What’s this?


Right, it’s Nokia’s CP-218 wrist band that currently sells at 7,99 EUR and moves your (GPS enabled and mp3 playing) phone to one of your arms/wrists.
With such a dead simple design, it’s almost crying for a DIY approach. But then….why bother if you can buy it?
Comes with an extra hole for headphones and just adds value to any portable device you’ll want to carry around while doing sports.
AOB: LINK OF THE DAY! ==> Opera@USB , a portable version of the popular Opera browser for use on your USB / flash drive. Totally awesome speed, comes with great features and is a must-have on my collection of portable tools on a flash drive.
I’m starting to compile a list of interesting technology events happening around the continent. If this ends up being useful, I’ll create a page to keep it updated. Let me know if you like it, or if there is someone already keeping a calender of sorts.

Upcoming events to watch (chronological):
West & Central Africom - “The premier meeting place for communications decision-makers to discuss the key issues facing the market.”
Dates: June 18-19, 2008
Location: Abuja Int’l Conference Center in Abuja, Nigeria
Barcamp Nairobi ‘08 - A local “unconference” for Kenyan techies, web designers and bloggers. (disclosure: I’m part of this)
Dates: June 21, 2008
Location: Jacaranda Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya
APPFRICA - a new technology conference and thinktank.
Dates: July 31, 2008
Location: Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda
WordCamp SA - For all bloggers in and around South Africa.
Dates: August 23, 2008
Location: TBD, in Cape Town, South Africa
Barcamp Kampala - Another unconference pops up for Uganda - looking forward to hearing about this one.
Dates: August 29, 2008
Location: TBD, Kampala, Uganda
MobileActive ‘08 - A conference on mobile technology for social impact.
Dates: October 13-15, 2008
Location: TBD in Johannesburg, South Africa
[If you have a good tech conference coming up, let me know.]
The bodies of Roads Minister Kipkalya Kones and Assistant Home Affairs Minister Lorna Laboso are wheeled away after they arrived at Nairobi's Wilson airport, Wednesday, June 11, 2008 after being recovered from a crash scene.
Hello,
This one is a very light-hearted phone conversation between myself and my two younger sisters. This one is for anyone who might be thinking of or is raising some immigrant kids. Hope you derive some value from it.
The Stats
Ages: 10 (11 on 16/6/2008) and 14
Occupations: 10 year old is in primary school, 14 year old is in high school.
The Interview
Among the things covered are:
1) Making friends
2) Race and relationships
3) Cultural differences
4) The way children treat their parents
5) Is it easy to stay healthy?
6) The first thing you see when you exit Melbourne airport
7) Obesity and the girl with sugar water
Make Sure You Subscribe to the Podcast
I have scheduled interviews with experts and people from all over the African diaspora. To receive word as soon as i have published these interviews make sure you subscribe to the Displaced African podcast via either RSS or by searching for “Displaced African” on Itunes.
Be blessed and bless others,
Mwangi
Read a chilling eyewitness account of another recent hijacking incident on the same highway.
Chris Kirubi Charged Over Uchumi
In a welcome move that is bound to send shockwaves right across the country, well known businessman Chris Kirubi was this morning charged in a Nairobi court with conspiracy to defraud Uchumi supermarkets.
The charge sheet says in part that Kirubi who holds directorship in various companies in the country sold a building belonging to Uchumi supermarkets along Aga Khan Walk and then leased the same building back to the same supermarket. He was charged along with a former managing director of Uchumi and a number of former directors as well.
Mr Kirubi denied the charges and was released on a cash bail.
What Happens To Sane People When They Go To Parliament?
Anybody who digs a little deeper into the personal lives of Kenyan legislators will be shocked at what they will find. Frequent sex with under-age prostitutes along Koinange street is just a tip of the iceberg. Interestingly I have passed on to Chris some rather shocking revelations (all confirmed by several independent sources) about the love lives of the two legislators who perished this week in an air crash and I have already been informed that the startling details have been included in this week's raw notes.
With short term trading, you have to speculate which shares are going to be most volatile. In this case you see profits immediately but if you speculate on the wrong stock, you might end up losing part of your investment capital. If the company you are vested in is fundamentally strong with a strong upside potential, you will lose out on big potential gains if you were to cash out too early. For Safaricom Shares: To go Short or Long Term? The Right Way Revealed One of the advantages of short term investing ……..READ MORE

