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7:34
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Wann weiß man(n) eigentlich, wann man die Richtige (Lebensabschnittsgefährtin) gefunden hat?
Wird das dann irgendwo angezeigt oder bekommt man es gesagt?
Neulich stand ich in einem Laden und sah eine sehr schöne Lederjacke. “Boah, die isset…”, dachte ich mir, “…aber der Preis…naa…kann ich mir nicht wirklich leisten”. Angezogen sah sie aber wirklich gut aus und war genau (!) das wonach ich geschaut hatte.
1 Woche später habe ich sie mir dann gekauft und bin seitdem glücklich damit.
Geht das auch so leicht mit Beziehungen? Wann weiß man, ob es die richtige Partnerin ist? Wenn man sie mit den Exen vergleicht? Oder mit der erstellten Liste der Traumfraumerkmale? Und was ist mit den christlichen Freunden, die irgendwie alle schon so (gefühlt)vorzeitig heiraten? Haben die ihre Wahl jemals bereut?
Not that I haven’t made up my mind on this. Ich glaube aber im Leben eines Mannes gibt es diese “George Clooney-ich-will-mich-nicht-festlegen” Momente. Ob das gut ist? Keine Ahnung.
Die Erkenntnis jedoch, dass man mit einer Person wirklich bis zum Ende zusammen sein und alles teilen möchte - das ist meiner Meinung nach genauso wichtig wie über evtl. Zweifel zu diskutieren. Daher die Frage: inweit darf, kann oder muss eine Entscheidung zur Partnerschaft eine Bauchentscheidung sein?
Oder anders gefragt: welcher Maßstab muss zur Beurteilung des eigenen Befindlichkeitzustandes angelegt werden? - Wie weiß man, wann es einem gut geht?
  
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18:49
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Something tells me that this gadgetimoja will become very popular in some parts of Kenya….
[via]
AOB: my first post from Ubuntu! Earlier this week, a colleague of mine asked me which firewall software he should use next to his Avira antivirus scanner on WinXP. I told him to try Ubuntu instead if all he does is surfing the web + some office tasks. Why? Because it may just be what he needs.
As for me, I’ve switched from Kubuntu (KDE 3.x + 4.x) back to Ubuntu (Gnome) earlier this week as I realized that Ubuntu is what I need on my laptop here. A perfect alternative to WinXP. The only thing I dislike about Ubuntu & Co so far is that it really only makes sense if you have an internet connection that provides enough bandwidth for updates (I am still to figure out how to download updates to an offline repository). Slowly switching from WinXP to Ubuntu apparently also includes the realization that a limited availability of programms (see also Apple Mac) isn’t necessarily that bad. Hey, it even connects to my phone! And printer installation….wooohaaa! 25 minutes / 800 MB software package to install an AIO HP OfficeJet 7210 printer within WinXP, but less than one minute within Ubuntu. Sure, this will only cover the driver, but then - even the driver package alone is ~70MB on WinXP.
  
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12:44
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
As much as I dislike rants on this blog, there’s nothing worse about local public transport in the Rhein-Main area (Frankfurt am Main et al) than this ticket machine in use at all metro stations:
Even though the menu is available in different languages, obtaining a valid ticket is really complicated for those who do not know how to operate it.
- for tickets within the City area of Frankfurt am Main, just press the “Einzelfahrt Frankfurt” button which is the 7th (red) button on the left column.
- for tickets to destinations outside of the City area, one has to choose it from the list on the left (note: not all are listed!), type in the corresponding 4-digit number and choose “Einzelfahrt” (first red button on the left column marked with an adult icon/pictogram).
As you can see from the picture, the machine also accepts banknotes, chip cards and certain mobiles. Pls also note the already mentioned coin-scratch-area to the right of the coin slot which - for some reasons - is ALWAYS on the same spot with all machines.
RMV apparently knows how bad their machines are - which is why they’ve published a detailed explanation online.
What I dislike about these machines:
Why make it complicated if it can be done way easier instead? Just put a coloured map of destinations on the left and assign 4-5 buttons on the column to the right that correspond to the coloured destinations.
Why do they offer the (rather primitive, no-touch-) screen in five different languages (German, English, French, Italian, Spanish and Turkish) if the rest of the machine is kept in German only?
If they’re already using pictograms for language symbols and age groups, why can’t they extend this to the overall interface?
Too many buttons are confusing! After all, you just want customers to obtain a valid ticket. 4-5 buttons are enough!
Do not offer too many steps during the ticket-selection-process. Instead, use something like this:
- Destination?: Where do you want to go? 1-5 price groups, not more!
- Discount?: Adult or child (~ discounted tariff for disabled, elderly, students, children, etc.)?
- Payment?: Insert money (bank notes, coins, chip cards, mobile RFID chips, etc.)
- Done!
Sometimes I just wish I was working in automation engineering (instead of in the field of ecological sanitation systems) and could approach the RMV with a simple upgrade proposal for a better user interface on their ticket vending machines. And this although I am not even an Apple user :-) and since there are others out there who are real professionals for keeping things really simple. Much like the upcoming elections in the US, anything is better and will be an improvement to the existing system. Right now the purchase of tickets through these machines is more complicated for most customers than programming your VCR.
Also, if I was into automation engineering and had to deliver a diploma thesis, I’d cover this subject.
p.s.: The red little sticker next to the mirrored image of yours truly & “Wählen Sie bitte Ihr Fahrziel” actually indicates when it was cleaned (!) for the last time.
  
