February 2010 - skunkworks - Skunkworks Site

Skunkworks Meeting, Talking Pesa Pal...
by Phares Kariuki 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

PesaPal - Skunkworks Session Hi guys, the team from PesaPal is going to meet skunkworks on Feb 23rd from 6pm. They will cover PesaPal and a. introduce team members to the community b. explain PesaPal's roadmap c. set the stage for feedback from the community. d. educate the community on how to integrate PesaPal for their clients e. build linkages with the skunkworks community for future developments and improvement Speakers Onesmus Kagwanja - PesaPal Chief Technology Officer Will speak about the ecosystem Paul Mungai - PesaPal Chief Software Engineer Will speak about the architecture, design decisions and integration options Benson Njonjo - PesaPal - Head of Open Source Integration Will speak about CMS integration, challenges, vision Mark Mwongela - Managing Director {Verviant} Will speak about how to work with buyers {companies}, how to sell e commerce Agosta Liko - Founder General Vision, Opportunities for techies, how we work together to sambaza this epayment thing Thanks

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Fwd: PC SOURICNG
by Simon Mbuthia 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

Hi guys, A friend of mine would like to procure about 11 computers with the specs below. Send me your quotes offlist. Me. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Date: 16 February 2010 11:11 Subject: PC SOURICNG To: simon.mbuthia(a)gmail.com Hi Kindly assist me to source preferably HP computers with close to the following specs, and favorable discount,thanx. - 160 GB hard disk - 512 MB of RAM - Core 2duo or duo core Regards Patrick -- Be kind to your dentist - he has fillings too...

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Eassy landing delayed
by David Kiania | Asentric Consulting Ltd 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

Same Script different cast. ------- Logistical problems delayed EASSy landing over weekend Following several delays due to bad weather and logistical errors over the weekend The East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) landed at Mtunzini in Kwazulu Natal at 8:04am this morning. EASSy was initially scheduled to land on Saturday morning, bringing with it a 1.4Tbps design capacity and spanning 10,000km with additional landing stations in Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Comoros, Madagascar and Mozambique. Problems with refueling the Ile de Batz, one of Alcatel Lucent’s three cable laying vessels, and an onshore wind resulted in the landing delays. According to a Telkom representative “on-site personnel are currently busy with the landing processes as indicated”. Upon becoming commercially active in August EASSy will offer interconnection with various other undersea international cable systems that will enable traffic on EASSy to connect to Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Asia, thereby enhancing the east coast of Africa’s connectivity into the global telecommunications network. The system itself will offer a full redundancy and protection package to customers upon launch, meaning that there is a duplicate or triplicate network or component to offer backup during a failure. Ultimately Telkom believes that EASSy will compliment Telkom’s existing undersea cable systems – SAT3 and SAFE. The company is also a key investor in the West African Cable System (WACS) which, upon landing in 2011, will bring a design capacity of 3.84Tbps – the largest of its kind to reach Southern Africa. -- [Asentric Consulting Ltd] If a man has in himself the soul of a slave will he not become one no matter what his birth .... -Richest Man in Babylon

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Your YouTube Speed: is my ISP delivering?
by Christopher Kiagiri 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

I just checked my YouTube speed using the YouTube video speed dashboard<http://www.youtube.com/my_speed> and besides being able to see my speed, it was interesting to note that Kenya's national average (478Kbps) was higher than Nairobi's (465Kbps). Presumably, this may be a reflection on Safcom's national 3G network boosting the average speed outside Nairobi. This dashboard allows a user to see their YouTube video speed history over the last 30 days. You will also be able to see the YouTube video speed of other users in different regions (city, country and worldwide). The test video below the bar chart also fittingly begins with an intro by Vint Cerf to a talk on a statistical view of the Internet. This could be a good data point to add to http://africansignals.com/kenya to help evaluate the speed/quality of our ISPs and push for better service. -- Chris Kiagiri Technical Lead Google Kenya ----------------------- To find out what Google is doing in Africa, visit the Google Africa Blog<http://google-africa.blogspot.com/> or follow @googleafrica on Twitter. Sent from Nairobi, Kenya

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Re: [Skunkworks] Skunkworks Kenya
by Rahim Kara 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

