September 2009 - skunkworks

sharing an idea
by aki 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

Hi list, While on the recent discussion on " web portals and content service provider " and PS Ndemo's response, I've now come to realize something very important. I've also tried to put across the list in kictanet that licensing and regulation should allow flexibilty for those of us who belong in the informal ICT sector etc. However, I've come to a conclusion that there are many of us who are incubating ideas, technologies and solutions towards innovations and the kind. Eg, I've been working on the next generation CDN which some are almost complete. I do not want to be a service provider nor telco etc but do what I do best and move on to other projects. Therefore, I think we should comeup with a site to promote the innovations etc under eg " The Kenyan Dream Tech Factory " where each one with the idea which they have invested, tried and can offer to bigger tech investors who eg have the licenses ( in short summary so as to protect your idea ). I now know big time where some of my innovations or projects over the years have gone wrong and am sharing my experience with you. Suggested work flow: - Register a site - Develop the site - Allow creation of user accounts - Allow any tech individual/small company to put up what they can offer ( ofcourse backed by facts ) - Establish the site as a reference point and find a way to market it to the tech sector. Anyway, if you think this is correct or helpful, then we move on. Else, I know what I need to do. Rgds, Aki

10 18

802.11n
by Tech List Kenya 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

I have started seeing laptops shipping with the above wireless cards. What is required to make them usable? Do we have 802.11n networks in Kenya?

2 1

Internet outage!
by Solomon Mburu 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

Listers I got this mail from an ISP and was kind off blank! PS: Edited somehow! So is that the reason I've experiencing poor internet since juzi? Any one experiencing the same? Forgive my ignorance, but does the sun affect internet? Dear (................) Customer, The outage that you experienced earlier on was due to the sun outage. During each spring and fall, the earth's orbit around the Sun brings us to a situation in which antennas pointing at geosynchronous satellites are directly pointing at the Sun. This phenomenon creates a rise in the electronic thermal noise creating a momentary decrease of the signal to noise ratio causing service interruptions for short durations of 5 to 10 minutes. The period lasts several days (5-7). Find attached the Sun Outage schedule for September 2009 for Kenya. For any further queries please do not hesitate to contact our 24 hour support team. Be guided accordingly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Predicted date | Start | End | Duration | dd/mm/yyyy | GMT | GMT | | | hh:mm:ss | hh:mm:ss | mm:ss | ---------------|----------|----------|----------| 21/09/2009 | 06:26:18 | 06:32:43 | 06:25 | 22/09/2009 | 06:24:47 | 06:33:22 | 08:35 | 23/09/2009 | 06:24:01 | 06:33:26 | 09:25 | 24/09/2009 | 06:23:55 | 06:32:55 | 09:00 | 25/09/2009 | 06:24:17 | 06:31:47 | 07:30 | 26/09/2009 | 06:26:01 | 06:29:26 | 03:25 | -- 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! blog: http://desires-and-dreams.blogspot.com Sent from Nairobi, Kenya

7 9

Sending mail from php
by Mr. Lawi 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

Hi Devs, I have this script and for the life of me I cant tell where the problem is. It is submitting successfully but the mail is not being sent. As in the $to does not get the email. Could it be a problem with the hosting? <?php session_start(); $uname = "1234"; $email = "test(a)test.test"; $phone = "1234"; $query = "How to 123"; $message = "Name: " . $uname . "\n\n" . "Phone Number: " . $phone . "\n\n" . "Email Address: " . $email . "\n\n" . "Query: " . $query; function redirect($msg, $page) { $_SESSION['msg'] = $msg; header("Location: $page"); exit(); } //$message = $uname . \n\n . $phone . $to = "mail2lawi(a)gmail.com"; $receiver = "My Test Site"; $subject = "Contact Us Form"; $headers .= "From:" . $email . "\r\n"; $headers .= "X-Mailer: Unknown"; if(mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers)) { //print "success, mail successfully sent to $to"; $msg = "Mail sent to $receiver"; $page = $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER']; $_SESSION['status'] = $msg; redirect($msg, $page); } else { //print "failure, mail failed to be sent to $to"; $msg = "Mail not sent to $receiver"; $page = $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER']; redirect($msg, $page); } ?>

3 5

Internet Connection
by Musya mike 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

Skunkers, Please advice me on the best internet service provider.Am located behind the Nakumatt junction-Ngong road. I can get a weak kdn butterfly signal but not adequate to connect.Telkom said they cannot provide adsl service(Livebox). I need atleast 256kbps downlink.Need a service(internet) i can share btn atleast 5 comps. How's the zuku service...anyone tried? Other options?Budget? Please advice.

5 5

Digital schools
by Watson Kambo 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

Hell, http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Company%20Industry/-/539550/663070/-/ite… I just read this and I felt proud of the steps being made in ICT in Kenya ...but I had to ask myself, is there anyone involved in this thing? I believe Skunkworks should be involved, for this huge project not to fail ... its a noble idea which I believe if implemented by people who have a vision, I believe we have many of them in this forum, can work out otherwise it will just be another white elephant ... Ndemo Where are you .... and why Microsoft ... give Open source a chance too... -- Watson wanjohi kambo

2 1

Web Developer
by Kariba Moko 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

Hello People, Nick Creations is looking for a web developer/applications developer who's good in coding to integrate into their creative team. Linux & open source adaptability is a plus If you know anyone, tell them to send their portfolio to info(a)nickcreations.co.ke Kind Regards Kariba Moko Creative Director Nick Creations Diversifying Brands ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2nd Floor, MD Apartments | South B | Off. Mombasa Road Telephone: +254 20 20 25 043 Cellphone: +254 721 715 780 | +254 733 715 783 Email: info(a)nickcreations.co.ke | www.nickcreations.co.ke

1 0

FCC Takes Sides in Net-Neutrality Debate
by Gakuru Alex 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

FCC Takes Sides in Net-Neutrality Debate By Rob Pegoraro 27 September, 2009 On Monday, the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said the agency would write rules requiring Internet providers to do something many of them already say they do: deliver online content without discrimination. So why were there so many long faces in telecom afterward? Chairman Julius Genachowski's speech at the Brookings Institution brought two "network-neutrality" questions back into the headlines. One: Is it bad if providers treat certain kinds of Internet data better than others? Two: Should the government do anything about it? Genachowski, a lawyer and technology investor nominated by President Obama to the commission in March, argued that the answer to both questions should be yes, citing the lack of competition in many markets; the conflict of interest posed by providers that also sell voice and TV services, which could be replaced by Web-delivered alternatives; and the difficulty of checking whether your provider is slowing down sites or services. ... <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR200909250…>

1 0

E960 3G Router
by Joshua Amolo 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

Is there anyone is the forum who has used the Huawei E960 Router and can speak of its performance say for 10 simultaneous connections -- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Joshua Amolo Cell: +254 720 263308/+255 783 060052

3 2

Register us please
by kenne2ke 25 Sep '09

25 Sep '09

I know after closing one loophole another one emerges, but that never was a reason to stay static in terms of policy. What I keep wondering and agonizing about is why so many good policies are never taken seriously. Today, good friends, I need to know why we should not be required to register for sim cards. Why do we continue this policy of giving fraudsters such a huge playing field to just buy and dispose after illegal use. Why oh why? Hon Bitange Ndemo and others who have access to the state machinery should know that crime is not only about changing the people at the top but should also avail more resources to them. You would be amazed how easier it would be to solve and track down most of the home based fraudsters out there. Anyone with the goodwill to push this regardless of what safaricom says (for selfish reasons) out there whom we can back up?

5 6