| Kippreport.com

Best of the Web, April 29th

April 29, 2011 8:05 by kippreport

Stifling online critics: Bloggers in the Middle East

Did you know that earlier this week an Egyptian blogger, Mikael Sanad Nabil, was sentenced to three years in prison for “insulting the military” in his blog postings after a brief trial by a military court with no defense lawyers present. It is getting increasingly dangerous to turn to the internet to voice one’s opinion here in the Middle East, even here in the UAE. Read this article to find out what The Economist has to say on the issue.

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Masdar City – a glimpse of the future in the desert

So the big question, is Masdar City, as noble an idea as it is. Is it a practical and feasible option? Kipp surely has an opinion on this question but if you are still undecided on the matter read this rather interesting article from The Guardian.

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Botox and Understanding Expressions

It is a well known fact that it is difficult to understand the expressions of those who have botox injected into their faces—but did you know that it is likely that those with botox are equally as confused with your expressions? What’s the logic behind this concept? This article argues: “And our own facial expressions, researchers now show, may be essential to recognizing the feelings of others(…) A good part of that process requires unconscious mimicry of the other person’s facial expression.” Fascinating stuff and intriguing implications. Read this article for more.

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Facebook Suspends Another (Real) Kate Middleton Account

Kipp isn’t quite a fan of the royal wedding, but we did find this article on poor users of Facebook and Twitter who keep getting their accounts shut down on account of them sharing the name of the lady of the hour.

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The Proto-iPad

Kipp’s not going to take the credit on this one. Gawker flagged up this pretty cool video from 1994 which show computer engineers planning and working on what looks like the first iPad. The video is a bit long (15 minutes) but if you’ve got the time this weekend, definitely give it some time!

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Tags: Botox, iPad, ipad proto types, middle east blog, middle eastern bloggers, royal wedding