urn:mashada-com:feeds:atom Mashada Blogs » February 18, 2009 Mashada Blogs » February 18, 2009 2009-11-21T10:01:03-05:00 http://kikuyumoja.com/2009/02/19/tags-tags-tags/ jke Kikuyumoja's realm: tags, tags, tags… 2009-02-18T17:47:13-05:00 2009-02-18T17:47:13-05:00 I don’t know if something like the following already exists out there, but I was just going through my feeds on Google Reader as I had recently developed an interest in Japan-related blogs (Gaijin blogs, as I’d call them - much more interesting than traveller blogs) and thought about a website that lists sites in the way humans sort them.

GR-feed-jke

For instance, I grouped/tagged all Africa-related sites as “afrosphere” and European sites with no particular topic as “Eurosphere” on my Google Reader. It may not be the smartest solution, but it helps me to quickly identify where something belongs to (again, according to my own understanding which may be different from yours).

You may also see from my folders that it’s sometimes difficult to caterogize one website into a unique folder. For instance, Steve often writes about the musical Golden Afrique on his blog - so I didn’t know where to save his feed: afrospehere or ngoma?

Google knows about this problem and consequently enabled users to save their feeds in more than one folder. In dubio pro reo - so I saved his blog in both folders.

I even read the wonderful “Everything is miscellaneous” by David Weinberger the other day and think that it makes sense to tag all content. However, it’s still my own tags/keywords - and sometimes I’d like to know what kind of classification others are using on their readers.

deliciousjke

One fine way is to check out delicious.com - that social bookmarking service I’ve been using for quite some time now - and see the tags ppl have used on their saved bookmarks. The screenshot above is a search for “Kikuyumoja” - lists 35 search results.

So the idea is to come up with a service that takes bookmarks / links from various resources (e.g. social bookmarking sites, feedreaders, etc.), looks at their tags and combines these with a link:

Kikuyumoja.com - my blog - would probably create a tag cloud like:

Kenya Germany mobile_blogging cool twitter Africa social_media blog moblog water ecosan internet mobile gprs Safaricom umts Nokia WordPress eee imagineering …

…and so on.

Again, I don’t know if something like that already exists, but the idea behind such an approach is not to display my own categorisation (because otherwise I would just come up with a tag cloud on the sidebar of my blog) - but instead a user / reader generated tag cloud: I am not interested in my own stuff, but in yours.

In other words: in case you’ve saved my blog on your feedreader - how did you tag it?

Technically spoken, I imagine a Yahoo pipes app - but how do you access those private tags on feedreaders?

]]> http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2009/02/18/action-alert-press-for-activists-release/ Ory Okolloh Kenyan Pundit: Action alert! Press for activists release 2009-02-18T15:23:42-05:00 2009-02-18T15:23:42-05:00 KP readers, please lend your support to these brave souls who are doing the hard and important work that needs to be done to change Kenya. We might not all be able to march in the streets in protest of the numerous scandals bedeviling the country, so lets take action in other ways.

Note: The importance of logging a critical volume of messages, through multiple channels, especially internationally, cannot be underestimated. They may not result in immediate release, but they will influence the response to the habeas corpus filing tomorrow
morning. And may make all the difference to the level of physical abuse that Philo, Fwamba and Patrick suffer - or are saved from - at the hands of the police while in custody.

WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW

(1) Send a text message NOW, to Kenya’s President, Prime Minister, and Attorney General. Use the one below, or craft your own.
Mr. Kibaki / Mr. Odinga - we hold u accountable 4 police violence and illegal arrests against Philo Ikonya n other civil society activists. Release them NOW and fire Police Commissioner Ali.

