Tag Archives: Jeddah

September 29, 2025 · 15:24

And for today

That is what I was thinking. I saw the news (at https://www.arabnews.com/node/2617052/saudi-arabia) where I saw ‘KSrelief undertakes new food and medical initiatives in Africa’ and I was off to the races. It is mostly because the western media refuses to give us anything on what they do. They think the boobies of Kim Kardashian are much more news worthy. So as I see that they “The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) has launched and concluded several major relief initiatives across Africa this week, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, KSrelief inaugurated a large-scale food security support project designed to help the country’s most vulnerable communities.” I will make space for this (especially as the news worthy media does not). And for that the “SPA reported that the program will distribute 38,900 food baskets, each weighing 40 kilograms and containing essential food items, reaching approximately 233,400 individuals across multiple regions. The initiative forms part of Saudi Arabia’s pledge to support the Lake Chad region, a commitment made during the 2024 Jeddah Donors’ Conference.”The idea that this touches over two hundred thousand people in multiple regions is nothing short if miraculous. I initially would like to think the massive amount of drivers that were needed to bring this to the people as that is my expectation, but I have no idea how many drivers this would take to these trips. And when we see in that same setting giving us “According to SPA, an 18-member volunteer medical team performed 28 open-heart surgeries, 95 cardiac catheterization procedures, and three transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) operations.” We need to see the massive amount of good that KSrelief does to the world and in this case to Africa. 

As for the other news, it is a little more questionable. Irani News (at https://www.iranintl.com/en/202509284910) gives us ‘Khamenei adviser urges joining Saudi-Pakistan defense pact’ I have issues here. It is nice that they want to sit under the Atomic Umbrella it provides, but Iran has been Thumbing the nose towards Saudi Arabia (and others) by setting channels of. Communication with terrorist organisation like Hamas, Houthi and Hezbollah, making them proxy members to say the least. My personal setting is that Iran at the very least will disavow these connections and stops fueling the wars that they have been. Any settings found in the future makes them automatically no longer eligible for this Saudi-Pakistani defense pact. And with the setting of “Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi told state television on Saturday night that the agreement between Riyadh and Islamabad was positive and proposed Iran, Iraq and others also take part. “Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iraq can reach a collective defense pact,” he said, while acknowledging that US influence over Riyadh and Islamabad may limit such moves.” We should realise that there are off course stabilizing benefits to this, but the danger that Iran poses with its ‘three terrorist allies’ is no guarantee that they have the stabilizing issues that they are proclaiming that Iran could face. As I personally see it, Iran was a seat on the Muslim-majority Defense pact and it wants a bigger seat on the Islamic table and that should never be allowed before their have adjusted the points of communication they invoked through terrorism. 

The world (and in particular the Muslim setting) of a stabilizing setting with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan are much better served with Iran on the outside of that equation. Iran did this to themselves and now that Israel has had enough of the setting that Iran provided, Iran wants to hide behind a nuclear umbrella whilst it keeps on setting fires to the middle east. I don’t think it is a good thing and it should not be allowed. As I see it Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi will have to remove the coal coals it dispensed over the middle east and in a first setting needs to remove Hamas, Houthi and Hezbollah channels of support from the table. 

OK, it is clear that I am no person of interest to Saudi Arabia and I do not think they would ever see me as a party of influence here, but that is what I believe. And whilst we are at it, how much support has Iran given to these three parties in the last 5 years? 

I reckon that removing these three from the ‘free oil wells’ of dollars is a absolute first in this setting and any support found from Iran will without any delay thrust them outside the Saudi-Pakistani defense pact. 

That it for today, time to enjoy a lovely coffee and perhaps a small pastry, have a a great day.

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September 26, 2025 · 15:44

That one idea

This is not about me, this is about someone else. I watched a presentation in the STUG (Snowflake Technical User Group) and I was pretty much blown away. Yes, I don’t suddenly believe in AI, the only AI reference is by Alan Turing and this is not it. It is however an excellent example of what great DML and LLM can achieve and this is one of those ideas. They took on what takes months in an airport and with pictures and little programming they did in seconds what Airports take (optionally) days, if not months to achieve. This program did in minutes optionally seconds the same. That is a massive manpower saving. So, some will not care. Others will think ‘meh’ but I reckon that Dubai going towards 100,000,000 annual travelers will have another take on this. Then we get Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah and from there, the sky is pretty literally the limit. As I see it, this will be a required software enhancement in any airport with well over 25 million visitors and from there we get the little people like Translations, London Waterloo for one. You see, there is an applause to come. I watched a great idea come alive in this world and I reckon that any transport person alive will see the resources squandered in lost and found parlors. This is a massive step in resolving that setting. Optionally it will resolve at least one nightmare that Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum is having.