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19:18
From: AfriGadget
Read This Entry & More At AfriGadget
Here’s an interesting simple, low-maintenance technology:
“Elephant Pumps” that were introduced to rural areas in Zimbabwe and Malawi during the last few years. These rather simple, enhanced rope pumps (based on an ancient Chinese technology) where designed for use in rural areas, where the supply of readymade spare parts isn’t that easy.
 Cycle option on an Elephant Pump
Now, what makes the Elephant Pump so different from the other popular low-maintenance pump “Afripump” is that it’s locally assembled and maintainable by the local community. Both systems - Afripump and Elephant Pump - may have their pro & cons (80-100m depth, high durability, low-maintenance vs. <40m depth, simple design, cheaper), but I especially like the “bicycle option” added to pumps which were built for schools:
On school pumps Pump Aid often incorporates a “bicycle” system onto the Elephant Pump since this has proved enormously popular with children. Most children in Zimbabwe have never had the chance to ride a bicycle so can even come to school early to “play” on the pump thereby helping to fill the school water tanks. The job of collecting water, once a tiresome chore, becomes fun and children no longer have to leave their classrooms to walk miles carrying buckets of water on their heads from a distant muddy pool.
The British Charity Org “Pump Aid“, which has in the past introduced and promoted these systems in Zimbabwe and Malawi for the costs of GBP 250 (~ USD 460, EUR 310) each, also created a very informative video on how the technology actually works:
“The Elephant Pump yields about one litre of clean water every second for an average well depth of 20 metres.”
It’s simple, it works, it wins! 
[h/t NextBillion.net]
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15:22
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
“What’s an *unboxing video*?”, she asked, and I showed her the following one:
“Dude……”, she answered, “you and your nerd stuff”.
:-)
[via, via]
  
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20:17
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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17:25
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Just in line with my previous series on mobile blogging, check out the following:
Add this for other mobile operating systems (other than Nokia’s S60 line - though Series 60 is quite good for this special task), combine it with a monetary incentive programme (~ citizen reporters get paid in terms of airtime or via M-Pesa for each published multimedia item) and hook this up to AllAfrica.com or A24.
  
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16:28
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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The missing ability to run a simple cronjob on my 1&1 hosting package actually contributed to the decision to eventually move all my domain names and sites to another server.
Kwaheri, 1&1…
I don’t know about 1&1 in the US, but here in Germany where they started many years ago (I had become their customer in 1999 when they were still called puretec.de), 1&1 = United Internet AG just suck. It’s their web hosting package that doesn’t provide enough flexibility (limited amount of MySQL dbs, no cronjobs, etc.) as well as how they treat their broadband customers. Back in 2004 when flatrates were introduced to the DSL market in Germany, the flatrate option was only made available to new customers, leaving those with an ongoing contract (min. 24 months) stuck to a volume- or 20h/month contract. And the worst, really worst, part on 1&1 is their so-called customer service. Whoever does their L1-support should be fired and kindly asked to stay away from computers.
Technically, though, 1&1 is great. During all those…9years?? with 1&1, I never experienced any server failures nor speed issues.
And it’s not that I or other customers never told them to improve. The management @ 1&1 (United Internet) obviously never studied The Cluetrain manifesto. Did I already mention how much I hate their customer service? Well….
Anyhow, the missing cronjob and limited number of available databases (5, which already was an improvement to the previous 3!), my good mood on a thursday morning and the perspective to be paying much less in future (I’ve spent like ~2.8000 € on hosting services since 1999 alone) eventually led me to switch to a cheaper and much more competent web hosting service. Not the cheapest - and maybe I could/should have switched to one in the US instead (who btw also often have some hidden extra costs), but one that just delivers. Fast. The way I like it.
As a consequence of that, I’ll be moving (done!) all of my domains and sites from the old server to the new one in the next few days. Let’s hope it all works out, especially the database backups. For those of you trying to get in touch with me via e-mail: try my gmail address or twitter account (@jke). Thx!
It also means that I’ll be implementing some changes, or rather - I’ve thought about changing a basic issue that has been bugging me for quite some time now:
change of name / blog title
My online presence under the nickname “Kikuyumoja” started off in early 1997, with my own home page residing under different URLs (AOL, geocities.com, Rhein-Main.Net, Manri.com) until I managed to register kikuyumoja.de in early 1999, quickly followed by uhuru.de and umoja.de.
While searching for an adequate blog title way back in June 2005, I chose to continue using “Kikuyumoja’s realm”. My blog was accessible either via [blog.uhuru.de] or even via [kikuyumoja.de] .
Now, imagine the situation where someone asks you what “Kikuyumoja” actually means. That is, to me it’s just a name, but to many others it’s either “Kikuyu1″ or “Kik-Kuuu-ju-moh-jha”. Something that remains difficult to explain. And yet it’s just another (sort-of) brand name like WhiteAfrican, Afromusing, Mentalacrobatic, tHiNkEr’S rOoM to name just a few.
So please allow me to ask the following questions:
1. What do you - dear reader - think I should do? Change it from “Kikuyumoja’s realm” to just “Kikuyumoja”? “Kikuyumoja’s”? “JKE”? “Kikuyumoja Inc.”? “Kikuism”?
2. I didn’t use uhuru.de as the starting page of my blog, as I am currenty hosting different sites on my webspace of which some are accessible via uhuru.de/xyz.
So I was wondering: should I configure my blog to take uhuru.de as the ultimate starting page and force other sites on uhuru.de to use their own domain names? Much like it already is the case with WhiteAfrican.com? Solved!
3. How long does it take to load my blog in areas where there’s no broadband available? Should I maybe reduce the amount of posts shown on a single page? And what should I do with that blogroll? Do ppl still need it? Will I need it or may I just kick it out?
4. What about those Google Ads on my site - are they offensive in any way? I’ve noticed some advertisement for Asian dating services on my blog - which is kinda strange. I understand that GoogleAdSense isnt the only advertisement programme out there, but they at one time in the past at least helped me to *pay lunch* - so I thought about keeping their ads inside my blog.
Ah, so many open questions. Comments on these are highly appreciated!
Thank you.
[EDIT: DAMN....will still have to do something about that UTF-8 issue...argh!!! Fixed!]
[EDIT2: just registered kikuyumoja.COM after 9 years of kikuyumoja.de - and although I do not think Kikuyumoja is such a good name, it still is a brand).
  
