The first paper addressed the national initiative for the PC and presented by Ibrahim bin Talib al-Wardi, Head of Infrastructure Operations Division at Information Technology Authority (ITA) in which he said that the initiative contributes to eradicating digital literacy and increase the number of users of computers among members of the Omani society as more than 80,000 computers have been distributed so far, in addition to seeking to increase the number of users of the Internet and encouraging citizens to communicate with the outside world, access knowledge and training of the beneficiaries of the initiative.

Maj. Khalifa bin Ali al-Zaidi from Royal Oman Police presented a working paper on the use of information and communication technology in reducing traffic accidents, while AbdulAmir bin Sabah al-Lawati, Head of Systems Department at the State’s Financial and Administrative Audit Institution (SFAAI) presented a paper on e-complaints window applied by SFAAI since 2011, explaining in his presentation the terms of reference and role of SFAAI.

The paralleling exhibition was opened, where the Sultanate is participating by showcasing its e- initiatives to reduce road accidents and the role of information and communications technology in reducing the gap and raising awareness to the importance of commitment to traffic safety laws in the Sultanate.

Ministry of Health’s project which won the award of the Information Society Summit 2013 will be displayed to highlight the benefits provided by the project as the platform of the Sultanate at the Exhibition which is a centre of awareness for all the activities at which the Sultanate is involved during the conference as conducting of workshops, meetings and symposia.

His Majesty, the Sultan has directed for a Royal Grant bestowing one free PC targeting specific segments in society in order to make the PCs ownership affordable by subsidizing their costs. The government represented by ITA executed this task through approved retailing outlets targeting the specific segments in order to bridge the digital divide and enhance the local capabilities and increase the PC and internet penetration rate as part of its e.Oman strategy.

The National PC initiative aims to address two main issues in ITA’s strategy, namely, capacity building and PC penetration. The program intends to build capacity in the general population by creating a PC bundle offer that is affordable, provides value and includes a basic training module. The latter is designed to get the citizen off to a ‘fast start’ in his ability to use the core system and the Internet and in doing so increase the PC penetration rate.

The initiative consists of allocating one free PC for each beneficiary family of the Social Welfare Beneficiaries (SWB) scheme that has at least one child or more registered in the K-12 school system, as well as granting one free PC per student in these families who are presently enrolled in higher education institutions. The grant also includes a subsidy on the cost of a PC for students in the first year of study in any higher education institution in the Sultanate. In addition to Ministry of Education teachers who are graduates of the Government IT Training and Certification programme (GITTC) which is a digital literacy programme run by ITA and targets civil servants.

To date (Feb 2013), a total of 84,368 PCs were distributed, among which 16,955 PC bundles (laptops) were distributed to the beneficiaries of the SWB in a number of the Sultanate’s wilayats (villages) as part of the Royal Grant bestowed by HM Sultan Qaboos. This grant will enable the different categories and segments of the society to use computers and internet and to promote their participation in the building of Oman’s Digital Society.

In line with the PC Initiative, Omantel (a telecom operator) also offered free-of-charge internet services to the recipients of the Royal Grant. It will also provide them with free modems and exempt them from the internet connection fees and monthly charges estimated at 12 OMR (30.96 USD). This is in addition to granting a monthly 1 GB free download service for families and students belonging to the SWB category for a period of one year. Higher education students and teachers will also benefit from the Royal Grant will by receiving the same for a period of three months.

Through the PC Initiative, every stratum of society in Oman will have access to a computer and the internet, enabling them to be able to interact, transact and communicate effectively in a digital society.

With the success of the national PC initiative, the PC penetration rate increased to (> 66 % in 2012) versus (< 20% in 2003). Also, national statistics show that the internet penetration had increased to more than 70%. As a result, the Network Readiness Index (NRI) sub-index Global IT Report 2011 individual readiness sub index jumped 47 points from 87 to 40. In addition, more civil service employees participated in the GITTC Programme (>57K) in 2012 vs. (18K) in 2010. This indicates better response to the programme as now certified trainees afford to purchase their own PC which is bundled with software and internet connectivity.

