April 2006 – Page 2

New African

Fellow ex-blogger Irena recently forwarded a paper copy of the NEW AFRICAN April ’06 edition to me (thx!!) and while going through their articles, it somehow surprised me that a magazine of such broadness (the last time I bought this zine was in February 2000) still seems to battle, to justify the self-worth of the African continent and their people in the 21st century. A battle for anknowledgement?

That is, the lasting impression is that they are constantly trying to portray this modern picture of the continent – the focus, it seems, is on showing the rest of the world what’s so new on Africa and how diverse it actually is.
Please don’t get me wrong – I like this approach, and I also like to read positive news and being informed on different background stories. The magazine itself is very interesting, and I take it that compiling such a magazine every month isn’t an easy task as its readers world-wide sure are some of the most critical.
On the other hand, though, I am of course tempted to compare this sort of journalism with the local, monthly media – if possible. And this leads me to the assumption that our local (european) journalism is much more foccused on reporting contemporary stories and thus focusses on the story itself – whereas the New African editors try to catch the bigger picture, often trying to combine the present with the past. It’s like introducing readers to a new world, trying to get their understanding for the various microcosms by adding the historical context. It’s like reading le monde diplomatique in the format of TIME magazine.
The reason I am mentioning all this is because I did not intend to write a review on the New African, but instead, I was wondering about the impact this kind of journalism / publishing / writing style has, and the message that tries to be conveyed with such approaches.
Or in other words: the African continent with it’s relatively young countries shaped by the colonial heritage, which still has more relevance to today’s politics compared to the also known history and cultural values found on the continent long before any white (wo)man set a foot on it, has something unique, something very important I think: a burning desire to advance and an undying thirst for knowledge.
Let’s take Germany, for instance, and the various debates going on in this democracy on a national level. Any bugging issues? Think of falling birthrates (resulting in unhealthy pension sheme), the european and global competition next door (= unemployment & frustration) or just excessive taxes. While politicians & others are debating the problem and trying to find possible solutions, only a few people really go back to this point where they ask the fundamental question of how we – as a society – want to live in future and what kind of target we are heading to.

And this is exactly where I would like to make the connection to this New African magazine: what we need over here in Europe is another type of journalism, something that just not reports facts, but instead shows us how all these little problems, microsms and societies mix up and deliver the bigger picture. There are (of course) a few such new styled magazines (~Brandeins) that try to catch the atmosphere, but I would like to see this kind of spirit swap over from the paper form into the heads of my people. Something that gives them an understanding for the global context and how new developments are to be seen with respect for the past.

The New African does exactly that in its April edition by publishing excerpts of Ayi Kwei Armah‘s new boook titled “The Eloquence of the Scribes”. Taking us back into history to get an understanding for where we are heading to in future – conscious and unconscious.

dilemma 2.0

For those of you having problems to decide upon certain questions (“should I get this tatoo?”, “am I stupid?”, “Will you answer this question with NO?” Yes/No?), the german speaking web 2.0 world has come one step closer in sharing this difficult task: Dilemma 5000. Their tagline: “Why should you decide for yourself if others can do that for you?”. True.

I was going through an interesting webdesign-related newsletter which pointed me to this wonderful collection of Web 2.0 applications from Germany (in English). Enjoy :-)

Creative Zen Vision:M

Just a small review/comment from my side on this portable media player (PMP) Creative Zen Vision:M (ZVM) which was given to me (for use) two days ago. Whereas there are few good and detailed reviews out there on the internet here and here, let me just mention some points that I think are important to highlight for anyone who wants to buy such a player:

The picture on the screen is sized to scale…
…the actual screen is a bit bigger as you can see here…