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18:07
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
It’s almost one year ago that I published three (1, 2, 3) articles on mobile blogging - and nothing has really changed since then.
Back in 2007, both the Nokia N95 and the Apple iPhone were released - two completely different phones that were only compared on numerous blogs due to setting new standards on each segment: the N95 being a true multimedia phone with a decent 5mp cam, 640×480 @ 30fps video (albeit a mono mic), a (slow) internal GPS module and a really nice multimedia player. With the latest firmware, it even plays flash videos (YouTube & Co.) and has different applications run at the same time (sort of multitasking). The iPhone on the other hand provided a compatible device that suits Apple users - a nice user interface and all-in-one device like the N95 which unfortunately still missed some basic phone tools (MMS, Bluetooth exchange, etc.). And although both phones aren’t the only cool devices out there, they sold quite well. Even if the iPhone doesnt feature all these special goodies the N95 comes with, Apple’s phone still has the best browser on a mobile phone.
GoogleReader on my N95…
Back in 2007 I had bought the N95 because the music player on my Nokia 6230i had constantly failed (due to a bug in the firmware) and because I urgently wanted to have a new, sexy phone. Something that enables a better mobile blogging experience.
And that’s exactly the basic point here: until now, no mobile phone has actually delivered this *sweet mobile blogging* experience so far.
Back in 2007, I argued that it’s a software issue. And still believe it is. So instead of buying new phones, a systematic adjustment between the phone’s software (firmware & single programmes) and your blogging platform (WordPress, Vox, Typepad, etc.) comes into mind.
Sure, there’s this WP iPhone app some of us have tested some time ago, but still: it doesnt work that well, and it doesn’t provide a similar experience we’re having online on our laptop, surfing the net with decent browsers on bigger screens with full JavaScript support etc..
And this - I believe - is also one of the many reasons for the success of Twitter. Twitter just filled that gap on mobile blogging, phone manufacturers have failed on providing. Why? Because that special Twitter experience is the same whether you’re online via a browser window on your laptop, use it via an extra widget somewhere on the desktop, have it run as a stand-alone utility on S60 & iPhone platforms or just use SMS (for sending only, though).
You know I had a discussion with my Minister of Finance earlier this week on getting a new phone (again), and I had mentioned the new Nokia E71 and why it could be an improvement on what I am looking for (~ mobile blogging device). However, with the above mentioned discussion on mobile blogging being a software issue, I am rather confused now and think I should stick to my N95 at this point. Maybe wait for Google Android’s phone being released by the end of this year?
Another interesting developement since 2007 is the success of so-called Netbooks - which are lightweight laptops at 7″-10″ screen sizes, often equipped with an energy saving CPU, a solid state disk and enough flexibility to provide surfing the net, answering your e-mails and doing some other office work. Battery runtime still is an issue though, often only giving 2-3 hrs. Netbooks are currently sold for 300-400,- EUR in Europe and are small enough to fill that special gap the need for mobile blogging has created.
So here’s my conclusion: instead of waiting for the ultimate mobile web experience via a dedicated & maybe also expensive smart phone, I’ll bet on another setup: ppl - especially those in need in a rural Africa - will imho be introduced to the combination of basic GPRS & UMTS (3G) phones, hooked up to cheaper laptop computers such as netbooks.
Not today, not tomorrow - but maybe in two years time when basic netbooks wil sell for ~ 150,- EUR and will also be sold on the African continent in a big style. Why? Because a mobile phone is - although it is often shared with members of the extended family - still a device for a single user (despite of these new Nokias that come with multiple phonebooks). A computer though can easily be shared with others. Here’s what I had in mind:
Solar panels are already for sale in rural Kenya as well as simple GPRS-capable phones, netbooks could be equipped with a free & open OS (+ BT, serial port & USB cable driver package) and it would still cost below the amount you’d normally spend on a) getting a normal desktop pc online or b) a fancy smartphone that just still doesnt deliver the real web experience.
And the best part: this setup isn’t reduced to the needs of a rural environment, but also applies to urban areas in the US, Europe or Asia. In other words: if I had to do true mobile blogging right now, I’d go for this setup (ok, maybe without those solar panels).
Netbooks are what Twitter is used to be to SMS: added value.
  
