March 2010 - skunkworks - Skunkworks Site

This is funny : Doom and Duke were controversial computer games?
by aki 20 Mar '10

20 Mar '10

And these are too funny. What were the coders/designers thinking? :-)))))))) BMX XXX : Knocked out a sub-standard BMX sim? No problem - just put lots of over-endowed topless female characters in it and change the title to something risqué. This shocker brought in nudity to replace playability - you could even unlock footage of strippers - but it didn't impress major US games sellers like Wal-Mart, which promptly pulled the title from its shelves. Bully (Canis Canem Edit) : If you want to kick off a little controversy before a game has even hit the shelves then you can do worse than calling it 'Bully' and showing footage of the protagonist punching another pupil. Re-named Canis Canem Edit (Latin for dog eat dog) in this region - this game was not nearly as controversial as the hype suggested. Still, that didn't stop anti-bullying groups giving it a sound kicking and probably a wedgie as well. Carmageddon : Carmageddon's brush with controversy came about thanks to its focus on the running over of pedestrians. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) took exception to the blood and gore that was splashed about throughout the game and denied it a certificate. It took 10 months for that decision to be overturned, with a modified version which saw victims spurt green blood sold in the interim. http://tech.uk.msn.com/gaming/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=149689974&page=2

13 27

Companies rush to lease KPLC’s over-the-power-line cable
by aki 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

Information and telecommunication (IT) firms are rushing to secure a lease of Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) fibre, as an assurance to offer round-the-clock connectivity which is becoming a key selling factor. Unlike the terrestrial fibre optic cables, the-over-the-power-line fibre is not prone to vandalism and also eliminates costs associated with repairs or providing security to the underground cables. For instance, Telkom Kenya says it spends an average of Sh500,000 per incident of vandalism. The scramble has seen four big operators, Jamii Telecommunication Ltd, Safaricom Ltd and Wananchi Group and latest Kenya Data Network (KDN) sign agreements with KPLC to lease capacity. http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Company%20Industry/Companies%20rush%20to… ( PS : My view. While all the above players are establishing long term solutions, we have companies like Access Kenya who are only interested in sending out PR pages about expanding outside kenya. I read another article the other day by BD on AK spreading its services via partnerships across the borders and it seemed so out of contact with reality. Something is not right at AK and selling snow to the eskimos? )

3 2

Creating the new generation ISP....
by aki 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

By June this year, we may be coming very close to a stable international class backbone network. Both under ground and over head fibers nationally will provide redundancy and less dependence on vsats. With Eassy entry into the market, there is going to be competition again on core prices. Where does this leave us? We need to start dreaming about getting the next generation ISP onto the market. I think consumers are pretty tired of current names and services. Services on offer : - Cheaper VOIP Rates. Will CCK finally allow Kenyans to operate VOIP gateways and run online business without any interconnections into public networks, emergency services? - Video feeds, event planners and multimedia. : Will newer ways of doing this change ideas and applications? - Will now Eassy offer core 10Mbit bandwidth allocations @ 1200USD/Month because right now 10Mbit is 6000USD!? If so, designing much cheaper services will become a reality. - Will we now finally start building network centres, hosting and offline backup systems? I can't wait to see the outcome and possibly try and be a part of it some way. Exciting times and prospects ahead. :-)

1 0

And here comes the EASSY undersea fiber..
by aki 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

The imminent arrival of Kenya’s third international fibre optic this weekend is set to renew debate on the pricing of communication. The East African Submarine System (EASSy) will dock in Mombasa this weekend, two weeks earlier than initially scheduled. Although capacity offered on EASSy will only be available for commercial use in June after it undergoes a mandatory testing period, the cable’s physical arrival promises to set off major realignments in the Internet sector over the next three months. Industry analysts view the entry of EASSy as the catalyst that the local data market needs to effect significantly lower pricing for communications. “Having three or more players in the market inevitably leads to lower prices as competitive market forces come into play,” said Joe Sloan, International Finance Corporation (IFC). A recent study on Internet trends in Kenya by TNS Research reveals that while 77 per cent of Kenyans want to get online more frequently, many are often put off by the high cost and low speeds currently offered by the market. EASSy hopes to jolt pricing in the market with its unique costing model, which does not require its customers —typically Internet service providers —to sign long-term contracts in order to access connectivity, unlike other operators. While prices on both Seacom and TEAMS are pegged to long-term, 20 year contracts, EASSy’s pricing model will feature short-term leases that offer the smaller Internet service provider cheaper options than those currently in the market “This will allow for more flexibility for our customers. The key differentiation between our offering and the others is that we allow our customers to buy capacity in the amounts they can afford, which opens up our service to smaller players,” said Chris Wood, CEO of the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC). http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Company%20Industry/EASSy%20landing%20rev…