Saving Lives: Using ICT to Serve Government – NGOs Partnership for Road Safety (Royal Oman Police and NGOs – Safety First Company)

Road accidents in Oman, at an alarming rate, have become a matter of serious concern to families and to the community at large. A joint solution envisioned by all sectors and individuals has been going on for the past years. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s directives for collective effort of the government, private sector, and individuals to enhance the Omani society and develop its capabilities and knowledge in order to achieve social safety. The Royal Oman Police (ROP) is the concern government body, represented by the Directorate General of Traffic, which is in charge of road traffic and provide direct services to the public in Oman. Among other duties it organizes road traffic, applies traffic rules, regulations and laws, carries out safety awareness campaigns, activates speed monitoring devices (radars) and conducts traffic researches. The ROP also work closely with United Nations organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF on road safety issues. In addition, a National Committee for Road Safety (NCRS) was founded and headed by ROP aiming at developing a unified comprehensive strategy to reduce traffic accidents and their effects by finding solutions to all traffic problems within the general development in the Sultanate.

In all its efforts, ROP cooperates with stakeholders from government entities, citizens and residents and non-government organizations such as the Oman Road Safety Association (ORSA) and Safety First Company.

ORSA key activities include advocacy and awareness training, capacity building and supporting research in the field of road safety. The association aims to develop community based prevention programmes such as organizing walks and one-to-one awareness campaigns in different locations targeting the general public as well as carrying out sustainable projects and surveys on road safety in partnership with other stakeholders.

Safety First is an independent, not for profit, road safety organization. Safety First exists to reduce the number of road accidents and fatalities in Oman by 50%, by the year 2020, aiming at contributing to the future prosperity of Oman, making roads a safer place for all road users. It was formed by the former world rally champion Hamed al Wahaibi and the international professional footballer and Oman team captain Ali Al Habsi. Safety First works with the Government, Police and society, creating and running awareness-raising campaigns, community education programmes, events and providing road safety consultancy to private companies, in order to develop and implement long term awareness campaigns that will put an end to dangerous road behavior by informing, engaging and empowering people to make safer decisions when using the roads. This will support reducing the number of accidents and fatalities on Oman’s roads. Safety First focus its activities on using ICT mainly the online social media tools such as facebook, twitter, youtube and mobile technology.

Panellists:

Dr. Salim Sultan Al-Ruzaiqi, Chief Executive Officer, Information Technology Authority (ITA), Sultanate of Oman
Mr. Hassan Fida Al-Lawati, Team Leader – Projects, Digital Society Development Division, Information Technology Authority (ITA), Sultanate of Oman
Major. Khalifa Ali Al Zidi, Traffic Systems Supervisor, DGIT, Royal Oman Police (ROP), Sultanate of Oman

We interviewed Nicholas Carr, the author of, “The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains,” about how the Internet is influencing us, our creativity, our thought processes, our ideas, and how we think.

Seven people have been charged in New York over the heist, which allegedly stretched across 26 countries.

An eighth suspect is thought to have been murdered in April.

The network used fake cards to target banks in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, court documents said.

Prosecutors said law enforcement agencies in Japan, Canada, the UK, Romania and 12 other countries were involved in the investigation.

Arrests had been made in other countries, they said, although details were not released.

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/bJJHXG6K4lI” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

‘Laptops not guns’

“The defendants and their co-conspirators participated in a massive 21st Century bank heist that reached across the internet and stretched around the globe,” Loretta Lynch, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

“In the place of guns and masks, this cybercrime organisation used laptops and the internet.”

Members of the scheme allegedly hacked computer systems to steal data on prepaid debit cards. The cards are pre-loaded with funds rather than being linked to a bank account or a line of credit.

They cancelled withdrawal limits and distributed information to accomplices referred to as “cashers” around the world.

The cashers then loaded other magnetic stripe cards, such as gift cards or old hotel keys, with the stolen data and used them to withdraw huge sums.

The first alleged raid took place at the Rakbank in the UAE in December. Criminals were able to conduct 4,500 transactions worth $5m across about 20 countries.

Prosecutors believe the group broke into the Bank of Muscat based in Oman in February. In the space of 10 hours, casher cells withdrew $40m from ATMs.

According to the indictment of the New York defendants, they quickly moved to launder their cash, opening a Miami bank account and pouring money into cars, including a Porsche and a Mercedes, and Rolex watches.

Seven people have been arrested and face charges of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and money laundering.

The accused ringleader of the cell was reportedly murdered in the Dominican Republic just weeks earlier, prosecutors said.

“Our message is clear. Law enforcement should not stand by as cybercriminals target our global financial system for their own ends,” Ms Lynch told reporters.

