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• July 04, 2009
• 19:50

  40 Years Gone, Impunity Galore

   » ‎ You Missed This
  Kumekucha

  
  

  

• 18:26

  Ooh Noo Amber Rose…Green Hair??

   » ‎ Vybes
  Amber Rose was  spotted in LA with green hair and bright out fit. What a good way to get some media attention and well, she got it! She is gorgeous but this is over the edge.

• 17:42

  Protected: Dwell

   » ‎ Delusions of Grandeur

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• 16:39

  You

   » ‎ MREMBO
  If your job consists of sitting at a desk. Thank your god. If you job has you sitting at a desk using your brain, even more thanks. If your job entails you actually using your education, your brain and sitting a desk, you need to make an offering of thanks to the powers that be. I [...]

• 14:12

  E+, oder wieso ich manchmal keinen Netzempfang habe…

   » ‎ Kikuyumoja's realm

  Tags:  Ujerumani  

  Dieser Tage habe ich mich gefragt, ob es noch einen besseren Anbieter für meine Mobilfunkbedürfnisse als Blau.de gibt. 9 cent in alle Netze, 9 cent für SMS, 0,24 € / MB versurftes Datenvolumen und dazu noch eine bequeme, automatische Aufladung, so dass der ursprüngliche Nachteil von Prepaid entfällt.

  Alleine: das E+ Netz ist so dermaßen beschissen, dass ich mit meinem Telefon manchmal keinen Empfang habe. Ist das Handy (ein Nokia N95, letzte FW) im Dualmodus eingestellt (GSM oder UMTS, je nach Verfügbarkeit), bucht es sich als UMTS-Gerät ein , im Display wird 3G und ein deutlicher Antennenempfang angezeigt – aber Telefonate kommen einfach nicht durch. SMS kommen dann entsprechend auch mit Verzögerung an. Abhilfe schafft hier nur die Rückstellung auf GSM-only (und das ist auch nicht 100% verlässlich).

  Ich habe auch noch eine Fonic SIM-Karte, die ich in Verbindung mit der Tagesflatrate für 2,50€/d und einem 3G Modem (im Netbook und als PCMICA Version fürs Notebook) verwende. Fonic bietet fast gleiche Konditionen wie Blau.de, allerdings im O2-Netz und ohne Kreditkarten-basierter automatischer Aufladung.

  Das eigentliche Problem scheint also im Netz zu liegen – oder aber Prepaid-Kunden haben eine andere, geringere Priorität im Netz (kann das sein?). Beide Netze (E+ & O2) sind nicht so rosig, und das obwohl wir hier mitten in FFM in fast direkter Sichtweite zur nächsten Basisstation wohnen.

  Im März 2007 schrieb ich schon mal über meine Erfahrungen mit Vodafone (DE), deren Arroganz bis heute anzuhalten scheint. Vodafone hat eine (vergleichsweise) super Netzabdeckung bzw. -verfügbarkeit, vermag mit dem Rest aber nicht zu überzeugen.

  Ab dem 3. Quartal kommt das Nokia E72 auf den Markt, welches eine gute Mischung aus den beiden favorisierten Handytypen Nokia N95 und Nokia E71 darstellt (QWERTZ-Tastatur, Monoblock, 5mpx Kamera). Selbstverständlich liegt da die Überlegung nahe, dieses Gerät im Herbst über einen subventionierten Handyvertrag anzuschaffen und dabei einen modernen 24-Monatsvertrag abzuschließen, der preislich mit den Prepaidtarifen konkurrieren kannn.

  Bisweilen verwende ich hauptsächlich die günstigen Internettarife der Prepaidanbieter sowie deren 9cent Einheitstarif(e). Bei T-Mobile muss man sogar teilweise noch eine Tagesnutzungsgebühr iHv 0,19 € bezahlen, dass man überhaupt surfen darf. Solche hohen Kosten sind natürlich auch ein Grund dafür, wieso mobile activism in Deutschland immer noch nicht richtig ernstgenommen wird. DSL ist vorherrschend und mobile Internet”flatrates” zumeist bis 5GB Inklusivvolumen gedeckelt (oder aber ab 1, 5 oder 10 GB in der Geschwindigkeit drastisch reduziert). Im E+ Netz (= Blau.de, Simyo, AldiTalk, etc.) ist sogar nur eine UMTS Geschwindigkeit bis 384kb/s möglich, was mich aber nicht wirklich stört.

  Manche Entwicklungsländer sind hier bedeutend fortschrittlicher und günstiger! Und ja, dies hängt sicherlich von vielen Kostenfaktoren ab und lässt sich nicht 1:1 von Land zu Land übertragen. Fakt ist aber unbestreitbar, dass die Mobilfunknutzer in Deutschland unverhältnismäßig mehr zahlen als eigentlich nötig. Bestes Beispiel neben dem überteuerten mobilen Internetzugang sind die immer noch hohen SMS-Gebühren. Lese ich dann ein Angebot (z.B. T-Mobile iPhone Tarife), in dem mit 40 InklusivSMS geworben wird, kann ich nur traurig lächeln. Sind subventionierte Handys ein Grund für diese Mischkalkulation? Oder sind die deutschen Verbraucher einfach nur zu träge für eine Revolution?

