October 2009 - skunkworks - Skunkworks Site

CISA 2008/2009 Study Guide Material
by Eric Mugo 07 Oct '09

07 Oct '09

Hi people, I've decided to have a go at the CISA exam this December. I thought reading material would be easy to get on google and torrents only to realise ISACA have really clamped down on free file distribution sites. Anyway, i'm time barred and need the Study guide manual ASAP in pdf format preferably. If you do have the latest version, kindly contact me offlist. Regards, Eric Mugo.

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Zain outtage??
by nick muttai 07 Oct '09

07 Oct '09

Anyone experiencing a total outtage on Zain network? -- Mwafrika

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designing the Ubuntu Software Center
by saidimu apale 07 Oct '09

07 Oct '09

The next version of Ubuntu (v9.10 coming on October 29) will have an app called Ubuntu Software Center. While perusing their design wiki I was impressed with the level of thought and detail given to almost all possible user interactions. A team of artists, copy-editors, hackers, interface designers and even librarians (!!) are collaborating to create what might turn out be a useful piece of software. Interesting insights on what it takes to build good software with a plain-ol' wiki. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SoftwareCenter saidi

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Windows Mobile 6.5: a scathing review
by saidimu apale 06 Oct '09

06 Oct '09

> > If this is the best [Microsoft] can muster in the year-and-a-half's worth > of development time since Windows Mobile 6.1 appeared, we'll be dramatically > lowering our hopes for Windows Mobile 7 (due in 2010). http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/software/352207/windows-mobile-6-5 Saidi

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Ericsson PBX software
by Kisakye Alex 06 Oct '09

06 Oct '09

Hi All, Am looking for software to manage Ericsson PBX "BP 250". The software am looking for should be able to log calls in/out, create accounts, call costs etc... Anyone have a pointer for me? thanks Alex

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nancy bosire wants to chat
by nancy bosire 06 Oct '09

06 Oct '09

----------------------------------------------------------------------- nancy bosire wants to stay in better touch using some of Google's coolest new products. If you already have Gmail or Google Talk, visit: http://mail.google.com/mail/b-323009dad8-47a48bd1ba-047cce74e5994b74 You'll need to click this link to be able to chat with nancy bosire. To get Gmail - a free email account from Google with over 2,800 megabytes of storage - and chat with nancy bosire, visit: http://mail.google.com/mail/a-323009dad8-47a48bd1ba-047cce74e5994b74 Gmail offers: - Instant messaging right inside Gmail - Powerful spam protection - Built-in search for finding your messages and a helpful way of organizing emails into "conversations" - No pop-up ads or untargeted banners - just text ads and related information that are relevant to the content of your messages All this, and its yours for free. But wait, there's more! By opening a Gmail account, you also get access to Google Talk, Google's instant messaging service: http://www.google.com/talk/ Google Talk offers: - Web-based chat that you can use anywhere, without a download - A contact list that's synchronized with your Gmail account - Free, high quality PC-to-PC voice calls when you download the Google Talk client We're working hard to add new features and make improvements, so we might also ask for your comments and suggestions periodically. We appreciate your help in making our products even better! Thanks, The Google Team To learn more about Gmail and Google Talk, visit: http://mail.google.com/mail/help/about.html http://www.google.com/talk/about.html (If clicking the URLs in this message does not work, copy and paste them into the address bar of your browser).

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WHO CAN explain the science of RAIN
by Thuo Wilson 06 Oct '09

06 Oct '09

Out-dated or UP-to-date? Who would explain the science behind rain making ? http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/19/weekinreview/ideas-trends-the-science-of-… ? Wt,

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Re: [Skunkworks] USB Device Not Recognised
by Ogure Obunga 06 Oct '09

06 Oct '09

I say the usb ports are fully functional coz they read usb devices plugged into them. i suppose thats a good measure of functionality. i downgraded Vista to XPsp2. On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 9:25 AM, <skunkworks-request(a)lists.my.co.ke> wrote: > Send Skunkworks mailing list submissions to > skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > skunkworks-request(a)lists.my.co.ke > > You can reach the person managing the list at > skunkworks-owner(a)lists.my.co.ke > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Skunkworks digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Open Source Payroll Relevant to Kenyan Market (David Mugo) > 2. Re: Graduate Trainees needed - Turnkey Africa Limited > (Dennis Kioko) > 3. Re: Open Source Payroll Relevant to Kenyan Market (Peter Karunyu) > 4. Re: Samba Shares Authentication (Lmwangi) > 5. Re: Open Source Payroll Relevant to Kenyan Market (bernard kioko) > 6. Re: USB Device Not Recognized (Dennis Kioko) > 7. Re: UPS Repair - I can repair UPS (Peter Osotsi) > 8. OWC Hard Drives (Rahim Kara) > 9. Re: Open Source Payroll Relevant to Kenyan Market (Areba Collins) > 10. ModBooks (Rahim Kara) > 11. Re: Open Source Payroll Relevant to Kenyan Market (bernard kioko) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 17:01:42 +0300 > From: David Mugo <raidarmax(a)gmail.com> > To: Skunkworks Forum <skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke> > Subject: Re: [Skunkworks] Open Source Payroll Relevant to Kenyan > Market > Message-ID: > <e137e0fa0910050701k7a8d3d25t4e6f4e571370cbad(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Bernard, > > Its about time Kenyans woke up and do what they need to do....this is a > great idea, hope my blog post at > > http://blog.majibu.com/2009/10/05/my-challenge-to-you-the-african-yes-we-ca… > something to do with this - by the way, your name is somewhere there > among a few others. > > David. > > On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 4:58 PM, bernard kioko <bernsoft(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > Hi, > > > > I am wondering if there is any "kenyan" open source payroll software out > > there..... > > > > I am considering working on an Open Source Payroll System for Kenyan > market > > but I do not wish to do if anyone out there has a similar project - I > will > > prefer to support an existing initiative. > > > > If none exists though.....and your interested in using your spare > > time...for a noble cause.....then drop me an email an email we can chat a > > way forward..... > > > > Regards > > > > PS: Maybe we need an index for open source software in Kenya.... > > > > Regards (again) :-) > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Skunkworks mailing list > > Skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke > > http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks > > Other services @ http://my.co.ke > > Other lists > > ------------- > > Announce: > > http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce > > Science: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science > > kazi: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general > > > > > > -- > ------------- > http://blog.majibu.com >

