep an eye on our politicians. It is what keeps corporations [relatively] honest. It ensures a certain modicum of forced honesty, a luxury that could prove itself to be shortlived.

The main example in the arguments given to advocate such a decision would be revenge

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ON THE CLOUD

BOTNET: Yet another Internet security crisis and how it has been averted

By Raja Riachi

@rajariachi

In the last issue of Cloud 961, Heartbleed was seen as the most important threat to Internet security. While it still is, and in large part still inflicts many servers that have not updated the version of Openssl they use, a new threat has emerged.

In the beginning of June, Microsoft, the FBI, and the United States Department of Justice announced they had cooperated to take action against something called the “Gameover Zues” Botnet. A Botnet is what we call when numerous similar programs communicate with each other via the Internet to provide the same function. Botnets can be used for productive or malicious purposes, the most widespread being distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, which have been responsible for many social media and website outages in the past.

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In this case, the Gameover Zues Botnet is a Trojan responsible for USD 100m in losses while spending 2013 attacking “nearly all major business and public sector organizations” and between 500,000 and 1 million computers affected, according to a post on the Microsoft website.

Gameover Zues is spread through “driveby downloads”, a technique cybercriminals use whereby a website visit from an unprotected computer would lead to the download of the malware.

It is also spread through phishing, whereby fake e-mails are sent from seemingly legitimate businesses, containing an attachment or link which when clicked, would lead to infecting an unprotected computer. Once the PC in question is infected—when users are on a web browser—the botnet automatical-

ly starts logging all keystrokes, eventually giving the victim’s account information to the cybercriminal behind the botnet.

Variants of the latter have also been created, giving it the ability to circumvent firewalls and other security systems by disguising itself as an encrypted executable (.exe) file. According to the US Justice Department, this Botnet was tackled with the help of “private industry experts and law enforcement counterparts in more than 10 countries around the world,” deeming it a “US-led Multi-National action.”

While one might easily get lost in the technical aspect of Internet security, if there is one thing to take away from the information herein, it is that one must always be vigilant while surfing the WWW.

ON THE CLOUD

ON THE CLOUD

NSA SPYING: How the rest of the world responded

By Raja Riachi

NET NEUTRALITY: How a legal battle an ocean away affects our ability to use the Internet

By Raja Riachi

There has recently been a flurry of news on the US National Security Agency (NSA) spying on Internet users on things ranging from social media to massively multiplayer online gaming (MMO). While most media outlets have been focusing on how this affects US citizens, it appears that the privacy rights of those outside the US have been forgotten.

or locations because “the cloud does not have a physical footprint”.

For this reason, Microsoft was not surprised that it lost its first challenge to the warrant demands and is now appealing that judge decision. Microsoft argue that the US Government does not have the authority to order access to e-mails of non-US citizens on non-US territory.

Microsoft was the first major company to address this issue by offering international customers the choice to house their information on servers outside the United State—in Dublin, Ireland, where they would theoretically lie outside the US Government’s jurisdiction, and thus remain out of their reach. The US Government, however, presented Microsoft with a warrant to access e-mail information on customers outside the US, with the argument being that warrants for virtual information do not follow the same rules as physical material

Microsoft has received backing and support from many other tech giants, including the Electronic Frontier Foundations, Apple, Cisco, and mobile carrier companies Verizon and AT&T. There are others taking measures against the bout of NSA spying, with countries such as Brazil and Russia passing laws that demand US Internet companies to house servers with their citizen’s information within their borders. In Brazil, these measures are being taken even further, with the country’s postal service developing an encrypted e-mail service.

In addition, plans to physically, and quite literally, sidestep the US when it comes to its country’s Internet traffic were revealed when Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced that they would extend a deep sea fiber optic cable through the Atlantic between Brazil and Europe, bypassing the US. The aim behind these actions is to keep information on Brazilian soil and divert web traffic away from American servers, thus having firmer control over who accesses its citizens’ online information. It is feared, however, that due to the NSA’s obvious determination, that simply making their maneuvers more difficult does not render it impossible to access private information, and does little to deter that in the long run.

@rajariachi

The Internet has always been a place of forced equality. It was the first human construct that truly offered an equal voice and opportunity to anyone with enough money to buy a laptop and a cup of coffee.

With more than one-third of the global population online as of 2012 (almost 2.5 billion people), that really is quite an achievement. Unfortunately, the free, equal nature of the Internet is now under threat. Currently, the infrastructure that connects us to the Internet behaves as one wide highway which lets through all information indiscriminately, so to say.

Continuing with the highway analogy, picture one road which lets through cars, trucks, buses, bikes, and any other vehicle on wheels. That would be less efficient than giving large vehicles, such as freight trucks, dedicated lanes and preventing them from affecting normal commuter traffic. That is how the Internet currently functions.

The things that take up a high amount of bandwidth when accessed—like stream22 CLOUD961

@rajariachi

ing services (Youtube, Netflix, Hulu)—use the same highway as pages that barely use up any bandwidth at all. What this could lead to is congestion on this highway which would affect the speeds for people using the Internet for casual surfing.

There are two proposed solutions for this problem and the point of disagreement is obviously who would be footing the bill. The first solution—highly supported by video streaming services—is to widen the highway. They argue that Internet is not a commodity; it is a basic part of necessary infrastructure just like electricity or water, so it is the responsibility of those providing it to pay to keep it up to standards.

The second solution proposed—this time

by Internet Service Providers or ISPs (the ones who would be handling covering the costs if the first solution is reached)—is to create a two-tier highway, one for standard speed where content providers who rely mostly on text and pictures would send their information on, and a super-speed highway, which would force

content providers of high bandwidth content like video streaming services to use after paying a fee.

While this might seem like a logical argument when using the highway analogy, it threatens the free and equal nature of the Internet which allows anyone to post and distribute content. This all seems very technical and an example might clarify things. If I decided to create a website which would allow Lebanese and Arab musicians to post videos, I would have to pay ISPs a premium to allow me to have what is posted on my website available at decent usable speeds.

While this is currently only happening in the United States, it sets a dangerous precedent which will soon be followed.

Another more realistic example is Twitch—the video streaming service dedicated to gaming—recently bought by YouTube for more than USD 1b, would probably not have been possible on the two-tier system, which makes it harder for new portals to establish themselves.

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Blogosphere Blogs Newsfeed

Blogosphere Blogs Newsfeed

By Joelle Hajji

@joellehajji

Racing Park Mtein (RPM Lebanon): A New Karting Circuit In Lebanon http://blogbaladi.com/racing-park-mtein-rpm-leba-

ceptable and at the same time so funny.

How can someone bite too hard during a game and then fall down as if they were the ones who got hurt? What some do not know is that this incident was not Suarez’s first time. He already bit another player before and he has also been accused of racism. As always, Lebanese took advantage of the situation and started a small campaign the next day with these two ads by Lord of the Wings and Master Chips.

What do you think of their campaigns, and do you think the happening was worth the investment in the ad?

non-a-new-karting-circuit-in-lebanon/

Racing Park Mtein is presumably the biggest kart track in the Middle East. “Even though Mtein is a bit far, but we needed a new karting track in Lebanon and the circuit looks amazing,” as per Najib from BlogBaladi. Here are a couple of photos of the track and a map of it.

Let us wait and see if it is worth it.

What Is Happening At Zara Lebanon? http://stateofmind13.com/2014/06/22/ zara-lebanon-ripping-off-customers/

A friend of the blog sent two pictures my way of people they know shopping at one of Zara’s shops in Beirut and discovering that they were possibly victims of fraud by a chain that many believed would not resort to such ways to realize profit. The photos were shared by A separate State of Mind in order to expose the rip-off.

AZADEA were kind enough to explain the process of their pricing. “Sales and promotions are monitored by the Lebanese Ministry of Economy. If such a mistake were to be found at their premises, the customer is to get the lower price guaranteed. You can also always consult their customer service in case you encounter such an aberration.”

Nobody knows if this was fraud or a mistake as they claimed, but these kinds of things have happened before in many shops, so it is not something surprising for anyone.

Contractors Damage Old Woman’s House, Forcing Her To Evacuate In Mar Mikhael http://ginosblog.com/2014/06/13/asshole-contractors-damage-old-womans-house-to-force-her-to-

Muslim Council Of Britain Denounces FGM http://michcafe.blogspot.com/2014/06/muslim-council-of-britain-denounces-fgm.html

The UK’s most prominent Muslim organization denounced female genital mutilation (FGM) on June 20, adding that the traditional practice severely violates the human rights of women and girls. The first Girl Summit, hosted by the UK and UNICEF on July 22, aimed to mobilize domestic and international efforts to end FGM and child early and forced marriage (CEFM) within a generation. You really need to check this blog post by Michcafe, because it shows the importance and danger of this issue, and how many women and girls are subjected to FGM. At the end of the day, a little girl should live out her childhood and become a bride in due time rather than be subjected to all kinds of bad things that she does not even understand.

evacuate-in-mar-mikhael/ How could someone even do that? Gino Raidy writes, “Imagine leaving your home, the one you’ve been living in for decades, and coming back to realize that one of its entire sides is gone, demolished. This is what happened to an elderly lady in Mar Mikhael. A construction project had taken over two adjacent buildings from the 1920s (facing Locale), and wanted to include the house she lives in (from the 1900s!)

The company did not want to evict the tenant by paying her due compensation, and want to force her out by damaging her home beyond repair.”

This is beyond unreasonable. A lot of things are happening in this country, but how can someone damage someone else’s home and leave them homeless?

Go to Save Beirut Hertiage’s page to keep tabs on new developments in this matter and see how you can help.

LL20 million and given nine months in prison, Lebanese women’s rights organization Kafa announced Tuesday, the latest in a number of brutal cases involving spouse abuse. Hussein Ftouni, 30, tortured his 22-year-old wife Tamara Harisi for hours on June 7, leaving her with severe bruises all over her face and body.

The case is the first example of the courts using a new law passed in April aimed at protecting women from domestic violence, but Maya Ammar, a legal adviser for Kafa (Enough), told The Daily Star that the sentence was not enough for the crime committed.”

I agree with Najib of Blog Baladi, who says he should be jailed for 9 years not just 9 months. His current sentence is better than nothing, though. However, who will protect Tamara when he is out of jail?

Oh Gosh, It is The Wedding Season http://inkontheside.com/2014/06/30/oh-godits-wedding-season/

Two Lebanese Ads Inspired By Luis Suárez’s Bite

Lebanese Man Sentenced To 9 Months In Prison For Beating And Torturing Wife http://blogbaladi.com/lebanese-man-sentenced-to-

http://blogbaladi.com/two-lebanese-ads-inspired-

9-months-in-prison-for-beating-and-torturing-his-

from-louis-suarezs-bite/

wife/

Louis Suarez’s bite was pretty much the most interesting occurrence making it to the news during the World Cup. What he did was unac-

The Daily Star wrote, “A husband that beat his wife to within an inch of her life was fined

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It is that time of the season, again, with weddings to attend almost every weekend and you end up with up to seven weddings during summer. Forget the hot weather; a wedding is every invitee’s nightmare and it is demonstrated in a perfect way in this caricature by Sareen Akharjalian. Not to mention that today,

photos are shared everywhere so it is rather impossible and embarrassing to wear the same dress twice. I love it!

Brazil vs Germany Memes You Should Not Miss http://chitiktikchiti3a.blogspot.com/2014/07/ brazil-vs-germany-memes-you-should.html

With Brazil’s worst World Cup defeat of all time against Germany, as always, people turn each event into a joke through panoply of means, including memes. Here are some memes shared on the Chitiktikchiti3a blog.

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Blogosphere Blog of the month

Blogosphere Blog of the month

BLOG OF THE MONTH: MOULAHAZAT Remarking on Lebanese politics

By Paul Gadalla

@paulinbeirut

Politics in Lebanon is not exactly the easiest subject to talk about, let alone blog about.

Nearly every media outlet carries a certain bias or is a mouthpiece for a political party.

Political debates sometimes end in chairs being thrown on live television. Yet, despite all this, one of Lebanon’s newest blogs dares to take on the challenge of blogging on politics.

Meet Ramez Dagher, a medical student with a huge interest in Lebanese politics, who has been writing his blog “Moulahazat” for the last several months and even tackling pressing matters such as the fiasco that has become the Lebanese presidential elections.

Here is our conversation with him.

Ramez, why blog about such a controversial topic?

When I started the blog, most of the analysis I had been reading I felt was opinionated and often only analyzed one side of the story. Every Lebanese party has their own media outlets and most of the Lebanese media work on brainwashing their audience.

It was not the media that was missing, nor was it independent/neutral media.

What was missing was something that exclusively focused on both Lebanese politics and its media—a «zoom out» to get a bird’s eye view. You often find out about upcoming political moves via some of the new political positions of partisan newspapers. That is something only social media can take note of, as newspapers would rarely analyze each other’s new positions.

Where does the title come from?

I chose the Arabic word «Moulahazat» as a title for my blog because it sums up everything about it. Depending on the context, the word Moulahazat can have different meanings.

In a discussion, it can mean one’s remarks or comments.

The word can also be understood as criticism. It can also be translated into observations. And that is mainly what the blog is all about: observing Lebanese politics, commenting on them, and exposing the available facts independently, for whatever it is worth.

How did you hone your political analysis skills?

I have always had an interest in Lebanese history. Lebanese schools do not focus much on it, so as I was growing up, we barely had any history classes on Lebanese history, and school books stopped anyway at the events of 1943.

They do not cover the civil war, the thirty years between the independence and the civil war, and the post-Taef years. The fact that Lebanese could not agree on their common history encouraged me to read more on it. With time, I became more and more fascinated by Lebanese history and politics. Every story has more than one version, so I became a firm believer that in Lebanese politics no one can be right about everything. The comparisons I found between the 1958-1975 era and these last few years encouraged me to start a blog where I could write on Lebanese politics.

How do you deal with people attacking your or claiming you are

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biased?

I am proud to say that Moulahazat is one of the very few unbiased Lebanese blogs. Most of the people who have been following me for some time should know that I have no preference for any Lebanese politician. I always make sure to write on everything across the political spectrum. The blog entries usually discuss political dynamism, which means that I comment on the first side’s maneuver and then afterwards discuss the counter-maneuver. If I sometimes focus on a side more than the other, that is mainly because this side would probably have the upper hand at that moment and would be more «politically active» than the other, which means there is more to comment

on.

That is why this type of criticism is very rare, and usually happens when the reader is new and happened to exclusively read one blog post while disregarding the earlier ones.

That is why I believe the only way to deal with this is through posting unbiased commentary.

Which politicians do you think are doing it right on Twitter?

I think it is nice that politicians in Lebanon are making use of social media.

It is an interesting way to reach out to people and they all have had their ups and downs on social media. However, it is worth noting that the Minister of Information does not have a Twitter account, and that is something unac-

ceptable these days.

How well do you think the online world has been doing covering the presidential elections?

I think the online world has so far covered the presidential elections in a very professional manner. So far, they have interviewed all the main candidates, shed light on the unknown technocrat ones, and even some of them created polls to see what the people want. But they still have a lot to cover till elections are over, so we will have to wait and see how they would handle the election of the new president.

Any predictions on who will be the next president?

No side can secure an absolute majority so I will go ahead and say that there are two consensual scenarios: The first one is that the two coalitions agree on an independent president and an independent prime minister.

The second one is that a coalition names the PM while the other names the president.

Both deals would also include an agreement on the parliamentary elections, the electoral law, and the shape of the cabinet overseeing the parliamentary elections. That is why although we are entering the second month of vacuum, I am saddened to say that it is still too soon to say who will be the next president. But since the president would stay for 6 years while the PM is likely to leave office after the parliamentary elections, I would say that in the long run, the safest (and hence most likely) scenario for everyone would be the first one.

What advice do you have for people wanting to study politics?

I am a medical student, not a political science student, so I cannot really give them any advice other that researching history. The only thing I can say here is that even if a person is majoring in something else than politics, it does not mean they should not read and know their country’s politics and history.

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Blogosphere

Blogosphere

What is your blog about? How long have you been blogging for?

My blog speaks about fashion through a certain way of living. I am interested in clothes, but also in a life situation. It does not interest me to promote brands; I do not like the “outfit of the day”, where bloggers act as mannequins. I like to imagine an outfit as part of a precious moment in someone’s life: a wedding, a trip, an appointment; I love telling stories! The blog has been created almost 5 years ago.

Samar Seraqui

de Buttafoco:

Through outfits, I tell life stories Une Libanaise A Paris, blogging for five years and still going strong

By Elsa Abi Khalil

@ak_elsa

Samar Seraqui De Buttafoco, or otherwise known as “Une Libanaise a Paris”, shares the same name with her blog, a mix of Oriental fashion vibes against the backdrop of one of the world’s most glamorous cities. It has never been uncommon for Lebanese people to pack up their bags—and whatever it is they know how to do most—and go to another country to set up projects that are a hodgepodge of two cultures, always aiming for more material and immaterial wealth, and ingenuity. Read our interview with Samar, a young, married Lebanese woman living in Paris.

What is behind the name of your blog, “Une Libanaise a Paris”?

Behind the name of “Une Libanaise à Paris”, there is a lot of curiosity and sharing. I try to be honest in everything I blog about. I do not want to cheat and I refuse a lot of collaborations in order to not fall into the commercial trap of blogging. There is also the love of pretty things. Behind every creation there is a team of people just working—I like to meet them, nurture myself of their energy and also to show that fashion, without it necessarily being a major art form, is not something trivial. Finally, there is me behind the blog, a 31-year-old young woman, who still marvels while keeping her feet on the ground.

How did you decide to launch your own blog despite your stance vis-a-vis blogging? Who were your first supporters?

I created the blog while I was working at the Arabic desk of an international news channel, France 24. It was intellectually very constructive, but also exhausting. Journalists work long hours. I could not go home and not think about all the images of war that I had covered during the day. I needed lightness and simplicity as a getaway from this harshness. I created the blog without telling anyone; it was really an escape to write something other than war and politics, and step by step, it first started gaining momentum in Paris, to my amazement. At first, it was anonymous; and that is what allowed me to gain some credibility, I think. I was definitely not the spotlight of the blog. There were no pictures of me. It allowed me to focus on writing, telling stories of life, making people smile with and through fashion. And, gradually, I found my niche: to do fashion shoots without falling into the trap of the “outfit of the day”. I like an item of clothes when you feel that you can wear it and be comfortable and it makes you look beautiful, regardless of the brand, the price or what is trendy. I am not fashionable by any means; I just like style. And I think my first readers appreciate my consistency over the years. I am not talking about something because it is new and fashionable. Fashion for me is an attitude; we dress according to our mood and circumstances, not according to trends.

You have done studies in journalism; do you feel that blogging is like a side job for you or more of a hobby?

The blog today showcases my work and gives me some freedom in my career choices as a journalist. I work with various media,

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but they come to me for my identity and my writing style. This is certainly not a hobby; this is another form of writing and freedom.

“Ce blog est mon bébé.”

You hid your identity until recently, when, last September, you started dazzling us with your appealing and charming persona. Why did it take you so long and what made you change your mind?

I would say maybe a lack of confidence and also because I am not obsessed with myself. My vision for my blog is primarily to share a universe, to be curious about what surrounds us. I will not only share updates about myself. I admit I had a very bad image of bloggers. I follow just a few, but I must say, I am a very big fan of “Man Repeller.”

She puts herself in the scene but she has a very strong identity; her motto is to say that eventually us, girls, love clothes that men hate! She has a lot of humor, too. Yes, I took some time to expose myself on the blogging scene, but I do not regret it, because I did it the way I wanted it to happen. I tell life stories through outfits I wear. For the last shoot for example, I took advantage of my visit to Beirut, and I went on the beautiful terrace of “Momo at the Souks” and I meant for it to have a very Mediterranean feel. In those photos, I wore a black dress from Dolce and Gabbana, and I was cleaning the glasses with a macramé Zara stole, all that amid jasmine flowers. The article is called “La Sicillitude”, the contraction of Sicily and attitude; it was to focus on women and the Mediterranean atmosphere.

Do you feel that social media had a crucial role in raising awareness of your blog? Are you more present on Twitter or on Instagram? Do you use other social media to share your blog content?

If so, what are they?

Of course! Social networks are changing everything! Now it is more work because you have to feed them! I started my account on Instagram late, but I love it! It is my intern who told me, “but how come you are not on Instagram?” At the time, I had only a Facebook and a Twitter. I was feeding the Facebook page enough, but I must confess I was not active at all on Twitter. I follow a few people on Twitter; I find this is a pretty awesome and incisive media tool because what you want to say cannot exceed 140 characters. Also, you must have a lot of humor! The blog takes a lot of time and I do not feel like tweeting just for the sake of it, but I think I will engage myself more because, yes, social networks are super important!

in L’Orient Le Jour named after my blog, “Une Libanaise à Paris,” in which I wrote what I wanted without any limitations. For instance, I wrote about my tour in the apartment of Coco Chanel and another time about an interview with Amin Maalouf. With Annahar, I was had to take on more responsibilities. I loved the challenge and things were made very simple. With Muriel, we put the sections together. I told her right away that I will not put forward something that I do not like, even if it is a brand advertiser. She reassured me by saying that in fact, they liked my work and it is because of my journalistic deontology that they picked me. I was much honored; Annahar is a great pan-Arab daily newspaper. Even if I succeed in France, I need to keep one foot in my country...

How different will this job be from online fashion blogging?

Whether for daily writing or for the blog, I try to tell stories and go beyond a press release sent by the brand. For me, it does not really change because everything is a story of encounters. My interview with Karl Lagerfeld was published on the blog and An-Nahar. However, on my blog, you will never see fashion police. I got into that with An-Nahar because it interests the readers and my role is to serve this reader and catch their attention. So I try to find styles, and as I do not like to criticize the way a person is dressed, I leave it to the reader of An-Nahar to do it at home, in front of their own screen!

What advice can you give to upcoming fashion and lifestyle bloggers?

Be curious, serious and patient, and finally respectful.

You were appointed fashion editor-in-chief of An-Nahar in Lebanon.

Tell us more about this position When Muriel Jalk, head of the culture and fashion section of newspaper An-Nahar, contacted me a few months ago to offer me somehow to be guest editor of the fashion column, I was really honored. I mostly did my career in TV and radio in France, but the press has always caught my attention. However, writing in a newspaper has a downside and as you have noticed, I like my freedom. I do not want to write an article about a brand because it has paid to be featured. I was already in the press, I wrote a weekly column 29 CLOUD961

Campaigns

Campaigns

By Joelle Hajji

@joellehajji Volkswagen’s Don’t Selfie and Drive Campaign With all the accidents and tragic deaths that are occuring recently as a result of texting and using phones while driving, Volkswagen launched “Das Auto” Campaign with pictures of people who had accidents while taking a selfie. The tagline was “Don’t Selfie and Drive”.

This campaign is starightforward and part of others aiming to make people stop using their phones while driving in order not to get hurt and possibly even lose their lives, to a picture.

The Mighty Latin Taste Competition by Hardees Arabia Hardee’s competition consisted of a few easy steps that gave you the chance to win valuable prizes: Step 1: Place a moustache on that face of yours; Step 2: Select your sombrero hat; Step 3: Collect Likes on the photo; Step 4: The one with a lot of likes wins.

A few rules were set to enter the competition: • Like Hardee’s Arabia page on Facebook; • Register your details; • Upload your photo or simply use your Facebook profile picture; • Choose your preferred type of moustache, a sombrero hat, and a frame; • Invite your Facebook friends to like your photo and get at least 20 likes to be in for a chance to win yourself a GoPro camera.

World Cup At Napoletana Napoletana launched a campaign on Instagram during the World Cup and cool prizes were given out to the winners. All you had to do was: 1. Set your Instagram account to public; 2. Upload an image to Instagram; 3. Include the hashtag #instapoletana.

The prizes included: BT500 from Radioshack and a USD 100 voucher from Sports 4ever.

Fill & Win Competition with BioskinSpa The competition by BioskinSpa had a few easy steps to follow: you had only to fill a form out with your information and submit it to their app through the Facebook page for a chance to win prizes at their spa.

Kritika World Cup App The Kritika app was a competition where you had to download the app onto your phone and then predict the scores, and keep on getting more points. Amazing prizes were given out, like cameras, plasma TV, and finally a car.

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Kababji’s Trip To Bodrum The competition with Kababji had a few simple steps in order to win. All that people had to do was to follow Kababji on Instagram (@kababji) and if they are on Twitter, follow them (@ KababjiLeb) and tweet: “I want to win a #KababjiTrip with @KababjiLeb.” That would guarantee an entry into the draw for a chance to win a trip to Bodrum, Turkey.

Roadster Diner Hashtag Burger Menu This summer, Roadster Diner launched a menu of six new burgers. Each burger sported a flag with a hashtag. Othe hashtags were seen on the tray mats and the menu book as well, encouraging #RdLovers to express their love for each specific burger.

Deek Duke Open Their New City Mall Branch With Engaging Online Activations To allow their fans to celebrate the opening of their newest location, Deek Duke moved away from apps and complicated winning mechanisms. Instead, during the month of June, their social media networks featured challenges such as simple puzzles and other games and sometimes just plain simple engagements, with instant rewards. From being the first to take a selfie at the new branch, to guessing the waiter’s name or stopping in the middle of traffic to Instagram the billboard (make sure you turn your flashers on), we could see that fans absolutely loved the activities and flocked to the branch for a dose of Deek Duke’s poultry.

