Cross Roads

Yesterday, 26th of November 2013, I had the privilege of attending a round table discussion for the Innovation prize for Africa. I have attended two similar events one hosted by Outboxhub and organized Pivot East (July 27th 2012) as well as another hosted by Hivecolab and organized by Demo-Africa (October 27th 2012). Broadly speaking the groups which organize these events are built to harness the innovative skills of African users in an effort to solve local problems. Over the years some categories have emerged based on challenges that are unique to the African setting. Naturally, Mobile Technology and its rise in prominence has contributed to much of the excitement and as a result fueled the drive to create technology related solutions. While other sectors such as tourism, industry have also benefitted, the rest the continents attention has been focused on Health and Agriculture. Having realized that shift from the Northern hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere both in terms o

There are probably many more complex processes that are involved in the rise of cultures and the consequent export of their influence. I have identified a few which in my view have contributed to the rise of American Influence. There IS a possibility that India is making use of a similar model and that eventually, the country will continue to make inroads in this area too! The first is to capitalize on the educational experience . Everything about K-12 and even aspects of University life is celebrated. While there are aspects that are highly stratified, they are nonetheless emphasized and accentuated. The geeks, the jocks, the babes, the cheerleaders...the janitor. The second is to harness the media in celebrating various universal experiences. This is where Hollywood comes in (globally and in Los Angeles) and where Broadway ( which celebrates culture using drama and music for emphasis). The third is the creation of language and it's relation to counter-culture. The inevita

There are in my view, two major paths from which you can make use of statistical data for your web page. The simplest is using google analytics. Using the universally available tools you identify the sight you wish to track (as well as other primary sights) and then place the ID that google gives you in the header section of your page. You need to have or to be in touch with your web host in order to make use of these services. Either you or your host and web designer then places this line of script into your index page or in all the pages you wish to track. The ability to track sub domains is probably an additional tool in google's script tools. The second method is available to most website hosts in their platforms. As long as a sight is placed in the right folder, the tools provided ensure that every page is tracked. Because mosthost platforms have tools of their own, conflicts often arise when methods of analytics are employed. For example, google analytics scripts can be det

A few weeks years ago, i came across an interesting TED talk (not the Ted that used the Filibuster rule and gave a speech for 24 hrs). It was by Derek Sivers (DerekSivers_2010G.mp4). He talks about how you can ruin your chances of getting something done by telling people about it. Apparently, the psychology equates the telling to the doing and creates a sense of satisfaction. His conclusion is that (just an example) the slightly overweight person should keep his plans to himself and just do the routine. Do not tell anyone about your plans. You are less likely to get anything done if you do.  I fear that the same applies when it comes to the attention that we get after we receive recognition. Some people who have risen to early often struggle to find the same high especially if they rise in their younger years. Maybe this is the fear that some have expressed in regard to Malala- the young Pakistani girl (I must confess that in my language of birth the term malala means pride). The nee

The game of chess there are Kings, Queens, Bishops, Castles, Knights and Pawns. The King is an absolute and has no qualms about using his Queen to defeat his foe. The Queen is content with her position and will fight to the end in defence of her King. Every battlefield has a religious (Bishop) aspect to it...social media is no different. If a cause has a moral point to it, it will be utilized. Most battles also have to do with real estate...these are absolute positions...property. Knight are often skilled warriors who need little or no supervision but who often have to chose between supporting either the King or the Queen. The weak pawn is limited in movement but not in ambition. He or She knows that if he can last long enough in the game, he can rise to be anything he pleases. The pawn also knows that often complex games can be fought with very few pieces...and pawns often feature in these games. The Kings There are systems which we have chosen to run our economies and to determine ou

There are two major tools for music in Ubuntu: 1. Rhythm Box 2. Banshee   Both of these tools have services and websites that are devoted to creative commons .  Under Rhythm Box, there is http://www.jamendo.com (promotion of music,publishing of music with payment, distribution under the CC license under the modern Some Rights Reserved, Peer-To-Peer Networks, access to bit-torrent and emule for downloads, ability for users to share, review and discuss content or music as well as a democratic rating system for albums) http://www.magnatune.com (free listing, hand picking, simple interface, no forced registration, access to many genres, no copy protection, low pressure to name a few) Under Banshee, there is last.fm which allows you to register and then receive access to your music using your favourite streaming service. The Creative Commons landscape is a lot closer to the model that is used in the design and creation of Ubuntu in particular and Linux platforms in general (Open So

