November 2013 - skunkworks - Skunkworks Site

Start-Up Weekend Nairobi. (November 22nd -24th, 2013)
by John Doe Smith Kamau KipNg'etich Jones 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

*Startup Weekend is back in Nairobi!* *What is Startup Weekend?* Startup Weekend is an event that brings together programmers, developers, marketers, designers, startup enthusiasts among other diverse groups, to form groups and develop viable business ideas in 54 hours. It is a weekend-long, hands-on experience where entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs can find out if their startup ideas are viable. On average, half of Startup Weekend’s attendees have technical backgrounds- the other half have business backgrounds. All Startup Weekends follow the same model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas and then it’s a 54 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. The weekends culminate with presentations in front of local and international entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback. *Startup Weekend Nairobi* Startup Weekend Nairobi will be held on *November 22nd -24th, 2013*, and will offer exciting prizes for the winners of the challenge. *Why should YOU attend?* - *Education: Startup* Weekends are all about learning. Expect to learn a new skill, a new programming or business language and more so, a new way of thinking. - *Enlarged network:* Startup Weekend works hard to recruit high-quality, driven entrepreneurs – like you! You will create relationships that last long past the weekend. - *Learn how to launch a business: *The goal of the weekend is for you to go from idea to launch in 54 hours. - *Get face time with local and international mentors: *Tech and start-up leaders mentor and participate in Startup Weekends. They interact with event participants sharing experiences and giving business related advice. - *Get access to valuable start-up resources:* By participating in Startup Weekend, you are given instant access to great products and tools. No one leaves Startup Weekend empty handed. The 3-day event will be held at the *Strathmore University @iLabAfrica*, which is on the 5th floor of Strathmore University Student center, Ole Sangale road. The participatory fee for the event is Kes 1,500. For those attending the event finale on 24th November only, the entrance fee will be Kes 500. The ticket will cater for your food during the event. Register *here*<http://www.ticketsasa.com/order.aspx/87fd7191-6541-476a-8551-9d1d835093f2/s…>for your ticket. Startup Weekend Nairobi is being organized by, Evelyn Mwangi, Louis Majanja, Kenfield Griffith, Alieu Fofanah , Samuel Magondu and Barbara Okeyo. To learn more about this event, you can contact us on nairobi(a)startupweekend.org. You can also check us out on: *Website:* *www.nairobi.startupweekend.org*<http://www.nairobi.startupweekend.org/> *Facebook Page*: Startup Weekend *Twitter: *@SWKenya

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ms exchange problem
by Frank Kiprono 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Hi, when i open an email, create, reply etc the email goes behind the main window and not the front as usual. i have to minimize the main window so as to read the email/create etc. any solutions anyone knows of? thanks

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OT: Car Amp
by Tech List Kenya 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Where can one get a cheap but quality 600W JEC amp? (yes, I know. Contradictory, right) Out of curiosity, how is it that JEC is more expensive than Kenwood, Sony, Pioneer amps for the same power output? JEC doenst even have a Wikipedia page. And I cant find any comparative reviews. Are JEC amps THAT good?

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Equity Bank Visa Card - cannot purchase online
by Bernard Owuor 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Hallo, Is anyone experiencing the same problem? Card center people insist that I'm using an imprinter to do the purchase, while I don't know what an imprinter is... Bernard

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SONY EX650 vs Samsung UA-46ES5600
by Thuo Wilson 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Hellos, Today for all the right reasons i decided to window shop. In a way to keep myself to-date as far as TV models and features are concerned. Needless to say i got more confused in those shops that i would over the internet. SONY <http://www.sony-mea.com/product/kdl-46ex650/specs>, LED, ex650 - 119,000 Samsung <http://samsutech.net/LEDS_TVs/About_LED_all.html>,LED, UA-46ES5600 - 114, 000 Not considering the cost - which one would you go for picture quality wise. There is too much info out there that seem 50/50 with the 2 models. Also i really dont care about "internet tv bit". Got a better system that does better. I prefer a TV ikuwe TV. Oh please DONT mention also the 3D - not ready for that. What happened to LG? Thought life-is-good?? Wilson./

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Why the DEEP Web has washington worried
by Kivuva 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