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Campaigns

PROJECT ONLY THE LONELY:

THE WORLD CUP ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE BUDWEISER STRATEGY

By Mohammad Faez Tarabichi

Campaigns

@MFaezT

The World Cup in Brazil this summer was more than a delight for football lovers and others who just enjoy the festive season.

Twitter and Facebook decided to bring the World Cup to you by setting up hubs to track the sporting competition.

Who does not want to be part of the conversation? Everyone has their say about the events happening in Brazil. Just by using the hashtag #WorldCup, you immerse yourself in an array of tweets, comments and articles about the subject, this provided your timeline has not already been flooded with the sort.

On top of that, Twitter brought back what

it calls “hashflags”: when you hashtag a three-letter country code, such as #FRA or #GER, the country’s flag appears as an image in the tweet.

On the other hand, Budweiser, the World Cup’s official beer provider, wanted to change the fact that only commentators, corporate sponsors and football pundits could choose the Man of the Match, which is an award given to a player in recognition of his unparalleled achievements during a match. So the beer brand chose Twitter as a platform for someone to cast his vote for #ManOfTheMatch, using this hashtag.

Budweiser is hoping to increase its interaction with fans. But in case the reward is actually the mere result of votes, it may be unfair for some players, as this is a problematic matter since we are not even sure if the users who are tweet-voting for the Man of the Match are worthy of a vote or just some fake football “aficionadas” fangirling over Neymar’s pineapple hair.

However, it is a good marketing strategy to boost interactivity with the brand, but, do not forget, you should be above 21 years old to be able to vote!

How Volvo cars want you to do the right thing

By Joseph Maalouf @zoozel Usually, Volvo cars are automatically associThe stands being the social experiment ated with safety. To build on the brand’s idea, itself, Volvo wanted to see how many people Interesting Times, a local advertising agency, would use them and share the results on launched a self-proclaimed social experitheir microsite. Once someone presses the ment that puts Lebanese social behaviors to button on the stand, the campaign’s anthem starts playing and the camera starts the test. The experiment is aimed at Volvo’s recording the experience. The videos are target audience: people in Beirut who value then shared on the project’s website, where safety and would like to feel safe driving down the street. However, the age group they people can review the proof of their ‘lonely’ aimed at was the unconventional safety-holic experience upon selecting the location and the time-frame. young adults, which are, usually, the minority.

The microsite is a well-documented archive This led to the creation of their lead characof videos from the streets of Beirut. There is ter, Mr. Lonely, whose existence is dramatized also a featured selection that includes handby a mellow cover of Akon’s hit of the same picked experiences that stood out the most name. Being a minority, Mr. Lonely needed from the bunch. people to take a stand with him and Volvo Cars put the Lebanese to the test.

A lot of people did not understand what the stands were for, and that was in itself part of A series of videos featuring Mr. Lonely were the experiment. The campaign video event released on their dedicated microsite and stated it: “Use the lonely cab stand, or just spread across their social networks, showing leave it hanging there like a painting you Mr. Lonely in diverse driving situations on never understood.” the streets of Beirut where he finds himself alone in following rules and proper driving A petition was later on started in collaboration with Live Love Beirut, where people can etiquette. take part in the test drive on social media via the hashtag #ONLYTHELONELY. Their There was two ‘hero’ scenarios: fetching a cab promise is to take the petition to the governand safely crossing the street. These scenarios went from digital to the real world as ment, in an effort to make the streets more installations on various streets in Beirut were functional, one turn at a time. set up in form of taxi and pedestrian stands equipped with lights and cameras to docuSources: ment the experiment. http://onlythelonely.me/ 32 CLOUD961

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Campaigns

Campaigns

WORD CUP ROUNDUP: How did Lebanese brands measure up to the challenge

By Joseph Maalouf

@zoozel

It was Word Cup season a couple of weeks ago, and as expected, many Lebanese brands took the opportunity to cater to the local thirst for the games.

Most brands took the straightforward route: Guess the score, enter a draw to win a prize.

Some, such as Slim Oil, went for a Facebook app approach, whereas others, such as Touch Lebanon, chose to make use of Facebook’s comment system. The one that particularly stood out from this bunch was Krikita, which took the effort of launching a World Cup-dedicated app for both iOS and Android. Krikita Cup, the score prediction app, is complete with push notifications and even a touch of gamification with points and leaderboards. With that, it is safe to say that Krikita knocked the competition out of the park.

questioned the infamous player on why he would bite a shoulder when he can have a wing. Shawarmanji also rode the wave by stating they are not Italian, but are very well worth every bite.

As you may know, Télé Liban broadcasted the football games for all the Lebanese to watch.

One fan decided to ask them on their Facebook page whether they will be airing the 2006 game or the 2014, the context being that the station is known for its outdated shows.

The station replied with a sassy: “The last time I heard that joke I fell off my dinosaur.” Sadly, the comment was removed shortly after.

By the way, Télé Liban got served a lawsuit from BeIN Sports over the Wold Cup broadcast. This led to the creation of the hashtag , which translates to: We stand by you, Télé Liban. The hashtag was used by many brands including Almaza, Adrenalin and Maliks.

Sources: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.KrikitasCupApp

As for non-conventional campaigns, Crepaway and Fujifilm launched a joint Instagram competition to urge football fans to share their game moments with the brands using certain hashtags. Frank Würst took the more daring route, launching the #priorities campaign by stating that the game no longer matters when you are eating their hotdogs.

Another notable campaign was that of Almaza, who released limited-edition bottles, each branded with various country flags on one side, whilst staying true to its Lebanese origin on the other. The World Cup bottles were then used across their social media posts to represent the competing teams in strategic times, along with their iconic play on words.

The most interesting social media posts were those that were inspired by the games’ events, such Luis Suárez’s Bite. Lord of the Wings 34 CLOUD961

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COVER FEATURE

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GAME COOKS: BORN OUT OF A SHARED PASSION FOR GAMING Interview by Mohammad Hijazi Editor in Chief @mhijazi Founded in 2012, Game Cooks is a collective of artists, designers and developers with a shared passion for gaming. Based in Lebanon and catering to the world, the team creates fun and feel-good type games, with a twist, which people from the region can relate to and players from all over the world can enjoy. Game Cooks focuses on producing international games for iOS and Android. So far, Game Cooks has launched 7 mobile games, available for iOS and Android, the latest being Cubama, a 3D reflex game, which requires concentration and speed. Here is an interview with Lara Noujaim, Marketing Manager of Game Cooks.

How did the idea for Game Cooks begin and how was it funded?

Game Cooks was born out of a shared passion for gaming and how games are created! It all started with an idea for a game—and that idea turned into Birdy Nam Nam. Birdy Nam Nam proved to be a great success; having amassed over a quarter million downloads from its first week alone! This was enough motivation for the team to realize that gaming is what they should be doing. Game Cooks was officially founded in January 2012.

What are Game Cook’s most popular games?

One of our most popular games to date is Run For Peace—it was our first game following Game Cooks’ official launch. The idea for this game came around the time of the Arab Spring, at a time where cries for peace and change were being heard throughout the region (and are still being heard today). Run For Peace was a way for us to be part of that movement and make our voices heard in the most peaceful of ways—through playing games! The game’s popularity level was based on the sentiment and reactions it evoked early on, making it a favorite among the many who play it, particularly in the region and this translated into high downloads.

Who is Game Cook’s target audience?

Our target audience is casual gamers in general. We have yet to build a game that is truly targeted towards a niche market. When we first started, we developed games that 36 CLOUD961

were geared to Middle Eastern gamers. But as our games gained global popularity, we shifted our focus to developing games for the international market, making sure to include an Arabic twist that people from the region can relate to and the international market can appreciate. This can come in the form of Middle Eastern elements within the game all the way to creating games inspired by Middle Eastern scenarios.

Which is more popular in terms of downloads and user activity, iOS or Android games?

The answer here depends on what type of data you are looking at: Platform with the most number of apps: both iTunes and Google Play have a similarly high number of apps.

Platform with the highest quality of apps: studies suggest that the iOS App Store has higher-quality apps than the Android store. This makes sense when you consider that the app review process is much stricter for iOS than on the Google Play store.

Platform with the most downloads: the platform with the most downloads is Android and coming close in second place is Apple’s App Store.

Platform making the most money from its users: even though iOS users are downloading fewer apps overall, they are still spending more money on their apps than Android

users.

Why have you not produced any games for Windows Phone yet or Windows 8 touch devices that are starting to gain market share?

There is no doubt that Windows Phones are starting to gain traction and we do have plans in the very near future to migrate our games to the Windows App Store. So stay tuned for that update!

What would you say is the proudest moment for the company?

Our proud moments come after launching a new game and reading/hearing people’s reactions to it. Each one of our games takes us between 3 to 6 months to complete, depending on the game, and so when we see that people’s opinions and sentiments toward our games mirror our own, it is a great feeling!

What are the challenges that Game Cooks is facing and how can/did you overcome them?

One of the main challenges, as any game development company can attest, is game visibility. There are many factors that come into play to get visibility for your mobile game. The first and most important factor is game quality. Other factors include game engagement and addictiveness i.e. will people come back to play the game often or will they just try it out once or twice and then not play it again? Also, marketing and PR efforts are critical in helping spread the word. All these 37 CLOUD961

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factors, combined with a sprinkle of good luck, can help a game gain the visibility it needs to achieve success.

We know that in Lebanon—and other parts of the Middle East—most people have not started using credit cards yet, and this problem has caused start-ups to find other ways to monetize. Do you focus on customers for your games or do you have other means of monetizing?

Our main mean of monetization is through purchasing customers—people who either download a game for money or pay to get additional benefits inside the game in the form of in-app purchases—. While our core audience is in the Middle East, it is not our only source of downloads, as our games are available internationally. In the Middle East, while credit card usage is still relatively lower than in other places, the region is showing signs of growth.

As a start-up, have you started making profit yet (or did you break even)? If so, how much time did it take you? If not,

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when do you expect to start doing so?

Each game we have created has known a different level of success than the previous ones. So, when it comes to breaking even, it is on a per-game basis where we look at how much a game took to produce and how much revenue it generated. While some of the games we have launched were very successful, other smaller games that appealed to a specific type of gamers did not provide us with as many downloads as our other more successful games.

Who does your team consist of? Who would you say is the most important ‘link’ in the team?

The members of our team are: • Arz Nader, Creative Director; Himzu Bavic, Art Director; Marwan Zgheib, Game Designer; Ali Hammoud, 3D Artist; Joe Hannouch, Senior Technical Artist; Joseph Kadi, Senior Game Developer; Toni Jreij, Game Developer; Elie Yammine, Game Design Editor; Alex Thomas, 3D Designer; Lara Noujaim, in charge of marketing.

Each member of our team has an equally important role to play in the game creation process, be it from design to development,

testing and marketing.

Please take us through the process of creating a game: from the idea-inception till publishing the app to the store and creating updates.

It is a lengthy process, but to sum it up it includes the following: • Team-wide brainstorming to decide on a new game; • Concept definition: creating visuals to define and develop the game concept; • Proof of Concept: early-stage prototype of the game with basic game elements; • Game graphic creation: elements/UI/Character/Obstacle/Levels; • Game programming; • Level creation: defining the levels/stages inside the Game Cooks; • Game audio: music and sound effects; • Game testing: intensive game testing; • Game submission: submit a new mobile game to the app store and wait for approval; • Beta launch: launching the game only in Lebanon for testing and feedback collection purposes; • International launch;

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Depending on the game and traction it receives, upon international launch we would be already working on new ideas for a game update!

How “social” are Game Cooks’ games?

Do you find it important to create a game with a social aspect?

When creating a game, we make sure to include social aspects to them, particularly our most recent ones. This includes the ability to invite your friends, share your score on Facebook or even compare your progress to that of your friends’ as you are playing the game! Social games provide the perfect place for competitive play between friends who brag about their performance on their timeline, which brings in more friends to the game and helps with the viral effect. These social features also result in players spending more time playing a game.

Other than Game Cooks’ games, what would you say are your favorite mobile games on the app stores?

Currently, we enjoy playing Boom Beach, TwoDots, Plants vs. Zombies and Leo’s Fortune among others.

Is the gaming industry competitive?

The mobile gaming industry is a very competitive one with more and more mobile gaming companies entering the market; it is becoming harder to compete for the top spots in the app store that are mostly occupied by titles from well-recognized mobile gaming companies.

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How has the Lebanese political and security situation affected your work?

Would you think of moving your company to Dubai, where the digital industry is thriving more? Basically, what is keeping you here when there is much more potential abroad?

We have no intention of leaving Lebanon to move somewhere else. We are very attached to our country and we wish to support the development of a mobile gaming community right here!

What’s next for the company?—Shortterm and long-term goals To keep doing what we love to do and to keep getting better and better at it!

What would you say is the secret to Game Cooks’ success?

The secret to Game Cooks’ success is without a doubt our team, made up of very talented people who are also very passionate about what they do.!

Tell us about your latest game, Planet Nam Nam, whose main character is featured on our cover The world›s most significant landmarks have been stolen by invading Nam Nam birds and brought back to their base, Planet Nam Nam! The fate of humanity›s landmarks are solely in the hands P1W! His mission is far from easy—he has to travel to Planet Nam Nam to fight those vicious birds and bring back what is rightfully ours. The goal consists of tapping

the birds that appear in waves on the screen in order to destroy them and their toxic eggs before they hit the ground or the player.

The player has at their disposal a number of awesome weapons and cool power-ups to be used in the quest for victory. Help P1W on his quest through Planet Nam Nam›s worlds to retrieve our monuments, regain humanity›s pride, and teach those crazy birds a lesson!

Planet Nam Nam is set to be launched in September 2014.

5

DO’s and 5 DON’Ts for up-and-coming entrepreneurs in the digital field

DO’s: • Trust your instincts; • Know your target audience; • Be prepared to adapt; • Work with people you trust; • Enjoy the ride.

DON’Ts: • Even if you have a great product, do not expect it to self-succeed; • Do not take things for granted; • Do not forget to network; • Do not be afraid to make mistakes; • Do not follow popular fads.

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FEATURE

LEBANON’S MOBILE DEVELOPMENT SCENE Three things to be prepared for when developing

By Layal Jebran

@iPr1ncess

Mobile app development has become a new gold mine in the 21st century.

With all these smartphones being sold, the market is requesting more apps to fulfill the needs and simplify users’ lives. If you are looking to become our newest developer in the Land of the Cedars, here are some obstacles that you might face: •​ ​First and foremost, let us talk funding: while our country seems to me to be in a never-ending recession with unemployment being at its highest levels, Lebanese developers find it easier to reach for the Gulf area or international sponsors. Although an appealing idea, it is not that easy to get the funding you need for an idea you might think would work. First, you would have to convince investors to take part in your project. If you are out of funds, you are pretty much out of 42 CLOUD961

options and your project, whether it really is the next Instagram or not, will never be seen by anyone beyond your backyard.

•​ ​Secondly, what about creating an app that appeals to everyone in this country? If you are developing based on your country’s needs, then you are in for a challenge in Lebanon. Our country is home to a number of different political parties, religions, and free-thinkers. Designing an app to appeal to all of these combined might feel like pulling teeth with your own hands. After a while, you just might want to throw in the towel and go for a desk job.

•​ ​Thirdly, another thing to think about is choosing which platform to actually develop for. Choosing the right app for the right audience takes a lot of research. A developer could create an awesome app which could prove a disaster on the wrong platform!

Speaking of platforms, developing for more than one? That is where the real challenges surfaces. You would need to create a whole team, corporate style, thus we go back to the main problems which are funding and investors, and finding work space and the right people to take on such an endeavor.

At the end, it is not all that morbid; many Lebanese developers have created apps and are now successful. It is important to research diligently and thoroughly which platform is the right one for you before committing to developing. Besides, do not forget to study the needs of the market and always have an open mind. Taking risks is also part of the whole experience. Do so wisely and keep a positive attitude. Trial and error, after all, are a must. Wishing all neo-developers out there the best of luck.

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F O G N I C I R P E S E N LEBA : S P P A

s option e u n e rev ion and t a z i t e Mon

By Lynn

El Bizri

@lnlne

By the year 2015, smartphone penetration in the Middle East is expected to increase by 39 percent, with 72 percent of the owners being less than 34 years old.

With this increase, mobile apps and games are becoming more and more popular and people are rushing to develop mobile apps for both iOS and Android. Although this is positive news, compared to the rest of the world, smartphone penetration in the region is still very low, making developing games for the region challenging.

In Lebanon in particular, there is a very small market downloading apps and games, and despite the rollout of 3G (and 4G) and some increase in Internet speeds, Lebanon still lags far behind when it comes to technology. Even the most successful Lebanese-made apps only make around USD 20-30 a day from the domestic market, forcing app developers in Lebanon to focus on regional and international markets to supply their products to, as global apps have the best chances of success.

As for monetization options, the freemium model (the app can be obtained for free, but features must be paid for) has been the most popular choice, as it encourages downloads, and developers can control in-app purchases. Another popular hybrid model for gaming apps is that in which players can download a game for free but then must pay to unlock levels or items, which is a smart way to hook players on an app, and then monetize. Some Lebanese entrepreneurs even choose to release paid apps and have defended their choice, insisting that money can still be made from downloads.

Revenue generation is highly linked to what kind of app game developers are offering to the market amidst the competition. One way of creating more sustainable apps is to tailor the content to suit Middle East audiences, going beyond language localization and understanding the user demographic and culture, while focusing on both the user interface and overall interactive experience.

However, one significant obstacle in terms of revenue generation for Lebanese apps is that locals are still not used to paying for mobile and online content in the region.

Nevertheless, with improvements in the retail environment, bandwidth speeds, online payment and investor interest in game development, the market in the Middle East continues to grow, creating more and more opportunities for passionate app developers.

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FEATURE

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FOO: RIDING THE WAVE OF MODERN-DAY TRENDS Elie Nasr: We do not celebrate success; we always aim higher Interview by Maurice Rustom

@MauriceRustom

For this special Lebanese App developers issue, we wanted a clear view of the matter directly from the work field, so we conducted an interview with one of the oldest and most achieving developer companies in the country, FOO. Based in Beirut and founded by Elie Nasr and Ghady Rayess, FOO has been providing since 2009 the most renowned companies in Lebanon with high-end mobile applications. We discussed everything from work methodology, customer care and personal experience, to the road to success and the future plans of the company. Here is our conversation: How did FOO see the light four years ago, and did it encounter any difficulties while taking off in the Lebanese

market as a mobile app developer company? If yes, how did you overcome those difficulties?

My partner, Ghady Rayess, and I have known each other since school. After graduating college together, we each went our separate ways. I worked a few years in Europe while Ghady continued his higher education in the US. After that, we noticed that the mobile applications domain had a promising future in the world. We expected it to grow and expand further in the market as more and more people will start relying on technology to make their lives easier. It is then that we decided to explore this market further. In 2009, we started our own company, FOO, as a provider of mobile apps in Lebanon and the Middle East region. Since we did not receive any funding back then, we had to pull our own bootstraps without any help whatsoever. One difficulty we en-

countered was the lack of infrastructure in Lebanon as it highly affected our business.

In addition, there existed political instability in this region, and this, too, had a damaging effect on the company as well as our clients.

For instance, clients no longer reserved budgets for apps when the economy was not doing so well. It was not easy at all to overcome outside obstacles, but thankfully, we were able to work together to establish our brand in the market and this has only motivated us to work hard, to achieve more.

What concerns did you have as managing partner and co-founder of FOO, and how were those shaped as the company grew fast?

I was always confident that our company will grow and that my partnership with Ghady would send FOO from a start-up to a groundbreaking company. My concerns

were related to the risks involving Lebanon.

Our employees are top developers in the country and could easily be hired by international companies, so I was concerned about the likelihood of keeping them at FOO and bringing the similarly motivated expats back to Lebanon.

What are the detailed steps of the procedure followed by FOO in order to create a satisfying app for the client and/or user? Also, how does the company interact with its clients to better incorporate their ideas into apps?

To create a mobile app, we first start by meeting with the client to hear their specific demands and expectations. Before we pitch our ideas, we get together with the team in charge and attend focus groups with brainstorming sessions to come up with creative concepts. The team usually consists of developers and designers. When we were in the process of coming up with the mobile app “Mcvities, Catch the Creams,” our goal was to create awareness around a new product released in Saudi Arabia. After much deliberation, we figured the best way to do so is by developing an addictive mobile game. After agreeing on a concept, we then start working on bringing the idea to life. Once the apps are released on the Stores, our interests shift to making sure users make the best out of our apps. We do another focus group to test the usability of the app and how well users can relate to it.

We conduct different samples and surveys to get feedback from both the users and the clients. Is it user-friendly? Is it accurate?

For what purposes is the app being used?

Would the user recommend the app? Is there something they feel is lacking? In addition, the usage on the app is constantly monitored and findings are reported back to the team. Based on that, the app is finetuned and an update for the app is set in motion.

Here at FOO, we tend to be transparent with our clients. This is a very rewarding quality to have when working with a client and responding to their demands, as it paves the way for a better work relationship.

Implementing a customer’s idea for an app into a functional code can be a tough job; what was one of the biggest challenges that has ever been faced by FOO on this front?

It is very crucial for us to handle this process step by step. We first start by brainstorming with the client regarding what they expect from the app. We then sketch the app and review it with the client to make sure we see eye-to-eye on the subject. We later on create wireframes and based on those, we implement the design.

Once the application is visible in a complete storyboard and the user experience is well

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defined, the client signs off and the app is transformed into a functional code. However, it is only normal to experience some sort of challenges before, during and after the app is published. Different decision makers within a company can hinder the expected outcome of the project as a whole, though.

Sometimes, the client does not see the value in the app or the project gets postponed because the technology or the market is not ready for it. Another challenge can be one concerning the budget. If an app is not within a client’s budget, the client will no longer carry on with the project and if we implement it on a smaller scope, they might not be satisfied with the outcome.

How many employees does FOO have now and into what departments are they divided? Also what criteria and various college degrees does the company seek in new recruits. What are the possible positions that can be occupied at FOO? We started out with only two members on our team. We now consist of 36 young employees. We are divided into many specialized departments. First, we have our developers—who excel in game development, cross platform development: iOS, Android, Blackberry OS, Nokia and Windows platforms—. We also consist of UI/UX (user interface/user experience) graphic designers, marketers, recruiters, social media analysts, business development managers, copywriters, and interns. These are the available positions so far at FOO, but we are always looking to expand.

Concerning new recruits, we seek dynamic fresh graduates or experienced employees with strong time-management skills, who are detail-oriented, able to identify problems and to find solutions, who are critical thinkers, proactive, creative and able to take initiatives.

What do you consider one of FOO’s most successful achievements in these four years?

The fact that FOO was able to become the leading mobile development company in the region is by itself a successful achievement. However, we still believe we can grow bigger, brighter, and more innovative.

We have big plans for FOO as a company and as an endorser of innovation and creativity. At FOO, we do not celebrate success, we always aim higher.

The team members at FOO have been carefully selected in order to bring some ‘spice’ to the company. It means that we employed people of various personalities, interests, and qualities in order to mix it up with carefully studied steps. This has helped us achieve a “fluid” company capable of positioning itself quickly amid highly rapid technological change. So what seems to be at times an out-of-the-box twist is in fact the result of a tactical work path, a calculated risk.

What advice do you have for new start-up developer companies, or freelance developers working in Lebanon?

Starting up your own company or working alone can be a bit challenging at times. To be successful in this field, one has to have dedication and patience. If you love what you do, commit yourself to it and build expertise in your field, then there is no reason you would not succeed. In addition, working ethically has always proven to be a successful model to abide by.

What is next for FOO? Will it still keep focusing upon mobile apps only, or expand onto new technologies such as car apps or wearables? In addition, are there any plans for expansion throughout the Arab world?

For the future, FOO is in the process of opening up an office in the United Arab Emirates. It is highly beneficial to increase FOO’s footprints in the region. Since some of our clients come from outside Lebanon, it would only be appropriate to step out and expand our horizons to be able to successfully meet their demands. We are also incubating more apps internally and expanding our work to include big data, open data, Internet of things and wearable technology.

Last but not least, FOO is currently partnering with The American University of Beirut to deliver a second Digital Entrepreneurship course for MBA students. As you can see, the future is continuously changing, and FOO is riding the wave of its trends.

Starting up and running such an upand-running company must be full of entrepreneurial challenges; do you think that turning FOO into one of the fastest-growing companies in the region was based purely on carefully studied steps and a clear tactical work path, or did it go along some lucky strikes and out-of-the-box twists?

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FEATURE

FEATURE

PROVIDING MUCH MORE THAN A RADIO CAN DO Interview by Mohammad Hijazi, Editor in Chief @mhijazi With an extensive background in computer science and information technology as well as the entertainment, music and mobile industries, Elie Habib and Eddy Maroun crossed paths and founded Anghami, a platform providing access to over five million international and Arabic songs through a convenient, user-friendly application allowing users to stream all the music they want on their mobile.

was unbelievably attractive to me. We were working in two different companies back then. I was intrigued by mobile apps, as I had no experience in this new field. Eddy really wanted to be able to listen to anything he wanted while skiing. We eventually made that happen.