I arrived at KNT at around 7.30(fashionably late for an event that slotted to start at 7.00pm Coz I know Kenyans and keeping time). I thought I'd start hearing sounds of music or some powerful spoken words electrifying the rather cold evening but all I got was the blaring sounds of NTV jioni with news of Waititu (now our MP) clinching the Embakasi seat despite also having a pending court case- apparently he had tried bribing a Kenya Anti corruption official (ehehhehe, talk of being addicted to corruption and being stupid at the same time). I was undecided over who should get that seat, a self confessed corrupt thug or a silent double dealer in adopting lights and only using the name Muthoni to appease the very many Kyuks living in Uyole and Karoifang'I (kyuk version of Kariobangi) but I digress.
As I walked upstairs, I could see Grandmaster engaged in a heated argument with one of the staff at Wasanii. The crowd was seated outside at the terrace ardently watching news. At first I thought I’d gotten the timing wrong, maybe it should have been at 8.00.I looked around for some familiar faces and in seeing none, just resolved to seat somewhere I could also contribute my eyeballs to the glimmering screen.
Grandmaster finally came around and I wanted to know what was happening. Apparently the Wasanii management had bailed out on him a day to the event, they never provided the equipment nor a DJ to work on sounds and stuff. He was so annoyed his baby locks were all up in the air seemingly straightened by the anger. He was courteous enough to explain his predicament and his next course of action, I advised him to check out the great place whose name I can’t seem to remember that is located at Chester house (lovely artistic ambience). He was collecting contacts and would send guys info on the new date and venue.
James Murua walked in as we were discussing this and his reaction was like mine, “Am I too early or too late” he asked.
Well, all was not lost, Murua joined us and we started discussing Grand Masters’ online wars with Eudiah Kamonjo. I honestly fail to understand the need for artists to use the net for personal attacks against fellow artists. I do reviews and critiques on this blog and the essence is in the content of the reviewee or critiquee (u get the drift) and not what they were wearing or their performance whose essence was irony and humor (the piece grandmaster is being attached for is ‘I am the Hip-hop Dunderhead). That just goes to show that the person doing the critique is either 1. feigning to be one 2. is like a fish out of water (they have no idea of what they are reviewing/critiquing),3. They have personal vendetta or all 3 combined.
I think that the one thing that sets aside artists from other people apart from spotting the dreadlocks trademark is in their clothing and this only goes to depict creativity, lack of confinement in corporate suites and Kenya uniforms (the phenomenon with Kenyan ladies of always wearing the clothes in fashion).
Anyway, the rift is giving Eudiah a lot of hits to her articles on haiya, so maybe that was the whole idea.
Back to Wasanii. We left the place at around 9.30 after hearing a rags to riches story from Murua on how his Nairobi living website (always referred to as a blog) started and how far it has brought him. I was all ears, pen and paper on hand to write notes on – Making money off your blog. My only problem is, I can’t compromise my love for art with gossip. Then again, it doesn’t all have to be about money. Call it a lab our of love.
Check out Grand Master’s Wall on face book for updates on the real debut Ignite Poetry show
“As to the pure mind all things are pure, so to the poetic mind all things are poetical”
After a rather long absence, Poetry at the Daas is back(this Ethiopian place is becoming quite a hit with literary events, Poetry evenings, storymoja and soon, a slum poetry compe!, do we call it the Poetic Meca or Zion?, your pick)
Someone spoke of little fires lighting up in the Nairobi scene signifying impending literary rennaisance, possible?
Naliaka, please keep the fire burning(am starting to sound like a reggae artist....lol)
Rhythm & Spoken
Poetry and open mic night
Dass Ethiopian Restaurant
Woodvale Grove,(close to Havana), Westlands
Friday 20th June 2008
Entry: Sh100
Starts: 8:30p.m
Performances: 9:00-10:30p.m
Neo-soul/Rare-groove after-party
Call/text: 0728293632
“As to the pure mind all things are pure, so to the poetic mind all things are poetical”
In the budget proposals tabled by Finance Minister Amos Kimunya yesterday was the populist but timely suggestion that members of parliament and holders of constitutional offices be taxed for the first time in Kenya.
There was some enthusiastic foot-thumping in the august house when Hon Kimunya made the proposal, but one wonders if the same members of parliament are capable of voting through such a radical proposal that would affect them directly. The tradition of the Kenyan parliament thus far has always been to increase its’ own perks and not to decrease them.
Indeed this would be the perfect way of reducing the MPs fat pay cheques which has been an issue of great concern by the Kenyan public quite often eliciting great anger.
But public outcry has never concerned MPs too much and the vast majority of them have done as they wished. Increasing their own salaries as a matter of priority and quickly forgetting the needs of the voters who sent them to the house in the first place.
In fact anybody who digs a little deeper into the personal lives of the legislators will be shocked at what they will find. Frequent sex with under-age prostitutes along Koinange street is just a tip of the iceberg. Interestingly I have passed on to Chris some rather shocking revelations about the love lives of the two legislators who perished this week in an air crash and I have already been informed that the startling details have been included in this week's raw notes.