September 2009 - skunkworks

The value of a referral
by Daudi Were 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Good morning Skunks, Recently I have been inundated by calls from relatives/friends/acquaintances/clients about which ISP they should use for internet services at home/office etc. and I usually recommend the services I use as I can be honest about what they can expect based on my own experience (with the usual YMMV warnings). Then I got thinking, when I was in the UK each time I referred a customer to my ISP and they signed up I would get 1 months free bandwidth. Each time you referred a new customer to a satellite TV company once they signed up you would BOTH get 1 month free on the premium package. Mobile phone companies had the same incentives if you got them a new customer to sign up for a post-paid package.Even my web host gives me a free one month discount for referring a new customer to them! Peanuts for them but at least I feel appreciated! Basically these companies understand the very high value of a word of mouth referral. For example, when my mother asks me which ISP she should install in her house she is going to trust what I say and will happily sign the 12 month contract on that basis. You can send her 20 sales people but they will not be able to convince her as surely as I can in 10 minutes simply because of my relationship with her. The same goes for other family, friends etc. These referrals save ISPs money (they dont have to send someone out to make the sale) and it makes ISPs money (they get a new client locked into a 12 month contract). Now why don't Kenyan ISPs encourage us to make these referrals. I asked my ISP and I was told they “do not do that”. Come on, I am bring you new clients and making you money and I am already a long term customer. Show some appreciation! One ISP even told me that it sounded like I wanted a bribe! Ala? They could not see the logic of reward current customers, especially when they are bringing in new ones! -- Pamoja e:daudi.were@gmail.com <e%3Adaudi.were(a)gmail.com> skype: d.were

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server client softwares
by wallace ngene 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

hi skunkworks, im looking for a software that that can perform a server cliennt backup..symantec dlo seems to be sluggish especially on clients who have huge pst files...any ideas shall be appreciated. cheers -- WALLACE NGENE TARURU wallacengene(a)gmail.com

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Cyber Speeds: Impressive
by Theus Owicho 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Skunkers I am checking on speeds from 3 cybers and I think they have imporved. I have checked Loungenet on 7th Floor on Norwich Union House, Burger Dome Cyber along Kimathi street (Old Mutual House), and Bright Technologies. Loungenet and Bright are apparently on 2mbps link from KDN and AccesKenya respectively. I dont know if any of you also has a different pictuers. And also the 50 cents Cybers. Any which is fast enough and is still 50 cents per minute?

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Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Kenya Chapter
by wycliffe 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Hallo Skunkworks!, Welcome to the OWASP Kenya chapter. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a worldwide free and open community focused on improving the security of application software - develop,purchase, test and maintain secure applications. OWASP mission is to make application security visible,so that people and organizations can make informed decisions about true application security risks. Everyone is free to participate in OWASP and all of OWASP materials are available under a free and open software license It is our hope that this community will attract developers, security practitioners,operators, vendors,students...generally any interested parties Please help me in spreading the word to your friends, colleagues,study groups. Please visit OWASP kenyan Chapter using the link below: https://www.owasp.org/index. php/Kenya You could join the Kenyan mailing list through the link below https://lists.owasp.org/ mailman/listinfo/owasp-kenya Regards, Wycliffe omondi OWASP Kenya Chapter leader

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Re: [Skunkworks] SMARTCARDS FOR PSVs
by John Ndambuki 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/650438/-/umpsbu/-/index.html Hey *, I read the above article and wondered if anyone on this list has already come up with such a solution (either as a hobbyist or as a commercial product). You could *propose* your product to the government. BR - Ndambs -

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Re: [Skunkworks] Bandwidth usage??
by Martin Muraguri 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

I spoke to a friend at my ISP, and after checking ... I can go upto 1mbps for the price of 384kbps, the have an error on their side... I guess am lucky... but not for long though. -- Best Regards Martin Maina C: +254726937792 , +254770147485 T: +254 0202465663 E: martinmur87(a)gmail.com W: http://martingeek.110mb.com

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Spam mail is all over now
by Space Engineering NOC 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

I think fiber has opened up so many loose ends. In my mail box i am getting almost 90% of the mails as Spam mails.

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Gmail outage --"It's like worse than a power outage, " - users
by Gakuru Alex 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Gmail Outage Appears to Be Fixed By Mike Musgrove Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, September 1, 2009 Many users of Google's free e-mail service were stranded Tuesday afternoon when they logged on to find the service no longer working. According to research firm ComScore, the Gmail service, launched in 2004, has nearly 146 million users worldwide -- so when Google admits that an issue with the service is affecting "a majority of users," that's a not-insignificant portion of Web users. By Tuesday evening, the search engine company appeared to have fixed the problem as users of communications services like Twitter reported that they were able to access their e-mail again. Google's own site, however, reported that the e-mail service was still undergoing a "disruption." On Google's blog, engineering director David Besbris observed his colleagues at the search engine company were having difficulties with the service Tuesday. "We know many of you are having trouble accessing Gmail right now," he wrote. "We are too, and we definitely feel your pain." Besbris did not identify the problem, which he characterized as "minor." For Gmail users, it was a bumpy couple of days. On a Web page where Google tracks the status of its services, the company said that "some users" were having difficulty logging on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. On Tuesday afternoon, the company posted another update, this time saying that "a majority of users" were experiencing problems with the service. The company alternately described the problem as an "outage" and a "disruption" -- that latter term was the one Google used later on in the afternoon when many users reported being able to log on again. A news item about the outage posted to The Washington Post's Web site drew complaints from around the world. Some complained that the service's glitch would have a negative impact on their workday. On Twitter, naturally, the outage was a major topic of conversation. "It's like worse than a power outage," wrote one user of both services. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/01/AR200909010…>

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HP Deskjet 3745
by Max Muraya 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

I need power adapter for the above printer. Either new or used. Any offers let me know offlist. Thanks

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Fw: Call for Expression of Interest: Web app design & development
by Al Kags 02 Sep '09

02 Sep '09

Skunkworks, A local non-profit organisation that has recently rebranded wishes to have a website designed and built as a phase 1 of its aggressive online outreach. This is a call out for companies or consortiums of professionals that can: 1. Deliver outstanding CSS based design to reflect its brand image - see templatemonster.com for benchmarks 2. Deliver simple open source applications to work with that design 3. Enable the use of applications that are based on some open source products or that can work well with Facebook, twitter digg and other sites. 4. Adhere to the strictest Project Management principles: on time, on scope, on budget - including clear detailed documentation. The organisation wishes to innovate on how non-profits are seen online globally. if you can deliever this, Send your profile via email showing a portfolio of your most innovative sites, your best designs (if they are not the most innovative). The profile must show the size and expertise of your team. Send to simowachi(a)gmail.com by 7th september 2009. Only shortlisted companies will be asked to propose. Cheers.

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