Anghami has agreements with over 4,000 record labels, thus granting users access to the widest variety of content in the region.

The mobile application is available for download on different smartphones, including iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, and Nokia devices.

We believed in the idea and in the opportunity present at the time: no proper music service was available in the Middle East and North Africa region. We saw a huge uptake of smartphones and realized that this would be the focus of the new services. We were part of the previous phase of mobile music— ringtones, which was considered a useless trend by many. However, we knew how big it turned out to be. We were adamant in incorporating this trend into the region.

In hindsight, we did not know how hard it would be and underestimated a lot while planning the project. However, we were definitely taken aback when we reached our first 2 million users in just 6 months!

The company offers a free, ad-supported version of the app, which allows usage only with an Internet connection. Anghami+, the premium ad-free application, allows users to stream an unlimited number of songs and to access playlists when offline.

Anghami has partnered up with MBC and added songs from popular shows like Arab Idol, The Voice, Your Face Sounds Familiar and Coke Studio to its musical library.

Anghami continues to expand its network of paid subscribers through partnerships with telecom operators, which provide the Anghami application as a service to mobile phone subscribers in certain countries.

Elie and Eddy were selected as Endeavor Entrepreneurs in October 2013 in Palo Alto.

By August 2014, Anghami had more than 6 million users. We have interviewed the co-founders for an insider’s look at social media in relation to the local/regional musical industry.

How did the idea of Anghami come about?

In 2011, while traveling, Eddy Maroun and I, Elie Habib, noticed services allowing users to listen to any song they want. Unlike iTunes, such services—called streaming services—opened up a big catalog, enabling searching for almost any song your heart [and ears] desired. Back home, we did not even have iTunes available. Call it a major opportunity. Eddy is originally a musician-turned-lawyer-turned-businessman, while I am a software engineer that had co-created several companies earlier on. The idea of creating something this challenging

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What made you invest in the music field in the Arab world?

Who are Anghami’s direct and indirect competitors?

Let us just say that piracy is our biggest competitor. Full stop. If you insist, I can add to that YouTube—which is the most prominent form of “legal pirating” in the music industry.

Pirating music is not necessarily “illegal” in Lebanon and the Arab world.

Why would people choose Anghami over piracy when they can manage their music library better outside the app?

Music piracy is illegal—in Lebanon and the Arab World. However, penalizing piracy is very lenient, indeed. Nevertheless, piracy involves exposure risk to viruses and other malware, constant searching for the latest music, validating quality, metadata and others, as well as proper compression techniques to take the music with you on your mobile. How many of the 130 million estimated smartphone users in the MENA region do that regularly? And how would that compare to Anghami which provides an up-to-date, 6-million track database in a user-friendly interface with thousands of curated playlists, all in excellent Dolby sound? We would like to believe that the comparison is flawed, and our growth is a

pretty good validation.

Anghami is monetized through ads.

From what I have seen, it is by far the application with most ad space—images and voice—which pushes users to upgrade. It also has the most basic features as premium paid features— such as using the application while not being connected to the Internet—. It is because of this, I think, that many users are being deterred from using it. Do you not think it is a little bit too much?

Well, this is true for the free version—you might get one 15-second audio ad on Anghami every 4 to 5 songs, in comparison to 8 to 10 30-second ads every 15 minutes on the radio. It would be naive to assume that one can get all the music they want and get it for free, but that is what we are providing, in exchange for sponsorships and advertising. We are still tweaking ads and running a variety of experiments per market. We have not settled on the exact details. We are, however, getting a huge traction in this segment.

From our point of view, we provide much more than a radio can do; interruptions are less than those on the radio, and music is handpicked. It is true that some people might consider advertising a deterrent; this is not our intention, but after all, the premium reason for start-up failure is lack of revenue. If you would like to download all you want and never hear an ad, this would cost you less than 1 latte grande and would last 1 month.

How was Anghami initially funded? Has it become profitable yet?

The first funders of the project were Eddy and me. At the time, it was quite crazy, as we did not know how we would fund the rest of the project. However, since we had a good background and had a record of implementing projects successfully, investors trusted our plan. Middle East Venture Capital invested the first USD 1m, eventually adding another USD 250k. A year later, an Arab telecom group invested USD 1.5m. While the growth of Anghami has been above our expectations; we expect to become profitable by early 2015.

Tell us about your team. How did it start and how did it expand? And who do you think is the most valuable part of it?

The first Anghami MVP (Minimal Viable

Product) was coded by me and another engineer around October 2011. Anghami as a company was founded in February 2012.

We were 3 at the time. By the end of the year, Anghami launched in December 2012 with 6 employees. A year later, we were 18. We are now 28. The team is absolutely fantastic, passionate and obsessive. We would like to say that we try to recruit only very passionate people. We have backend engineers, mobile engineers, UX engineers, DevOps engineers, designers, marketers, business development and a very capable content team. Shameless plug: I am always recruiting. Since our business is really complicated, one part of the team could have never succeeded without the rest. Hence, as an example even though our engineering team is very talented, they would not have had any data to showcase without the content team. That is why we truly believe that we are all part of an atomic element referred to as start-up, with one target: growth to remain the music leaders in the MENA region.

What is the most active demographic that is using your app? Why do you think it is the most active (Country, age group, gender, etc)?

Youth in general (13-20 years old) is very active on Anghami, and youth in Gulf markets is even more engaged. We have seen cases of 24-hour listening in this demography. It is our belief that luck is born when preparation meets opportunity—and we really worked our way through this by targeting Anghami to this demography. We did not hit all the right notes from the start, nor are we totally satisfied with what we are now, but we are moving forward by keeping the most active fans in touch with their favorite artists.

remote offices in cities that are pro-digital, low cost and millennial-centric. This seems to be very far from Lebanon, and is now the hardest hurdle we face.

in the region, cheaper streaming services had potential to explore. It took us close to 9 months to get the international majors and most of the local services to sign up.

Would you consider moving your company to Dubai, especially that the situation is unstable in Lebanon? Why or why not?

We recently opened an office in Dubai (see footnote in http://www.anghami.com/ legal/), and while we believe Dubai is a great hub for advertising/marketing, and we have large partners there such as MBC, DMS Choueiri, Universal Music Group, Sony Music and others, the “kitchen” is still in Lebanon, as our team is currently entirely made up of people from Lebanon. Human resources are a goldmine to us, and while it has not been an easy trip to gather people with wide knowledge and experience to make Anghami, we are pretty sure that this would have been way harder and more expensive in Dubai. Most start-ups in Dubai end up recruiting from the Asian subcontinent, while we have pretty good universities and human capital in Beirut.

What would you say is your proudest moment in the life of Anghami thus far?

The first time I saw an Anghami ad on TV was definitely a moment I still vividly remember. I listened to the ad but could not take my eyes off my laptop. Numbers were climbing up through the roof and whatever estimations we had were blown by a huge factor. We were validating demand for our service and I could not be happier every day when I now know that our app has attracted over 6 million people, and counting.

What advice would you give digital entrepreneurs who are just starting their journeys in Lebanon?

Remember that the first reason of a start-up failure is lack of revenue. Your project will work only if it’s based on proper business engineering.

How did you secure deals with the biggest names in Western music?

Anghami started around a time when no significant legal music service was available.

However, in the rest of the world, several music streaming services were available.

Major music labels were aware of the potential of streaming and the disruptive effect it could cause. The signals that download services were slowing down was already clear. And because of the massive piracy

As a digital start-up in Lebanon, what hurdles did you face at the beginning and what are the ones you face now?

When we started, the biggest hurdle was getting someone to take us seriously! We had an idea that needed millions of investment and no-revenue validation. Venture Capital Investment had just started, and we had no interest in joining an accelerator at the time. It did take close to 9 months to get funding, and trust. Now: USD 1,100 for generator and USD 1,500 in Internet monthly bills: Would that sum it up? On a more serious note, we worked hard in the spirit of having a start-up with one hub: Lebanon— working together with all the team in order to move forward. We regularly meet in our [now very small] lobby to discuss features, roadmap, revenue and future plans. However, we now find it harder than ever before to find fresh graduates that want to remain in Lebanon despite what is happening here, and while we totally understand this as founders and parents, we will have to open 49 CLOUD961

FEATURE

FEATURE

SAMIR GHOBRIL: STILL IN SCHOOL, YET PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPER A self-taught Lebanese mobile programmer

By Mohammad Faez Tarabichi

@MFaezT

At only 18 years old, Samir Ghobril developed an application that achieved promising success in Lebanon and some other countries. Mingle is an application that helps you manage your contacts, “[b]uilt from the ground up to make connecting with your contacts faster, easier and more enjoyable in every way”. Perhaps one major drawback for the app is that it was released only on iOS.

During that time, I was trying out and discovering a few things, and had few other ideas I wanted to develop. To be honest, I do not exactly recall how I got the idea of Mingle. It rather sprung out of necessity, so the idea was already there. I did a quick prototype to see how it looks and if it would be worth it, and I fell in love with it and gladly continued developing the idea.

We asked Sam a few questions to know more about him and how he got into programming. If you would like to ask him something we have not covered herein, you may get in touch with him directly on Twitter (@samghobril)

How much time did it take you to develop Mingle?

It took me about 7 to 8 months, because I was not completely free and my time was not ultimately devoted to Mingle, since I am still in school and it is my last year. So I have to be caught up on studying and exams. I used to get back from school and work on it!

When and how did you start developing and programming?

It all started in grade 7 when I was about 13-14. My dream was to build videogames, and I was so keen on doing it so I looked it up online. The tutorials on the Internet were so helpful; I started from basic programming. After that came web development, and finally mobile development. So I am very thankful for the Internet because it has taught me everything technically.

How much time did it take you to learn?

Mobile programming did not take a long time at all, because when you learn the basics of programming thoroughly, everything becomes easier after that.

However, the basics took me a while to master, but I was so looking forward to learn. And the good thing in that domain is that you keep learning while you work and while you program; it is a non-stop learning process.

How did you come up with the idea of Mingle?

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Did your friends help in building Mingle?

No, I usually program and work on the app by myself. However, I do consult them sometimes, if they have a few ideas, or to review something I did. They were helpful and encouraging.

Do you plan on releasing Mingle on Android, since it is only on iOS for the time being?

In order to release it on Android, I would have to build it again from scratch, so it would be a whole lot of work. That being said, I do not think I will be doing it in the near future, since I am already working on an update for the app to make it stable on the iOS version at the moment—but eventually I will for sure.

What would you say of Mingle’s success?

I would not say it is a massive success

yet, but there are people using it. I am thankful, though, for the positive reviews from tech websites and blogs such as TechCrunch and Lifehacker.

I even sometimes receive personal e-mails from people saying stuff like, “We love your app”—That makes me thankful and really happy!

Do you plan on building other applications in the future?

At the moment, I am really busy working on the Mingle updates, but certainly, I have several other ideas I am interested in building and developing. I am not going to stop now, and I am interested in working on Mac applications, as in desktop apps. Yes, that would definitely be my next aim.

Do you plan on staying in Lebanon?

‘Hmmm’, frankly I do not think so, especially on the long run. I am not sure what exactly will happen later, but I am willing to finish my studies and then I will figure it out.

What are your hobbies (other than being at the computer)?

I love music and I play it; it is a big part of my life.

Which musical instrument do you play?

I play the guitar, the piano and the ukulele. I even have a few covers on Soundcloud, check them out (samghobril).

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully, I would like to invest in a start-up, a software company most probably. It is my passion.

What is your favorite social media platform? *Giggles* Twitter, undoubtedly.

FEATURE

FEATURE The idea started in 2012 when we participated in QITCOM Innovation Theatre Competition. We won 3rd place and the chance to get incubated at the Digital Incubation Centre (DIC) at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies. The three founder members are all technology-savvy or in other words, geeks! Their passion for gaming and everything digital was what brought them together. The main reason for creating a gaming studio was that the gaming industry has actually started to lack good, new and creative stories. And since the Arabic culture is rich in stories and is a storytelling culture, we thought that it was a good idea to transform these stories into high-quality, interactive mobile games.

What does «Girnaas» mean?

Girnaas is the highest peak of something; it represents where we want to be in the mobile gaming industry, at the top.

GIRNAAS: VERITABLY MIDDLE EASTERN GAMES FOR A CHANGE Transposing Arab storytelling culture onto interactive games

By Selim Njeim, Associate Editor

@seleemnjeim

Munera Al-Dosari, Faraj Abdulla and Fatima Al-Kuwari are a group of young Qatari nationals and the three founder members of the company, Girnaas. They hold the titles of Managing Director and co-Founder, Creative/Product Development Director and co-Founder, and Marketing Director/co-Founder, respectively. Girnaas is a technology start-up specializing in mobile gaming. Girnass saw its nascence in 2013 under ictQatar’s Digital Incubation Center.

Remarkable is Girnaas’ keenness on using various elements from the Arab culture and

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incorporating those into the games they develop. In times where Western culture is spreading its tentacles partout, Girnaas brings to life an entertaining tribute to Arab culture and the Middle East, in the form of deftly designed, interactive creations. Below is our interview with Fatima Al-Kuwari. You can learn more about Girnaas via their social media presence (links mentioned at the end of the interview)

Whose idea was this initiative and how did you get it off the starting block?

Could you please explain in detail what you guys do? If I understand correctly, anyone interested in creating a game with focus on education, culture, health or lifestyle—among others—can approach you and you would design a game from A to Z? • Games—We create unique games from the design, to prototype, and publishing; • Publishing—We help indie developers publish their games; • B2B services—Governments and enterprises now understand the value of games as a powerful tool to deliver positive messages: educational, entertainment and lifestyle-related.

We launched our first game, Giddam, in December 2013 and it has been a success since then, with 350,000 downloads in more than 100 countries across the world so far! Since it has launched, we have done two major updates and several minor ones. The major updates were the release of the KSA level and Dubai level and several new characters.

We have also helped a group of talented young Qatari’s launch and publish their game, Hamad & Sahar, in February 2014.

Our second game, Giddam Connect, was launched in May 2014.

What are some of the vital elements to your start-up?

Talent! Having the right talent is key. Having enough finance is also important to help us expedite our expansion.

Speaking of money: Who has sponsored your initiative at its earliest stages? Was it only ictQatar’s Digital Incubation Center?

The company was established in 2013 under DIC where we received seed funding in addition to office space. We were also provided with training, advice and guidance.

Are you at the point of generating income? Has Girnaas become a “profitable” start-up yet?

Games are either paid or free. Paid games make money when players buy them. For free games, money is generated through in-app purchases and/or through ads. With Giddam, we had two local supporters of the game before it was even launched, where

they actually supported us by placing ads in the game. These are Sea Shore Qatar and Qatar Women’s Sport Committee—we thank them for their support and for believing in us even before our first game was launched.

We also have a couple of B2B contracts and we are in the process of developing games for some organizations.

How important has social media been in raising awareness of Girmaas, realizing profit, and getting you more customers?

Social media has been critical in offering us a free medium to communicate with our

target audiences and advertise for free. In addition, the viral effect of SM has undoubtedly helped in increasing the number of our game downloads.

I have noticed a mismatch of East and West on your website/in your games.

There are Western cultural references, but the game characters look Arab.

Was that a deliberate choice? In what ways does mixing East and West get you more exposure and contribute to your success?

We aim to use the Arabic rich storytelling culture and bring it into high-quality mobile games. Our game Giddam was very much GCC-oriented with the characters and the levels. However, with the updates, we added more regional characters as well, to make the game inclusive to all the MENA region. In addition, we have new levels which we will introduce soon which will be very exciting to our players.

Have you faced any difficulties before starting up; Do you now?

The main challenge was of course to decide on the idea of the business. We had to focus and not be drifted and tempted to do everything at once. Another challenge was to choose the right team/partners, as they are key to the success of the company. For a start-up legal and financial expertise are always a challenge. However, we got the help of Enterprise Qatar (EQ) for professional legal and financial services. They support start-ups by reimbursing a great part of the cost of such services, and we thank them for that. In addition, the kind of workshops and trainings, as well as networking and expertise that the DIC provides us are invaluable and key to our success.

Where is gaming going in the Arab world? What are your predictions in regard to this matter?

The MENA region has the highest youth population, and gaming potential is huge.

Girnaas will use the rich Arabic storytelling culture and history and transform it into high-quality, entertaining mobile games— which is the future of handheld gaming.

Any advice for people looking to start their own companies?

First of all, make a decision, plan well, choose the people that will help you out— your network basically—and start. Focus and keep trying, never give up. It is not easy, but once you succeed, it is very rewarding.

What are your future expansion plans?

We have a solid roadmap of games we are working towards. Our next game, Hamour, which we have started advertising for, will bring in a new concept which we are really excited about!

To learn more about Girnaas and their project, visit: http://girnaas.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Girnaas https://twitter.com/Girnaas http://www.youtube.com/user/Girnaas http://instagram.com/Girnaas

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FEATURE

FEATURE

CLONING THROUGH AN APP: A conversation with Lebanese mobile app developer Alexi Akl

By Mhamad Dankari

@mhddankar

What applications have you created thus far?

During my work at Dermandar, I was responsible for research as well as development of the “DMD Clone” and “360 Ball” apps, both image processing apps.

How do you measure the success of an app?

The success of an app is measured through the number of downloads and ratings; those will give you a quick glance at the success of an app. A high number of downloads reflects a big need, while ratings reflect how satisfied the users are.

What platforms do you have experience designing for?

Those would be Android and iOS. What platforms you think are the most used, and why?

A graduate of Politechnika, Lodzka—Poland (2009), Alexi Akl, software engineer, has developed numerous mobile (Android and iOS), desktop and web applications related to image processing, workforce management, vector graphics and computer-aided design (CAD) systems, OpenGL, point of sale, facial composite, and content management system (CMS).

Android is the most used platform due to multiple reasons: I Diversity of devices; II Price; III Functionality.

While iOS is stable and fast, it is still very limited.

object by pressing the shoot button or even whistling. Images are processed instantly and you see the merged final result in a single image. For example, imagine a basketball player heading towards the basket, you can shoot multiple photos of his movements and in the end see them all combined in a single image. For more info, visit www. dmdclone.com.

What type of apps would you personally buy?

I have bought Photoshop for mobile (image editing app) and Smash Hit (a game). There is no limitation for the type of apps that I might buy; they just need to be useful or entertaining. Apps are cheap—you could get a useful tool for the price of a chocolate bar.

key people on board like Imo, Gmail, EyeEm, and Touch Surgery, among many others.

What are some tips you would give new developers?

I encourage Lebanese developers to pursue their dreams. The Lebanese Government and the private sector are now aware of the potential and influence apps have. That is why they are creating funding schemes for start-ups, similar to the ones in the West, rather than just disbursing loans; they invest through equity participation.

In your opinion, are Lebanese developers successful?

Yes, they are. The success stories are countless; some of them are 100 percent made in Lebanon like POO, Dermandar Panorama and Anghami.

Others have been made with Lebanese

Tell us more about DMD Clone

DMD Clone is an automated camera-cloning app. What it exactly does is: you take several photos of a moving

“I mostly enjoy combining Programming, Problem Solving, Algorithms and Mathematics skills to implement optimized, reliable and stable solutions for the different issues of nowadays IT world,” says Alexi on his personal website, www. ixela.net. We hope you enjoy reading our interview with him:

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FEATURE

FEATURE

MOBILE CLOUD COMPUTING: The benefits Lebanese developers will likely miss out on for a while

By Raja Riachi

@rajariachi

The cloud is a relatively new idea of a magical place where you can store your information to be immediately accessible from any device. Its existence—or the idea of its existence—,however, extends to more than just storing the pictures you take with your smartphone camera.

The cloud holds many benefits for mobile developers. It allows developers to put more into their apps by taking the tasks that are common and used across the board by all users of the same app and processing them in a large supercomputer once, as opposed to hundreds of thousands of times on each different device.

A clear example of this method lies in gaming. Suppose a game map with a thousand players on it. This game uses cloud computing to perform the tasks that would be common on all the players’ devices, namely changes to the game map. If a building on this map is to be destroyed, each separate device the player is using would have to compute the destruction of 56 CLOUD961

the same building, thus using up the devices’ hardware capabilities. The solution the cloud offers is taking this task to the cloud on one large supercomputer to be calculated only once, and sending it back to each separate player’s device.

This process both frees up performance on the devices being used, allowing developers to create larger games with more effects, and is generally more efficient because the same process is done once instead of a thousand times on smaller devices. This translates into mobile app development.

In Lebanon, developers are unable to leverage the benefits of the cloud due to poor infrastructure.

Even with the latest upgrades to the Internet in Lebanon, we still lack what is needed to benefit. App developers are largely shackled by the limitations of the devices they are developing for. Mobile Cloud Computing, however, mitigates these limitations by taking a load of the

tasks off smartphones and throwing them onto the cloud.

The second major benefit to the cloud, one of interest to mainly developers for the Android platform, is making coding for many different devices easier. There are hundreds of Android devices out there, and each developer must make sure each application runs smoothly on every single device. Instead of having to develop for each and every device, developers can make their mobile apps run on servers in a mobile cloud, where the app data is stored and data processing happens outside the smartphone, thus reducing the performance requirements as explained earlier, and reducing the need to cater to every separate device.

This reduces the development overhead needed to complete an app, reducing the cost and time spent (all important factors for Lebanese developers), while increasing the accessibility, performance, and functionality of each app.

The lack of proper Internet infrastructure limits the reach developers have with their applications.

The problem is not in raw speed, which still lags behind anyway, but in ensuring that you have enough bandwidth to avoid running into any bottlenecks. What this essentially means is that the bandwidth available to a user, regardless of the speed, is there to ensure no latency levels. The problems with high latency levels are usually between the Internet service providers (ISPs) of the user and the server, where there is not enough bandwidth between the two geographically separate networks.

Problems with bandwidth will create complications regardless of Internet speeds. To ensure Lebanese developers do not face these problems, a strong connection must be established between Lebanese ISPs and the geographical location of the servers being accessed.

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CULTURE Fashion

CULTURE Art

Bringing Together The Artistic Community

Haven for Artists use social media to converge artists

By Dalia Ramadan, PR Manager, AUB’s Online Collaborative

@dalia813

Haven For Artists (HFA) is a network connecting artists from different backgrounds, interests and disciplines. It is am arena upon which talent is showcased and shared with others, in an ongoing flow of creativity. We have interviewed Cynthia el Hay, the visual designer and person handling all communications and press matters for HFA to tell us more about the role social media has been playing in promoting this initiative and its goals.

Can you tell us a little about Haven for Artists, its mission, and how it started?

Haven for Artists was established in 2011.

Our initial goal was to create a platform encompassing a multitude of artists. It began with poets and musicians, but grew to also host the visual and performance arts. Our mission is to create a community based on the collaboration and exposure of artists.

What is your role at Haven for Artists?

My name is Cynthia el Hay and I am the visual designer, handling all sorts of communication aspects, such as social media and press.

When Haven for Artists was founded 3 years ago, what was your initial plan for getting the word out to the community? Has it changed since then?

We solely relied on word-of-mouth; there was not a plan, simply because we did not have an aim bigger than bringing together our close friends for a night of music and poetry. Two years later, we expanded from a Facebook page that serves as an inspirational platform and exposure tool for local artists, to a Youtube channel that posts some of the live performances we film as well as show reels, to a Twitter account

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that is linked to our Facebook page. Last but not least, our favorite platform: Sound Cloud, which allows us to share live recordings from our gatherings.

Does your NGO’s social media strategy also target and interact with those who are not necessarily artists? If so, in what ways?

Of course, a lot of our fans/followers are not artists; just art enthusiasts and even people who never thought they would be into art. Our Facebook page brings together people from all over the country with different backgrounds and affinities. We post paintings, street art, music, literature, culture, and graphic design. We also try to introduce as many artists to as many forms of art that we can: we like to call it ‘free education’. We know how much time people can waste and procrastinate on Facebook— during work hours especially—so why not learn something new instead? The people who follow us on Sound Cloud are not necessarily artists either; they just want to enjoy the music and poetry.

It is clear that Haven for Artists carefully selected where they would like to be present online. Why has the NGO chosen to open up Sound Cloud and Youtube accounts versus, let’s say, the popular Instagram?

We strongly believe that Instagram is a tool for taking photos with your phone, adding a filter, and sharing them; not to upload pictures from other places. We do plan on launching an Instagram account, but not yet. The #havenforartists hashtag is present, though, for people to mention during our gatherings. Another famous hashtag used is #havenspotted, where you post a photo of a haven sticker that you spot on the streets of Beirut, Barcelona, Cape Town, Berlin, Chicago, and Stockholm.

How does Artists for Haven use social media to help artists to build their network?

We share them on our page, and pages that might be interested in what a particular artist does. Later, if they decide to have a page of their own, we would have somehow paved the way for them with an online database of videos, photos, and audioclips.

What social medium has proven most effective for the NGO, and why?

Facebook is definitely our strongest tool with over 3000 organic fans. It helps us keep our followers up-to-date with gatherings, art/artists, as well as exhibitions.

Over the past three years, what kind of evolution did Haven for Artists see in their use of online media? Has it become stronger in terms of reaching out to both artists and collaborators?

Our fan base or followers are people who found us, we do not advertise and we do not invite. We simply do what we love to do: inform, inspire, and as artists ourselves, we also create. Haven intends to reach artists and art enthusiasts via the art itself, so that through people who appreciate the art we reach the ones that wish to learn.