For adding media content such as audio, video or picture files, the player relies on Microsoft’s Media Transfer Protocol (MTP). So, contrary to what you might be used to from other players or USB sticks, it does not support Universal Mass Storage (UMS) for adding media content. In other words: this little nice machine only works under MS Windows® XP SP1 + later!
However, since Creative’s engineers apparently aren’t THAT mean, they included a function where you can asign a partition of the internal 1,8″ Toshiba HDD at fixed sizes (512 MB / 1 / 1,5 / 2 / 4 / 8 / 16 GB) to work as an external harddrive. The problem, though: data that’s uploaded to that partition can not be played. This might change with future firmware releases, but in the meantime, this is just a major drawback, as I was expecting this little player to have one partition only where you can add any data from any USB-supporting operating system in a drag-and-drop style.
Who’s responsible for such decisions over @ Creative? Stupid!

There is no folder structure you might be used to from other players. All audio files are identified by their ID tags, such as the popular ID3 tag as found on mp3 files. That is, IF you managed to rip your CDs while using ID3 tags, you are on the save side.
Else, like in my case – as I started ripping my CDs / converting music files into mp3 format as early as 1998 or so when I was still too dumb to realize that there might a feature use for ID3 tags on mp3 files – you’ll have to edit these tags. Whereas this might be a one-time procedure only, you can well imagine how time consuming this task is once your music collection exceeds 160 GB….On the other hand, though, this is an inevitable necessity for any future use of mp3 files, so you’re better of starting today with this procedure. Fortunately, there are few nice programs out there that will help you retagging your files (keywords: mp3 tagger).

Battery runtime is limited to 11-14 hrs (depending on usage & played file types) – which of course is nice, but it only has a fixed Lithium-Ion battery pack inside that can only be exchanged once the player is opened. Since this gadget here is rather new to the market, spare parts and accessories are still to become more and more available in future.

As I haven’t been using any other modern player like these iPods before, the user interface with this vertical scroll/touch pad is just brilliant to me. In fact, it is such a joy to play around with it. While it is a bit too sensitive of course, it doesn’t take long to get a feeling for it. Actually, I had plans of exchanging this player for a (cheaper) monochrome Archos Gmini XS 202S 20 GB audio-player-only because of Archos’ UMS ability and folder structure support. The ZVM’s user interface though made me fall for this neat player in the long run.
It’s just a sexy machine. Holaaaaaa! ;-)

Like many other players, this one comes with a proprietary dock connection. For connecting it to your computer via USB, to recharge it via USB / an external power supply (included! – these things have to be bought seperately with iPods!) or to connect it to your tv / stereo / car audio system (A/V-Out = LineOut), the player comes shipped with a little white dongle that connects to the bottom of the player. It has been designed in such a bad way that one ultimately assumes Creative’s engineers must have had a bad day or weren’t payed for being really “creative”. It’s just a cheap little plastic connector that doesn’t look good in any way and presumably is the first thing that will get lost once the player is in heavy use. Again, who comes up with such uncreative creations over @ Creative? I was expecting this dongle – if at all, as ppl on Creative’s forum said they would rather like to have the player be a bit longer and include all these sockets – to be shapped like the rest of the player.
Needless to mention, of course, that the connector itself isn’t available from any specialized electronic spare part dealers (btw, is this RS Electronics shop still on Moi Avenue? I’ll need to check this out asap), so there won’t be any way of making your own connector/docking station. Anyways, the A/V cable is also said to be “special” – the wiring inside has been changed so that customers are forced to buy a special one. I will built my own, yani, this page suggests that Apple’s iPod Video caboooools also work. Either way, maintenance / spare parts / accessory costs are, as usual, the biggest revenue on these devices..

As with many other modern players, the surface is scratch sensitive, so make sure to apply some additional screen protector films which are available all over the internet to avoid further scratches. Also, some components used on this player are very “soft”: there’s this RESET pinhole at the bottom of the player which is already worn out after only resetting the player once. Again, no spare parts in sight for this optical/reselling problem.

