This week’s editorial musings
from magpie’s nest<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quote:<\/mark><\/strong> Just remember: what you\u2019re seeing and what you\u2019re reading is not what\u2019s happening Donald Trump<\/em> …<\/p>\n\n\n\n What’s a Tamaas Festival?<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s happening\u00a0this evening<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in NYUAD\u2019s East Plaza, it features three terrific acts (Yasmeen Hamdan<\/strong>,\u00a0Maruja Lim\u00f3n<\/strong>,\u00a0Al-Qasar<\/strong>), and it looks a bargain at The Arts Center\u2019s standard AED 105 ticket price. But what makes it so special? We asked The Arts Center\u2019s main man Bill Bragin about the thinking behind it and why those three were selected for the programme.\u00a0Here’s our feature<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Signing with Spotify<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> Dubai Culture has signed a MoU with Spotify<\/strong><\/a> to support \u201ctalent development, professional growth, and long-term sustainability in the music industry\u201d. We\u2019re not sure what\u2019s actually involved\u00a0\u2013 the press release has lots of vaguenesses about \u201cthe exchange of insights\u201d and \u201cprogrammes that expand access for Emirati and UAE-based artists to resources and platforms that support professional growth, enhance competitiveness within the music sector, and deepen audience understanding through specialised data and analytics\u201d as well as \u201cpractical support designed to help creatives sustain and progress their careers\u201d and \u201ca series of music-led projects that spotlight Dubai\u2019s creative community\u201d. So maybe Spotify is going to allow access to some of its voluminous data about listening habits and algorithms for pushing specific music towards the individual user; maybe they will contribute to some joint professional development programmes; and possibly there will be actual live music events. The irony of course is that Spotify famously pays artists less than just about every other streaming platform<\/strong><\/a>, so its lessons for musicians probably won\u2019t include too much about actually making a living from music\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prizes for places to go<\/mark>\u00a0<\/strong>The blooloop Innovation Awards<\/strong><\/a> (which celebrate creativity and innovation in the visitor attractions business) include some spectacular tech and brilliant ideas. Winners included some UAE candidates \u2013 Ferrari World\u2019s Esports Arena<\/strong><\/a>, Yas Waterworld<\/strong><\/a>, a couple for SeaWorld Yas Island<\/strong><\/a>, and first place in the \u2018Immersive Experience \u2013 Culture\u2019 category for teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi<\/strong><\/a> (which is as it should be) …<\/p>\n\n\n\n All that glitters<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> Someone hasn\u2019t got the message about Dubai being keen to moderate its international image\u00a0\u2013 a key feature of the newly announced Dubai Gold District<\/strong><\/a> will be \u201cthe world\u2019s first Gold Street<\/strong>\u201d. Yep, that\u2019s a street constructed from gold, \u201ccreated as a distinctive attraction for tourists and visitors to the district\u201d …<\/p>\n\n\n\n UAE does AI<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0The UAE has an AI adoption rate<\/strong> of 64%<\/strong>, the highest in the world<\/strong> in 2025. That number\u00a0is the proportion of the country\u2019s working-age population that used AI at least once during the second half of 2025. Singapore is 2nd at 60.9%, with other early adopters like Singapore, Norway, Ireland, France, and Spain in the 40-47% range. Microsoft\u2019s Global AI Adoption in 2025<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0report looked at AI usage across 147 countries worldwide; the average was just<\/strong> 16.3%,<\/strong> with the US sitting at 28.3% despite all the tech bro promotion …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Capital laughs<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> Abu Dhabi is getting a new standup venue \u2013 Dubomedy is bringing its Friday Night Comedy<\/strong><\/a> format to Nalu<\/strong><\/a>, the restaurant\/lounge in the Surf Abu Dhabi complex on Al Hudayriyat. First night of what we\u2019re told will be a regular gig is tomorrow. The Dubai original at Social Distrikt has become a staple of the city\u2019s live entertainment scene, particularly because of the surprise drop-ins by big names. For Abu Dhabi, we’re told that\u00a0“audiences can expect big laughs, rotating killer line-ups, and a weekly comedy experience done right \u2026” It’ll be interesting to see how well this venue holds up, given that it’s a bit of a schlep<\/strong><\/a> from downtown Abu Dhabi. Details here<\/strong><\/a> …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diary dates<\/mark><\/strong> Art Basel Qatar<\/strong><\/a> opens 5 Feb;\u00a0Vivaldi<\/strong><\/a> rescored for Arabic instruments is next for the\u00a0UAENO’s repertoire (7 Feb); the Jameel’s Creative Career Days<\/strong><\/a> are back to point the young in the right direction (7-8 Feb);\u00a0Animenia<\/strong><\/a> returns to Manarat Al Saadiyat 11-15 Feb for five days of cosplay and J-pop culture …<\/p>\n\n\n\n Useful app of the week<\/mark><\/strong> ScreenLight<\/strong><\/a> transforms any Chrome browser tab into a beautiful\u00a0minimal light source \u2014 good for video calls, but also handy for photography or just ambient lighting while you work. Select colour and hue, temperature, ambient presets, and the ability to add notes or doodles to the screen. It\u2019s great to have running behind a video call app like Zoom. More here<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something for the weekend<\/mark><\/strong> With Chains<\/strong><\/a> you link one word to another to create \u2026 well, a chain. Links might be synonyms, related terms, parts of a name \u2026 You can set the degree of difficulty, and there\u2019s a cryptic version too which is pretty fiendish.\u00a0Try it here<\/a>\u00a0…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Things we didn\u2019t know no.94<\/mark><\/strong>\u00a0Dubai is estimated to have 30% of all of the cranes in the\u00a0world\u00a0<\/strong>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earworm of the week<\/mark> <\/strong>Al-Qasar ft. Mamani Keita & Cheick Tidiane Seck : Promises<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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