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19:04
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
What you see here is the first page of a brand new textbook for 12-year-old German kids who want to learn Spanish (as a foreign language).
It starts with a listening comprehension unit and provides relatively short exercises throughout the whole textbook. Nothing really new so far, but with the difference that most pages come within a teen magazine style.
And that’s exactly the trend today: providing small bits of information which may then be served to the inattentive YouTube generation - a new generation used to max. 10-minutes videos online, single mp3 files instead of complete (music) albums, Google-able knowledge and interests for specific topics (only).
This development, however, is not as bad as it may sound in the first place. Sure, today’s kids may find a different learning environment than what we had when we were kids, and one could argue if a school should continue supporting this open, free & easy approach. But then, in today’s world where everything and everyone needs to be *special*, needs to have specific knowledge on something and thus requires much more of this *modular knowledge* (as I call it - modular, as in exchangeable), it’s very interesting to see that publishers are already starting with textbooks to adopt to new learning (teaching?) methods.
It’s not that things had really changed over the years when it comes to language textbooks. I remember having a longer discussion with my mum many years ago on such a topic where we were both wondering about the very strange and embarrassing approach in textbooks for German as a foreign language (Deutsch als Fremdsprach, DaF). Some of those exercises were just so….ouch! + *sigh* + out of this world.
The real difference between this DaF textbook back in the days and today’s “Gente Joven” Spanish textbook is that the latter is focused on the YouTube generation.
Now, if we argue that the next generation is our biggest asset - how will they perceive this world in future, how will this upcoming generation positively influence the future and in which way does their specific knowledge, paired with a healthy ambition to win competitions, contribute to the future?
In the end, it all starts with what we’re providing them with right now - as much as our own success is based on previous generations (e.g. the creation of programming languages and integrated circuits, implementation of a world-wide IT network, etc.).
Another interesting developement is the introduction of A1/A2, B1/B2, C1/C2 levels on a school level - the Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR): Learning, Teaching Assessment…
… which provides “clear standards to be attained at successive stages of learning” and helps to evaluate “outcomes in an internationally comparable manner”. I wish we already had this system way back in school!
Clearly, the harmonization of (language) learning levels and setting of standards is a very good way to create a common basis in Europe. Imagine the problems I am always having explaining my German degrees to the English speaking world… and again, Europe is becoming such a modular world.
  
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13:47
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Is this already mainstream cinema?
2 Days in Paris - a wonderful movie on sex, food and relationships. And this although it beautifully covers the cliché of both the French & American’s inability to communicate in any other language then their own, the cliché of the French(wo)men always talking about sex & food, racist tendencies in a multicultural Paris (~ taxi driver scenes), the freedom of soixante-huitards and all of this embedded into never-ending neurotic conversations between all actors.
If you already liked Before Sunrise & Before Sunset, you’ll definitely like this one.
Here’s the final scene:
I especially liked it being in both French & English, even the German version is in German and a subtitled French (that’s btw one thing I will never understand about Germany: dubbed movies. They usually dub all of them - which is also why most Germans have such a bad pronounciation of English words. If you never get to hear the original version, there’s no real comparison possible…sigh).
  
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13:41
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
“I ain’t go anywhere in the United States of America and see another black man and give him a power shake…and there’s unity there. There’s a beauty there that I can communicate with this brother…”
Right on.
(via on-point.be)
I’d seen this video (which is part (13/14) of a very nice documentary on the Wattstax festival) two weeks ago while searching for more Blaxpoitation content. It also features Isaac Hayes who sadly passed away this last sunday.
As much as I hate posting (ready-made) multimedia content on my blog, this documentary and the ability to just enjoy it via YouTube et al makes me happy. Besides, the above mentioned Belgian on-point blog is a very nice resource for such and other - really cool - content.
While I would like to do a little obituary for Isaac at this point, I honestly don’t where to start - his legacy and influence on the contemporary world of “cool” + “style” is just so ginormous.
@Isaac: now at least you have enough time to jam with Fela Anikulapo Kuti and give us a nice SoulFunkAfrobeat-mashup. :-)
(p.s.: I really like that power handshake sequence. So true…even among white Mal d’Africains!)
  
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14:12
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Talking about (urban) alottment gardens the other day, one of the advantages of living in downtown Frankfurt am Main is that there’s this special park in the neighbourhood which used to be a nursery a looooong time ago. After it had closed many years ago, the biggest part of the garden was turned into a public park, the other part into a *wilderness* with lots of small paths and a diverse flora & fauna.
In other words: there’s this public shamba next door that delivers free food for those who just don’t see a green wilderness but instead an ideal source of natural ingredients for the afternoon tea healthy drinks!
Because just like Ishtar, I also prefer fresh food! :-)
After picking a bag full of fresh blackberries, we decided to use half of them to create a milk-shake. And since I like to try out new stuff, I also added oats and some leaves of fresh lemon balm:
Now, what do I do with the other half? A blackberry-pancake? Blackberry sorbet? Blackberry salad with lovage (from the garden)? Blackberry cake?
[edit: I eventually mixed the remaining blackberries with an apple, some milk (rice) pudding and some shots from a French & evil almond cognac.]
  
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12:37
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
This (quote from an article by Rebecca on the new M-Pesa online payment gateway):
Intellectual property is another challenge identified by Mulamba, where software developers who work for a company realize they can offer similar services.
“Safeguarding intellectual property is a challenge; people thrive on stealing other people’s ideas and that is why there is a high turnover of software developers in many companies,” said Mulamba. “One is forced to work with a smaller team of trusted people and take a longer time, instead of a larger team that would have taken a shorter time to complete the project.” (source)
…reminds me of an e-mail I’ve received two weeks ago:
“To be sincere I do not like dealing with Kenyans when it comes to jobs or something professional, not that I hate my people but because sometimes I know how they feel about other people´s success.”
Mchonga mwiko hukimbiza mkono wake?
  