To President Mwai Kibaki (via his spokesperson, Alfred Mutua):
Cellphone number + 254 721 240 443

To Prime Minister Raila Odinga
Cellphone + 254 733 620 736

Attorney General:
Amos Wako + 254 722 772 453

2) Send an email

To President Mwai Kibaki
presid…@statehousekenya.go.ke

To Prime Minister Raila Odinga
railaodi…@yahoo.com

Suggested Message:

Mr Kibaki / Mr. Odinga, I urge you to act immediately to release Philo Ikonya, Fwamba Chrispus, and Patrick Kamotho from illegal police custody. Police Commissioner Ali must be fired for presiding over
escalating police violations of civil and human rights in Kenya.

Signed: Name, Organization / Affiliation (if any), City, Country

3) If you are a Kenyan repeat steps 1) and 2) with your own MP andother parliamentarians. Contact details for Kenyan MPs at Mzalendo.

4) If you live outside Kenya, repeat steps 1) and 2), directing the texts and emails to the Kenyan Ambassador or High Commissioner in your
country. Contact details on this link:

5) If you are a foreign national living in Kenya, repeat steps 1) and 2) with the Ambassador or High Commissioner of your country in Kenya.

6) Copy to the Feedback Form on the site of the Kenyan Police Force: http://www.kenyapolice.go.ke/contactus.asp

7) Copy to Kofi Annan, in his capacity as the head of the Kenya
National Dialogue and Reconciliation Process, through his spokesman: Nasser Ega-Musa Nasser.Ega-M…@unon.org

]]> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blacklooks/mUCi/~3/542731042/toxic_waste_dumped_in_africa.html Rethabile Black Looks: Toxic waste dumped in Africa 2009-02-18T15:03:23-05:00 2009-02-18T15:03:23-05:00 http://kumekucha.blogspot.com/2009/02/10th-parliament-crashes-and-burns.html You Missed This: 10th Parliament Crashes And Burns Shortly After Take Off 2009-02-18T13:46:00-05:00 2009-02-18T13:46:00-05:00
In other words our dear legislators voted to support corruption and impunity.

Kenyans on the streets and everywhere we managed to interview them are now saying that the true colours of this parliament that has refused to pay taxes has now clearly come out for all to see.

Ruto enjoyed a landslide victory of 133 MPs voting against the motion and only 22 supporting.

What has greatly angered the people further are the numerous meetings held at various city hotels last night whose agenda was today’s censure motion that would almost have certainly seen Ruto resign had it succeeded. Sources tell this blogger that the agriculture minister hosted a huge contingent of legislators at the Nairobi Casino and then for some unclear reasons the “party” was moved to the Safari Park Hotel later. It is said that MPs were making their way home at 3 am this morning. Money is even said to have exchanged hands and that is why a motion that at first seemed to have huge support suddenly fizzled out. Even the man moving the motion, Ikolomani legislator Bonny Khalwale was a pale shadow of himself at the crucial moment and the gynecologist by profession failed “to deliver the baby safely” for the anxious Kenyan people. Indeed the evidence Khalwale tabled against Ruto was so weak that he did not seem to believe it himself. So what happened to the convincing points he has been raising over the past 2 weeks or so? Was it so hard to back it all up?

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Kumekucha titbits: Laptops get dropped all the time. Did you know that this can easily cause your hard drive to crash with vital data and information trapped inside? Hard disk recovery in Kenya exists and could be your only option if such misfortune befell you.
============================

In retrospect it was one motion that Ruto would not have afforded to lose. With all sorts of accusations leveled against him concerning the post-elections troubles, the man probably felt that only his stay in the seat of power could protect him adequately from the many troubles ahead. And so if it is true he spent the fortune that people are saying he spent, then he must be sleeping well tonight, secure in the fact that he spent his money well.

But the biggest loser in today’s debate was the Kenyan people some of whom have already lost their lives due to starvation. Ruto says the maize sold was too little to feed starving Kenyans. Of course he is carefully ignoring the fact that his actions triggered off heft price increases in the marketplace. So the question of how many bags were sold irregularly does not really arise here. The truth of the matter is that Ruto's action have had a devastating effect on the price of the Kenyan staple of Unga.