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Safcom Huawei E220 modem locked
by George Njoroge 06 Oct '09

06 Oct '09

Hi guys, I know I have seen this talk of unlocking modems but did not pay much attention to it as mine was already unlocked ie as indicated above it is Safcom modem but I use my ZAIN line to browse in it using Linux. Now after a long time I decided to give it a try in windoze I tried all tweaks I could think of mpaka it connected but could not exchange data, Later when I switched to Linux I tried connecting but the modem did not connect again, I tried all tweaks again but could not connect but when I switch the lines and use a Safcom sim card I can connect and browse perfectly. I would like to go back to re-using my Zain line anyone with ideas or even how to confirm if the Modem probably re-locked itself? -- Conservatism is the adherence to the old tried against the new untried.

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Traffic Alert system Project Overview/proposal
by Dennis Kioko 06 Oct '09

06 Oct '09

I have been thinking of a traffic alert system, which we can implement. I have thought up a brief project overview and proposal which i have attached here. Please feel free to add your own thoughts. What we mainly need to do is determine whether the project is feasible, ie do people really need such a system. Looking forward to your input *Project Overview* TRAFFIC ALERT SYSTEM *Mission and Scope* What problem does this project address? This project is meant to address the problems associated with traffic flow in Nairobi and other African cities. This is by sms alerts of traffic conditions on the roads. What is the goal of this project? To reduce the amount of time spent by drivers/passengers on the road by enabling feeding them with info which enables them choose alternative travel time/ alternative roads What is the scope of this project? The system will get input from several points on a road to a central server. The input will be flow of traffic at the point of the road, e.g. At X roundabout flow is approximately 2 kph. The flow ill be mapped on to consecutive points of the road, such that for road Y, flow ill be represented as : 5, 7, 20, 50 , 30, 10, 5 , 60 (kph) from the beginning point to end point. By using the known distance of the road, the system can calculate average travel time e.g. [5, 7, 20, 50 , 30, 10, 5 , 60 (kph)], [10,15,20,25,32,44, 50, 55 (mins)] in increasing minutes from starting point to end point; for our example, the project would take 55 minutes. For distances between points, subtract your starting point from end point. The input will rely on one of the following, amongst other potential suggestions: - Speed Camera feeds/speed radar which takes the average speed of vehicles passing through a certain point and transmits it to a central point. - Use of mobile phone concentration in an area and rate of switch from one BTS to another. This would require writing of appropriate algorithms that ensure that only mobile phones on a road are considered, and interference from pedestrians or mobs on a road are ignored. It would also require support of a mobile telco. - Physical inputs from hired humans or volunteers who transmit traffic conditions to a central room. Other humans at the central room analyse the traffic and come up with require information. This method is inefficient, unreliable and prone to human error and inconsistency. - Use of satellite ?? (beyond our scope?) What development methodology is being used? ?? Where should a new team member start? A new member can join the development process at any stage. It is recommended that they have background info though. *Status* The project is currently in the proposal/requirements gathering stage. *Project Proposal* *Project Information* *Project:*TRAFFIC ALERT SYSTEM*Project Time-frame:*01/10/09 - ?*Summary:*A project meant to help travellers predict their ETA and plan their journeys by passing prevailing traffic conditions to them.*Attached Worksheets:*Project Overview*Related Documents:*Project Plan *Process impact:* This proposal, along with drafts of related documents, will be used by skunks to determine whether or not to approve work on this project. A clear and precise project plan helps set expectations that will be used later to evaluate the success of the project. *Background and Motivation* TODO: Replace the example text below with text that describes your project. What are the needs or problems that you are trying to address? Why do these needs (still) exist? Why are these problems worth solving? Who is the customer? Write 2-4 paragraphs. What is the setting and history behind this project? Traffic on roads leading to Nairobi City Centre has been characterised with traffic jams. The traffic jams are no longer restricted to peak times only, but occur at any time of the day, and with varying degree. Radio stations have been having traffic alerts, but this give little insight and sketchy information. Drivers and passengers may need more detailed information. What is the problem to be addressed? Traffic jams can range from less than a kilometre to many kilometres. Thus time taken on a journey can range from minutes to several hours for the same distance. By having information on real time traffic, travellers can leave earlier, postpone appointments or cancel journeys. What are some current approaches to this problem? Traffic alerts are broadcast over FM radio at peak hours. In several cities, users are able to access real traffic information via Google Maps. Why is this problem worth solving or worth solving better? Travellers should be able to have detailed information such that they are able to visualise exact