Security

Something that users of free wireless services found in airports, restaurants, and cafes may not be aware of is that while they are busy chatting to friends via Facebook or sending email is that their internet usage can easily be tracked. Also, hackers can set up seemingly innocent free wi-fi hotspots and give them innocent sounding names such as "Free Airport Wi-fi" with the sole purpose of getting sensitive information.

Avoid this message and see all your favorite American shows on Hulu with a VPN.

What's more, search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing, collect and store i.p. address information with the purpose of targeting advertising. Sure, the thought of someone at Google having access to all the times you Google your own name may not creep you out, but a lot of people may get anxious with the thought that there exists a record of them cyber-stalking their favorite actress after they come home from a night out.

This can be avoided through the use of a Virtual Personal Network otherwise known as a VPN. Simply, a VPN is basically a virtual tunnel through your internet service provider that comes out in a different place. The data is encoded so there is no way that anyone can detect where the usage is coming from or even what it is.

Listen to Pandora streaming radio outside the U.S. with a VPN.

An added benefit to this is that when using a service that allows you to code your internet usage, is that you can change your computer i.p. address to another country to access services available to only that country. For example, the Hulu allows you to watch American television shows for free and the internet radio service at Pandora allows you to create customized radio stations to suit your own tastes. Unfortunately, these completely legitimate websites are unavailable to those outside the United States. With a VPN, you can change your i.p. address to access these services.

Also, a VPN can help with services like making cheap international calls with Skype that are blocked in the UAE. While Skype is no longer illegal in the UAE, the site is still blocked at the request of Etisalat, the main internet an telephone provider in the UAE.

Two good sites are proXPN and Witopia, but unfortunately, if you are in the UAE and don't already have a VPN, these sites may be blocked. If that is the case and you wish to look into what a VPN can do for you, the blue banner at the top of this page should get you there. In my opinion, better security for your computer and a more accessible internet is definitely worth checking out.

More Gold Machines

There has been a lot of news regarding the gold vending machine in the Emirites Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. It is promoted as "the world's only gold vending machine." Clearly, the city of Dubai could not let that stand. While in Dubai, I counted not one but two gold vending machines which looked like they were being prepared for operation. Unlike Abu Dhabi which assumes that only the richest people who are likely to stay in a "seven-star hotel" would want to buy their gold from a vending machine, Dubai has taken a more populist view as to who would like to buy gold coins without the hassle of human interaction. They have put them at both the top and the bottom of the Burj Khalifa, the worlds' tallest building. That way you can buy your gold from the 125th floor. Or if you are on a budget and don't want to spend the 100 dirhams to go to the top, you can just buy your gold next to the ticket booth for the Burj Khalifa. The important thing is that now with these machines being in a shopping mall, they are easily accessible for people of any income to buy their gold. And that's what Dubai is all about.

Christmas Tree

With the ideals of Christmas being charity and giving, it's nice to know that the Emirates Palace is displaying a Christmas tree worth $11.5 million. According to The National, the Emirates Palace will be showcasing some jewelry. (To read the details, click here.)

This tree has emeralds, gold, sapphires and diamonds on it. The most expensive "ornament" on it is a diamond necklace worth around $1 million. The least expensive items on it are worth a mere $10,000. (You can view a video of it here.) The insurance on the items had to be negotiated and the eventual premium came to 50,000 dirhams or around $15,000.

Lest people become cynical, this is all being done for a good cause: to get into the Guiness Book of World Records as the world's most expensive Christmas tree. This tree breaks the record held by Japan at $10.8 million. Go Abu Dhabi!

Phone Comparison

As is common here, I saw a student with several phones on his desk. I've seen this before, but assumed that each was for a different group of people, like business, family, and friends; or something like that.

Seeing three distinct brands of phone aroused my curiosity so I asked my student which one was the best. He hesitated and said that he couldn't really say. Why I asked him why not, he replied, "I use the Blackberry for messaging, the i-phone for playing and the Nokia for calling."

With all those features, who can blame him for being indecisive?

Gold

While living in Japan, I found some amazing things available in vending machines. Without going into things in too much detail, I would have to say that Japanese vending machine manufacturers have come as close as possible to perfecting vending machine technology while at the same time fulfilling the human need to have anything a person wants at any time in an instant. However, no matter what Japanese put into a vending machine, they will still have a difficult time beating the world's only gold vending machine. That's right, this is a vending machine that dispenses pure 24-karat gold.