Does Haven for Artists have plans in the future to expand online to other social media or perhaps a website?

If so, how will those new media be used?

As far as social media goes, we think we somehow have it covered. We keep revising and refreshing our strategies, and we do plan on launching a website in the future.

CULTURE Design

CULTURE Design

TOYING WITH LITTLEBITs A flourishing open-source gadget-building online platform

FLAT DESIGN: USABILITY, FUNCTIONALITY AND CONTENT

By Ayman Jalloul, President, AUB’s Online Collaborative @amnjay When one talks about opensource manufacturing, LittleBits cannot be overlooked.

LittleBits is a Lego-like set of electronic modules that can be assembled by practically anyone, regardless of their tech-savviness or their age, to produce some seriously innovative gadgets.

LittleBitts are sold as a set of kits with various modules. Being completely open source, new modules are being added that can all clip to the basic board of LittleBits, opening the possibility for creation. Color-coded magnetic modules range from USB power sources, to solar panels, to sound sensors.

These various modules allow users to make anything from Halloween costumes that light up, to an animatronic hand. This is all thanks to the simplicity and efficiency of 60 CLOUD961

the LittleBits system which removes the barriers of circuitry and coding to open up and simplify the process of electronics and bring it to ease due to the magnetic module.

Probably the best part of LittleBits is that the community is online and has people from all over the world creating and sharing their projects on the online gallery. For example, the featured project on LittleBits this month is a hand you can play “paper, rock, scissors” with. The hand is controlled

by LittleBits and an Arduino module (a single-board micro-controller) that is set to randomly move into rock, paper or scissor position when prompted. This wireless interaction begins when the user presses a button on their glove and as the game progresses, the glove compares the user’s position with that of the robotic arm and will thus be able to tell who won and accordingly play either a tune of victory or defeat.

And because this is all open-source, anyone with LittleBits can make these gadgets and build on them.

LittleBits was founded as a startup by Ayah Bdeir who graduated from the American University of Beirut with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and sociology.

She then went on in 2004 to receive a master’s degree in MIT’s Media Lab Entrepreneurship program and founded LittleBits zoo. Since then, LittleBits has received a total of USD 4m dollars in funding and continues to grow both as a company and as a community and further experiments with these modules that are pushing the limits of where one can go by just “toying around”.

You can check out the community of LittleBits and the projects online by going to www. littlebits.cc/projects

By Lynn El Bizri

@lnlne

Flat design has been one of the biggest crazes to hit web and user interface design in the past few years. Replacing skeuomorphic design, in which design cues are taken from the physical world and items designed to resemble their real-world counterparts, flat design focuses on simple two-dimensional appearance, with the removal of drop shadows, gradients and textures. It emphasizes on minimalism, cleanliness and organization of content above all, and has several advantages over its predecessor.

Flat design first started gaining popularity with the release of the Windows 7 Mobile, which unleashed flat design to consumers and designers alike. Since then, several different mobile and web user interfaces have

been redesigned to integrate flat design with the biggest transition being that of Apple’s iOS 7. With its ability to be easily translated to different screen sizes and its optimization for multiple platforms, flat design’s clean, modern look appeals to many. It not only allows users to focus on what is important such as usability, functionality and content, but with the lack of gradients, drop shadows and other skeuomorphic design elements, load times are even quicker, which is ideal for web browsing. However, flat design is not only flourishing onscreen. It is also transferring to the real world, where pamphlets, business cards, book covers, and more, are all being designed with elements of flat design.

bright colors, simple images, straightforward ideas, a focus on typography, and the use of buttons or icons. These elements contribute to engaging users as well as providing commercial gains for online businesses. Due to the fact that unnecessary design elements are avoided, designs are uncluttered and only the most important or relevant content and functionality is conveyed to the user.

While many may argue that flat design is just another passing trend, it is a trend that will likely be around for quite a while. Whether online or offline, the simplistic approach is a great way to emphasize ideas and content in a way that will likely never go out of style.

Elements of flat design include minimalism,

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CULTURE Fashion

CULTURE Food

YES, THERE IS SUCH A THING AS TOO MANY BLOGGERS GS Stores Lebanon cause blogger clash

By Dalia Ramadan, PR Manager, AUB’s Online Collaborative

Collaborating with fashion bloggers has become the bread and butter of many fashion trademarks aiming to hit brand and search engine optimization objectives. Although traditional advertising is still used, blog outreach most effectively trumps modern purchasing behavior by stimulating visual influence and widespread conversation about a brand’s collection. Fashion labels can invest lots in offline marketing and even social media, but nothing compares in promoting a brand than having a genuine buzz about products, something bloggers are able to generate.

In Lebanon, GS retail stores capitalize on the skills of many successful local fashion bloggers to support their digital marketing strategy. However, in their attempt to create an authentic word-ofmouth, GS goes one too far, simultaneously collaborating with Notre Closet, Playing with Fashion, Lara Speaks

@dalia813

Style, Sunset de Amor, Chocolate and Vanilla Soles, Pretty Capricieuse, and until recently, Le Journal De Leen.

With such a large number of bloggers in such small proximity, collaborations become obvious, unappealing, and far from being genuine.

Misemployment of strategy has dual effects as Leen Tabara of Le Journal de Leen explains: “Not only [is] GS risking this whole strategy, the bloggers also risk losing their audience.” Recently, Pretty Capricieuse and Playing with Fashion Instagrammed outfits with the same GS top within a week. Similarly, Chocolate and Vanilla Soles and Le Jounral De Leen have sported the same GS jacket in blog posts, though at different times. With individuality being the vital feature that a blogger’s popularity is built on, such clashes are come across to followers as lack of uniqueness, thus harming the blogger’s reputation.

Instead of approaching a handful of popular bloggers, GS should reach out to those that have worn and written about the store’s products on their blogs in the past. Additionally, when selecting bloggers, GS should ensure that aspects such as photo and writing style align with the GS brand image. This is vital as bloggers indirectly represent the face of the store to the largest consumer network in today’s digital society: their followers.

Though blogger outreach provides relationships with consumers that retail stores rely on to increase brand awareness and profit, misuse of strategy might achieve the same, to a negative effect. As the learning curve on blogging evens out, GS should know not to simply use bloggers for the sake of using them; there must be an appetite for more creative partnerships.

ARE RESTAURANTS AS GENEROUS AS RAMADAN? Their promotional strategies during the Holy Month

By Mohamad Faez Tarabichi During the Holy Month of Ramadan, restaurants rush to present their clients and food lovers with deals to promote themselves and their image. Nonetheless, it is of cardinal importance nowadays, to be present online, on a social media level.

On a first note, we did not notice any ads regarding this matter, so we decided to do a little more research about it.

In general, restaurants in Lebanon do not really believe in the power of social media, and those who do, merely stick to Facebook. So, regarding the research, very few were even aware of the fact that Ramadan had started; the other puny number who did is significantly scarce.

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@mfaezt The most prominent restaurant promoting itself during the holy month was to our surprise, Socrate. The famous Lebanese cuisine eatery had a daily trivia competition where the winner gets a free iftar meal. From what can be seen, the page is getting somehow good attention, but they should consider shedding a bit more light on the competition if they want to flood their page with likes and comments.

Classic Burger Joint took it to Facebook to invite burger fans to come and have their iftar over at the joints by offering complementary soup and dates for clients who are fasting.

Another restaurant getting all Ramadan-ish is Villagio Piccolo. While being highly involved in World Cup competitions, the Italian place did not forget to keep the generous spirit alive by posting about it and changing their cover photo.

The Four Seasons Hotel celebrated Ramadan as well. While not being exactly active about promoting it, the prestigious hotel surely did post about it wishing its fans a Happy Holy Month and inviting them over to have iftar.

Finally, it is necessary to point out the fact that restaurants in Lebanon should do a better job on social media and not only on Facebook! In addition, having so few competitions for Ramadan makes us wonder if they really do want to get attention online. It was a perfect—if not the perfect—opportunity to turn to promotions and competitions to get more traffic, because people are particularly “vulnerable” during that exact month.

With their bellies empty, restaurants should have been filling them up and taking being more present on social media. They could not have asked for a better opportunity!

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CULTURE Movies

CULTURE Politics

GAME OF THRONES: On the throne of social media

By Yara Nahle

REMEMBERING AUGUSTUS WATERS: The Fault in Our Stars breaks hearts, generates social media buzz

By Mhamad Dankar

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I think that users in the social media realm have never been as obsessed with a series as they are now with “Game of Thrones». Each time a new episode is online, the whole GoT online community is shaken with excitement. Fans rush to be the first to download the newly-released treasure. Their biggest fear: spoilers!

It is not by pure coincidence that this TV show has earned its place on the throne of social media. The show’s creativity was accompanied by a creative social media campaign, engaging the audience like never before. The campaign launched Twitter hashtags and encouraged fans to use them, and paid special attention to audience-generated content, increasing fans’ interaction with the show.

One smart tactic used for intensifying audience participation was engaging them in contests related to the show and in Q&A’s with the cast.

@MhdDankar

In my opinion, every romantic movie must But, Will the crying over The Fault in Our meet two important criteria in order to sucStars ever stop? Apparently, no. ceed: good actors and an overwhelming story.

On Wednesday June 2, fans of the John XThe Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS) has them Green cancer drama were openly grieving both. And as a plus, the movie is based on the on Twitter and other social media. But then best-selling novel by John Green, told by a again, why? sixteen-year-old cancer patient named Hazel, who is obliged by her parents to join a supThat is because July 2 is the day Augustus port group, where she subsequently encoun- Waters, Hazel’s boyfriend played by Ansel ters and falls in love with seventeen-year-old Elgort, died of cancer.

Augustus Waters.

People mourned him using an RIP hashtag.

TFIOS is a story about hope, pain, endurance, sacrifice and precious moments. Since it has @LiamKelsall wrote:“Hazel said that July 14th been released on June 6, it has created a wave is twelve days after Augustus died. Today is of emotional outburst all over Twitter.

July 2nd. Today is THE DAY HE DIED I’M

@yarabee2

NOT OKAY #RIPAugustusWaters.” @claire_bohn wrote: “All these #RIPAugustusWaters tweets are making me miss him.

And like I know he’s not “real” & I didn’t really “know” him. But I did. I did.”

Others tweeted quotes from the book/movie: @somnxum: “I’m thankful for our little infinity.”

TFIOS has out of the theaters for quite a while, but it will never be out of its fans’ minds, surely not any time soon.

According to Social Bakers, the show has 17247 new fans each day and 786 153 each year, on social media. Moreover, in the last six months, the number of fans increased by 4.5m members. In the last week only, the number increased by 100k fans, although the fourth season has already ended. Statistics also reveal that the US has the largest fan base, encompassing 33 percent of the show’s fans. Also, if some fans do not follow “Game of Thrones” on social media, GoT follows them, which makes fans believe they are important to the show.

In the Arab world, the Game of Thrones fever is not less serious. Jawanna Sawalha, a devoted GoT fan from Jordan, keeps herself tuned to any GoT conversation taking place on SM, helping her to better understand the show.

«The show has a lot of hidden meanings which you cannot understand from the first time, that is why I rely on everything posted on Facebook,» Sawalha says.

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CULTURE Politics

PALESTINE’S

CULTURE Politics

ONLINE

PRESENCE: A tool of non-violent resistance

Your Middle East: Shifting Perspectives

News online platform doing what mainstream media cannot

By Selim Njeim, Associate Editor

@seleemnjeim

Amid rapid—and mainly disastrous—changes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, journalists and visual artists from all over the world are flocking to the region, covering its news, producing reams of articles daily, sharing those across social media accounts, and garnering attention to issues they deem “newsworthy”. The outcome of this type of journalistic practice is shaping the way people see us—we, the citizens of the Middle East.

For years, it was just commonplace for audiences outside the MENA region to immediately associate graphic images of violence, upheavals and/or religious extremism with the Middle East. At some point, destruction and the Arab world meshed so seamlessly together that they became synonymous.

Your Middle East (YME) is an alternative, fully independent media platform that has embarked on a project to change conventional reporting from the MENA region. It is network-based, fast-moving, lean, and grassroots.

Closely connected to events on the ground and to local experts and amateur citizen journalists alike, YME represents both the ugly and the beautiful almost equally, giving a voice to those who have lived in this part of the world their entire lives—as opposed to foreign media staff flying into countries with no background whatsoever or informed understanding of the cultural, political and 66 CLOUD961

religious intricacies of the region.

YME has been growing rapidly. Their network now consists of 500+ bloggers, citizens and established journalists, academics, experts, and activists across the Middle East and other parts of the world.

YME was co-founded by Swedish Adam Hedengren and David Hedengren, YME managing editor, and editor-in-chief, who were both dissatisfied with media coverage of the MENA region.

To support YME’s mission, all writers currently contribute on a voluntary and occasional basis. Based on a personal experience, contributors are not pressured to submit stories regularly and are given the freedom to express their views and personal analyses of happenings around them. Most importantly, YME welcomes content that would otherwise not make it to one of the “top” news websites.

With about 100,000 monthly visitors, YME’s social media presence buzzes with energy and a committed mission to shift perspectives and highlight Arab ambition, talent, and achievements.

This is not to say that YME does not deal with serious, hardcore political coverage.

However, through their approach to news, highly interactive website and lively social media accounts—mainly Facebook and Twit-

ter—a more nuanced, 360-degree view of all aspects of life—including business, culture, innovation, human rights, and others—is offered to readers. The latter share, react and remark on the content, giving stories more depth and opening up related discussions.

YME has been organizing a series of events, #YMEstartup, focusing mainly on women entrepreneurship and empowerment. The first event was in Istanbul, followed by another in Dubai last June.

“Hopefully these kinds of events will be a breath of fresh air, an eve of inspiration and joy, connecting like-minded people for an exchange of ideas and perspectives, values that are important to us,” said Christine Petré, editor at YME. Wars, uprisings, massacres, and kids pelting soldiers with stones are only the “big stories”.

It is what that little kid and his embittered parents have to say about the violence around them that humanizes the news, and opens a door up for clearer understanding inititated by critical thinking, and hopefully, one day, change.

Whether you are a humanitarian relief officer, a political news editor, a policy maker, or just a curious member of your society, Your Middle East and other similar independent voices should be the source you turn to for information.

By Yara Nahle

@yarabee2

Palestine’s political and geographic existence as a country might not be acknowledged by all, but its online presence grants it a universal existence.

This online presence represents an alternative to the misleading Western propaganda usually aligned with Israel, justifying its apartheid, embellishing its acts or hiding them, showing the Palestinians as the perpetuators of evil, Israel as the victim.

Online Palestine

Pro-Palestinian cause online presence manifests itself through several websites and platforms, usually in English, targeted at the Western audience. The major ones are the Electronic Intifada (meaning uprising) and the International Solidarity Movement’s sites.

Electronic Intifida is a website which broadcasts news in the form of articles,

YouTube videos and SoundCloud audios.

It further publishes news analysis and blog posts regarding not only politics and war, but also arts and culture. The website’s coverage surpasses the borders of occupied Palestine to encompass all Palestinian matters across the globe, including immigrants and refugees living in the West.

International Solidarity Movement is a non-profit organization and a Palestinian-led movement with a website and an online presence on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr, and YouTube. It aims at providing the Palestinian people with «a voice with which to nonviolently resist an overwhelming military occupation force.» By propagating images of Israel’s violent oppression, it intends to seek international support, solidarity and protection for Palestinians. ISM considers itself to be a form of resistance.

Online Israel

On the other hand, Israel, namely the Israeli Defense Forces, has a propaganda targeted at Arabs only. Avichay Adraee is the IDF Arabic spokesperson, whose main concern is to wish Muslims happy holidays, good lives and peace. He is the pretty face glued to the façade of the Israeli Army to make it look like the more peaceful side the two parties in conflict.

Through his Twitter account, IDF’s diplomatic face hypocritically wishes Muslims a happy fasting. Two weeks later, the IDF bombs Gaza massively.

However, the world is more persuaded

by Adraee’s propaganda, just another evidence of the power of social media, especially that Israel’s aggression towards Gaza is not fairly portrayed in Western media.

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CULTURE Travel

#SMLaughs: THE 7 MUST-HAVE INSTAGRAM POSTS WHILE ON VACATION!

By Darine Sabbagh

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@sdarine

Social Media and tech gizmos have seeped into every aspect of our lives. In this column Darine curates the curious and funny anecdotes on how these new media have transformed day to day interactions. Share your own stories with her on twitter on @sdarine #SMLaughs or email sdarine@cloud961.com.

The professional Instagrammer has a few staple shots in their arsenal that they just cannot resist taking, especially when “travelgramming” on vacation.

I have had the pleasure of just returning from vacation and experiencing them all first-hand and observing follow flocking tourists around me. Let me tell you it is really tough not to follow through with these clichés. So here we go!

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1. I am leaving!

Must always come with a passport and tickets shot for that extra rub in the face of your friends and family. As demonstrated by blogger Maya Shokr about to head out to Goa! http://instagram.com/p/qG1dOMLlzv/?modal=true 2. Let me take a selfie with ___ khalfi!

No matter what the remarkable sight, celebrity person, or animal at the zoo, Instagramming it alone is simply not enough. It must have your weirdly cropped portrait, too!

3. Local Market exotic finds

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This type of post is only reserved for true grit travelers. I have not really observed that many Lebanese Instagrammers following through with the tradition. But Christine Sfeir, CEO of Dunkin Donuts, sure did a great job at that! http://instagram.com/p/qIVas_DTOg/?modal=true 4. From where I stand with your feet near the swimming poor OR The iconic laying-on-thechaise-longue snap

http://instagram.com/p/pL39hpMIhn/?modal=true 5. Sunsets and Skylines

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http://instagram.com/p/qFoleUMIuc/?modal=true 6. Macro of some weird animal, insect or flower

http://instagram.com/p/pjj66FMIn8/?modal=true 7. Airplane mode

In case you would like to see more of my own vacation shots, make sure to stalk me on @sdarine! http://instagram.com/p/po3WxiMIvM/?modal=true

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GEEKY Apps

GEEKY Apps

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’S R E M M U S S I H T S P P A E V A H T MUS

where you do not know the language? Just snap a pic of a street sign and the app can translate English, Italian, Spanish, French, Portugese, and Russian.

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8. Forecast.io—A slick-looking weather app that gives up-to-date weather forecasts in real time and you can also go back in time to check past weather patterns.

9. WaterIn—Whether you are backpack-

By Paul Gadalla

ing this summer or lounging at the beach, it i always good to keep track of your water intake to stay healthy. WaterIn regularly reminds you to rehydrate until you have had your daily 8 cups of water.

@paulinbeirut Summer is in full swing. Many of you will either be traveling or trekking around the country this summer. So whether you will be staying or leaving, here are the top 10 apps you need to enjoy this summer:

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1. Postogram—If you have big travel plans this summer and want to make your friends jealous, use this app by selecting one of your own photos from your phone and send it as a real postcard with a specialized message to anyone for .99 cents.

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2. Tripit—Store your travel plans, flight and hotel info all in one place. The app can even build you an itinerary, a definite help if you are doing a big trip.

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10. Easy Batter Saver—This app helps you monitor your phone’s battery power and adjusts its lighting and apps to help save battery so when you are on the go you make the most out of what is left of your battery.

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3. World Festival Guide—Over 200 art, film, music, and food festivals packed into one app. You can share photos, leave tips, and get festival information.

4. Weber’s on the Grill—Your essential

app for any summer BBQ. The app has 280 recipes for BBQs and 40 different recipes for marinades.

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5. Foodspotting—A must-have app if you are a foodie. Upload pics of your favorite dishes so you can recommend them. You can also do searches such as “where’s the best pasta dish in town”.

6. Roadtrippers—Staying in Lebanon?

Do not just stay indoors, but hop in the car and go for a ride. With plenty of mountains and beaches, the sky’s the limit. This app tracks your roadtrips, lets you leave tips, and shows you interesting sites along the way.

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7. World Lens—Traveling in a country

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GEEKY Apps

GEEKY Apps

PLAYIN’ [IT] SAFE TO THE BEAT

By Mhamad Dankar

KITESTRING:

Your online/offline emergency whistle

By Layal Jebran

@iPr1ncess

@MhdDankar

Minimize distraction with glance-free playlist control Listening to music forms an integral part of a lot of people’s lives, even in their daily routine, and is often an escape to change their mood. With the possibility of listening to music on the phone, no matter what you are doing, even when on the go, you just plug your earphones in and listen to your favorite playlists. This, however, becomes a challenge when you have to keep on looking at your phone to change volume, playlists, etc.

Playin’ Safe is an innovative application designed by Fusion Second to provide glance-free control for music playback while you are jogging, running, cycling or even driving.

The app contains four main tabs: Artists, Albums, Songs and Playlists. It utilizes touch control in order to interact, swipe or pause your music. A safe mode is also available to disable touch and the app also features multiple touch tricks to control and edit functions while making sure your eyes are not distracted for a single second.

The app is set to be released on iOSin September. An Android version is in progress as well, in addition to another version that will have more utility for joggers, called Joggin’ safe.

The first release of Playin’ safe will be free, and Joggin’ safe will be for USD 0.99.

In the age of 11-year-old developers creating games and writing complex code, an age where privacy is important while personal safety is nearly inexistent, someone out there who cares for you, created a website called Kitestring.

The Kitestring website is a safety net for women in general and people all together to keep an eye on themselves while walking home late in an empty dark street, or going somewhere one might think they are in danger. Kitestring helps your people know if you are not “okay” without even touching your phone. How does it work? Well, it is pretty much easy; you set up an account on their website—no need to download anything or even have a smartphone. You set the time needed before the app checks up on you, then press on ‘Embark’ when you leave your current location. Once your time limit is over, Kitestring will then send a message to you requiring a reply, thus confirming you are okay. If you do not reply to the message within 5 minutes, the website will then send an SMS to a contact you would have previously assigned, informing them that you might be in danger. When you arrive to your destination safely, you can check-in by sending a message containing the word “OK” to cancel your timer.

Living in a wealth-oriented world, where everyone is on a never-ending quest to make ends meet, it is a breath of fresh air to see developers working on something that only required a couple of lines of simple code, in order to ensure some kind of safety.

Kitestring is free to use and if you appreciate the service given, you can donate USD 3 per month to the developers as a subscription fee to thank them for their great efforts in minimizing danger and most likely saving someone’s life. Sign up at www. kitestring.io and stay safe!

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SHAHID APPLICATION:

Premium video on demand for viewers across MENA region Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced a partnership with MBC Group, first private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab world, to announce the launch of SHAHID (Arabic for “Watch”) Application, the region’s leading video on demand (VOD) service.

In a regional first, Samsung Smart TVs across the Middle East and North Africa will feature the SHAHID application.

The SHAHID experience will be enhanced further by Samsung’s Curved UHD TVs, whose curved screen gives video content a wider field of view, creating a panoramic effect that brings images to life and gives them true-to-life clarity and detail. Image contrast is automatically adjusted for a greater sense of depth similar to a 3D effect without the glasses.

SHAHID Application & SHAHID.NET are currently available for viewers to catch up on their favorite TV shows and series. The service has recorded 284 million media views in 2013 only. The new application allows viewers to enjoy what they have missed on TV, from series, to shows, to global formats.

SHAHID makes best Arabic content available on VOD. Recent upgrades to the service have also made it easier to search and faster to watch. SHAHID viewers will be also able to choose between SD or HD picture viewing to match their broadband network and speed.

TRUECALLER BRINGS LIVE CALLER ID AND SPAM BLOCKING FEATURES TO ANDROID WEARABLES Truecaller has announced Truecaller for Android Wear, a new app that brings Truecaller’s functionality to Android wearables. Truecaller is one of the first developers selected to bring an app to the Android Wear platform, where users can quickly get calls or contact information wherever and whenever they need it most without ever having to break from their normal activity. Now any user who has Truecaller installed onto their Android phone would be able to have that same information seamlessly displayed on their Android wearable and be able to ID an incoming call or detect whether a call is from a known scammer.

Android Wear, Google’s platform for small, powerful wearable devices like watches, lets users get useful information at a glance, track their fitness goals and get straight answers to spoken questions.

Within the Truecaller app, Android wearable users will not only be able to get valuable call information just by looking down at their watch, but they’ll also be

able to swipe their watch to answer calls or dismiss calls, send texts, make calls or simply save caller contact info with just a quick tap.

Truecaller’s community of over 65m users crowdsources contact information to protect each other from mobile fraud and scams, while helping users take the calls they actually want to take. Today, Truecaller helps users ID and block more than 5m calls per day and more than 250,000 spam numbers are being added daily by community members.

Truecaller with Android Wear integration will be available for free on Google Play.

Users won’t need to take any extra steps to get the app working on their Android wearable. The app will be automatically installed on a paired Android wearable device if they have the Truecaller app open on their Android phone.

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GEEKY Gadgets

GEEKY Gadgets

GOOGLE DRIVERLESS CAR: A ROAD TO POSSIBILITIES

IS LEBANON READY FOR THE DAWN OF THE SMART TV ERA?

Google unveils their own driverless car and jump miles ahead in the race of autonomous motoring

By Wael Kouz

@WaelKouz

If you thought cars are only improving through design, then think again. Google revealed their plans for a driverless car back in October 2010, and now that project still lives to hit the roads for more testing. Google unveiled their own prototype for a self-driving car: a cute tiny vehicle without a steering wheel or any pedals. With the push of a button, the car will take you to your desired destination on its own due to its driverless technology.

