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23:11
Bye-Bye 401(k), Hello 201(k)
» For Love and Money Bye-Bye 401(k), Hello 201(k)
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21:36
pick your ride
» Kenya Imagine Pigs with pretty lips and pitbulls. Metaphors are good for political campaigns. Unkind perhaps, so much fairer to use a single object to describe everyone, like a train say.
More.
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Spring was coming, spring is coming?
» Kenya Imagine Insect bites/mosquito stings on bare skin, butterflies crawling out of their cocoons, birds chirping. Sun shining, blue skies. Clear nights. The scent of mowed lawns, wet earth after a short bout of rain. The scent of manure (eeew); the smell of spring – achoo! Hay fever.
Spring was coming, spring is coming.
Read more here. -
private thoughts of a public man...
» Kenya Imagine Poet Mike Kwambo pulls the strings on our series on K-Street otherwise, called Nairobi's Red Light District. This poem could as well be meant for performance. Read on.
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George 'Mugabe' Bush
» For Love and Money George 'Mugabe' Bush
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17:11
Update on Ushahidi smart phone development
» Kenyan Pundit As Erik notes, we will be doing a lot more than smart phone development, but the team has been making great progress on the Java and Iphone apps (and soon Android) and we would love to get your feedback.
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15:28
International resistance to Zionism
» Black Looks Last Thursday, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network [IJAN] was launched at a press conference in London. The launch was chaired by Selma James together with Michael Kalmanovitz of the Payday Network and social activst and founding members of Matzpen, Prof Moshe Machover. The launch of IJAN is the culmination [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "International resistance to Zionism", url: "http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/10/international_resistance_to_zionism.html" });
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12:31
Kivuitu Headed For The Chopping Block?
» You Missed This Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} I always try very hard never to brag or gloat. So that is the last thing on my mind as I remind readers here about the warnings we gave to former Finance Minister Amos Kimunya that he would end up being used as a scape goat in the Grand Regency scum. Sadly Kimunya never saw it coming until it was too late and he was being undressed in parliament in a most humiliating way.
Now there is another man whose neck is rapidly headed for the chopping block and he does not seem to have the faintest idea. That man’s name is Samuel “I will not resign I did not beat up anybody” Kivuitu.
As you read this Kivuitu cannot travel to the United States courtesy of a travel ban slapped on 22 commissioners of the ECK. Although the travel ban has been imposed by a foreign power, at the very least this new development should have made the ECK chairman sit up and smell the coffee. Instead Kivuitu is busy discussing “retirement perks” and it would seem that he is even demanding more cash to leave office to make way for major reforms at the electoral body.
If truth be told, politics in Kenya has changed considerably since last December and the ill-fated general elections and the situation continues to be considerably fluid. Increasingly we are seeing public opinion and the will of masses winning the day. What happened to Kimunya should be a stark reminder of this. Kimunya’s case is particularly instructive because some extremely powerful forces were behind him and he made the mistake of thinking that this was enough “cushion” against anything. In fact Kimunya has been assured by these powerful forces that he will surely be re-appointed to the Finance docket in the next cabinet reshuffle by which time he will hopefully have been cleared from all wrong-doing. Ever wondered why for the first time in the history of the country we have an acting Finance minister (John Michuki) and yet the Finance minister is not sick or hospitalized?
Samuel Kivuitu seems to have sentiments that are quite similar to those that Kimunya had before he was quickly bundled out of office under intense public pressure. The difference is that Kivuitu’s ultimate fate could make Kimunya’s look like a walk in the park. There is an extremely high possibility that the chairman of the ECK might just end up behind bars.
There is no doubt that Kenyans are very upset. I dare say the vast majority of Kenyans are extremely angry about what the ECK did last December that cost the lives of so many innocent Kenyans, not to mention property of an untold value. But what has aggravated things is the insistence of people like Kivuitu and his fellow commissioners that they will NOT resign. This has just added insult to injury.
I am of course keenly aware that Kivuitu was taking instructions when he did what he did. Indeed Kenyans will remember that at one juncture he called a press conference where he fell just short of naming some very nasty Kenyans who “should not have been born” who seem to have put immense pressure on Kivuitu to announce some “prepared results.” A few days later that story together with a denial by the ECK chair that he did NOT sign a paid advertisement sent to the daily press detailing election results fizzled out. It was clear that somebody somewhere reigned Kivuitu back in line. Rumours have been flying that threats were made while others insist that cash was paid. Interestingly the Kriegler commission did not dare touch these bizarre chain of events that happened shortly after the election results were announced.
Now there is the business of the next general elections and there are high possibilities that certain powerful elements within PNU will want to distance themselves and their candidates from allegations of election theft. Now what better way to do this than to sacrifice a high-ranking official of the ECK?