So as Roger Garcia (Interworks) I was seeing greatness come alive. I reckon that he should pick up the phone and offer the solution to Dubai Airport (and I told him that). Dubai International Airport is as per 2024 the busiest airport on the planet. Last year that airport handled over 92 million passengers, over 2.2 million tonnes of cargo and registered over 440,000 aircraft movements. And they are expected to surpass the 100 million passengers this year. So what do you think that lost and found department has to deal with? 

Spread over an area of 2,900 hectares it will have to deal with a lost item of two (or three) every minute and that amounts to 172,800 lost items a day. (259,200 if three items a second are lost) and that is merely per day, so when we take the conservative number we 63,072,000 a year. OK, that might be a bit much, but set this to 25 million items per year, this solution is giving that airport a real breath of air and there are 40,000 airports in the world, the setting is easily seen. OK, only 10,000 are served by commercial airlines as such there is a little less to go for, but when did you last see a solution applicable to even 1,000 customers? That this is 1,000% more. So when I said that Javier Garcia brought a global solution to bare, I am not kidding. We see the larger players (Dubai, Heathrow, Istanbul) and a few others. That solution is offering real solutions in real time and this solution was shown to me. It also gives a rise to Snowflake and its global options. One application is all it needs to get global recognition in fields it never considered before and I saw in on September 25th 2025. 

These are the moments you live for. It isn’t merely what IP I bring to the world. It is recognizing when others do so too. Have a great day today and soon your lost item might be returned to you the same day you lost it. (That solutions doesn’t process life people, so you can still safely lose your mother in law).

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September 22, 2025 · 11:43

Wrong premise

That is what I see when I get the news from CBC at present. There are two articles in play. The first one (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-big-step-back-from-us-data-1.7637651) where we see ‘Canadians are taking a big step back from the U.S. — and here’s the data to prove it’ giving us the settings around American travel and goods. What was a little surprise that export to the UK had risen over 60%. With “Canadian exports to the U.S. have dropped off while those to non-U.S. foreign countries have surged — a pattern that could accelerate further as the government races to cut new trade deals and help businesses capitalize on the ones that have already been signed.” And as I see it, this setting will merely increase when Canada starts infringing on American exports to Australia by setting a stronger vibe towards Canadian Tire. And I reckon that Simons could make a decent entry into Sydney and Melbourne as well. 

You see the entire commonwealth is fed up with the White House and its [CENSORED] whatever. He might have thought that he was making pointers by slapping the ABC reporter around asking valid questions in the UK, but the answer was not accepted and we have an issue with bully tactics. 

So as the US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra thinks (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/us-ambassador-to-canada-disappointed-anti-american-campaign-1.7637534) that the setting of “The U.S. ambassador to Canada is expressing frustration over the anti-American sentiment he sees in this country, including from politicians, after U.S. President Donald Trump hit most of the world with tariffs.” Which might have caused concern with Mexico (not his bother), United Kingdom (not his bother), Australia (not his bother) and the EU (not his bother either). The thing that is in his plate are the 51st state mentions. That got the Canadians in an uproar and for the most other Commonwealth nations as well. There is no mention of that from him, is there. I get it. He is the American Ambassador to Canada and he doesn’t want to acknowledge the failings of his own government. He is all about calling waves, but the fact that he is unsuccessful, is due to the larger failing of his own government. So as we get “Hoekstra said Prime Minister Mark Carney’s remark in the House of Commons on Monday that Canada currently has “the best deal with the U.S. worldwide right now” has helped “take the tone and tenor of the debate down.”” Is merely the beginning of a new chapter. The old chapter is now done for and Canada will seek other venues for their goods, as such Mexico and the Commonwealth are larger allies Canada can count on. There is also the setting of the EU and optionally Saudi Arabia and the UAE. You see, it is time for Canada to seek out the revenue spending nations (Saudi Arabia and the UAE). There might be a larger audience for the CG634 currently in use in Canada and the Ukraine (the last one die to donations by Canada) as such there is ample evidence that these helmets hold up in battle. And there is more Canadian hardware that could be sold to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE. And as Canada is developing technology to counter hypersonic missiles. There is every chance that Saudi Arabia might be up for a new trade partner, if only not to be dependent on China, replacing China with America gives them a similar dependency and there Canada (Aussies too) might be a willing trade partner. And again America is seeing the short end of that trade deal and it pays for Canada to seek visibility of Canadian Tire to whatever either Saudi Arabia and the UAE have. All options that are out in the open. 