  Zurück zu meinem Empfangsproblem: gibt es einen Anbieter, der preislich mit den o.g. Angebot konkurrieren kann und dabei eine gute Netzverfügbarkeit anbietet? Welche Angebote / Verträge habt Ihr und könnt Ihr etwas empfehlen? Vielen Dank!

  
  

  

• 14:10

  Sade’s New Album (And, Staples Center Tickets To Michael Jackson’s Funeral)

   » ‎ kaasa
  According to Sony BMG, Sade’s new album should be out in September… I’m at Thabiso’s and we’re watching  the ‘Sade Live’ DVD… Still too jetlagged to do anything constructive. Also, I wish I was one of the lucky few to get tickets to the Michael Jackson funeral at the Staple’s Center in L.A. My friend was [...]

• 14:05

  Kenya Cup Results

   » ‎ Rugby in Kenya
  Kenya Cup Results

• 10:00

  M4Change Nairobi

   » ‎ bankelele
  
  
  The Mobile Tech for Social Change camp (m4change) was held last Saturday (June 27 2009) at Strathmore University Nairobi, and was staged by @afromusing and @jessicacolaco
  
  More presentations and pictures are at the Wiki page, and these are my notes from attending a brief part of the talk on mobile applications in the morning
  
  - With regard to mobile applications e.g. MPesa, (developers should) just create them, and let users sort themselves out e.g. a credit society that has 4 managers who are signatories, each one enters one (secret) digit of the society mobile PIN# to enable a mobile transfer transaction
  - Wanahabari is a text to mobile application for journalists
  - You can buy prepaid electricity via mobile phone in Rwanda
  - Alternatives mobile browsers to opera include skyfire and mobileXL
  - Safaricom is buying out leading developers in Kenya who may develop applications that compete with them (is that a bad thing?)
  - While there is demand for Safaricom to avail an API for Mpesa, it is owned and controlled by Vodafone (UK)
  - If you have an account at Consolidated bank of Kenya and others, you can use a mobile phone to transfer money from your bank account to your Mpesa account
  - Fibre mirage?
  (i) The cost of last mile connectivity in Kenya is still high e.g. one example cited was a quotation from a leading ISP in Kenya for $10,000 to extend the fibre just 300 metres
  (ii) Even though fibre can make speeds more than 17X faster today, the ISP will only make gradual increments of 2X every few months to fool customers that they are always upgrading/improving
  - There is no adequate consumer protection group/lobby in Kenya to agitate for better services. The communications commission of Kenya (CCK) regulator does not respond to consumers complaints
  - Only Safaricom has a 3G license in Kenya (the cost is astronomical) and so far only deployed in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu
  - Safaricom has developed Mpesa bulk payment/transfer systems. Example given was to enable payments to farmers in Mt. Kenya region
  - A great resource for mobiles in development is the CGAP site (World Bank)
  - M-pesa heralds a shift from branch based banking to agent based banking with examples (at CGAP)
  - Safaricom partnership with western union to enable transfers from UK to be sent to recipients mobile phones. Still being tested with safaricom employees, but will probably be as expensive as a regular western union transfer.

• 9:59

  Happy Independence Day

   » ‎ For Love and Money
  Happy Independence Day

• 9:37

  influence and inspiration (1)- Raphael Saadiq

   » ‎ make mine a double espresso...
  
  
  
  if you don't know who this is...
  i don't even know...
  the musical genius behind tony toni tone, and lucy pearl
  the guy responsible for TIMELESS classics like anniversary, lay your head on my pillow and my favourite song ask of you.
  me and this song have had some history. i heard it first in the nineties, and i just liked the way it made me feel. i was younger than ten years of age and i remember feeling tingly... i didn't know what the name of the song was, i didn't know the name of the artist either...
  i heard it again in 2004, i was in a matatu* on my way home. i didn't get off at my stop because the song still wasn't over...
  i looked for that song for the next FOUR years and finally found it by accident on a friends computer. i cried!!!
  
  it's one of those songs that if a dude was ever to make me a mix tape, it should be the first track. it's the most played on my iPod, i play it when i'm in the shower, when getting dressed, before i sleep... and it still hasn't gotten old!!!
  
  i have listened to it now over 100 times and i still get that tingly feeling.
  that's good music.
  
  the awesomeness that is RAPHAEL SAADIQ...!

• 7:59

  Pyongyang Go Ballastic

   » ‎ Vybes
  Via BBC North Korea has test-fired a series of missiles in an apparent act of defiance on 4 July, American Independence Day. Reports say at least seven Scud-type ballistic missiles were fired, with a range of about 500km (312 miles). South Korea and Japan called the latest tests, which follow several others in recent weeks, an “act of [...]

