Jason Kottke is wondering about what kind of information his toaster could print on a bread. Weird idea!

Gainan al-Ghamdi thinks that King Abdul-Aziz City of Science and Technology (KACST) have done nothing to benefit the country. “What are the achievements of KACST, except the internet censorship?” he asks.

I went to buy this album after listening to Chris Martin singing the song “Fix You” in the Live 8 concert, and for my surprise, I was not disappointed. This album is one of the best album I listened to in a while. My favorite tracks include “Fix You,” “X&Y,” and “Talk.” My rating: 4/5.

Alhamedi said the King’s decision banning kissing his hand makes no sense, because everybody still kisses him on his right shoulder, which cannot be done without bowing. Khalid Al-Suleiman thinks that the ban should extend to what he points to as the “unusual practice” of kissing the shoulder. “I hope that those who insisted on kissing hands will also realize that kissing shoulders is equally distasteful to the king. The proper greeting for royalty is now clear: a handshake rather than a kiss,” he said.

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Bader, the man behind Kuwait Blogs. He was in Riyadh on a short visit, and we had a pretty good three and a half hours; drinking, eating, laughing, and talking about almost everything.

When he called for the first time, his voice over the phone made me had the impression that he is much older than he actually is ;-)

First, we stopped at Dr. Cafe, the Saudi alternative for Starbucks (well, we have Starbucks all over Riyadh, but many people think Dr. Cafe is better), for a drink. Bader had mocha, and I had lemon juice. I’ve never been a big fan of hot beverages.

Plus the big number of Bluetooth devices he found in there, Bader was amazed when he read at the newspaper at the coffee shop that more than 34,000 Saudis went to Dubai to take part in the IPO of a gas company. Actually, that’s what I meant when I talked about take chance of the long weekend to do something useful.

Then, we went to Ya Mal Al-Sham restaurant on King Abdullah Road. As Yamal (that’s how we nickname it!) makes the best shawarma in the capital, we had chicken shawarmas. During the dinner, we talked mainly about blogging, and how could one builds a community around blogs. Bader has promised to help me on a project I’m working on, which was really kind and generous of him.

It was around 01:30 when we finished our dinner. As I had very early classes and he had a plane to catch the next morning, we both had to take off. He said he might visit my beloved hometown of Hassa soon, so we could meet there. We even think about driving to Bahrain together to meet Mahmood and Haitham there.

It was really great meeting with Bader. I had a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to meet him again. So, don’t believe those who warn you from meeting strangers from the internet. I have met more than three persons through my blog so far, and I can tell you they all were fine, and everything went really good. :-)

Kingdom Tower, aka Al-Mamlaka, is used as a symbol for Riyadh, and the constructional development of the country in general. However, for the 80-year-old Sa’ad al-Otaibi, that tower was a sign for the afterlife.

“My father was not feeling well, so I decided to take him to Riyadh, in order to get him diagnosed in a private hospital,” Abdullah, the son of the old man, told the printed edition of al-Hayat. The father, who lived his whole life in a desert 450km from Riyadh, and knows nothing about modern life except for the radio, was asleep, and when he woke up, they were near the tower. He freaked out. He thought he was dead, and what he was seeing is a part of the afterlife.

Abdullah tried to tell his father that the world has changed, but all his attempts to convince his father have failed. He had to take him back to the desert just to make him believe that he is still alive (!!).

During this summer, I had many road trips. I don’t know if I have told you this before, but I love road trips. There is nothing like a ready car, good company, junk food, and an endlessly open road to hit. If you never had this experience before, I say you should do it. But before you do, take a look at this short guide on how to road trip.