The wrong premise is not that we are sick and tired of America (optionally that too), but when. America collapses, which is not that far away at present we all need alternatives and seeking them out now is merely good business. And in light of the disaster that Disney unfolded, there is a definite chance that there are options in tourism too in Yas Island and in Jeddah too. A 3.2 million population in the Mecca province is likely to need all kinds of entertainment and as the banning of Jimmy Kimmel is said to have cost Disney a simple $3,800,000,000 there is every chance that Disney needs to tighten the belt as of this year. All settings that the American Administration called on the world and the world is answering by looking for goods elsewhere. 

So as I see it the premise we see is incorrect, everyone has had enough of the tantrums of an American Administration that can’t get his head in the game and as everyone in the Business Intelligence can tell you, loyalty was a 1960 term that cannot hold up, not after 50 years.

Have a great day today this Monday, but not to fret, Friday is merely 4 days away now.

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September 10, 2025 · 12:34

Outside the box we see

That occurred to me, the Arab News (at https://www.arabnews.com/node/2614596/saudi-arabia) is giving me ‘Artist showcases Qur’anic verses with intricate paper cutting creations’ It caught me unaware, I never considered this and the image (source: Arab News) is showing us the amazing creations 

With the subtext “Australia-based Pakistani artist Tusif Ahmad visited Jeddah this week to showcase his intricate and colorful papercutting representations of Qur’anic verses.” In that same setting I am a little amazed that this is an Australian based artist. It is the first I ever heard of it (and here I am blaming the media yet again). And it is not impossible that I overlooked that setting, so I am willing to take part of the blame. Yet the setting should have been a lot more visible in Australia. Weirdly enough three thoughts penetrated my feeble brain.

  1. Does this technique work in English too?
  2. Is it possible to do this technique in braille, so that the blind could enjoy this?
  3. How can non-Arabic people enjoy the art for what it is?

I am not saying that this is a prerequisite, but there is a larger stage (there always is) and to propagate the setting to a larger audience is what we tend to focus on, especially as I am an absolute Arabic noob (a non Arabic literate person).

So when we see “Over the past 12 years, he has produced more than 500 pieces, exhibited globally, and won recognition for an art form he describes as “an invitation to reflect on the Qur’an.”” Making the ‘unheard’ of scene a lot more visible. I reckon that Australian Universities should invite his art form a larger audience (the young tend to be more accepting of new forms of art) and that is seemingly a starting point. I am of course considering that this was already done, there his no way that I am the starting point of anything that isn’t my concoction.

So as we are given ““Each artwork aims to create a bridge between tradition and modern expression, inspiring both Muslims and non-Muslims to connect with the spiritual essence of Islamic art,” he said.” That I might as a non-Muslim not see the whole picture (or image) and I get that, but I know of this art form for less than a day and that needs to be revisited.

Of course my brain goes into all kinds of side-roads, like “What happens when you take this idea and add lasers to this and project that form of art” that and a few other ideas I get from “During his Jeddah talk, Ahmad showcased works from a series inspired by the surahs Ar-Rahman, Yaseen, and Yusuf. He explained that small pieces may take weeks while larger ones require months of patience and spiritual focus.”

A setting is that Ubisoft take this idea and add it as an achievement to AC Mirage (as they are creating a new addition to this game later this year) and create an entirely new following, giving this IP (owned by Tusif Ahmad) a interesting large following, giving himself a character in Bagdad at 862CE and letting this art form creating a wave of additional fabs and showing it to a larger audience. It is a way to get art the attention it needs and this merely happened as I combined two ideas in the same time. Timing is almost everything. You still need to cajoles to combine ideas and do this against the folly of time where people laugh at your ideas.

As such Yves Guillemot, I just gave you another setting that might have gone unnoticed in the larger grand scheme of things. And I reckon that Tusif Ahmad might never have considered showing his work to a population that is interested in video games. As such as his audience he would gain, I would wish him good fortune (artists tend to be a hungry lot at times)

Its all in a days work and as I just passed the mark of midweek (Wednesday 12:01pm) it is time to bid thee all a good day and have a great time wondering what comes next. I don’t know because New Zealand is ahead by three hours and they cannot tell me what happens at 15:00 (as they aren’t answering the phone). Time travel through telecom. Who would have thought it.

Write to you all later (in about 20 hours)

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August 8, 2025 · 04:49

What the flip?

Roughly 10 hours ago the TTW (Travel and Tour World) released an article (at https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/saudi-arabia-joins-france-turkey-uk-mexico-and-egypt-as-australia-issues-new-travel-advisory-amid-unstable-security-conditions/) called ‘Saudi Arabia Joins France, Turkey, UK, Mexico, and Egypt as Australia Issues New Travel Advisory Amid Unstable Security Conditions’ and my first thought was “what the hell”. You see, American tourism is mostly at an all time low and now we get that these countries are called ‘dangerous’?