• 6:53

  1,000+ Tweets Later…

   » ‎ KA-INVESTOR
  
  This is yet another excuse for a real post. I guess I’ve been spending far too much time on twitter and neglecting kainvestor Blog. Six months of tweeting has seen me post over 1,000 tweets (not much compared to a few twitter gurus) ranging from simple links on business issues and other news to very personal tweets. And its proving to be addictive, that is if you find your self thinking in 140 characters constantly!
  
  For those who have not yet discovered Twitter, it is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables users to send and read others' updates, simply known as tweets. Phenomenal if you ask me, but who am I to say.
  
  Looking back at some of my tweets, I think I have loosened up a lot on the personal information front. Something that is not quite easy to do in a blog post here (Ask @PinkM with her new ‘serious’ blog). From following 251 tweeps, being followed by 330 of them (bless them all!) and 1,022 Updates, I’ve made great online friends.
  
  I would highly recommend following @bankelele, @coldtusker, @kachwanya, @InvestingInAfrica @Alykhansachu and @moseskemibaro for some serious business insights. @Ayittey for a serious dose of Africa leadership reality. @kahenya @roomthinker, @ArcherMishale, @alfredmutua and @mwaikibaki for some funny tweets and my friends @michaelmusau and @teyie if you don’t mind not getting any updates from them.
  
  Funny that no one really answers the one simple question, ‘what are you doing?' the guys at Twitter.com brain stormed and came up with.
  

• 5:44

  No Deaths under my Watch.

   » ‎ Still Proud to be Kenyan.
  I found myself in a very peculiar position yesterday. I had a meeting in the morning to pitch an idea somewhere. It went well enough. The town was full of people, with the young ones all over the place as their parents took the them to the Show Ground. I hate this day. Everybody is [...]

• 4:15

  Sarah Palin Resigns As Governor

   » ‎ Vybes
  Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska(oooh yes) announced on Friday that she will be stepping down by the  end of the month and resign as governor. Read the rest of the story below: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled [...]
• 3:58

  Michael Jackson ‘Had Secret Girlfriend’

   » ‎ Vybes
  Michael Jackson had a secret long-term girlfriend, according to his former bodyguard Matt Fiddes. The late popstar’s former employee claimed that Jackson insisted on keeping his mystery lover away from the public eye. “She wasn’t a celebrity figure – absolutely not,” he told The Sun. “I imagine she is distraught right now.” He added to Sky News: “I’m [...]

• 3:21

  Tikolo leads Kenyan fightback after Irish Onslaught

   » ‎ Kenya Cricket
  Steve Tikolo (right) the ex-Skipper and veteran of Kenya's team yesterday proved once again his value to the team as he helped Kenya recover from what seemed like a disasterous start to his successor's first game in charge. Losing the toss, Kenya were asked to bowl and though Peter Ongondo was his usual miserly self, Kenya's seamers simply were unable to induce the Irish openers Paul Stirling and Jeremy Bray to play enough to look dangerous. Content to wait for the bad balls, the pair put on a mammoth 182 before Bray (89) finally edged a Nehemiah Odhiambo delivery to Tikolo to give Kenya a glimmer of hope. Earlier, both the 18 year old Stirling and Bray had both brought up fine 50s as they set about building what looked to be the platform for a huge first innings total.
  
  With tea taken for 197-1, it was definitely the Irish in the ascendency and the hosts continued to pile on the pressure with Stirling bringing up his maiden First Class century with a six of Ongondo. It was the Kenyan seamer who had the final say of the contest however as four balls later he induced the nick from Stirling for Ouma to pouch his first catch as skipper. Alex Cusack and Andre Botha added a further 46 runs before Tikolo started a run that could just have brought Kenya back into the contest.
  
  Botha was the first to fall finding Seren Waters at midwicket and Kevin O'Brien followed first ball giving Tikolo a return catch. Andrew White was the next to depart in the most unusual of circumstances as the ball rebounded of the short leg fielder for Ouma to complete the catch. Tikolo then bowled Gary Wilson with the score on 313 and then to complete his 5-for had the dangerman Cusack popping one up for Collins Obuya to catch at short leg in the final over of play. Ireland closed the day on 323-7 with the game still up for grabs. Given the score at tea, Kenya will be very happy with how their final two sessions went and will be looking to mop up the Irish tail quickly today so they can take their turn at the crease. After their comeback yesterday, it is vital that they do this to return the pressure to Ireland.
  
  Tikolo's figures of 5-67 are particularly impressive and give him yet another career best. There must be concern though that the 20 overs he bowled may take a toll on the 38 year old's batting.
  Kenya have selceted a deep batting line up and they will need to apply themselves in the same manner as the Irish openers if they are going to reap any rewards from the first innings. Having had little competetive practice, the top order especially will need to be at their most vigilant to keep out the Irish attack. If they can do so and if the bowlers complete their job this morning, then there could yet be light at the end of the tunnel for Kenya.
  
  picture taken WCL 2007 copyright Kenya cricket.comBecome a fan of Kenya Cricket.com on facebook: [www.facebook.com]

• 3:11

  All Protocols Observed?

   » ‎ Rugby in Kenya
  All Protocols Observed?