1 0

Re: [Skunkworks] [OT] bill@kplc.co.ke : Delivery to KPLC failed permanently
by maina 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

The easiest way to pay kplc bill is to use M-pesa,pay bills comfortably seating on your favourite sofa no long queues On Fri Mar 19th, 2010 6:38 AM PDT Alvin Jason Ochieng wrote: >To escape lines Ken...Barclays also take payment... > > > >On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 4:13 PM, Ken Teyie <kenteyie(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> But why does one have to go to Uchumi? >> >> On 3/19/10, David Njuki <njukey(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> On 19 March 2010 13:55, Alvin Jason Ochieng <ajochola(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> KPLC have counters at UCHUMI outlets for BILL PAYMENT . They are not >>>> online >>>> though !! >>>> >>>> You have to know your bill !!! >>> >>> >>> They should be online Alvin, I was able to see my exact balance two days ago >>> at Uchumi Langata. >>> >>> -- >>> ˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙ >>> 'spɹɐƃǝɹ >>> ıʞnɾu pıʌɐp >>> >> >> >> -- >> KT, >> M: +254 722 28 98 04 >> www.mondeas.com >> >> “When you are busy making excuses, you are not making money, making >> friends, or making the world a better place. Every loser out there has >> an excuse as to why they’re not a winner – but at the end of the day, >> they’re still a loser with an excuse.” -Tana Goertz >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 >_______________________________________________ >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

2 1

A major question to e- or m-payment gateway gurus....
by aki 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

This is not my cup nor project ( I'm more on silly things like games.... ) but I've been quite curious about a few questions. And I think for the sake of Mobile or Web developers, it would be nice to have this discussion. First, congrats again to David Mugo and his payment gateway. Since he is on the list, maybe he can share some experiences of the project. David or others on this list, I'd like to start with these questions and also present this thread questions as your payment gateway marketing to eg the list : - What has been the uptake of the payment gateways? - How many kenyan websites are using these? - What is the process for web developer to integrate the gateways into client sites, what have been the bonuses and pitfalls? - How about m-payment and are your systems fully capabale of this? - How many kenyan sites have created m-portals that allow for payments while how many have sms driven menus to allow for payments? You ladies and gents built the systems and gateways but has the market digested it and have Mobile/Web developers taken up the challenges to produce such? I've googled and have been unable to find ANY SITE that offers an m-portal nor sms-driven menu which is integrated to your gateways. Which then leads me to think that this payment sector is over even before it begun. What a sad story that would be if true. And please if 1-20 sites are using your systems that does not count. The target I assume was around at least a few thousand by now. Share you thots. :-)

6 10

BCP utility in SQL Server
by Mr. Lawi 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

Hi guys, bcp.exe dbname.db_user.cust_table out c:\bcp\reports\report.txt -f cust.fmt -S MSSQL -U db_user -P db_user -c I get this error/warning: "-c override -f" The cust.fmt file is as below: 1 SQLCHAR 0 10 "\t" 1 Name 2 SQLCHAR 0 16 "\t" 2 Cust_ID 3 SQLCHAR 0 10 "\t" 3 Town 4 SQLCHAR 0 10 "\t" 4 ClassCode 5 SQLCHAR 0 10 "\t" 5 DescCode 6 SQLCHAR 0 80 "\t" 6 Term Description 7 SQLCHAR 0 16 "\t" 7 AccountNumber 8 SQLCHAR 0 10 "\t" 8 Status 9 SQLCHAR 0 10 "\t" 9 Date 10 SQLCHAR 0 10 "\t" 10 OpeningDate 11 SQLCHAR 0 10 "\t\n" 11 MaturityDate Thnx

2 1

[OT] bill@kplc.co.ke : Delivery to KPLC failed permanently
by Ken Teyie 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently: bill(a)kplc.co.ke ....it was rejected by the recipient domain. So how are we expected to check electricity balances. SMS to 5551 takes eons, now this plus all the power bill fuel charge ripoff. AND who has the time to queue for bills? Surely KLPC!

6 9

<Brain Teaser> Is your IQ higher than 120? </Teaser>
by Jared Koyier 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

Is your IQ higher than 120? They say only people with an IQ of 120 or higher can figure this out? IF: 2 + 3 = 10 7 + 2 = 63 6 + 5 = 66 8 + 4 = 96 Then: 9 + 7 = ? If you find out the number, use it as the password to open the excel file, put your name on the list and send it to other people ...

21 36

FourSquare
by Clement Ongera 19 Mar '10

19 Mar '10

http://foursquare.com/ the latest entrant(According to me) of yet another social media. -- Many Thanks. Regards, Clement Ongera.

2 1