August 2009 - skunkworks - Skunkworks Site

1 Million Laptop Campaign
by Mark Mwangi 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Whatever happened to the above?. . . Any insight/update Mr. Gakuru?. . . . -- Regards, Mark Mwangi http://mwangy.wordpress.com

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Telkom Kenya
by jude mwenda 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Hi, anyone from telkom kenya IT depeartment on this mailing list? -- Regards Jude Mwenda "Was ist mein Leben, wenn ich nicht mehr nützlich für andere." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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How smart are we?
by Rahim Kara 01 Sep '09

01 Sep '09

I'm curious. Are there any inventors out there? By inventors, i refer to the stereotypic look at the classic time travelling/ life bringing/ atom splitting inventors. Rahim Kara, Pro App's Specialist, Elite Digital Solutions Ltd.  Apple Premium Reseller Sarit Centre P.O.Box 75289, Nairobi – 00200 KENYA +254 (20) 374 5550 PHONE +254 (20) 375 3509 FAX +254 721 875 042 Safaricom MOBILE +254 734 334 074 Zain MOBILE +254 773 104 250 Orange MOBILE iChat rahim.kara(a)me.com Mailing List Subscription http://mail.wananchi.com/mailman/listinfo/elitedigitalsolutions

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Job Hunting.
by Njuguna Waweru 01 Sep '09

01 Sep '09

Hi fellow skunkers. I'm urgently searching for a job after completion of my diploma in IT from jkuat. Any takers out there? It should be within Nairobi.Internships opportunities are also welcome but you should be ready to part with some few chums(No charity please!). Contact me offlist @ njuguna(a)butterfly.co.ke Regards.

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Re: [Skunkworks] 1999 census results:Technology
by Joram Mwinamo 01 Sep '09

01 Sep '09

I just wondered to myself, couldnt we get PDAs or laptops(hata kama they would have been leased or something) and have the info entered in real time and sent to a central database where its calcutated immedietly? We have to wait until December to get the results? Are we serious? Just another avenue where technology would have saved us lots of time and money and been a lot more accurate(maybe someone doesnt want accuracy) On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 9:38 AM, Al Kags <alkags(a)gmail.com> wrote: > The 1999 Census results were published and there is a book. > Al Kags > ----------------------- > Author, Living Memories. > “IF THERE IS SUCH A THING AS Kenya, these stories belong to us all, just as > the pictures in Kenya Burning document the trauma of a nation during the > post-election violence. The age of history written by white males is well > and truly over.” - Star Columnist, Betty Caplan in the East African Weekly > Newspaper. > > > > > > On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 9:35 AM, Solomon Mburu <solo.mburu(a)gmail.com>wrote: > >> @ Saich, I think Mwangi was asking about the 1999 Census. You've provided >> site for this year's census! >> >> >> 2009/8/17 saich <saiched(a)gmail.com> >> >> check out their website >>> www.kenyacensus2009.go.ke >>> >>> On Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 11:33 AM, Mark Mwangi<mwangy(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> > Whatever happened to the above? I recall they were never announced . . >>> > . Anyone with the inside scoop? >>> > >>> > -- >>> > Regards, >>> > >>> > Mark Mwangi >>> > >>> > http://mwangy.wordpress.com >>> > _______________________________________________ >>> > 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 >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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 >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Solomon Mburu >> P.O. Box 19343 - 00202 Nairobi >> Cell: (+254-0) 735 431041 >> >> Man is a gregarious animal and enjoys agreement as cows will graze all the >> same way to the side of a hill! >> >> AND >> >> It is better to die in dignity than in the ignomity of ambiguous >> generosity! >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 >> > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > -- Sent from my Voice Recognition Watch© -------------------------------------------------------------------- God is not an excuse for lack of discipline -------------------------------------------------------------------- Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,but that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.As we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear,our presence automatically liberates others.

