July 2010 - skunkworks - Skunkworks Site

OT : Shell are innovators of fuel technologies in Diesel Fuels. They stop smoke pollution and this fuel is available in Kenya.
by aki 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

I would discover that Shell Kenya were selling a quality and innovative Diesel fuel........ A while back my SWB Pajero that has a 2.5TD engine started giving problems on fuel consumption and everytime I changed gears, the engine would belch out heavy black smoke. This was disturbing as it hindered the drivers view of vehicles who were behind my car, not forgetting to mention what the smoke does to the enviroment. And cold start in the morning would be more noisy than usual. The thermostat helped in warming up the engine pretty quickly but for times I needed to rush, the engine would not pick up quick acceleration from cold start. I sent the car to a friend who would get a diagnosis done on the cyclinder compression, injection pump and injector pressure, nozzles, and the turbo charger. All these items were checked and serviced well though the turbo was intact as I get the engine oil changed quite frequently. When the car got back from service, it was belching out black smoke but to a smaller degree. I was not impressed about this as the main reason for sending it in for diagnosis was to get rid of that problem. I got a few opinions and they could vary from engine overhaul to replacing the injector pump. I was not convinced this was the problem and had started looking at getting a diesel exhaust convertor ( something similar to a catalytic convertor ) or something that would help. Someone suggested that I try the Diesel Shell fuel and I was initially skeptical about this. I topped up fuel at the Lavington Shell Station ( not the one at Lavington green ) and immediatley felt the difference in engine performance. The engine ran quieter during cold and hot start. And the best part was the belching of black smoke from the engine went down by almost 90% even on hard driving! Now I regularly top up at that station and will be sending the car for a re-calibration based on the new fuel. Why does Shell Kenya do such a poor job of marketing its innovative fuel technologies? Had I not discovered the fuel, it would have been an endless journey of trying to fix a problem that in reality lies with other diesel fuels that are being sold in Kenya. I have seen fairly new diesel trucks on the road and they still belch heavy thick smoke on load and always wondered why. Shell calls their fuel, Diesel Extra. That's my experience, hope it is helpful to someone out there.

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<ADVERT> Business Opportunity snom IP Phones distributors
by Oliver Ndegwa 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

*Hi Skunks, Open standards connect !!! For asterisk developers / integrators, other open standards VoIP systems and technology distributors. I would like to advice that Advatech is the gold partner of snom, distributing in the greater east and central africa. Our stocks are available ex-warehouse Nairobi. In stock we have 1. snom 300 - entry level phone 2. snom 320 - 2line lcd display and 12 programmable keys 3. snom 370 - wide lcd screen and xml browser 4. snom 821 and 870 colour, touch screen and WLAN enabled phones are available on order with 10days lead time. 5. M9- dect mobile - OCS ready, 12 phones in one base station, 100m access on a line of sight, with roaming capabilities - available next starting next month. We are looking for technology partners and resellers. If you are interested in this opportunity please send me your company details to oliver.ndegwa(a)advatech.co.ke or call me on 0713777001 and we can discuss how you can take on this opportunity. for more details on snom visit www.snom.com Lets talk SIP.... regards Oliver *

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<ADVERT> HP Pavilion in Stock
by Alvin Jason Ochieng 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

Dear Customer, We have limited quantities on the below laptop. Hurry while stocks last. [image: Hp%20pavilion%20dv6-2130.jpg] *VY140EA#ACQ* *HP **Pavilion dv6-1438ei *Entertainment Notebook PC in *Imprint - Espresso (Black) Colour*!!! Intel *Core 2 Duo T6600 (2.2GHz *◊ 2 MB L2 cache) Processor; *4096MB* DDR2 Memory; *320GB SATA HDD*; Super Multi DVD Writer *DVD+/-R +/-RW*; ATI Radeon HD 4650 Graphics; *15.6” *Diagonal High-Definition LED HP BrightView Display; HP Pavilion *WEBCAM *integrated microphones; *Wireless*802.11b/g; 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN; 5-in-1 card Reader; *Windows 7 Home Premium, 1 year warranty. * *Bundled Software:* Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft Works and Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 60-Day Trial Version, Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 (60 days live update), HP MediaSmart Suite, HP Setup, HP Advisor, HP Support Assistant, HP ProtectSmart, Cyberlink DVD Suite; Windows Media center, HP Games Console with hours of free game play, EasyBits Magic Desktop, Norton Online Backup (30-day trial).** Ksh69,500 * * * * *Terms & Conditions:* · Price quoted for items indicated Ex stock is subject to availability at time of ordering · Delivery for items quoted on B2B basis is 4 to 6 weeks from date of order · *Accessories if purchased separately are subject to 16% VAT* · Prices proposed based on promo are subject to validity of promo · Please check stock availability & price validity prior to Order. * * Thanks & Regards Alvin Ochola Corporate Account Manager GREENLINE TECHNOLOGY LTD. Odyssey Plaza 2nd Floor. P.O Box 61895-00200 Nairobi - Kenya TEL - 020 - 651755 / 552086 FAX - 020 - 559841 CELL PERSONAL - 0722-313923 - 0733 -313923

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Telehealth Helping Patients Sleep Better
by aki 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