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15:07
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
1. Apple fun: “I Am Rich was a $999.99 app that did nothing“. Muahahahaha…..
Dear Apple disciple, please explain this to me:
You want Apple to CONTROL the market for you?
Besides, for that special *one-click shopping pleasure* there’s also CNR. Click, pay, install. I know you’ll like that.
2. Nerdpol
I LOVE THIS!
It’s a cartoon from a popular German site called nichtlustig.de. Found this in their newsletter this morning. It says: “Guys, we have a visitor. This is my cousin Hubert. He’s from (the) NERDPOL” (Nordpol = North Pole).
3. There’s no 3rd.
Sure, I could link to this funny video (with regard to a choleric Michael Arrington :-), but then….funstuff on the inet is just so….2005.
Have a relaxed weekend, will ya?
  
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21:37
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Ndanka ndanka mooy japa golo chi nyaay is a Wolof proverb meaning “slowly slowly (it) catches the monkey in the bush” (~ no hurry in Africa).
Ndanka ndanka…also is a running gag between my colleague Abdoulaye and me - and it somehow describes my pleasant anticipation for the really good stuff out there on the internet: passionate music collectors (aka connaisseur de l’art) that have somehow managed to share their secret passion for the good old & rare tunes with a much bigger audience through regularly updated blogs & even full documentaries. Actually, this is what collecting music is all about. Sharing & enjoying all those stories behind artists who never really made it to the *official* (mainstream?) Hall of Fame.
(via)
Frank actually reminds me of Duncan Brooker - another crazy DJs who spents his life chasing old “plates”. If you like sites like VoodooFunk, AwesomeTapes from Africa, Benn loxo du taccu, AfroFunkForum, Akwaaba Sound System and Analoge Africa (to name just a few popular ones) and if music ethnology is part of your various interests, then these films are just for you. Enjoy!
” In some cases I’m the first person to talk to these guys about their music in thirty years … I’ve seen incredible things, heard extraordinary stories. In one instance I heard about people looking for a place to live be cause things have gotten so shitty in some of these places , that they would just go into the vaults of recording studios and just grab all the tapes, and pressing plates and old acetates and just burn it all just to make room for a place to sleep. It began to dawn on me that if I didn’t try to save this music no one would. I decided to build an archive and rather that just bootleg the music, like others often do, I’d start trying to get the license and see what more I could discover.”
- Duncan Brooker
THANK YOU, FRANK & DUNCAN!
(I’ve mentioned Legends of Afrobeat three years ago and am still hoping for a release soon. Ndanka ndanka…)
And finally, another interesting documentary, this time on (contemporary) musicians in Kinshasa:
“It’s all here…this (cultural) wealth”. - But do I say? :-)
  
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19:15
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
I was actually browsing our favourite pop archive YouTube when I came across this:
["The Japanse Jacksons"]
A Japanese band from the 1970s (1967-1978) called Finger 5. Makes me think I should cover more Japanese content on this blog.
Now that’s the kind of undefinable material you come across when your plans actually included blogging some more Blaxpoitation stuff and forwarding your readers to this wonderful documentary.
So maybe I’ll only show you the following trailer this time around - which will hopefully also provide an answer to last week’s “wapi?“! :-)
  
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21:26
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Chinavasion has this new “High Capacity Solar Charger Battery for PC Laptop + Mobile Phone” for sale which looks quite promising in terms of it’s 20.000 mA/h accu - enough to feed your laptop’s battery.
Recharging the internal battery of cells (yeah! :-) is said to take around 3h @ AC and 8-10h through the use of the solar panel. What irritates me a bit is that on their website they are talking about a monocrystalline solar panel type, although it obviously is a polycrystalline type? Anyhow, an interesting alternative for ~ 96,- EUR. Let’s see when this will hit the European market (soon?).
I am still dreaming about a foldable solar panel that I can put on the cover of my 15,4″ HP nx8220 laptop and that will recharge a 2nd battery pack in an unused space, e.g. the media bay that currently hosts the DVD burner. Unless someone comes up with a much better (slimmer) rechargeable battery system, I am currently more interested in devices that generate power instead of just storing it (mechanical, solar, …. devices vs. NiMH/LiOn/…battery storage systems).
A sustainable power supply + decent bandwidth = JKE happy :-)
  