According to Chris Urmson, director of Google’s self-driving car project, they aim to run extended texts in California.

Urmson believes that this project is «an important step toward improving road safety and transforming mobility for millions of people.»

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By Paul Gadalla

Google’s self-driving vehicle team “think this could improve road safety and help lots of people who can’t drive.” The company has been testing the equipment and technology required for several years, while also developing a prototype behind the scenes.

The prototype vehicle has two seats, a navigation screen, an emergency stop button, and can accelerate to a top speed of 40km/h. This toy-like car is driverless due to an array of sensors which allow the vehicle to interact with hundreds of meters in all directions which helps it determine its location and path.

The car is connected to a smartphone application, which a person would use to summon the car. It would pick up a passenger and automatically drive to a

destination determined by the passenger on the smartphone app without any human control.

Google’s next step is to persuade regulators that the driverless cars can operate safely without the need of any human interaction. In other words, they are asking us to entirely trust Google sensors and software to drive us around.

Multiple studies so far show the benefits of using a driverless car, such as savings on taxi fees. Google’s ultimate goal is to transform modern transportation, but admits that it still has “lots of work to do.”

One day, we might be using the phrases “Let’s Google to a restaurant” or “I am Googling to the beach.”

@paulinbeirut

Across the world, people are increasingly chucking their DVD players out the window and now opting to screen or download movies online.

But now, instead of just downloading or streaming on your computer, you can do so by purchasing a Smart TV, which gives you access to the Internet and the ability to stream movies and series.

So what should you know about these marvelous inventions?

What are smart TVs? They are television sets equipped with Internet capabilities and an operating system.

You can install different apps onto the TV and even share photos and files with other Smart TVs. You can just get an account with any streaming service and instantly start watching your favorite

series. Smart TVs usually also give you information on shows and let you record your favorite shows for later.

You can even sync your social media sites with your Smart TV, watch TV in HD, and convert movies into 3D movies.

Unfortunately, at the present moment, it seems that smart TVs market in Lebanon is still small. Lebanon is currently limited in its options for Smart TVs, with the only ones on the market from Samsung or LG (sorry, Apple fanboys) and can be purchased at major stores like Khoury Home. So far, only LBC and MTV broadcast in HD, meaning other Lebanese channels won’t be the same quality. There is also the issue of poor Internet connectivity, although Samsung Lebanon tweeted

that a speed of 2mbps is all you need to enjoy the features of one of their Smart TVs. Asked if people in Lebanon are enjoying the TV, fellow tweep @Arabear said: “I like it. Though if I had a better Internet connection where I live I would be able to use more of its functions.”

Tweep @yasminebal agreed: “The HD is awesome, but there aren’t many channels here that are suitable to Smart TV. [With Lebanese Internet it] worked but not so well.” With the market for Smart TVs still tiny and the poor connectivity, it might not be the right time to buy a Smart TV quite yet in Lebanon.

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GEEKY Gadgets

GEEKY Gadgets

COLORFUL DESIGNS: How budget devices are making up for cheap materials by using bright colors

By Raja Riachi

@rajariachi

EDYN SMART GARDEN: Welcome to the connected backyard

By Mhamad Dankar

There is a new design trend in the tech world. It started with Nokia’s budget phones. From the low-end Lumia Windows Phones to the Asha phones aimed at developing markets, and most recently their Nokia X line, someone somewhere must have realized that buying things cheap is less depressing when they are flashy.

Colorful gadgets have been present long before Nokia’s phones. Apple loyalists will be quick to point out iPods have long been colorful. This trend, however, as you might have guessed, is mitigating the pain of buying a budget device by making it colorful.

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Colors are great to mask that a phone is made of cheap materials. While a standard black color on a plastic phone will no doubt look ugly, after a fresh paint job, the same phone would easier and more enjoyable to the sight. This also works conversely.

For the first time, the last generation of iPhones was released in two models.

The premium iPhone 5s and the budget iPhone 5c. The latter carried similar specs to the iPhone 5s but was made of cheaper materials. It was, however, available in a range of flashy colors, which while promoted as a positive, may have been a move by Apple, a premium brand, to make the two easily distinguishable, thus

pushing people to the more expensive, high-end product, the iPhone 5s. This would also work in targeting two different groups, with the iPhone 5c’s bright colors pushing away customers in business environments towards the iPhone 5s.

This trend has also been extended to swappable back shells for the phone, which Motorolla employed for their budget Moto G and Nokia use for their entire Lumia line, and advertise mostly for their lower-end products. This allows users to swap backs of different colors for the phone they are using.

@MhdDankar

How many times did you lose a plant just because you did not know how much water was enough? What about this garden which you could turn into a beautiful landscape if you just had tips of how to take care of it? Edyn Smart Garden is here to help you.

What is Edyn Smart?

This app actually keeps you posted with everything happening in your garden.

Whether you are a beginner or pro gardener, Edyn helps you monitor and analyze. Implanted in the soil, the Edyn Garden Sensor collects and analyzes data about varying weather and soil conditions. The app displays this data as a concurrent snapshot of your plot, and pushes alerts and suggestions to maximize plant health.

To check the soil, Edyn generates a harmless electrical signal passing through it and measuring how it is improved or

weakened by water and soil additives, such as lime, biological fertilizers or dung.

Next, information will be cross matched with Edyn’s database system to give the appropriate diagnosis and information about the soil’s acidity, humidity and fertility percentages.

Edyn has also a separate component, the Water Regulator, which uses the data collected by the sensor to smartly control your current watering system, in other words, watering your plants only when needed. With innovative tracking technology and natural design, the system keeps you allied to your garden or farm so you can grow better and healthier plants.

What to Grow?

Since every garden is different and has its own characteristics, Edyn Garden Sensor tracks weather and soil conditions (light, humidity, temperature, soil nutrition, and moisture) and recommends the type of plants that will grow best as well as the groups pf plants that would grow

together. It provides you also with the best timings for planting.

How to Grow?

You cannot always worry about frost or waiting for the peak moment to harvest your Heirloom tomatoes. This app continually monitors conditions and alerts you when immediate action is needed because of certain changes. Edyn’s notifications include moisture levels, type of organic fertilizer to use, and helps you find as well the optimal sunlight for every plant in your garden.

Automatic Watering

Save water, lower your utility bills, and never worry about thirsty plants again.

Unlike pre-set sprinklers, the Edyn Water Valve automatically controls your existing water system based on data collected by the Garden Sensor, and adapts to every change in the weather forecast.

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GEEKY Gadgets

GEEKY Gadgets

LG G3 OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED IN LEBANON “Simple is the New Smart” Concept Actualized in Smartphone from LG

WINDOWS 8 HYBRID DEVICES: The rise of a new corner in an already-crowded market

By Raja Riachi

@rajariachi

Windows 8 has been on the market for almost two years, and with its new touch-based interface, a floodgate has spilled open for unconventional designs for laptops which had stagnated prior to Windows 8 with the standard clamshell.

Manufacturers have tried to complement Windows 8’s branding, selling it as the perfect marriage of work and play, productivity media consumption, and with the latest batch of processors from Intel and optimization efforts from Microsoft, performance and battery life.

When Windows 8 came out, Ultrabooks could still not manage more than a handful of hours on battery. Intel’s latest low voltage processors, dubbed Haswell, which consume less power than their Ivy Bridge predecessors, and the new Bay Trail Atom processors allow Microsoft and their manufacturing partners to finally legitimately compete in the high-end and low78 CLOUD961

end, offering 2 in 1 convertibles for as low as USD 350 with a battery life that rivals the iPad and functionality that far outstrips the iOS or Android operating systems.

The added familiarity and understanding Microsoft’s hardware partners have with the operating system have allowed them to come up with a new array of designs from the 360-degree hinge design popularized by Lenovo’s Yoga line,to an array of detachables and convertibles.

These convertibles are no longer exclusive to the high end ultra-books or the small form factor laptops, with laptops as large as 17 inches.

They can also provide the productivity that we have grown accustomed to from the Windows platform along with the same immediate access to entertainment offered by Android and iOS tablets, with more power and a diverse catalogue accessible.

All one would need to do is twist, detach, flip, or

whatever motion necessary to turn the PC from laptop to tablet mode. One of the most impressive and inspired designs, revealed at Computex 2014, is the Asus Transformer V, which hybridizes both hardware and software to unprecedented levels. This laptop, taking design cues from the Asus Padfone, features an android phone that can dock into a slot in the back of a tablet. The difference in this case is this tablet runs Windows 8.1, docks into a keyboard itself, and most ingeniously, gives the user the ability to control the android phone while docked by providing a virtual window in the tablet of the phone itself. This allows the user to use Android within the Windows Operating System.

Windows 8 has faced its fair share of criticism over the past two years, with an app store that still lags far behind Android and iOS, but the dual nature of the operating system has introduced an unprecedented amount of fresh designs for the laptop market

Following its strong debut in South Korea, LG Electronics (LG) continued the global rollout of its highly praised G3 smartphone on June 27. As of July 4, the LG G3 is available to Lebanese customers. The company will also launch the G3 in the rest of Asia, Europe and the Middle East in July, making the flagship device available to more demographics worldwide.

The LG G3 has received early praise from industry experts for innovations in its display, camera, design and user experience (UX) features. Developed with the motto “Simple is the New Smart” in mind, the G3 was empowered with the best of what current technology has to offer, providing consumers with a simpler and easier user experience.

Highlights include:

First global implementation of 5.5-inch Quad HD display (538ppi) with four times the resolution of HD and almost two

times higher resolution than a Full HD display for sharper, crisper, clearer images and more realistic color reproduction.

13MP OIS+ (Optical Image Stabilizer Plus) camera with faster Laser Auto Focus in a smartphone to capture quality images and videos with minimal blur, even in near complete darkness.

Premium-feel rear cover featuring a brushed, hairline metallic skin that is lightweight and fingerprint-proof.

Floating Arc form factor that incorporates LG’s innovative Rear Key and feels incredibly comfortable in the palm of one hand.

Simple and intuitive UX features including Smart Keyboard which reduces input errors by up to 75 percent by tracking and analyzing users’ typing habits; Smart Notice, a personal assistant application that provides real-time information and notifications even before being asked; Smart Security, a suite of security features including LG’s proprietary Knock CodeTM , Content

Lock and Kill Switch.

Premium accessories, such as the QuickCircle™ Case (sold separately) that provide users easy access to six frequently used functions without having to open the cover, as well as a collection of Slim Guard Cases and premium Slim Hard Cases to protect the G3 in the style its original designers had intended.

The G3 will be localized in some markets with unique features for additional user convenience.

“Early indications give us reason to be optimistic that G3 will be as successful globally as it has been in Korea,” said Mr. Sean Lee, GM of LG Electronics in Lebanon. “It’s quite an honor to be considered the new industry benchmark for premium smartphones but in the end, what really matters is how consumers feel about our latest flagship device because it was their feedback that helped us create G3.”

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BUSINESS Agencies

with information technology solutions Web design, digital solutions, social media development, business intelligence & reporting, enterprise information portals, software quality assurance, web content management, SEO...

SAMSUNG SMART HOME BECOMES REALITY, SET TO TRANSFORM EVERYDAY LIFE Connect mobile devices, appliances, TVs and wearables from one integrated app Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced the official global launch of its Samsung Smart Home service in July 2014.The service will first be rolled out in Korea and the United States, with more countries around the world added throughout the year. The service makes home automation effortless and easy, with a single app that makes it possible to connect and control home appliances, TVs, and mobile devices.

“We are excited that the launch of Samsung Smart Home makes the connected home a reality today and allows our customers to live a smarter life,” said Dr. Won Pyo Hong, President and head of the Media Solution Center at Samsung Electronics.

With the Samsung Smart Home app, people can control multiple devices simultaneously. For example, a user can 80 CLOUD961

simply say “Good Night” to the TV remote control, and connected devices within the home such as the Smart Bulb and air conditioners could be set-up to automatically turn off.

Whether at home, at work, or out and about, people can use the app on their smartphone or wearable device to check the status of home appliances; for example, they can fully control the washer and select the correct wash settings for the laundry to be ready just when they arrive at home.

All data that is transmitted by the app is encrypted for increased security. This ensures that the people can enjoy the service safe in the knowledge their data remains private.

Users register for the Samsung Smart Home app with their Samsung Account.

For smart phones, the app can be downloaded from Samsung Apps and Google Play. A separate app will soon be available for Samsung Gear 2 powered by Tizen and the app for Samsung’s 2014 Smart TV models will be available in April.

Through the app, users can add and manage all compatible devices and appliances that are connected to the wireless home network. Once a device has been added to the Smart Home app, it can be set up with just a few steps using the app’s intuitive, easy-to-navigate user interface.

Badaro Street Facing Chevrolet Offshore P.O.Box: 14-5679 Beirut, Lebanon Mobile: + 961 71-146 463 contactus@mindfield.co | www.mindfield.co

Samsung Electronics plans to expand its service line-up to other smart products, including the Smart Bulb as well as robot vacuum cleaners and the Samsung Gear Fit.

mindfieldsolutions

@Mind_Field

MindField Solutions s.a.r.l

GEEKY Social games

GEEKY Social games

VIDEOGAMES MISCONCEPTIONS: How videogames are still feared by those who have never played them

By Raja Riachi

@rajariachi

WWDC 2014: APPLE’S METAL TO AMP UP IOS GAMING

High-level 3D graphics underway

By Ayman Jalloul, President, AUB’s Online Collaborative @amnjay People have always feared the unknown. It is much easier to criticize something from far away than it is to expose yourself to it.

Videogames have always been a prominent pop culture phenomenon to use as a punching bag. The arguments against videogames are many: they “glorify and promote violence, they add nothing substantial to one’s life and have no social value, and they are addictive” are but a few.

What is suspected to cause people not familiar with videogames is its interactive nature, as noted by Trey Parker and Matt Stone when comparing the main differences of finding where the limits are when making South Park, the video game as compared to the show.

Hollywood has more than its fair share of gratuitous violence in both TV shows and movies.

The interactive nature of videogames, however, and the idea that the player is controlling the 82 CLOUD961

character committing so many gruesome atrocities, draws people back. Nevertheless, it can be argued that that the current nature of videogames presents consequences of violence that have merit, as opposed to today’s blockbusters where city blocks are levelled because of one alien invasion or another, with absolutely no bloodshed on screen happening.

It is important to note that there is no proof or evidence that violence in videogames leads to any erratic behavior or actual violence, with crime and domestic violence statistics pointing to a fall in numbers since the rise of video games.

The aversion to violence and its interactive nature, however, is not restricted only to violence. The latest criticism comes at a videogame that includes hacking: Watch Dogs. This game which was received critically well features a character capable of hacking into city surveillance, personal cellphones, bank accounts, web-

cams, and other information at will. The criticism came unfailingly, from a point of complete ignorance. American political commentator and media personality Glenn Beck, attacked the game—after comparing video games in general to crack cocain—for teaching us how to hack.

According to him, “The idea here is they are teaching you to hack and then become the ultimate voyeur in other people’s lives—including their bedrooms—by hacking into their phones and everything. This game is teaching people to hack into whatever is docked in your bedroom.

What the heck is wrong with us? What are we thinking? We are inviting this into our home and our lives. We are teaching our kids [hacking] for entertainment purposes.” Even though this game teaches someone to hack as much as Battlefield teaches someone how to drive a tank, there was no minimum due diligence in research done before criticizing this game, once again finding it easier to verbally tear something apart than to familiarize oneself with it and arrive to more well-informed judgment.

During its annual World Wide Developers conference, Apple gave game developers a lot to be happy about.

Besides changes in the organization of its App Store layout that would allow an easier discovery of new games, Apple introduced Swift, a new programming language that makes writing and previewing code much easier for all developers. However, Apple’s most significant contribution was the introduction of Metal, which will allow game developers to tap into the full potential of hardware, namely its A7 chip.

Unlike traditional graphics APIs that suffer from performance bottlenecks, Metal’s technology allows for extremely high performance and sophisticated graphics rendering and computational tasks by exploiting modern architectural considerations, such as multipro-

cessing and shared memory that will allow code to easily parallelize the GPU commands.

So far, Metal has garnered support from major game developers in the industry such as Crytek, Unity, Electronic Arts and Epic Games. During the conference, Tim Sweeny of Epic Games demoed “Zen Garden” with a beautiful Japanese garden (pictured below). The scene had various objects such as koi, butterflies, and cherry blossoms—all moving around like individual objects within the scenery. In that specific demo, Sweeney had 5,000 cherry blossoms floating everywhere and a total of 1.3 million triangles in a single scene. This serves to show the new low-level rendering of the programming interface. Metal will offer a 10-fold increase in rendering capability. Thus, Metal will get rid of

the somewhat bloated OpenGL ES API, which has failed to keep up with the graphical demands and consequently has become inefficient at running 3D software, especially on battery-operated mobile hardware.

Metal comes as an addition to SceneKit—which is a high-level 3D graphics framework that help create 3D animated scenes and effects with its physics engine—and a particle generator and SpriteKit, which is a framework that makes it easier to create high-performance, battery-efficient 2D games.

With Metal, Swift and the already existing frameworks, Apple is opening up toward a new tier of gamers as it blurs the lines between console and mobile gaming as a result of a new level of performance.

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GEEKY Social games

CHARBAKA:

Decreasing the lack of digital Arabic content

By Lynn El Bizri

@lnlne

Charbaka (which means ‘Puzzle’ in English) is a multiplayer mobile word game and more or less the Arabic version of the popular word game Ruzzle. Samer Hamandi, the Lebanese developer behind the game, came up with the idea of Charbaka after attending a seminar at ArabNet in 2012 about the lack of digital Arabic content. Hamandi wanted to come up with an app that would help build up and diversify online content in Arabic after noticing that there were so many English word games but very few in Arabic.

Charbaka first made it’s debut last year at a game development competition organized by AltCity and sponsored by the Dutch Embassy in Lebanon, in which Hamandi won the People’s Choice Award which qualified him to participate in the 2013 Casual Connect Conference in Amsterdam. Upon returning to Lebanon, Hamandi continued working on the game, and after a few months of tinkering, launched Charbaka on Google Play in November.

Very similar to Ruzzle, upon starting the game, players can choose to compete with a Facebook friend, or a random player.

The aim of the game is to find as many words as you can in a grid of 16 Arabic letters before the time ends. Each game is made up of 3 rounds of 2 minutes each. Players play each of the 3 rounds in turn with the winner being the one with the highest total score. Unlike Ruzzle, while playing the rounds, players can also use power ups like stopping the clock, getting word hints or scrambling the grid. Moreover, users can only play a limited number of rounds per day; a model of making people wait to play that has proved successful for many games, one popular example being Candy Crush.

Charbaka is a free app, and although it is currently only available for Android devices, Hamandi is working on an updated iOS version that will include several improvements.

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GEEKY Social games

MEGAplay – Middle East Gaming Alliance

By Lynn El Bizri

@lnlne

The gaming sector in the Middle East and the Gulf in particular is estimated to be at USD 1b and USD 2.6b in terms of revenues including software and hardware.

Moreover, the number of people downloading video games and computer games online has almost doubled since 2010 in the Middle East. To make sure MENA startups are on the leading edge of this growing sector and the emerging trends, the Middle East Gaming Alliance, an organization dedicated to cultivating regional gaming startups, was launched on the first day of the ArabNet Digital Summit 2014 this past June in Dubai

by Lebanese Start-up Space, AltCity.

MEGAplay’s seed funding comes from the Netherlands Embassy to Lebanon and builds on AltCity’s involvement in gaming events in Beirut. One such event was AltCity’s Beirut Hackathon, which took place this past May and brought together dozens of developers, designers and entrepreneurs to build mobile apps and games in only twelve hours proving that startups can launch mobile apps or games in beta version within days or weeks rather than months or years.

Middle East Gaming Alliance, or MEGAplay, is an initiative whose goal is to aid Middle Eastern start-ups in taking advantage of their passion for games and gaming in the Middle East by providing them with various means of support and guidance. MEGAplay plans to offer workshops for these regional gaming startups, both online and offline, with expertise that not only will help put them on the map but also put them at a competitive advantage in a global market that is worth around USD 70b. The main idea behind MEGAplay according to CEO David Nabti, is “to help people start games and develop new concepts that are at the leading edge of trends, rather than behind the curve.” MEGAplay also plans to hold competitions and help connect start-ups to potential investors. Although gaming start-ups are fundamentally risky, the gaming industry in the Arab world has been developing for several years and is already a huge market that is becoming more and more connected to people’s lives.

THE NEXT-GEN GAME ENGINE

By Maurice Rustom

@MauriceRustom

Every year, the E3 expo is held in the US and showcases all the new breakthroughs in the gaming field from hardware—gaming consoles and accessories—to software—nextgen games and whatnot—. I can go on and on about E3 2014, for the many interesting progresses that were achieved and the awesome games that were launched, but I want to spot the light on something exquisite and, in my opinion, pure genius, called Snowdrop: an emerging next-gen game engine.

In an industry where manufacturing a remarkable product needs a team of one hundred professionals, start-up companies have a very hard time producing games. Snowdrop was conceived to better handle this issue.

Massive Entertainment, a small Ubisoft studio, is the first developer team to create and use this new technology in producing their new game “Tom Clancy’s The Division” to be launched in 2015. They wanted to build a next-gen game engine with extreme flexibility and maximum efficiency, to accomplish big things in smarter and faster ways. Snowdrop will allow the whole team of artists, animators and designers to access the game and modify it directly within the engine, followed by the testing at once, to make sure that the improvements work and serve better to embody their vision of the game. This means that with no “baking time” the game production turns out to be way faster than

expected thanks to the engine design that allows the game to be playable during the development, conducting multiple play tests at every stage of production to keep a closer eye on the progress of the game. This way, not only the developers would achieve their work in a quicker way, but also they would have more power and control over the workflow structure and results, which would ensure a better quality of the game and maximum coherence within it.

The Snowdrop engine is built in a very unique way that is dynamic and unified, meaning that any change made will automatically get generalized over all the game code. Also, the engine provides environmental samples for the artists to pick from while building the game scenes, that way the game is not really started from scratch but there is a whole database of patterns, shapes and already-created objects to be directly added to the game without the pain of designing them. This provides more time for innovation in the gameplay and storyline, promising a state of the art gaming experience.

The creation of such an innovative game engine triggers the start of the next-gen game development, which will provide fascinating and immersive games while being remarkably easier to handle and manipulate. Who knows, maybe ten years from now everyone will be able to build their own game and design it as if they were designing a house in Sims!

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Geeky Smart Software

Geeky Smart Software

iOS 8:

YOUR USB FILES TURNING INTO SHORTCUTS?

JUST WAIT AND SEE WHAT APP DEVELOPERS DO NEXT

How to remove the Njw0rm.exe virus and salvage your

files

By Armen Bakkalian

@ArmenBakkalian

If you happen to be a frequent USB user, then your files must have got infected with the njw0rm virus lately.

Njw0rm is a virus which will turn all the files on your USB to “hidden”, and create shortcuts with the names of the folders in your USB. Even though you can access your files when you click the shortcuts, those open in a new window, making your life difficult, especially if you wish to copy and paste items.

By Maurice Rustom

@MauriceRustom

WWDC, World Wide Developer Conference, is one of the most anticipated events by programmers and Apple enthusiasts around the globe. Every year, Apple launches a new operating system for its devices, which keeps on breaking new grounds on the user satisfaction front by making the experience much more pleasant. iOS 8, the latest software to be released this fall, revealed some new intentions of the company. In addition to modifying the system to better suit its users, Apple invested a lot of effort to please developers, too, giving them the ability to extend the reach of their app content and functionality like never before. They have realized that what really gets the device going are the developers working hard on creating the next best app, making the App Store one of the strongest assets of the company. The contemporary customer has started considering the app stores while evaluating a device. This means that, if the device is advanced and affordable but its app market is very poor in terms of diversity, they will refrain from buying the device.

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Here is how your USB fell victim to the virus: If you plug in any USB that has this virus in it, it will infect your computer and run in the background. After that, whenever you plug in any other USB to this computer, it will get infected as well. Neither the antivirus software nor formatting the USB would solve the problem. on that. iOS 8: “Huge for developers, massive for everyone else” is the biggest release that concerns developers since the launch of the App Store, and I will go on enumerating the proofs for that.

Firstly and most importantly, let us start with extensibility, the third-party functionalities. Apple has allowed developers to embed their apps’ functions through the entire device, allowing users to access them and use them outside the app. For example, developers can immerse their filters and tools directly in the Camera Roll so users can apply them to the photos without having to import them to the app.

Secondly, the Notification Center update. Apple users could only view and access limited things in their newly introduced Notification Center’s sliding ‘Today’ view tab in iOS 7, but not anymore. iOS 8 will allow developers to create widgets for their apps so that the user can include them in the notification bar for direct updates through a live feed. In addition to that, we can mention that keyboards can now be created by developers to be installed and used system-wide, which makes new space for innovation and creativity.

