Well it has finally happened. The amount of attention this article has been getting means that I shall forever be tied to this domain and this blog:

I liked the separation between Mentalacrobatics and Daudi Were but hey it was time anyway.
Some advice if you want to remain anonymous as a blogger.
My only regret: that I never got around to finding a way to write a post with a link to goatse on this blog. Now that I have to be sensible, I probably never will.
(By the way http://goatse.cz/ do not open, don’t, just don’t, and do not OPEN. DO not, DON’T. NSFW! Just leave it alone, leave it, and don’t even think about it. Just smile and wave, just smile and wave and walk on by. I didn’t even hyperlink it so you’d have to cut and paste it, which is just sad. Just leave it, you’ll thank me for it. hehe.)
So that’s it, from now on, all sensible. I remember when people used to think that I was the other Daudi in the blogosphere. They would stay stuff like, that’s where you write your sensible stuff and Mentalacrobatics is where you mess around. Ha! The cheek. Especially when you consider that 90% of the people who read this blog think I am waaaaaay to serious for life.
Happy days. There are some bloggers who enjoyed revealing my name to newer bloggers (like it was big secret) and urging them, I imagine in a silly sinister voice like Skeletor from He-man, to “Google his name”. That would make me laugh because up to last week the top Google for Daudi Were was this page, so the new bloggers would email them back and say, ” Wow Mental is a serious scientist!” which would irritate the perpetrators even more, and apparently induce serious hallucinations (usually centred around imaginary “hacking”). Usijali one day nitatoboa vibaya - complete with screen shots, transcripts and recordings like my name was Githongo
Happy days, eh, happy days.
The end of an era. No more food for thought, no more coming out the closet, no more big red buttons, all sensible from now on in. Promise!
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Mashin’ up with Granny Teller. Pls enjoy :-)
Ever since I first heard someone mention that mobile phones were “Africa’s PC” I was hooked. I still am. My most recent trip to East and Southern Africa has done nothing but confirm my thoughts on the mobile platform as Africa’s connectivity device. As much as I love the OLPC, and I know it will have an impact, I can’t help but think that it won’t reach to the base level of technology needs in Africa.
My simple formula for African technology:

All of the issues that people point to as problems for web connectivity in Africa - be it low bandwith, poverty, the technology learning curve, access to software and hardware - are solved with this one device.
Further thoughts on mobile applications for Africa were spurred on by some meetings with different individuals while in South Africa and Kenya. Angus Robinson, a South African mobile consultant, and I had a good discussion on some of the older hash-based services available through the carriers. Earlier that day I had discussed some services (J2ME) that about 4 million South African youth were using called MXit.
In Kenya I was a part of the Mobile Toolkit Workgroup meetings where the group was trying to come up with a package of educational material, software and services for NGOs. While there I met up with Geoffrey Muthondu, a young man who is working with Nathan Eagle’s EPROM project to create a mobile stock trading platform.
I talked late into the night with young techies in Nairobi about how we can change East Africa with the right mobile applications. In Uganda I spoke with the principals of Simba Telcom, MTN and a small web/mobile shop that is trying to revolutionize the way people communicate. The talks with this group left me charged up - these are exciting times to be in the tech space in Africa indeed!