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15:34
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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Wenn Du, lieber Leser, an dieser Stelle fünf deutschsprachige Blogs nennen solltest, die stellvertretend für die deutsche Blogosphäre stehen - welche würdest Du dann nennen?
Wenn Du, lieber Leser, in einem deutschsprachigen Blog interessante Nachrichten aus aller Welt lesen möchtest, die es sonst nicht durch den Filter der Redaktionen schaffen - welche Blogs würdest Du hierfür nennen?
Mein Kollege Christian Kreutz hat sich wohl letztens diese oder ähnliche Fragen gestellt und gemerkt, dass wir hierzulande noch viel zu wenige sog. “Bridge Blogs” haben.
Was ist ein Bridge Blog?
Ethan Zuckermann schrieb dazu passenderweise vor ca. einem Jahr in einem Artikel über GlobalVoices:
“A number of bridge bloggers were explicit about their desire to cross cultural barriers with their writing.”
Genau diese Aussage, die sich auf die ägyptische Blogosphäre bezog, zeigt eigentlich worum es beim BridgeBlogging geht: verschiedene Welten zu überbrücken.
Christians und Frederik Richters Antwort darauf ist DRAUSSEN: ein Blog über die “transnationale soziale Vernetzung” des Mediums Internet mit dem klaren Ziel, die Diskussionen außerhalb der deutschsprachigen Blogosphäre auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar zu machen.
Jetzt ist es natürlich nicht so, dass es Versuche zu Bridge Blogs nicht schon geben würde. Viele Deutsche berichten aus dem Ausland in deutscher Sprache - vom einfachen Reiseblog bis zu Expatsblogs, in dem Expatriats über ihr Leben in der neuen Heimat berichten. Bei Robert Basic gab es sogar mal eine Diskussion über BridgeBlogs im Allgemein und wie man sich mit zB der frankophonen Blogosphäre verbinden könnte - die dann aber leider wieder im Sande verlaufen ist.
Ähnlich verhält es sich ja auch mit diesem Blog hier, in dem sich deutschsprachige und englischsprachige Beiträge abwechseln. Oftmals habe ich in der Vergangenheit versucht, verschiedene Welten so zu vermischen, wie sie sich auch in meinem Leben eine Rolle spielen.
So richtige Zusammenfassungen für deutschsprachige Leser habe ich aber erst bei der deutschen Version von GlobalVoices gesehen.
Eine ganz andere, ebenfalls wichtige Motivation für den Betrieb des DRAUSSEN blogs liegt sicherlich auch darin begründet, dass es nur wenige, qualitativ gute Blogs wie zB Netzpolik.org von Markus Beckedahl gibt, die eben nicht nur über coole Neuigkeiten aus den USA oder anderen Leitkulturen berichten. Jetzt rein inhaltlich betrachtet.
Bei all der Kritik an der deutschsprachigen Blogosphäre, die ja im Vergleich zu unseren europäischen Nachbarn eher zaghaft daherkommt und sich ihrer eigenen Idendität nicht so bewusst ist oder dafür gar einer Veranstaltung wie der re:publica bedarf, empfinde ich immer großes Unbehagen, ein zu schnelles Urteil zu präsentieren. So muss ich glaube ich auch lernen, nicht nur den eigentlichen Inhalt der Beiträge zu bewerten, sondern auch die dazugehörigen Kommentare. Immerhin lebt ein Blog auch von den Kommentaren. Nicht jeder Leser mit eigener Meinung hat die Zeit und Muse, nebenbei ein Blog zu betreiben. Und genau darum geht es auch in der Blogosphäre - um eine Diskussion anzuregen, die wir in ihrer Vielfalt hierzulande leider oft nur im Heise Forum & Co. lesen.
Insofern freut es mich sehr, dass es immer mehr gute Blogs gibt, die mitunter - und das ist für mich sehr wichtig - zu einem viel größeren Selbstverständnis des Instruments “Blog” beitragen.
  