The first time this information came to me, it sounded extremely far-fetched. But then I have remembered that there are a lot of other even more far-fetched things that have happened in politics over the last few months. One of them was of course the dramatic resignation of one Amos “I will NOT resign” Kimunya.
Of course Kivuitu and the commissioners would have been on much safer ground had they resigned much earlier this year, heading calls from most Kenyans and many bloggers here as well. But alas, that opportunity is now long gone. And there is real danger ahead for these guys.
Let us wait and see shall we?
Read more about the travel ban on ECK commissioners
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11:07
Real Estate Moment
» bankelele Real Estate Moment
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8:21
Count Down to the Pearl!
» Memories, Sentiments, Rants and Raves Its Monday at half four and it feels like there was no weekend. Thank God a few urgent things are done though there a few things that are pending with deadline being tomorrow. Pressure is mounting, all in days work. One thing that keeps me going and actually puts a smile on my face. This week ends on Thursday seeing that Friday is a holiday. On that very Thursday after work shall find me headed for the border.
I am off to Kampala with my girl-in-crime Shi, there is trouble to be made.There is a couple of cold Nile Special and some Ug with Gish on them. Some Pork at Zanzi, Rolex at Wandegeya and Katoko with Gnut sauce at my friends house. I can already see my favorite hangout joints as at the last time i was there in June 08. The best thing about the trip is the clique that is waiting, boy can they party, they never disappoint always a new place to discover.
Heres to three days of absolute throw down. All i can say there might be pictures. Can Thursday get here already!!!!
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Info-activism Camp for advocacy groups/activists
» Kenyan Pundit “Struggling to make an impact on your target audience? Are issues unresolved despite your best efforts? Are issues unresolved despite your best efforts? Do the internet, mobile phones or information design present exciting possibilities in advocacy but difficult to take advantage of? The Info Activism camp, to be held in Bangalore, India from February 19 to 25, offers rights advocates the chance to make a greater impact in their work.
The seven-day camp, organised by Tactical Technology Collective helps advocates to make the best use of information, communication and digital technologies to achieve their objectives. The first-ever international camp on info activism will feature 120 participants, picked through a competitive selection process, and who will not only learn but also share skills and techniques to aid in the process of advocacy. Workshops, group discussions, interactive sessions and live demos, which to a large extent will evolve from participants’ proposals, are all part of the one-week programme. Info-Activism is a compelling approach to launch campaigns and bring issues to light. The camp presents a great opportunity for rights advocates to enhance their skills.”
EDIT: Link has been fixed, apologies.
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5:03 Monkey see Monkey do
» AfriGadget When you visit Diani Beach, Kenya’s version the Florida keys, look up and you’ll see 20 rope bridges swinging over the highway - what’s that little bulge with a tail? Before you flash by, you will realise that it’s a monkey sitting up there. Yes it’s watching you! And then, a burst of action as an entire troop of black and white might start galloping across the wildly swaying bridge!
Colous on the Bridge
Colobridges were built by the Colobus Trust to save the rare Angolan colobus monkeys from road traffic accidents
Colobus road kill.."What's black and white and red all over" ... ok I agree, it's not funny.
Faced with a crisis that could eliminate the species in Kenya, innovative solutions were tried from Lollipop stick men at major monkey crossing points, roadsigns to slow down the speed, and education for taxis, stickers in matatus (local buses).
The Angolan colobus is one of Kenya's rarest and most beautiful monkeys found only in the forests of the South Coast
The bridges were the most successful. Designed locally and made of cable, rubber and PVC, each bridge takes a day to erect and costs about $500. The bridges connect two of the monkeys favourite trees on either side of the highway.
Watching the world go by
Being naturally shy, the colobus initially stared at the bridges gadgets with disdain until the more inquisitive and daring Sykes monkey began to see the logic. Once the Sykes and even vervet monkeys started using the bridges, the colobus followed suit, and are now very comfortable with their arboreal walkways.
This is an Amazing video of Colobus crossing a “colobridge” (Warning this video is GREAT but the link take you to another site - so read on first or you”ll miss the Australian madness)
There are now 23 ‘Colobridges’ and it’s estimated that they are used 150,000 time a year by at least three different species of monkeys! Amazing because there are only 300 of these Angolan colobus monkeys left in Diani where road kills are now rare.
Not for everyone: Bridges have also been deployed in Zanzibar to save the crazy looking Kirks red colobus but it looks like they aren’t clever enough to use them (some species are just slow)! Check out the photos of a confused monkey here
Confused monkey crossing on the road instead of using the bridge!
My plug for my favourite primate “Hug a colobus today”.
Colobridges go global or ‘Australia steals our African ideas’: Though they don’t admit it, the “colobridge” innovation inspired rope bridges to save freaky creatures in Australia too
No, not rats, but a family of ring tailed possums crossing a rope bridge (they look like a pack of terrified rodents to me)
Of course the Aussies always do things bigger and better… check this one out!