The resounding story is this; Africans, and those creating things in Africa, are doing it with the mobile phone. It’s not that they are ignoring the web, it’s that they realize first-hand that the mobile phone is the platform of the masses. Any serious penetration of web-like structures, information and connections will have to take place there.
So, what to keep your eyes open for? Look at the following spaces to see who is developing in them:
Don’t think that these will be just SMS, or just data. The future is a mixture of voice, java apps, SMS and web connectivity. It’s where the web and mobile worlds meet. In fact, anyone who is serious about Africa will not just develop for the web, or just for the mobile phone, they have to address both.
Lost in translation
At one of the evening dinners at TED Global I ended up sitting next to a group of Americans and we started discussing the TED bags that each one of us got. I told them the best thing in the bag for me, apart from the bag itself, was the torch (each bag came with a small yet powerful LED torch (number 6) ).
When I mentioned this, there was short silence, then they asked me,
“You got a TORCH?”
“Yeah”, I reply wondering why they would be so impressed. OK it is a bloody good torch but still.
“In your TED bag?”
“Yeah.”
“Can we see it?”
“Sure.”
I pull it out of my bag wondering which company these guys work for if they have never seen a torch before. Once they saw it, however, the disappointment on their face was telling.
Perplexed I ask them, “What did you expect?”
They explained that when I had said torch they thought I meant open flame, fire, as in burning torch, you know those things you dip into petrol and light at the end, to them that is a torch. You know, like that guy in the Fantastic Four who runs around on fire that is a torch.
To them what I was holding in my hand is a flashlight. To me, a flashlight or a flash is something you stick on top of camera when you want to take pictures in the dark.
OK I can see now why they were initially impressed. Imagine having one of those open flame “torches” in your rucksack just waiting for an opportune moment to light the petrol.
I blame Micro$oft and their “English (US)”!
How the players play
I asked another bunch if this was their first time in Africa, they said yes, they had been in Morocco for a couple of days and then flew to Arusha. So I asked them if they flew through Nairobi.
No, they said they flew straight from Morocco to Arusha.
So now I’m looking at them wondering what kind of a muppet they think I am, why the hell they would lie to me so badly, I mean which airline flies direct to Arusha from Morocco?
Just before I launched into a mini argument with them another Kenyan next to me notices the look on my face and whispers to me, “You guy, they came in their own plane.”
OHHHHH!
Serena Mountain Village, Arusha
Everyone thinks they had it going on but seriously the TED Group at Serena Mountain Village was fantastic. One of the guys predicts the future, another one is a leading Nollywood director, one has built the building with the most solar panels in Africa, one had a brilliant way of keeping intellectual debate going and another had the guts to show this picture during his 3 minute talk, meanwhile this geezer gave the best 3 minute talk any roommate of mine has ever given at a TED conference, at the same time Manu and I spent time debating the merits of a good single malt.
The TED veterans ensured we mixed and to be honest they even outlasted us and still sounded coherent at 5am. A better bunch of crazier yet interesting and completely unpretentious people you would not meet. All we were missing was a neo-con! I think there is a conspiracy going on here, aren’t neo-cons allowed to have passports by the US authorities? I have never met an American who says they voted for Bush. Aren’t they allowed to travel and leave America?
The lodge is very romantic and very honeymoon like. Luckily my roommate has already been on his honeymoon a couple of years back.
A Radio!
You may have heard that due to the generosity of the Google and AMD each of the TED Global Fellows will soon be getting a new Mac or PC laptop. What you may not have heard is that due to generosity of Noah Samara from Worldspace each fellow is also getting a satellite radio and an annual Worldspace subscription. As you can imagine we went, as a famous Kenyan blogger would put it, bananas. But I quickly realised I was going bananas for a different reason from everyone else. All the other fellows are going nuts over the Macs (is anyone seriously choosing a PC?) But me, I was going bananas over the radio.
Walalala.
Satellite radio, for one year. Yani I can wake up at 3am and tune into what the good people of Papua New Guinea are up to? And I’ve always wondered what the theme music for radio news in Peru sounds like. Now I’ll know. On News Year Eve I’ll start listening from Time Zone 1 and check out how each time zone celebrates the New Year! Imagine how many countdowns I will catch! Yeah ok, Macs are cool, very very cool. Lakini, you guy, a radio with a ka small satellite dish, come on now, what is cooler than that! Seriously!
Body no be wood
Umm well, yeah umm, ah ehhhh hmmm!!! If you know you know, if you don’t know, you don’t know, or ask a Nigerian. Don’t ask Google, it will just confuse you! However BNBW in the TED Global context may be slightly different from the traditional context. We kinda switched it into an ICT cheetah thing, (cough cough), let me just put it this way, YMMV, and I do not mean THAT mileage.
Kilimanjaro International Airport
Is there any reason why Kisumu airport can not be expanded to look and feel like Kilimanjaro airport?
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Is there any software solution available that generates datasheets (e.g. in PDF format) out of a database content within a given style template?
Or should this be realized by web technologies such as a CMS + database + CSS templates with the already given “save this page as PDF”-button?
I am asking because currently, ppl here are compiling technical datasheets in a three column MS Word document (with some sample pictures), exporting it into PDF with a proprietary PDF tool by Adobe (which of course isnt installed on all computers but instead only on one machine due to licence costs…) and then have to beg the corporate webmaster to include the file into the weekly uploading batch.
Any hints are much appreciated. Thx!