Impunity has once again won the day. But mark my words it has only won one of the many battles with most still to come. The war proper is another matter altogether.

P.S. Just a reminder folks... I told you to keep your eyes firmly fixed on 3 individuals. William Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta and Bonny Khalwale. The big question I have on my mind tonight is; did Khalwale attend the Casino and Safari Park bashes?Kumekucha

]]> http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/?p=1665 kenyanentrepreneur Kenyanentrepreneur.com: Naseem Taleb: Stop Trying to predict the future 2009-02-18T13:35:37-05:00 2009-02-18T13:35:37-05:00 http://beckyit.blogspot.com/2009/02/women-most-likely-to-stalk-exes-online.html REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG: WOMEN MOST LIKELY TO STALK EXES ONLINE 2009-02-18T08:36:00-05:00 2009-02-18T08:36:00-05:00 former partners and ‘enemies’, according to research of over 1700*
members of the British public.

Research carried out by the world’s most popular people search engine has
found that 1 in 2 people have searched for an ex or somebody they dislike
via social networks.

Women were more likely to search for exes, with 62% admitting that they had
on at least one occasion used the internet to look for an ex-partner. 46%
of men admitted to the same.

The research was conducted by people search site www.yasni.co.uk in a bid
to understand who people search for online, and why. 97% of people have
searched for themselves online via search engines and people search
websites in a bid to find out just how much information is online about
them.

Expectedly, the results showed that 96% of people have searched for friends
and family online, although just under 1 in 2, 46%, admitted to searching
for people they claimed to dislike on people search and social network
sites.

The third most common people search online is for celebrities and public
figures, with 93% of people claiming to have searched on social networks
and search engines for a well-known individual. When participant responses
were broken down, the over 30s were much less likely to search for famous
people via search engines and on social networks than younger more fame
obsessed counterparts; 86% and 100% respectively.

54% of respondents had searched for an ex-partner online. When asked “if
you have searched for an ex-partner online, have you searched for that
ex-partner on more than one occasion?” over a quarter of people agreed,
meaning that 1 in 4 people have used online channels to check up on
ex-lovers more than once.

When asked “if you have searched for an ex-partner online, what were your
reasons?” curiosity was the majority answer, followed by jealousy, with
57% and 21% respectively. 9% answered to the option ‘because I knew I
wouldn’t be caught’.

When broken down regionally, women in Newcastle are more likely to stalk an
ex online, proving the ‘fiery’ stereotype.

Percentage of women who have searched for exes at least once by region:

1. Newcastle – 72%
2. Liverpool – 68%
3. London – 68%
4. Leeds – 65%
5. Edinburgh – 64%

Steffen Ruehl, CEO of yasni.co.uk had the following to say,

“Curiosity is an interesting thing, it is human nature to investigate. It
can make people search for people they may dislike, or people they have had
personal relationships with in the past. The fact that so many Brits use
the internet and services like ours to provide them with undetectable
access to other people’s lives is a fact of today’s online society.

“The only way to ensure people do not access personal information about
your life is to ensure that social network profiles are set to private and
that any information about yourself online is hidden or deleted. Today’s
society is intent on using the internet as a medium through which to
broadcast personal details, which means that it has become increasingly
easy to find information.”

www.yasni.co.uk allows people to search for themselves and others online
and collects any publicly available information linked to their name from
all websites and social network profiles; consequently offering people the
ability to monitor and control what others have access to. ]]> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kenyanpoet/~3/542366640/workshop-business-skills-for-creative.html N.W Kenyanpoet: Workshop: BUSINESS SKILLS for the CREATIVE INDUSTRY @ Strathmore University 2009-02-18T07:07:00-05:00 2009-02-18T07:07:00-05:00 • Advertising
• Architecture
• Art & Antique Markets
• Broadcasting
• Crafts
• Design (including Fashion)
• Film, Video & Photography
• Music
• Publishing
• Software, Computer Games &
• Electronic Publishing
• Talent/Artist Management
• Visual & Performing Arts

As a creative producer, owner/manager of a creative outfit, or industry employee, you will benefit greatly from this 8-day course on Enhancing Your Business Skills to serve local, regional and international markets.