As medical technologies and health IT evolve, so too is the use of web-based, remote diagnostic and monitoring tools that allow clinicians to test and track patients for illnesses at home. But for some patients, telehealth advancements are also bringing a better night's sleep. While devices like glucose meters and weight scales can help clinicians remotely monitor the condition of chronically ill individuals at home, the emergence of wireless, web-enabled testing devices are starting to make new diagnoses possible too. Not only can the telehealth devices allow at-home patients to be monitored and cared for while they're in more familiar, comfortable environments than a hospital or doctor office, but the remote testing can be a lot less costly than the services provided in traditional healthcare facilities, too. http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/07/telehealth_help.h…

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How to Get Pleasure and Profit from APIs
by aki 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

If APIs are “crack cocaine for developers,” as Mashery CEO Oren Michels said to us, then Michels is a dealer. His company specializes in creating and managing APIs for companies from Netflix and MTV Networks to Etsy and Cafe Press, and has recently published a survey on how developers use APIs. Whether for pleasure as a side project or for serious profit as an entrepreneurial endeavor, developers love to use APIs. At Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco, we chatted with Michaels about best practices for monetization, strategies for building on someone else’s platform, how to survive in a rollercoaster-like ecosystem of third-party apps, and other topics of concern to API-happy developers. In polling more than 550 mobile and web app developers at SXSW Interactive two months ago, Mashery unearthed a wealth of information about how we use APIs. Google(), Twitter and Amazon were said to have the best offerings for third-party devs, and many devs told Mashery what they wanted most was more clarity on API terms of use and code samples. http://mashable.com/2010/05/12/mashery-apis/

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US security chiefs tricked in social networking experiment
by aki 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

Anna Chapman need never have bothered with moving to Manhattan to become a sleeper agent for the Russian intelligence service. The experience of another femme fatale, Robin Sage, suggests the 28-year-old spy, who posted raunchy photos on her Facebook profile, should instead have honed her social networking skills. In just a month, Sage made connections with hundreds of people from the US military, intelligence agencies, information security companies and government contractors. The 25-year-old navy cyberthreat analyst was invited to speak at security conferences and offered jobs at companies including Google and Lockheed Martin. Her Twitter profile proclaimed: "Sorry to say, I'm not a Green Beret! Just a cute girl stopping by to say hey! My life is about info sec [information security] all the way!" http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/24/social-networking-spy-robin-sage

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Intel Atom and MeeGo to power car entertainment in future
by aki 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

Davis also welcomed an executive from major Chinese auto manufacturer, Rongcheng HawTai Automobile* to join him on stage. HawTai announced that its new B11* luxury sedan will incorporate the Intel Atom processor and open-source MeeGo software platform in its in-vehicle-infotainment systems. "With an infotainment solution that utilizes the Intel Atom processor, we are leveraging the well-established and latest Internet technologies, and re-using existing software that has been developed on MeeGo based Linux platform," said Mr. Wang Dian Ming, vice chairman of HawTai Automotive. "It saves us application development costs, and enables new services to be introduced quickly with high reliability." http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/2010/20100413comp.htm

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anyone out there?
by [ Brainiac ] 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

ping skunkworks KE..... -- Posted on 100% recycled electrons

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Re: [Skunkworks] Mpesa paybill business number - data problems
by Haggai Nyang 28 Jul '10

28 Jul '10

gnokii does this pretty easily, and with the smsd extension it saves directly to mysql and then you can parse the text with your favourite scripting app (php et al)...tested a Nokia 1680 and 1200 this morning on Lucid...yet to tinker with an N97... On Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 13:29, Haggai Nyang <haggai(a)unwired.co.ke> wrote: > gnokii does this pretty easily, and with the smsd extension it saves > directly to mysql and then you can parse the text with your favourite > scripting app (php et al)...tested a Nokia 1680 and 1200 this morning on > Lucid...yet to tinker with my N97... > > > On Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 10:00, Zack Githinji <zachgithinji(a)gmail.com>wrote: > >> Talk to safaricom, they will give you a SIM card that can have the >> transactions realtime, just the way the M-PESA Agends have a phone. then you >> can talk to me i have an SMS application that can decode the message into >> the receipt no, datetime, Clients name, the account number and the amount, >> it then saves this into a database realtime.... >> >> >> On Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 8:52 AM, Clement Ongera <cnongera(a)gmail.com>wrote: >> >>> Hello Ndewga. >>> >>> Please do share the knowledge else if I hear of something then I'll post >>> it too. >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Many Thanks. >>> >>> Regards, >>> Clement Ongera. >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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 >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Regards, >> Zack K. Githinji >> Technical Officer, >> >> Cell:+254 722 649199 >> E-mail:zachgithinji@gmail.com <E-mail%3Azachgithinji(a)gmail.com> >> >> "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the >> courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the >> difference." >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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 >> > >

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Is it time for change?
by aki 28 Jul '10

28 Jul '10

As Riyaz, one of skunksworks KE founders has, pointed out on another thread. I share his quotes below : " As someone commented earlier - skunkworks really has to move to more media than the mailing list - web based forums, DIGG type stuff. This is all opportunities for the developers/techies on the list - show us what you can do ;) If you build it, we will come " Has the time come to move to a newer media platform? If this is what is takes to move skunkworks to a new level, what can we do to achieve this? Pls share your thoughts Rgds.

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