Finally, we are going to tackle the breakthrough in the game industry provided by three frameworks: SpriteKit, SceneKit and Metal. The first one was optimized allowing developers in iOS 8 to create better 2D games by making the characters move more naturally, also making it easier to create force fields, sense collisions, and generate new lighting effects in their games. As for SceneKit, it is responsible for taking the game to the 3D level with an incorporated physics engine, a particle generator and easy ways to script three-dimensional objects. Metal, on the other hand, is way more advanced and is built for developers who create highly immersive console games. It is designed to allow CPU and GPU to work in a fully optimized way giving outstanding graphics on mobile platforms using the maximum potential of the A7 chip.

Summing it all up, iOS 8 has been revealed to be a ground-smashing hit in the mobile industry. By offering a new bold technology and amazing capabilities, it has set a higher limit for its competitors and a farther horizon for developers, ensuring its users can do things they have never been able to do on a smartphone or tablet before!

It is spreading widely among shared computers, like those used at schools and universities.

Now let us go step by step through how to remove this virus and salvage your files.

Starting Step 8, we will be removing the virus:

8- Click on ALT + CTRL + DEL on your keyboard.

9- Choose ‘Start Task manager’; 10- Click on ‘Processes’ from the upper tabs; 11- Search for “njW0rm.exe” in the list, Click on it, and then Click ‘End Process’; 12- Go to ‘Search’ from your Start Menu, and type ‘msconfig’; 13- Go to ‘Startup’ from the upper tabs, and uncheck ‘njw0rm.exe’; 14- Click on ‘Apply’ then ‘OK’ (the virus is frozen now); 15- Go to ‘C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Local\Temp\’; 16- Delete the file ‘njw0rm.exe’;

18- Click ‘Start’ and wait until it is done’; 19- Restart your computer.

If you are on Windows 8, the steps are similar. Just replace steps 1-5 with the following: 1- Click on ‘View’ in the upper tab in your USB folder; 2- Choose ‘Options’; 3- Click ‘View’ from the upper tabs; 4- Click on ‘Show hidden files, folders, and drives’; 5- Click ‘Apply’, and then ‘OK’.

Congratulations! The virus is gone and your files are safe now. If you get stuck on any of the steps above, you know how to reach me on Twitter!

The virus is deleted from your computer now:

The last part of the operation is to format your USB: 17- Right-click on your USB icon in “Computer” and choose ‘Format’;

If you are on Windows 7:

1- Click on ‘Organize’ on the upper left in your USB folder; 2- Choose ‘Folder’ and search options; 3- Click ‘View’ from the upper tab; 4- Click on ‘Show hidden files, folders, and drives’; 5- Click ‘Apply’, and then ‘OK’.

Sometimes all of your hidden files will appear after the steps above, but it is not always the case. If they appeared, copy and paste them to your computer. If they did not, you have to continue steps 6 and 7.

6- Go to ‘Search’ from your Start menu, and type ‘CMD’.

7- Paste the following in CMD: attrib -h -r -s /s /d g:\*.* RD /S /Q «G:\pictures» Please note that you have to replace the letter G:\ with whatever letter your USB is identified, as well as the folder name you want your files from.

By doing this, your files will appear for a only a few seconds, so you would have to copy them quickly and paste to your computer.

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BUSINESS Jobs

BUSINESS Jobs

your profile picture and handle to more professional ones (baby93 won’t leave a good first impression); Sit at a comfortable distance from the webcam with a distraction-free background (no need for that lava lamp); and maintain a straight confident posture while sitting; Check lighting so that it is properly brightening your face and surrounding location; avoid rooms that are too dim (this is not a romantic date) or too lit (nor is it a photo shoot);

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL SKYPE INTERVIEW

By Rabih El Khodr

@rabihelkhodr

Sitting through an interview can be a strenuous affair for applicants. I have personally had my share of interviews throughout my professional career (I remember 15 of them) and I can safely say that each one of them was a great learning experience. They made me the professional that I am today; they also made me realize I’m better cut out to be an entrepreneur.

Today, companies are increasingly opting for a cheap and convenient alternative, Skype interviewing, as part of their recruitment process. Applicants can benefit from sitting in the comfort of their home—and sometimes their pajamas—when going through an interview. Some applicants even keep notes on their screen in anticipation for difficult questions to come!

So here are a few tips to remember before embarking on your next Skype job interview:

1. Prepare the Skype part of the interview in advance: Do a technical run before the actual interview; make sure that your microphone and speakers are working fine; and maybe have a mock interview with a friend or relative;

Swap Skype handles with the interviewer beforehand; and do change

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Sit in a quiet area with no possibility for interruptions; you do not want your mom walking in on you, asking you if you would like rice with your chicken for dinner (been there, done that);

2- Go through the interview as if it were a face-to-face one: Wear professional clothes that are not too flashy; and be properly groomed in terms of hair (not too much grease, gents) and makeup (not too much paint, ladies); Speak slowly and clearly into the microphone; and set the sound of it so that it is not too loud (causing irreparable ear damage to your future employer);

3. Follow through after the interview in memorable fashion Here’s a thought: why not replace the customary thank you e-mail with a thank you video? Winning applicants are the ones who stand out in the minds of their interviewers, and you will most probably be the only one who has thought of video recording a courtesy post-interview thank you message! Well, let us hope for your sake that nobody else applying for the same job has read this article.

Best of luck with your job hunt!

Rabih El Khodr is an independent communication trainer and consultant with close to a decade of professional experience spanning across the Levant, the GCC, and North America. He is the founder of public speaking consultancy Standup Communication, with a presence in Lebanon and the UAE. He is the official training partner of the ArabNet conferences in Riyadh and Beirut, training entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas and businesses as part of regional competitions.

Have a cup of water nearby in case you get thirsty during the interview; just avoid gulping it down out of nowhere like the infamous #watergate by Paul Rubio; Maintain direct eye contact throughout the interview and communicate wholeheartedly to compensate your physical absence from the interviewer’s surroundings; Remember to keep breathing, smile often, and let your true personality shine through (it’s their problem if they do not like your impersonation of Celine Dion).

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BUSINESS Jobs

BUSINESS Jobs

Many are the students who, at some point throughout their academic journey, feel stuck in a rut, too weighed down by their coursework and nothing but that.

Wondering what they should do to make ends meet and gain more experience, they go online and try to look up freelance, project-based assignments for some extra cash. Perhaps a few months ago, they would have found it rather difficult with only very few platforms catering to those ‘special’ requests. However, a platform has been added to the short list of such websites. The Beehives, co-founded by Fouad Aoun—second-year MBA student at the Harvard Business School (HBS)—and Tala Nsouli—HBS May’14 alumna—connects students with employers looking for skilled individuals to carry out a short-term task and have it delivered in a timely manner. The Beehives aims to enable individuals and improve accessibility to talent in the Middle East.

Here is our interview with the buzzing bee, Fouad Aoun.

Tell us more about The Beehives. How did the idea come about?

THE BEEHIVES: BUZZING WITH DRIVE TO UNLEASH POTENTIAL Student? Need a job? New start-up can put you to work

By Selim Njeim, Associate Editor 90 CLOUD961

@seleemnjeim

We came up with The Beehives at Harvard Business School while thinking of ways to improve accessibility to talent in the Middle East. While at school, we noticed the large gap between American students and Middle Eastern students in terms of how well-prepared they are to join the work force and how well-rounded their resume is. We see The Beehives as a unique opportunity that benefits students, businesses and individuals.

The platform is a quick, easy solution for businesses and individuals looking to outsource simple tasks. Businesses post tasks with an estimated budget, and students bid on them. With the help of our team, the businesses then select the best match.

Tasks include for example: conducting a survey, designing a brochure, managing social media presence for a local shop, etc.

We think this is a win-win for both sides, and we are working hard to make it a seamless experience.

Other online platforms connecting skilled individuals to employers exist.

How does The Beehives differ from those?

The Beehives is focused on students of all types (undergraduate and graduate). That makes our service tailored to that market

segment. We only accept projects that are appropriate for students in terms of effort and level of skills required. Also, because students are not professional freelancers yet, they accept lower hourly rates than professional freelancers. The bidding process enforced on The Beehives encourages students to place competitive bids on projects, further lowering the price.

The idea behind this is that students may sometimes choose to accept a smaller fee in exchange for enhancing their resumes with a particular project or business.

This makes our service more affordable for SMEs looking for good quality jobs on simple tasks. Moreover, students will inevitably enter the job market after graduation, so we believe this provides SMEs with a unique opportunity to try working with students before potentially hiring them full-time.

The Beehives sets itself apart by also offering a range of value-add services to both students and SMEs. For one, we hold and secure the payment until both parties agree that the work is done. If no agreement is reached, we step in as a mediator to resolve the issue. We proactively reach out to students we think are suitable for a project, inviting them to bid. We reduce the hassle involved in screening candidates by recommending the top three students to the business in addition to giving them access to a complete list of bidders. Finally we build the students’ portfolio by dynamically listing all the projects completed by the student on our platform as well as the businesses’ reviews of the student’s overall work.

The Beehives allow students to earn extra money, gain experience and differentiate their resume. It also provides them with flexibility and control over their time and the type of work they do. Finally, The Beehives gives students exposure to businesses and an opportunity to secure a job prior to graduation. The Beehives helps businesses save on freelancer costs and grow their businesses with access to affordable talent.

How can one use The Beehives, practically speaking (steps and process)?

To register on our platform, students only need to submit a simple application with basic information, mainly their e-mail address and field of study. Later on, they are

encouraged to complete their profile with more detailed information such as their work experience, skills, education and grades. Registered students can browse through our list of open projects and bid on those they are willing to work on.

After a bid closes, students are informed whether they have been selected or not for the job. We put in touch the selected students with the businesses and they can start working on the project.

What does The Beehives’ online identity give it opposed to it being an employment agency operating behind a desk?

First, we would like to point out that we are not a mere employment agency, as we do not deal with full-time and part-time recruitment. We are building an online community of students. Second, being an online platform sets us apart from traditional recruiting companies in many ways. The online nature of The Beehives permits us to have scale. Everyone can have access to our platform, students and businesses. We currently have students enrolled on our platform that are not the typical targets of traditional employment agencies. The Beehives also eliminates the role of mediators such as employment agencies, providing more transparency in the recruiting process for both students and businesses. Finally, our online identity allows for a faster and simpler recruiting experience.

How have you used/or plan on using social media to promote The Beehives to the online community?

Students spend a significant amount of their time every day online, specifically on social networks. So, we had to be there, reaching out to students where they usually hang out. Today, we are present on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube. A major part of our marketing plan focuses on growing and improving our social media footprint.

For example, in the future, we would like to start discussions, on our social media platforms, about important topics such as youth unemployment and the academic education systems in the Middle East and North Africa.

Has social media helped give your initiative more exposure?

It has definitely helped. Social media platforms are one of our main channels 91 CLOUD961

BUSINESS Jobs

The Beehives team at work

to recruit students. Facebook, for example, generates most of the traffic on our website. Also, since students form a tight community, it is much easier to get the word-of-mouth going through social networks. We can already see some of our students sharing our page on their wall and commenting on our posts. All this gives us more exposure within the Lebanese student circles.

What are future expansion plans?

We plan to expand our company along three dimensions: 92 CLOUD961

1 Geographical expansion: we plan to expand in the GCC, North Africa, Levant and other Middle Eastern countries. Ten cities have been shortlisted for expansion in the next two years.

2 Vertical expansion: we plan to diversify the type of projects and scope of tasks offered to students. For example, we would like to introduce multi-functional projects, technical tasks, private household tasks, and projects requiring specialized skills.

3 Horizontal expansion: we plan to expand into new revenue streams by offering a large array of services to students. For example, we would like to introduce career coaching services, interview preparation services, and internship recruitment services.

The Beehives is still in beta version; you can check it out at http://www.thebeehives. net/

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BUSINESS Agencies

BUSINESS Agencies

JOE FISH’S RAMI TRABOULSI:

JOE FISH IS NOT A TYPICAL AGENCY… IT HAS A CHARACTER, IT IS FUN AND ORIGINAL Let the fish trapped inside the whale out

By Darine Sabbagh

@sdarine

Have you been feeling stuck in a rut?

Demotivated, dissatisfied and unhappy at your job? If you answered ‘Yes’ to those questions, you might want to read on and meet Rami Traboulsi, Creative Director and

Founder of Joe Fish. We sat down with Joe to ask him about the ins and outs of the marketing field, his agency, the challenges of the business, and its rewards.

Tell us about how you started Joe Fish; why did you decide to start your own agency and where is the agency at now?

I was a fish trapped inside a whale. Work was becoming more and more frustrating due to several factors. I was not enjoying what I was doing anymore. I felt that it was about time that I escaped and tried to make it on my own.

It all started as a personal Joe Fish Facebook account, as part of my marketing strategy.

At first, no one even knew we were an agency, but the fact that Joe was fun, creative and interactive led more people to connect hence to know about us.

We do not actually advertise our actual work. Till this day a lot of people do not know exactly what we do, yet still find us creative, fun and intriguing.

Could you give us a brief description of the agency and its work in Lebanon and the region?

It all started back in February 2010. Joe Fish was founded as a boutique agency in order to share beautiful ideas. With time, like-minded, talented individuals began to join having in common their vision, their love for the craft and hearts

bigger than their egos. Our services include advertising, branding, graphic design, media buying, digital marketing and social media.

As for our work, it is primarily in Lebanon, but we have had projects done on a larger scale in countries such as Qatar, KSA, UAE, Russia, France, Germany, and Greece, among others.

Do you feel Lebanon is too small a market for astounding integrated campaigns?

Unfortunately, Lebanon is a very small market and this will never change—I hope I’m wrong. We are missing the proper budgets, the mature audience and the visionary clients. The only “astounding” integrated campaigns are done solely for award purposes by big agencies. No one turns down a paid trip to attend the Cannes Lions, Dubai Lynx or Mena Cristal (if you win, of course, or are shortlisted).

What are the biggest challenges of working in Lebanon?

There is a serious lack of good talent in the country, mainly due to the fact that young adults are leaving for better opportunities abroad. There are also the shrinking budgets and our never-ending political saga.

How do you overcome the competitiveness of creative agencies and how were you able to grow the agency as a new comer to the scene?

Joe Fish is not a typical agency where you come, work and leave. It has a character, it is fun and original. So when you combine those features with top-notch projects delivered on time, you get a competitive agency that is here to stay.

What makes your team special?

We pick the best when it comes to personality, skills and creative know-how. But the most important factor making our team particularly special is that each and every one of us comes from a different back-

ground, either being fresh grads or having worked in local firms or multinationals. We complement each other perfectly.

What are the most interesting campaigns done in the past year by the agency in Lebanon/ Middle East

Every campaign is unique and interesting by itself. But i would say the rebirth / rebranding of Deek Duke was particularly interesting and the final result looked amazing.

What is the element of difference that Joe Fish offers to the market?

The individuality is by far Joe Fish’s element of difference. The company has an eccentric, yet catchy character portrayed by the green

fish and each and every member of the team is unique. Everyone loves the Fish!

Tell us more about your clients

We do not have your typical client-agency relations; we are a team with a young and dynamic spirit so we tend to become friends with our clients and we mutually grow this friendship together. Our clients are at the top of their game. They range from luxury brands, FMCG, spirits, restaurants, and more. We have local, regional and global clients.

Tell us about the scope of your services; how did they grow and expand?

We had started basically in advertising and

branding. With time, we integrated the social media and digital marketing service because of Joe’s strong presence and interaction on social media platforms and most importantly, because we believe in a solid communications agency that integrates online and offline activations as part of every project.

Anything new you are planning to launch?

Always! You have to wait and find out soon.

BUSINESS Digital

BUSINESS Digital

SHARING ECONOMY: ON THE RISE, EVEN IN THE ARAB WORLD

By Yara Abboud

@slidingskater

Arab world, and your next question probably is: at which sharing stage are we? According to Ahmad Sufian Bayram, a young Arab blogger and representative of the Ouishare community promoting collaborative consumption in the MENA Region, the sharing movement is rising in the Arab world; we are beginning to share skills on Taskty, boats on Fishfishme, swap goods on Swaphood, and to sell used goods on Dubizzl and Krakeebegypt. Bayram also identifies several crowdsourcing platforms like Aflamnah of the UAE, Eureeca, and Yomken of Egypt, even Couchsurfing platforms like Arabroom.com, Gweet, and Shokako Online.

Additionally, he goes on to talk about hacker spaces and co-working spaces in the Arab world. These are innovation-friendly spaces that offer entrepreneurs, freelancers and startups the right atmosphere to turn their ideas into practical projects. These include: 302labs, Al Maqarr and The district (Cairo), AltCity, Cloud 5, Coworking +961, Digihive in Beirut

Digital district (all in Beirut), The Hub (Dubai), New Work Lab (Casablanca), The Pavilion Downtown (Dubai), Zee Launch Pad (Amman), and many more. For other ideas, check Wamda. com, a platform that seeks to inspire, empower and connect entrepreneurs in the Middle East region.

So far so good, but we still lag behind the rest of the world. As Arab countries, we have dealt with the first degree of sharing (ex: Carpooling), the second degree (like sharing rental houses), and scratched the surface of the third degree (open spaces and hacker spaces). However, the fourth degree still requires further cooperation, elaborate planning, necessary infrastructure, and community-wide mobilization.

There is still a pervasive reasons lack of awareness of sharing economy, as well as the challenging obstacles start-ups face due to lack of governmental funds allocated toward such

projects. Imagine what our region would be like if only we had a higher degree of sharing!

We would definitely reduce pollution, poverty, hunger, and unemployment.

So, do you want to be part of this movement?

If so, check out Ouishare.net and join the local Arab community created by Ahmad Sufian.

You can even donate, create a community in your city, or join an event like the International Collaboration Day event which took place on July 17. The event mostly focused on promoting collaboration awareness, co-working, and the “sharing economy” through coordinated international talks, global and local events, as well as co-working space open-days for companies. The meet-up communities for the event seem to be everywhere; if not, you can create a meet-up in your city directly on meetup.com.

Connection! It is everywhere! Why bother call if I can text, message or send an e-mail? Why involve my emotions? Is it not best to remain at a distance, not too close, not too far, just oscillating perfectly between the two? I can even block you if I want, and believe that by living in my bubble, I would still be just fine. Virtual reality is a world apart; it can help me hide my insecurities, my fears. I can build walls all around me, walls whose existence you would never even know of.

In the silence created by virtual connection, I can trick myself into believing my own fabricated illusion. I can content myself by looking down at my device without looking up at your face. It is true, I have confused connection with communication, but have others not done the same, too? Do our devices and latest gadgets not absorb us all?

Maybe we sure are, but some of us have managed to burst these little bubbles, to create real bridges between them and others. How did they do that? Well, ironically, by the power of the same devices which fostered our isolation, we have managed to finally communicate faceto-face, to collaborate, share our problems, and even innovate.

Fueled by the worldwide economic recession, people no longer content themselves with simply polishing their image on a virtual platform.

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of the credit crunch has given rise to a new social model called “collaborative consumption”, or “the sharing economy”. The term was first coined by Rachel Botsman to describe an economic model based on “sharing, swapping, bartering, or borrowing goods and services outside commercial enterprises”.

It all started with Airbnb, an online rental marketplace that connects people who want to rent out their homes with people seeking accommodation. It appeals to people traveling on business and budget-conscious tourists alike, offering single rooms, yachts, boats. Although risks are reportedly associated with using this kind of service, more and more travelers enjoy it as if offers a unique, memorable experience.

The main advantage of the sharing economy is that you can minimize your expenses, enhance your experiences, get paramount assistance, and enjoy the benefits of your newly-acquired knowledge. For instance, if you want to make some money while driving, sell your empty car seats on BlaBlacar: minimize your parking fees by renting a parking garage at ParkatmyHouse.

com, or even register as a cab driver with Uber, Lyft, and SideCar. If you are lost and need navigation directions, let expert drivers lead you correctly through Waze.

What the world does not realize is that this sharing movement is changing whole industries and sectors; it is a revolution in of itself.

In a few years’ time, you won’t be sending your children to expensive universities which charge higher tuitions every year with no guarantee of real-world applicability to the knowledge they teach. You might be homeschooling, perhaps, and signing up to Skillshare, paying only USD 9.95/month to get top-notch, practical hands-on experience. Online lending will be on the rise with Zopa and Prosper, so banks would not take advantage of you as much. The only question you might be asking yourself is: how do we trust such companies?

Interestingly enough, star-ups like Connect.me and TrustCloud both assess the reputation of such companies.

Well, all of this is enticing, but we live in the 97 CLOUD961

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BUSINESS Digital

TECHNOLOGY ‘R’ US: IBM predicts how integrated technology will shape our future

By Wael Kouz

@WaelKouz

Today, as we pass by an electronics store, we are bound to see this particular device and put its technology to the test. We have this urge to own it and navigate through all its features, or what we understand from those at least. Technology is improving and changing so fast, that even this most apt generation is having a hard time catching up with it.

IBM researchers are exploring the notion of how technology will start to, alongside humans, learn. IBM researchers state that such an idea is possible due to cloud computing, big data analytics and learning technologies all coming together.

The Smart Classroom

These classrooms are expected to teach each student tailored coursework according to their individual capacities and needs. This would help education shift from “the one-sizefits-all” model to a truly personalized experience.

In a classroom with 30 or more students, teachers’ efforts would be

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able to reach all students with the help of integrated systems that would keep evolving with each student. That would unlock the capabilities of many students, especially those who suck at math.

Smarter Shopping

Tapping into our future gear, wearable computing, augmented reality, and location-based technology, future shops will give their shoppers a one-of-a-kind in-store experience. The more shoppers share personal information, the more the shop around them will transform into a personalized destination for them to buy exactly what they need.

Retailers would also benefit from these integrated systems by being able to understand every individual shopper’s needs and preferences, thus be able to suggest and offer the best option for them. As retailers move closer to becoming experts, shopping would only get easier.

Treatment Through DNA

Cognitive systems will decrease the time needed for doctors to build a treatment plan based on DNA readings. What used to take weeks and even months will only take days or even minutes, thanks to cloud systems.

DNA sequencing will become accessible to more doctors and patients to help tackle illnesses, such as cancer, and be able to determine its type and location. DNA sequencing, in addition to cognitive systems, will cancel out assumptions when it comes to any disease with a DNA-link. These include heart diseases and strokes. Go, DNA!

Digital Guardian

According to IBM researchers, the Digital

Guardian “will analyze and learn from your online behavior patterns, going back months and years to know what to protect.

And when it detects a possible breach, you will be the first to know.”

For example, your guardian would know that you are a mother with five children and that you are looking for a mini-van, from your online searches. So, when someone tries to buy a racing car with your credit card, your guardian will inform you and immediately stop this imposter. This bodyguard would follow you everywhere, even to the bathroom!

Social Cities

“In five years, cities will become smarter as machine learning helps them understand what people need. What they like. What they do and how they move from place to place,” says Sergio Borger, IBM strategy and human system researcher.

The cities will listen, interact and respond to citizen needs from crowdsourcing, mobile applications, sensors, and analytics on the cloud.

Researchers claim that “this will give rise to new cities that can respond in real-time, predict problems before they occur, and deliver tailored services to make city life better for everyone.” There is no point in keeping your voice down from now on; the government will always be listening.

Conflict

While all this technology seems inevitable and somehow helpful in predicting and anticipating our needs, what is the price that we have to pay in return? Is it money?

Privacy?

They are basically saying: “we are going to be everywhere and you are going to like it.” I do not know who the “we” is, but I can only hope they are on our side.

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BUSINESS Digital

THE NEXT BILLION:

How Google and Facebook’s acquisition sprees are geared towards reaching new Internet users in developing markets

By Raja Riachi

@RajaRiachi

“The Next Billion.” This is a term thrown around by the big Internet companies, referring to reaching the next billion Internet users, largely located in developing countries. This is mostly reflected in the acquisition sprees and actions of these companies, namely Google and Facebook.

While Microsoft are busy acquiring the only phone manufacturer willing to develop for their mobile platform for USD 7.2b, Facebook were buying Whatsapp, a messaging platform with almost no monetization method for about triple that amount, at USD 19b. In its current model which Facebook has vowed to preserve, the money Facebook spent will never be recouped.

Whatsapp’s only monetization comes from a non-mandatory USD 1 fee a year. So what is Facebook buying for 19 billion?

More than 500 million current users and countless future users.

Because “The Next Billion” is likely to largely come from developing countries where Whatsapp is popular as a free messaging app due to expensive phone plans. What Facebook are likely also buying is your information.

While assurances have been given that the integrity of users’ information on Whatsapp’s servers will not be threatened, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Facebook invested such a large amount of money in the very valuable user information, which they use for targeted advertising, among other things.

According to them, however, they want to facilitate connecting people in developing countries to the Internet. This is also very plausible point and follows a clear line of reasoning. Facebook 100 CLOUD961

is an Internet-only company. For them to be able to profit from an individual, that person needs to have access to the Internet. The more people connected, the more people Facebook can reach. While Whatsapp by no means provides access to the Internet, it facilitates its use, and with it in Facebook’s ownership, it can ensure the app reaches as many people as possible, bringing them into the collective connected fold.

This line of reasoning follows other actions by Facebook and Google to facilitate connecting people in developing countries to the Internet.

In 2012, Google identified three major barriers to developing countries’ online presence. The first and most important would be cost. People in developing countries pay magnitudes more than users in the United States for a much slower service. The second barrier is the very little material that is relevant to Internet users in the developing world, as most of them are not English speaking countries, with the third being that there are very few trained developers to provide new content.