I thought this article might be of relevance to the list! http://swampland.time.com/2013/10/31/the-deep-web-has-washington-worried/ Why The Deep Web Has Washington Worried >From online drug bazaars to virtual currency tax shelters, the growing anonymous web has many corners of Washington concerned Washington has no idea what to make of the Dread Pirate Roberts. As Lev Grossman and I write in this week's cover story, the Dread Pirate Roberts allegedly ran the Silk Road, the world's most successful online drug bazaar, until the feds caught him earlier this month. His real name, according to a 39-page federal complaint against him, is Ross Ulbricht, 29. He supposedly took the pseudonym from a character in the movie and book, The Princess Bride. In the Silk Road, DPR, as his followers called him, created a business model for anyone wanting to sell illicit items online using free encryption software called Tor and the virtually anonymous crypto-currency Bitcoin. Though the feds have taken Silk Road offline, there are plenty of folks lining up to be the next Dread Pirate Roberts. Lev and I examine the greater implications of the Deep Web, the massive and growing anonymous area of the Internet. But from the perspective of lawmakers and law enforcement in Washington, Silk Road presents a double conundrum. It's a blueprint for criminals the world over at a time when FBI resources are stretched thin and political will to empower government snooping has cratered. And it has created a regulatory headache in figuring how to deal with whole new currencies, tax havens and virtual online markets. While Tor is used by everyone from law enforcement to Syrian dissidents to protect valuable information, it is a double-edged sword. Many experts warn that groups ranging from the Russian mafia to international drug cartels are looking closely at the lessons learned from the Silk Road. It took the FBI more than two years of investigative work to find Ulbricht. They don't have the resources to compete with Silicon Valley in hiring, or the tools-a long-hoped for modernization of the law governing online wiretapping is on ice in Congress thanks to Edward Snowden. ( Developing technology to fight the Deep Web, or the anonymous non-searchable web, "is not adequately funded-it's nowhere near adequately funded," says Marcus Thomas, former assistant director of the FBI's technology division and now on the advisory board Subsentio, which helps companies comply with online warranted wiretaps. "Historically it was well funded, but recently especially with sequestration, it's been hard hit. It's always been a difficult thing to build cost benefit analysis for. How much money should you spend building a technology you may not use for a year, if ever?" Chester Wisnieski, a senior information technology security adviser at Sophos, adds that the FBI doesn't have enough trained staff. "If you look at the FBI-how many agents do they have in cyber? Less than 200," he said. "There's been a very fast shift of traditional crimes moving online and don't have skilled agents to deal with it." The policy problem is compounded by Bitcoin, which represents another set of jurisdictional tangles for Washington. The Senate Homeland Security Committee, officials tell TIME, plans on holding hearings on Bitcoin within the month. The committee sent letters to nine federal agencies in July asking for their thoughts on Bitcoins and other virtual currencies in the hopes of developing a holistic approach to the so-called cryptocurrency that neither stifles the currency's potential nor enables criminals to abuse it. "As with all emerging technologies, the federal government must make sure that potential threats and risks are dealt with swiftly," Committee Chairman Tom Carper, a Delaware Democrat, and the committee's top Republican, Tom Coburn, wrote in the letters. "However, we must also ensure that rash or uninformed actions don't stifle a potentially valuable technology." Bitcoin can be a force for good. "We've grown used to the idea that virtual transactions should be tracked because they can be; whereas Bitcoin brings anonymity back into online commerce," says Sasha Meinrath, director of the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute. "It's amazing how scary this notion is to law enforcement. But I see it as akin to trade in gold, cash transactions, and barter: not something to be feared, but simply another useful tool for commerce." And yet, virtual currencies have a complex past. In recent years, Liberty Reserve and e-Gold both ran afoul of the law, mostly for money laundering. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized funds from the world's largest Bitcoin exchange, Mt. Gox, in May charging that the company was operating an unlicensed money transmitting service. Mt. Gox has since moved to put names to Bitcoin transfers and register with federal and state governments. There is about $2 billion Bitcoin in existence today. Authorities say Silk Road transactions amounted to $1.2 billion in Bitcoin. Indeed, regulators have already taken an active interest in Bitcoin. The Senate Finance Committee is looking at language to regulate virtual currencies its tax code overhaul. They're also considering giving the IRS more money to track virtual tax havens, Senate sources tell TIME. A Government Accountability Office report in June warned that virtual currencies like Bitcoin could be abused as tax havens. New York Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky sent subpoenas to 22 Bitcoin businesses this summer saying it was considering new regulatory guidance on virtual currencies. "If virtual currencies remain a virtual Wild west for narcotraffickers and other criminals," he said announcing the subpoenas, "that would not only threaten our country's national security, but also the very existence of the virtual currency industry as a legitimate business enterprise." A Commodities Futures Trading Commissioner said his agency is looking into regulating Bitcoins as a commodity. And Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network put out guidance in March saying Bitcoin brokers would have to follow wire service regulations-a potentially onerous requirement as each wire service must register state by state. All of this means that no one is quite sure how to handle bitcoin: is it a currency? A bond? A commodity? Should dealers be regulated like wire services or brokers? Should profits be taxed as capital gains? Few in Washington have even begun to consider these questions, and yet given the rapid growth of Bitcoin, the Deep Web and websites like the Silk Road they will surely be forced to soon. Internet users are increasingly looking for anonymity as their preferences and personal information are tracked and traded like pork belly futures. For many, the Deep Web represents a haven from those prying eyes. But, as in real life, when there's anonymity, there are dark alleys where people will abuse it. In the physical world, should we choose it, we can live a cash-based anonymous existence. Should we be able to do so online, even if it means anyone can buy drugs, fake IDs or illicit weapons as well? These are the questions Washington must grapple with as it looks at how to regulate cyrpotcurrencies and police the Deep Web. Click here to join TIME for as little as $2.99 to read Lev Grossman and Jay Newton-Small's full cover story on the Deep Web. ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva twitter.com/lordmwesh google ID | Skype ID: lordmwesh

