There are these moments in life you just wish to be in London (UK) for one evening.
@Mbuzimoja: let’s rock on Furahiday 24th and chill somewhere with a crate of Tusker, a beautiful horizon & a 80 GB hdd loaded with our favourite tunes. Sawa?
So…
…may I consider myself a journalist now? :-)
Seriously, dear Kenya Times, I am not really upset about this 1:1 copying of my words on the Kenya Spotlight Vol 2 event. After all, if this helps to promote some fine Kenyan music – basi.
Lakini, what I don’t like is, if you just copy my words without telling me. There’s a contact form on my website, you could have left a comment or “manual trackback” or even just google for my name. I am here, I have nothing to hide and I won’t bite. Sawa?
Again, thx Barbara, for the paper edition of the Kenya Times from Oct 20th! Now this is something I can cut and glue into one of my sketchbooks…
UPDATE: Mzeecedric advised me to have a look at the CreativeCommons licensing options which I’ve now implemented for this website. Thx!
the backyard
Climate Change! It starts with us. No one ever forced us to buy/consume products* which are not eco-effective.
I am 100% d’accord with Oscar’s wonderful appeal to the delegates to produce some useful output instead of just “churning out more re-cycled reports”.
And then I start thinking about my very own expectations on the Climate Change Conference, the desired output, how much I would love to see experts formulating a real draft that would actually promote a more eco-effective product design and create an awareness for sustainability. A draft that could be implemented 1:1 on national levels without much further ado, also because it’s impact doesn’t stop on national boundaries. Something that is powerful enough to change the minds of those who prefer financial profit to environmental protection. And, obviously, something that every nation on this planet has to sign (eh, you too, USA!).
(*products = everything we have produced during the last 200 years. this includes the exploration of energy resources, factories, etc. which all contribute to the change of climate during that period.)
—
“If you want to know about the state of a place, check the backyard”, my boss told me this morning. “If you go to someone’s place and you want to know how clean it is, go to his bathroom. If you want to know about a restaurant, check the kitchen. This is why our backyard is clean.”
No wonder we sometimes call him mwalimu mkuu.
So some people were cleaning the workshop room which had been inherited from a previous state office – including all the crap and many useful things like nice office furniture from the 1960s/70s (perfect quality compared to the furniture which has been donated some time ago) came to the daylight. So much potential. My boss knew about this and told my colleagues to clean the place.
“You know I went to Forodha Towers in Nbo earlier this year – and made a snap shot of the backyard”, I told him. “I even put it on the internet.”
“Yes”, he replied, “in fact you should take a snap shot of our backyard and also put it there to show that we have nothing to hide.”
Bananas, a ventilated pit latrine and pawpaws in our backyard. Karibu(ni)!
data cabools
What’s a data cable?
A data cable is a special cable that connects your mobile phone/PDA with a computer. Sometimes these are included (e.g. Motorola L6 & L7, Nokia 6233, 6280), but most of the time you’ll have to buy them extra.
Why would I need it?
- a) to up-/download user data on your phone (phonebook, pictures, videos, music, etc.)
- b) to synchronise it with your PIM (Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.)
- c) to access the internet via GPRS/EDGE
Are there any alternatives?
Yes. Bluetooth (BT) and InfraRed (IR). BT and IR of course require transceivers on both sides – a BT dongle or an iR diode. Both are often included on notebooks, and stand alone interfaces cost around Ksh. 1600 (BT) to 1800 (IR) downtown..
While IR tends to very slow among other disadvantages (line of sight with computer) and BT only being available with better phones & notebooks, it makes sense to invest some mbeca into a good data cable.
As I mentioned earlier, data cables for recent Nokia phones are relatively hard to come by in Kenya. These cables – copies from China (original ones cost around 5500 Ksh!! @ Nokia Shops) – are available, only: not every mobile phone accessory seller knows about them, and/or could inform you about the proper use of such special cables along with the equivalent software that normally comes with most better phones. It took me some time to ask for a reliable source, and I’ve meanwhile found it with J.J’s GSM Technology / Soft Link Mobiles in Uganda Hse, Kenyatta Ave., 4th Floor.
I’ve been flashing phones myself some time ago (updating the internal software on GSM phones, unlocking them, etc. – a bit tricky with Nokia phones due to Nokias strange policies), and repairing a phone mostly requires you to have a patient hand, a TORX 5 / 6 scredriver, some methylated spirit + ear-buds for cleaning (Isopropyl alcohol is even better) and some spare parts which are available with retailers.
The folks @ JJ’s/SoftLink really know their job, and also know to attract customers despite their workshop being on 4th floor. I went there on Sato and inquired about the Nokia data cables required to work with my colleague’s Nokia 6020s. We need such cables to connect their phones with the computers => internet via GPRS.
For the first time in Kenya, I had the feeling that my “interlocutor” (what a word, ama?) knew what I was talking about – you know, shop talk on geekstuff. Great! They of course managed to organize the required amout of cables and we tested them one by one. Now, these cables are cheap copies from China. However, sometimes they work – and the CD that came with them even included lots of interesting software (which you’ll normally find @ Yahoo Groups! or other places on the net). I bought one cable that I’ve taken to Embu for testing and if everything is fine, we’ll buy even more.
One of the customers had brought this ancient brick along for repair – a Motorola Micro Tac II. Sijui if this ETACS or GSM, but it doesn’t have a slot for SIM cards – the content of the SIM is directly loaded into the phone. I think it’s from 1989 or so, maybe also 1992. Anyways, ooooold stuff. I told him to clean it, give it to a jamaa in the US or UK and have it sold on Ebay.