Lets be clear, EVERY country has some risk, this is nearly undeniable. The two exceptions as I see it are the United Arab Emirates and Iceland. For Iceland there are two risks. The first is falling into a volcano (yes, it happens) and being attacked by a Arctic tern because you got too close to its nest. For the UAE it is a little larger and involves cobra’s and scorpions, but unlikely to be in any of their cities. 

But back to the article and lets keep a few things clear.

Saudi Arabia
I get that some parts of Saudi Arabia are not the greatest settings to go view and we get “Travelers are advised not to travel within 30 km of the border with Yemen due to ongoing conflict in Yemen and the associated risks of missile and drone strikes.” With the additional “Australians are encouraged to read the general advice on terrorism risks and personal safety during conflicts.”

Now, first of all, when you are as dim as a soup plate, you need to realise that common sense is expected from EVERY person on the planet. You might be one of the biggest idiots and featured in YouTube videos for doing stupid things, but that doesn’t make it the problem of that nation. You are expected to get an apartment with a balcony and spend your vacation in said balcony. As such when considering the distances from Yemen “approximately 200 km for cities like Jizan and Abha to over 1,000 km for Riyadh.” As such if your vacation is in Medina, Riyadh (most likely), Dammam or Jeddah, you are unlikely to travel within that 30 km. In the second part (it is said) that “personal safety during conflicts” is a bit vague. A conflict could exist during a misunderstanding in a shop or restaurant and that is not a likely case. Muslims are proud of their shops (restaurants too) and they have a set standard of hospitality (something you are less likely to experience in London) in further noticing ‘conflicts’ Saudi Arabia strikes down any military conflict in Saudi Arabia with extreme prejudice. As such you are seemingly less safe on the Sydney Harbour bridge in Sydney during a pro-Palestinian rally then ever in Saudi Arabia. 

Turkey
Here we see a more changing setting. I went to Istanbul once and I never ever felt unsafe or unwelcome. But it is the only part of Turkey I have ever see and as there are issues. The one that strikes me as a plausible setting is “Smart Traveller has specifically warned Australians to avoid public demonstrations and large gatherings, as these events are often strictly enforced by the government, with severe penalties for suspected participants. Monitoring local news and following the advice of local authorities is crucial.” And this setting makes sense on a few levels as you need to be fluent in Turkish to avoid certain complications, as such this travel advice makes sense.

United Kingdom
We are given “The national terrorism threat level in the UK remains substantial, indicating that an attack is likely. Smart Traveller has warned travelers that the possibility of terrorist activities, particularly in crowded public places, is elevated.” As well as “Travelers are reminded that petty crime, such as pickpocketing, mobile phone snatching, and theft from cars, is widespread across the UK. Visitors, especially in busy areas like London, should be extra cautious with their belongings.” There is no contest in any of this. But this was already the case for years. Still it requires mention.

France
Has a similar spread of issues, so there is no contest. But people traveling to these places should have been aware from them at least two years. There is no contest on any of this. You tend to get unlucky when you get in this situation. You would be in a similar setting when traveling to Amsterdam or Berlin.

Mexico and Egypt have their own settings and these are fair as I know the published facts to be (I have never been to Mexico).

My issue is why Saudi Arabia was added, was it because Saudi Tourism grew by over 100% and America is losing dozens of billions at present? The Netherlands (Amsterdam) and Germany (Berlin) are not on this list and I reckon a lot less safe than Riyadh, Dammam, Medina or Jeddah are. There is something of being too prepared for bad luck (as I call it) and I am not saying that this was bad advice, but you tell me, how likely are you to go within 30km of Yemen? The fact is that as far as I can tell, every major city in Saudi Arabia is well over 200km away from Yemen. Even the Neom projects are way too far away from that setting. As such you are likely to walk into the desert getting stung by a scorpion or ripped apart by a pack of hyena’s long before you get close to Yemen. So why the mention and why the instillment of fear towards Saudi Arabia? Now, lets be clear. There is some need to be aware of terrorism, but as I personally see it, these tend to be ‘confined’ to Houthi terrorist attacks and so far there has not been any serious incidents in the major cities of Saudi Arabia. So why the addition of Saudi Arabia? These terrorist issues have been in play for over 10 years. So, why the addition now?

Is it to make other places to seem less appealing over America? This is pure speculation from my side, but I reckon someone saw the 102% tourism growth I illuminated yesterday and someone must have seen that number in the source article and thought, lets make Saudi Arabia less appealing. This might be the wrong thought, but it is the speculated one I am having. You see, the warning given were in play for at least half a decade, so why now?

Have a great day and don’t get mauled by a pack of hyena’s today.