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Storage for the Photographers
by Josy Ngatia 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

[image: Inline image 1]

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School on Open Spectrum and Applications of White Spaces
by Bernard Owuor 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Today's Topics: 1. School on Open Spectrum and Applications of White Spaces Technologies (Emilar Vushe) ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 12:47:50 +0200 From: Emilar Vushe <emilar(a)apc.org> To: AfriCS-IG(a)lists.apc.org Subject: [africs-ig] School on Open Spectrum and Applications of White Spaces Technologies Message-ID: <527A1E56.7050800(a)apc.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"; Format="flowed" For your information. Please share with your networks. Regards, Emilar Begin forwarded message: > *From: *Ermanno Pietrosemoli <ermanno(a)ictp.it <mailto:ermanno@ictp.it>> > *Date: *5 de noviembre de 2013 12:25:22 GMT-05:00 > *Subject: **Fwd: [TIER] School on Open Spectrum and Applications of > White Spaces Technologies* > > > Dear Friends, > Please publish among possible applicants: > > > School on Open Spectrum and Applications of White Spaces Technologies > 3 - 1 4 March 201 4 > Trieste, Italy > > The Telecommunications/ICT for Development Laboratory (T/ICT4D) of the > Abdus Salam > International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP, Trieste, Italy), > in collaboration with the > International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunication Development > Sector (ITU/BDT), > the Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC) and the National Institute of > Telecommunications (NIT, Poland), is organising a School on Open > Spectrum and > Applications of White Spaces Technologies to be held in Trieste from 3 > to 14 March > 2014. > > In the last couple of years a new opportunity for spectrum use has > emerged in the form of > TV White Spaces (TVWS). Originally conceived as a technology that > could take advantage of > the guard bands or "white spaces" that were left between television > channels to prevent > interference, TVWS has the potential to address research challenges of > remote academic > institutions, as well as opening up alternatives for building > community wireless networks. > Traditional spectrum allocation methods are unlikely to be able to > cope with the exponential > growth in demand for broadband access in emerging markets. There is a > pressing need to > examine alternative models of spectrum allocation. Dynamic spectrum > sharing based on > software and cognitive radio can play a significant role in tomorrow's > telecommunication > systems. With the final goal of connecting Research and Education > Centres to the Internet > with low cost means to improve Internet access, the School will > examine the state of the art in > Open Spectrum and TVWS technologies and emerging regulations. The > school will address the > latest information from TVWS pilots around the world and will include > hands-on sessions. > > > The following key topics will be discussed: > ? Radio Physics > ? Software Defined Radio > ? Cognitive Radio > ? Open Spectrum Acess > ? TV White Spaces Technologies > Case studies from TV White deployments will be presented. > > PARTICIPATION: > > The School is expected to attract young scientists, engineers and > scholars from countries > which are members of the United Nations, UNESCO or IAEA may attend the > School. The > School will be conducted in English. Although the main purpose of the > Centre is to help > research workers from developing countries, through a programme of > training activities within > a framework of international cooperation, a limited number of graduate > students and post- > doctoral scientists from developed countries are also welcome to attend. > As a rule, travel and subsistence expenses of the participants should > be borne by the home > institution. Every effort should be made by candidates to secure > support for their fare (or at > least half-fare). However, limited funds are available for some > participants to be selected > by the Organizers, who are nationals of, and working in, a developing > country, and who are > not more than 45 years old. Such support is available only for those > who attend the entire > activity. There is no registration fee. > > HOW TO APPLY FOR PARTICIPATION > > The application form can be accessed at the activity website > > http://agenda.ictp.it/smr.php?2573 > > Deadline for requesting participation: 1st December 2013 > > -------------------------------------------------- > > > Marco Zennaro, PhD > Telecommunications / ICT for Development Laboratory > the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics > Strada Costiera 11 > 34014 Trieste > Italy > > Telephone:+39 040 2240 406 <tel:%2B39%20040%202240%C2%A0406> > Web:http://wireless.ictp.it > > _______________________________________________ > TIER mailing list > Website: http://tier.cs.berkeley.edu > TIER(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu <mailto:TIER@tier.cs.berkeley.edu> > https://www.millennium.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tier >

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Web Development
by Jac 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Hi Guys Anyone who can refer me to a well established organization that can do web-development for a simple dynamic website. Kindly hit me up with the name of the company and the email address that they can be contacted on and any referral work done in the past. The company should have a certificate of compliance, registration certificate and a business permit. I need this by 9am tomorrow. Thanks -- Jackson Gathoni

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vXML 2.1 Guru
by Jangita Nyagudi 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Hi Guys, Looking for a vXML 2.1 Guru for a one month stint. Interested? Contact me off list.

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