Fortunately, the player connects to my stereo system or even the car audio system through a normal 3way 3,5mm jack – which is the most important thing for me (you’ll still need the above mentioned A/V / camcorder-cable for video output in PAL or NTSC). I just want to have a portable storage system that plays (parts of) my music collection the moment I need it whenever, wherever. I would have sticked to the mp3 player in my mobile phone – but that one only has this 256 MB MMCard which is of course nothing compared to these (formatted) 28 GB of data on the player. The more harddisk space, the better it is. The day there are 200+ GB data players available at this pocket size, I will eventually drift away into a self-chosen world of musical pleasure. Battery runtime would be an issue though, but that’s another topic I’ve mentioned earlier.

Speaking of connectivity (did I alread mention the missing UMS support? No? :-), the player starts recharging the battery whenever the USB connector is inserted. Whereas this is a nice feature, it also means that you can not recharge the player via USB and output any a/v data at the same time. However, simultaneous a/v output and recharging works with the external power supply. Interesting point to remember when you connect this thing to a tv set or even a beamer (cool!).

Since this PMP device plays even cpu intensive videos like XviD encoded files, there’s much more code expected to be implemented in feature firmware releases. Also, as Creative seems to be having plans for bigger models up in their drawers (60 GB?), further improvements on the firmware can be expected. You know, with today’s fast product cycles, it isn’t always clear how long developers will be working on a specific model before they skip it for another better, but also completly different model. Let’s hope there’s still a lot of features they’ll include on this gadgetimoja (UMS support, pliiiiiiiiizzzz, Creative, tafadhali, we’ll need this!).

Another useful information might be that my ZVM came shipped with a european firmware version whereas there’s another firmware edition designated for the US market. The difference between both versions is that the US version – similar to the iPod – has a higher headphone jack output level. So to increase the overall output level on your headphones, an upgrade to the US firmware is recommended.

As for the hdd partition for use as an external hdd: I’ve set mine to 8 GB, uploaded a few ebooks for references while on safari, a Knoppix + Ultimate Boot CD image as well as other useful programs / utilities / private data.
This all sums up to one small portable player & storage device that I’ll be carrying around with me. And in the end that’s all I wanted to have. Less stuff to carry around while having (maximum) connectivity and the ability to play & listen to my media files wherever I want to. The missing UMS support is still a major drawback for me, but then, most of us grew up in Africa, so we kinda know how to handle “bottleneck conditions” :-)

Inspired by this awesome disassembly manual, I of course had to open this little player just after two days:

This is what happens if you give such toys in the hands of a geek :-)

And yes, it still works. ^^

Once again, A BIG THANK YOU to the generous person who gave this little toy to me!

topsyturvication

Sorry, but I just HAVE to publish this comment someone left on the contacts form on my “about” page:

“This is the first time that I’ve checked out your blog and i swear I have often dismissed your blog because all along I’ve been thinking that this must be one of those tribal blogs. Ignorance has costed me because I think your sketchbook is ok. But honestly you sound like a kiuk……”

To be honest, I think I would do the same if someone comes and calls himself Bavarian1 or HamburgerEins. Kikuyumoja® – such a dumb name if you see it under a Kenyan context, but I’ll to stick to it nevertheless (not necessarily in Kenya though – yani, for you gals ‘n’ guys, I am just JKE which is btw an abbreviation of my name :-)
(topsyturvication…what a word! LOL)

the acceptance

Last evening, I saw a documentary on tv that portrayed Germans whose fathers had been British soldiers stationed in Germany right after the end of WWII. One of these ex-soldiers – now living in a nursing home in Canada – has children from romances all over the world who regularly visit him. “Being loved by all my children and knowing that they take care of me”, he said, “is what’s worth living for”. True.

Now, I don’t have children yet – and I hope there aren’t too many women out there whose hearts I’ve broken in the past.
What I do have, though, are really good friends – people from different corners of the world who have a very big heart and whose friendship and love I really appreciate.