Tribune
While boarding the Embu-bound Matatu last night, my attention was caught by a weekly “newspaper” (magazine) that sells for Ksh. 10: Tribune.
Tribune – For the full information.
The story that caught me of course was the “sexual advise” inside. After all, politics and sex/love stories are almost the same thing: nothing but many words and many lies.
Says it here on page 3:
“Dating: 7 Things Men Don’t Want To Hear From Women
1.I’ve been thinking….
If she actually tells you she’s been thinking, it’s serious. And you can bet it involves marriage, cohibition or the bitter end. It can take many forms, such as “Why do you love me?” and “Have you ever thought about the future?”. Again, have a brilliant exit plan at hand. A severed finger, for instance…
4. I have a headache…
That means no action for you tonight, buddy. But you can beat her to it (!!!!!!!). If you sense she’s particularly tired when you’re honey, give her an unsolicited aspirin and hope for the best.”
Aterere….dear Kenyan brothers-in-fate, don’t tell me your women are just as bad as ours. LOL! Oh my …..
That paper is full of such “women better don’t read this” stuff. 10 bob….I could have spent on buying 2 packs of peanuts instead. Yeah…
p.s.: Do you know how it smells when cooks burn goat skin? No? Ok, come to Embu and visit me. And pls bring some Ohropax – I live next to a nightclub and its kitchen.
Nairobi…
A relatively short visit @ nyumbani over the weekend proved once again how much this “City in the Sun” differs from shaggz, which I’ve btw already started to appreciate. After all, there are some things you’ll never find in Embu:
1. City Council thugs that hide behind other cars and wait just until you’ve left your car. This happened to a friends car on Sato asubuhi in downtown – we had just left the place for 2 minutes and the front wheel was already clamped. And there was no one in sight to whom we could pay the 70 bob parking fee.
Fortunately, it just took a little bit of the “JKE-going-really-mad”-show (aka kelele mingi) to persuade these yellow folks to promptly unclamp the car. He even didn’t want to be paid: “No, it is ok, me I don’t even have a receipt book”. But clamping is ok or what? What a ******* *********.
@CityCouncil: IMAGINE I COULD BE A TOURIST VISITING NAIROBI AND I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THIS PROCEEEEDJAAAH. How do I know what to do next? To whom do I have to speak to? Where is the office(r) that takes responsibility for such actions? Who will pay me for the time I’ve lost to clear this problem? ==> Customer Service??
2. The Tree Planting & Beautification Programme, if I may remind you. I really like this word…“Beautification”.
I saw an older woman planting little seedlings next to the young trees on Moi Avenue and congratulated her on her important work. I really appreciate what these people are doing for the city. For us. ASANTE SANA!
(And you might well imagine what kind of job groups they are having….A?, B?)
3. Oh boy, we were SOOOOO hungry today. And besides, I really wanted to eat a real + a really gooood steak – just as pictured on this typically oversized billboard.
Nairobi is the only city, I guess, where they don’t feel irritated by putting such mouth-watering advertisments next to low income areas. I feel a bit irritated by this add.
(btw, anyone knows a good place in Embu where I’ll get a medium done steak which chips and salads that doesn’t feel like eating old rubber and tastes like Omo? thx!)
(@CG: kuja, bwana, your car is already here! :-)
4. Bwana Harrycane and I went to see Mzeecedric‘s parents in Mbagathi to show them GPRS via Safaricom – and we even managed to chat with Mzeecedric in Europe via Skype (VoIP!).
Sitting on the veranda, watching over Nairobi National Park and being able to actually chat with someone who is ~ 6600kms away over a wireless gprs + voip telephone connection still fascinates me. This GPRS thing really is a step forward from the awful 951 dial-in procedure, and I am very curious to see how reliable and fast UMTS (WCDMA) will be once it is fully deloyed nationwide.
Still, the best place to surf the net for free is JavaHouse. Yani, the one at Junction didn’t have Inet as “we switch it off during peak-hours (= till 8 pm)”. Why?? The one at Adams “Oh, it just doesn’t work…but only today…”. Yeah, right.
Gigiri was open though, and next to downloading some software for the office, I even chatted for a short moment with our sista Kui in Abuja. Nice!
Nairobi really is this city of different worlds.
And now from all this luxury back to the rural comfort…aterere..
the deal
“The leaders, who are fatigued by the big brother style of the West, will likely turn willingly to China’s generosity.” (source)
&
“China is expected to become Africa’s third most important trading partner, behind the US and France and ahead of the UK.” (JC Servant @ LeMonde diplomatique in 2005)
Allmost all imported goods in Embu are “Made in China”. Except for the sweets – those are from India.
the watch
I haven’t worn my watch for a long time now. And why should I?
Travelling in Kenya (Africa) isn’t fixed to specific times or dates. You just look for transport, wait, wait even longer, eat something, wait, talk to someone, wait, play with your mobile, wait…and then eventually transport arrives – only to realize that it actually goes to another direction.
While growing up in Nairobi, I never rearlly cared about this time factor. Things just happened this way and it was ok. Now I am older and time becomes more precious. It’s like waiting in front of the computer for pages to load from the internet: An annoying waste of time – but there’s nothing you can do about it.
(although, as for travelling, I’ve come to the conclusion that instead of paying 300 bob in advance for a 10pax shuttle bus to Nbo and waiting for more than two hours for the ******* bus to arrive, I should instead just walk by the roadside and take the next matatu coming along. this way, it should just work.)