She added that the attack was the “largest theft of this type that we have yet seen”.

About 78,000 people have applied to become Red Planet colonists with the nonprofit organization Mars One since its application process opened on April 22, officials announced today (May 7). Mars One aims to land four people on the Red Planet in 2023 as the vanguard of a permanent colony, with more astronauts arriving every two years thereafter.

“With 78,000 applications in two weeks, this is turning out to be the most desired job in history,” Mars One CEO and co-founder Bas Lansdorp said in a statement. “These numbers put us right on track for our goal of half a million applicants.” [Mars One's Red Planet Colony Project (Gallery)]

Mars One estimates that landing four settlers on Mars in 2023 will cost about $6 billion. The Netherlands-based organization plans to pay most of the bills by staging a global reality-TV event, with cameras documenting all phases of the mission from astronaut selection to the colonists’ first years on the Red Planet.

The application process extends until Aug. 31. Anyone at least 18 years of age can apply, by submitting to the Mars One website a 1-minute video explaining his or her motivation to become a Red Planet settler. (You can also watch other applicants’ videos at the site.)

Mars One charges an application fee, which ranges from $5 to $75 depending on the wealth of the applicant’s home country. United States citizens pay $38, Lansdorp said.

When the application process closes, reviewers will pick 50 to 100 candidates from each of the 300 regions around the world that Mars One has identified. By 2015, this pool will be whittled down to a total of 28 to 40 candidates, officials said.

This core group will be split into groups of four, which will train for their one-way Mars mission for about seven years. Finally, an audience vote will pick one of these groups to be humanity’s first visitors to the Red Planet.

So far, Mars One has received applications from more than 120 countries, officials said. The United States leads the way with 17,324, followed by China (10,241) and the United Kingdom (3,581). Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Argentina and India round out the top 10.

“Mars One is a mission representing all humanity, and its true spirit will be justified only if people from the entire world are represented,” Lansdorp said. “I’m proud that this is exactly what we see happening.”

The announcement of Mars One’s application flood comes in the middle of a big week for manned Mars exploration. Scientists, engineers, NASA officials and a range of other Red Planet exploration advocates are currently meeting in Washington, D.C. for the Humans 2 Mars summit, which runs through Wednesday (May 8).

And today, famed Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin released his new book, “Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration” (National Geographic Books), which was written with veteran space reporter (and SPACE.com columnist) Leonard David.

Held for the first time in 2007 at Sultan Qaboos University, this years’ event has been expanded to a three-day event which will take place at Sohar University on May 5th, Majan College University on May 6th and Sultan Qaboos University on May 7th.

Team scores will be based on four criteria including whether the egg has landed unharmed without cracks or dents, whether the egg itself has touched the ground, if the egg lands within the landing zone and finally, the creativity and performance of the egg-landing machine.

Each team must consist of two students but only one of the team members will be allowed to access the 15m high platform. The egg-landing machine must not be larger than 1 cubic meter (1x1x1), should not weigh more than 5kg and must not contain any materials that could impact or contaminate the ground.

As prizes, the winning team from each university will receive a beginner’s course in kite surfing. The second place team will win a scuba diving experience and the third place team will receive go-karting tickets. The overall winning team will experience an all-expenses paid trip to Sky Dive in Dubai.

Event Details

Location
Oman (Map this address )
Start
MAY 4, 2013 at 10:00 AM
End
MAY 7, 2013 at 6:00 PM
About

Are you ready to defy gravity? At the Red Bull Gravity Challenge we are looking for people who are prepared to work against gravity with wit and a great deal of imagination. The challenge? Who can manage to drop an egg from the dizzying heights of 15 meters and get it to land safe, sound and unscathed? Have your brain juices started flowing? If so, get to building!

Sohar University
4th May; 10:00am-12:00pm
the green Area

Majan College University
6th May; 11:00am-1:00pm
At the Parking lot

Sultan Qaboos University
7th May; 3:30pm-6:00pm
At the College of Engineering

Addressing the third Oman Power and Water Summit, which began at Al Bustan Palace — A Ritz Carlton Hotel yesterday, Dr Al Hinai stated: “After the Fukushima accident and following the safety and security concerns of establishing a nuclear programme, Oman followed the examples of other countries such as Japan and Germany not to pursue a nuclear programme but instead, to benefit from nuclear power applications.