Google’s response is creating a cycle to tackle these problems by making sure that people have proper access to the Internet. In 2012, they created free zones in the Philippines and South Africa, where people could access anything they found through Google’s search engine, for free. This is hardly an altruistic action, as it ensures people use their portal, to get to any Internet content. It gives them market penetration in new areas that they opened up themselves. Both Facebook and Google have their separate endeavors called Connectivity Lab and Project Loon, respectively, to make Internet access cheap globally. Facebook’s Connectivity

Lab was launched with the announced acquisition of Ascenta, a five-person UK based startup whose members boast experience at places like Boeing. What Ascenta specializes in are things like long-flying solar powered drones, which help spread Internet access to developing areas. Project Loon, on the other hand, uses Helium Balloons which float at a high altitude to remotely provide Internet to the developing world. In April, they acquired Titan Aerospace, which specialize in drones that fly near the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, to help with their expertise to develop Project Loom. In addition, Google bought Skybox Imaging for USD 500m in July, a private company which provides high resolution satellite imagery. That will no doubt help Google improve its Maps-related offerings.

Where the value lies, however, is in their specialization in sending high-resolution satellites into space for a low cost. This undoubtedly interests Google, which aims to use their technology to launch their drones and helium balloons in support of Project Loon. These two services will likely use a model similar to the one used by Google in their Free Zones, which would allow users to access the Internet for free, but only through the portal of whatever company provides the service.

These two Internet giants have through their actions and acquisitions recognized the importance of the developing world in potential earnings and in shaping the future of the Internet. While more than one-third of the global population is currently connected, there are billions more to be given access.

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BUSINESS Marketing

BUSINESS Marketing

5 Minutes with the Community Manager

JENNIFER KANAAN: MY ACCOUNTS ARE AN EXTENSION OF MYSELF!

By Darine Sabbagh

@sdarine

Community Managers are the super heroes in the shade who shadow brand pages and Twitter accounts, embodying those brands and speaking to us with their voices. They are the ones who create amazing content that makes us like and share and ultimately welcome the brand into our daily offline lives.

If you have been curious to know who those superheroes are, you are in luck!

Every month, we will be interviewing a Community Manager, to not only showcase their talents and wits, but also let you know the real people behind the brands.

Like most of us who were swept by the social media marketing wave, Jennifer Kanaan, who now works as the Social Media Manager at Eastline Marketing, has sought out by her calling and swerved out of the earlier chosen path of being a nutritionist. let us find out more about her daily challenges and victories in this month’s column.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your online persona

I have studied nutrition in the American University of Beirut (AUB) and I had no idea I would end up working in social media. I keep in touch with my field of study through a blog, New Trends in Nutrition—linked to a presence on Facebook (https://www. facebook.com/NewTrendsInNutrition), Twitter and Instagram. I post mostly about holistic health and psychology of nutrition: two aspects I feel are missing in our approach to health and nutrition.

Tell us a bit about the accounts you manage and the approach you have for each of them. How do you make sure you are most creative on each of them and maintain each brand page’s voice?

At Eastline, we make sure to give the right brands to the people who are most passionate about the brand at hand. So, my accounts are an extension of myself, really. Each of them relating to what I am interested in. This makes it much easier to handle the brand and translate it into the proper tone of voice and content, since I myself am part of the target audience.

How did you get into social media and community management?

I think it is fair to say that I did by accident. I had started a Facebook page to raise more awareness about a more holistic approach to Nutrition called “New Trends in Nutrition”. This page 102 CLOUD961

slowly grew into a blog and this is when I realized how effective social media was. I knew right then that I needed to explore it further, and a friend of mine referred me to an opening at Eastline Marketing.

form as well as expected?

Yes, it has happened, but I guess with the new Facebook algorithms it gets harder to get organic reach; there are too many factors now that come into play.

What is your favorite part about being the voice of brands?

At Eastline Marketing, we consider work as a pleasurable challenge waiting to be tackled! We all suffer from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). I love it when I am socializing with people and they are praising a certain brand’s online communication without knowing that I am the voice behind it. It feels exciting and rewarding to know that your work is appreciated and getting through to the fans.

What is your least favorite part about it?

My least favorite part is when a brand does not consult with us on an offline campaign or activity that does not translate well online.

Do you have favorite fans?

I do appreciate every time we see loyal fans who constantly engage on the pages. I am even happier when a ‘neutral page liker’ turns into a brand advocate/ supporter.

Tell us about one of your most recent learning experiences.

It is not really a new learning, but it is put to the challenge everyday: it is not to take things personally. We represent the brand and what is best for it. This means we always need to stay in control and not let our own personal feelings get in the way of communicating what is best for the client. If you do not love and live your brand, do not work on it because it will reflect on the quality of your work.

If you could manage other brands, what would those brands be?

Those would be international watch brands such as TAG Heuer and Omega.

What is your number-one tip while dealing with clients, as coordination with those can be hectic?

Always try to anticipate what they want or what their feedback will be, and work accordingly. This way they can know that you are a brand owner as much as they are.

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BUSINESS Marketing

BUSINESS Marketing

INTENTLY: NO MORE ONLINE ADVERTISEMENTS?

D E S A B K CLIC TISING: R E V AD

By Dahlia Hage

k ery clic ge v e f o tion acka onetiza sites p b m e e w h t y wa How ing the p a h s e is r ontent their c chi chi

Ria

By Raja

@rajaria

Money is made on the Internet; it is really no secret. Every time you visit a page with an advertisement on it, someone somewhere makes a few fractions of a dollar.

And when you click on the ad, that person makes even more.

This is called click-based revenue.

The functionality of Internet advertising is pretty simple. A certain space of a website is dedicated to advertising and your browsing history goes into an algorithm that decides which advertisements end up on your screen. This is targeted advertising at its best.

However, because this is a game of counting clicks, there are a few questionable methods to boost these numbers.

To start with the biggest culprit: Buzzfeed. The methodology of list articles like the ones on Buzzfeed (which are reshaping how many other websites operate) use headlines such as “13 Photos That Prove Cats Run The Illuminati” or “6 Sex Hacks For Better Sex” (both real Buzzfeed pages). The way these headlines are phrased add intrigue and mystery to what might lie behind the clicked link.

Other websites have seen the effectiveness of these methods, with the rapid rise of Buzzfeed’s popularity as evidence. There are other more subversive ways that attempt to bring in more clicks and more money. Many websites

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alter or rephrase headlines to the same articles to dupe visitors to view the same page twice. Other websites like Forbes force you to go through an advertisement page en route to their website.

The worst websites, however, are those that intentionally invite ads that behave like malware or adware, such as random pop-ups to make you click on them unintentionally, or ads imbedded in text where words are highlighted randomly and when you scroll over them, an ad would come out of the woodwork.

This obtrusive, unwanted practice brings us to the world of adware. Adware is the short name for “advertising software”, software written and designed for the sole purpose of impregnating your browser with pop-up ads, in-text ads, fake links, and other malicious ways to make money out of your wasted time.

Obviously, this also adversely affects the performance of your PC. In addition, they funnel your PC’s information to unknown locations, as opposed to the known functionality and limitations of the well-established Google’s AdSense, and others like it.

@dahliahage

Intently is a newly introduced Google Chrome application, founded by Alec Mikailian, Johnny Chan, and Micha Mikailian, which replaces advertisements with your choice of inspiration. “Your choice of inspiration” means having the power to claim advertising space and replace it with themed images that relate to your personal goals, intentions and aspirations. This allows the user to be reminded of their intentions constantly throughout the day. Co-Founder Micha Mikailian created the application based on a desire that was not fulfilled.

Intently helps him “connect with [his] goals, visions, and intentions several hundred times per day which helps keep [his] actions aligned with [his] goals.”

The variety of angles from which Internet-based advertisements target consumers, paired with a collective dependence on the Internet, confirms consumers’ consistent exposure to online ads. However, since most people currently use ad blockers, Intently offers the chance to use this advertising space as an advantage. To be reminded of your intentions throughout the day means to avoid distractions that would deviate your attention from your original goals.

Intently suggests that “[b]y replacing advertisements with images of the user’s choice, it will transform the Internet into a space that consistently reinforces your own personal visions and passions.” This can be seen as a great solution for many. However, what would happen if one’s Internet space consistently reinforced their personal visions and passions?

consumers replacing ads with personal content also complicates the advertising agency’s job.

Micha Mikailian suggests that because 30 percent of Internet users are currently using ad blockers, the advertising industry is already searching for solutions to balance technology and publishers. Advertising affects consumers by targeting a specific market and exposing it to products, services and events that are relevant to their lifestyles.

Advertising agencies have the constant duty of finding the best way to reach their target markets; the use of applications like Intently to unclutter and regain focus is another obstacle for agencies to consider.

As a natural result of excess Internet advertising, ad blockers and applications such as Intently have been created to serve the average person. It seems like natural order for people to choose to regain focus on their goals. In turn, the marketing and advertising industry will work around the new behavioral pattern just as they regularly adjust to other cultural and societal changes.

Note: Intently is switching from open to closed Beta shortly, after which they will be re- launching their application to the general public.

This can be answered from multiple perspectives. There are positive and negative outcomes for eliminating this constant targeting, and instead focusing on personal aspirations. Positive outcomes include inevitably higher productivity as well as focus on short-term and long-term goals. When surrounded by inspirational material, people become more deeply absorbed in their work.

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BUSINESS Marketing

WITNESSING THE WORLD CUP 2014 Every marketer’s wet dream

By Darine Sabbagh

@sdarine

boxes with one winner from each of the World Cup participating countries. Then right before the Cup started, an amazing viral video was promoted on Twitter and Youtube, all about the passion for football, with only one last slide pointing to gol. mcd.com. On the website, you find out that the boxes are also a key for you to play a game and win World Cup-related prizes!

I never thought that a trip to Brazil during the World Cup would equally feed the marketer and the vacation-sick traveler in me. Not being a big football head, I was more wary of that coincidence than I was ecstatic. With the #FuckFIFA hashtag raging and people promising tourists are guaranteed to be mugged, kidnapped and having their kidneys stolen, we packed up our bags blissfully and hopeful and braced ourselves for a long flight across the ocean.

When your product takes the backseat

You get to see BIG campaigns—360 campaigns live in motion!

We are all used to the cheesy local campaigns related to the ‘Mondial’ that are meant to shove a brand’s products in any

You arrive to any of Brazil’s airports to some beautiful, tasteful and masterfully executed ads and campaigns. Let us start with the fact that while you are waiting for your luggage to arrive, you are offered a free can of Coca Cola and a booklet full of coupons and discounts by Coca Cola merchants. You are personally greeted by someone from the Coke team with a smile and asked where you are from and kindly wished great World Cup Experience! (Here is a nudge to event sponsors who do not pay for anything beyond having their logos on a poster) The global aspect of it all coming together

We always read about all of these amazing integrated campaigns, but never get to actually touch and witness any of them—only Ahh over the award videos without ever being able to watch them unravel. Well, while you are at the home of the World Cup, everything around you is literally a global campaign.

From the Budweiser and Coke promoters at the airport greeting their global competition winners, to Sony and UN Billboards.

A campaign I enjoyed was the launch of the McDonalds GOL! game app, which started as a global campaign for fans to design the limited edition World Cup

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World Cup-related—or unrelated—way possible. Well, with all the ads around in the Brazilian cities, it was quite the opposite. Sure, there were discreet product placements, but most ads focused on a feeling of unity, the love of football, and the true World Cup spirit, and that was beautiful rather than cheesy.

Everything the World Cup touches is Brand

From the players to the stadium, you are immersed in an atmosphere that is a brand cocktail, cautiously infused and well balanced. All around the mall you can find local brands being solicited by one football player or the other, or inaugurated by a veteran player. We do not have enough heroes here in Lebanon for proper brand ambassadorship in lieu of botox pop stars.

Discreet branding: the Hashtag is everything

From #RiskEverything to #Allin, both Adidas and Nike led discreet online campaigns where the hashtag was the centerpoint of communication. I have seen billboards at whose sight Lebanese marketers would shudder. The brand logo on them was so tiny, whereas the hashtag was gigantic. I even saw a bridge in the center of Sao Paolo painted fully in Coca Cola red and white with the #Tudomondo hashtag, but no mention of Coke anywhere. You get to appreciate the brand not being shoved in your face and the fact that all that which marketing is asking you is to engage with it in a conversation, not a sales pitch.

Something to keep in mind for Lebanese marketers: the hashtag is a huge trend that is not going away, but make sure to use it creatively to spark conversations and not just have it as your brand’s name. For instance, each Trident pack had a different hashtag prompting a different discussion on Twitter and Instagram, with the possibility of winning prized.

Here are some social media and social habits of Brazilians: - What do people do in the metro or on the bus? They Candy Crush. I am now even more convinced the game is a universal addiction.

-And now let us see how the habits of Brazilians during the games differ from ours: • Game Selfie: This and the game manicure/make-up is a religiously adhered-to ritual for every fashionista and football head, so basically pretty much every single Brazilian!

• No tech while game is on: As my Brazilian friend laid it to me: “football is sacred!” Phones patiently sit on the table and are not touched throughout the game. No one even thinks of posting an extra selfie or scrolling through their timelines, not even during half-time.

• No tech after the game, either—only celebrations: What do Lebanese do after a game ends? They take it to Facebook to rub “their” win in everyone’s faces or write an opus on why “their” team won.

Well, Brazilians just call each other up

and celebrate, or commiserate. With no tech, only good food and beer!

• Also, celebrations are usually over in 1 hour! What? No fireworks till 3 a.m. and crazy car honks even when Brazil wins?

No drunk raves? Yes, this is true! It is a whole new level of true social sportsmanship which we are not yet able to witness in our country, sadly!

Social media habits of Brazilians

The social media pro in me of course kept peering at screens and carefully monitoring, both in the metro and during the games, what everyone was doing online.

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Business Money

BYBLOS BANK LAUNCHES ITS MOBILE BANKING APPLICATION

Byblos Bank announced the introduction of its new Mobile Banking application. Clients can download it onto their smartphones through App Store or Google Play. Primarily intended to enhance the Bank’s customer experience and make it in line with the latest digital trends, this application allows Byblos Bank’s clients more convenience and simplicity in completing their transactions.

The new Byblos Bank mobile banking application is among the unique electronic platforms in Lebanon since it is one of the firsts to allow customers to self-enroll by registering with their debit card credentials without the hassle of visiting the branch.

“We want our customers to enjoy what 108 CLOUD961

modern banking experience looks like and get their banking operations done, anytime they want and anywhere they might be,” said Elie Sabbagh, Head of E-Channels Development Unit at Byblos Bank Group. He added, “Byblos Bank Mobile Banking application is designed with advanced security layers that protect clients and ensure a safe environment for their transactions. The application is also part of our a multi-channel delivery system that includes one of Lebanon’s largest network of branches and ATMs, in addition to a specialized Customer Service and an Internet Banking platform.”

The Byblos Bank mobile banking application allows clients to have easy access to their private and/or joint accounts, including details of the last 2 months of transactions. Customers

can also use this application to settle their loan bill and card payments, and transfer funds between accounts, be it private or joint, in Lebanese pound or in US dollars.

Browsing Byblos Bank products is yet another option within the menu. Whether accounts, cards, loans, or Bancassurance products, customers will choose their desired product, and with just one click and few personal details, submit an instant application and wait for the call of Customer Service at the time of their choosing, or contact directly. Moreover, they can check their Points/Miles accumulated through the Bank’s Akram Program, locate branches or ATMs, and request checkbooks .

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BUSINESS Start up

BUSINESS Start up

SHOPBUILDER: SETTING UP YOUR ONLINE STORE An appealing, organized and affordable digital platform, for a better shopping experience

By Selim Njeim, Associate Editor

@seleemnjeim

With the importance of a strong digital presence for both burgeoning and well-established companies alike being on the rise, the approach to the concept of shopping has been evolving over the past few years.

It is undeniable that online shopping—perhaps more pervasive among Western shoppers than local trendsetters, for the time being—is steadily growing in prominence. What is more, an e-sample of what a store has to offer has been proved to contribute to raising product awareness, creating needs and consequently vitalizing demand. Julien Fayad and Emile Boustani started up Shopbuilder with this fact in mind. Shopbuilder allows merchants in the Middle East to create their own e-commerce website in minutes at no upfront cost. Boustani is a former online merchant who got his MBA from The Kogod School of Business in Washington, D.C. With experience in business management, Emile, as the Chief Experience Architect, compares Shopbuilder’s features versus competitors and proposes innovations. Fayad is a young French engineer and owner of a web agency. He handles the production of Shopbuilder’s platform and makes sure all necessary features are developed and well implemented. As the Chief Movement Officer, Julien also makes sure Shopbuilder’s coworkers are all collaborating in an exciting and stimulating environment. Here is a transcript of our interview with the co-founders.

Could you tell us more about the concept and the services offered by Shopbuilder?

Shopbuilder allows merchants in the Middle East to create their own e-commerce website in minutes at no upfront cost. Our platform generates secured websites, including all the required technical integrations with e-payment solutions and shipment providers, making them ready to receive payments and deliver orders. Merchants can choose their stores’ domain names and would benefit from the hosting, maintenance, support and technical updates for their site.

When choosing Shopbuilder, a merchant has to select a design, upload products, services or digital goods, and manage orders. All of the above cost only USD 75/month, with no strings attached, which gives merchants the ability to experiment with their business online.

How did the idea come about?

We, Emile Boustani and Julien Fayad, noticed the growing opportunity of e-commerce in the Middle East. Accordingly, we conducted a deep research to better understand the market and detected the weaknesses of this industry in our region. We pinpointed cost and time as the main difficulties online retailers face, and built an affordable solution responding to most of the e-commerce needs, thus Shopbuilder. We believe that this concept will allow merchants to jump on the e-commerce bandwagon while it is booming.

What does the merchant get exactly with the USD 75/month?

In addition to the supporting services mentioned before, the merchant gets an e-commerce website that is configurable in multiple currencies and languages including Arabic, along with a responsive design to open properly on mobile and tablet devices. Furthermore, the online store comes integrated with payment and shipment solutions, namely Aramex and Bank Audi for Lebanese merchants, and Paypal for countries where it is present. Finally, for an additional small fee, a merchant can choose to benefit from a Facebook store within his fan page.

vantage is the integration with local and regional e-payment and shipment solutions.

While competitors worldwide are integrated with international providers that might not be available in Middle Eastern countries, our platform is tailored for the region. Moreover, an Arabic version of the e-commerce website can be enabled with the click of a button. All these services and features are provided at an unbeatable price. Finally, if we were to compare ourselves to traditional web agencies, then our advantage would definitely be “time”. While Shopbuilder needs only minutes to produce a functional website, agencies take months to deliver custom-made ones.

Why does the local Lebanese market now need your product?

Merchants in Lebanon are facing an economic crisis today. Bricks and mortars are passing through a rough time trying to achieve their business goals with the lack of stability in the country and absence of tourism. Therefore, e-commerce is now a safer approach for businesses as it is bound to a bigger exposure and a worldwide reach. In fact, the online sales are expected to reach USD 15b by next year in the MENA region. Therefore, now is the right time for merchants to switch to e-commerce. To seize this opportunity, Middle Eastern businesses of all sizes can turn to Shopbuilder for an affordable solution.

What are some challenges you have faced while setting up this project/or still face?

While building the platform and working with other actors in the industry, we did not really face challenges. Everyone is confident

about the future of this industry. However, the major challenge emerged while proposing the e-commerce idea to merchants. The market is still not mature, so traditional merchants are still skeptical about online customer behavior and e-payments. To gain their trust, we are working on more success stories that will act as examples.

Why is, to you, digital and social media important nowadays when it comes to promoting a product and getting a business up and running?

Digital and social media are today’s happening.

Currently, half of the population in the Middle East accesses the Internet and almost every user is active on at least one social network. Our consumer behavior is highly influenced by what circulates online. This opens a door for merchants to promote their products and services to a wider market, increasing the odds of sales conversions.

Are there any expansion plans for Shopbuilder?

In fact, we initially started operating in Lebanon. Today, we are in the final stages of adapting our offering to the needs of the Middle East in general. We will be focusing on this market for a while, for it has a promising future. Experts expect digital payments in the region to jump from 20 percent to 40 percent by next year thanks to more secure online payment methods.

They also predict a significant increase in online sales from USD 9b in 2012 to USD 15b. So first, we want to mark our territory in the Middle East, which is already a big challenge.

What do you think gives your product/services a competitive edge compared to other similar services offered by other companies?

We believe that our main competitive ad-

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Education

Education

TED-ED: CAPTURING AND MAGNIFYING THE VOICES OF EDUCATORS

By Lynn El Bizri

@lnlne

ONLINE TUTORIALS:

Changing the face of education

By Yara Nahle @yarabee2

Two years ago, TED, the highly popular conference series dedicated to ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’, launched TED-Ed, a video channel on YouTube and a website, with the goal of giving a far-reaching voice to extraordinary educators around the globe by pairing them up with talented animators and visualization artists to produce a library of curiosity-igniting educational videos. Up until today, the YouTube Channel has gathered more than 73,532,256 views and 805,649 subscribers.

With the use of an open platform like YouTube, combined with the inspirational approach to content and the use of easy-to-understand animations, many of the TED-Ed lessons have gone viral.

Shorter than the regular 18-minute TED talks, the average 3-10-minute long TEDEd videos feature a combination of talks paired with animations tackling topics such as neuroscience, evolution and much more for children of all ages. Topics cov112 CLOUD961

ered include arts, business and economics, health, literature and language, mathematics, philosophy and Religion, psychology, science & technical subjects, social studies, and thinking and learning. The videos are categorized by series, subject and best flips, are free to all, and each of the videos contains briefs about the lesson and even a quiz.

There are two ways to use the website.

The first is by watching the existing videos, answering questions and participating in discussions, a great way to gain interesting knowledge about the different topics. The second way is to use the site as an educator to turn TED’s educational videos—or any video on YouTube—into an interactive lesson. This is called ‘flipping the video’. Flipping the video allows educators to take an educational video from YouTube and transform it into a lesson with their own additions and enhancements such as titles, questions (multiple- choice

or open answer), extra materials (links and photos) or discussion topics. Teachers can then publish and share their TED-Ed lessons, whether publicly or privately, using a unique link and measure their impact on an audience (such as their students), give feedback and even nominate their video for the ‘Best Flips’ category.

In the TED-Ed community section, teachers and students can share their ideas and ask questions relating to TED-Ed and education in general. Viewers can find the educators and animators behind the original TED-Ed lessons, brainstorms, collaborative lesson pitches, curated lists of suggested videos to flip, and much more.

Finally, TED-Ed also allows viewers to nominate an educator they find exceptional in a certain subject, or recommend an animator they think would be interested in creating beautiful, educational videos.

Technology has changed our lives on so many levels, but what about the change on the educational level? And could technology go as far as to replace schools and universities?

New ways of learning are continuously arising, and online tutorials are topping the list. As there is a wide variety of free tutorials, students from different majors are resorting to them, especially those coming from artistic and technical backgrounds.

Some students use tutorials as a secondary source of knowledge. Sarah Younes, an interior design student, cannot do without online tutorials, because they provide a faster, more detailed and step-by-step learning experience.

The advantage they have over university

courses is being more modern and teaching learners tricks the university won’t reveal to them.

«In my major, they don’t tell us how to do things,» Younes says. «But with tutorials, I can repeat everything over and over again, until the skills are mastered,» she adds.

However, Younes does not believe that tutorials could replace university education. She believes that «students need specific guidance from the university.»

On the other hand, filmmaking student Ali Fakih doubts whether he even needs basic university courses. All Fakih has learned was thanks to online tutorials.

«The university has taught me nothing,» Fakih admits.

Fakih, who goes to a private and one of the most expensive universities in Lebanon, wishes to drop out and instead of paying for his tuition fees, he prefers buying equipment and keep on learning from tutorials. What keeps Fakih from brining this plan to action is his parents’ objection to the fact that he won’t be receiving a degree.

Like Fakih’s parents, our society is still not prepared to accept the idea of replacing university education with the Internet. But a few years from now, who knows, this might become commonplace

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CHANGING LIVES

My Stealthy Freedom: Iranian Women Revolt

By Yara Nahle

@yarabee2

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, all Iranian women have been forced to wear the veil. After 35 years, these women decide to break the silence, though stealthily.

«Stealthy freedom» is the only freedom covered Iranian women can have for the moment.

It is a campaign in which women take pictures without their veils and upload them to the Facebook page, «My Stealthy Freedom».

Women of different age groups and social statuses took part in this campaign by letting their hair down and capturing the moment.

The page, which has now almost 550,000 likes, was started by a London-based Iranian journalist, Masih Alinejad. Alinejad posted her picture behind the wheel without her headscarf. Soon after, hundreds of women did the same, accompanying their picture with a small

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text, often denouncing the oppression they are subjected to.

One caption reads: «I say no, not only to hijab, but to all the limits that have been tied to my body and soul as a woman hoping for the day that the people of Iran will be freed of these people-less people,» in a sharp statement against the system.

Despite the great support and approval it was met by, the campaign also faced fierce criticism. Conservatives doomed the page as immoral, and they initiated a counter-campaign calling to identify the women taking their scarves off and report them to the police.

The campaigners sought punishment for these women, through prison or lashes. «Identify Advocates of Debauchery in Cyber Space» was the Facebook page established for this very

reason. However, this page soon disappeared.

