No, Dubai will probably not become a start-up hub: "The Top 20 Reasons Not to Move to Dubai"

1. No, that's not true. Taxi drivers usually have a <i>great</i> sense of direction and locations. It takes time to get used to giving directions by landmarks, but that isn't always necessary. Houses are usually in areas where it is easy to reference the community, street, house number etc. Apartment buildings have names, and if you name the location, street and building you're fine. I've never been "expected to draw a map". Mail delivery to your door is not impossible.

2. Got nothing here, unfortunately. Etisalat (the oldest and primary ISP) does do this, but mine (my parents still live there) does not. I speak to my parents using Skype, I can play poker online and since the ISP is privatized (Etisalat is not), they aren't bound to obey the Islamic laws that make Etisalat filter content through a proxy.

3. There isn't sand everywhere. It is in a desert, but if you walk around you won't get covered in sand. It is incredibly hot though, yes. But so is Texas.

4. First, the author complains that there aren't enough plants. When the government solves this problem, then it becomes an issue of water consumption. All water is desalinated, and the government foots the bill. By the way, Dubai has more greenery than Manhattan.

5. I don't know where this author went, but of course there is poverty and so there are going to be poorly maintained toilets. In 20 years in Dubai, I never had to use anything that wasn't a proper, Western-style toilet. Oh, and Burj Al-Arab is a 5-star hotel.

6. There were issues with labor exploitation, and I can't argue that this isn't a problem. Unless you're working in construction or something along those lines, this isn't going to affect you. I have never met anybody (neither has anybody I know) that has had their passport taken from them for a decade.

7. That is true. Dubai is very expensive. But this isn't a secret: http://www.citymayors.com/economics/expensive_cities2.html

8. This is just idiocy: break the law and you will be fined. I actually find the way the city of Dubai manages intersections very well. Everything is clearly marked out, if you can turn on red then there will be a separate lane to do so that will actually turn off. Cops are much more ubiquitous than claimed; "weeks" driving around without seeing one? Bah, maybe in your driveway.

9. And now we're insulting people on their religious beliefs? If someone wants to dress like that, let them. You are under no obligation to do so. In the summer, I walk around in shorts and sandals. 15% or so of the population is local, and I guarantee you not everyone dresses like that.

10. Maybe people stare at her because she is hot. Or extremely ugly. Or because she is a white girl who for some reason thinks she should be wearing a full burkha. As I already mentioned, around 15% of are local, so it's not like they haven't seen a white girl before.

11. No, it isn't. Prostitutes are illegal. There are also prostitutes in New York, London, Tokyo, etc. etc.

12. No. Alcohol can only be sold for on-site consumption at bars and restaurants in hotels and some clubs. To buy it for yourself at home, you have to go to government-approved stores (African & Eastern is the company that has the distribution rights) and buy from them. Yes, it is expensive. Canada does this in much the same way (government stores that are more expensive than they would be in, for example, the United States). The liquor license isn't needed to consume alcohol in your house, it is needed to buy alcohol.

13. One by one: for rent: I've never heard of this, and I can't attest to it's accuracy, as my dad owns his own business. For telephones: I think this is wrong. I have friends who have walked into stores and gotten their own phones. In fact, there are special cheaper tourist packages that have shorter expiry dates etc. Satellite? Again, can't speak for sure, but I am going to say this is wrong, just as I've never heard it.

14. There is no road where the speed limit is 160 kmph (100 mph) in the United Arab Emirates. Kids are kids. Kids in Dubai aren't more prone to be stupid.

15. "Litte business"? No. Weekends are what they are for religious reasons--Friday has the religious signifance in Islam that Sunday does in Christianity.

16. Dubai has MBC2, which was, at conception, the world's only free-to-air movie channel. I've watched lots of big-name movies on there. As with all other channels. Television is syndicated late for the most part because American networks don't feel that the UAE is a market worth giving premiers to. As for commercials...come on. If a show is 42 minutes long and is put in an hour slot, the time has to come from somewhere. Commercials repeat regularly--this isn't a problem only with Dubai--because companies bought two slots. That's it.

17. This is because the author is unfamiliar. I've mentioned what I think about the roads already.

18. Are we back on taxi drivers again? There is some definite racism by a white person here against people who are normally from in and around India.

19. Speeding is a major problem, yes. I'll be the first to say that I won't be surprised if Sheikh Zayed Road has the highest per-capita death rate on the planet of any single road. 30% tinting is allowed to anyone, local women can get much higher because they can take off their burkhas in the car to drive with unhindered vision but with the security that their face won't be seen by a man that isn't their husband.

20. Touché.

There's about 50 words of <i>real</i> complaint spread into 20 link bait points. Hilariously enough, the author mentions "tax breaks, multi-cultural environments, and beautiful buildings" which to me, are incredible. There are few countries, nay, cities, in the Middle East that are as welcoming and appealing to expatriates. They should take her visa away.

<quote>It has spectacular beaches, but is not Australia. It is one of the world’s most secure destinations, but is not Singapore. It has opulent city hotels and superb beachside resorts but it is not Bali. It has world class shopping, but is not Hong Kong.This is the Insiders Guide to Dubai, city of merchants, cultural crossroads, and surprises. A Scientific Approach - Your goal is to move to Dubai, to find a excellent employment there, to purchase real estate and take advantage of the booming market. How do you accomplish your dream? As in any pursuit, determination helps, but it takes more than determination to relocate to Dubai. It takes facts. Anyone can thrive in Dubai, the now and future playground of the rich and famous, after getting The Insiders Guide to Living in Dubai, UAE.</quote>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_economic_zone#United_Arab_...

Most notably:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_Internet_City

I will always maintain that because of the internet, it should have very little impact where you are physically, unless you absolutely have to network with people like pg in person. In this case, the only place to be is on an airplane jetting between locations chasing after such important people because they are not always in one place (but most likely all are somehow connected to San Fran).

i do however think that if dubai wanted to fix anything on the list, it would happen with dictators speed.

George Saunders has a great study of Dubai in his essay collection, the Braindead Megaphone. He mostly focuses on the exaggerated class division between guest workers and the rich natives. The book is worth picking up for the other essays, too, but certainly if you're interested in an intelligent Western perspective on Dubai. He was there as a tourist and journalist, not a resident, though.

you can get four years for 0.05 of a g of cannabis

Web-startups probably don't mop enough cash fast enough to be interesting yet. ??