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12:29
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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Ich finde es erstaunlich, wie sehr ich mich in den letzten Tagen an Kubuntu (KDE) gewöhnt habe. Meinen zweiten Rechner im Büro (nen altes TOSHIBA Tecra S1) habe ich inzwischen auch schon mit Ubuntu (Gnome) ausgestattet, dort aber als Windows Install über Wubi.exe, einfach um nur mal zu sehen, wie das alternativ läuft.
Mein Rechner zu Hause (HP nx8220 laptop, 1,86 GHz Centrino, 2 GB RAM, 120GB HDD) ist mit WinXP & Kubuntu 8.04 bespielt, habe den Bildschirm letztens ein bißchen an mein WinXP feeling angepasst (mag es einfach + ohne Effekte), mit den Windows Schriftarten und der gleichen Tapete wie bei WinXP im Hintergrund.
Der Grundbedarf an Programmen entspricht ca. dem was ich unter WinXP mache, es ist alles dabei und was dann wirklich nicht verfügbar ist, läuft entweder unter Wine oder direkt unter XP.
Eben beim Schreiben dieser Zeilen dachte ich mir, nee, moment, stimmt das wirklich? Was ist mit Nemetschek (CAD), ArcView (GIS), Aquasys (Hydrologie)? Was ist mit diversen shareware Programmen wie zB PaintShopPro (welches ich seit Jahren zufrieden benutze einfach weil mir Photoshop immer zu umfangreich war)? Kann Gimp wirklich Photoshop & PSP ersetzen? Na klar! Und die spezielle Software gibt es auch für Linux Systeme - dann sogar meist kostenlos. Dies ist übrigens auch ein Grund, wieso ich mir die Tage selber auferlegt habe, bei Bildbearbeitungsaufgaben im Büro nur noch Gimp zu verwenden (vom Stick, portable Version). Mzeecedric macht es wohl ähnlich, oder?
Über den Wechsel von Windows zu einem Linux-basierten Betriebssystem gibt es tausende von interessanten Blogeinträgen - allein den Wechsel selber zu erfahren und einfach mal durchzuziehen, empfinde ich als eine gute Erfahrung, die man mal selber machen muss. Meine Zeitinvestition bisher bei den Einstellungen (wo kann ich was einstellen? wie hängt was zusammen? wo sind die Applikationen? etc.) beläuft sich auf ca. 8h.
Ein Beispiel: die “Installation” meines Yakumo DVB-T Quicksticks (nur digital, mit dem hybriden digitalen/analogen hatte ich auch schon diverse Probleme unter XP früher) zum Fernsehschauen auf dem Laptop hat innerhalb von 1 Minute geklappt. Nix Treiber extra installieren. Nur Me-TV über den Paketmanager herunterladen, starten, Stick wurde erkannt und innerhalb einer Minute waren alle Sender gefunden. Was will man mehr? Zum Vergleich: unter WinXP muss man erst die Treiber des baugleichen Freecom-Sticks installieren (bzw erstmal die Routine haben, dass Treiber von einer mitgelieferten CD eh nicht aktuell sind), dann idealerweise ProgDVB laden (shareware aus Russland) und hoffen, dass die Software wg der BDA-Treiber nicht abschmiert.
Es sind genau diese Kleinigkeiten, bei denen ich dann denke: klar, jetzt kann ich auch die Apple-User verstehen. Der Erfolg von Apple vor allem in den USA zeigt doch vor allem, dass die Benutzer ein funktionierendes System (gegenüber) der Vielfalt an Möglichkeiten vorziehen. Genau dieses “alles passt”-Gefühl habe ich jetzt unter Kubuntu.
Und dann wundere ich mich, wieso ich Bekannten und Verwandten in der Vergangenheit nicht doch zu Linux geraten habe. Für die meisten Zwecke (Internetsurfen, Office, Solitär spielen) ist Kubuntu völlig ausreichend und vor allem sicherer als dieses WinXP.
*Sicherer* bedeutet für mich, dass ich meiner Mum zB gerne einen 1GB USB Stick geben würde, den sie dann für ihre Arbeit als DaF-Lehrerin benutzen kann. Wenn ich ihr aber einen solchen Stick gebe, wird der mit ziemlicher Sicherheit innerhalb kürzester Zeit malware-versucht sein und ihr System infizieren. Ich wohne aber zu weit weg, um einfach mal vorbeizuschauen und Computerprobleme zu richten.
Wenn ich ihr System jetzt auf Kubuntu umstellen würde, könnte ich ihr guten Gewissens so einen Stick in die Hand drücken, da sich diese malware nicht auf dem Kubuntu System vervielfacht.
Nachteil jedoch: viele inkomatiblen Probe CDs aus dem Sprachunterricht würden uU nicht funktionieren weil die nur auf Windows ausgelegt sind.
Und das ist total ärgerlich, da meiner Meinung nach die Mehrheit der Computer-Gelegenheitsnutzer (aka Generation Golf, die als Singles am WE durch Singlebörsen surft) mit so einem System wie Kubuntu ideal bedient wäre. Wer von dieser Zielgruppe hat denn eigentlich seinen *Eigene Dateien* Ordner auf eine andere Partition (sofern vorhanden) ausgelagert oder gar gesichert? Eben.
Wenn man allerdings seit Jahren nur mit Windows arbeitet, die Jahre der HomeComputer (Atari, Amiga, C64) schon ein viertel Jahrhundert zurückliegen und man so in dieser Windows-Denkweise drinsteckt, ist ein Wechsel zu einem anderen Betriebssystem unheimlich schwer.
So beschränkt sich das bisher meist nur auf freaks bzw. auf diejenigen, die Zeit für eine Umstellung opfern und den Wechsel auch wirklich wollen.
Jedes Mal wenn ich unter Kubuntu arbeite, ärgere ich mich, dass ich vieles noch nicht verstanden habe und frage mich dann zB, wieso es “nicht so einfach wie bei WinXP” sein kann. Dabei ist es vielmehr die Gewohnheit, die mir WinXP vertrauter erscheinen lässt. Einfacher ist es dort nämlich auch nicht.
Ich bin gespannt, ob und wie sich meine Arbeit am Computer zukünftig von XP zu Kubuntu verlagern wird. Gerade hinsichtlich der Verbreitung von freier und offener Software (+ Betriebssysteme) und meinem an dieser Stelle oft geäußerten Wunsch, alle wichtigen Computersysteme in Kenia mögen doch bitte auf ein Betriebssystem wie Ubuntu umgestellt werden, empfinde ich es als sinnvolle Investition, sich rechtzeitig mit Alternativen vertraut zu machen.
(disclaimer: meine ersten aktiven Unix Berührungen machte ich 1996 an der FH FFM und war damals eher abgenervt, die ersten populären SuSe Distributionen waren auch nicht so der Hit. Mit Apple’s OS konnte ich mich ob der beschränkten Möglichkeiten nie anfreunden. Richtig Spaß (!) macht mir das alles erst seit Ubuntu 5.04.)
@Turbodave: habt Ihr bei der neuen Airline eigentlich auch Ubuntu-basierende Laptops? Du hattest ja imho schon mehrfach gewechselt zwischen den OS, jeweils mit gemischten Gefühlen…
  