Who for: Creative producers, Managers of creative producers, Owners of creative industry outfits, Employees in the sector generally.
Dates: Every Friday from 27 Feb to 24 April, 2009 (except Good Friday on 10 April)
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m.
Venue: British Council, Upper Hill Rd
Sponsorship: 30 scholarships available for
95% of the cost.
Your investment: Kshs.5,000

PLACES ARE LIMITED. APPLY EARLY
Certificates will be issued upon successful completion of the course.

Strathmore University For details and to apply, visit http://www.britishcouncil.org/africa-creative-entrepreneurs.htm or contact Gladys Waweru at Strathmore University, gwaweru@strathmore.edu or +Tel: 254 (020) 606155/ 606268/ 606380 0724255169/ 0733618135 Ext. 2256. Bookmark and Share ]]> http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2009/02/18/activists-arrested-outside-parliament/ Ory Okolloh Kenyan Pundit: Activists arrested outside parliament 2009-02-18T06:02:51-05:00 2009-02-18T06:02:51-05:00 Philo Ikonya, Fwamba FC Fwamba, and Patrick Kamotho have been beaten and arrested by police while demonstrating against lack of unga, and corruption in government at Parliament Buildings. The protests were planned to coincide with Ruto’s censure motion scheduled for today. Philo Ikonya and Fwamba FC Fwamba are currently being held at Central Police Station. The whereabouts of Patrick Kamotho are still unknown.

]]> http://startupkenya.blogspot.com/2009/02/more-goof-ups-from-safaricom-and-great.html Startups in Kenya: More goof-ups from Safaricom and the Great Zap Mystery 2009-02-18T02:56:00-05:00 2009-02-18T02:56:00-05:00
Did I hear a gasp, or was that you masking "bull****" under your cough?

Here in the real world, we still are trying to figure out how customer satisfaction by Safaricom is measured: is it getting a dial signal on the customer care number 100? Or perhaps it's finishing a conversation without spending thirty seconds saying "Hallo....hallo...can you hear me...hallo"? Maybe its spending less than 30 minutes queuing at a customer care centre?

While we ponder on this, I'm afraid I have to bash Great Green once more on another major goof. This time the culprit is M-PESA agent application on service so bad it almost equals their Safaricom Broadband scam mentioned elsewhere in this blog.

Last November, I applied for M-PESA super-dealership, hoping to join the gravy train of the new age banking heralded by this product. Things seemed to be moving on relatively well and after 2 weeks I got a call from SC telling me that my application had been received. Then, darkness set in.

Its February now, more than three and a half-months since I applied and I am still to receive confirmation on whether my application was successful. I have them called countless times, written several emails and even visited their HQ twice. Their responses have been either inadequate, incomplete, deceitful, or just plain ignorant. I've been promised to be called back but had no one call back, my emails have gone unanswered and I was quickly brushed off from their office with claims of "we'll call you this week". One lady even had the audacity to tell me that I shouldn't bother calling her direct line, because she doesn't pick it.

Yaaani! Have Safaricom grown too big, they don't need my business or what?

In the spirit of equality, I also have some barbs to throw at the counterparts on MSA road, Zain. Zain launched their Zap service (an allegedly superior alternative to M-PESA) recently, and I am dying to start using it, but I have no clue where to start. Someone help me out here, how does this Zap thing work and where can one apply?

18/02/09 UPDATE - Zain has just sent me the following message:

Send money from Zain with ZAP for 10/- only. To activate your SIM card send an SMS ZAP to 455. Zain a wonderful world

I've sent the SMS but I'm yet to get any kind of response (14 minutes later) ]]>