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July 18, 2025 · 18:35

The path of New Technology

That was the setting that I had in mind. You see, some time ago I saw the ‘idea’ that Elon Musk allegedly has. There is nothing wrong with the idea, but in this day and age, with all the settings going on, who is interested in going to New York? Been there, done that I say (in 1999), but the larger setting isn’t the place. There is nothing wrong with the place. Yet as I see it, like the HS2 (UK) the hyper-loop from London to New York seems to be a less then stellar idea. I know that allegedly Elon Musk is setting the stage so that he can get everything as much tested as possible before he is off to Mars (the planet, not the candy bar) and that is fine. Good luck to him.

Yet the setting of a hyper loop in NEOM makes a lot more sense. As I see it, three lines in NEOM seems to be the idea that could attract even more people and more advanced travel options.

Consider the first line connecting Sindalah, the Line and Aquellum (optionally more), the second line connecting Neon bay Airport, the line and Trojena. The third line would be over the length of the line itself allowing people to traverse west to east line in a little over 30 minutes. Optionally with a few stops. 

Basically allow the larger places in minutes. From Sindalah to Aquellum in less than an hour and that is just for starters. It would also allow the people in the line to go towards their destinations in mere minutes. There could be additional benefits too, consider that the people over the larger part in Neom could be off to the ski-resort in an hour, driving the desire to Trojena towards an all time high and the same could be said for Sindalah. 

This is not the easiest setting and perhaps that Elon Musk has the required equipment already as I reckon that these drills don’t grow on trees (I checked) the fabrication of these drills takes several months (if not longer) and we are in 2025, as such the creation of these lines might take more than  the 5 years required, so some haste is due. And with that setting Saudi Arabia will create a new worlds first. A hyper loop that connects these places would also push tourism to a larger degree, with additional connections that allow travel to Riyadh, Jeddah and Medina could grow tourism beyond anything they had expected and  considering that there are 1800 million Muslims, only 33 million living in Saudi Arabia could expand on expectations, desires and wonder and that would make it another first in the world. There are additional considerations as the hyper loop could transport the injured over a larger area, reducing the needs for a more equipped Hospital to the line and several smaller hospitals to other areas. That is, if the setting of a hyper loop would appeal to the Saudi government. 

There were some additional thought to combine lines one and two, but that is hat some would call the micro management (not meant for me) and the idea to live in the line, work in Aquellum and play in Trojena has massive appeal. I wonder how many Canadians might like the idea of skiing there. The setting seeing Neom would be great, if only I am still alive when these places were completed (five years with my butterfingers?) 

Still, the thought of hyper loop trains in Neom should spark any person who enjoys trips on the train. Ill try to get other IP thoughts sorted out tomorrow. Have a great day.

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June 10, 2025 · 12:43

Surprise, surprise

That is the setting I was confronted with last night. On Wednesday the 11th (that crazy day), Australia will face off against Saudi Arabia in the third qualifying match. For the most I don’t really care, but this time there is a difference. It is not Australia playing in football (it just ain’t hockey, the real one on ice, not that grassy setting). It is the fact that Arab News (at https://www.arabnews.com/node/2603859/sport) gives us ‘Free entry for fans as Saudi Arabia face crucial World Cup qualifier against Australia’ where we are given “Fans will be granted free entry to Al-Inma Stadium on Tuesday as Saudi Arabia take on Australia in a must-win World Cup qualifier, the Saudi Football Federation announced on Sunday.” And as I see it, Saudi Arabia can use all the moral support they can muster, and for the record, I have never ever seen this before. Free access to fans? 

Personally I think this is an amazing setting to give its players the moral support they need. The Australian get to play in what is regarded as one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, which is based in the King Abdullah Sport City and they get to see a stadium that is filled to the brink with supporters (mostly Saudi’s) and as the ‘statistics’ give us, there is every chance that this stadium, holding around 62,345 visitors will have well over 75% Saudi’s cheering their team onwards towards the score they will have. As I see it, Saudi Arabia did whatever they could to give their team the edge they need to win this one. The only thing Australia could optionally do, is offer free tickets for the 37 Airbus A380’s needed to fill 49% of that stadium, something that is not likely to happen. In the end the Australians will hear on Wednesday evening/night how their team fared against Saudi Arabia, I wish them good luck (a sincere wish) 

But as I see it, the surprise of handing free tickets is perhaps a world’s first event. The world gets to see Saudi Arabia with a chockablock filled stadium with Saudi Fans, so there is that to look forward to and I reckon that every Saudi influencer will be filming their team and their fans brimming with enthusiasm for their team. We will see the result of that match in about 18 hours. So only 18400 seconds to wait. Have a great day today and tomorrow.

