FYI: Kai Wulff positively responded to the challenge. Good stuff! Will keep you posted on interesting outcomes. Anyone with skills/time/passion to contribute to the project? Saidi On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 12:52 PM, saidimu apale <saidimu@gmail.com> wrote:
Note: I don't know if Kai Wulff is on this list. If not, someone with his contacts please forward this to him?
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Kai, I very much enjoyed the talk you gave to Skunkworks a few weeks ago (partial video on Youtube).
I liked your example of SMS being a waste product (created for engineers to exchange test results on microwave alignments). I didn't know shit could taste so good.
You're a funny guy, and a real techie it seems. Nice to see a prominent CEO with such an attitude.
Here's a question you asked in the talk that pricked my conscience:
"Where are the creative Kenyans who go out of Kenya and create companies
with interesting ideas? Where are they here? Are they the same ones that are on blogs constantly complaining complaining that something has to change for change to happen?"
I'm not in a position to speak for any bloggers/non-bloggers. But here's a counter-challenge to your challenge:
I understand KDN has a network of traffic video cameras stationed at various places in Nairobi. How about opening up that stream and letting us attempt to perform real-time analysis to monitor, save and predict:
- traffic flow - accidents - other related events
Using this data to create dynamic traffic models, one can then actually start controlling traffic:
- directly by signalling traffic-lights - directly by providing routing info to people's GPS devices - indirectly by notifying police on the ground (via SMS) - indirectly by providing real-time updates on the web
I'm ready, and extremely interested, in such a project.
Are you game, Herr Kai Wulff?
Saidi
PS I should note that the applications of such technologies go way, way beyond traffic control systems. Basically, you can apply the core principles wherever you need to automate pattern-recognition and act on them.