One of those close friends decided to order a CREATIVE ZEN VISION:M from Amazon and have it send to me. JUST LIKE THAT! It isn’t my Bday or anything like that. Ok, maybe because of Easter, but the point is: the person told me: “You might want this for use on your journeys…”. Hola!

This Creative Zen Vision:M is a mobile audio/video player (like an Ipod Video) with 30 GB of hard disk space and battery runtime of up to 11hrs. It plays audio files such as mp3s, videos such as AVIs, shows photos, has a built-in FM radio, a microphone and extras like a calendar or a contact & tasks manager for synchronization with my computer. And the best part: it connects to the computer like an external harddrive, so I won’t have to search for another external hdd solution.

Apart from the fact that the person who has given this to me isn’t too rich to give “just like that”, I am having problems accepting this as a present. It is so nice and such a joy to give to others – but it is very hard to accept such blessings in the same way. While I am very grateful for the honour given me through this gift, I think the easiest way to accept it is by sharing it. So, my dear friend – i know you’re reading this – thengiu muno for this lovely joy and rest assured: I’ll use it now and give it to you later on this year. Sawa? :-)

House of Porridge

My local correspondent Mbuzimoja today forwarded this hilarious story from the Daily Nation (page 17, April 6, 2006) to me, a story about a group of Wazungu (…) from Germany who opened up a food kiosk in BUSIA TOWN (!) “that boasts tea, chapati, potatoes and porridge on its menu”. They call it “House of Porridge”:

Customers “can only conclude that the foreigners are stranded in Kenya and have opted for the business to raise money for their tickets back home” …. “most people thought the food kiosk was not a business fit for the foreigners, after all they had enough money to start a big venture“. Ability is wealth?

Ms Lisa Mueller, Ms Laura Henn and Mr Arno Schulter – all in her mid-twenties – came to Kenya in October 2005 to work as volunteers. The food kiosk, the article says, serves as an income generating project. A neat idea, I think. Why not?

The story reminds me of a Kenyan Lady by the name of Rachel Kamau who runs a nice & comfy Kenyan restaurant in Freiburg, Germany (I’ve mentioned earlier last year).
“If we can make it as foreigners, then the locals have no reason to fail. Nobody can go to a hotel to take food that he does not like simply because it is being sold by foreigners”, Ms Henn is quoted in the article.
Well well well….some ppl have the freedom to choose while others just need to survive the next day. On the other hand, though, my reason for blogging this amusing story is that it highlights the difference in thinking. Whereas these Gaamaaaans just came to Kenya to help and work (and I think I’m not much different from that, at least they are showing this business approach), the typical Kenyan reaction in the first place is “ati, can’t they afford to go home?”.

Sometimes I am so sick of this stereotyped thinking. As much as I never questioned the opening of that Kenyan restaurant in Germany, I sometimes wonder when these “mzungu, mzungu…give me shillingi…” cries will stop whenever a white person enters a black village. Harassment, from the other perspective. Similar to that, it’s like me joining the Kenyan Blogosphere and then ppl approach me and comment like “oh, I didn’t know you are white”. Well, SORRY that God has given me this skin colour?!
I mean, what I am supposed to answer on such comments? Dito Kenyans of Indian Origin – when will we start accepting each other without looking at ancestry or tribal origin? Me, me I am just JKE :-)

kaybees2006

Thank you very much for the nomination – although I have to admit I didn’t nominate anyone due to the reason that I am such a lazy bone. Ati, but I will vote! Makes me think of blogging in other languages more often. Oar määibii Ei schuutt sstahrt wraiting in mai gährmaahn iinglisch – orr iss it zzhäät ppiiippppooool priifäär Kenyan English? You know, these words like “particcculaaar”, “wherrrebyyy”, “supposed to”, “he/she said that” etc which we often find on the streets of Nbo?
Kudos to the KBW team for coming up with such a brilliant idea to promote the Kenyan Blogosphere!

hot water

A good example of imagineering.