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May 18, 2025 · 09:51

Delphi in a name

Yup, we are talking about Oracle, not Borland. And whenever I hear Oracle I tend to add the ‘of Delphi’ automatically. It is a Pavlovian thing. This is nothing negative about Oracle, I wanted to join their ranks in the 90’s, and beyond the millennium a few times too. My origin settings was a database programmer (I earned my stripes with Clipper, the Nantucket version). I think it is the very first program where I shelled out $650 (Dfl. 1,200) for a program and I learned a lot through Clipper. I also got the Clipper notes (Norton Notes) and these two kept my in my apartment (on a desk chair) for weeks and weeks at a time. I relish these happy days. Then of course I got into technical support and customer care through a precursor of IBM and my life at that point was pretty complete. I miss those days and I still think fondly of them. Not so much the upper ranks of that company with their political games, but them I was never a political player. 

So when I saw ‘Oracle commits to invest $14bn in Saudi Arabia over next 10 years’ (at https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/oracle-commits-to-invest-14bn-in-saudi-arabia-over-next-10-years/) my mind starting swirling and twirling (sorry JK Rowling) and my creative logging started to set new parameters. 

You see, we are given “Oracle has committed to investing $14 billion in Saudi Arabia over the next 10 years to expand its cloud and AI offerings in the region. The plans were announced by the company on May 13, and in the wake of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Kingdom” this implies Technical Support, Customer Care and Trainings. Things I can do (all three) and I have had well over a decade of experience in these sections. As such I keep my eyes open for positions needed in either Riyadh, Mississauga or Abu Dhabi. I reckon that the investments are not just for Saudi Arabia, they are all spend in Saudi Arabia, but there will be essentially needed persons in Abu Dhabi because no one walks away from ADNOC and with ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia, a secondary call center would be needed in Abu Dhabi. And they too will have all three settings in that centre, beyond that I reckon that it will a location will be cheaper in the heart of ADNOC than in Dubai, so there.

When we see “Our expanded partnership with the Kingdom will create new opportunities for its economy, deliver better health outcomes for its people, and fortify its alliance with the United States, which will create a ripple effect of peace and prosperity across the Middle East and around the world.” The words “a ripple effect of peace and prosperity across the Middle East” merely implies (not confirms) the setting I see. You see, it makes sense to do this, but it requires knowledge of Oracle policies (and I don’t know those).

So when we see “Oracle has two existing cloud regions in Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia West, located in Jeddah, and Saudi Arabia Central in Riyadh. The former was launched in 2020, the latter launched in 2024, and is hosted in a Center3 data center. The company has been planning a third in the upcoming Neom City since October 2021, which remains listed on Oracle’s website as “coming soon.”” Someone would think that another cloud the UAE cloud should be there as well. Merely not mentioned in this stage, but ADNOC is too big to walk away from and Microsoft has dropped the ball too many times. There is a setting that implies that IBM and or AWS are already there, but that gives the larger setting that ADNOC becomes dependent on one supplier and they are as smart as they come. So I am betting that Oracle has that region (as well as Dubai) in mind when we consider DAMAC (valued at US$ 595 million) with the total revenue recorded by DAMAC Properties was AED 7.5 billion (2017), and they are not all. There is also Emaar Properties, which is said to be the biggest of them all and that are the kind of clients Oracle really likes to keep happy, as such I saw the stage evolve, even though they are already there and in January 2025 we were given ‘Oracle to increase Abu Dhabi investment five-fold’, as such I think that there might be a new need to seek employment with Oracle. Now add to that the quote “Earlier this month, the Abu Dhabi government put out a call for the development of a single multi-cloud system that will serve more than 40 government entities” and you’ll see that there might be space for me too, either in Abu Dhabi or in Mississauga and the two cover a little over 20 hours a day coverage in a 24:7 setting. The nice part is that it takes time to get people up to speed, so I might have an advantage (merely a slight one). 

So as I am about to dream the day away on this rainy Sunday. I see the cogs of industry revolve around the settings of the world and I keep having happy thoughts.

So have a great day everyone, preferably less rainy than it is here.