Iranian women are closely observed in the public sphere and are imprisoned in case of disobeying the Islamic dress code. Women are therefore taking a big risk by removing their hijab in public places. And lately, Iranian women who created a tribute to Pharell Williams’ «Happy» were arrested for appearing unveiled in the video.

One woman posted a photograph of her in the car of the Morality Police while being driven to jail for wearing red.

«From now on even my breathing has to be stealth,» she wrote.

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Past EVENTS

Past EVENTS

Cloud961 Celebrates its First Anniversary

Cloud961 Magazine celebrated its first anniversary at Veer Boutique Hotel & Resort, Kaslik on the 26th of June 2014, with the presence of online community members, bloggers, Cloud contributors, clients, supporters and Cloud961’s loyal fans.

Publisher of the magazine and Chairman of Cornerstone Group, Bassam Karam, presented a round-up on the first-year evolution of the magazine, how it started, the phases and 116 CLOUD961

developments it went through and announced a highly ambitious development plan for the 6 months to come, notably featuring the creation of an incubator for bloggers, the launching of Cloud961’s online forum and mobile application, the start of Cloud961’s school of social media and more.

and management teams for their great work which made Cloud961 a success.

A panel about the «Challenges and Prospects of Digital Media in Lebanon” followed the presentation, with the participation of Mr. Lucas Lamah, founder of Beiuting.com and Mr. Karim Saikali, founder of e-ComLebanon.com

The magazine’s editor in chief, Mohammad Hijazi, spoke about the achievements of the magazine so far and thanked both the editorial

Finally, the audience and the Cloud961 team cut the anniversary cake and celebrated together for the years and years of success to come.

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Past EVENTS

SOCIAL MEDIA AWARDS SOUHOUR DINNER AT AHWAK

Ahwak CafĂŠ in Beirut City Centre hosted The Social Media Awards Beirut volunteers and friends for a Souhour dinner on Thursday July 24, 2014 to catch up and get acquainted with the latest #SMABeirut updates.

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Past EVENTS

CLOUD 961 IFTAR DINNER AT SEMSOM

Cloud961 had the pleasure to host its editorial and management team for an iftar dinner at Semsom, Sodeco. The team enjoyed a lovely Lebanese meal with a twist while getting to know each other more in a casual setting.

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Past EVENTS

Past EVENTS

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS LEVANT AND CHERFANE TAWIL & CO. HOST A MEDIA SUHOOR Samsung Electronics Levant and Cherfane Tawil & Co. (CTC) celebrated the holy month of Ramadan by inviting media partners to a sumptuous suhoor at Liza Beirut. Held on July 10, the event was attended by the Samsung team, media and bloggers alike.

The attendees enjoyed an evening of mystical oriental ambiance accompanied by fine Arabian vibes and a beautiful live Oud performance. Samsung thanked the invited guests for the warm evening and delightful gathering and wished them a

happy and a blissful Ramadan.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Bumsuk Hong, President of Samsung Electronics Levant, said, “Ramadan brings people together and is an opportunity to strengthen existing relationships. For that reason, we were honored to invite our media partners as a small token of our appreciation for all the support that they have shown Samsung Electronics Levant. Hand in hand, we have realized our vision of creating a better world and enhancing the lives of our consumers.”

ALFA HONORS PRESS AND MEDIA CORPS IN ANNUAL MEDIA IFTAR EVENT Under the auspices of H.E. Minister of Telecommunications Boutros Harb, represented by Mr. Gilbert Najjar, head of the Owner Supervisory Board of Mobile Companies at the Ministry of Telecommunications, Alfa, managed by Orascom Telecom, held the annual Media Iftar event honoring the press and the media corps at Abdel Wahab Restaurant in Achrafieh.

ENTREPRENEURS AND PRIVATE SECTOR LEADERS CELEBRATE LEBANESE ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS AT THE 2014 ENDEAVOR GALA

Alfa CEO and Chairman Mr. Marwan Hayek, representatives of the heads of the Press Syndicate and the Press Editors Syndicate, and several print media, television, and radio figures, attended the Iftar. Also present at the event were senior directors and advisers from the Ministry of Telecommunications, members of Alfa’s board, as well as Alfa staff.

After a message of congratulations for the holy month of Ramadan, Mr. Hayek expressed praise and gratitude for the press and the media for their constant coverage of and engagement with Alfa and the telecom sector in general.

Mr. Hayek then overviewed the most prominent projects Alfa implemented last year, including most notably the introduction of 4G LTE technology in Lebanon.

Mr. Hayek also addressed reductions in telecom tariffs and higher Internet speeds, which have increased by up to four times their previous levels since June 1, pursuant to a decision by the Lebanese Council of Ministers based on the recommendation of H.E. the Minister of Telecommunications Boutros Harb.

Turning to the causes of dropped calls, Mr. Hayek said that cellular phone networks are designed on the basis of no more than a 1- or 2-percent dropped-call rate, which differs from country to country according to things like topography, population density, the frequencies used, and the technologies in service.

In the same vein, Mr. Hayek overviewed the latest service quality reports published by Ericsson and Nokia, showing the reliability of Alfa’s network and the quality of its performance that positions it well compared to other international operators in more than 122 countries around the world, in terms of both quality and level of development.

On Wednesday June 4, over 450 business leaders and entrepreneurs joined Endeavor Lebanon in its first annual gala to celebrate High-Impact entrepreneurship in Lebanon and its three years of impact in the country. The event, which was held at Music Hall Waterfront in Beirut, gathered entrepreneurs, senior business executives, VIPs, government officials and Endeavor network members, including Fadi Ghandour, Founder of Aramex and Board Member of Endeavor Global as key-note speaker. The Endeavor gala showcased the impact of Endeavor Entrepreneurs on the Lebanese economy and job creation.

Endeavor Lebanon Mr. Sami Khouri underlined that high-impact entrepreneurship holds the key for Lebanon’s economic gridlock and can help the country to overcome the social and cultural challenges impeding its development.

High-Impact Entrepreneur Mrs. Delphine Edde, co-founder of Diwanee, inspired the attendants with her speech about how they overcame the challenges of building the leading digital publishing business from the Middle East.

Since its establishment in Lebanon in 2011, Endeavor Lebanon has selected and helped grow 17 Lebanese entrepreneurs leading 13 companies from a range of sectors from over 330 companies it has screened. Endeavor Entrepreneurs have grown their revenues on average by 30 percent in 2013 through tough economic times, and created more than 275 jobs for young Lebanese over the past three years.

The dinner continued with exciting performances from the Music Hall shows. The 2014 Endeavor gala was sponsored by Beirut Digital District, Chedid Re, Mimar Invest, Amana Capital and BankMed. Endeavor was also supported by PrintWorks and its media partner Executive Magazine.

In his keynote, Chairman of the board of 120 CLOUD961

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Past EVENTS

BERYTECH, USJ AND BLC BANK ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS OF 3RD EDITION OF GLOBAL SOCIAL VENTURE COMPETITION (GSVC)

In collaboration with BLC Bank and in partnership with ESSEC, Université Saint-Joseph (USJ) and Berytech awarded the winners of the 3rd edition of the Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC), an initiative that was launched three years ago in the aim of supporting and encouraging social entrepreneurship in Lebanon and the region. The award ceremony was held on July 8, 2014 at the Campus of Humanitarian Sciences at USJ in the presence of Professor Salim Daccahe, USJ Chancellor, Mr. Maroun N. Chammas, CEO of Berytech, Mr. Maurice Sehnaoui, CGM of BLC Bank and Mrs. Maryse Jomaa, Director of the Lebanese School of Social Training at USJ. In his opening speech, Mr. Maroun N. Chammas expressed Berytech’s honor to work hand-in-hand with prestigious, mobilized and engaged partners, keen on extending their full support to this initiative.

From his side, Mr. Maurice Sehnaoui said: «For the second consecutive year, BLC Bank has been a key strategic partner and an active participant in the GSVC. Our commitment to this initiative comes in line with the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy and aims at promoting social entrepreneurship while contributing to the development and success of 122 CLOUD961

social enterprises that have an impact on our environment and economic viability […]». ​ On the role of the Lebanese School of Social Training in social entrepreneurship, Mrs. Maryse Jomaa expanded on the school’s strategy and plans to establish a university diploma in social entrepreneurship, unique in the Middle East, with an advanced curriculum, aiming at empowering project managers to design and implement relevant ideas through a business plan that ensures sustainability, development and social impact. Jomaa also mentioned a decision to join the Global Social Venture Competition and experience this adventure with the participants.

Professor Salim Daccache presented the trophies to the winners who will benefit from a plethora of opportunities, and great exposure to support and guidance programs, due to the initiative’s collaboration with a network of professional partners, including international exposure, coaching and mentoring by experts and professionals, meeting with financial players and potential investors, incubation and a financial reward (offered by BLC Bank).

The winners are:

• Jules Hatem, Founder of TripleE, winner of GSVC 2013, first presented his project that aims at providing technological solutions for water recycling.

• 1st prize—awarded to Mireille Chrabieh, founder of «S-Miles», an academic center that offers an academic program, extracurricular activities and individual therapies to children with (or without) learning difficulties through multi-sensory experiences.

• 2nd prize—awarded to Mohammad Rabih Hamou, founder of «Kotobkom», an online library for books swapping across the Middle East and all Arab countries.

• 3rd prize—awarded to Georges Ghafary, founder of «Chreek», a project aiming to provide solutions to environmental and social problems in Lebanon starting with upcycling process, turning upcycled products into creative and premium quality furniture and other creative products.

• The innovation prize was awarded to Rabih Maalouf, creator of Poddles, a project that brings ecological and low-cost housing solutions for the homeless.

After they received their awards, the winners presented their social innovations and the ceremony was followed by a reception.

THE MICROSOFT NGO DAY: An attempt to enhance NGO capacities

By Yara Abboud

@slidingskater

Since the NGO sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Lebanese economy, it is no wonder that the minister of social affairs took notice of NGOs’ needs to adopt newer technology to enhance their productivity and capacity. With that purpose in mind, the Higher Council for Children along with Online Safety Lebanon organized a Microsoft NGO day on June 16. It consisted of three workshops whose aim was to enable NGOs to build their online capacities, help NGOs benefit from using information technology, and introduce them to ways of deploying Internet safety to children.

The first workshop or lecture was conducted by Nada Hamzeh, senior media specialist at IREX and social media Instructor at Sagesse, who gave brief key points regarding what to post or not to post on social media. She highlighted that one’s target market determines which online or

offline channels to use as well as what content to post. Her practical tips on using keywords, hashtags, pictures, tags, and bitlys were interesting and to-the-point.

The second workshop conducted by Microsoft’s representative Nadine Haddad offered NGOs free access to Office 365, Microsoft’s cloud productivity service. Its benefits lie in its agility and accessibility anywhere , anytime, its huge e-mail storage (up to 50 GB per e-mail), as well as the possibility to upload up to 1 Terabyte in Sharepoint. Additionally, it can run on any type of PC, or mobile. Besides, there is no need to worry about maintenance or disaster recovery.

Every user is entitled to a free package of 1TB, and 5 licenses for office 365. The offer seemed enticing enough, yet some remained skeptical commenting that: “it’s free now but later charged.”

Unlike the first two workshops, the third workshop turned out to be a major flop. Michael Joseph, seasoned strategist, divided the audience into groups with tasks to write an NGO’s vision, mission and objective. Somehow, when the task was over, no one had a clear idea about vision, mission and objective. Additionally, since the hosts of the event were mainly Microsoft and online safety, the audience was expecting “how to measure online social media efforts”, not a back-to-college course on “Strategy 101”.

However, the flop was inevitable because the attending NGOs differed with respect to their social media savviness. Nonetheless, the event was a good first attempt; more people attended than registered, and the hosts seemed keen on getting Cloud 961’s feedback.

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Past EVENTS

MASHABLE’S SOCIAL MEDIA DAY IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK Celebrating a fast-growing trend

By Ayman Jalloul, President, AUB’s Online Collaborative @amnjay

We pretty much already know it; we are with our phones almost every hour we are awake and we are increasingly being inseparable from our social media networks, and if Bermuda shorts have an official day (May 24 in case you were wondering), why not have a day to celebrate Social Media?

Back in 2010, Mashable started out the initiative of Social Media Day, a day taken to recognize the influence social media has had on our lives. Since then, June 30 has been recognized as official in many states and countries worldwide.

That being said, this year marks the fifth year of the global celebration of Social Media Day. Around the world, events and meet-ups were organized to celebrate and reflect on the widespread of social media and highlight the ways that the digital world has defined this 124 CLOUD961

generation. Many of the events were organized though the Mashable Meet-up Community, with hundreds of events around the world bringing hundreds and sometimes thousands of people together.

In New York, around 250 people gathered as Mashable’s landmark event took place on Sunday, June 29 which was organized in cooperation with Bitly, the event’s sponsor. The social media community members in New York were invited to the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club in Brooklyn where the line to the event was already starting to form some 40 minutes before the event actually started.

The event was basically a large tweet-up where social media-themed drinks were being served, along with two shuffleboard courts and a lot of offline socialization. In the background, a presentation compiling various statistics on the

growth and the usage of social media was being replayed.

Bitly provided a GIF booth and props, a very popular addition which had us lining up throughout the event to have four photos taken and then combined into an animated GIF. Despite every day being a “Social Media Day”, it was nice to take the time to be fully aware of the ways that social media has changed our lives, and simply celebrate it. It was a great of Mashable to start that initiative and then sustain it with annual events, like the one they held this year in Brooklyn.

Ultimately, all one can say is that social media has managed to find its way into our daily lives, so cheers to that and Happy Social Media Day, everyone!

Past EVENTS

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, MY FRIEND

Arabnet Developers Tournament’s top three, all Lebanese

By Dalia Ramadan, PR Manager, AUB’s Online Collaborative

@dalia813

LAUNCHING SOON

It goes without saying that the Arab world is seeing rapid growth and development in its digital sector. This industry boom, naturally, has caused a surge in demand for only the best web and mobile developers in the Middle East.

The Arabnet Developer Tournament satisfies this escalation by pinpointing those demanded to companies and professionals.

This year’s tournament gathered eager participants from Lebanon, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. Country rounds are initially held to narrow down four finalists in each country. These winners then went on to represent their countries at the regional championship, which took place at the Dubai Digital Summit in June 2014.

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At the championships, 12 finalists battled it out in a coding extravaganza that was based on three skill sets. In the first round, proficiency was tested by each person’s ability to create an e-commerce app. The second round focused on creativity as contestants were presented with a handful of services using application programming interfaces to combine into a unique app.

Finally, speed was tested in the third round where points were gained parallel to the rate of solving each problem.

After hours of coding, the results of the Tournament showed that the Lebanese team took it by far with a whopping 214 points, followed by the UAE team at 127 points and the Jordanian team at 109 points. Aside from country scores,

the top three individual winners were also all Lebanese with Andre Abi Haidar, Ahmad Moussawi, and George Zakhour in first, second, and third place, respectively. This wide and obvious gap between the Lebanese team and their other competitors is an indicator of the potential Lebanon brings, thanks to the investment and advanced education in this field.

Aside from the obvious opportunities of showcasing their talents to the array of technology professionals and companies at the Dubai Digital Summit, the winners also walked away with $10,000 in prizes.

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DR. CLOUD

HOROSCOPES

If you spot anything online that is worthy of Dr. Cloud’s comments, feel free to share it with him on: @DrCloud961 DrCloud961 Facebook Dr@cloud961.com

FIRE

Since it is illegal to conventionally advertise for medical services, doctors and pharmaceuticals have all turned to social media. It seems that some of them do not have one handsome plastic surgeon to slap on their Facebook ads that they have to use the US cast of “The Doctors” instead.

Let me introduce you to the “leading creative agency in the UAE” whose Instagram account has “Beirut» in it for some reason. They are so excited to finally get a client; excited to the point that they post about it on Instagram and ask their followers to guess who the lucky person is—but the only individual commenting on the post is the company’s founder, who also happens to be the manager of the company’s Instagram account. How sad is that? I mean, who are you kidding?

WATER

Aries (March 21 – April 19) You have reached a point where you want to undertake something new. If it’s a dream project you’ve always wanted to bring to life, a crowd-funding platform like Zoomaal may be exactly what you need right now to get going. Not only will it help you raise money for your project, but you’ll also be building a community around your work.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

Anything that seems like a good idea works for you this month. Lately you’re totally cooperative when it comes to new offers, so go ahead and don’t hesitate to say yes. If you’re single, and someone close wants to introduce you to someone new, accept that offer as well. Just make sure you do a background check through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn first though.

I do not know whether Vodafone Egypt was trying to get Katy Perry as their spokesperson or trying to increase tourism in their country, but I am pretty sure the Muslim Brotherhood are not so happy about this tweet.

Gemini (May 21 – June 21) You have important news you need to share, but if it’s personal and you’re not comfortable enough with it yet, don’t be so quick to reveal it.

You usually have no problem keeping quiet about others’ secrets, but being quiet about your own is challenging for you. That doesn’t mean you should never share, just hold back from posting it as your next Facebook status.

Cancer (June 22-July 22)

FlyDubai forbids its passengers from using their mobile phones (even on Flight Mode) or electronics on the plane, for that matter. However, their Facebook page is promoting a user who took [at least] four photos. If that is not suspicious, what is?

You know that newspapers are dying when the leading newspaper in Lebanon is using naked women to get people to go on their website.

If your photo on Linkedin is a selfie, you probably should not be on that social network.

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A sign that you need a new HR manager: when your existing one is too lazy to write the full word “Assistant” when recruiting through Linkedin.

Even if you do not have enough content to tweet about, do not share blog posts from two years ago as “new” content. It will only make your readers unfollow you… yeah!

It is always funny when a community manager screws up. It is funnier when they use the wrong account to respond to complaints directed at another brand. Classic!

An upbeat, positive frame of mind regarding your finances this month gives you an advantage, as it allows you to see solutions that are beyond the grasp of others. An inventive and creative approach to your money matters, like making use of an expense-tracking app like Dollarbird, could result in you having more money to so spend on shopping and life pleasures.

EARTH

AIR

Libra (September 23- October 22) Group activities or social events in your area could put you in touch with new and exciting people who could eventually become friends, Libra. Check out Lebtivity for a variety of events and use it to plan your schedule or synchronize it with your own personal calendar. Shared goals and interests with people you meet could give rise to plans for ambitious projects.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) Your recent Klout score is really something to be proud of, so why are you being so modest about it? Your social media influence has been soaring lately and can only go higher. As for those who recognized you for your influence, make sure to go give them some +Ks in return. Don’t forget to grab some perks on the way!

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21) You may be feeling a little overwhelmed lately by your obligations that you’re just about ready to march away in frustration. However, this kind of impulsive behavior isn’t helpful and won’t get you anywhere. If to-do lists are not your kind of thing, try downloading an app like Any.do that will not only help you keep track of your tasks but will also enable you to establish your priorities and maximize your potential.

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19) Romance requires some serious effort once in a while, and your romantic life needs quite a bit of work right now. If you’re in a relationship, take a break from the texting and call up your significant other or have a face-to-face discussion instead of using FaceTime. If you’re not in a relationship, take that online flirting offline and make the connection with that person you’ve been talking to a lot lately.

Leo (July 23 – August 22) You have plenty going on lately without any added work, so you may be finding it difficult to focus on the array of business before you. Try not to launch any new projects that you might not be able to handle if it can be helped. If you’re having trouble attending to your priorities, apps like Priority Matrix will be of great assistance.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) You might have some juicy news to disclose, but watch out where you share it and whom you share it with. Think twice before revealing that personal news on Facebook or Twitter, as you never know who may read it and use it against you. You would be surprised how very little control you have over who sees and uses that information once it is on the Internet.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Your creative ideas have moneymaking potential, but you may find that you’re at your most brilliant when you’re meditating, relaxing and reflecting on life. Take time out this week to harness your imagination for fun, pleasure and profit. If guided meditation is what you need, Headspace is a great app that shows you how to train your mind for a healthier, happier life.

Pisces (February 19 – March 20) Usually you’re an extremely tolerant person, but today your highly sensitive – and your temper is short. To keep from blowing your top, avoid all people who get on your nerves. Since your Twitter timeline and Facebook newsfeed are full of them, now would be the ideal time to make use of the ‘mute’ and ‘unfollow’ features.

ATTRACTS BRANDS 1. SNAPCHAT WITH CUSTOM FILTERS

.com Online journal bringing you the latest digital, web, user insights & social media news!

As more users turn to Snapchat, an increasing number of brands is following them there. Since the application isn’t making any money, it is important for its commercial survival that more companies leverage Snapchat for advertising.

To attract more business, the ephemeral messenger will soon implement a new feature – still in beta testing – that will allow brands to use custom filters showing their logo on images and videos sent to their followers. Better advertising for brands could finally lead the application to generate revenue, but how will the users react to that? We’ll have to wait and see.

ROLLS OUT 10 NEW 2. INSTAGRAM EDITING FEATURES

GETS GREEDY WITH 3. YOUTUBE ARTISTS

LOVE LEBANON A TOURIST 4. LIVE, BAIT THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY WORK

Instafreaks, we know you spend a lot of time editing pictures on other apps before publishing them on Instagram. But the photo sharing app wants to make your life easier so they listened to the desperate cries of help of their customers: their latest update allows you to manually control the intensity of the filters and adjust brightness, contrast, warmth, saturation, highlights, shadows, vignette and sharpen that work with all of the app’s resident filters.

Are you an artist? Do you enjoy uploading your music for free on YouTube?

For those of you who haven’t noticed, tourism in Lebanon is close to dead.

Well, that’s over. The platform is launching its new ad-free service, for which you have to pay. That actually sounds fine, until you hear the downside: any artist or label not signing up for this plan are bound to see their content blocked. Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s head of content and business operations, says this will “ensure that all content on the platform is governed by its new contractual terms.”

However, the Minister of Tourism has had enough and is finally taking action: they launched a new website aimed at making Lebanon attractive again by proposing activity packages. The landing page greets you with fresh, colorful pictures, the themes are clear and well chosen, and finding what you want is very easy. Needless to say, there are many activities missing, but the website claims there is a lot more coming soon… Stay tuned!

IWATCH IS GETTING CLOSER 5. THE TO RELEASE

CAN TAKE YOUR 6. HACKERS IPHONE AS HOSTAGE NOW

7. THE FIRST VINE FROM SPACE!

You’ve heard of it, you want it, you can’t wait for it, but you’re going to have to. As all brands are hopping on the wearable technologies bandwagon, Apple is still in its preparation phase.

Just like every new Apple product about to be released, we don’t have a lot of official info but there are rumors… And not just specs this time!

Whether you are drunk, absent minded, tired or just clumsy, Find My iPhone is a great feature.

Except for Australians. In a country where everything wants to kill you, it’s a relief to find that some things just want to extort money from you.

After selfies, Youtube videos, tweets and instagrams from space, it’s time for some Vines! That’s when the astronaut Reid Wiseman came into play. He vined a single Earth orbit from the International Space Station ISS, condensing 92 minutes into 6 seconds.

You would think these tools might get in the way of the app’s simplicity but they are actually only accessible if you choose to display the editing menu.

If not, just apply a filter and post away!

A report from Reuters announced that Quanta, a Taiwanese hardware producer already making some of Apple’s screens, will start the production in July and distribution in October. Follow the Source link for more details on the design.

Reports have been pouring in: more and more people are having their iPhones broken into by hackers taking over the Find My iPhone feature.

The phone’s owner would find his phone blocked but displaying a message demanding ransom by Paypal. Cyber phone-napping is now a thing.

Those of you who will see it might notice that in the video, the sun doesn’t set, it just goes up and down. That’s because when he shot the vine, the ISS was flying parallel to the line that separates the day and night surfaces on the earth – aka the Terminator line.

UPDATES ITS NEWS 8.FACEBOOK FEED TO ACCOMMODATE VIDEO ADS

BIRD IS BACK WITH APPLE’S 9.FLAPPY NEW PROGRAMING LANGUAGE

DOMAINS: A NEW WAY 10. GOOGLE TO GET YOUR WEBSITE STARTED

Just when you thought Facebook had hit advertising rock bottom, they find a way to dive even deeper into it. Yes, the largest social network in the world is unrolling yet another feature for advertisers.

How many hours have you spent crashing your flappy wings into Mario-esque green pipes?

Once again, Google has a project and as per use, it’s for the greater good. A study shows that 55% of small businesses don’t have their own website, so the tech giant developed a service where anyone can buy and/or sell domain names.

Starting this month, users who watch a lot of videos from Facebook will see more of them on their timeline, those who don’t will see less. It seems harmless at first, but this tweak combined with the announcement of video ads, you can see where Facebook is going with this…

www.trendingbytes.com

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Well you can keep counting because after it was pulled out of the App Store and Google Play, Flappy Bird is coming back! Only NINE HOURS after Apple launched Swift, their new programming language, Nate Murray, the co-founder of Fullstack. io, an online school for programming languages, released a clone of the super- addictive game. Go ahead folks, flap away!

facebook.com/trendingbytes

The platform will provide hosting through partnerships with Squarespace, Wix, Weebly and Shopify. Google will allow you to register your domain privately and to create up to 100 emails as well as 100 customized sub-domains.

twitter.com/TrendingBytes

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