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Banks and other things in general represent the failure of a greedy self centered economy?
by aki 31 Aug '09

31 Aug '09

Our economy seems to be run and supportive of only large scale businesses. Though I've not done an indepth research into the sectors, it seems that business of volumes in never going to take place in kenya unless you have businesses that run turnovers of tens of millions to really benefit from anything economic that kenya has to offer. Our economy encourages "matope tupu" schemes and a conman system in place to encourage theft and exploitation. Banks : Openly tell you deposit maximum interest rates @ 6% while borrowing loan rates @ 14-17%!! Oil companies buy crude at different prices but will not pass it on to end users. LPG cooking gas has been on the rise ever since. There are too many sectors to pick on, including our neareast ones i.e Service Providers. So ever wonder why prices will never drop, here's a simple example. If you borrow Ksh 5 million over 5 years @ 14% borrowing rate, monthly repayment is about Ksh 110,000/-!! So as a business, which is no charity in the first place, will pass on this expense to customers. Customer end up paying a further cost of 10-15% of what the original costs are. 15% plus the usual heavy markups = 35-50%. Heavy markups because costs like hiked rent, electricity, security, transport are being passed on to end users. Will things ever become cheaper, hakuna. This is the state of almost fake economies. Those who are buying properties and going on mortages as business investments better watch out. Today an apartment rent can cost as much as 80,000/-. Who excatly is going to pay this when they can borrow and finance it themselves? Why do I say fake economy. Look at the poverty and the number of increasing slums. Infact soon we should be labelled slum city or informal settlements because there is hardly anything much being done about the settlements in terms of solutions. Wherever there is a small empty space, there will be a shack soon enough. Population boom, heavily taxed middle income sector........... I wonder how many businesses are running in the RED because of heavy borrowing with killer interest rates? Or businesses are not in the RED because they are charging very heavy markups on services/products? What excatly is the solution? If you must borrow, then hit on markups and everyone should stop complaining of things being expensive. Afterall, the banks exploit everyone yet no one has closed their bank accounts either. My thots...

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Mick Wilson/UNEP/NBO/UNO is on mission
by Mick Wilson 31 Aug '09

31 Aug '09

I will be out of the office starting 31/08/2009 and will not return until 11/09/2009. I am on mission to Ethiopia and will rarely be checking this mail. If you need an intelligent reply before I get back then please contact caroline.mureithi(a)unep.org or, for POW 2010 matters, norberto.fernandez(a)unep.org

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Reversing Mpesa Payments
by James Kagwe 31 Aug '09

31 Aug '09

Members, I made a payment his weekend using Mpesa to the wrong number. I tried to call the number and no one picked and it was a substantial amount of money. Fortunately I got some advice from someone to call number 234 and sure enough the transaction was reversed after I made the call. I was wondering how Mpesa will handle or handles some of the payment reversals especially in cases where I would buy and pay something using Mpesa and then after receiving the goods I just reverse the transaction and therefore get goods for free. Probably there is something else I do not know about this transaction reversal thing, but I have a feeling it might bring some problems in the future. Someone who knows about how it operates please shed some light on it please. regards, G. Kagwe

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Unlocked Dongles
by ibtisam jamal 31 Aug '09

31 Aug '09

Hi, Does anyone know where i can buy cheap Unlocked dongles.

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Reliable gaming laptop
by Peter Karunyu 31 Aug '09

31 Aug '09

Good people, I need some advice; a friend of mine recently got rid of his gaming desktop in favour or a gaming laptop, problem is, he can't find a powerful laptop (at least 3GB RAM, at least 250GB HDD, at least Core 2 Duo 2.0GHZ AND an Nvidia/Radeon/ATI graphics card) which doesn't cost a leg and will not succumb to the heavy use. He had initially narrowed down to the Hp Pavilion entertainment series, e.g. the 1170ei at around 65k but word on the wire is that those models, though powerful, were not meant for heavy duty use. He is willing to spend upto Kshs 80k. Any help is much appreciated.

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