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May 12, 2025 · 16:58

America’s shifting phase

This morning Arab News (at https://arab.news/9hjca) gave us ‘First Saudi-made THAAD system parts completed in Jeddah’ Saudi Arabia has been aiming for the need of internal national interests to have this done. We are given “Saudi Arabia has completed the first domestically manufactured components for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system launcher in Jeddah, marking a significant step forward in the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to localize its defense industry.” And as we are given “Tim Cahill, president of missiles and fire control at Lockheed Martin; Nawaf Al-Bawardi, assistant deputy of the General Authority for Military Industries; and Wasim Attieh, president of AIC.” We seemingly are all OK with this, this is not really news. Saudi Arabia was aiming for this all along. In this case the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system launcher (THAAD) was on show. But the story goes beyond that. I reckon that the FEINDEF 2025 (Spain) as from today was the second initial kick off, but there were other symptoms. There was the (DSA 2024) in Kuala Lumpur and the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX/NAVDEX) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I personally believe that Saudi Arabia kept close eyes on the ready date of this system as it allows them to gain interest from Bangladesh, Egypt and Indonesia, they might not be ‘big league’ material, but Bangladesh and Egypt represent almost $5 billion each and Indonesia represents $11 billion. Now, they don’t spend it all in one go, but Saudi Arabia is said to get a speculated part of that and even with a mere 200 million (over all three) that becomes a massive boost for the Saudi Defence industry, even more so, it would be revenue that America and Russia loses. Gives the expression “when two dogs fight for a bone, the third runs away with it” a new side to that equation. So as Lockheed Martin is locking in their services and consultancy for close to another decade, Saudi Arabia’s first delivery system is gaining strength in the defence industry. Bangladesh being 35th, Egypt 19th and Indonesia 16th. They are giving strength to the Saudi Defence industry. So as I saw that market evolve in February 10th 2022 in my story ‘Oh darn, I am missing out’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2022/02/10/oh-darn-i-am-missing-out/) with those decrepit tea grannies, it took Saudi Arabia a mere 3 years to evolve their own market. They now have their own industry. So cry “stop arming Saudi Arabia” all you like, the only thing they’d hurt was the British defence industry. And as I see it, they are about to do a lot more than hurt ‘the British business’, they are gaining political power by giving the Arabian nations and Asian nations their own voice, not hindered by America, Russian or British political powers. Now they (meaning Saudi Arabia) become the global political power player.

As I see that, I am reminded of the old setting that my granny complained about the essential need of the young to rely their technology, so I switched off her life support. How’s that for fun?

The world is getting smaller and the reach of every nation is increasing and now we see clear settings (not through alleged sport washing) that Saudi Arabia is becoming the larger power in the global arena. In the 2025 edition of “The Military Balance” from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is currently on the 7th place, yet if this takes off Saudi Arabia will be in a position to become 5th, optionally 4th and their defence industry will be making a profit as the Arabian nation will see that Saudi Arabia is the ‘friend’ to hold in esteem, as that starts happening Pakistan might also change vendor it is at present a mere $10 billion, but as it is only 12% of India, it might see reason to switch if Saudi Arabia is willing to talk shop and that is another slice of pie that will not end in America’s or England’s budget. As I personally see it a start has been made for Saudi Arabia to become less dependent on their oil industry. Starting ‘small’ is a beginning, so as Saudi Arabia creates more options. I reckon that they would likely evolve their drone industry next, Saudi Arabia is becoming a much larger industry. Only 5 years ago we would have seen an industry with America, Russia, China and the United Kingdom as players. Now even at 5th place, Saudi Arabia becomes the new player in town and that sets a new premise for global economies. Russia and America never had to share that revenue pie and I guess they will have to content with less as per 2026 onwards. 

A nice setting for Saudi Arabia who is likely to seek more revenue from Pakistan as it is outmatched to India at 2:1 in the best settings they can hope for and that allows for larger business benefits for Saudi Arabia. We tend to forget that war is business and their business is war. A little outdated setting, but we forget that it isn’t ugly to some, it is a payday. An essential need for any nation is to defend itself from enemies hostilities and that setting is over 2000 years old. It was given to us by Julius Caesar (that Italian dude). He did so in Commentarii de Bello Gallico at 50BC.

I reckon that the Saudi defence industry will be more than a simple blip by the time we get to 2027, still three years ahead of the schedule we saw 5 years ago. 

And as I personally see it, these tea grannies (CAAT) are still drinking tea, but the option for a biccie with that tea will soon be done for, because the revenue you hurt also impacts what you can have and they vied for less, so they will have less. I take my learning from someplace else. America decided to hurt Huawei as they were a threat, now we have HarmonyOS entering version 5.0, and Reuters gave us last November that ‘Huawei wants 100,000 apps on Harmony OS within a year’, and set that against Alphabet (Google) had announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce In January 2023, Amazon laying off 14,000 people in name of efficiency? (Source: MSN) and in 2023 Microsoft laid off approximately 10 000 employees followed by an additional 4 000 roles being cut in 2024. So with these big three ‘decimated’, who will counter Huawei? As I see it no one and now Huawei will have another industry to set foot in. Because all these Saudi systems require automation (as well as other options) as such HarmonyOS will be seen almost everywhere and that is only the beginning. Those who push to limit others, merely limit themselves and we have plenty of evidence there.