1 Sam 22:1-2 1. David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. 2. And every one that was in distress , and every one that was in debt , and every one that was discontented , gathered themselves unto him and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. Lessons -Running away does not change the idea that you are anointed to perform a task. -Your place of escape could serve as a meeting place and point of restoration for your family. -You must be practical in dealing with the three dimensions. Distress, Discontent and Debt. History The story takes us through the development of the nation and its leaders and helps create a backdrop from which we can understand the method God will use to communicate to his people. We watch the transition of power from one Priest to another (Eli to Samuel 1 Samuel 4:21) and the amazing process by which a whole g

At the height of the 2008 elections and four years after that, the US was said to have been split equally between two. Even if the time has passed since the first civil war, the circumstances under which it occurred, are in my view pretty much the same. To begin with, the Americans were still fresh with thoughts from the Revolutionary wars. The distaste for colonial sentiments was still high and residue from earlier experiences was still evident in daily living. As can be expected, descendants and supporters of England were still present and active and as can be expected entrenched in the new democratic system. It was therefore natural that a certain downward flow of the great stream of freedom needed to be allowed to take its course. The nation was growing and needed to finance its defensive as well as its offensive forces. Defensively, there was a realization that even if there had been victories against the better armed and better financed Colonial Master, a tougher battle lay a

Two days ago, I attended a prize giving session at the Hive Colab in Kamwokya, on Kanjokya Street. The event dubbed AppCircus was the brain child of an international group with a local chapter called Mobile Monday. Some of the more popular applications for the day was one which was designed to help you find the best restaurants in Kampala. The success of this application seems to point to something greater-the emergence of a geek class and it's relationship with American Culture. I am not certain what the source of this phenomenon is but I can see a direct relationship between the rise of this class and the manner in which American Culture has been exported to Uganda. We do have a culture that enjoys to dine out but in my view we are not as intense as the Americans. In other posts I mentioned in brief some of the opportunities that exist in the restaurant business. Experience shows that a lot goes into the establishment of these types of businesses. My concern is, that in

I currently use or run a version of Ubuntu LTS alongside a copy of XP (large volume license). There are several reasons why i am yet to upgrade my Ubuntu Platform. The first is about time, the second is about internet speed and bandwidth, the third is i still have some time before support runs out. The third reason is the most important reason having received my copy in 2011. Even though this is the case, i have not yet fully utilized the software nor have i thought about accessing support. Most of my online needs are met by search platforms and more experienced users. Even if i have tried to preach the open source gospel especially to Not for Profit Organizations, i am yet to make a breakthrough . In the meantime i still run the O.S while finding other sources of software and getting more familiar with the interface. Maybe Microsoft needs to think about the idea of support around similar lines. I am amazed that Windows 2000 still has a following that insists on its stability . L

Africa Leadership Dialogues presented some trends that in their view are driving business development. This list is impressive and what it mans for me, is that i can take advantage of these trends and create resources, and services around them. China, Brazil and Africa If you are not going to be a direct beneficiary of overseas investment, on a national level, maybe you can learn a language (Portuguese and Cantonese or Mandarin). Perhaps you can study the history of possible development projects and build or train in skills that might be useful in supporting 'National Projects'. Constructions of road and other infrastructure might call for some skill in welding, carpentry and others.  Agriculture There are some opportunities here too although much of the work needs to take place with government. In the past Cooperatives were very useful in harnessing business opportunities and influencing governments in creating better policy mechanisms, but we have suffered a lot under unfair

About two weeks ago, i was watched Django Unchained. The Movie was done by Quentin Tarantino and is yet another is his retinue of classic or masterful presentation of the great controversial debate on slavery. Directors have a signature with which they present their material and he is no exception. In my view, he uses dry humor with a mix of brutal violence as well as an A-Class list of actors.  Samuel Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Leonardo De Caprio to name just a few. I guess this is often the purpose of laughter and ludeness. They tend to occur where the writer or director needs to have certain points emphasized. Samuel Jackson creeps into the picture with his swagger and skill and plays the role of the 'high level servant'. Jamie Foxx takes on the role of Django who goes on a quest of sorts and has to deal with dilemma of making tough choices. Leonardo De Caprio plays a very convincing Plantation owner whose mood swings seem to be tempered by his faithful servant (in this case playe