Disqus - Latest Comments for blue_chi

Re: My Website Got Blocked by Omantel

blue_chi — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:56:03 -0000

Hi Kibtar, thanks for passing by.

I am not on a shared hosting package. I run a number of websites from a single server and yet only one domain name got blocked. I also used Gmail to send my email message.

There is unfortunately no "official" line to use to reach the "right department". If you scream and shout you might eventually reach the person in charge, but from personal experience that is very rare to happen and you must have a lot of patience for it. The person in charge is very unlikely to be available outside official working hours.

Re: Operation Rescue Twitter

blue_chi — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:31:40 -0000

Thanks for your replies everyone.

Nadia & Dragon, I'm just doing what you guys are saying, closing down TweetDeck when I need to get some work done and trying to accomplish some daily tasks I aim for. Yesterday after work I managed to read some books, reply to some forum threads, and I even went to the gym for the first time ever. I think I've progressed really a lot since I declared my addiction!

Re: Operation Rescue Twitter

blue_chi — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:39:18 -0000

The problem is Twitter, it doesn't matter if I use it on my phone or my computer, but I think that I'm managing time better now, so it is not as bad as it used to.

Re: Operation Rescue Twitter

blue_chi — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:38:59 -0000

Dragon, I don't remember the last time I've been tweet free for 4 hours, except when I'm sleeping, LOL. It's crazy.

Balqis, you are very funny (not). :P I corrected my post. (That was an Arabic-English language problem).

Re: I Think Twitter is About to Destroy My Life

blue_chi — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:18:21 -0000

Hey Dragon, I think I have some of these symptoms, including driving under the influence of twitter. :P

But seriously, it is causing me harm cause I can't do anything in my free time but check twitter continuously.

Re: I Think Twitter is About to Destroy My Life

blue_chi — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:38:04 -0000

Thanks for your replies everyone! My Twitter situation hasn't exactly improved since I made this post, but I will try to make a rescue plan next week and will keep you updated on how it goes.... until then you can follow on Twitter to know what I'm up to! LOL.

Re: I Think Twitter is About to Destroy My Life

blue_chi — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:37:47 -0000

Sara, that has a lot to do with it, but I used to do some much when I'm alone, yet now with Twitter I just can't do anything else but keep on tweeting it!

mmk080, I can't just delete my account, I am not as strong as Miley Cyrus! (awain). I really have a lot of fun on Twitter and I made many new friends there, it's a big part of my daily life and I don't think the solution is to delete my account!

Re: Freedom of Expression & Alcohol

blue_chi — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:02:35 -0000

Muawiyah, I believe the majority of people reading this blog understood your message.

The term "tathbeet" could be translated in English as "to make a thread a sticky".

Re: The OpenNet Initiative Report on Oman

blue_chi — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:26:59 -0000

I think they probably were unblocked after you tested them. Anyway, check your email for my corrections and notes.

Re: The OpenNet Initiative Report on Oman

Jillian C. York — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:14:09 -0000

Unless we made a huge mistake, there are two possible explanations that I can think of:

1. Your Internet connection is not blocked (I have heard reports from friends in Qatar of being somehow outside the filter, not sure if this happens in Oman)

2. The sites were unblocked after we tested them.

We are re-testing in the region, so hopefully this round will show us that those sites are unblocked. Still, do e-mail me, I don't mind being proven wrong!

Re: The OpenNet Initiative Report on Oman

blue_chi — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:07:42 -0000

There is only one ISP in the country - Omantel. Most of the sites linked are not blocked. I will email you all the details with citations for sure.

Re: The OpenNet Initiative Report on Oman

Jillian C. York — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:59:18 -0000

(I'm an Arabic speaker too, btw - no justification whatsoever in that area).

Please email me any specific information you find inaccurate, as well as citations to back it up. We are of course happy to provide as accurate information as possible.

Incidentally, in regard to the blocked sites, a look back at our testing (performed last fall/this spring) concludes that those sites were, at the time, filtered. What ISP are you on?

Re: The OpenNet Initiative Report on Oman

blue_chi — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:49:32 -0000

I thought that the only justification for this inaccuracy was the lack of the participation of an Arabic speaker! :P

Would love to contribute in helping making this more accurate. How do we go about in doing this?

Re: The OpenNet Initiative Report on Oman

Jillian C. York — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:13:22 -0000

That's actually untrue; the person who writes the reports is a native Arabic speaker who lives in the UAE.

Regardless of that fact, there is always the chance that we've gotten information incorrect, and we'd love to have your specific feedback as to what is specifically inaccurate.

Re: Structural Issues at Colleges of Applied Sciences

blue_chi — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:18:51 -0000

Reality, thanks for your comment.

I believe that there are universities and colleges that teach major specific English courses, for example English for Engineers or English for Lawyers.

Re: The OpenNet Initiative Report on Oman

blue_chi — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:14:24 -0000

I mentioned in the post that the report is inaccurate, but that is not to say that it is totally made up. All their facts are cited from proper websites such as the BBC and national regional newspapers. I think it misses a lot of facts because no Omani or Arabic speaking person is involved in the process.

Re: Mac Worflow

blue_chi — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:33:57 -0000

Hey Mo, congratulations on finally making the jump!

Holding shift while clicking the plus sign doesn't allow me to maximize finder windows. With iTunes if you press the Options button with the plus sign you expand fully horizontally, but the window doesn't expand vertically. I'm using Leopard.

Thanks for the link!

Re: Omani Bloggers and Copyright

blue_chi — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:59:36 -0000

Balqis, copyright is an automatic right, you don't need to say anything to have it protected. Some people do to emphasize that or because they think that have to say it for the work to be protected.

It doesn't matter that you are posting your work on someone else's website, the work is still protected as long as the terms of use of that service don't say otherwise. For example, by editing Wikipedia you agree to have your work copied by others for any purpose. Blogger is not the same.

Some people make notices on their website saying that you have to ask for their permission to copy ANYTHING WHATSOEVER from their website. This doesn't mean that you can't, because the law allows you to copy in certain situations in accordance with the permitted uses of copyright. It doesn't matter that the author said otherwise.

Re: Structural Issues at Colleges of Applied Sciences

blue_chi — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:53:26 -0000

Thanks for passing by Nadia. Keep us updated on how it goes with your brother!

Re: Creating a Twitter Widget in Flash

blue_chi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:29:32 -0000

Craig, on the last page of the tutorial I explain that this widget, like all other ones, is restricted to making only 150 requests to the Twitter server, due to Twitter limitations. Your hosting account might have a shared IP with other users of the same service, so your requests might be always already consumed.

Re: Jogging Update!

blue_chi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:06:56 -0000

Testing Disqus comments.

Re: Jogging Update!

blue_chi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:01:15 -0000

Testing Disqus comment.

Re: Jogging Update!

blue_chi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:59:37 -0000

Testing Disqus comment.

Re: The Pathetic State of OmanTV

blue_chi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:53:03 -0000

Sarah, LOL, I like how you use the term "actor" loosely. :P

I personally gave up on OmanTV.

Re: The Pathetic State of OmanTV

blue_chi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:48:44 -0000

Nadia, I don't think Abu Faisal qualifies as a YouTube personally, I bet he doesn't even know how to use a computer!!