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11:03
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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7:57
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Dear applicants for an internship (whereever),
pls allow me to provide the following advice on improving your applications:
When applying for an internship or a job, pls make sure to include a letter which explains why you want to work with Acme Inc. and why you think you are qualified for the position.
Pls format* your CV & letter in an eye-friendly way, e.g.:
- one font
- clear structure
- no typos
- save as PDF
I may be a bit too German aka the “grammar nazi” aka following a certain norm on this, but then: there sure is a reason why ppl sometimes are refused a position.
In other words: what’s the use of employing someone who even has a PhD in something if he/she can’t even write a proper business letter or follow simple formatting guidelines?
I have really come to appreciate formatting norms and - while you won’t have to use progs like LaTeX & Co to ueberformat your work - i’d really appreciate if ppl just stop this *copy & paste culture* and start preparing their work in an easy-to-read format.
I will also have to improve my own style, so I do not exclude myself from this mwalimu mkuu wisdom.
(* = you won’t have to be a design student or Apple user or even coder to understand this simple guideline. If in doubt, pls use a template!)
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17:44
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Not a question of the location (though this gets you extra credit), but rather: from which movie is this?
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16:56
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
An dieser Stelle sollte eigentlich ein Blogartikel zum Thema 23Tage* mit diesen kleinen Filmchen stehen - aber dann habe ich doch keinen Bock mehr gehabt und mir gedacht: Nee…lass ma.
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19:33
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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While waiting for an apt-get update on my machine here to finish, I made the mistake of checking out the Website of the Ministry of Water & Irrigation in Kenya.
Sigh. Pls allow me this short rant.
The (recently relaunched?) website of the MW&I in Kenya provides only very little to no information at all to its visitors. Yeah, sure, there’s this Zimbra e-mail client hidden under a subdomain, but else - what’s the use of having a *new* website if content is missing?
Me thinks: keep it short & simple. What ppl DON’T want to read online are long speeches by this or that honorabool PS or Minister, but instead what they WANT to read and download are guidelines regarding the water policies, how they can interact with the Ministry & it’s offices (WSBs & WRMA) and further links to websites that provide enough detailed information beyond the political blabla NO one is going to read anyways. So how come that this website is just another lost opportunity to show that there are indeed some very smart folks at the MW&I who could provide much better services to the public? Is it because the poor souls who had to redesign the site weren’t provided with enough detailed information?
This just reminds me of the IT discussions on Skunkworks Kenya following the NYT article the other day. It’s like there’s enough potential available but only *those institutions* (like JKUAT) clearly lack enough facilities because the funds went into other pockets… a vicious cycle of incompetence, with those suffering who should be helped building the nation.
I really wish that one day we’ll get rid of those hippos who are blocking real progress in Kenya and elsewhere.
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17:53
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Two interesting, but also kinda controversial articles that appeared on Der Spiegel Online today, the website of the German weekly magazine:
The first one on the ailing German blogosphere (in German) that has been busy trying to constantly polemize itself and the lack of more influential power-bloggers who also participate in politics (compare that with Loic LeMeur & Sarkozy in France). Now while there are quite a few talented German bloggers, the use of blogs is certainly not as widespread as in other European countries.
Politics = range of (controversial) subjects of which some are covered by the mainstream media, some by the blogosphere.
This may of course be due to different reasons, but then - also - there’s a vivid news culture in Germany and somehow free media that covers world affairs. Just compare that with the US media and see why there are much more political bloggers in the USA.
Comparing these worlds, I think, just doesn’t make sense (I could go on for ages on this subject - just look at the German section of GlobalVoices!). On the other hand, I’d prefer much more political activism. Activism as such, however, is often (unfortunately) labeled as left-wing socialism - and if you look at today’s public image of the German party “Die Linke” which was mainly formed by former members of the (~communist) East German party SED and disappointed socialist from Germany’s oldest worker’s party SPD, you’ll instantly realize that many Germans (of course not all, see below) today are fed up with politics and don’t give a damn about who actually rules as long as politics do not switch to an extreme and do not reactive the usual stories on Nazis & Co. I guess it’s similar in other countries. I am sure there’s a reciprocally proportional relation between political activism and living conditions.
I think this also started way back in the 1970s and 80s when green issues started coming up on the agenda and activism centered around this absolutely neutral range of subjects (~ nuclear waste). No war, different kind of demonstrations. And then, also, Germany today lacks a range of charismatic leaders. Or do you really think that Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancelorette, is that sexy? Exactly.
Which of course gets me to the upcoming visit by Jesus Superstar Barack Obama to Germany. Rumour has it that other European nations are quite pissed about the attention his visit generated and that Germany will actually have a bigger timeslot than the British or France. Vanity.
Now, with such a visit on the schedule and an adequate editorial on Der Spiegel, it may be rather obvious that the editorial department placed a link to this story: “Flirthinweise fürs Feindesland“. And while Der Spiegel is definately not THE institution or THE only credible magazin out there, they at one point in the past invented something I really, really like: a section called “einestages - Zeitgeschichten auf SpiegelOnline”, which is like a multi-authored, edited & moderated public blog for readers who may contribute their own stories, images and videos of historical events, especially since the end of the 2nd WorldWar on just about anything.
This story “Flirthinweise fürs Feindesland” actually talks about a booklet issued by the USArmy at the end of WW2 and features a rather shocking short film called “Your Job in Germany”:
Your Job In Germany was a short film made by Frank Capra and Dr. Seuss for the United States War Department in 1945, intended to be shown to U.S. soldiers about to occupy Germany. It urged against fraternization with the German people, who are portrayed as thoroughly untrustworthy. (source)
I was a bit shocked when I saw this short film today and then thought: well…despite of the apparent need for such propaganda back then (bet it’s similar for the Iraq & other “freed” nations) - may the fading interest for common politics in todays Germany also be an indirect / not so obvious result of the political influence the US had on Europe in the past?
In the end, these discussions are not about politics, but about selling newspapers/magazines and editing interesting stories people want to read about. It’s a business. And that’s just one of the many reasons out there why the German blogosphere has in the past failed to create more influential (!) political bloggers. This, however, does not also imply that ppl aren’t interested in politics.
Interestingly, the SPON article also mentioned that the German edition of Wikipedia is the second largest in the world - which instantly reminded me of this article by Ethan Zuckerman where he mentioned the ailing Arabic-language edition of Wikipedia & huge number of bloggers in Egypt.
The remaining question is: is this discussion about political activism (= contributing ideas to society), or about citizen media?
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