As I see it the shifting space of America is seeing that they never wanted other to be in certain places. This sounded like an idea in the 80’s when America was a global power, but they no longer are. They are mere steps away from becoming a third world country. You cannot remain a 3.4% military spending of GDP whilst being seen as a 37% of global spending. A 997 Billion invoice where in the fiscal year 2024, the U.S. federal government collected $4.92 trillion, not whilst you have $36.21 trillion in federal debt (and they cannot pass a budget either), it just cannot be done. As such the America setting will implode all whist their tech is set to impossible markers. 

As we consider this and we consider that the Russian stage merely sounds better (whilst it isn’t) there is every possibility that be 2027/2028 Saudi Arabia could become 4th or 3rd as a defence industry by that time. The idea that Saudi Arabia surpasses or equals America in three years is making me giggle. How the mighty fall, so how’s that for looking great, President Trump? It started on your watch in 2020 and almost a decade later you become allegedly surpassed by Saudi Arabia by 2027, a nice footnote in your memories and I reckon you will blame everyone but yourself in that writing. I am curious what the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center will give us. I reckon that Saudi Arabia will have a few nice surprises in that show. I am willing to bet that Huawei will have a stand there to in showing us what the Internet of things driven by HarmonyOS will give the world.  I reckon you need to reserve tickets for the event  on February 8-12, 2026 now. As I see it the first day will be for the larger customers, so February 8th has been sold out to preferred customers. So, when will you optionally go? 

I won’t be invited, so let me know how the snacks were, they tend to be magnificent at these events. Now I’m hungry, time for some peppered crackers. Have a great day.

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September 17, 2024 · 23:46

Point of service

That is at times the question. We are so overwhelmed with cost and points of profit that we ignore the essential first step. What is a point of service. Luckily the United Arab Emirates gives us this setting. The Khaleej Times gave me (really) early this morning (at https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/travelling-to-uae-free-esim-with-10gb-data-launched-for-tourists) ‘Travelling to UAE? Free eSIM with 10GB data launched for tourists’ This is an absolute wow moment. In stead of getting ripped off with roaming costs and so on, you have the option of a free eSim with 10GB of data. 

2GB keeps me in power for days, as such this solution will have a decent setting. It might not solve all issues you have, but you have a solution that will get you to your hotel with internet. I (paranoid as I am) see a few hitches, but ‘it can be self-activated by simply scanning a QR code’ an eSim option at any airport could relieve so much stress, it might not get you call options initially, but you have options. The press release gives us “A statement issued by the UAE’s largest telecom services provider said that visitors can activate their ‘Free Visitor Line eSIM’ as soon as they pass through immigration. The free eSIM also comes with 10GB of complimentary data and is valid for a day, ensuring visitors can connect with loved ones and access essential services immediately.” So it might just be for a day and that is enough. You can email family and friends where you are and from there find a more wholesome solution. Perhaps they will even have that as well. Remember, by handing out a free eSim (even if it’s just for a day) could easily be converted into a month for a few dirham more (AED35 to be exact, which amounts to $9.5) business from service, a not so novel idea that has been forgotten for too long. The first step is offered free of charge and with that in under an hour you will have emailed all your friends (both of them), gained your bearing and the quickest way to your hotel. From there you will learn where the free wifi is (of buy some option that doesn’t make you poor in roaming cost). And in this case the provider Etisalat and has you covered with a free internet connection for a day. And that is dirt cheap, I have paid a lot more for less bandwidth. They offer 30 minutes of talk time and up to 5GB of data. A simple setting but think of it, you merely need to be reachable and you have to be able to read your email. All that for a mere $10 bucks. That is beside the point that you got your first day for free, a complimentary gift from the UAE government. I say, it is all kinds of a win with a shawarma and an ice-water and coffee all around. 

I think that these kinds of service points will gain the telecom company a lot of visibility. It might merely be Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the first instance, but when this gets going it will be a visibility all over the middle east. Now consider how many people pass an airport. Dubai is (as I recall) in second place with 86,994,365 (2023) people clocking in. Now consider Jeddah (42,910,407 passengers), Doha (45,916,098 passengers) and Cairo (14,711,500 passengers). Now consider what options Etisalat and has in the coming future. They might not all select them, some of these passengers are coming home and already have a provider. The simple equation is that they be able to show others how good their services are. 

I just think that someone working from the point of service perspective has options and they get an increasing amount of opportunity. For me, it was just another pleasant surprise coming to me from the United Arab Emirate, via the Khaleej Times that is. 

Have a great day you all and as I am now 20 minutes from the start of the middle of the week (Wednesday), you all enjoy the rest of Tuesday left to you. 

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