“Let us mention that Oman is also seeking alternative sources of energy in solar, wind and wave energy, due to the propitious climate and geography of the region.” The three-day forum has been jointly organised by IQPC Middle East and Global Exhibitions and Conferences (GEC) in collaboration with the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW).

According to the official, the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which includes Oman, had voiced their intention at the 27th session of the GCC Supreme Council in Riyadh in December 2006, “to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and to consider developing nuclear technology as a joint programme for the region”.

Following a resolution to that effect, the IAEA was approached in 2007 with a request to formulate a joint executive programme of action and to conduct a preliminary feasibility study for the use of nuclear power to generate electricity and water desalination for the Gulf countries. Member countries of the GCC have since adopted a varied approach towards nuclear energy projects, he said.

The Sultanate, for its part, has pursued a joint work programme with the IAEA which has since given rise to six Technical Co-operation (TC) projects, the envoy said. In addition to scholarships and training initiatives, a number of workshops have also been organised with the support of the Vienna-based UN body. One important spinoff of this co-operative arrangement has been the joint development of the IWAVE project together with the Philippines and Costa Rica, Dr Al Hinai said.

“This project will develop the national capacities for scientific and technical support through the use of sophisticated isotope techniques, together with other related techniques, for gathering and aggregating the required data with a framework that enables experts and specialists to perform precise evaluations of water resources, specify their qualities and their best utilisation,” he explained.

More recently, the Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Health, had approached the IAEA to study the 50 per cent jump in the cancer incidence in the GCC — a trend linked to the ageing population and lifestyle changes. The study, dubbed the IAEA imPACT Review Mission, was conducted in January this year to assess the Sultanate’s cancer control capacity and needs.

“The imPACT report sent to the Ministry of Health provides recommendations to the Omani health authorities so as to better address the cancer burden. In the long term, and through such state-of-the-art nuclear power applications, it is expected that people diagnosed with cancer will see their chances of survival increased and can enjoy a better quality of life,” the official stated.

In his presentation, Dr Al Hinai also traced the development of nuclear energy programmes by fellow GCC members, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The UAE has already launched work on a $20 billion programme that will see four commercial nuclear power reactors brought into operation by 2020. Saudi Arabia too has plans to construct 16 nuclear power reactors over the next 20 years with a cost of approximately $80 billion, he stated.

Source: Oman Daily Observer

seemuscat.com, Muscat’s Probably the largest Free Classified Ads Website, Has Now Been Launched.

Buying a car or renting a flat has become easy, it is just a click away. seemuscat.com offers users the opportunity to place advertisements quickly, easily and completely FREE!

Users can advertise, and equally Businesses, Trades users can advertise their products and services completely FREE of charge on their Classified.

With a wide range of sections which include Cars, Accommodation, Electronics, Furniture, Pets, Services and so much more, www.seemuscat.com is a hassle free and covenant tool for every buyer or seller in Oman.

Users have access to their own personal account which they can set up within seconds. In addition, users can place an advert, edit and renew at any time completely free of charge. Placing your advert is incredibly simple and users can upload supporting imagery and text to get their message across.

Business Development Manager, Will J. Blake commented, “We are delighted to offer people an alternative online platform to the current classified advertising websites that are available in the market. Our objective is to give the community a first class, quality and easy to use website to advertise on without additional hassle and cost that usually accompanies it.”

Website link -> http://www.seemuscat.com/classifieds

“A rare gem of a game that transcends ages and looks as good as it plays.”
- Gaming Illustrated, Rating: 92/100

“Awesome racing game with heavy physics coming at you from all angles.”
- Slash Gear

Description
Drive your hot-rod beach buggy as far as you can into the uncharted depths of a mysterious tropical island!

Swerve and smash through a gorgeously detailed and completely destructible world packed with Tiki statues, grass shacks, giant crabs, lava monsters…even yetis! Explore sun-swept beaches, secret caves, fog-shrouded swamps, ruined temples and erupting volcanoes in this action-packed quest of discovery and mayhem!

Build a performance-boosting collection of upgrades and powerups! Unlock new vehicles like the Lightning muscle car and Rock Stomper monster truck. Upgrade your cars and customize their paint jobs. Collect wacky new characters. Unlock and upgrade amazing powerups like the fire-spitting Boost, the coin-tastic Coin Bubble, and a Shield that turns you into a unstoppable smash-everything force of destruction!