Mega rope bridge in Australia - it might help a koala, but not kangaroo's (I hear that road rage against roo's isn't uncommon over there)
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3:09
Zain knock out SafCon
» Rants, Raves & Reviews I have never liked how SafCon would rip us off with horrendous calling charges... so I tried to support KenCell-Celtel-Zain when I could.
I was a classic double/triple SIMmer... I had 3 phones:
- SafCon for SafCon to SafCon (it has the largest subscriber users)
- Zain to Zain (occasional use)
- Telkom to Telkom (they had corporate reach for intra-company calls)
Now... I am 95% on Zain. I will even return missed calls when I sign up for the "Unlimited Package" between 6am to 6pm. Yes... $1/day buys me 12 hours of unlimited talk time... granted... I start using it at 8am at the earliest & only on Zain... but I can talk & talk & talk...
I was on PAMOJA but since I have to call some (non-progressive) folks on SafCon, I changed (vukad) to VUKA. I miss the 3/- Pamoja but its only 20/- to change tariffs on Zain on weekends.
If only Zain had introduced VUKA before the SafCon IPO... I betcha the over-subscription would have been much lower.
Zain has unlimited - albeit slow - internet access at 3,000/- per month. I currently use SafCon coz of (1) speed & (2) pre-paid but if Zain were to give me 3G... I would vuka that over as well.
When Zain introduces their 1,000/- phone... I expect many more subscribers to migrate to Zain.
There are some hardcore Suffericomers there... but I laugh at them when I can call them at rates 66% lower than they can call me... as is... I hardly call SafCon anyway! My new habit when I have to call anyone on safaricon or orange is... do you have a Zain number????
So... safcon shares may not be as cheap as they seem at KES 4.80...
I have not been paid by Zain... but if Rene Meze is reading this... I am responsible for at least 25 migrations over to Zain...
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1:05
Re-framing Brand Africa (Tech)
» White African I’ve had some recurring thoughts over the last couple weeks, mostly pertaining to how technologists in Africa present ourselves, and how those outside Africa see us. How does “Brand Africa” - from the technology angle - play out, and why? What is unique that we offer to the world, and why should African technology matter in the global context?
It’s about “Brand Africa”
We need to re-frame the way we think about technology in Africa before we can expect others outside of Africa to do the same. Our challenge is to get people to realize that there is a real competitive advantage to developing and testing software in Africa. After all, if it works in Africa, it will work anywhere. The development conditions are unreliable and the environment is harsh. It isn’t fun to work off slow internet connections or deal with expensive and poor mobile phone networks. All of these things, and more, make just the technological side of developing in Africa a challenge, which is why it’s also a particularly good place to try new things.
If we embrace those handicaps, we might find that there’s a silver-lining inside.
African technology exported to the worldFring and Ubuntu are two popular products coming out of South Africa that have gone global. There are more though. When Ken Banks built FrontlineSMS, he first tested and developed it within the African context. Ushahidi is being developed in Africa because these are the conditions that will make it work anywhere in the world.
In the enterprise solutions space there are a couple companies that do some good work. Two examples of this are Herman Chinery-Hesse’s Softtribe in Ghana, and Microhouse in Kenya. Some of their solutions are for the local markets, and some are used in bidding on international projects.
Africa as a testing grounds for new applicationsThere’s a really neat application called Qik, which allows you to stream video live from your phone to a website. It has amazing potential for live video reporting, especially in a war zone. So, that’s just what David Axe did - and it failed miserably. Why? Because Qik designed their application not thinking of the unreliable and poor data connections found in much of the developing world.
David gives a couple suggestions:
First, there should be a “store” function, whereby you can shoot a video in some austere location, save it to your phone’s memory, then stream it later once you’ve got a solid network.
Second, Qik needs some way to buffer videos so that, if the software briefly loses its wireless network connection, it doesn’t also lose the whole video.
Granted, Qik is probably not aiming at a global market, just the US and Europe. However, it’s a good example of how creating or testing software to work in harsh settings can make your product more robust and help you think of simple solutions (like David’s) that can make your product better for everyone.
Final ThoughtsMost people outside of Africa don’t align any type of technological edge to what we do here on the continent. In fact, most are surprised when a developer from Africa pops up on the international stage at all. Though there are fewer software developers in Africa per capita relative to their Western counterparts, what most don’t realize is that those few are really quite talented.
This means the South Africans as well as their counter parts in Ghana, Uganda and Senegal. We’re all in this together, whether we like it or not. Remember, to outsiders we’re one homogeneous landmass. What we each do reflects on everyone, whether we’re creating for local or global markets.
Finally, let’s first realize that the challenges we face also provide excellent opportunities and a competitive advantage. Then, let’s start creating world-class software here, and start exporting it to the world.
(Brand Africa image via Brand Africa Project)