What better souvenir of your stay at the opulent Emirates Palace Hotel than a gold bar. Sure you could buy a certified 4th century BC urn or a limestone engraving dating back to ancient Egyptian times, but who has that kind of money? The gold vending machine has prices to suit your budget with items ranging from gold Canadian or Australian coins to a plain old gold bar. Show you loved ones at home the kind of vacation they missed. As far as I could tell, there is no engraving service that would enable you to get, "My Mom went to Abu Dhabi and all I got is this lousy gold bar," engraved, but I'm sure if you asked nicely, the hotel staff could have it done for you.

License Plate

Those who are only vaguely familiar with Abu Dhabi, may think that the only valuable export is oil. Those people are wrong. Abu Dhabi also has license plates. A few years ago, one collector bought the license plate numbered 1 for $10 million. Recently, someone bought a number 9 for 10 million dirham ($2.7 million).

As this article goes on to explain, people aren't buying the plates to put on their cars. They're buying them to put on other people's cars. "Good" license plates are bought as an investment to be sold at a later date for a profit. There are certain numbers that fetch a higher price like repeating numbers or palindromes. Generally the lower the number the better, but "lucky" numbers tend to be worth more. A week or two ago, I saw a plate with 22222 on it. At the time, I thought it was a neat coincidence. I now chuckle when looking back at my naivety at that more innocent time.

Some rental car shops buy them to put on the cars that they rent out. The cars with better numbers can be rented for higher prices. Emiratis expect to be given the lower numbers when renting a car. It seems that it's a sign of prestige. I suppose when most citizens can afford almost any car, there isn't much left to distinguish yourself. It just goes to show that anything can be collectible.

Child Safety

Here is an article about an invention that I read about last September that I meant to post, but never got around to. It's about a device to save your child's life that no caring parent can afford to be without. Here's a little summary of how it works as seen in this article:

The gadget is linked to the car’s child seats and sends reminders to the parent’s mobile phone that their child – or children – is still alone in the car.

The reminders gradually become more urgent until 11 minutes later the device sets off an alarm to tell anyone nearby that a child is in danger.
The first reminder is sent three minutes after the car door is shut. Three minutes later, the device automatically lowers the vehicle’s rear windows by 5cm to let in some air. After eight minutes it switches on the air conditioning.

If the parent has still not returned after another three minutes – a total of 11 minutes after he or she left the car – the gadget sets off a loud alarm.

Yes, that's right. This is a device for parents who routinely leave their children alone in cars. According to the article, “A lot of people forget their children in the car and especially infants.” It also tells the sad story in which, “Recently, a man who was supposed to take his child to nursery forgot that his child was in the car and only realised after he finished work. He found his child dead in the car." See the article for more amazing quotes.

While I don't wish to make light of children being baked alive in cars, it does show an unbelievable level of carelessness and parental neglect when a product like this becomes necessary, especially in a country in which the temperature reaches 110 degrees outside the car.

To be fair to the writer of the article, there are some quotes from people criticizing the device saying that it will give parents a false sense of security. In addition, the inventor of the device only came up with the idea after hearing about over a dozen kids dying in cars and thought that he could try to do something about it. I guess that I'm glad it was invented but it did come as a little bit of a shock to the system when I read about this a month into my stay here. Perhaps they can advertise this in pachinko parking lots in Japan.

Pacifier

Sometimes I'm amazed at what some people will buy. Rather, I should be amazed at what what some people will sell; the assumption being that it's for sale because people will buy it. In today's local newspaper, The National, there was a section on personal finance and in it an article regarding things for sale for babies. One of the things was a diamond studded baby pacifier for a mere US$17,000. Here is the description from The National quoted:

The Diamond Pacifier, Personalised Pacifiers (Dh62,439)

For The high-net-worth infant who really does have everything.

Fun factor The ultimate in baby bling, this pacifier boasts more than 278 pave-cut diamonds totalling three carats and is set in 14-carat European white gold. While diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, the only kick the baby is likely to get out of this is learning to count the number of gems in the pacifier (an essential talent in super-wealthy families). However, the overwhelming sparkle of this dummy is sure to keep them mesmerised – at least for a while.

Crying game This is more of a keepsake than a practical device to lull babies to sleep, so it is highly recommended to keep it on the top shelf until your child is old enough to truly appreciate it.

To be fair, The National is taking a tongue-in-cheek attitude towards this. Typically, the writers will find a few sensible items for an article like this then finish it with something ridiculous. Still, it's real and it is available on amazon.com. I have to wonder how many of these lavish products in these articles actually get bought as a result. For those of you who are interested in purchasing this pacifier for your little one, here is the link.