Link to download to your phone -> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vectorunit.yellow&hl=en

Whats app Video
صاحي : “صاحي تون” 2 – “بشارة” إلّحق وظيفة بقوة الصاروخ!!

صاحي : “صاحي تون” 1 – فهمتكم يا وزارة التجارة

Oman hosted the Imagine Cup 2013 local finals on March 20, 2013 for the second time in the country . More than 400 Omani students registered for Imagine Cup 2013. Five teams out of nine qualified for the local finals event. The event started with a short video about Imagine Cup followed by a brief introduction about the judges.

Imagine Cup 2013 Oman Local Finals – Judges

Each team was given a specific time frame to showcase their project:  5 minutes to prepare the stage, 15 minutes to present their project and another 5 minutes to answer judges’ questions. According to the rules, no extra time was allotted. The stage was prepared with two screens to display the time, one of them was placed in front of the team and the other one in front of the judges.

1. Team ARMZ    | Project ARMZ
2. Team AnaCode    | Project I Found It
3. Team Imagine Xone   | Project Pregnanion
4. Team Thrizers   | Project Readx
5. Team ARMZ   | Project VolunteerBook

• Team: ARMZ
• Project: “ARMZ“, a Windows Phone app which deals with the user’s requests, by speaking or typing, to provide them all the information about a given topic.
• Technologies used: Visual studio, Azure, Blend, .Net, Windows Phone SDK.
• Institute: Sultan Qaboos University  -College of Applied Science, Nizwa.
• Joined Imagine Cup previously? Yes, one member ( Zuhoor Bani Sa’ad – team Grawesome | IC 2012).

• Team:  AnaCode
• Project: “I Found It“, a social media hub which helps the user to write an idea and find other interested users & specialists to talk with them and start building the idea.
• Technologies used: Windows 8 SDK, Windows Phone SDK, ASP.NET, Azure, Skydrive, SQL Server.
• Institute: Sultan Qaboos University.
• Joined Imagine Cup previously? Yes, two members (Omaima and Nouf – team Grawesome | IC 2012)

• Team: Imagine Xone
• Project: “Pregnanion“, an app for pregnant women. It supports different languages, so the women all around the world can use it to have a good health for them and the baby, as well.
• Technologies used: Windows 8 SDK, Windows Phone 8 SDK, Visual Studio 2012, Bing maps,8) Nokia maps , BingAds.
• Institute: Sultan Qaboos University.
• Joined Imagine Cup previously?  Yes, only 2 members (Malik and Osama – team Brothers forever | IC 2011)

• Team: Thrizers
• Project: “Readx“, a Windows 8 app which aims to help dyslexic children. It helps them to deal with the real world. Besides, it allows the children’s family to know the children’s level by asking some questions when the app is opened.
• Technologies used: Visual Studio, Expression Blend, SQL , Windows 8 SDK.
• Institute: Higher College of Technology, Muscat.
• Joined Imagine Cup previously?  No.

• Team: ARMZ
• Project: “VolunteerBook“, an app which allows the user to know more details about the volunteer activities related to health, education, environment and many other fields.
• Technologies used: Microsoft Visual Studio, Azure, Blend, .NET, Windows Phone SDK, Windows 8 SDK.
• Institute: Sultan Qaboos University  – College of Applied Science, Nizwa.
• Joined Imagine Cup previously? Yes, one member ( Zuhoor Bani Sa’ad - team Grawesome | IC 2012 )

The winning teams from Oman at Imagine Cup 2013 Local Finals were announced as below:

• 3rd Place winner: Project VolunteerBook | Team ARMZ
• 2nd Place winner: Project Pregnanion | Team Imagine Xone
• 1st Place winner: Project Readx | Team Thrizers

Congrats, team Thrizers!

Team Thrizers consists of 3 members: Marwa alHabsi, Safa alMukhaini and Asya alJabri They didn’t expect to win the local finals as they faced a timing issue while preparing the stage (The time was over and they were not able to finish their presentation). However, against all odds, they still won the challenge!

A huge shout-out to all the participating teams in Imagine Cup 2013 | Oman for their inspiring efforts, hoping that they carry on their innovative ideas and projects forward.

 All the best Team Thrizers! Hope you make it big at the Imagine Cup 2013 World Wide Finals (8-11 July) in St. Petersburg, Russia!