@wesley what was your argument with relation to registering? and i'm backing you all the way so bring out the big guns! @all i'm looking at this from a perspective of professional / expansion. Consider the following. 1. In the near future, there is to be a decision related to IT which requires a body to work with in Kenya. Skunkworks is a great idea however it needs to be registered. The registration process takes X amount of time and by then, we've already been hijacked by someone else. 2. Skunkworks holds some of the greatest minds in Kenya that i can think of. We are a conglomerate of the change we perceive yet choose to do nothing about it. Our ideas can alter the face of our country, NAY! our Region as a whole and yet, we won't be heard. And why not? because we're just a crowd right now. a well organized one at that but still just a crowd. 3. If you have an apple ( the fruit ) and call it an apple, will it sell more if you called it something else like Juicy Wild Apple? The branding situation holds a great deal of promise, there can be more we can do with Kenyan IT and Information as a whole, i've ranted about something similar in the past when the replicator was a suggestion i had. Granted, we don't have the facilities to work on it but we have the brains. I got some people online who btw are actually working toward helping with it whether it works or not. Let's not sit back and watch the world pass by. I'm going to fight this one through and lets get it done. I want to know why we shouldn't register, i've also requested legal counsel from a few people who should be in a position to give me distinct categories of what we can register under. Responses people. wesley kirinya wrote: > Rahim, > > That was one of the first things I suggested when I joined Skunkworks > 3-4 years back. A few supported, most didn't coz skunks were paranoid > that Skunkworks would turn into some elite society of people. > > 2 Years back I made same suggestion, the earth or rather the list > didn't seem moved. > Someone else circa that time made same suggestion but ... > > I believe the guys who didn't want a formal skunksworks had a point > (and probably their point still holds). So a middle ground was reached > whereby the list would be a place to meet and guys who want to work on > something or form something formal would do it on the side, AKA Mpango > Wa Kando! So, I guess Skunk(ette)s are the original creators of Mpango > Wa Kando, too bad we are too techie and forgot to patent that! > > 8~) > > > > > --- On *Tue, 2/16/10, Rahim Kara /<skunkingrahim(a)gmail.com>/* wrote: > > > From: Rahim Kara <skunkingrahim(a)gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [Skunkworks] Skunkworks Kenya > To: "Skunkworks Forum" <skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke> > Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 9:50 AM > > @Clement Well, these are agencies and Associations. As a Tech > Forum, is there any other way of being registered sort of as a > recognizable body? > > > Clement Ongera wrote: >> @Rahim >> An official body...meaning the likes of TESPOK, KIF, KEMSA etc etc? >> I believe its possible but it will take time...lots of time. We will >> need a structure of some sort, officials, CASH, Office..... etc etc... >> I'd rather it be as it is, we do things our 'legal' way. >> > > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ > Skunkworks mailing list > Skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke </mc/compose?to=Skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke> > http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks > ------------ > Skunkworks Server donations spreadsheet > http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AopdHkqSqKL-dHlQVTMxU1VBdU1BSWJxdy1… > <http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AopdHkqSqKL-dHlQVTMxU1VBdU1BSWJxdy1…> > ------------ > Skunkworks Rules > http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 > <http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94> > ------------ > 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 > ------------ > Skunkworks Server donations spreadsheet > http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AopdHkqSqKL-dHlQVTMxU1VBdU1BSWJxdy1… > ------------ > Skunkworks Rules > http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 > ------------ > 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

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Invitation to connect on LinkedIn
by Peter Osotsi 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

LinkedIn ------------Peter Osotsi requested to add you as a connection on LinkedIn: ------------------------------------------ Josiah, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. - Peter Accept invitation from Peter Osotsi http://www.linkedin.com/e/T4Pevh2Eh7RcyFJhPqi__ymPVOifi_KTYW6abNc/blk/I1815… View invitation from Peter Osotsi http://www.linkedin.com/e/T4Pevh2Eh7RcyFJhPqi__ymPVOifi_KTYW6abNc/blk/I1815… ------------------------------------------ DID YOU KNOW you can use your LinkedIn profile as your website? Select a vanity URL and then promote this address on your business cards, email signatures, website, etc http://www.linkedin.com/e/ewp/inv-21/ ------ (c) 2010, LinkedIn Corporation

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Skunkworks Server Purchase
by Murigi Muraya 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

We are not doing too well in raising funds to purchase a GOOD Skunkworks Server & Accessories. We should be at the 250K mark by now & not at @ 29K only. Many (such as myself) want to be on the list to know what is going on in the Kenyan tech scene. Am not a Skunkworks founder member but know it is only ethical to promote initiatives one benefits from. Last week, I got to learn more about POS systems through this list. It costs money to advertise in the local dailies (and even on the web). It is not ethical to advertise here (sourcing for skills, insights, employment or business) if you do not think it worth contributing for the new Skunkworks Server. The current Skunkworks Server is in ICU - for those of you who do not know. Contributing knowledge ONLY will not help us purchase a new Server. We need cash!! If you cannot contribute cash now, pledge to contribute whenever you are better off. Even if it is next year. If 500 of us had given KShs 500, raising 250K would not have been a problem. We will need to generate income (annually) to maintain if not increase and improve on the equipment. (adding memory, hard drives etc) Those who pledged to contribute after the Server has been purchased are not helping us either. Am sure this initiative was named Skunkworks and not Skunktalks for some reason ... _________ Anyway, read an interesting EU Feasibility Study about Setting up a Platform for a Data (Info) Exchange for their Fruit / Vegetable Market. Some interesting comments in it that apply to us too. More on that later.

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Re: [Skunkworks] Jquery
by Rahim Kara 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

Good morning peoples. Was wondering if there was a simpler JQ web gallery script that can be implemented over lightboxing. I've used lightbox in a number of the sites' i've dev'd. I was actually wondering because i wanted an opinion on whether this looked alright or if someone knows what would look better.. http://www.megapixels.co.ke/gallery - click on any of the three options, it'll take you directly to the LBox galleries As usual, any help will come in handy. Rahim

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Handheld GPS sellers
by Mark Mwangi 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

Hey Skunks, Anyone with any leads as to where I can get a handheld GPS reciever that can calculate acreage or area of land by walking along its perimeter? or who knows of a garmin or tom tom reselller in nairobi? -- Regards, Mark Mwangi http://mwangy.wordpress.com Skype : mark.mwangy

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(Rant) Hardware - After Sales Support
by robert njuguna 16 Feb '10

16 Feb '10

Hi Guys, I recently purchased an acer netbook. Its gone down twice within the last 6 months. (I really don't have a problem with this). What I have a problem with is the kind of support i get from the vendor. 3 weeks later I am yet to get my netbook back. The vendor is also not offering me any alternatives. Given that this is a working tool I expect the following at a minimum from a vendor: - A replacement option .. while my hardware is getting fixed. - A quality of service guarantee. (that is actually met) That having been said. Does anyone know of a vendor who actually does the above. I will gladly take all my future hardware business there. Lets reward some1 who actually cares about their customers. Regards Bob

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