traffic flow on their roads and approximate how long it would take to travel. They can also prioritise their travel arrangements based on this info. How will this product be better than previous approaches? Traffic alerts will give the average speed of traffic at sections of a road, e.g. Globe, Parklands, Pangani round about, Muthaiga round about etc for Thika Road; GPO roundabout, Kobil Round About, Stadium Round about, Capital centre for Mombasa Road. This is better than saying “Mombasa road is busy and slow”. By approximating journey times, travellers will make appropriate decisions on how to travel, e.g. Arrange to be picked up if their ETA is late at night on public transport, postpone their travel if traffic flow is approximately 0kph maybe due to an accident. Where is there more information on this problem? There is a traffic alert system in Lagos, Nigeria which relies on human generated data. This is done by a group of motorcycle riders who move from point to point analysing traffic. *Goal* *What is the goal of this project?* *TIP: This should be relatively short since you can reference terms defined above.* *This project will give real time traffic conditions on a road enabling prediction od travel times and help in travel arrangement..* *What are the defining features and benefits of this product?* - Real time traffic alerts including average traffic speed and journey times - All users need is a mobile phone, not necessarily a smart phone or low end phone. Alerts will be transmitted via SMS alerts. This can be scaled up to traffic mapping for smart phones and computers. - Generation of income can be done by use or premium rate sms services or/coupled with paid adverts included in sms alert. The service can also be subscription based with twice a day(or other desired frequency) alerts at a given time for a certain road *Scope* TODO: Replace the sample text below with a clear statement of the scope of your project. What are the high-level things that you plan to do, and that you will not do? What are your important simplifying assumptions? Try to guard against reasonable misunderstandings that might arise if you did not explain the scope. It can take the form of a paragraph, bullet list, in/out list, and/or UML context diagram. The focus of the project is a server that collects prevailing traffic information and uses it to map traffic flow on a road. - Provide SMS alerts to any phone detailing traffic flow and Estimated Times of Arrival. - Cheap enough to be used by both Passengers and Drivers over and over again. - Information provided can be integrated into other applications - Information can be important to matatu operators, traffic police *In Scope**Out of Scope*Use of a comparatively inexpensive system to monitor traffic flow e.g cameras, speed radars , human transmission, or anonymous mobile phone triangulationUse of satellite technology to monitor trafficTransmit information via simple SMS alertRequire a java enabled phone or smart phone that allows downloading an application to get traffic feedsOther applications are able to draw information from the systemHighly integrated system that requires extra work to provide information to other systemsEasy to use, one time request or subscription basedRequires an instruction manual to use. Automatic subscription which requires administrator intervention to unsubscribe.High scalability, able to handle a few thousand requests per hourOnly able to provide a fixed number of requests per hourCheap to use, at most Kes 10 per sms. Preferably Kes 5 or lower. Subscription costs can be quite low e.g. 100 Kes per monthQuite costly for most Kenyans to afford ; upwards of Kes 10 per smsSMS alerts can be coupled with advertisements. Advertisers pay per certain number of random sms, can target certain roadsTargeting of Ads on features other than location. *Deliverables* TODO: Briefly list project deliverables. When you are done, what will you deliver to the customer? This can be copied from the draft project plan and simplified to reduce technical detail. - SMS alerts - Subscription based SMS alerts - SMS based advertising *Risks and Rewards* TODO: Briefly list and rank major risks. Risks are detailed in the draft project plan. For this proposal document, you should select the most important risks from the project plan and explain them in non-technical terms. What are the main risks of this project? 1. The System may require massive capital injection that will require a long time to recoup 2. Government Requirements and policies. The project may be hampered by massive startup fees and operation charges. 3. Travellers may not really require a traffic alert system, leading to under utilisation of the system. 4. Ongoing road constructions will mean that data gathering points will have to be relocated from time to time What are the main rewards if this project succeeds? 1. The project can be self sustaining from revenue generated from sms/subscription charges. 2. Advertising revenue will result in profitability of the project 3. Better planning travel arrangements for those using city roads. *Project Plan* ************* Continuation of the project to this stage and beyond will be determined by determination of user requirements ie: - Do travellers really need such a system or is it a white elephant. This can be done by mailing list readers giving their views and those of people around them. - If users need the system, which is the best and easiest way to implement it amongst those detailed in the project scope. -- with Regards: Lessons we learn from from friends we lost to misdiagnosed illnesses; at my blog: http://gramware.blogspot.com

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