Inspiring, innovative and representative of what Africa’s future holds.
William Kamkwamba is a 19 year old Malawian who built his first windmill at 14. Here he is, pictured just this last week doing some work on his windmill near his home.
The propellers are made of plastic pipes supported by sticks to that they should not bend when the wind is strong and placed almost vertical to the direction the winds is coming.
Unlike in most windmills where the propellers directly turn the spindle connected to the turbines directly, William added pulleys to his machine to increase speed thereby generating more energy.
There are three pulleys and the last is connected to a bicycle wheel. When this wheel turns it turns a dynamo which in turn generates electricity.
Read his blog for inspiring stories about making things work in rural Africa!
Read more on William’s Windmill blog in Malawi.
We’ve been talking about this some time ago over at Hash’ website: the unknown potential that gets lost while ppl are busy developing (double) content for something I would like to describe as the anglosphere and the francosphere. Two worlds that co-exist and generate their own dynamics.
Is it so?
And if so, will there be any attempts within the blogosphere (at least) to unite these two worlds separated by language barriers?
I don’t know how they solve it in West Africa (comments plz), but when I look at Europe alone at this given moment - Germany, France, England - although neighbouring countries and empires for ages, the language barrier still exists. Especially when it comes to the folks on the ground - bloggers, for instance. How many bloggers in Germany or the UK actually read french blogs? Yes?
And given my assumptions are true, what do you - dear readers - think? Should there be any umoja-styled website for “all Africans”? Not because of any false & ancient “Africa is a nice country”-perspective, but because of the missing potential that gets lost whenever smart brains contribute similar content in their own languages.


The participating countries in the programme are Niger, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria. Basically, the aim of the free trade zone is to eliminate tariff regimes inhibiting persons, goods and services originating from the affected countries. Consequently, all barriers impeding the free flow of goods will be dismantled.
Entrepreneurs today have transformed to become a new breed of business-savvy individuals. Although they may come from all corners of the world, they still possess the same qualities. You should check out these qualities in order to know whether or not you fit the description of an entrepreneur.
1. Patience Most successful entrepreneurs understand the need for patience. After all, Rome was not built in a single day. From formulating a strategy to planning and implementation, you should know that it will take time. If you are not normally a patient person, you can make a realistic plan complete with an acceptable timeline. This way, you will be focused on meeting each deadline and not on how long each portion of the plan is taking. Make use of this time to explore and look at your plans on every angle. Conduct researches and interviews to verify information.
2. Organized Because most entrepreneurs establish businesses single-handedly, being organized is a must. You must be able to manage your time and resources well in order to maximize their full potentials. If you are having difficulties managing your time, you should consider looking for effective ways to accomplish this, such as making lists. Most entrepreneurs manage excellently because they have learned to discern which among the many tasks at hand is least important. Prioritizing is the key and even if many people say that there is no single formula for establishing a business, you will learn eventually that effective time management helps immensely.
3. Perseverance As an entrepreneur, this quality is important for the simple reason that businesses do not succeed overnight. You should expect bumps along the way and some losses. If you are willing to look at these setbacks as challenges and opportunities to persevere and work harder, then your decision to be an entrepreneur is right, but if you feel disheartened at the first sign of trouble, then this is not the career for you. Entrepreneurs usually welcome these obstacles because they test flexibility, adaptability and of course, perseverance.
Becoming an entrepreneur requires you to have a complete set of entirely new qualities. Luckily for you, these qualities can be considered as skills that can be acquired through dedication or commitment. Now that you have realized that establishing a business is exciting AND very challenging, you should prepare yourself for any unexpected problems, the good news is you will learn a lot from all these situations and gain much enlightening and rewarding experiences.